 
### Table of Contents

Title Page

Preface

Dedication

Chapter 1 - Pokerish Observations

Section 1.1 - Table Image

Section 1.2 - Pokerish Banter and Bluster

Section 1.3 - Emotion and Deportment

Chapter 2 - Pokerish Skills

Section 2.1 - Pokerish Positional Priorities

Section 2.2 - Game Size and Composition

Section 2.3 - Pokerish Contemplation

Section 2.4 - The Pokerish Toolbox

Section 2.5 - Quick Math

Chapter 3 - Pokerish Insights

Section 3.1 - The Pokerish Conundrum

Section 3.2 - The Pokerish Wave

Section 3.3 - The Pokerish Business Plan

Chapter 4 - The Pokerish Environment

Section 4.1 - Casino Poker Rooms

Section 4.2 - Libations and Other Comps

Section 4.3 - Poker Room Profits & Proclivities

Section 4.4 - Non-Casino Poker Rooms

Section 4.5 - Shipboard Pokerish

Chapter 5 - The Pokerish Horse

Section 5.1 - Hold'em

Section 5.2 - Omaha

Section 5.3 - Razz

Section 5.4 - Stud

Section 5.5 - Eight & Below

Chapter 6 - Pokerish Online

Section 6.1 - Choosing an Online Site

Section 6.2 - Setting Up and Account

Section 6.3 - Getting on a List and a Table

Section 6.4 - How the Games are Played

Section 6.5 - Practice Games and Tournaments

Section 6.6 - Cash Games and Tournaments

Section 6.7 - Special Considerations

Section 6.8 - Membership Sites

Chapter 7 - Pokerish Simulation

Section 7.1 - Lower Level Simulation

Section 7.2 - Middle Level Simulation

Section 7.3 - High Level Simulation

Chapter 8 - Pokerish Humor

Section 8.1 - Poker Night Strategy

Section 8.2 - Mother's Operation

Section 8.3 - The Vanishing Poker Game

Section 8.4 - I'll Take That Bet

Section 8.5 - Really Bad Hands

Section 8.6 - The Old Bar Fly

Section 8.7 - Good Luck and Bad Luck

Section 8.8 - The Medical Emergency

Section 8.9 - Be Discreet

Section 8.10 - Late Night Poker Game

Section 8.11 - The Final Table

Section 8.12 - Ladies Day

Section 8.13 - Breakfast in Bed

Section 8.14 - Poker Playing Dog

Section 8.15 - My Father Taught Me

Section 8.16 - Money Down the Crapper

Conclusion

About the Author

Pokerish: The Language & Logic of Poker

Books by Terry Eade

#

# More Pokerish:

# Poker Skills and Insights

# Terry Eade

Copyright 2016 Terry Eade

Smashwords Edition

ISBN 9781370922178

#

# Preface to More Pokerish

As indicated by the title, this book is the second in a series of two books dedicated to educating and entertaining those who take poker as a serious hobby or avocation. As explained in the first book, the term "Pokerish" is one I coined to represent both a language and a culture which defines the game of poker around the world. Just as English, Spanish, Swedish, Danish and Turkish represent distinct languages and cultures, Pokerish represents a unique language and culture for the game of poker.

As with the first book, you will find numerous real world examples that I have experienced first hand over many years of playing poker in all types of environments. After each example, or series of examples, the point being made will be specifically identified. Hopefully this will give you an empirical example of the importance of the lesson being addressed, so you will not have to learn the lesson the hard (and expensive) way. While the first book was touted as a tour book and a survival guide in the real world of poker, this book will attempt to build on those basic principles and provide new skills and insights.

**Chapter 1 - Pokerish Observations.** This chapter covers three important aspects of the game of poker. The first is the importance and impact of each player's table image. The second is the banter and bluster between the players. The third is how emotion and deportment impact your game and that of your opponents.

**Chapter 2 - Pokerish Skills.** This chapter addresses decision making, self-talk, and quick math. It also examines play at short handed tables and aggressive tables. This chapter provides advice on what to play and how to play based on your betting position as well as your position relative to aggressive and tight players.

**Chapter 3 - Pokerish Insights.** This chapter focuses on the pros & cons of pre-flop raises and splash pots. It also looks at how the fluctuations in luck & chip stacks for you and other players at your table interact. This chapter will also compare poker to other games of chance and a small business.

**Chapter 4 - The Pokerish Environment.** This chapter highlights the Pokerish environment in both casinos and licensed card rooms. It covers their facilities, operations, services, and the financial incentives, which govern the way the poker room is run.

**Chapter 5 - The Pokerish Horse.** This chapter explains the rules and intricacies of Hold'em, Omaha, Razz, Stud, and Eight and below. Hold'em in this chapter is no limit and spread limit.

**Chapter 6 - Pokerish Online.** This chapter gives the reader an idea of how to play both cash and practice games on the Internet. It also gives the reader an idea of what to look for, and look out for, as well as the logistics of an online poker site.

**Chapter 7 - Pokerish Simulation.** This chapter looks at various computer simulation software packages and their ability to hone skills that the player can apply at a casino or online poker table.

**Chapter 8 - Pokerish Humor.** This final chapter lists some of the author's favorite poker related jokes.

#

# Dedication

I would like to dedicate this book to the managers, floor people, chip runners, wait staff and especially the dealers who make the game of poker enjoyable to all of us who visit their poker rooms. They keep the game congenial, honest, and moving at a pleasant pace.

These folks often have to deal with players who are angry, unruly, and inebriated. They demonstrate unusual patience and compassion in dealing with these situations and are almost always able to resolve the situation in a way that all parties involved deem acceptable. The ability of a small female dealer to deal firmly yet politely with a large, angry male poker player is sometimes quite astounding.

I have also been impressed with how these professionals deal with health problems encountered by players in their poker rooms. On several occasions I have seen them deal with diabetic comas, convulsions, and other serious health issues encountered in their poker rooms. They not only quickly secure paramedics but also render aid and comfort until the medics arrive.

Poker room staff also have to deal with players with various levels of physical impairment. Normally these are the visual, auditory, and mental limitations that plague us older players. However, they also provide assistance and accommodation to those who need wheelchairs or have other physical impairments which make it difficult to sit at the table and handle the cards. They provide these services cheerfully and without causing the impaired player undue embarrassment.

# Chapter 1

# Pokerish Observations

In this chapter we will look at three important aspects of the game which underlie the action at every poker table. Although much of this information is subjective it is vital for you to understand with regard to both the offensive and defensive aspects of your game.

**Section 1.1** looks at the impact that a player's table image has on the way other players at the table react to and interpret the communication they get from that player. It also provides information about how you can create a table image that will work to your advantage.

**Section 1.2** provides the reader with insight into the comments and conversations at the table other than the betting actions. This includes questions, which are aimed at getting additional information about what a player is holding and how confident they are about their hand.

**Section 1.3** examines the benefits of keeping your emotions under control, developing a poker face, and keeping off tilt. It also offers some insights on tells and provides a few guidelines for becoming a more competent, confident, and congenial player.

## Section 1.1

# Table Image

In this section we will look at a form of communication, which impacts the way the other players at your table interpret all of your actions and statements. That communication aspect is your unique "table image." Your table image is one of the most important ways that you communicate with the other players and is the filter through which they pass your actions to properly interpret them.

In the first book of the Pokerish series, we looked at how to interpret the betting actions of your opponents, on various streets, in various positions, with various holdings, and with various styles. Since you already know the street of betting you are on, the position of a player in the betting sequence, once you apply a player's style (table image), you should be able to use the information from the first book to get a good idea of what they are holding and their intentions, based on the action they take. Thus, to properly interpret the information you need to consider the table image of the player taking the action. Their actions will also be impacted by their consideration of your table image and that of the other players at the table.

Your table image is the presumed style that other players ascribe to you based on where you stand on the aggressive-passive continuum and the loose-tight continuum. Thus, you can be categorized as tight-aggressive, loose-aggressive, tight-passive, loose-passive or moderations of those styles based on what you play and how you play.

Everyone at the poker table has a table image. It does not have to be a real attribute, just the one that is conveyed to the other players or developed in their minds from having watched you play. Your table image is based on your collective play over whatever period of time you have been observed. If you are a regular player, you will have a table image based on your previous play and style. If you are a new player, your opponents will be watching you closely to determine what your table image will be.

Once they have determined what your style is, they will use that information to interpret and anticipate your actions and reactions. It is also important for you to determine the table image for your opponents so that you can more accurately gauge the value of their hands and their probable course of action for the rest of the hand.

For this reason, many players will often try and develop a table image, which will work to their advantage when trying to deceive the other players and distort their own strength or intentions. If I want to create a loose-aggressive table image, I may start out with several racks of chips, stack them in high uncounted stacks, always defend my blind, post a straddle, play most hands, raise with a calling hand and show my inferior holding when I have bluffed someone out of the hand. If I play weak starting cards and throw my hand away once I have been called, that also conveys the image of a loose-aggressive player. Once I have convinced the other players that this is my style, they will be much more inclined to give me action when I have a good hand and want them to call or raise.

Conversely, a tight table image can be conveyed by not playing most of the holdings that you are dealt, especially in early position. A tight table image will also be conveyed by starting out with a conservative amount of chips, stacking them neatly in counted stacks, folding most hands, and not defending your blind on a consistent basis. Showing a strong holding when folding to a bet or raise will also bolster your image as a "rock". Having a tight table image will enable you to bluff successfully in situations where a loose player would not be able to do so.

My father once told me: **_"If they always call, you are bluffing too much and if they never call, you are not bluffing enough."_** Therefore, if you are considered to be a tight player you may be able to bluff successfully, because that is not your normal style. Players will also sense if you appear to be a weak player who will not call a bet or a raise unless you have a very strong hand and will take advantage of that information to bluff you off of a moderate hand.

Perhaps the most pathetic thing I have seen is someone who attempts to convey a table image they have observed at the final table of a televised poker tournament and is totally out of place in the game and limit they are playing. First, as indicated in the first book of the Pokerish series, no limit tournament poker is definitely different than a low limit cash game. Second, tournament players will play differently at the final table than they did to get to the final table. Third, it is understandable to see players take a long time to make a decision when there are thousands or even millions of dollars in prize money riding on that decision, but not in a low limit cash game with moderate sized pots. If on occasion you do need more time than normal to make a decision, call "time" and be thoughtful of the other players at your table.

In a casino three-six limit hold'em game we had a young player come to our table who had obviously been influenced by watching players at the final table of a televised no limit, Texas hold'em tournament. He had his hoody pulled up to hide most of his face, dark sunglasses to hide his eyes, and put his hand over his mouth to make sure that no one could see any of his facial features. When it was his turn to act, he would look several times at his holding, stare into the eyes of all the players still in the hand, and sometimes ask them how much money in chips they had in play. He would also count out raising chips to see if he could get a reaction from anyone, even when he ultimately just called or folded.

This was not only comical to watch, but also slowed down the game considerably due to his time consuming antics. Everyone at the table wanted to break this guy and get back to a normal hold'em game, absent all the theatrics and delays. Several players got fed up with this guy and moved to other tables before the kid finally lost all his money and left the table wondering why he had not ended up with all the chips, like the guy on television did.

## Section 1.2

# Pokerish Banter and Bluster

One area of Pokerish communications we have not touched on is the dialog at the table, which doesn't pertain directly to the action a player is taking on their hand. This would run the gambit from friendly discussions, to questions about your holding, to statements meant to get you upset or off your game. In this section we will look at this subject and how it may impact your game.

##### Conversations

Unlike the atmosphere many outside of the Pokerish community envision, most poker players are very congenial and will enter into friendly conversations with other players at their table. These conversations may be initiated by one player who notices that another player is wearing a hat, sweatshirt, or ring which indicates a particular branch of the military, a university, a fraternal organization, a sports team, a city, or a state. These conversations are usually harmless unless they delay the game or agitate another player at the table.

Sometimes there is a thin line between a friendly conversation and one that becomes boring and tedious to one of the players involved. If you are the one who wishes to end the conversation, you may be able to do so by not responding or giving obvious signs of disinterest. If that doesn't work, you may need to take a restroom break and hope that by the time you return the chatterbox has realized that the conversation is over or perhaps found another player with whom to converse. If the conversation is delaying the game, the dealer will usually take care of the situation. The dealer's performance statistics and tips are directly related to the speed of the game. If they do not, you may have to request that the dealer get the situation under control.

At one poker table the person sitting next to me was from Australia and had a very heavy accent, which was hard for me to understand. This player was a real talker and wanted to tell me all about his life and about a thousand of his favorite stories. Even though he was speaking English, I was not able to understand what he was talking about or respond to the questions he would constantly ask. It was also distracting me from playing my hand and following the action on the table. I didn't want to insult him and tell him he was talking gibberish, so when a seat became available at the other end of the table, I took that seat and probably committed the new player who took my seat to a rerun of the same stories.

##### Banter

It is common for poker players who play with each other frequently to joke and cajole with each other and sometimes with a new player at the table. As long as this doesn't get out of hand it is just harmless and good natured fun. However, if does get out of hand and irritates one of the players, the dealer or the floor person is the one to correct the situation. Don't try and take care of this yourself, because you might end up in a very heated discussion or a fight and get expelled from the poker room, even if you were trying to do the right thing.

Sometimes the banter is related to the hand being played and is a question about what you are holding or perhaps why you made a bet or a raise. I have developed a number of non-combative responses to these kinds of questions, which politely tells them that I am not going to reveal what I have or why I took the action that I did. One response is to tell them "for eight dollars you can find out", if it is a river bet in a four-eight hold'em game.

My favorite response to a question about what I am holding is "the book said I didn't have to tell." That usually results in laughter from the rest of the table including the person who asked the question. If they ask what book I am referring to, I tell them **_Pokerish_** _: The Language and Logic of Poker_ , available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, the Apple iBook store and other ebook retailers.

If everyone folds to your bet or raise and you do not disclose your holding, your opponents may ask you to show them your holding or tell them what you were holding. As mentioned numerous times in the Pokerish series, revealing your holding when you do not have to is normally not in your best interest. However, there may be times when you do show or tell them something to put them on tilt or to develop respect for your bets and raises. It is usually best to leave them guessing. You can also respond by telling them that you had nothing or the nuts depending on how you want to embellish your image.

You may also show them one card to make your point. Say that the board shows two kings and a deuce. You may hold a king and a deuce and just show the deuce. That indicates that you may have just called with kings and deuces two pair, and make the player who laid down a higher pair wonder if they were bluffed out of a large pot or whether the undisclosed card was a king or another deuce and they made a good lay down. You could also just show them the king and not let them know that you play junk like a K-2 off-suit.

You may also think that showing a strong hand, like a pair of pocket aces or a flopped set, will justify your loss to a runner-runner hand and engender sympathy. Most of the time it will just let your opponents know how bad you are running and that you may be going on tilt about your unjustified losses.

Sometimes a player will ask another player a question just to see how the other player's voice sounds and if it conveys something about how confident the respondent is with the situation. A player who is looking for a "tell" may be able to elicit one based on the response.

##### Bluster

When a player is blustering it may be more than just what they say, but how they convey the message. If their delivery is overly loud, aggressive, or indignant, it will convey the message that they are angry, frustrated, or upset with a particular player or a number of players at the table. In many cases the blustering player will be involved with just delivering a betting action such as a raise or a frustrated call. This is usually because they have been getting beat by the player or players toward who they are directing the message. A player who is winning is seldom angry about anything and is usually the one who is jovial and extroverted. My father loved to say: ** _"The winners laughed and told jokes and the losers said 'deal, dammit deal'."_**

Be aware, however, that some players will use the blustering technique to anger another player and get them off their game and angry about the loud-mouth who is snarling and slamming their chips out to make a bet, raise, or call. A blustering player may also convey this attitude by the way they toss away their folding cards into the muck or toss a kill button to the player who just beat them.

Sometimes the bluster a player demonstrates is in reaction to how they are doing at the table and other times it is a purposeful attempt to agitate one or more opponents. This technique is referred to as "trash talk." Here the trash talker may indicate how badly they intend to beat the opponent and take all their money. The trash talker may also berate an opponent and tell them how badly they are playing and how easy they are to read.

While the trash talker may be directing their rhetoric to the entire table, they are usually directing it against a particular opponent. That opponent is usually the chip leader at the table or one of those with the larger chip stacks. If this approach works, then the trash talker has developed a way to control this opponent and get them to revise their approach when they are in a hand with the trash talker.

If a player can get you to dislike them, you will play different against them, because you want to beat this person and punish them for their behavior. This can throw you off your game and essentially put you on tilt when this player is in the hand. If you are heads-up with this player, you might be inclined to make a bad call just to make sure that this player is not bluffing you. For this reason, the blustering player may show you a bluff and laugh at your fold just to put you on tilt and get you off your game. We will look further into how to control your emotions and avoid going "on tilt" in section 1.3 of this chapter.

Sometimes the bluster and trash talk a player uses to get other players on tilt will backfire. At one Arizona casino a young player had been insulting and berating an elderly woman at his table as well as being rude to other players at the table. In one hand, the rude player had a qualifying hand for the bottom end of a sizable bad beat jackpot and the elderly woman had a qualifying hand, which would have beat him. However, when it was time to disclose their hands the woman said "you need the money @#$%^&* and I don't," and with that flashed her cards and then threw them into the muck.

Thus, the rude player had just lost 50% of a large bad beat jackpot to a woman who was willing to sacrifice her 25% share to punish the rude player for his bluster and bad behavior. I was told that the other players at the table also felt the same way about their table share, for the same reason, and didn't blame the woman for what she had done. Bad beat jackpots were covered in the first book of the Pokerish series.

## Section 1.3

# Emotion and Deportment

Back when I was a teenager, the watchword was to be cool. Being cool meant that you stayed on an even keel regardless of what was going on around you so you could make objective decisions, free from the frantic or dangerous situation you were facing. Keeping your cool gave you the appearance of being strong, brave, and mature. It also meant that others could not rattle you and make you act out of fear or anger.

This persona was reinforced by the movie and television heroes who would always stay calm and save those around them who were acting prematurely and inappropriately out of fear or anger. Being able to "stay cool" will definitely improve your performance at the poker table and may pay dividends in other aspects of your life as well.

If you are not able to control your emotions, you will never be able to play your best poker. You will also shorten your life, lessen your enjoyment of the game, and alienate the other players at your table. Putting your health and happiness aside, there are two good reasons you need to control your emotions that just relate specifically to your success at the poker table.

First, if you are not able to control your emotions, you will find it much more difficult to mask your facial and physical reactions and be giving your opponents information they can use against you on the table. Second, even if you are somehow able to keep your emotions from emerging as tells, they will impact the way you play and get you off your game. Both of these factors will be discussed below.

##### Keeping a Poker Face

Even outside of the game of poker, keeping a poker face has come to mean that an individual is able to mask both positive and negative emotions by having the same expression and disposition in either extreme or at any point in between. You not only need to control your face, but your entire body. Even if your face is placid, if your posture is different, the veins in your neck are bulging, or your hands are shaking, it will give away how you feel about the situation you are in and how confident or excited you are in the decision you are making.

Most of us have played with those who's hands shake when they see their cards or take action by checking, betting, or raising. Although to a new poker player this tell might look like fear and lack of confidence, I have found that it usually means the player has picked up a monster hand and can't mask the excitement they are feeling. While this is normally a trait exhibited by new players, I saw this reaction recently by an individual who has been playing poker for over 15 years. Under those circumstances, the player exhibiting this tell will not be able to get full value out of such a hand when the veteran poker players at their table pick up on this tell and get out of their way.

Thus, you need to be aware of the signals you might be giving to the other players at your table. As mentioned earlier, you need to gather as much information as possible from your opponents while making sure you don't give any unnecessary information back to them. Over the years I have developed a very consistent "poker face" and my opponents can't tell if I have a busted straight or a royal flush until the cards are exposed. Most experienced players have had enough monster hands that they don't react to them in any special way. If you have not yet reached that level of control, it should be one of your primary goals. If you do not, you will be giving your opponents too much information and too much money as well.

Even some of the younger professional poker players will try and hide their emotions by wearing hoodies up over their head, donning sunglasses, and putting their hands over their mouths. This is because they are not confident that they can avoid giving away information about their hand and what they intend to do with that hand. If you think you may not be at a point where you can mask your tells, you might consider using some of these techniques as well, at least on a temporary basis.

##### Keeping Off Tilt

The second reason to control your emotions is so that you can keep a clear head and make sound rational decisions. The term "on tilt" relates to the old pin ball machines, which would register a tilt if the player got excited and used too much body English to control the path of the ball. When this happened the machine would register a tilt and end the game. The player would lose all of the points they had earned in that game and the ability to use any of their remaining balls. Thus, they would have to use another coin and start all over again.

In poker, a player will usually go on tilt because they have had an uncompensated bad beat in a large hand or have been running bad and taken a series of beats that have drained their chip stack. When the player goes on tilt, they are so impatient to win back their losses and punish the players who beat them, they play poor cards and chase better hands with very thin draws. They also make bad calls, bad bets, and bad raises.

For this reason, some players will try to induce a player to go on tilt by showing them a bluff or criticizing their play. Having a thick skin and not reacting to this kind of behavior is the best approach. Your revenge will be to see this player's chips disappear, not in the short run or necessarily by you, but eventually as their bad behavior is punished by the poker god and all of the players at the table.

Players know when another player is on tilt and will usually take advantage of this temporary vulnerability to punish the on tilt player even more. The player who has just lost all of their chips may purchase another rack or two and play even looser and more aggressive than they usually do to get back their money and dignity.

The spiraling disaster is very apparent and the bad luck feeling becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. For this reason, many players will have the dealer lock up their seat and then get up and walk around for a while so that they can gain their composure before getting back in the game.

The best way to keep from going on tilt is to realize that poker is a game of chance. So even if you started out with a great holding that turned into a great hand on the flop, things change and you may end up losing to a player who made a bad play with bad cards and just got incredibly lucky. For example, in the paragraph below I will provide a scenario that is likely to put even an experienced player on tilt.

Say that you raised before the flop with Ad-Ah (best starting hand) and were called by a player with a 7d-2c (worse starting hand) in late position, who had to call two bets cold. Then the flop brought an Ac-Ks-3c. You bet your set and were called by the player with the seven-deuce (your chances of winning here have gone up from 88% before the flop to 95% after the flop). The turn brings the 9c and you again bet your nut hand and are again called by the seven-deuce. The river brings the Qc and you check your set to the possible flush. The seven-deuce player has now made a weak flush with his 2c and bets it confidently. I have had this situation happen too many times and had to fight to keep from going on tilt.

The thing that drives you crazy is that this player played a hand most people would never play, even without a raise, and then called bets on the flop and turn with no real hand or compelling draw. Even on the river that player has the lowest possible one card flush, which most players would be reluctant to bet. However, the poor player is rewarded for their tenacity with a very nice pot. In retrospect you did everything possible to protect your set of aces and just got incredibly unlucky.

If you would have slow played your aces and given a big blind a free flop and two free cards after the flop, you could feel some responsibility for this outcome, but that is not what you did. You should find solace in the knowledge that if your opponents play bad cards, chase your good hands, and draw thin, in the long run you will be able to take advantage of that situation. If all the players at your table were great players and always made good decisions, you would never be able to beat the house rake and win any money.

My final thought here is that since you have lost this hand you should be a good sport and congratulate the poor player for a "nice hand." I do not mean by saying it sarcastically, after all the poor player did end up with the best hand and won a big pot. Many players facing such a bad beat would make a comment like "nice river," criticize the poor play, tell the player what their odds were, and how incredibly lucky they were. **_Unless this player is a personal friend or relative, do you really want to help them improve their game? If someone plays this bad, I want them at my table every time I play and I never want them to start playing any better._**

Although the example given above is a hypothetical one, I recently had a hand in a $4-$8 game which was very similar. I was under the gun in seat 8 with the As-Ac. There was a very aggressive player in seat 4 who had been raising almost every blind, unless there was a previous raise. For that reason, I just smooth called the blind, rather than take a chance and just win the blinds with my early raise and tight table image. As expected, the aggressive player raised the blind and was called by two other players. When the action got to me, I raised again and the aggressive player capped the bet at $16. We had five players see the flop with $80 in the pot. The flop brought an Ad-9s-5c. The big blind checked to me and I bet on the flop and was raised by the aggressive player in seat 4 who was holding Ah-6h. Again the betting was capped on the flop with three players in the hand including the big blind who was holding the Kc-2d. Since there was no possible straight or flush, I bet my nut set of aces. The turn brought a 4d and the betting was capped between the aggressive player and myself, with the big blind calling all bets and raises. The river card was a 3c.

At that point I checked the river in case one of my opponents held a deuce or a 6-7 to make a straight, although I could not imagine any holding that would include those cards, which would justify calling all of the bets and raises up to that point. The aggressive player checked behind me and the big blind was "all in." After I showed the three aces, and the dealer was pushing me the pot, the big blind realized he had made a straight with his 2d and turned his holding over to win the pot. After the flop the aggressive player was drawing dead and the big blind had to hit both a three and a four to make the only hand which would beat my set of aces. So my chances to win were 98.4% after the flop, 90.9% after the turn, and 0.0% after the river. The big blind then explained that he was ready to go home and had decided to bet all of his chips on the next hand, before the hand was even dealt. A goal he had accomplished by the time he called the third raise on the turn. He wasn't even thinking of drawing for a straight and that is why he was surprised to discover he had made one on the river.

I also recently held an As-3h in the big blind in an un-raised pot. The flop came Ac-3d-3s. I resisted the urge to slow play the hand and bet the flop since I wanted to build the pot and get heads up with a very loose and aggressive player who I thought would call me down to showdown with any holding. He would think I was taking advantage of my big blind position to represent a pocket three. I was called down to the river by that player who held Kh-Qs. A queen on the turn and another on the river gave the other player a better full house than the one I had flopped. I ran a calculation on this situation just to see what the odds were to be beaten in this situation. That analysis revealed two things.

First, my As-3h holding with an Ac-3d-3s flop had a 98.4% winning chance against one other player with a random hand (based on 5 million simulation trials). That would include my opponent having pocket aces or any pocket pair larger than the threes. Any of those holdings would have given the other player either a better hand on the flop or the ability to draw out a better full house with just a single card. Those odds also included the less likely chance that the player would hit one of their pocket cards (larger than a three) on both the turn and the river.

Second, the chances of the player with the Kh-Qs beating me by hitting one of the remaining three queens on the turn and another on the river was only three tenths of one percent. That player could also have hit running kings for a better full house with the same odds. Thus, I had a 99.4% chance of winning and still lost the hand and a nice pot. In retrospect I will take those odds every time and just suck it up when someone gets incredibly lucky.

Unfortunately there is no class or book (including this one), which can prepare you to understand, or get a read on, someone who consistently plays bad cards in bad position and makes bad plays on every street. That is because most classes and books are aimed at preparing you to face the best players and still come out ahead. The good news is that these bad players will usually beat themselves and eventually give you back all of the money they won from you and all of their money as well.

##### Mannerisms and Quirks

There are generalized mannerisms and quirks referenced by poker authorities and commentators such as if they act strong they are probably weak and if they act weak they are probably strong. Players will also usually end up folding their hand to a bet or a raise if they check their holding before taking action. Also a player who caps their cards usually intends to play the hand. As mentioned earlier these generalized tells can take up an entire book. However, there are often mannerisms and quirks which are unique to a specific player. Because of this you may be able to judge the strength of a player's hand and the action they intend to take by just observing them before it is even their turn to act.

That is why it is important to observe your opponents and their play even if you are no longer in the hand. These mannerisms and quirks relate to expressions as well as what they do with their hands and eyes. Some players are so transparent with what they do when they are weak and will easily fold and what they will do when they are strong and intend to raise that they might as well turn their holding face up on the table.

As an example, in one casino hold'em game an elderly player would consistently bet or raise quickly and aggressively when he had a poor hand and ponder his decision and reluctantly act when he had a very strong hand. Both I and my wife realized this tell early and were able to take advantage of this information when he was in a hand. I would imagine that other players at the table picked up on this fact as well and the elderly player would be consistently called when he was bluffing and seldom called when he had a strong hand. Also if he made a quick check a potential bettor in late position would back off and just check realizing the elderly player was setting a trap and would probably check-raise.

##### Other Things to Consider

In addition to keeping emotions and reactions to rude players at bay, I try and follow certain constraints while at the poker table. Those constraints are _Don't Show, Don't Slow, Don't Crow, and Don't Blow_. Although these four constraints are personal guidelines, they have served me well, are easy to remember, and are explained below:

**_Don't Show._** __ As alluded to earlier, you are under no obligation to show your hand unless you have been called, have the winning hand, have shown it to someone else or an active player has requested to see all called hands. Showing your hand under other circumstances gives other players information about what you play and how you play. Giving out this kind of information is not in your best interests. Also showing how bad you are running will just encourage your opponents to take advantage of your losing streak.

**_Don't Slow._** Slow rolling is considered bad form in any poker environment and will motivate your opponents to single you out for retribution. The last thing you need to do is to paint a target on yourself at which anyone can shoot at with the approval and encouragement of the entire table. Slow playing a great hand can be a very effective way to win a large pot, just make sure that the strength of your hand and the texture of the board are not such that the free cards you give your opponents come back to bite you.

**_Don't Crow._** Bragging about your awesome luck or great bluff will usually result in developing retribution from the other players at your table and from the poker god as well. Although karma and superstition are just as subjective as luck, there is no use taking any chances when you need both skill and luck to survive and prosper. Also being a good sport at the poker table is just as important as it is in any other game or sport. Modesty and compassion are always in style.

**_Don't Blow._** Losing your temper and blowing your top is just bad form. It will alienate & embarrass your friends and entertain & embolden your enemies. It will also let your opponents know that you are "on tilt" and likely to play poorly until you regain your composure.

# Chapter 2

# Pokerish Skills

The material covered in this chapter will focus on expanding your understanding of the game's finer points. The specific skills and tools covered in the five sections outlined below should expand your purview and improve your game. Although more experienced players may be aware of some of this material, the presentation of it in a concise and focused manner should provide new information for less experienced players and a good review for veteran players.

**Section 2.1** delves into the importance of a player's position relative to the dealer button and how that will impact the cards they play and the action they should take. This section also looks at the impact of being in position relative to tight and/or aggressive players at your table.

**Section 2.2** provides the reader an explanation of how to choose and play at a table, which fits their style and skill level. It addresses the impacts on the game by both the number of players and the composition of the table relative to the predominate aggressive or passive style of the players.

**Section 2.3** addresses the mental dialog a player has with themselves to solidify what they are trying to accomplish in the hand at play. This also involves the logic they use in making decisions about what action to take when it is their turn to act.

**Section 2.4** itemizes those tools found in a Pokerish toolbox. Not all of these tools will be ones you choose to use and carry in your toolbox. However, you should be aware of them from a defensive standpoint, since you can count on all of them being in the toolboxes of your opponents.

**Section 2.5** explores one easy method to turn your chances of hitting your hand into an approximate percentage calculation, which can easily be done in your head.

## Section 2.1

# Pokerish Positional Priorities

They say that in real estate the three most important things are location, location, and location. On that basis, you could say that the three most important things in Texas hold'em are position, position, and position. Throughout this book you have been told that hold'em is a very positional game. That is because in hold'em (and Omaha) a player's position in the betting sequence remains the same for the entire hand. That position will determine what a player should play and how they should play, based on their position in the betting sequence dictated by the placement of the dealer button.

To illustrate this point, I have grouped holdings into four categories. Those categories are three bet holdings, two bet holdings, single bet holdings, and no bet holdings. This is based on the number of bets my hypothetical "successful baseline" poker player would be willing to make "cold" with that type of holding before the flop. If you are in the small blind and no one has raised the big blind, you may wonder what holding cards would qualify as a half-bet holding. However, this price reduction is canceled out by the fact that you will be in the worst position on all future streets of betting. In that situation, a prudent player will be better served by considering only those cards in the single bet category when contemplating a call. This section will examine how holdings in these categories would be played in various positions by various types of players in both passive and aggressive games. The holding cards which fall in each of these categories are delineated in this section.

Since the dealer button moves one position to the left after each hand is completed and your position at the table stays the same, you will act after the player to your right on all hands except the one where they have the button. For that reason, your position relative to a particular player or group of players is also important as to what you should play and how you should play. Both of these factors will be discussed in this section.

##### Early Position

By early position I am referring to the first three players to act in a nine handed hold'em game. When you are in early position and must act before the majority of the table, you need to play better holdings, because you don't know what actions will be taken by the players acting after you. For that reason you need to guard against "limping in" with a weak hand that you will have to fold if you are raised.

As will be explained in section 2.3 of this chapter, that will to a large extent depend on whether you are playing in an aggressive or passive game. Conversely, a bet or raise from a player in early position will be given greater weight by the other players at your table than a similar action by a player in middle or late position. Of course your play and how your opponents read your play will depend on your style and table image as well as your position in the betting sequence.

As a general rule, a tight player in early position in an aggressive game will only play three bet holdings. ******_Three bet holdings are: A-A, K-K, Q-Q, A-K, and A-Q suited._** In a passive game, a tight player would also play two bet holdings from early position. **_Two bet holdings would be: J-J, T-T, 9-9, A-Q, A-J, K-Q, K-J, and any two suited cards ten and above_** _._ In early position, even the tight player would not only play three bet holdings, but would also probably raise with these holdings. However, in an aggressive game, any style player may slow play the three bet holding to set up a check-raise later in the hand.

It should be noted that if the player was in the big blind, they would only need to call a single bet to play in a hand, which required two bets. ******_Single bet holdings would be: A-T, pairs (deuce to eight), mid-level suited connectors (six to ten), and an ace with a suited kicker_** _._ These single bet holdings are ones you would like to see a flop with, but not strong enough to justify two bets cold.

A loose player in early position would usually raise with any three or two bet holding and call with a single bet holding in an aggressive game. If they were a loose-aggressive player, they would probably raise in early position with a single bet holding. A loose player in early position would probably defend their blind to a single raise with a no bet holding. **_A no bet holding would be any two-card combination not included in the first three categories._**

##### Middle Position

This would be the fourth through sixth players to act in a nine handed hold'em game. Players in these positions have the benefit of seeing what those players in early position have done, but still must be concerned about the late position players who will act after them. Thus, players in middle position will be able to play a larger range of hands than those in early position, but still strong enough to withstand a raise.

A tight player in middle position would usually raise with any three bet holding in an aggressive game, but would be reluctant to raise with a two bet holding, even if no one had raised before them. In a passive game they would raise with a two bet hand if there were no previous raises.

A loose player in middle position would usually raise with any three or two bet holding and call multiple raises with just a single bet holding. In a passive game they would probably raise with single bet holding, if there were no previous raises.

##### Late Position

The last three players to act in a nine handed game would be considered to be in late position. Since these late position players are the last to act, they have knowledge of what all the players before them have done. If you have absorbed the information presented in the first book of the Pokerish series, about the interpretation of the betting dialog on various streets, you should be able to discern to a large extent what they are holding and their playing strategy for that hand.

Each of the three late position players has a designation for their position. The button is the strongest position and gets to see what everyone else is doing before they need to act, although on the first betting round both blinds are live and act after the button. Because the button is the last to act, they are in the best position to steal the blinds with a raise, if no one has raised before them. Even if there are callers, the late position raise may cause the blinds to fold and put the button in position to control the betting for the rest of the hand.

The late position player just to the right of the button is said to be in the cutoff position. That designation is because if the player in this position makes a raise, they cut off the buttons ability to bluff at the pot with a single raise. If the button folds to the raise, the player in the cutoff position becomes the last player to act on all remaining streets of betting.

The late position player to the immediate right of the cutoff position is said to be in the hijack position. As the name implies, if the player in the hijack position raises, then they hijack both the cutoff and button from making a single raise, late position bluff to steal the blinds.

In late position, a tight player will usually re-raise with a three bet holding and call a previous raise with a two bet holding. They will also usually raise with a two bet holding, if there have been no previous raises. With a single bet holding, they will normally call the blind, unless they suspect that one of the blinds will raise the bet. In late position, the differentiation between an aggressive and passive table becomes less important, since most of the players have already acted.

A loose player will usually re-raise with any three or two bet holding and call a raise with a single bet holding. A loose-aggressive player in late position will usually raise with a single bet holding and in many cases raise with a no bet holding to steal the blinds, if there has not been a previous raise.

##### Relative Position

Although your position in the betting sequence changes with every hand, your position relative to the other players at your table does not. For this reason it pays to be "in position" and act after an aggressive player who is very loose or very tight. If you are to the left of these kinds of players you will have the advantage of acting behind them most of the time.

Thus, if you have a single bet holding or a moderate hand, you will be able to get a feel for how many bets it will cost you to stay in the hand. If the player is a rock, you will probably not raise them or call their raise. If the player is loose, and possibly bluffing at the pot, you may want to re-raise them in an attempt to force other players to fold and allow you to get heads up with the loose player. This is called an isolation play.

For the reasons stated above, you should try to seat yourself to the left of the tightest and loosest aggressive players at the table. If you find yourself in a position where you are acting before these types of players, you may be able to correct this situation by making a seat change when a player leaves the table and creates an opportunity for existing players to claim the vacant seat before a new player is seated.

Even before a player leaves, you can tell the dealer you want to make a seat change. If the seat vacated is to your advantage, you can take it and if not, just relinquish your opportunity. Some casinos will have buttons designating the player who has the first, second, or third option for a seat change.

## Section 2.2

# Game Size and Composition

Another thing that you need to consider before you join a table is the size and composition of that game. Those factors will determine how you should play, almost as much as your position relative to the button. Depending on your style of play, a short handed or overly aggressive table may or may not work well for you. Those factors will be addressed in this section.

##### Game Size

As indicated earlier, the normal size for a hold'em game in a casino poker room is nine players. It is amazing how the action at the table drops off with just one or two vacant seats. A table with just six active seats will be considered very short handed and many players will refuse to play with only five or six players, even if the house drops the rake.

There are a number of reasons for that rationale. First, with a short handed game, at least a third of the players are required to post a blind in every hand. Second, many hands are dealt and no one calls the blinds, so the blinds just fold, chop the pot, or play heads up and check on every street, because neither one has a hand they want to play. Third, the size of the rake and jackpot drop as a percentage of the total pot is extremely high. This later factor is explained in detail under the heading "Low Limit = High Leakage" in section 4.3 of chapter 4.

If you do find yourself at a table with several empty seats, or with several active players all absent from the table at the same time, you need to adjust your play accordingly. First, you will need to drop your opening hand standards a bit, because it will now be possible to win pots with much more modest hands than would be possible with a full table. Second, it will be much easier to steal the blinds from late position, since there will usually not be enough money in the pot to entice the small or big blinds to defend their blinds with modest holdings.

Even if a game is full, if two or three players are absent from the table at the same time, that table will experience the same problems as a short handed game until the absent players return. Here you will find yourself playing short handed, even if there is a waiting list for your table. For that reason some casino poker rooms will establish a "Third Man Walking" policy. As explained in the first book of the pokerish series, the first player to be away from the table will have a button entitled "First Man Walking" placed in front of their chips, the second player absent from the table will get a button entitled "Second Man Walking" and the third player absent from the table will get a button entitled "Third Man Walking".

The third man walking will only be allowed to be gone from the table for 5 minutes before they are picked up. The first two players absent from the table will be picked up after a 15 minute absence. Thus, the third player to leave the table will just have enough time to make a quick trip to the restroom or coffee pot unless they want to wait for one of the first two players to return.

##### Game Composition

By game composition I am referring to the predominate style of play of the players at that table. If there is more than one very loose and aggressive player at the table, there will be much more betting and raising both before and after the flop. If your style is more conservative and you want to see what develops before you put in two or three bets on a single betting street, you will not find it to be enjoyable or profitable to play at a very aggressive table. On the other hand if you are the type that wants to "bet the farm" and then see if you can get lucky, the aggressive table might suit you just fine.

If your table is very aggressive with lots of pre-flop raises, you will need to be more careful about calling in early position with less than a premium hand, because you will probably need to call at least one raise and possibly more. If you find yourself at a more passive table with little pre-flop raising, you may be able to call the blind with small pairs and other (single bet) drawing hands in early and middle position without worrying about a late position raise.

If you are not certain about the composition of a specific table, you may be able to observe the play at that table before you are called to play there. Players who frequently play at the same casino will know which games and players are aggressive and which are passive. However, the composition of a table can quickly change as players leave and are replaced by players with a different style. If you do find yourself in a game, which does not work with your temperament and style, sign up for a table change or just cash out and walk away.

## Section 2.3

# Pokerish Contemplation

In addition to the verbal dialog I have with the other players, I also have a mental dialog with myself to clarify what I am trying to accomplish. Considering my hand, position, and the money in the pot, that mental dialog may consist of saying to myself "if a tight player bets before me I will fold," or "if a loose player bets before me I will raise." or "if there is no bet I will check." That speeds up the game, since I am ready to take the appropriate action when it is my turn to act.

##### Mental Musing

I often ask myself what card or cards I would like to show up on the board and what the chances of that happening are relative to the cost involved (my offensive considerations). I also ask myself what those cards will do for my opponents (my defensive considerations). For example, if I hold a 9-8 and the board shows a J-T-9, I have bottom pair with a weak kicker and an open ended straight draw. Even if I hit another nine on the turn, I could be beaten by a made straight, three nines with a better kicker, a set of tens, a set of jacks, a flush, or a full house.

If I hit my eight kicker, anyone with a queen or a seven will make a straight. Under those circumstances, my outs for making a winning straight are cut in half, since a seven would be a good card for me, but hitting the top end of my open ended straight draw with a queen would give any player with a king a better hand. This is the reason that they call the bottom end of a straight the "stupid (or dumb) end of the straight". That is also why most seasoned players will check and call with the bottom end of a straight, rather than bet and raise with this hand.

Therefore, the only card I really want to see on the turn is a seven in a suit that would not put a possible flush on the board. I would then weigh the potential of hitting that card, along with any cards, which would give me a draw at a full house, against the cost of seeing the turn. Since the cost of calling a single bet at this level would be at the lower betting tier, in late position with a large enough pot I might make the call. However, any show of strength by my opponents beyond a single bet would certainly cause me to fold.

##### Tricky Combinations

You need to consider the defensive aspects of various card combinations, which you should definitely play from an offensive standpoint. Lets say you hold two cards close together such as a K-Q. While a holding such as this offers a number of ways to pick up a strong hand, it should also put your defensive instincts on high alert. Here if the flop comes A-K-T, you have middle pair and a strong kicker, but need to be concerned about another player having an ace, a Q-J, or perhaps having flopped a set. If you hit your queen kicker, it will give any player with a jack in their holding an ace high straight.

Also, if the player holding the ace is a tight player, they will probably have an A-A, A-K, A-Q, A-J, A-T, or perhaps they don't have an ace but have a K-K, Q-Q, J-J, or T-T holding. In this case your two high pair will just cost you money, unless you get real lucky and hit a king on the river and one of your opponents does not hold an A-A or A-K. You could also hit a full house on the river with another queen, but you could still be beat by any opponent holding an A-A, A-Q, or K-K.

##### Be Careful What You Wish For

There is an old adage which states "be careful what you wish for." This is especially true in Texas hold'em. The third or fourth suited card that you are drawing for might give someone else a higher flush and just cost you more money. At one four-eight table I was in early position with a K-J and the flop came J-J-4. I bet out and was raised by a late position player who I put on an A-J or a 4-4. In my mind I kept hoping for a king to show up on the board and give me a jacks full of kings full house, which would beat either of the hands I thought the raising player had.

A king did not come on the turn or the river and, although I just checked and called the raiser, I expected to see that he had a better hand at showdown. That player did not have a better hand, so I did win the pot with my three jacks. However, a third player who stayed until the river had pocket kings. If I would have hit my "wish card", I would have lost a very large pot to a kings full of jacks full house instead of winning a moderately large one.

##### Using Pot Odds

Most good poker players will use a simple mental calculation to determine if they should call a bet when they feel they need to hit their draw to win the pot. That calculation compares the size of the pot relative to the cost of the call on one side of the scale (reward vs risk). On the other side of the scale it compares the cards that won't help them to the ones that will make the hand they are trying to achieve (failure vs success). The assumption here is that if they make their hand they will win the pot.

For example, lets assume that after the flop there is $40 in the pot by the time it is your turn to act and you will need to call a $4 bet to see the turn card. You are then getting 10 to 1 odds on your $4 investment. If you have an open ended straight draw and a flush draw then you would have 15 outs to hit either a straight or a flush. Deducting your holding and the three cards on the board, there are now 47 unknown cards you might hit. Of those, there are 32 unhelpful cards and 15 helpful ones. Thus, you have about 2 to 1 odds of missing your draw.

Since the odds you are getting on your money are substantially greater than the odds of not making your draw, you are statistically correct in calling the bet. In this case, almost any player would call the bet unless they thought someone else had a stronger hand already. Even if you only had the flush draw, you would have 9 outs and be getting about 4 to 1 odds, which would also make the call the right thing to do from a statistical standpoint.

Drawing to a gut shot straight draw would be almost a toss up at about 11 to 1 odds, but the implied odds at play by hitting the straight on the turn could influence this decision. However, if you had to call a bet and raise that would cost you $8, you would only be getting 5 to 1 odds on your money. This would make the 2 to 1 odds of the 15 outer a great call, the 4 to 1 odds of the 9 outer a good call, and the 11 to 1 odds of the 4 out gutshot draw a very bad call.

Considering the defensive aspects discussed earlier in this section, don't make the mistake of including in your outs those cards, which are more likely to help your opponents than they will help you. For example, in the open ended straight described earlier in this section, you would exclude the outs of hitting the top end of your open ended straight with a queen, since it would give a better straight to any opponent with a king in their holding. Here you would compute your pot odds of hitting a gutshot, since only the seven would likely give you a winning straight.

## Section 2.4

# The Pokerish Toolbox

As you can tell from the material covered so far in this series, there is much more to the Pokerish repertoire than just value betting and solid play. While the tools listed below may not be the ones you carry in your toolbox, you can be assured that they will be in the toolboxes of some of your opponents. Which of these tools appeal to you and will fit with your demeanor depends on your personality, playing style, and affinity for risk.

Thus, while the tools referenced below are not necessarily recommended for every player, you should be aware of their usage and objectives. The ones that work for you should be in your offensive toolbox and the antidote for all of them should be in your defensive toolbox. Also don't be surprised if you find, or are confronted by, tools not itemized below, as this is by no means an exhaustive listing.

##### Slow Playing

Slow playing is when you play a very strong hand passively and just check and call. Slow playing a monster hand can be a very effective way to keep players in the hand and let them draw out lesser hands or bluff at the pot until it is time for you to raise or check-raise with the best hand. This tool is especially effective for tight players. While players expect a tight player to be more conservative and check-call rather than bet out, they may be suspicious of a loose-aggressive player who checks and calls on the flop, especially if they raised before the flop.

As mentioned earlier in this series, you should almost always bet out when you flop a set, a straight, or a flush, especially if is not the nut set, straight, or flush. Your decision to slow play a hand should be governed by your position, your hand, the aggressiveness of the table, and most importantly by the cards on the board. If the board cards give your opponents likely flush or straight draws your set can quickly go down in value and you may be the one reluctantly calling on the turn and praying for the board to pair on the river.

You may also be chucking your flopped flush into the muck if you do not hold the ace or the king and a fourth suited card comes on the turn or the river and one of your opponents bets out or raises. You can also throw away your "bracketed straight" if your top card is counterfeited, and a previously passive player bets. A bracketed straight would be one where you hold the top and bottom ends of the straight.

In a six-twelve hold'em game I flopped the nut full house in early position with my pocket kings after several players had called my pre-flop raise. The flop was a king and a pair of sixes. Since this was such a strong hand that was not threatened by any holding other than pocket aces or sixes, I checked on the flop, indicating I did not have a king, six, or pocket aces, and then smooth called a late position bet. The turn card brought a third suited card and I bet out, representing that I had made a flush or was semi-bluffing with a high suited card.

The late position player who had semi-bluffed the flop with the nut flush draw raised my bet on the turn. He was a good player and suspected that I was either bluffing, semi-bluffing, or playing a lower flush than his. When I re-raised, he realized he had been trapped and just smooth called. He did, however, call my bet on the river just to make sure I held the full house I had represented.

##### Bluffing

Bluffing is a common, respected, and effective way to win pots in a poker game. Because most boards miss everyone's holding, the aggressive player who bets the hand is very frequently the one who will win the pot. If your opponent bets a hand and you do not have anything, it is very hard for you to call. That is because the bettor may really have a hand or perhaps is just bluffing with better junk than you have. In hold'em the aggressive players are usually the ones who have the larger stacks.

You may hear poker commentators say that a player who bluffed out an opponent who held a better hand "earned the pot." The implication here is that any player can win a pot if they have great cards, but a player who bluffed their way to a pot had to use skill and not just luck to end up with the money. It is sometimes said that only a good player can be bluffed. A bad player may call even with a weak hand, because they don't want to take a chance that they are being bluffed. A good player will make their decision to fold by their read of the bettor (or raiser), their position, the size of the pot, and the probability that they can beat or draw out on the hand they think the bettor (or raiser) has.

If you are a loose-aggressive player, bluffing will be one of your favorite tools. If you are a tight-passive player you will normally bluff much less frequently than the loose-aggressive player. However, when the tight-passive player does bluff, they will usually be much more successful at making it work. A player skillful at bluffing knows when it will work and when it probably won't. They base their decision to bluff on their position, the style of the players still in the hand, their own table image, and the amount their opponents have to call relative to the size of the pot.

To bluff you must bet or raise. It is impossible to bluff with a check or a call, because your opponent(s) have no reason to fold. However, I have seen that happen a few times. If a player has a hand they do not feel can win, they might just throw it in the muck even though they can check and avoid folding. This is called a "power check." I have also seen a bluffer throw their hand away when a later position player has called their bluff.

In one four-eight game at a small casino, I was able to witness the world's worst call and the world's worse fold in the same hand. On the river everyone in early and middle position checked to the late position players. The player in the cutoff position bet and the button called. All of the early and middle position players folded and since the cutoff player was apparently bluffing at the pot he folded as well, because he didn't think he could beat the caller and didn't want to show his hand.

The button then showed his hand, which was a 2-3 off suit and could not have won the pot regardless of what the cutoff player was holding. When he was asked why he made a call with a hand that couldn't possibly win, he said he just wanted to see what the cutoff player was holding. Thus, it was the worst possible call and the worst possible fold in the same hand. Had the button raised rather than called, it would have been the world's best bluff.

##### Continuation Betting

Here a pre-flop raiser bets on the flop regardless of what cards show up on the board. Since they represented a strong hand before the flop, the continuation bettor is representing that they still have the best hand, even if they totally missed the flop. The logic is that most of their opponents missed the flop as well and the continuation bet will limit the field and perhaps win the pot uncontested. Normally those acting before the continuation bettor will check to the player who made the last bet or raise.

If the flop comes with high cards, the continuation bettor represents that they hit top pair with a strong kicker, an over-pair to the board, or that the high cards filled in a straight. If the board shows low cards, the continuation bet represents that the bettor has an over-pair to the board. If the continuation bettor raised with a high pair and the flop brings an over-card, the continuation bet should weed out all the hands, which have not hit the over-card. Someone who has an ace-rag and hits an ace on the flop will normally call, but is usually reluctant to raise, because they suspect that the continuation bettor has an ace with a better kicker.

The continuation bet tool will usually thin out the field and may win the pot uncontested. At the very least, the continuation bet should enable the continuation bettor to lead the betting and control the action. If the flop comes with over-cards and an earlier player bets out, a raise by the continuation bettor will normally drive out all the other players and enable the continuation bettor to get heads up with the earlier position bettor and control the action. If the earlier position bettor has an under-pair to the continuation bettor's high cards, the continuation bettor still has two streets to pair one of their over-cards.

##### Check-Raising

This is where a player in early or middle position checks and then raises the bet made by a later position bettor. While not allowed in some private games, check-raising is allowed in virtually all casino poker rooms. A check-raise is normally not made until the turn or the river when the betting tier doubles, and there is more money in the pot to entice a call.

As explained in section 2.1 of this chapter, a bet or a raise by an early position player carries much more weight than one made by the same style player in a later position. Thus, a check-raise is a very strong bet and normally reserved for one of the later streets of betting for both strategic and pot building reasons. In essence, the check raise enables the check-raiser to double the bet on a single betting street. The check-raise may also enable the check-raiser to get heads up with the later position bettor.

If an early position bettor were to bet out rather than check on the turn, this would be regarded as a fairly strong bet and might cause later position players to fold. Even if the later position players were just to call, they would only be investing a single high tier bet to see the river. However, the early position check would entice later position players to bet a moderate hand or bluff at the pot, because there had not been a previous bet. The check-raise then results in a double bet at the higher tier level and puts much more money in the pot.

If the later position players fold to the check-raise, then the check-raiser wins a nice pot uncontested. As mentioned earlier, if the early position player check-raises on the turn, they will need to bet out on the river, because the later position players are aware of the strength of the check-raiser's hand and don't want to get check-raised again.

If the check-raise is not in your toolkit, you are missing one of the best tools available to build a large pot or win the pot uncontested. However, you need to be very careful or you will create just the opposite impact. Unless the table is sufficiently aggressive and has players in later position who you think will put in a bet, if everyone before them checks, you end up without even a single higher tier bet on that round of betting. If the check-raiser does not have a later position player put in a bet, then everyone gets a free card on the next street and the pot size stays the same.

At a hold'em game in a Las Vegas casino a player was very upset with me, because I had check-raised him on the river. It was like he thought I had cheated him with my deceptive betting. My response was that if you couldn't check-raise a stranger in a Las Vegas casino, then where would it be more appropriate. The other players at the table essentially told this guy if he couldn't stand the heat he should get out of the kitchen and go back to his home game, where apparently no one ever check-raised. If you are in a private game, you should find out if check-raises are allowed before you find yourself having to withdraw your raise and apologize for your evil intentions.

##### Raise-Checking

As the title indicates, this is just the opposite of check-raising and is done for the exact opposite reason on an earlier street. The check-raise is done by an early position player with a strong hand that wants to get a double bet after the betting tier doubles on the turn (act weak to get a double bet). The raise-check is done by a late position player with a drawing hand to enable the player to essentially invest a single lower tier raise on the flop and get a free card on the river (act strong to get a free card).

Because the early and middle position players will normally check to the late position player on the next street, the player saves a high tier bet (or several high tier bets) on the turn and gets a free look at the river, if they don't hit their draw on the turn. Even if an earlier position player hits their draw on the turn they will still probably check to the late position player who raised on the flop, in hopes they can check-raise with their newly improved hand.

The same thing can be done by an early position player with a drawing hand who makes a single low tier check-raise on the flop and then checks on the turn and hopes later position players also check, because they suspect another check-raise. Here the early position player invests a single low tier raise on the flop in hopes of getting a free card on the river.

##### Check-Calling

Although this is basically a passive move, it can have a very disturbing impact on the later position player being check-called. Before the flop it could be an early position player slow playing a big pair by just smooth calling the blind in anticipation of a later position raise. On the flop it could be that the early position player has hit their holding or picked up a compelling draw. Here, the later position player is wondering if his high pair has been bested by an early position player who has two pair or a set. Thus, the later position player does not know if they should check and give a drawing player a free card or bet and get check-raised by the early position player. For this reason, the late position player may just check on the turn to see if the earlier position player will bet out on the river.

There are three ways the check-call works for the early position player using this tool on the flop. First, if they have hit the flop, it gives the check-caller a platform to check-raise on the turn, if the later position player bets. Second, it gives the check-caller who is on a draw a free card on the river if the later position player checks the turn. Third, it gives the check-caller an opportunity to bluff with a river bet if they miss their draw with a good possibility to win the pot uncontested. That is because if the late position player has been betting a drawing hand like A-K or A-Q and not hit anything, how can they call an early position bet on the river?

##### Drafting

This is a maneuver where a tight player with a strong hand lets a loose-aggressive player bet and then just calls. Here the tight player is taking advantage of the loose-aggressive players table image to mask the strength of their own hand. If the tight player were to lead the betting or raise the bettor, they would lose the action generated by the loose-aggressive player and divulge the strength of their hand.

By just smooth calling, the tight player gives the impression that they are on a draw and have not yet made their hand. On the river the drafting player may lower the boom with a raise or check-raise to increase the size of the pot even more. If you are a tight player the drafting tool should be one of your favorite tools and one that will allow you to get action when you do make a strong hand.

##### Stealing the Blinds

This tool will enable the button to steal the blinds and win a small pot, if no one before them has called the blinds. This works best if the players in the blinds are tight players and not expected to defend their blinds. However, the button is not the only late position player who is able to do this. If the player in the cutoff position, directly in front of the button, makes this raise, they basically steal the opportunity from the button. If the player in the hijack position, directly in front of the cutoff position makes this play, they take the opportunity away from both the cutoff and the button.

Even if the blinds were to defend with a call, they are out of position on all streets of betting after the flop. Thus, if the pot stealer puts in a continuation bet on the flop, it will be very hard for the blinds to call, unless they have hit the flop. However, this will enable a loose-aggressive blind to use the check-call or check-raise tools explained earlier and potentially win the pot. If the blinds have a strong holding, or hit their weak holding on the flop, they are in a great position to exploit the blind stealing ploy by slow playing and check-raising the pot stealer on the turn or the river.

##### Steam Rolling

This is a tool normally used by a loose-aggressive player who puts the pedal to the medal and doesn't let up until there is no more opportunity to make a bet or a raise. Sometimes the player steam rolling will make this decision before they even see their cards, based on the passive nature of the table and their betting position. They may even post a live straddle or a button straddle to kick off this endeavor and raise their straddle regardless of what they hold. If they are allowed to lead the betting, they will continue to fire bets and raises at the pot on every street, even if they have a very weak hand.

However, steam rolling most often occurs when a pre-flop raiser with a hand like big slick (A-K) is not helped by the flop and the continuation bet by the pre-flop raiser just keeps on coming. If their continuation bet does not work, most players will back off realizing that one of the callers has developed a better hand and might check-raise them. However, the steam rolling bettor just keeps on going and hopes that the more rational players will fold to the heavy betting. When a player continues to fire bluff after bluff they may be able to wear down their opponents if the opponents don't improve their hands enough to continue calling.

Even if the player who is steam rolling never develops a hand, they might win the pot if everyone else folds. It also will work to the advantage of the steam roller when they do make a strong hand and want to get maximum action. If the steam rolling player is called down to the river and found to be bluffing, they enhance their loose-aggressive table image and insure they get action in the future. This tool will also enable a tight player to use the drafting tool explained earlier and ride quietly behind the steam roller.

##### Testing the Water

This tool is most commonly used after the flop by a player who makes a bet so they can find out the strength of their opponents before the betting level doubles on the turn. Here, by the folds, calls, and raises made by their opponents in response to their bet, the player can gauge if their hand is strong enough to go to the higher betting level. If none of their opponents has a high enough hand to call, the tester may even win the pot uncontested. Even if their opponents just call on the flop, the tester may be able to pick up the pot on turn with a continuation bet.

##### Trapping

Trapping is more like a Swiss army knife that a single tool. That is because trapping can be done using several of the other tools in your toolkit. Thus, the trapper may use the slow play tool, the check-call tool, the check-raise tool, or the drafting tool. The common thread is that the trapper creates a baited and well disguised trap for their opponents. At the most opportune time the trapper will spring the trap and take the unsuspecting opponent's money.

##### Floating

This tool, like Trapping, involves a number of other tools and can be considered a form of trapping without even having a good hand. Here the floating player acts passive and uses the check-call tool on the flop or the turn, with the intent of betting out on a later street. This move is intended to induce a bluff by the later position player and then let the later position player think they have been trapped with a high tier bet.

Floating can also be done by a later position player who just smooth calls a bet on an early street and then raises on the turn or the river. This may induce the earlier position player to make an even larger bet on the next street thinking that the later position player has not yet developed a hand and can't justify calling the larger bet.

The main thing is that this is all planned out in advance and does not depend on what cards come on the board, although this move is often done with a semi-bluff hand. For that reason this is usually done with only one or two active opponents. This tool works even better in no limit or spread limit poker, where the floating player can make it too expensive for the later position player to call without a very strong hand.

##### Trash Talking

This tool is discussed in detail in section 1.2 of chapter 1. The objective of the trash talker is to distract, anger, and intimidate their opponents and get them to make mistakes, because of impact of the trash talk. Anyone who has watched televised episodes of the World Series of Poker or the World Poker Tour, has witnessed some of the most vociferous trash talkers in the world. A mild version of trash talk would be the banter some players use to gain information about an opponent's holding or state of mind.

##### Isolating

An isolation tool is one which is used to get heads up with a player, who may be bluffing or raising with a weak or moderate hand. Thus, if you suspect that a player is raising without a strong hand and you think you have a better hand, you should re-raise to try and get the rest of the field to fold, because they do not have a three bet holding or they think the original raiser may cap the bet at four bets. Once you have gotten heads up with the initial raiser, especially if you have a tight table image and are in position, you can usually take the pot away, even if you have a moderate hand.

##### Straddling

Regular straddles, progressive straddles, and button straddles were covered in the first book of the Pokerish series. Straddles are used mostly by loose-aggressive players and are very risky, because they require the straddler to put out a double bet before they have even seen their holding cards. With the live and progressive straddles, that double blind bet must be made in early position.

There are four reasons a player might put out a straddle. First, it may get more action in the game, since there is more money in the pot before the cards are even dealt and the pot will be more attractive to players, who might not be enticed to call or raise a small pot containing only the blinds. Second, it provides a way for a player to create a loose-aggressive table image that might work to their advantage. This is especially effective if the player is entering a game where they are not well known and don't already have a table image.

Third, the straddle will thin out the field of players by eliminating those players who do not have a strong enough holding to call two bets cold. This might leave the straddler with just the two blinds, who also have random hands and are out of position to the straddler. Fourth, since the straddle is live, it will give the straddler a launch pad for a continuation bet and a downhill run from which to use the steam roller tool.

While the straddling tool will provide a way to thin the field by weeding out those holdings, which are not strong enough to call two bets, it also provides an opportune target for a player who has a holding, which will warrant two or three bets. While a tight-passive player may only call a straddle, the loose-aggressive player will normally raise (use the isolation tool) to get heads up with the straddler, who has a random hand and is usually out of position.

##### Pot Stealing

This tool is very similar to the blind stealing tool described earlier. However, the pot stealer will use this technique on the turn or the river rather than on the first street of betting. The pots stolen will also be larger than the small and big blind only pots. Although, it is much easier to steal moderate size pots than it is to steal large ones.

Like blind stealing, pot stealing is usually done by late position players and as the result of everyone before them checking. If all of the players still in the hand have missed their draw or not improved a weak holding, they might not be willing to put in a high tier bet to win a moderate size pot.

One form of pot stealing that I have seen quite often is when there is a made straight on the board. For example, if the board shows a 7-8-9-T-J straight, all the players left in the hand will split the pot unless one of the players has a better hand. However, one of the remaining players may put out a bet just to see if they can steal the pot or, at least, cause some of the players to fold. For the players behind the bet they need to consider if this player has a queen or even a Q-K for a higher straight. If there are three suited cards on the board, someone might also have a flush.

If there are five players left in the hand when the betting begins, then thinning the field by just a few players will increase the size of each player's share significantly. A raise will potentially thin the field even further, or perhaps give the pot to the raiser uncontested. After all the bets, raises, and calls have been made, those who bet or raised will often just play the board and the pot is split evenly among those who remain, to the anguish of those who folded and forfeited their share of the pot.

##### Playing the Player

This tool is often used by a loose-aggressive player who is "heads up" and "in position." Here the later position player keys his action on what the other player does and not on the hand they have or the hand they think their opponent has. If the opponent checks, the late position player will bet.

If the opponent bets, and has a tight table image, the late position player will probably fold. If a loose player bets, the late position player may raise to see how the earlier position player will react to the raise. If these are two loose-aggressive players, the first one to blink will usually lose the pot.

##### Chumming

When a fisherman or researcher wants to attract fish, especially large aggressive fish like sharks, they throw chum in the water. Chum is just bait that has "no strings attached." After the shark gets this unfettered reward, it lowers their reluctance to take the bait and creates a feeding frenzy, as the sharks attempt to get more of the chum than the other sharks. In poker it is a seemingly passive move, which lowers an opponents defenses and encourages them to play aggressively. This convinces the poker shark that you are the poker fish and easy prey.

So if you don't connect to the board, but suspect than an aggressive player's bet or raise is a bluff, you feign a difficult fold and let them take the pot. If they do have a hand, or just better junk than you do, then they will win the pot anyway. By letting them think they bought the pot you are encouraging them to bluff more often when you act weak. When you do have a hand, this will work to your advantage and create action when you want to build a large pot and get the aggressive player to take the bait "hook, line, and sinker."

An old sales adage is: "every time you get a NO you are one step closer to a YES." In the same vein, every time you use the chumming tool and fold, you are setting your opponents up to contribute to your next big pot. In addition to its strategic value, using this tool makes you feel that you are doing something constructive when you fold to a potential bluff. Frequent use of this tool will also enable you to occasionally come over the top with a re-bluff and win the pot.

Obviously this tool should only be used when the pot is small and you don't have a hand that warrants a call. It is most effective when you ponder your fold as though you have a potentially winning hand and are just folding because you are convinced that the bettor has you beat. This convinces the aggressive player that you can be intimidated by them and will potentially lay down a winning hand. Getting chummy with the sharks can be very profitable if you "play your cards right."

##### Switch Hitting

In baseball this technique is used by a batter who can bat skillfully either left or right handed. This is usually done to match up with the handedness of the pitcher, but may also be done based on the outfielders or even to get the batter's momentum going toward first base. In poker it represents a change in style during a playing session and may be done consciously or sub-consciously for a number of reasons. Thus, the player is temporarily departing from their dominate style (table image).

First, it may just be the change in style based on whether the player is winning or losing and/or in response to the size of their chip stack (or bankroll). As indicated in section 1.3 of chapter 1, it can also be influenced by the player going "on tilt" or reacting emotionally to another players actions. Second, it may be done to match the predominate style of the table at which the player is seated. Third, it may be used as a tool to confuse other players and deceive them when they try and interpret the player's current actions with their established table image.

Here the player may intentionally change their style based on some external factors, which are unknown to their opponents. For example, the player might play tighter on odd hours and looser on even hours of odd numbered days of the month and reverse the sequence on even numbered days. They could also revise these to match odd and even months to make the regiment even harder for their opponents to decode. To do this successfully, the switch hitting player must be able to play both styles adeptly.

##### Checking in the Dark

When the small blind checks in the dark, they are really taking some of the later position player's advantage away. The positional advantage of acting later in the betting order is that the later position player gets to see what action the earlier position players make in response to the flop, turn, and the river. If the small blind checks in the dark, they have abrogated that advantage by acting in advance of the cards falling on those streets.

The big blind and the other early position player can also take advantage of this tool by checking in the dark behind the player to their immediate right. As stated in the first book of the Pokerish series, only the small blind can check in the dark, since they are the first to act. However, if the player before them checks in the dark, the next player can do so as well.

If all three early position players check in the dark, the middle position players now become the early position players and the late position players become the middle position players. Since the early position players acted in advance of the board cards revealed on that street of betting, they provide no information. Now the early position players get to act after the middle and late position players, if the middle and late position players do anything other than check or fold.

##### Folding

Last, but not least, is the folding tool. This tool should be in everyone's toolbox and should be the tool that gets the most use. While folding will never win you any money, it can sure save you a lot of money you would have lost without using this tool. While this tool will be used much more by tight players, it should be used more frequently by loose players as well. Many loose-aggressive players adhere to the policy "that if you can call you can raise." This philosophy uses the "pump it or dump it" mantra to support going with the extremes of fold or raise rather than the more passive check or call options.

As you noted from the material covered earlier in this chapter, there are many good reasons to check and call that are very aggressive in nature, like some of the trapping tools previously discussed in this section. However, whenever you are unsure of what action to take, the folding option is usually the smartest and least costly. Like the tennis coach who tells the novice that making a good tennis shot is "all in the wrist," that same advice applies to poker as well. Being able to backhand your cards into the muck may well be the key to coming away from the poker table with a profit rather than a loss.

## Section 2.5

# Quick Math

Most poker books focus primarily on your offensive game by providing guidelines to play various card combinations in various positions. Although this book covers pot odds and statistical analysis, its primary goal is to make you aware of the strength and intentions of the other players at your table. In section 2.3 of this chapter we looked at how you could use pot odds to evaluate the value of making a call with a drawing hand. Here is another method which is even easier and will enable you to make informed decisions about the value of your hand even before the flop.

There are fifty-two cards in the deck and in a Texas hold'em game I know what two of them are based on my two holding cards. Therefore, there are fifty cards left to be revealed. If I have a pocket pair of tens, my chances of hitting one of the two remaining tens would be two chances in fifty or 4% for each card put on the board. Since there are three cards revealed on the flop, there would be a 12% chance of my hitting a third ten on the flop and a 20% chance of hitting one by the time the river card was revealed.

If I held a ace and a king there would be six outs to pair one of my pocket cards on the flop or 12% chance to hit a pair on each card which hit the board. Thus, I would have a 36% chance to pair one of my holding cards on the flop and a 60% chance of pairing one of these cards by the river. Another advantage of "Big Slick" (A-K) is that if I do pair one of my holding cards, I automatically have top pair with top kicker.

If I hold two hearts, my chances of hitting one of my flush cards on the board would be 22% for each card put on the board or a 66% chance on the flop. To hit two hearts on the flop would be about 9%. To flop a heart flush would be about 1%. However, if I flop two hearts then my chances of getting my fifth heart on the turn would be 18% and 36% by the river.

Now if you are astute at doing math in your head or have made these calculations with pencil and paper or a calculator, you will know that these percentages are approximate and not exact. This is because the denominator in our calculation gets smaller with each card played and actually makes our estimates more conservative.

In the case of the A-K holding example used earlier, the chances of pairing one of these cards on the flop is 37% and the chances of pairing one of them by the river would be 63% rather than the 36% & 60% reflected by the simple calculation explained earlier. The reason for that is that the chances of hitting an ace or a king on the first card is still 12% (6/50), but if I don't hit my pair on the first card, the chances of hitting it on the second card are even greater (6/49), and if I don't hit my ace or king on one of the first two cards, then my chances of hitting one on the third card of the flop goes up again (6/48). Since my chances of pairing one of my hole cards on the flop is a combination of the chances on all three cards, my chances of doing so on the flop would be 37% (36.75%).

Likewise, my chances of hitting an ace or a king on the turn, if I did not hit one on the flop, would be would be 13% (6/47=12.8%) and for the river card would also be 13% (6/46). Thus the chance to pair my ace or king by the river would be 63% (36.8%+12.8%+13.0 %). In the heart flush example, if I flop four hearts, my chances of hitting my flush would be 19% rather than 18% on the turn and 39% rather than 36% by the river. That is because the denominator in the calculation for the turn would be 47 and for the river would be 46.

Then why use the rough estimate technique? Because most of us can't do the more precise calculations in our head within the time period we need to make a decision on what action we should take based on our chances of making our hand. If you have that ability, using this technique is less exact and not needed. If you have a good memory, you could just remember that you have a 21% chance of hitting your set, a 63% chance of pairing one of your hole cards, or a 39% chance of improving your flopped four flush by the river. However, there are so many combinations and streets of betting, you might need a cheat sheet to keep them all straight.

Most poker books and magazine articles refer to the number of "outs" a player has to make their hand. These "outs" represent how many of the cards left in the deck will make the hand you are drawing to make. Even though the card you want may be in another player's hand, all of the unknown cards are part of the statistical universe against which your calculations apply. So it doesn't matter if that card is in an opponent's holding, face down as a burn card, or just another card left in the deck, that possibility is covered by this calculation. The quick math technique I am explaining just turns those outs into a percentage, which is more understandable to a pie chart person like myself.

If you have two different draw possibilities, you can add those together to make an estimate of hitting either one. If after the flop you have both a flush and an open ended straight draw, you would add those outs together to do your calculation. Just remember that some of the cards may be duplicated. You have eight outs to make your open ended straight and nine outs to make your flush. However, two of the cards in your straight draw are also included in your flush draw and can't be counted twice.

Thus, you have eight plus seven or fifteen outs to hit either your flush or straight on the turn or approximately a 30% chance to hit your draw on the turn and a 60% chance to hit your draw by the river. It is better to do this quick calculation for each street separately because hitting your card on the turn can be done for half of the cost of hitting it on the river. The implied pot odds will also be much greater for a hand made on the turn, because of the bets and raises you will make on both the turn and the river after you hit your draw on the turn.

Also remember that if you have to hit two cards, you will need to multiply the odds of making each one against the other. Thus, if you need both a jack and a queen to make your straight after the flop, you would have a 16% chance of hitting one of these cards on the turn and then an 8% chance of hitting the other on the river. However, your chances of getting both of those two cards to fall by the river would be only about 1% (.16 x .08 = .0128). Here again the exact calculations would yield .0148, but the quick calculations are close enough, easier to do in your head, and more conservative than the precise ones.

# Chapter 3

# Pokerish Insights

The three sections in this chapter will provide you with some unique and interesting observations about the game of poker. Although somewhat on the philosophical side, these observations will expand your understanding of some of the aspects of the game that you may not have considered or seen addressed in other poker books.

**Section 3.1** looks at a phenomenon, which seems to fly in the face of conventional wisdom and logic, regarding the impact of a raise on opposing players. The pros and cons of early raises are examined in this section.

**Section 3.2** examines the fluctuations of luck and profit of a poker game by comparing them to ocean waves. This section looks at how to understand and use these waves in both your own game and that of your opponents to maximize your profits. Knowing what to do and how to play in this turbulent environment can make your poker experience more enjoyable and lucrative.

**Section 3.3** compares the game of poker with other forms of gambling and also with the risks and rewards associated with operating a small business. This section also looks at poker decisions using the same guidelines a player would use to make wise investments.

## Section 3.1

# The Pokerish Conundrum

This section will address a phenomenon that defies conventional wisdom and logic about the way players in limit hold'em games frequently react to betting and raising actions. Although this is most prevalent in the lower limit, "No Fold'em Hold'em" games, I have witnessed it in higher limit games as well.

##### Raising to Limit the Field

Conventional wisdom and logic dictate that a raise will narrow the field and get players with weaker hands to fold and enable the player with a strong starting hand (such as a high pocket pair) to improve their chances of winning the pot. My observations in games such as 4-8 hold'em is that, with few exceptions, anyone who is in the blinds; has already called the bet before the raise; has a hand they like; or is a loose player who likes any two cards, will call the raise. If I am on the button with a high pocket pair and raise the blind, I will normally not have anyone who has already contributed to the pot, other than perhaps the small blind with terrible cards, fold their hand.

In a recent $4-$8 hold'em game I raised in middle position with pocket kings and was called by seven of the nine players at the table. The flop brought three under cards to my kings. I bet my hand and was called by several other players. The turn brought a second deuce and everyone checked to me. I checked as well to see if one of the blinds had a deuce and was looking for a check-raise with their three deuces. One of the blinds may have had a deuce and only have had to put in $4 or $6 more to call my raise and defend their blind. Since there were now two deuces on the board, it was unlikely a later position player would be holding pocket deuces.

A player in late position bet and both of the blinds folded. I was relieved to see the blinds fold and re-raised the late position bettor, who had apparently seen my check on the turn as a sign of weakness. To my astonishment the late position player was playing a nine-deuce off suit and still called my pre-flop raise "cold". None of his previous play had shown him to be other than a solid player and he had a fairly large stack of chips. I couldn't imagine this player (or anyone else) in late position calling a bet and a raise cold with a nine-deuce off suit. A 9-2 holding is called a "Montana banana," because it is as hard to win a hand with this holding as it is to grow bananas in Montana.

Keeping the phenomenon described in the proceeding paragraphs in mind, the raiser has created a situation, which is the antithesis of what they were trying to achieve with their pre-flop raise. They have now created such a large initial pot that everyone is inclined to now stay in the hand with even a marginal draw (like a pair of deuces with a nine kicker). The pot odds and implied odds given to the other players by the larger pot are now working against the strong initial holding. Although the strong initial holding may still be favored against any one of the lesser holdings, it is now a dog against the large field, unless the raiser flops a very strong hand, which doesn't happen very often.

After the flop the other players will normally check to the raiser even if they have flopped a strong hand. Most of the time the raiser will make a continuation bet to drive out those callers who have not improved their hand, even if the raiser has not improved either. This again is meant to drive out most of the field. However, most of the field will regard this as a continuation or position bet and continue to pursue their marginal draws or slow play their strong hand against the raiser. Thus, the pot becomes even larger and more enticing to the rest of the field.

##### The Tar Baby Dilemma

Just as Uncle Remus's Brer Rabbit found that tussling with the Tar Baby just got him in deeper and more stuck, the raiser may find themselves questioning at what point do they realize that some of their callers must have developed a stronger hand. At that point the raiser should consider if they are just digging themselves into a deeper hole and making matters worse by their continued betting.

By raising before the flop you have already given the rest of the table some indication of what kind of a holding you have. Your position and your table image will further narrow the kind of hand they will put you on when you raise. If the flop comes with high cards, you are more likely to get some respect for your raise and be able to narrow the field with a continuation bet. However, if the flop brings lower paired, connected, or suited cards it is less likely that your holding is still ahead. Also if the flop brings over cards to your pocket pair you may have to deal with the ace-rag, which now beats your high pocket pair.

If even after the continuation bet your opponents keep calling, you need to realize that they have flopped or turned a better hand (or draw) and are just letting you set yourself up for an ultimate raise or check-raise. Consider that if you have a high pocket pair, you only have two outs to really improve. Of course while you may have other cards that could give you a winning hand, the rest of the table together has a great deal of outs to hit a hand that will beat your pair.

The more players who stay in the hand, the less likely your high pair has to win the pot. If you flop or turn a board that turns your strong holding into a great hand, this situation will work to your advantage, otherwise you are building someone else a very large pot.

##### When a Plan Comes Together

As indicated in the previous paragraph, when you do hit the flop with your raised holding you may really hit the "mother load." In a recent $4-$8 game I was on the button with a pocket pair of queens. To make matters even more interesting, it was a kill pot and a splash pot as well. That meant the hand would be played at an $8-$16 level and the house had put $50 into the pot before the hand was dealt. Since there were nine players in the hand and everyone called because of the extra $50 splash, my raise to $16 was called by the entire table. Thus, we had $194 in the pot before we even saw the flop.

The flop brought a queen and two lower, non-suited, non-connected cards. It was an Ideal flop for me, with no over-cards and no immediate flush or straight threats. A player in early position with an A-Q holding bet $8 and everyone before me called the bet. I raised to $16 on the button and was called by all of the players who had called the original $8 bet on the flop. Since neither the turn nor the river brought a "scare card," I bet $16 on my still nut set of queens on both streets. At least five players called down to and on the river, because of the size of the pot and the possibility that I had raised on the button with a hand like "big slick" (A-K) and not improved.

I ended up winning a very nice pot with my three queens. This is the way I envisioned this hand turning out, it just doesn't happen that way very often. Splash pots and kill pots were covered in the first book of the Pokerish series.

##### Like a Moth to a Flame

In another $4-$8 game the shoe was on the other foot, with me contributing to someone else's nice pot. I was holding Ac-5c in the big blind in a $50 splash pot. The button had a pocket pair of queens and had raised the bet to $8. Everyone called because of the splash and there was $122 in the pot before the flop. The flop did not bring a queen, but also did not bring any over-cards. However, the flop did bring two clubs. We all checked to the button who made a $4 bet. The small blind called the bet and there was $130 in the pot when it was my turn to act.

Since I had a 39% chance to hit my flush by the river and nine outs to hit my flush on the turn, I was getting about 4 to 1 odds on my draw. Since I was getting over 32 to 1 odds on the $4 it would cost me to see the turn , I made the call. Also, because there were several players still in the hand, the implied odds were even higher based on the eventual size of the pot. Unless the board paired, I would definitely win this large pot with my nut flush, if a club fell on the turn or the river.

The turn did not bring a club, or an over-card to the queens, so the button bet $8. Since I was still getting over 16 to 1 odds on my $8 call and about 4 to 1 odds on my draw, I called the bet. The river card did not bring a club or an over-card, so the pocket queens held up and I did not call on the river. However, one of the other players to call up until the river had Kc-Qc. Thus, he had the same pot odds to make his second nut flush as I did to make the nut flush, so he would have given me at least a call, and probably a raise, on my bet if a club had hit the board on either the turn or the river. In addition to our club draws, either the player with the Kc-Qc or I would have beaten the pocket queens, if a king or an ace would have come on the turn or the river.

This last example demonstrates the point made earlier in this section. The large pot size created by a splash and/or early raises significantly changes the pot odds given to those who may not call a bet or a raise on later streets of betting with a smaller pot. When I called on the turn, there was $214 in the pot. So I was getting 27 to 1 odds on my $8 call and 2.3 to 1 odds on my 14 out draw (11 clubs + 3 aces). The implied odds were even greater. From a statistical point of view, it was a no-brainer call. Thus, the calls made under these circumstances are often based on sound statistical odds and not just the stubborn calls of players who refuse to fold their drawing hands.

## Section 3.2

# Pokerish Waves

Everything in poker comes in waves. This section will deal with hand waves, session waves, multi-session waves, and extended waves. Each of these waves builds on the others and together represent your success at the game of poker. Therefore, these waves need to be recognized if you engage in poker on an ongoing basis and want to understand one of the major factors effecting your vacillating success in the game of poker.

The information provided by the two books of the Pokerish series, plus your experience at the table, will build your skill at playing poker in various different settings. However, even if your play is at a high level and you play consistently the same way, you will experience periods when you are winning, losing, and just breaking even. Some of this variance can be explained by the opponents you are playing against and their level of competency. Even if you were to constantly play against the same players, and they did not change their level of play, you would experience ups and downs in your game.

##### The Wave Analogy

Everybody understands ocean waves so that phenomenon will be used to explain what happens in the game of poker. Here the crest (high point) of the wave represents the high point in your game and the trough (low point) of the wave represents the low point of your game. The difference between your high point and your low point is the amplitude of your wave (vertical movement) and can be measured in money. To accurately gauge your amplitude, independent of the betting level of the games being played, use the number of big blinds rather than just cash. The difference between your high points (crests) is the frequency of the wave (horizontal movement) and can be measured in time. Thus the frequency of your game may be represented in minutes, hours, sessions, and even longer.

For loose players the frequency of their games will be much shorter than for a tight player. Because they play more hands, their chip stack will rise and fall more frequently than a tighter player. Also the loose player's amplitude will often be greater, because they may win with very unconventional holdings and, thus, have larger pots due to more players (with conventional holdings) contributing to the pot size. Their loose play will also contribute to the trough of their chip stack as they call bets and raises with very thin draws with their unconventional holdings. This subject was addressed in section 2.1 of Chapter 2.

The distribution of cards in an unrigged game of poker is totally random. Thus, the chances of getting a winning combination of cards presents itself evenly to all players. So in theory, every player has the same luck. However, it sometimes seems that some players are consistently luckier because they make the most of the cards they are dealt and often represent better hands than they actually have. Thus, they appear to have better cards and better luck than they actually have. They may also under represent their cards to trap their opponents and, thereby, amplify their perceived luck with a monster hand, which wins a large pot and sticks in everybody's mind. This is the skill component of the game and what ultimately determines who will consistently win and who will consistently lose over time.

Even though the skillful players will eventually win and their less skillful opponents will eventually lose, in the short run this is not necessarily the case. In the short run any player can get hot when their wave is in a crest mode. Not only will their hands come together during this period but their winnings will grow even more. That is because if the player on a hot streak raises several hands in a row, the other players will call or re-raise because they think they are being bluffed and bullied.

##### Holding Waves

Everyone has experienced long periods of time when the two holding cards they are dealt are not playable. Then they might get three or four holdings in a row that deserve a pre-flop call or raise. If more than one player's holding is in the crest mode, the pot is likely to be capped before the flop. The worse thing a player can do is to play an inferior holding (especially from an inferior position), because they are bored or impatient. Your crest is coming if you are patient enough to wait it out.

##### Board Waves

When a player is in the crest mode, they not only get good holding cards, but also get board cards, which align with their holding to produce a strong hand. During their crest mode, a player with a Th-Qh holding may get a flop like 9h-Js-Kh giving them the nut straight, the second nut flush draw, and a gut shot straight flush draw. If they are at the very top of their crest, they will have opponents who also think they are at the top of their crest with holdings like 8c-Tc or 9d-9s and neither the turn nor the river brings a Queen or pairs the board. As you can see, sometimes a players deepest trough is when their hands are in a lower crest than their opponents.

When a player is in the trough mode with the same holding (Th-Qh), they might get a flop like 6c-7c-8c or 2s-2d-Kd with another player betting. At least here the player could dump the hand after the flop and avoid any further expense. Even worse would be a 5h-Js-Kh flop, where they would have both an open ended straight draw and a second nut flush draw. This would entice them to call on the flop and turn to see if they could hit their one of their draws. If they did not hit their draw, they might end up without even a pair. At the very bottom of their trough mode, they could get the 9h-Js-Kh crest mode flop referenced above and then run into runner-runner hearts and loose to a player holding the Ah. They could also see their ten and queen counterfeited and end up splitting the pot several ways or losing to any player with an ace.

##### Incongruent Hand Waves

When your holding waves and board waves are not in alignment, you have the worst of both worlds. If your holding wave is in the crest mode and your board wave is in the trough mode you will get good holding cards, which you may bet and raise to protect, but the board will not align with your holding and give one or more of your opponents a better hand on the flop.

Conversely, if your holding wave is in the trough mode and your board wave is in the crest mode, you may not play a 5c-9c and get the 6c-7c-8c flop referenced above with opponents holding the 8d-8h, Tc-Qc, Jc-Kc, and Kd-Ac. Here you don't lose any money, but miss out on a huge pot, which you would have won regardless of what cards came on the turn and the river.

I often see a flop which would have given me a strong hand with the cards I folded and think how great it would be to be clairvoyant in a game like Texas hold'em. Even when I have seen the flop and then folded my cards, because my draw was too thin, I have seen the turn and river cards produce a long shot or runner-runner hand that would have given me a large pot. Sometimes being able to do math seems like a real disadvantage.

In a recent game I called the flop with a pocket pair of fours. The flop brought three overcards to my fours and I folded to an early position bet. The turn brought a four and the river brought the fourth four. The betting and raising on this board was intense as there was a straight, flush, and full house hands in play. Had I stayed past the flop with my pocket fours, I would have won a very large pot with my quad fours. However, my chances of making that hand were extremely small (nine tenths of one percent).

In an even more recent game, I saw the flop with pocket nines. The flop brought two queens and a ten. An early position player bet into me and I folded the pocket nines. The turn card was a jack and the river card was a nine. The nine on the river would have given me a full house and would have beat the two king high straights, which split the very large pot. Here again I had to hit two specific cards to make the bottom end of a straight with my nines and thus, basically only two outs (9%) to hit a third nine by the river. Also because there were two queens, a jack, and a ten on the board, my full house would not have necessarily been the best full house.

This can also impact your defensive game, since you don't expect an opponent to stay in with a very thin draw. Just because you would not have played or stayed in the hand past the flop with an unconventional holding does not mean that one of your opponents would not have. That is why it is important to consider the players style and table image when considering if they have a holding, which should not (in your opinion) have made it past the flop.

##### Tidal Waves

Anyone who has ever experienced a tidal wave or tsunami knows that these are not just standard wave activity. If you ever encounter one of these in a boat or a ship and survive, you will probably never forget what it is like. The Pokerish tidal wave is also an event that you need to recognize and be able to cope with. Unlike the tidal waves you experience in the ocean, you not only need to be able to survive in this environment, but know how to capitalize on it and prosper from the experience.

An ocean tidal wave is caused by the gravitational interactions between the Sun, Moon, and Earth. The Pokerish tidal wave is caused by two or more highly loose and aggressive players who are interacting at the same table. The results are a series of bravado moves like straddles and re-straddles with every hand capped at four bets before the flop. In a recent game I observed this four bet interaction before the flop between two aggressive players, neither of whom had looked at their holding.

A few other aggressive players at the table might also contribute to this betting frenzy with marginal hands because they know the bet will eventually be capped anyhow and perhaps a few tight players who really have a hand that warrants four bets. In my last Pokerish tital wave game this became the norm and most of the hands were played in this fashion. As a result many of the huge pots were won with very meager hands, to the anguish of those more conservative players who folded marginal hands to the heavy betting. This then emboldened these more conservative players to stay in the hand until the river causing the pots to get even larger.

Under these circumstances you should play tight and wait for good cards before you get drawn into the Malay. Even if you are in the big blind, you should probably fold if you do not have a holding that would warrant four bets before the flop. Although this will give you a definite advantage over those players who were being aggressive with any two cards, you will frequently find your large pairs and other two and three bet holdings bested by very unconventional holdings that connect to the board. You will also find it more difficult to fold quality draws, because of the attractive pot odds offered by these huge pots.

In this Pokerish tidal wave environment you will have much more difficulty reading your opponents and being able to tell if they really have strong holdings, hit some miraculous cards on the flop with an unconventional holding, or are just steam rolling and trying to bully everyone out of the pot. Thus, while this loose and aggressive play is an ideal environment to win a large pot with quality cards, it can present a very tumultuous ride for a conservative player because it requires more risk, faith, and tenacity than you may be accustomed to using in normal play.

##### The Pokerish Theory of Relativity

In poker everything is relative and a poker hand has no absolute value. Thus, you may win a pot with a king high or a small pair and lose the next pot with the nut full house or the bottom end of a straight flush. It all depends on what your opponents are holding relative to what you have on that particular hand.

The amount of money you win on a particular pot is also relative to what your opponents are holding. If you are in the crest mode and everyone else is in the trough mode, your great hand won't do you much good. Thus, if you raise before the flop with your high pocket pair and no one calls, you might end up winning only the blinds. Also, if you hit the flop and no one else does, you may end up winning only a small pot. It is for that reason, a player might slow play a strong hand and hope that one of their opponents will either make a hand or bluff at the pot.

#####

##### Riding the Wave

Adjusting your game to mesh with the waves you are encountering will enable you to maximize your winnings. If your game is in the crest mode, you should open up your game and play looser than normal to take advantage of your hot streak and the intimidation your opponents are experiencing when you are running over the table. At that point you may also be betting with the chips you have won from other players and not dipping into your starting chips.

Conversely, when your game is in the trough mode, you may benefit by playing more conservatively. In this mode it may seem that even your strong draws miss and your flopped top set gets bested by a runner-runner straight or flush. That is not to say that you should not bet and raise to protect your hand, just that you may want to check on the river if several players have called and the board shows cards, which could beat your set. In the trough mode you will also have to guard against going on tilt.

Your deepest losing troughs are when your crest mode hands are bested by players who have even greater crest mode hands. This is where your defensive game becomes very important. In section 2.3 of chapter 2, we looked at the kind of defensive considerations needed when you hit your draw. When the card that makes your straight might give someone else a higher straight or a flush, you need to proceed with caution.

##### Going Out on Top

One of the best ways to protect your poker bankroll is to always leave the game and cash out when you are on the downhill slope of your winning crest. As you look around the table you will notice that the player who had a huge chip stack just a half hour ago is now down to the felt and reaching into their pocket to buy more chips. The looser and more aggressive the players at a table, the more quickly a player (especially a loose aggressive player) will see their chip stack change.

Although it is sometimes difficult to know exactly when you are starting to descend into your trough mode, it is usually when a large win, or series of small wins, is followed by several hands with unplayable holdings. When I am ready to leave I may play around to my big blind to take advantage of the free cards I will get to look at for several hands. Here I will usually play very conservatively and only play very premium holdings. These would be the two or three bet holdings discussed in section 2.1 of chapter 2.

If you leave directly after (or shortly after) you have won a big pot, you may get some chiding from your opponents about your hit and run tactics. In this situation you need to realize that they would probably leave if they were in the same situation. Obviously they want you to stay so they can win back your large chip stack. Responding to this type of banter, I often tell my opponents I have just recently learned that you were allowed to leave the table with chips and wanted to try it out to see if it really worked. Leaving on a high note is also important if you are not able to stay long enough to survive the impending trough and get to your next wave crest.

## Section 3.3

# The Pokerish Business Plan

It may seem odd to talk about something as conventional and mainstream as a business plan being applied to a game of chance such as poker. There is no doubt that poker is a form of gambling, because it involves a number of factors that are beyond the control of the poker player. However, business itself includes a great deal of exogenous variables, which determine the success of any business venture.

Let me explain that assertion a bit farther. While many forms of gambling are primarily just a game of chance, poker involves a series of at least four progressive decisions that must be made during every hand played. For example, even a game like blackjack, which favors those with a good knowledge of the game and the ability to make informed interim adjustments (like doubling down, splitting cards & taking hits) still requires you to place your wager before you see any of the cards that will determine the outcome.

If blackjack were like poker, you would get to see your two hole cards and the dealer's up card before you were required to place your wager. You would also be able to increase your wager with every hit card you received if it improved your hand. In blackjack you are also playing against the house, which has static rules about how the dealer will play their cards. The house's real advantage is that you must always make your decisions first and if you bust it doesn't matter how the dealers hand comes out - you still lose.

By contrast, in poker you are playing against many other players who aren't tied to fixed regiments and you are not always the one who must act first. In games like Texas Hold'em and Omaha, unless you are in the blinds, you don't have to even make a wager until you see your holding and what other players do who must act ahead of you. Also your position in the betting sequence constantly changes so that your positional advantage goes from high to low and balances out on every round of play.

##### Poker as a Business Venture

As an MBA, I see poker as much more of a business type venture than most other forms of gambling. While I am an ardent poker player, I very seldom buy lottery tickets, play casino table games, play slot machines, or bet on sports events. Thus, I consider myself a poker player, but not a gambler. By the same token, I do not gamble by playing the stock market and instead prefer to have my investments handled by professionals who are more apt to use their extensive knowledge of the factors involved than I would if I were to dabble in the market as a day trader.

If playing poker were a job, it would be a pretty good one. You could set your own hours, dress any way you wanted and could take a vacation any time you wished. You wouldn't have to call in sick and could change your work companions any time you wanted by just changing tables. In fact, you wouldn't even be tied to a single employer and could just go to work at a different company in a different location if another company was offering better facilities, comps, promotions or a shorter commute. You also wouldn't have a boss to please or be transferred and forced to relocate. However, playing poker is not a job for one simple reason: you also wouldn't get a paycheck and couldn't depend on a consistent source of income, medical coverage, a retirement plan, or even qualify for social security.

Playing poker is more like having your own business. You provide the needed capital up front and take a chance that your income will be greater than your expenses. If not, you will end up without any income and perhaps lose your capital investment as well. The good news is that you can start out with a much more modest investment than most businesses entail and expand your business by moving to higher stakes games as your skill and capital increase.

The biggest challenge most new businesses face is developing a market for their products and coping with their competitors. Also most businesses require a certain level of fixed costs. Poker by contrast involves only variable costs and those costs are only incurred if you receive an income. Every time you win a pot (make a sale) you pay a small commission to the house (the house rake). You can consider that commission a fee for the casino providing your office space, furnishings, parking, and bringing customers to your workplace.

Unlike a normal business, however, your competitors are also your customers. Just as in business, it pays to know what your competitors are planning to do and what their product is likely to be for each business cycle (hand). You gain by being in a position to see what the competition is doing before you need to make your decisions. You also will be more successful if you know what your customers are likely to buy and what marketing strategy will get you the most customers and highest price for your product.

If there is a jackpot drop, that expense can be considered to be a forced investment, which may or may not pay off in the future. Tips to the dealer can be considered as your labor costs and again are paid out as a commission, since you only pay the dealer (via the tip) when you win a pot (make a sale). You also get to determine that labor cost and may not even pay anything at all. Another benefit of poker as a business is that you can do it in your spare time and do not need to "quit your day job" or abandon your retirement activities to operate your business in your spare time.

##### Poker as an Investment

Although I wouldn't recommend that anyone play poker (or sponsor anyone else) as an investment, the same considerations which govern a good investment strategy apply to poker as well. The best investment strategies are to (1) buy low and sell high; (2) invest for the long run and resist the urge to overreact to small variations in the market; (3) diversify your investments to reduce risk; and (4) don't invest more than you can afford to lose.

A good poker strategy follows the same general guidelines. First, you should try and spend as little as you can to see if you can develop a hand that has the potential to win the pot. Once you have achieved a hand you believe will win, you need to protect that hand and also to build the pot and maximize your return. You should also use methods like slow playing and trapping to maximize the return on your investment.

Second, a good poker player will understand that there will be swings in the ups and downs of the game and that they need to stick with proven strategies and not be driven off their game by temporary setbacks or hot streaks. That player will resist being demoralized by a short losing streak and realize that their performance over the long run is what will validate the game they are playing.

Third, a successful poker player will not play at a betting level that will commit an abnormal amount of their poker bankroll to a single game or small series of games. They will realize that the best strategy is to move the betting levels up and down to match their current success trend and overall bankroll and not deplete their capital investment by a narrow window of opportunity.

Fourth, a smart poker player will not gamble with funds, which are needed for current and short term cost of living expenses or long term goals. Thus, spending money needed for food, a house payment, or "the baby's new shoes" should always be off limits. A player should also make sure their savings are adequate to deal with unforeseen short term needs and long term needs, like their children's education and their retirement before they buy chips for a poker game.

# Chapter 4

# The Pokerish Environment

Now that you know how the game is played and how to interpret both the incoming and outgoing communications, it is time to become familiar with the environment where the Pokerish community resides and understand those financial factors, which govern its operations (and your profits). For most poker players that environment will be inside of a casino. In a large casino the poker room will be a separate room, which may house as many as fifty poker tables. In a medium sized casino, the poker operation may be located in a separate section of the casino and separated from the other gaming areas by a rail. In a small casino, the poker area may have as few as five tables and be separated from other casino games by just a small isle. A description of land based, casino poker rooms is addressed in section 4.1 of this chapter.

For those who play in a licensed non-casino poker room there may be as few as four tables and no other gaming tables or machines at all. The non-casino card rooms will be addressed in section 4.4 of this chapter. For those who play in the casino aboard a cruise ship there is usually only one or two poker tables in the small on-board casino. The operation of on-board casino poker rooms will be covered in section 4.5 of this chapter.

**Section 4.1** covers those attributes common to most casino poker rooms. The way these poker rooms are operated was discussed earlier in this book and in the first book of the Pokerish series.

**Section 4.2** will cover food and beverage service at the table. It will also address comps and discounts given by the poker room for beverages, food and even lodging & travel. Knowing about and taking advantage of these perks can save you money and make your playing pay off in new and unexpected ways.

**Section 4.3** delves into how a casino poker room makes a profit. This impacts how a poker room will function, what their priorities are, and what incentives they will offer to entice customers to play in their establishment.

**Section 4.4** looks at the operation of a small non-casino poker room. Here the players shuffle and deal their own cards and pay the poker room by the hour rather than having a rake taken from each pot.

**Section 4.5** addresses the operation of poker tables in the small casinos aboard a cruise ship. This will include conventional center dealer tables as well as fully automatic tables, which operate without a center dealer.

## Section 4.1

# Casino Poker Rooms

As indicated in the chapter 4 introduction, you're most likely to be playing in a poker room within a casino. That might be a casino in Nevada or New Jersey, an Indian casino in any number of states, or in other types of non-Indian casinos offered in some states. As indicated earlier these can range from large casinos with from up to fifty tables to small casinos with as few as three tables.

##### Standard Provisions

Although the size may vary, most casino poker rooms will be arranged, equipped, staffed, and operated in a very similar manner. All of these casino poker rooms will include a counter, a series of electronic or manual boards, a number of elongated poker tables. In most cases these tables will include an electric shuffling machine and overhead cameras to record the action on the tables.

These poker rooms will also provide professional dealers, floor personnel, chip runners and wait staff to serve food and beverages. The operation of these casinos was discussed earlier in this book and in the first book of the Pokerish series. The profits and proclivities of casino poker rooms will be discussed in section 4.3 of this chapter.

##### Dealer Rotations

The dealers will rotate between tables usually on a half-hour shift. This makes sure every dealer has a break in their rotation for meals, restroom breaks, and to relax with cup of coffee. Thus, every half hour a new dealer will come to the table and relieve the dealer at your table. The new dealer will tap the old dealer on the shoulder to let them know they are there. The old dealer will convey any information about the players not obvious by the placement of the various buttons. The new dealer will count the money and the chips in the tray to make sure everything is correct. At some casinos the dealers take their chip tray with them so they don't have to go through this process.

The dealer rotation process reminds me of a very funny situation at a Washington Casino several years ago. It was late at night and one of the poker players had been playing table games and drinking quite a bit as well. After he had amassed several thousand dollars on the blackjack table he brought his half rack of black $100 chips to our seven card stud table and indicated that he wanted to share his good fortune with all his poker buddies. He would play every hand and do one of two things: (1) play blind and not look at any of his three down cards, or (2) turn his down cards up so that everyone could see what he had. In addition to this he would bet and raise at every opportunity.

As a consequence everyone on the table (including me) wanted to stay in and get a hand, which would win one of these large and easy pots. Every pot was huge because of his action and that of other players who actually had a hand or a compelling draw. Occasionally he would win a hand, because good cards would come on the later streets of betting or from having good down cards, which neither he nor anyone else had seen. When this would happen, he would push the huge pot to the dealer as a tip! When the replacement dealer arrived and tapped the old dealer on the shoulder, the old dealer told the new dealer (who had been on break) to come back later as he was too early.

##### Other Factors

The prime concern of the poker room is to give you a comfortable, safe, and legal place to play poker. To this end there will usually be comfortable chairs to accommodate players spending many hours playing poker. Some poker rooms will allow players to smoke at the table while others will not. Even those casino poker rooms which do allow smoking may restrict those tables or seats where smoking is allowed.

One thing you will not find in a casino poker room, or probably anywhere else in the casino, is a clock. For this reason you should have a wristwatch or cell phone with you at the table if you are on a tight schedule or have an important appointment elsewhere. Some land based casinos are also trying out the fully automatic (dealer-less) poker tables now used on some cruise ships. A description of these tables is provided in section 4.5 of this chapter.

Most poker rooms will also provide food and beverage service to poker players. These services and the comps and discounts associated with these services are addressed in section 4.2 of this chapter. All of these rooms will provide a cashier where you can purchase and cash in your chips without going to a casino cashier outside of the poker room.

## Section 4.2

# Libations and Other Comps

Providing food and beverages free or at a reduced price has become a tradition in poker rooms and casinos will offer these benefits to their poker playing clientele even though they are usually not available to customers playing other casino games. In addition to providing these libations many poker rooms will offer comped or discounted lodging and in some cases cover your travel expenses as well.

Unlike some of the high roller benefits only offered to those in the casino's membership clubs, poker room comps are usually available to anyone who plays in the poker room for even a few hours. It is valuable for poker players to be aware of these benefits and take advantage of them whenever they can.

##### Food and Beverages

Poker rooms will usually deliver food and drinks to you at the table and in many cases either discount or "comp" these libations. Some players will ask to be dealt out while they eat their food at the table, but most players will continue to play while they eat. Small tables are usually available for both beverages and food. These tables fit between the players and in many cases are shared with your neighbor.

In some casinos they will have small tables for drinks and purses and larger ones that are brought in by the waitstaff to accommodate meals being served at the table. If you intend to eat a meal and need one of the larger tables, you are better off seated at one of the end seats and not in the center of the table (like seat 5) where space is at a minimum between the seats and between the tables.

If you want to order food or a beverage, just tell the dealer to get you a waiter or waitress who will take your order. It is common for the waiters or waitresses to go around to the tables occasionally and see if any of the players want to order food or beverages.

Unless you are playing in a Nevada or New Jersey casino you will probably have to pay full price for alcoholic beverages. Even if the food or drinks are complementary, it is expected that you tip the waiter or waitress when they bring your order. Those tips should be based on the normal cost of the order not the discounted cost.

Even if a poker room offers comps or discounts, they may not divulge this unless you ask them. After all, the whole idea of a comp is to entice players to come to their establishment. If you are already there, this incentive is no longer needed. This is very similar to those fast food restaurants that have large signs in the window advertising specials. When you get inside and look up at their menu boards those specials are seldom included there. However, if you ask them for the advertised special they will give it to you.

One day I was making a small purchase at a big box store and when I opened my wallet to get my credit card the clerk noticed my retired military identification card. She informed me that I would thus get a 10% discount on my purchase. Nowhere in the store did it have that posted and had I known that the previous year when I had purchased a $2,500 refrigerator from the same store, I would have saved $250 rather than just $2. All their competitors also offered this same undisclosed discount. It always pays to ask.

You should also be aware that the poker room may require you to play a specified number of hours before you are eligible for the comp or discount. Again it is best to ask the floor person about food and drink comps before you start play. Some poker rooms do not offer comps or discounts for food, but will have buffet food available for the players. This is usually just snacks but I have been in casinos that put out a full buffet for the poker players which would change four times a day for breakfast, lunch, dinner or late night snacks.

Most poker rooms will have coffee and doughnuts or sweet rolls available for the players to serve themselves. At one casino I play at the soft drinks and coffee are free, but if you order water they bring you a small bottle of water and charge you a dollar. The same casino offers a 50% discount for all food served to seated players plus gives you a $1 per hour comp credit for each hour of live play. Thus, you can use the comp to pay full price for the meal or let them accumulate and get a large comp, which can be used for you and your guests at one of the casino's upscale restaurants.

##### Lodging and Travel

If your casino has a hotel and you are from out of town, you may be able to secure a comp to cover your room charge or at least get you a discount on your lodging. At one Las Vegas casino I played at, they not only gave you a meal comp for you and a guest, they gave you a special ticket, which got you into an express line in the casino restaurant so you did not have to wait in the regular, and much longer, waiting line to be seated. Apparently they were anxious to get you back to the poker table. At a couple of casinos I have played at, they would give you a dinner comp for a party of four at the casino restaurant if you were traveling with friends who were not poker players.

When we were still driving between our summer home in Washington and our winter home in Arizona we would make it a leisurely four day trip, which let us play some poker along the way. Going south we would spend the first night at an Indian casino in Oregon just off Interstate 5. That casino had a nice hotel that was half price if you played in the poker room. The poker room also gave you comps for all your meals in the casino restaurant. The next night we would stay and play at one of the casinos in Reno. The third night on the road we would stay and play at a Las Vegas casino.

Between the comps and our winnings at the poker table we were usually able to make the trip for a very modest amount and sometimes came out ahead on the four day trip. In the spring we would reverse the order and stay at the same places.

One casino in Elko, Nevada would fly players from Seattle to Elko and back on their charted jet free of charge if you showed them $200 in cash that you could gamble with. They gave all the passengers a badge to wear at the casino. When we went to the poker table the dealers would tell us to take off our badge, because the casino wanted us to play table games or slot machines where the house would be more likely to get our $200.

## Section 4.3

# Poker Room Profits & Proclivities

This section will look at how a casino poker room makes a profit by providing a comfortable and safe place for you to legally play cash games and tournaments. This information will enable you to understand the various operating rules, priorities, and incentives of the casino poker rooms where you play. It is also important for you to understand how poker tournaments generate income. The way revenues are generated in small non-casino poker rooms will be discussed in section 4.4 of this chapter. The profits and proclivities of online poker sites will be discussed in chapter 6.

If you are seated at a poker table in a casino for any length of time you may notice that most of the players have left the table with less money than they invested and yet the stacks of those remaining do not reflect a commensurate increase even though many of them have repurchased chips. Poker is generally regarded as a zero sum game, because in a non-commercial setting all of the money passes between the players and the wins and losses cancel out. However, in the real world it is a negative sum game. That is because in a casino poker room there is leakage, which comes out of every pot before it is awarded to the winning player.

There may also be leakage from the money on the table for tips and libations. Since active players are not allowed to remove chips from the table, this leakage explains why players chip stacks and cash outs do not equal the amount of money invested. Thus, if you are going to come away from the poker table a winner, you need to not only be better (and luckier) than the other players but substantially better (and luckier) to cover this leakage and still emerge as a winner.

When you play poker in a casino poker room you are not playing against the house, you are playing against the other players at your table. However, the house will take a specified amount of money out of each pot that constitutes the house "rake." They may also take out a specified amount of money for a "jackpot drop." The third source of leakage from the money being passed between the players are dealer's tips, waitstaff tips, and the purchase of food and beverages at the table (although these later items are all voluntary). These five items will be discussed below.

##### The House Rake

The house rake consists of chips that are removed from each pot by the dealer. The rake is a percentage of the pot up to a specified maximum. In most low limit games the rake will be 10% to 17% of the pot and capped at three dollars regardless of how large the pot becomes. The rake is the only way the casino poker room makes money on the game.

As the pot grows the dealer will take the appropriate number of chips out of the pot and put them in a pull slot device to the dealers immediate right. This amount will be visible to all the players until the hand is completed at which time the dealer will pull a lever, which drops the raked chips into a container below the table. At specified times casino employees and security personnel will come around and remove these containers and install empty ones.

Although Texas hold'em can be played with ten players per table, most casino poker rooms will play nine handed tables. For every 90 players a casino would utilize nine tables at ten players per table, but would utilize ten tables at nine players per table. Since a nine player table will generate the same revenue per hand as a ten player one, the house will make more revenue with nine players per table (about 11.1% more). That 11% does not count the fact that a hand will be completed quicker with nine players to a table than it would if there were ten players at that table. That increased speed of play will also result in more hands per hour which translates into an increase in the house profit.

With an automatic dealing machine a well trained dealer will be able to get in about 35 hands per hour with a nine player table. If the number of players were increased to ten per table, the number of hands per hour would drop to 31 reducing the rake per table by 12.9% per hour. Combining those two factors the casino will make about 25.4% more revenue from a nine person table than a ten person table. Since the cost of the dealers are heavily subsidized by the tips they get from the players, this is a further incentive for the casino to spread nine person tables rather than ten player tables.

##### The Jackpot Drop

If a casino poker room has a jackpot drop, it will be like a rake and be a percentage of the pot up to a specified maximum. In the casinos I have played at, which took a jackpot drop, they have been capped at one to three dollars. If the casino takes a $3 jackpot drop, the percentage can run as high as 17% in a small pot. At one casino I play at, they take a dollar from the small blind in all the games for the jackpot drop before the hand is dealt. So even if the blinds chop the pot and the hand is not played, the $1 jackpot drop is kept by the house.

There is usually a drop slot to the left of dealer into which these chips are deposited. Like a rake, most casinos will leave the jackpot drop outside the slot until the hand is over and then deposit them into the slot before the next hand is dealt. The below table container for the jackpot drop chips will be collected at the same time as the rake container by the same personnel.

Jackpots and other promotions are an excellent way for a casino to attract players to their establishment. Poker players quickly find out and react to those casino poker rooms, which have the most and largest jackpots. If the casino can attract players and have the players fund this incentive for them, they have the best of both worlds. The concept of a jackpot drop is that the money from this source is to be used only for jackpots and other promotional items for the players who contribute to them. Some casinos will even differentiate between the types of games with separate funds for Texas hold'em, Omaha, and stud jackpots based on the amounts dropped from those games.

The amount taken for jackpot drops can sometimes be very confusing. I have watched the jackpot drop at one Arizona casino go from one dollar to three dollars per hand and yet watched the jackpot awards for bad beats and royal flushes go down dramatically over the same period. Perhaps these funds have been funneled into weekend or evening promotions that are offered when I seldom play. At this particular casino they use funds from the jackpot drop to subsidize the food comps they provide to seated players. The most common jackpot categories were covered in the first book of the Pokerish series..

##### Rake and Jackpot Combos

At one Washington casino they increased the jackpot payoffs until all of the dedicated jackpot money had been paid out. They then combined the three dollar rake with the two dollar jackpot drop and just started taking a five dollar house rake. They still continued to offer jackpots and free roll tournaments, but did not have to keep track of these amounts separately or assure that two dollars of this rake would go exclusively for jackpots. Since the amount taken from each pot was exactly the same, the players did not seem to be concerned with the change.

##### Low Limit = High Leakage

The leakage from the combined rake and jackpot drops can have a very high impact in small pots that are common in low limit games. Lets say that four players see the flop in a 3-6 hold'em game or three players see the flop in a 4-8 hold'em game. That puts twelve dollars in the pot. Some casinos will take two dollars out of this size pot for the rake and another two dollars out for the jackpot drop. Thus, 33% of the pot is tied up in leakage leaving only $8 available to the winner. If the hand gets checked down and the winner gives the dealer a one dollar tip they would only be getting back 58% of the money put into the pot by the players.

Often I do not tip the dealer in a pot this small since I am only making a $5 profit in a 3-6 game or a $4 profit in a 4-8 game and a $1 tip would be 20% to 25% of that profit. When I do tip in a pot this small, I often jokingly tell the dealer I am splitting the pot with them. Since the rake and jackpot drops are all capped at $3 per hand, the leakage percentage is much smaller in larger limit games than it is in the lowest limit games. For this reason it is actually harder to make a profit the lowest limit games. If you do play in lower limit games find one with more action where the small pots referenced above are less frequent.

##### Sliding Promotions

A casino poker room, like any business, will have peak periods of business activity and low periods as well. One way to maximize profits will be to try and attract customers into the low activity days and hours to make sure that the income from those periods covers the fixed and variable costs being incurred by the poker room during those times. For that reason, the poker room will offer certain promotions and jackpots on days and during hours when they want to boost participation.

At one Arizona casino poker room where I play, they offer popular jackpots and tournaments during the work week when business is slower than they do on weekends when business is booming. They also offer special promotions and jackpots during the early hours of operation to encourage players to come in and take advantage of these offerings. At one Washington casino poker room where I play, they double the jackpot payout amounts and also double the hours earned for the free roll tournament from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm during the work week to get players in when most of the daily players are going home for dinner. This keeps the tables full until the evening players start arriving. Offering meal comps also helps to get players in during these hours.

##### Speed of Play

Since the house rake and jackpot drop are based on a maximum per hand, the more hands dealt per hour the higher the revenue for the house and the larger the jackpot pool will become. Both of these factors impact poker room revenues. The casino will always be concerned with anything which slows down the game and reduces profitability.

Since the dealer's evaluations and tips are also tied to the speed of the game, they are also very concerned with the number of hands they deal per hour and will try and make sure there are no protracted delays. The house will also make more money from a faster paced game like Texas hold'em than it will from a slower paced game like Omaha high-low because the table rake (and jackpot drop) per hand will be the same.

##### Shuffling Machines

Most casino poker rooms now have electrical shuffling machines built into their tables. This machine fits through an opening in the middle of the table and is plugged in to an outlet below the table. The shuffling machine has a single plastic door opening toward the dealer and two inside bins for the cards. The right bin is for the un-shuffled deck and the left bin is for the deck which has already been shuffled and is ready to be dealt. A green light will appear when the deck is ready. A red light indicates that there has been a problem and the deck needs to be reinserted. The machine makes sure that the deck contains 52 cards, all the cards are facing the same way, and that the deck has been thoroughly shuffled.

The dealer will cut the cards onto his "cut card" after taking it from the machine and before dealing the first card. If a hand is very short and the machine has not prepared the new deck properly, the dealer will manually reshuffle the deck already in play rather than delay the game.

When shuffling machines are used, two different colored decks will be used so one deck can be shuffling in the machine while the other deck is in play. Obviously the advantage is that by having the shuffling done while a hand is being played speeds up the game and facilitates more hands per hour. The increased rake revenue is normally large enough to cover the cost of leasing the machines as they are not sold to the casinos.

##### High Tech Tables & Equipment

Many new poker tables have built in electronics which enable the dealer to scan in their employee card and each player's card to indicate who the players are at the table and where they are seated. This not only keeps track of a player's cumulative hours, it also keeps track of how long a player has been absent from the table. It also enables the dealer to see the name of each player and their seat at the table.

The system provides information into the poker room's computer so that the people at the main counter can see how many vacant seats are available at each table and when a player needs to be "picked up" because they have been absent too long. These systems also compute the dealer's metrics and enables the dealer to secure a waiter, a chip runner, or a floor person. All of these things make the poker room more efficient and ultimately reduce operating costs.

Another high tech piece of equipment you might find in some larger casinos is a kiosk with a scanner device, which will enable you to check yourself in and get on the list for those games you are interested in playing. Here the player scans their player's card just like they would do when making a credit card purchase in a store. The player can then select the games they want to play. This automatically adds the player to the list for those tables and displays that information on the electronic boards in the poker room along with those players who have been put on the list by a poker room employee.

##### Tips and Purchases

The last form of leakage from the table would be tips given to the dealer or the tips and food & beverage purchases made from a waiter or waitress. The protocol and recommendations for these items has already been covered earlier in this chapter. Tips to the dealers are deposited into a locked box that the dealer takes with them to the table and clips on the table behind the rake receptacle. This is so the dealer's tip revenue can be counted and recorded as part of their taxable income.

Because there are no tips given to the dealers at tournament tables the house will normally provide a tip receptacle for the winning players to leave a portion of their payouts. These tips will be distributed between all of the dealers who worked the tournament.

##### Tournament Fees and Profits

It should be noted that even if the casino normally has nine players to a table in live games, they usually have ten players to a table in tournament play. The reason is that in live play the casino will take a specified maximum rake out of each pot. They will also take a specified maximum jackpot drop out of each pot. The more tables in play the more profit the casino will make and the larger the jackpots will become.

Since there is no rake or jackpot drop at a tournament table, the casino does not have that incentive. In tournament play the casino gets its money from the entry fees. The more players at a table the more entry fees and the more money for the casino per table and per dealer. Sometimes the casino will indicate that they will add a certain amount of money into the prize pool for each active table in the tournament. That can sometimes be deceiving.

Lets say that there is an entry fee of $45 for a tournament. Of that fee $10 is for the casino and $35 is for the prize pool. If the casino is seating ten players at each table and contributing $100 to the prize pool for each table, they are really not contributing anything, just letting all of the entry fee be put into the prize pool. Actually they are usually taking the $100 per table contribution from the dedicated jackpot drop money and keeping the $100 entry fee as profit for the casino. If they are not contributing anything into the prize pool, then they are making more profit on the tournament. In casinos where all the entry fees go into the prize pool, the casino is hosting the tournament free gratis to attract players to its live games.

##### Food and Beverage Comps

Although a casino poker room offers comps or discounts for food and beverages they also benefit financially from these offerings. First, providing food and beverages to seated poker players has become a tradition and any casino not offering this perk would lose customers to those casinos that do. Second, providing free or low cost food and beverages to seated players encourages them to eat and drink while they are playing and discourages them from leaving the table temporarily or permanently to take care of these needs.

##### Other Aspects

Because poker players commonly tip the dealers, the casino can hire qualified dealers at a much lower salary than they would have to pay without the tips. While poker is a consistent and risk free source of revenue for a casino it does not bring in the type of revenue per square foot and per dollar of salary expended as other casino games. The top honor for that goes to our friend the one armed bandit slot machine.

Even though poker rooms do not bring in as much revenue as other casino games it makes the casino a "full service" operation, which may bring in a group which has a poker player or two as most all of the casinos have table games and slot machines. At small casinos, tournament poker players may play table games or slot machines after they break out of the tournament. Some poker players might also play table games or slot machines while they are waiting to be called to a poker table.

## Section 4.4

# Non-Casino Poker Rooms

This section will explore the realm of the small licensed non-casino poker room and how it differs from the casino poker rooms discussed earlier in this chapter. Although the games, rules, and protocol are usually the same in these venues the way they are operated and funded is distinctly different. I had originally intended to entitle this section as "Small Poker Rooms" but then realized that many of the casino poker rooms I have played at were also small with from three to ten tables. The difference between those and the ones covered in this section is that even the small casino poker rooms utilize professional dealers, house rakes, jackpot drops, shuffling machines, and all of the other things present in large casino poker room games.

##### The Play

The main difference is that in a small non-casino poker room (sometimes called a card room) there is no center dealer and the players shuffle and deal the cards themselves. This is very similar to the way the game would be played in a home or private game. The deal passes to the left with every hand. The dealer shuffles the cards, has the player to their right cut the cards, and then deals the cards to each player.

Normally the game does not change every hand and will be straight Texas hold'em or Omaha. If there is a dealers choice provision, the dealer will call the game and explain it to anyone who is unfamiliar with that game. Those games must be one of the approved games that poker room is licensed to spread. The dealer will be responsible for the proper play of the hand, supervising the betting, and awarding the pot.

Usually on a ten sided table all the games must be in a flop format so the dealer will call the game as Texas hold'em, Omaha, Omaha straight high, or Tahoe (for an explanation of the game of Tahoe see the first book in the Pokerish series). For these games there will be a small and big blind posted just as there would be in a casino poker room.

With an eight sided table the dealer will be able to choose between seven card stud, razz, and seven card stud high-low. Here an ante or a bring in bet would be required (Omaha, razz, seven card stud, and seven card stud high-low are explained in chapter 5). Flop and stud game tables could be operating at the same time or may be offered on specific days, depending on the demand and popularity.

##### The Room

A licensed non-casino poker room will usually have fewer tables than most casino poker rooms. There will be a counter or cage at which to buy and cash in your chips and to sign up for live game play and tournaments. Because Washington state law requires that licensed poker rooms be able to offer food and alcoholic beverages, these rooms are normally co-located with restaurants, bars, or bowling alleys.

##### The Staff

Depending on the number of tables there can be one or more employees working in a licensed card room at one time. In Washington state all of these employees must be licensed by the state even though they do not deal. They act as a floor person and answer any questions or arbitrate any disputes, which arise at a table. Their responsibilities also include selling chips, cashing in chips, keeping order, and collecting revenue for the house.

If there is only one table in operation, the house person may also be a player in that game, but will relinquish their seat if a non-employee is waiting for a seat. Off duty staff may also play on their own time or while waiting for their shift to start.

##### The Table

The tables are usually round or segmented (octagon or decagon) to facilitate eight or ten players without a center dealer. Since there is no center dealer, the table does not have to be elongated or provide for a cash tray, rake receptacle, or a jackpot drop receptacle. As noted earlier, the eight sided tables would be used for stud or razz games and the ten sided table for flop games like Texas hold'em, Omaha, and Tahoe.

##### Collecting Time

Since there is no house rake taken at the table, the house secures its revenue by collecting money from each player every half-hour. The house person would come to the table with a fresh deck (of a different color) and then collect time from each player. Usually this would be two dollars per half-hour. This is substantially less than what would be taken off the table by a three dollar rake from each hand.

Thus, in a nine handed game this would amount to $36 per hour compared with $105 per hour for the house, assuming 35 hands per hour. Although the take is smaller, it is harder on those who are losing. While the house rake only impacts the player who won the pot, the collection of time impacts all players whether they are winning or losing.

Since the poker room collects a set fee from all players every half hour, there is no incentive to play flop games nine handed and so the non-casino poker rooms will normally play these games ten handed. There is also no financial incentive to control the speed of the game or utilize electronic shuffling machines as the number of hands dealt per hour has no impact on the revenue that the non-casino poker room makes from each table.

##### Tournaments

Non-casino poker rooms may also offer daily or weekly tournaments. Normally these will be offered at the beginning of the day so that the players will be available to play in cash games after they bust out of the tournament. As with cash games, the dealing is done by the players with the house person keeping the clock for the progressive betting levels, combining tables, and paying out the prize money.

In these small tournaments it is very common to have the last two or three players chop the pot and move to the cash games. Since the tournament will start at a specific time it is an effective way to get people in early and keep them until the cash games get started.

At my favorite non-casino poker room they would only charge a $5 entry fee for the weekly tournament and the provided lunch. However, for an additional $20 you could get an advanced re-buy and add-on package, which would provide you with about six times as many chips to start the tournament. You could also start out with a $5 entry and then do your re-buys and add-on later in the tournament, but the pre-pay option provided some bonus chips for taking the package deal up front.

Most of the players would opt for the $25 package as it gave them a better chance to win the tournament and built up the prize pool. However, if you came primarily for the cash game and lunch, you could just pay the $5 and get a real bargain. On several occasions I only paid the $5 and still won the tournament. There would usually be four full tables and alternates with prize money going to the top three players in these tournaments.

##### Libations and Comps

The card rooms I have played poker at have either offered comps or discounts for food and non-alcoholic beverages while playing at the table or provided free morning and afternoon snacks and beverages to players and those waiting to be seated. Sometimes they offered both.

Offering food and beverages free or at a reduced price has become a tradition in the game of poker and also keeps people at the table for longer periods of time. The free snacks and beverages would be self-serve, while the comped or discounted meals would be served by a waiter or waitress from the restaurant associated with the poker room.

**Tipping**

Tips for the house person are normally given when the time fees are collected. Unlike the expected tips for a dealer in a casino poker room, probably only three or four of the ten people at a table in a non-casino poker room will tip the house person. These are usually those who are winning or off duty employees trying to start a trend. Thus, instead of giving the house person the two dollars for time you might give them three dollars. The extra dollar would be a tip and kept by the person collecting time.

Even if you were to give a one dollar tip every half hour it would be half the cost of giving a center dealer a one dollar tip for every hand won, assuming you won four hands per hour. However, you might not tip the house person at all if you had been losing. If a player had a good day they may tip the house person when they were cashing in their chips, especially if the payout included a few single dollar bills. You would normally tip the waiter or waitress who brought you a meal, just as you would at a casino poker room.

##### Jackpots

Since there is no jackpot drop there is no special fund with which to fund jackpots. If there are any jackpots offered they would more likely be small amounts or perks offered for high hands for the week rather than other more frequent and lucrative jackpots. Any jackpots offered must come out of the house profits. The embossed logo matchbook I received for one of my royal flushes was at a non-casino poker room.

## Section 4.5

# Shipboard Pokerish

This section will familiarize the reader with poker tables, which are part of the on-board casinos common on large cruise ships. I have sailed on three cruise lines, which had poker tables as part of their on-board casinos. Usually these casinos will have several banks of slot machines, several table games (such as blackjack) and one or two poker tables. These poker tables fall into two categories, which will be addressed below.

##### Conventional Center Dealer Tables

These poker tables will be the standard elongated tables with provision for a center dealer like those discussed in section 4.1 of this chapter. Here a center dealer handles the cards and takes a rake out of each pot. Other than being able to buy your chips with your on-board charge card, this is very similar to what you would experience at a small casino poker room. However, the casino may be closed while you are in port and only opened for business after the ship has entered international waters, where local gambling restrictions are not a factor.

##### Fully Automatic Poker Tables

On one cruise ship, they offered a fully automatic poker table in the on-board casino. This table was rectangular and accommodated ten players. Each player would activate their individual control pad with their special poker card which had an electronic strip/chip like a bank debit card. This special poker card kept track of the players poker bankroll.

When the player wanted to play poker they would purchase a special poker card from the casino cashier and load it up with however much they wanted to take with them to the table. This amount would then be charged against the player's on-board account the same as would be done if they were buying a drink at one of the ship's cocktail lounges. Some on-board casinos require you to buy chips with cash (or a bank debit/credit card) and will not accept your ship's on-board card for this purpose.

The player would then select a seat and scan their special poker card into the touch screen device provided for each player. After confirming their identity with a pre-selected pin number, the player would then indicate how much in "electronic chips" they wanted to purchase from the amount loaded on their special poker card. Those chips would then appear on the electronic display in front of their position on the central table where it would be visible to all the other players as well. This represented the amount that they had in play.

As with a standard casino, the player would not be able to purchase chips during a hand and the machine would enable the player to go all in and create side pots just as a human dealer would if a player had exhausted all their chips. At any point between hands, the player could re-scan their special card and purchase more chips. If a player exhausted all the funds on their special poker card, they would have to go back to the casino cashier's window and load more funds onto their special poker card.

After the blinds had been posted and deducted from the players involved, the holding cards for each player would be displayed electronically on their individual touch screen. The player could then shield their card display with their hand, or their special poker card, while they touched the screen to display their holding cards. The board cards for the flop, turn, and the river would be displayed on the center table and visible to all the players. The table would keep track of the betting tiers and display the minimum amount needed to call or raise when it was your turn to act. It would also display the amount of the pot during play.

When the hand was over, the machine would award (or split) the pot to the winner or winners and deduct the house rake. When a player was ready to cash out, they would re-scan their special poker card and indicate on their touch pad that they were leaving the table, which would deposit their table bankroll back onto their special poker card. They would then go to the cashier and have the balance of their funds on the special poker card deposited back to their on-board account (or paid out in cash). If they thought they might return and play again, they could just keep their card and use it later.

I was surprised that the house rake for the Texas hold'em game was capped at six dollars per hand, rather than the three dollars common in land based casinos. Perhaps they thought that since players were not tipping a dealer or contributing to a jackpot drop, they would be willing to put in a little higher rake. They were also dealing with a captive audience and knew that you could not just go down the block to another casino. Even with the $6 rake, I was able to win a few hundred dollars on the automatic table.

Because the shuffling, dealing, and chip handling was done electronically, the game moved faster than it would with a center dealer. The cruise line advertised that the game would be played 50-60% faster than a center dealer game. However, one disadvantage of not having a center dealer was that there was no casino employee at the table to insure that the house rules were being followed. The most common violation was players discussing what cards they had folded, while the hand was still in progress. Since there was no center dealer, we either had to call over a casino floor person to address this situation or try and diplomatically handle it ourselves.

Since many of the patrons had not taken time to read the house rules, this became an ongoing challenge. At one point, several of the players at my table were traveling together and would converse in a language other than English. After a couple of attempts to get this situation corrected, I left the table rather than risk collusion by this group.

##### Automatic Table Tournaments

The automatic poker table described above was also programmed to facilitate tournaments. At the time scheduled for the tournament, those who had signed up for the tournament would take their seats and scan their special poker card. The fee for the tournament would be charged to the player's special poker card and the appropriate portion deposited into the prize pool. The machine would keep track of the betting levels and blinds as the tournament progressed. The machine would also credit the appropriate portion of the prize pool to those finishing second and first by putting that amount back on the player's special poker card.

# Chapter 5

# The Pokerish Horse

One of the most coveted bracelets at the World Series of Poker is for the horse tournament. That is because this tournament demonstrates a player's skill at playing several diverse games of poker. "HORSE" is an acronym for five different poker games. Those games are **H** old'em, **O** maha, **R** azz, **S** tud, and **E** ight & below. With the exception of razz, most of these games can be found in large casinos as popular cash games.

I have never seen a horse cash game in a casino. However, in one casino I played at they spread a four-eight game that would change from stud high-low to Omaha high-low every half hour. Thus, when a new dealer came to the table the game would change from one of these games to the other. Because Omaha was a flop game and stud was not, it was easy to keep track of which game we were playing. Recently that casino has started to spread a four-eight "mixed" game which includes hold'em, Omaha, stud and eight & below. These games are played in alphabetical order and change every half hour when a new dealer comes to the table.

Although the primary focus of this book is limit hold'em, this chapter will be devoted to addressing each of these games so that you will be familiar with them if you wish to play them in either cash games or tournaments. The five sections in this chapter are:

**Section 5.1 -** H **old'em.** Since the earlier chapters focused on limit hold'em, we will use this section to identify some of the differences between those games and the no limit or spread limit hold'em games you are likely to encounter.

**Section 5.2 -** O **maha.** In the World Series of Poker horse tournament and most other cash games played in casinos this game is played as a high-low split game. We will also address Omaha straight high and how it differs from the high-low game.

**Section 5.3 -** R **azz.** This game is the most infrequent game of the five addressed in this chapter. It does have a loyal following and you will find it played in some card rooms and in private games as a dealer's choice game.

**Section 5.4 -** S **tud.** Next to hold'em, seven card stud is one of the most popular games games played in poker rooms. This section will identify the play and strategy of playing this seven card game.

**Section 5.5 -** E **ight & Below.** This is a high-low split version of seven card stud, where the best high hand splits the pot with the best low hand. To qualify as a low hand the five cards played must all be eight and below.

## Section 5.1

# Hold'em

This section will look at how no limit and spread limit differs from the fixed limit hold'em games we have been looking at in earlier chapters of this book and in the first book of the Pokerish series.

##### No Limit

The rules and structure for no limit hold'em is the same as for fixed limit hold'em. The small and big blinds are posted before the cards are dealt at the advertised level for the game. Thus, in a ten-twenty no limit game the small blind would be $5 and the big blind would be $10. However, once the blinds have been posted a player may bet as much as they want regardless of which tier of the betting they are at. The only rule is that any raise needs to be at least twice the size of the previous bet or raise. If the big blind is $10 then the raiser would have to raise the bet to $20 or more. The only exception would be if the player was going "all in" and did not have enough chips to double the previous bet or raise.

In the ten-twenty game referenced above any bet or raise on the turn or river would have to be at least $20, but could be more. If I bet $20 on the turn and you wanted to raise me, you would have to at least raise the bet to $40. However, you could raise me to $100. If I wanted to re-raise you, I would have to raise you by $80 which is the amount you raised me. If I went all in with $260, you would have to call that amount or fold your hand. If you only had $210, you could call me all in with your remaining chips and be in a position to win only that portion of the pot for which you were all in. If we were heads-up, then they would return $50 of my bet and the dealer would then turn up any remaining cards to complete the hand.

If we were not heads-up, then the dealer would put the portion of chips you were eligible to win in the main pot and put my $50 in a side pot along with a similar amount for any other player or players who had called my all in bet. If there were two or more players left in the hand at that point, all further betting would be put in a second side pot.

Not only are the betting limits different in no limit but the play is different as well. While players might stick around to see the flop with a bet and raise costing them $8 in a four-eight game they would be less likely to do so in a no limit game where it might cost them $120 to see the flop. It is much easier to protect a quality hand in no limit hold'em than in a low fixed limit game. It is also less likely to have players drawing for hands unless they have enough outs to justify the calls they have to make to see the next card.

For this reason, it is almost always smart to bet or raise your high pair holding in no limit hold'em to make it unprofitable for players to speculate and see if they can hit a flop. If I can see the flop for $10 with my small pair or suited connectors, I might get a strong hand on the flop, beat your pocket kings and win a large pot, which would have otherwise been yours. If, on the other hand, I had to pay a high price up front to see if I could hit a set or a flush on the flop, it wouldn't pay me to make this play.

There is also more trapping in a no limit hold'em game. If you do flop a set or make a flush, you may be able to get someone with a weaker hand to try and buy the pot with a large pair or two pair. Once you check and they bet their hand you can spring the trap and make it too expensive for them to try and hit their full house on the turn or the river. In no limit you are more likely to see a check-raise before and after the flop than in a limit game, where the check raiser will usually wait until the higher tier betting level to make this move.

Since I play primarily in Arizona and Washington, the only place I can find a casino which spreads a no limit hold'em game is in Nevada. I very clearly remember my first no limit game in a Las Vegas casino. The buy in was $200 and I had doubled that to $400 in a short period of time. Then I ran into a hand which reminded me of the one that cleaned out Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) in the movie "Rounders." I had a suited ace-nine in late position. The flop came A-J-9 "rainbow." An early position player made a substantial bet and I called. I put him on an ace with a big kicker. However, if he had an A-J holding I would be beaten.

The turn card was a second nine giving me a full house. I didn't think the second nine gave him a full house so when he made another substantial bet I came over the top with a raise. He re-raised me all in and I was forced to call with the remainder of my $400 in chips. The river card was a "blank", that didn't help either of us. I didn't think he had both of the remaining aces since he hadn't raised before the flop. At that point I put him on aces and nines with a big kicker or aces and jacks. Since I didn't know his style or table image I couldn't really tell what he might be holding, but knew I had a full house and was pot committed in a very large pot so I made the call.

He didn't have pocket aces like "Teddy KGB" (John Malkovich) did in the movie, he had pocket jacks for a bigger full house than my nines full of aces and I was back buying another $200 in chips. I ran that up to $400 to get my money back and then cashed out and went back to a less stressful limit game. The lesson here is that knowing the players and their style is even more important in no limit than it is in a limit game. Had I known that this was a tight player who seldom bluffed or raised without a very strong hand, I might have just called his bet and not raised.

In another no limit hold'em game at a different Las Vegas casino, I was the one holding pocket jacks on the button. Several players called the blind before me and I made a significant raise to drive out the drawing hands. About half of the field called my raise. The flop brought a pair of threes and another under card to my pocket jacks. Everyone checked to me and I put in another significant bet with my over pair. Three other players called my second bet. The turn card brought a jack giving me the "nut" full house. Everyone checked to me again and I made another large bet.

My bet drove out all the other players except one who had a pocket three and had been slow playing his three-of-a-kind since the flop. At this point he went all in and I called with more chips than he had. When we turned up our holdings he realized that his only chance of winning the hand was to hit the "cased" three on the river. He didn't hit his quads and was forced to leave the table broke. The lesson here is that while setting a trap is a very effective technique in no limit hold'em, we sometimes slow play our hand so much waiting for the fish to take the bait that we fall into our own traps.

On other occasions I played in no limit games and found them to be so tight that I had to find a limit game to get any money in the pot and get people to call bets and raises. In a game with a $1 small blind and a $2 big blind if you raised to protect your strong initial holding, you would end up winning a $3 pot. No limit games can really get some large pots, but not in those which have very small blinds and very tight players.

##### Spread-Limit

In states like Arizona where no limit games are illegal, casinos will often offer spread limit games. There are three such games offered at my regular casino. The first is a one-two spread limit game with a $100 betting limit on any street. The second game is a one-three spread limit game with a $300 betting limit on any street. The third is a two-five spread limit game with a $500 betting limit on any street. All of these games tend to be a little slow, with occasional large pots.

Another problem with these games is that they don't work well with the jackpots covered in the first book of the Pokerish series. For example, I was playing in a spread limit game with pocket jacks in middle position. A player in late position had re-raised my raise before the flop with an ace and a high kicker. The flop brought two aces and a small card. I thought that my jacks were beaten, but if a third ace hit the board on the turn or the river I would get half of a $25,000 bad beat jackpot. However, it cost me two $50 bets to find out that the third ace was not going to hit the board and give me the big end of the bad beat jackpot. I still could have won the pot with a runner-runner straight, flush, or quads, but that was really a "long shot" (7.3%).

One of the benefits of hold'em over other games like seven card stud is that you can more readily know what the best possible hand is and if you have the nut hand. If there are not three suited cards on the board, which will complete a straight, there can't be a straight flush. If there is no pair on the board, there can't be quads or a full house. If there are not three suited cards on the board, there can't be a flush. If there are not three cards within a five card range, there can't be a straight. If none of these conditions are met, a set is the highest possible hand.

Based on your holding you can be confident that you have the best hand if you can make the nut full house, flush, straight or set. Even if you have the second nut or third nut hand you may have a winning hand which you can feel confident in betting.

## Section 5.2

# Omaha

Although Omaha can be played no limit just like hold'em, we will look at the more common limit Omaha games. Here the limits are specified like hold'em with a four-eight or eight-sixteen two tier betting structure. After every hand the dealer button is moved one place to the left and the players to the left of the button post the small and large blinds. The dealer then deals **_four down cards_** to each player before any action begins.

Once the cards have been dealt, play begins with the player to the left of the big blind. They may fold, call or raise the blind at the lower tier betting rate. After that betting round is over, the dealer will place the three card flop on the board. After the three card flop, the play starts with the small blind and goes to the button at the lower betting tier. After the single card turn, betting action goes the same way as it did after the flop, but at the higher betting tier. The single card river is played the same way and at the same betting tier as the turn.

##### Omaha High-Low

Omaha high-low is the most common version of Omaha and the one which is played in the horse tournament at the World Series of Poker. Omaha is similar to hold'em in that there are the same number of streets and the betting structure is the same. However, there are some major differences, which make it an entirely different game.

Two cards and only two cards from your holding must play with your five card poker hand for both the high and the low portion of the pot. However, you don't have to play the same two cards for your best high hand that you play for your best low hand. For example, if your four card holding was A-2-K-K, you could play your kings with your high hand and your ace-deuce with your low hand.

Since this is the hardest thing to remember for new Omaha players, I will restate that **_for both the high and the low hands the player must play exactly two cards from their holding and three cards off the board_**. Unlike hold'em, a fourth suited card does not bring the anxiety that it does when you have to fear that someone has made their flush on the river with just one suited card in their holding. If the player did not have a flush with three suited cards on the board, the fourth suited card did not give them a flush.

In Omaha games I have seen a lot of hold'em players who would bet a flush or a straight with only a single card from their holding to make a hand and then be disappointed when they found out that their ace high flush or nut straight didn't qualify because they could not use two cards from their holding to make the hand.

Players new to Omaha may think that with a board like A-A-J-T-6 that their holding of A-2-K-K would make a full house, but since they can't play three cards from their holding it would only be three aces with a king-jack kicker. That hand would be beaten by any other player with an A-J, A-T, A-6, or K-Q in their holding. If there were three suited cards on the board and they did not have two of that suit, they would also be beaten by someone with two cards of that suit in their holding.

To qualify for a low hand a player must have five distinct cards that are eight and below. Straights and flushes do not void your hand. The lowest hand, therefore, is an A-2-3-4-5 bicycle straight. That hand could also be played as a five high straight for the high hand.

Because the pot will be split, some players will not play a holding that does not have a low draw possibility, which would give them a chance to win both the high and low portions to "scoop the pot". If you are going high, and it is obvious that the other players in the hand are going low, it is to your advantage to bet and raise to the max to build a large pot and increase the size of your portion of that pot. The same is true if you are going low and the other players are going high. However, high hands can sometimes be beaten by a seemingly low hand, which also makes a straight or a flush.

Players new to Omaha will also fall into the trap of getting "quartered." This situation plays out as follows. Two players both have the nut low. So at least one of these players will bet and raise every chance they get to build their half of the pot. However, the third player has a high hand which will beat either of the other two hands for high. The player with the high hand will bet and raise up to the limit as well. Since the two low hands will have to split the low half of the pot, they will lose money on every bet and raise they make. In this case they will put in a third of the money and end up winning only a fourth. This can also go the other way where there are two players with the same high hand and they get quartered by the player who has the best low hand.

You can also end up worse than quartered if several players have the same hand and are going the same way. In a recent Omaha game I had an A-2 and the board showed a 3-5-6-J-K. When all the betting and raising stopped, a player with a 4-7 won the high portion of the pot with his seven high straight and the three of us with the nut low split the other half three ways. We had, thus, put in one-forth of the pot and got back only one-sixth.

Two of us with the A-2 knew what was happening, but the other nut low hand did not. For that reason he kept re-raising the player with the nut straight. Although two of us knew we were losing money on each bet, we had to make the calls to protect our portion of what became a very large pot. Since the 3-5-6 had come on the flop both the high and low hands were made at that point and bet on the flop, turn, and river. Because this casino had very strict rules about table talk during a hand, all the two of us could do was roll our eyes and call. This is when you are thankful that only three raises are allowed on each street.

If a player has a good low hand draw and the flop comes with two cards above eight, or a high card and a low pair, most players will fold unless they have picked up a high hand draw as well. If they continue, they are drawing very thin as they will have to hit a low card on the turn and another on the river which does not pair the board or "counterfeit" the low cards they have in their hand. They must also take these risks at the higher betting tier where the cost of seeing the next card may be very expensive.

The best holding in high-low Omaha before the flop would be A-A-2-3 where one ace is the same suit as the deuce and the other ace is the same suit as the trey. That holding gives the player the best three low cards as well as the nut flush draw in two suits and a pair of pocket aces for high. Their low draw holding can quickly fade if their cards are counterfeited by the cards on the board. Let's say that the flop comes A-2-3. Because all three of their holding cards are counterfeited, the next two board cards must be unique cards in the four to eight range for them to acquire a qualifying low hand.

Also since they can only use two of their low holding cards, they are at a disadvantage to an opponent who can use all three of the A-2-3 board cards. However, this flop would give them a set of aces for their high hand. Obviously the turn and river cards could change both the high and low value of that holding. A 4-5 on the turn and the river would give them the nut low and if the board paired it would give them the nut full house or quad aces.

The four-eight Omaha game at one of my favorite casinos is in reality an eight-sixteen game much of the time. This is because it has a full kill button, which is in force for a great deal of the hands played. Unlike hold'em, where the same player must win two consecutive hands to actuate the kill, Omaha play actuates the kill with a single hand, if the same player scoops the pot by winning both high and low or they win high and there is no low hand.

The hands in an Omaha game are usually higher than in a hold'em game. First, the number of cards each player has at their disposal to make their best five card hand is now nine rather than seven. Second, the number of cards held by your opponents are doubled, so it is much more likely that the cards you are the most concerned about are actually in one of your opponents' holding and not still in the deck. At the end of an Omaha hand in a nine player game, there can be 41 of the 52 cards in play (78%). In a hold'em game with the same number of players, there can only be 23 of the 52 cards in play (44%).

Another major distinction is that an Omaha high-low game will be slower than a hold'em game with the same number of players. First, there are more cards to be dealt out before the hand begins. Second, since the game will include players going high as well as those going low, there will be more players staying in the hand until the river. Third, the dealer will not only have to identify the best high hand, but the best low hand as well. Forth, unless one player scoops both the high and the low hands, the dealer must divide the chips to at least two winners and sometimes more. If there are side pots in the hand, this really slows down the game.

Sometimes in home games a player will need to declare if they are going high, low, or both high and low. In those cases, they must win over other players who declared the same way. If the player declares high and low, they must win both ways to get any of the pot. However, I have never seen this done in a casino or a public poker room. There the cards declare themselves and you are competing with all hands for both the high and low pot.

##### Omaha Straight High

Many casinos and poker rooms will also spread Omaha straight high. The rules and betting structure are the same as Omaha high-low without the low hand component. This cuts down the number of players who will see the flop and stay to the river. The dealer will also not need to split pots for a high and low hand. Both of these factors speed up play somewhat.

As with Omaha high-low, the value of the hands in Omaha straight high will be higher than they would be in a hold'em game, because each player is utilizing nine cards rather than seven to make their best hand. Knowing that more impressive hands are needed to win the pot, a player in Omaha straight high will usually be more particular about what starting hands they choose to play.

## Section 5.3

# Razz

Probably the least recognized game of the Pokerish horse is the game of razz. This game is a version of seven card stud, which is played straight low. Like the low component of Omaha, straights and flushes do not count against you (or have any value whatsoever in razz) so the best low hand is a wheel straight (A-2-3-4-5). Unlike Omaha, however, **_the low hand does not need to be eight and below to qualify_**. So the best hand is the one which has the lowest five unique cards.

In razz, each player will post an ante and then receive three cards. The first two cards dealt to each player will be down cards. The third card dealt to each player will be face up and is referred to as the "door card". In a five-ten razz game the ante would be $1 and the highest up card would be required to make the first bet of $5. This "bring-in" bet is like the big blind in hold'em. Technically if there are two cards of the same rank then the one with the highest suit would bring in the first bet.

The order of the suits from low to high are clubs, diamonds, hearts, and then spades. The easiest way to remember this is that they are in alphabetical order (CDHS). Many casinos will just go by rank and order and not distinguish by suit. In this case if a queen was the highest card and there were two queens, the first queen (going clockwise from the dealer) would bring in the first $5 bet.

The first three cards are called third street. Once the high card has brought in the bet, play continues around the table in a clockwise direction. Each player will either call the bring in bet, raise the bet by the lower tier amount, or fold their hand. A bet and three raises are allowed before the betting is capped on third street.

Since the game is straight low, players with high beginning cards or pairs will probably fold as the chance of these starting hands winning is very slim. In razz an ace is the lowest card not the highest card. If you start out with three low unpaired cards, you may even want to raise to limit the field and grow the pot.

Once the betting on third street has been completed a fourth card is dealt to all active players face up. This is called "fourth street". On fourth street the player with the lowest hand showing will bring in the bet if they wish. Unlike the required lower tier bet on third street, the player first to act may just check. If the first player to act checks, then the players acting behind that player may also check, bet or fold. Play continues in a clockwise direction and ends when all players have either checked or bet, raised, folded or called the bets of the players acting before them. Betting on fourth street is also at the lower betting tier.

It should be noted here that there is no reason to fold to a check in a stud game and some casinos will not allow you to fold your hand to a check. The reason for this is that, unlike hold'em, when a player folds in a stud game it changes how the cards will fall and the hands each player ultimately ends up with.

At the completion of the betting on fourth street, a fifth card is dealt to each active player face up. This is called "fifth street" and the lowest hand showing starts the betting. If this player checks, then all subsequent players may check or bet. Once a bet has been made subsequent players must either call the bet, raise the bet or fold their hand. The betting level on fifth street is at the higher betting tier, which is twice the amount of the lower tier.

At the completion of the betting on fifth street, a sixth card is dealt to all active players face up. This is called "sixth street" and the player with the lowest showing hand will be the first to act. The betting round is exactly the same as it is on fifth street and is at the higher betting tier level.

Once the betting round on sixth street has been completed, the dealer will deal a seventh card face down to all active players. This is called "seventh street" or the river. The player with the lowest hand showing will again begin the betting. Since the last card dealt is face down, that will be the same player who started the action on sixth street. This betting round is exactly the same as it was on both fifth and sixth streets and is also at the higher betting tier level.

Some casinos may allow a higher betting level on seventh street which would represent a third betting tier. Thus, if the first tier was $5 and the second tier was $10, then the third tier might be $20. Some casinos might also not require an ante and just have the highest card on third street bring in the bet for $5. Casinos may also have a $1 to $5 bet on any street and then allow a $10 bet on seventh street.

Once the betting round has been completed on seventh street the hand is over. At that point the player who made the last bet or raise is the first one to divulge their hand. If there is no betting on seventh street the dealer will instruct the last player to have bet on a previous street or the player to the dealer's immediate left to divulge their hand first. Players will then divulge their hands in a clockwise direction until all of the hands have been revealed. If you can't beat the best hand revealed before you, you might just choose to fold your up cards and surrender your hand.

Based on your opponents' up cards and their betting actions you can probably tell if your hand is a contender for the pot as early as fourth street. If you have very good up cards, you might be able to bluff out better hands even if your down cards are not very good. This is especially true if the allowable seventh street bet is at a third tier level or you are playing in a no limit game.

Normally razz games are played with a maximum of eight players. If all of the players stay in the hand until seventh street, there will not be enough cards to give each player a seventh card. In that situation a single "community card" will be dealt face up and will play in every player's hand.

## Section 5.4

# Stud

This section will address seven card stud straight high. In this game each player will post an ante and then the dealer will deal three cards to each player. The first two cards are face down and the last one is face up. This is called third street. If you have read the section on razz (section 5.3 of this chapter), the streets, betting limits and procedures are the same. In seven card stud high the lowest up card on third street will bring in the bet. As with razz, some casinos will dispense with the ante and have a single betting range allowable on any street.

In one seven card stud hand I was in at a casino there was no ante and the betting limit on all streets was $1-$5 up to seventh street where a $10 bet was allowed. The player with the lowest card brought in the pot for $1 and was called by most of us at the table. The pot was then about $8. On streets four thru six everyone checked and the pot remained at the $8 level. On seventh street everyone made their hand (or now bet the hand they had been slow playing) and the betting and raising at the $10 level brought the pot up to well over $200, almost all of it bet on the last betting round.

As with razz, you can tell a lot about your opponents hand by their up cards and the calls, bets and raises that they make. In seven card stud high if a player pairs their "door card," they may well have more than just a single pair. That is because if they chose to stay in past third street, they probably have a pair or three cards to a straight or a flush. If the player pairs their "door card" on fourth street, there is a good chance they now have two pairs or three-of-a-kind, especially if they bet or raise. If their fourth street card is of the same suit or connected to their door card, and they are willing to call a bet, they may be on a draw.

One advantage of seven card stud over hold'em is that you get to see more cards. In hold'em you only get to see your two card holding and the five cards turned up on the board. In an eight handed stud game you may get to see thirty-five. These up cards are very important as they tell you not only what your opponents may be holding, but also what they may not be holding. It is, therefore, important that you keep track of the cards that were folded as well as those which are still in play.

If a player has a pair of nines showing and someone has or folded a nine, it lessens the possibility that they have three nines. If there are several hearts showing in other hands, then it is less likely that your opponent has a heart flush even if they have three hearts showing.

At one seven card stud game in an Arizona casino, the dealer turned up a queen as the fourth up card dealt to a player with a 9-T-K showing and said "possible straight". To make a straight, however, that player needed to have a jack. Since all four of the jacks were showing in the up-cards of other players I politely, and jokingly, corrected her assessment to "impossible straight". She and the other players at the table laughed and agreed.

Keeping track of the up cards that are showing and the ones that have been folded will also give you information about how likely you are to get the cards you need to make your hand. If you need a queen to complete your straight and there are two or more queens showing then you may not want to draw thin and try to hit your straight.

I mentioned in the section on razz that some casinos will not allow you to fold to a check. That is because there is no reason to do so and folding would change the way the cards would fall in a seven card stud game. At my seven card stud table in one Las Vegas casino poker room the dealer even returned the calling chips of a player who had called a bet on seventh street when the caller could not even beat the four up cards that the bettor had showing. The dealer explained that if the player with the losing hand would have made a bet or a raise, they might have been trying to bluff and the chips would have remained in the pot. However, since the player should have known that they were beaten and just made a call it was obviously a mistake. The winner of the pot did not dispute the ruling and perhaps was a shill and knew the dealer was just trying to protect a very inexperienced player.

One disadvantage of seven card stud high compared to hold'em is that you can't as easily determine if you have the nut hand. As mentioned earlier, one of the benefits of hold'em is that you can more readily know if you have the nut hand. However, in seven card stud high you can have four-of-a-kind or a full house with no pairs showing in your four up cards. You can also have a flush with only two suited cards showing.

In one high only stud game at the local poker room I was dealt three queens with only the door card queen showing. Since I did not pair my door card on fourth thru sixth street but did have a possible straight showing, it looked like a relatively harmless hand to an opponent who had a nines full of sixes full house. My seventh street down card was the fourth queen. The betting on seventh street was capped and my opponent was very surprised when I turned up my well disguised quad queens. Even if I had only paired one of my other cards on seventh street, I would have still won the pot with my queens full of whatever full house.

Hold'em is also a very positional game where the betting order is the same on every street. This gives the button an advantage as they get to see what everyone else does before they have to act. In seven card stud the betting order changes depending on who has the best hand showing. This may change with each up card dealt. However, the best hand showing may not be the one which commands the most respect. If a player has three or four suited cards showing, they may be more feared than the person with a pair showing, especially if they are betting like they have a made flush.

## Section 5.5

# Eight & Below

Eight & below is a seven card stud game where the highest hand and the lowest hand split the pot. This game is commonly referred to as seven card stud high-low. As indicated by the title above, the low hand must have five unique low cards eight and below to qualify. A pair or even trips do not void the low hand possibility as long as there are five qualified low cards in the hand.

Straights and flushes do not void the low hand and the best low hand is a wheel straight (A-2-3-4-5). The worst low hand would be an eight high straight (4-5-6-7-8) although that may be the only low hand and may win half or all of the pot. In an eight handed game the low hand is usually won by a hand where a seven or six is the highest card.

The low hand is usually identified by the highest card in the hand and then the next lower card. Thus, one player may have a 7-6 and another have a 7-5 low. All cards play in the low hand and sometimes it goes down to the last card. Thus a 6-5-4-3-A hand would be beaten by a 6-5-4-2-A and both would be beaten by a 6-4-3-2-A hand.

The streets, play, and betting routine is the same as it is with razz and seven card stud high and the highest card up would bring in the first bet. As with Omaha if a player is the only one going high or low, they will have the "hammer" or be in the "cat bird seat" and will usually bet or raise at every opportunity to try and expand their half of the pot. If the player has both high and low possibilities they may also be quite aggressive in their betting.

At the beginning of a hand the player who starts out with a large pair will probably bet aggressively. This is done to drive out those players who do not have ideal draw cards and will fold and wait until they do before they will put any money into the pot. Once it becomes obvious that an opponent has a made, or likely, low hand and a possible straight or flush, the high hand may pull back or even fold their high pair.

If a player has an ace as their door card, they will be the first to bet and may represent either a high hand or a low hand because of the flexibility of an ace in this game. Like Omaha, a nut low or high might get the player quartered if they are on the wrong side of the split. If there is an unequal amount of chips, the extra chip goes to the high hand. As with Omaha, you do not have to use the same five cards for your best high and low hands.

Many times a player knows they have the best low hand by looking at the up cards of their opponents. However, the best hand on sixth street may change on seventh street and since the last card is down it might not reveal that this change has taken place. That last card may also give the low hand a very concealed flush or a straight for high. For this reason a player with two pair or three-of-a-kind may well check on seventh street rather than risk being raised. The player with the lowest hand really has the hammer in this game and will usually play that advantage to the hilt once they have made their hand.

In one high low stud game at the local poker room I could tell that I had both the highest and lowest hand on sixth street and bet to protect my hand and increase the size of the pot. The seventh street down card hit two drawing hands and I ended up losing both ways. The "rotten river" had struck once again!

In some cases where the only players left in the hand are going low, the player who has a losing low may have the best high, even if they don't have a pair. I have seen a low hand player toss his cards into the muck when the player they were in the hand with heads up showed a lower hand and then realize that they could have won the high portion of the pot with their discarded hand.

At one casino high-low stud table I played at, the high hand had to be a pair of tens or better to qualify for the high portion of the pot. If there was no qualifying high hand then the low hand would win the entire pot. If there was no qualifying low hand then the pot would be given to the highest hand even if it was not a pair of tens or better. This was done to insure that someone did not win the high portion of the pot with a junk hand or a losing low hand.

Back before Texas hold'em became my game of choice, I was in a seven card stud straight high game at a Washington casino and could not seem to win many hands. However, the low cards I was getting would have been great for a high-low stud game. When a seat became available in the high-low game I changed games. As I had hoped, my luck changed and I started winning at the new table. What was interesting and humorous was that almost all of my winning hands were now from my high hands. Had I gotten those cards in the high only stud game I would not have had to split the pot with the low hand.

Be aware that in some home games and small card rooms, straights and flushes do count against a player, therefore, the best low hand is then 6-4-3-2-A that doesn't complete a flush. This is not the way it is played in the World Series of Poker and in casino poker rooms. It is always best to ask about this before you invest a large bet on your bicycle straight.

# Chapter 6

# Pokerish Online

This chapter will address the Pokerish experience online and how that differs from similar experiences in brick & mortar poker rooms. We will look at practice play money games, practice tournaments, cash games and cash tournaments. At an online poker site there will usually be a greater amount of variance in both the games played and the limits spread than you are likely to find in even a very large brick & mortar casino poker room.

If you have never played on an online poker site, there are a number of things you need to be aware of before you start. This is especially true if you are planning to play for cash or in cash tournaments. You also need to be aware of the legality of playing online poker where you live. The laws concerning online poker and gambling vary from country to country and state to state.

The sections in this chapter are as follows:

**Section 6.1** provides guidance on how to select an online site that will best suit your needs.

**Section 6.2** covers the steps you will need to go through to set up your account on your online site.

**Section 6.3** will give you information on how you get on a table and get on waiting lists for tables not currently available.

**Section 6.4** looks at how the games are played. This information is applicable to both play and cash games and tournaments.

**Section 6.5** explains how practice games and tournaments are normally played on an online site.

**Section 6.6** explains how cash games and tournaments are normally played on an online site.

**Section 6.7** will address special considerations you need to be aware of when playing for cash on an online site.

**Section 6.8** covers membership sites for online games and how they differ from the traditional sites.

## Section 6.1

# Choosing an Online Site

If you want to play poker on an online site, you have a great many different sites to choose from. If you pick up a copy of the free magazines distributed in your local brick & mortar casino, you will see that there are numerous adds for various online poker sites. The Internet also provides a source where you can get information about various sites and links to the site itself.

In this section I will try to provide you with helpful information so you can select one or more sites, which will fit your particular needs and interests. The good thing is that there are a great number of these sites to choose from.

##### Endorsement

The first thing you will notice as you look at the various poker site advertisements is that most of them have poker champions and poker legends who endorse a particular site. Some of these sites are even owned by, or named for, these famous players. The implication is that if you play on their site you may also become a champion poker player. This is like buying a breakfast cereal endorsed by a champion athlete, because you believe it contributes to their success on the field or court. In reality, the athlete only got chosen for the advertisement because they were already exceptional.

In a like manner, some of the players who endorse a particular site or have an account at that site were already champions before they joined the site. An exception to this would be those World Series of Poker champions who developed their skills and earned their entry into those tournaments by playing satellites on the sites they endorse. Some of the sites also may provide you with a chance to get advice or even chat online with some of these famous poker players.

##### Enticement

To attract you to their cash games and cash tournaments, sites will sometimes give you bonus cash when you set up your account. They may require you to deposit a minimum amount before you qualify for the bonus cash. They may also match your initial deposit up to a certain maximum.

However, they usually have some restrictions on how and when you can withdraw those funds. If they did not have these restrictions, we could all get rich by depositing an amount, which they would match and then withdraw all of our account and have an instant profit.

##### Embezzlement

The most important thing to consider about selecting a site is their reputation for honesty and their propensity for staying in business. Some sites have developed an extremely bad reputation or are forced to go out of business, because they played fast and loose with the money in their player's accounts. Some of this is caused by the fact that online poker sites were a new and unregulated venue. So some may be the result of mismanagement and some from outright fraud and embezzlement.

If the site is in Costa Rica, or a country other than the one you live in, your recourse for recouping the money you have deposited and won may be difficult. First, you will not be able to easily visit their actual facility because they are a virtual poker room located on a server somewhere in a foreign country. Second, your legal recourse may be limited, because of the limitations on this type of commerce on an international level. Third, you may not even know who owns or manages the site so you don't even know who to deal with if you have a problem. So if your online poker site declares bankruptcy or just goes out of business, you are usually out of luck.

##### Economics

It is really hard to understand why an online poker site would damage their reputation and ongoing ability to operate their site responsibly just to make a quick buck. They really have a goldmine just operating the site in a very professional manner. They can operate around the clock and around the globe. Their customers are playing from their own homes so the online casino does not need to have a building, utilities, dealers, or gaming equipment.

They can spread as many games as they want at various limits and offer a variety of games to suit their customers interests because it is all done by software operating on a server. Thus, they can still charge the same rake as a brick & mortar casino with only a small fraction of the cost. They also have the ability to make secure, short term investments with those funds, which have been deposited with them. It is like the parable about killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

There are currently efforts afoot to reverse the laws and regulations in the United States so online poker sites will again be legal here. If those efforts are successful, the market will grow even larger. Perhaps the incentive for this will be the ability for governments to secure new revenue from licensing fees and income taxes on winnings from online poker.

##### Evaluation

As you can see, there are a great many things you need to consider before you select a site on which you intend to make any financial transactions. Fortunately, the same Internet which facilitates these online poker sites also provides an excellent source of information for you to consider as you make your decision. However, make sure that you look at ratings and comments of actual players or independent parties and not just the information provided by the site itself.

## Section 6.2

# Setting Up an Account

Once you have chosen an online poker site, you will need to download the software program for that site and establish an account with them to gain access to either their practice games & tournaments or their cash games & tournaments. Although their individual procedures and processes will vary, the routine explained below will be close to what you are required to do to setup an account and get started.

##### Downloading the Software

Although some sites interact directly with your computer using java script or html, most require that you download their client software onto your computer. Make sure you look at the system requirements before you download the software to make sure that it will run properly on your computer and operating system. The download process is very easy, straightforward, and quick.

Some sites have separate downloads for Macintosh and Windows computer platforms. Other sites have only Windows software and players using Macintosh computers will need to use emulation software or run windows from a separate partition on their Macintosh computer's hard drive.

##### Personal Information

To establish an account you will need to give them various items of personal information such as your name, your email address, your telephone number and your physical address. Not all sites will require all of this information but some will. You should also find a place on their site which explains what their privacy policies are and whether this information may be shared or sold to organizations beyond the casino's virtual walls.

##### Identification

You will be asked to establish a player name that will be the one that will appear to the other players at any table on which you play. You can also either submit a photograph or choose an avatar icon, which will appear along with your player name. That nickname may also be your online player identification which will be used to log into your account. If it is, they will be sure that none of their other players have the same name. Thus, if you want to be known as "River Rat" you may need to set up your nickname as "River Rat 1234," where 1234 could be replaced by the last four digits of your social security number, phone number, or house address.

##### Password

You will also need to select a password to access your account. That password will need to be unique from other players on that site. Like your account identification designation, your password may also require a specific number of capital letters, lower case letters, numbers and other characters.

You can usually change your password whenever you wish, but it must still meet all of the required characters mentioned above. You also need to make sure that you keep your password secret as it enables anyone using that password to make transactions and changes to your account. You also need to make sure that your password is both secure and retrievable, as you will not be able to gain access to your own account without this information.

##### Deposits

If you are going to play in cash games or cash tournaments, you will also need to get money deposited to your account. This can be done a number of ways but the easiest and most popular one is to use a service like PayPal to transfer the money. However, this will also require you to set up an account with that service and establish a password with them as well. Once you have established an account and tied it to your bank account you can easily make deposits when you wish.

##### Withdrawals

The site will also give you directions on how to make withdrawals. Again you can make withdrawals by check or more commonly by having the funds just deposited to your bank account. I would recommend that you find out how to make withdrawals early in your tenure with the site and make a withdrawal so that you know how that process works and that it does work as advertised.

Before I made my first deposit to an online poker site, I set up a separate account at my bank and made sure it just had a minimum amount of cash in that account. I then established a PayPal account and transferred $200 into my player account on the online poker site. Since I did not get any bonus funds from the site at that time, I was able to make a withdrawal from my player account at any time. After I had run my account up a couple of hundred dollars, I withdrew my original $200 to make sure the process worked and to get my initial investment back in case anything went wrong in the future.

When that site and others were directed to discontinue any cash transactions with players in the United States, they froze those accounts pending a resolution of how the funds should be disbursed. It was like a run on the bank and many players lost the money they had on account. Since I had recouped my initial investment and was "free rolling" on the account, I was not out anything but my winnings, which were not worth the effort of trying to recoup.

If you have any sizable amount of funds in your player account, above and beyond what you need to play, I would recommend that you withdraw those funds and have more control over what happens to them. It is hard to predict what will happen on a particular site or with regard to the online poker community as a whole. It is always better to be safe than sorry. You can also invest your own winnings and can easily redeposit funds to your account on that site whenever you want.

##### Directions

Most online poker sites will have directions on that site to make establishing an account easy for the new potential player. They may also have instructions and recommendations for making deposits and withdrawals. These instructions may also have links that take you to the necessary electronic forms which actuate those transactions.

## Section 6.3

# Getting on a List and a Table

Once you have established your account it is easy to log into the site and start playing the game of your choice. Many sites will put "cookies" on the computer you signed up from and you will not need to identify yourself unless you are playing from a computer or electronic devise that has not been associated with that account. You will need to put in your password to verify that you are authorized to utilize that account.

##### Taking a Seat

When the site is satisfied that you are legitimate, you will be able to go directly to a game in progress or sign up for a game which is currently full or waiting for enough players to start up. As with a brick & mortar casino, you can sign up for as many tables as you wish and be notified when a seat is open at that table.

You must take the seat offered within a specified amount of time or it will be given to the next player on the list. If you are at a table, you will receive that notification and be able to cash out of that table and join the new one. Unlike a brick & mortar casino you may be able to play on more than one table at the same time. This will be discussed in later sections in this chapter.

##### Getting Chips

Once you take your seat you can decide how much of you total bankroll you want to withdraw from your account and take to the table. Like a brick & mortar casino, there may be a minimum amount required for the table you are playing. You can draw all or just some of the real money you have on deposit at that site. The same is true for both practice and cash tables. At any point you can replenish your chips while you are at the table, but they are not playable until the next hand. If you exhaust all of your chips you will be given the choice of either adding more chips or leaving the table.

##### Search Criteria

Some sites will provide search capabilities so you can find your friends or people you have played with before and then go to that table. I thought they should have named this tool the "fish finder" because a player could use it to find those players who they could easily read and consistently beat.

## Section 6.4

# How the Games are Played

The specific attributes of practice games & tournaments and cash games & tournaments will be discussed in sections 6.5 and 6.6 of this chapter respectively. What we will look at in this section will be attributes which are common to all of these venues.

##### The Table

Although some sites will have three dimensional depictions of the table and the players, most offer a two dimensional view of the table from the top. Some sites will allow you to choose between a two or three dimensional table and also to change the color of the room and table. Around the table will be the players currently in that game along with their avatar icon or photo and their poker nickname. Some sites may also give you the option to show where you are from. If there are vacant seats these will be shown as vacant.

Some sites will always put you in the same position in seat five across from the dealer while others will just put you in a random position vacant at the table. Since the only important thing is your position relative to the other players and the button, the software can just move everyone around so that you are always in your familiar position on your computer screen.

The table will also show how much money each player has in front of them and the location of the button. Some sites also provide little graphic icons which show that a player has ordered a specific drink or food item which is then put next to their player avatar icon. None of these little graphic icons do anything to enhance the game, they are just put there to be cute and make the players feel more like they are in a physical card room. The table may also provide audio effects such as the cards being shuffled or dealt for the same purpose.

##### Action Indicators

It is common to have the avatar icon of the player who the action is on blinking so that everyone at the table is aware of who has the action. There may also be a graphic, numeric, or audio indicator to let you know how much more time you have to act before your hand is folded or you are considered to be all in. This will vary between sites and between cash games and practice games and will be discussed in sections 6.5 and 6.6 of this chapter respectively.

If your hand is folded because of inactivity, you will be dealt out until you indicate that you have returned and are now ready to play. There will usually be a button for you to click indicating that you wish to be dealt out so the program does not run the clock on you and delay the game for the other players. When you return, make sure you click the button to show you are now ready to play. Like in brick & mortar casinos you may be picked up after a certain time period of inactivity, especially if there is a list of players waiting for a seat at your table. If you are picked up your chips will be redeposited into your online account.

##### Control Buttons

There are various buttons on your screen so you can indicate what action you want to take when it is your turn to act. Thus, you can click a button to indicate that you want to fold, call or raise. Most sites will make you wait until it is your turn to act before you can take action. Some sites will let you indicate that action in advance so when it is your turn to act, the computer will automatically take the action you have selected.

In limit games the buttons will indicate the amount you need to make a call or raise. In no limit or pot limit games there will be a place for you to indicate the amount you wish to bet or raise. Some sites also provide sliding scales or buttons which indicate that you want to raise various portions of the existing pot value.

There will also be a button for you to withdraw additional chips from your account, although this can't be utilized while you are in a hand. If you have exhausted all your chips you will be required to either secure more chips from your account or leave the table.

##### Preference Controls

The software you downloaded for that site should allow you to set up various parameters on how the game will look on your computer screen. In addition to the table orientation and color settings discussed previously, you may be able to turn on, mute, or adjust the volume of audio components of the game. Some programs will also enable you to change the design, color, and size of the cards. If this preference is offered, you can create those easy to read senior sized cards with the click of a button.

You can also set a function that will automatically muck your hand if someone else has a better hand at showdown. If you wish to show your cards to the table even if you are beaten, you may show both cards or just one card.

##### Chat Capabilities

Most online sites will provide a window which allows players to have a dialog with each other during the game. Most players that use this chat function do so to welcome players to the game, congratulate a player for a good hand, to announce their departure, or to communicate with players with whom they have developed an online friendship.

However, sometimes the subjects discussed have nothing to do with the hand being played or even the game of poker. I have even seen players try to line up a date or a booty call with a player of the opposite sex. Since the chat is displayed on all the players computer screens, we all get to see the conversation even if it does not pertain to us. One problem is that this chat routine can really delay the game when players are taking the time to type in long messages rather than paying attention to the game.

These chats can also result in degrading, obscene, or argumentative remarks. Although the software is usually setup to block and report obscene language, players can skirt this editing by using characters or blanks that get their point across without running afoul of the censuring software. Players can block any chats coming from a particular player or choose to block any chat at all. If a player abuses their chat privileges and doesn't respond to a warning from the site administration, they may lose their chat capabilities for a period of time.

##### Account Balances

Whether you are playing practice or cash games, the site will keep track of the money in your account and save it for the next time you log onto the site. If you leave a table or are picked up for inactivity, the chips you had on the table will be added to your account balance. When you exit the site the chips for all your tables should be deposited into your account automatically.

Your account will keep track of both your play money and real money separately and you will be able to see these levels on your account page. You can go back and forth between cash games and practice games as you wish. The initial level of your bankroll in a practice game as well as the procedures for adding play money funds to that account will be covered in the next section of this chapter.

##### Tournament Operations

In online tournaments the software will automatically move players around to balance tables whenever needed. The online tournament software will also break tables and keep the active tables as full as possible as players bust out of the tournament. In addition it will very effectively offer and facilitate re-buys and add-ons at the appropriate times.

The tournament software used in an online site not only takes care of the sign up process quickly and efficiently it also keeps track the chip count of all of the players. So a player can check to see where they stand with respect to all the other players. It also automatically recalculates the prize levels as players sign up for the tournament or make re-buys and add-ons. In other words, it can do all those things that a brick & mortar casino would do in a tournament setting and do them quickly and automatically.

##### Multiple Tables

Some players will play at more than one table at a time in live games. The online software accommodates this kind of play by automatically switching you to the table that is waiting for you to take action. Although this facilitates the player's ability to jump back and forth between multiple games it often slows down play when the player to take action has to be brought back to the table and then assess the situation and decide what action they need to take.

When I have played on multiple tables, which I didn't do all that frequently, I would look at my two card holding in one game and if it was not a premium hand, I would just fold it and go to the other table where my cards might be a little better. So it resulted in my ability to play better starting cards and not get bored by folding and waiting for the action to be completed on that hand before I got to look at a new holding. The disadvantage of this approach is that it did not allow me to observe the play of my opponents after I had folded and get a better read on their style.

##### Fast Tables

Some sites offer special tables where the players must react within shorter time limits than are allowed on a standard table. This keeps the action going faster than at a regular table, but unfortunately doesn't restrict players from playing on more than one table at a time and, thus, consistently pushing to the limit of the shorter time frame.

##### Instant Table Switching

When you are playing poker against computer generated players with poker simulation software (as will be explained in chapter 7), you can usually select an option, which will play out the hand rapidly once you have folded. That is so you don't have to sit and watch how the hand is played out, but you do get to see the end result.

Because that kind of an option is not possible on a table with real players, an online site can offer a close approximation. If you select a site and a table that offers this option, it will automatically move you to another table with the same game and limits as soon as you have folded your hand. Thus, you are instantly at a new table and playing against other players who have also folded their hands and been moved to the new table.

This provision keeps the action going and you don't have to wait for the hand to play out at the old table. This also enables you to fold marginal holdings and go to a new table where you may be dealt better starting cards. However, all of the other players at your new table are probably using the same logic and anyone who plays out the hand is likely to have a strong beginning hand. Like with playing multiple tables, the disadvantage is that you are always changing the players at your table so that you can't get any read on their style of play.

This instant table switching capability not only makes the game more interesting and fast moving for the players, it also makes the cash games more profitable for the online casino. As explained in section 4.3 of chapter 4, the speed of the game impacts house profits and the faster the game and the more tables in play, the greater the profits from the house rake. Those players who would normally be inactive at their original tables once they have folded their hand are all now moved to a new table and dealt into that table. This kind of business acumen is similar to the utilization of airline hubs and overbooking schemes that commercial airlines use to keep their planes full and eliminate vacant seats, which do not generate any revenue.

##### Mobile Apps

In addition to the computer software available to enable online poker, apps have been developed to offer this experience on mobile devises such as smart phones and tablets. Apps to do this have been developed for the iOS platform for Apple phones & tablets and the Android OS or Windows OS for most other mobile devices.

Although these are sometimes less robust than their computer counterparts, they do allow players to take the game with them and interact via a wi-fi connection or using the device's 3G or 4G communication links. Given the popularity of mobile devices we will probably see more mobile apps and devices being developed in the future.

##### Private Games

I am aware of at least one site which offers the ability for players to have their own private games on the online poker site. This is a really nice feature for people who would like to play together even though they may be physically located in different places.

One person who is registered on the site becomes the host for the private room and gives it a name. The site then requires the host to create two passwords. The first is the host password and the second is the guest password. The host can then give the guest password to the people they want to invite to the game. All of the guests need to register with the site to be able to play in the private game.

The private game software also enables the host to set a time for the game and use the software to send out invitations. The site does not make any money from this arrangement but gets new members who may also play cash games on that site.

## Section 6.5

# Practice Games and Tournaments

Practice games & tournaments are provided by most poker sites to get new players comfortable with that site and online poker as well. Since they do not make any money from players who just play the practice games & tournaments, they hope that at least some of the new players will want to upgrade at some point and play for real money.

The play, procedures, and controls for practice games & tournaments were discussed in section 6.4 of this chapter. This section will address the unique attributes and limitations of practice games and tournaments compared to their cash counterparts.

##### Initial Bankroll

Your initial allocation of play money funds will be a set amount of say $1,000. If you go to a table and lose $200 of that amount, you will have only $800 left in your account for the next time you play. If you have won $500 then your account will show that you have $1,500 for the next time you log in to play or go to another table.

##### Basic Concept

The incentive behind this approach is for you to play smart and build your play money bankroll to boost your ego so that you can advance to higher limit practice games or pay your way into practice tournaments. Those players who have amassed large play money bankrolls are the ones who are usually a testament to the validity of this concept.

##### Account Replenishment

If a player goes broke, then there will be a method to go back and start all over again with a minimum amount. Here is where the concept falls apart. If it is too easy to start over again, some players will play wild and loose, because they can get a new $1,000 anytime they want. These players will change the dynamics of the game by playing any two cards before the flop, staying in every pot until the river, and betting or raising when a bet or a raise is not appropriate.

To counteract this tendency, some sites will have a specified amount of time between when a player goes broke, or made their last replenishment, and when they are eligible to replenish their play money account. That time period can range from ten minutes to a day. The more difficult it is to get their account replenished the more value their play money chips have and the more realistic their play will tend to be. However, since those play money chips have no value outside that online site, they may have little incentive to improve their game and play smart even if they have to wait until the next day to get back in the game.

##### Practice Tournaments

One of the incentives for building up your play money account is so you can enter play money tournaments. Once you pay your entry fee from your play money account you will be given the standard number of tournament chips and put on the list for that tournament. Most of the tournaments will have a maximum number of players who can sign up and play. If a tournament fills up before you can sign up, you will need to look for a later tournament with similar attributes and sign up for that one.

All of the tournaments for each game and limits are all listed so you can pick one which fits your interest, your ability to post the necessary entry fee, and be available for the time period when the tournament will be played. To help you find a tournament you can select the games, limits and timelines you are interested in and have only those games displayed on your screen. If you sign up for a tournament and are playing a practice game elsewhere on the site, you will receive a notification that your tournament will start in a specific number of minutes and that you need to be in your virtual seat and sign in before the tournament starts.

Like with brick & mortar tournaments you may be able to re-buy or make add-ons at designated times in the tournament. They will also have breaks at specific times for ten or fifteen minutes. If you are not back at the end of the break and do not respond when it is your turn to act, your hand will be folded. However, you will still be required to post any blinds and antes from your available tournament chips.

##### Tournament Prizes

Prizes for the tournaments are usually an amount of play money which will be added to your account if you place high enough in the tournament. There are also progressive tournaments where your prize will be entry into a higher level tournament. If you do not finish high enough in a lower level progressive tournament to advance to the next level, you will usually be able to enter the same higher level tournament by just paying the higher entry fee for that tournament.

Prizes can also include small real money amounts which are deposited to your real money account balance. Like with a brick & mortar tournament, the number of prizes awarded and the size of those prizes may depend on the number of players in the tournament and the entry fee charged.

## Section 6.6

# Cash Games and Tournaments

As mentioned in section 6.5 of this chapter the only way an online poker site receives any money is for them to take a rake out of each hand of a cash game. There is a great deal of incentive for these sites to attract players into practice games & tournaments and hope that they will eventually ease into the cash games & tournaments offered on that site.

The play, procedures, and controls for both practice and cash games & tournaments were discussed in section 6.4 of this chapter. This section will address the unique aspects of cash games and tournaments compared to their brick & mortar counterparts.

#####

##### Low and Micro Limits

The first difference between an online cash game or tournament and its brick & mortar counterpart is that the online venue will usually offer very small limit games that would be impractical in a more conventional setting. As mentioned above, the goal is to ease players into the cash setting. To do this it is easier to start a cash player out small and let them progress to the higher limits as they build their bankroll and confidence.

Suppose a practice game player enters a practice tournament and gets a cash prize of $6 into their account. If they were to go to a four-eight cent cash table they would have 150 big blinds or the equivalent of $600 on a four-eight dollar table. That would give them quite a bit of play and acclimate them to the cash game environment. If they ran their cash account up to $10 in the four-eight cent game they could then play in a ten-twenty cent game and have 100 big blinds and the equivalent of $1,000 in a ten-twenty dollar game.

A player could also switch back to a lower level whenever they needed to as well. If the player started to lose some of their bankroll, they could drop back to a lower limit game until they got out of their slump and start back up to higher limits.

Another draw for the lower limit games are players from countries where the average wage is much smaller than it is in more industrialized countries. If the average hourly wage is $.60 in your country, then winning a $1 pot twice an hour puts you well above the national average in your country.

#####

##### Types of Games

In a medium sized casino they may not have enough interest in games like seven card stud or Omaha to start a table for that game. Even if they could get enough players to start the game, it would probably fold up if one or two of the players left and there were not any replacements on the list for that game.

By contrast an online site can spread these tables because they are drawing from a very large number of international players and don't need to pay a dealer or occupy a table to add new games, new tables, or new limits. The ability of an online site to expand or contract their operation instantly in reaction to the demand for their services is something a brick & mortar casino can not readily achieve.

##### High Stakes

On the other side of the spectrum, an online site can spread high table limits and no limit tables that would be much larger than what you might see in a medium sized brick & mortar casino. As mentioned in chapter 4, some states do not allow no limit games at all. Even if high limit and no limit games are allowed, the drawing area for high rollers outside of Atlantic City and Las Vegas may not justify a high stakes game on a consistent basis. However, drawing from an international pool of players, the online site may be able to do this easier.

##### Hours of Operation

Although large casinos might operate around the clock, where gaming rules allow that kind of a schedule, they are not always busy for the entire time and there will be lulls in the action. Just like the old adage that "the sun never sets on the English empire," the sun never sets on an online poker site and its international clientele. When some players drop off and go to dinner or go to bed others, in different time zones, will be just sitting down at their computer to play poker in the virtual world.

##### House Rake

As mentioned earlier, the online poker site makes its revenue from the rake it takes from each pot. As with brick & mortar casinos this rake will be a percentage of the pot up to a specified maximum.

In an Omaha high-low cash game I was playing online, one of my opponents would consistently bet "heads up" if they had a winning high or low hand, even though they knew that I would win the other half of the pot. Since I had to call their bet to get my half, the pot kept growing. Because the blinds were $1 and $2 respectively there would only be $3 dead money in the pot for us to split if all the other players folded. However, the more of our money that was in the pot, the higher the house rake would be.

As a consequence, on many hands with this opponent there was no profit since the house rake was capped at $3, which ate up the money from the blinds. If one or both of us were the blinds, we both lost money even though we won half the pot. This is very similar to the concept of getting quartered in a high-low game mentioned earlier in this book.

## Section 6.7

# Special Considerations

Every new product, system, or service brings both advantages and disadvantages. Most of the advantages and disadvantages of playing poker at online sites have already been addressed in the first six sections of this chapter.

In this section I will try and tie up the loose ends by identifying a few of the potential pitfalls, which have not been previously addressed. I will also try and point out things you can do to minimize the impact of these pitfalls.

#####

##### Internet Connection Problems

Although Internet connections are much more reliable than they were when online poker sites first came on the scene, they can still create a problem if they happen while you are in a hand while playing a cash game or cash tournament. This is especially important if the cash game is one of the higher stakes games or you are on the final table of the tournament.

If you are in a tournament, your hand will be folded if you do not respond in time to take action when it is your turn. However, you will still have to post the antes and blinds when they are required. If your connection is down for an extended time you could be blinded out of the tournament before you can reconnect and get back to your tournament.

In a cash game there are a number of ways that the online site's software will deal with a player who's Internet connection has been lost. The way a broken connection may be handled varies by site, so you should be aware of how your site will deal with this situation. Some sites will just fold your hand the same way they would if you were away from the table and did not take action within the time period allowed.

Because they can tell that your connection has been lost, some online sites will consider you to be all in and build a side pot for any action that takes place once you have been disconnected. A site may also allow you a certain number of disconnect all ins within a specified time period and then just fold you because they think you are purposely disconnecting to gain all in status.

##### Computer Problems

If your computer freezes, crashes, puts itself to sleep, or decides to do an automatic update while you are in a hand you are also in trouble. The online poker site will normally deal with this kind of a problem in much the same manner as they would with a lost Internet connection situation.

However, they are much more inclined to fold your hand when you are just having computer problems. I was playing in a cash game with pocket aces and an ace came on the flop giving me a set of aces, which was the highest possible hand on the board at that time. Another player had flopped two pair and was betting into me and re-raising my raises. The turn did not bring anything that improved either of our hands but we still capped the action. The river card also did not bring any improvement to either of us and again the early position player bet into me thinking that I only had a single pair of aces with a high kicker.

All of the sudden I was unable to make my mouse move to indicate a raise or a call. What had happened was that the batteries in my wireless mouse had suddenly run our of power. By the time I was able to replace the batteries in the mouse, my hand had been folded and my adversary won a very nice pot with his two pair.

On another occasion, one of my wife's friends opened a chat window on my computer while I was in a hand in another online cash game. By the time I got rid of the chat window and back to the poker game my hand had been folded and again I lost a nice pot that I would have won if the disruption had not occurred.

##### Site Server Problems

Occasionally the server for the online site will become overloaded or have some other problem which will cause a disconnection with all of the players at your table. If this happens during a hand they will try and resurrect that hand if it is possible. If not, the button and the chip stack levels at the beginning of the hand will be restored and the game will continue from that point. However, if you were in a big hand when the system went down you may not want to go back to "square one." You may also not be available to continue playing by the time they solve their problem and bring the game back online.

#####

##### No Jackpot Compensation

If you get a royal flush, get your aces cracked, get a regular bad beat or super bad beat on an online poker site you will not normally receive any remuneration. I have had two super bad beats in online cash games and did not get any money for either of them. As you may recall from the first book of the Pokerish series, a super bad beat is where quad sevens or better are beaten by a higher hand and both cards in both players holdings are played. Had I gotten either of these super bad beats in a medium sized brick & mortar casino I would probably have received half of a $100,000 jackpot for each one of them.

In the first one I was holding an 8h-9h in the big blind. The flop brought the 7s-Th-Jh. Thus, I had the nut straight with an open ended straight flush draw. The turn card was a blank but the river brought a Qh giving me a queen high straight flush. I confidently bet my hand and got raised by a late position player who held the Ah-Kh and had made a royal flush. Since both holding cards played in both hands it would have qualified as a super bad beat in a brick & mortar casino. I had gone from a 95.9% favorite to win or tie against a random hand on the flop to a 99.9% favorite to win on the river against a random hand. Even against the Ah-Kh after the turn I was still a 79.6% favorite to win the hand by ducking a queen or a heart on the river. So the card which gave me the queen high straight flush was the worst card I could have gotten.

The second one was probably the most surprising bad beat I have ever had online or anywhere else. I was holding the Qh-Qd on the button and raised before the flop. I was called by three players and the flop came Qs-Qc-6d. I had flopped quad queens and there were no over cards or no two suited cards on the board. Everyone checked to me and I also checked because I didn't want them to think I had made a set of queens and fold their drawing hands. The turn brought a 9s and put a flush draw on the board. Everyone checked to me again and I bet my quad queens on the turn and was called by two of the early position players. The river brought the Ts putting a possible flush and straight on the board.

One of the early position players bet and I raised and was re-raised. The early position player had gotten two inside straight flush cards to turn his Js-8s holding into a queen high straight flush. Again both holding cards in both hands played and we would have qualified for a super bad beat jackpot had we been playing in a brick & mortar casino. My opponent had gone from a 0.1% favorite on the flop to a 2.3% favorite on the turn to a winner on the river.

## Section 6.8

# Membership Sites

As pointed out in section 6.5 of this chapter, unless there is some value to the play money chips used in practice games at various online poker sites the play will not be a true reflection of how poker would be played in a real cash poker game. The easier the play money is to get the less value it has to the players and the more convoluted the play will be.

With the legal restrictions placed on online cash games in the United States, most cash game sites have discontinued their offerings here. To compensate for that, a new type of site has sprung up in the United States to offer a real poker experience, which does not violate federal law. The two types of sites described below are aimed at fulfilling that objective.

##### Subscription Sites

A subscription site is one where the players pay a set monthly fee in return for access to poker tournaments around the clock, without any further investment of money. Here the players can earn cash and prizes equivalent to $100,000 or $150,000 every month depending on the site. These prizes can also include entry into international tournaments where the player stands to win a great deal more.

In addition to the entertainment, cash, and prize value, these online sites provide they may offer additional perks. These perks can include subscriptions to their poker magazines and access to archived footage of past televised tournament events. The costs for the subscriptions runs between $20 and $25 per month. The fact that this membership fee is a set amount for services provided, and does not present any potential for wagering or losses, is what makes these sites legal in most states.

One of these sites operates by logging into their website to play their interactive games on that site. The other site requires that you download software as you would with the online poker sites covered earlier in earlier sections of this chapter.

##### Proprietary sites

Some computer simulation software also provides the ability for you to go online and play against other players who have purchased that software. One such software package allows you to log onto their site and play in Texas hold'em tournaments on their website free of charge.

When a player first signs up on this site they do not get any free play money token chips. The only way they can get any token chips is to enter one of the free-roll tournaments offered on the site. Because the tournaments are free and the software is popular, there are usually a large number of tournament entrants. The top three finishers in the tournament will be given token chips that they can use for playing in live games or entry fee tournaments with other software owners. If they loose their token chips they must go back and enter another free-roll tournament and try and win more token chips.

This gives the token chips value because they are not easy to procure and require skill, effort, and time to acquire. Consequently players are very careful with their token chips and play much more cautiously than they would if the token chips were plentiful and easy to acquire.

The live games have different limits so a player can build up their token chip bankroll and then take it to a higher level table. Like with the online sites described in section 6.4 of this chapter, the site keeps track of your token chip bankroll so that you can carry forward your balance to the next time you play on that site.

# Chapter 7

# Pokerish Simulation

There are a number of computer software games where you can play against virtual players. Here the computer software makes the decisions for each of your virtual opponents (bots). Some of the virtual players will play tight and others will play loose or somewhere in between. Some of the software games will change the players randomly or let you set up the table with any combination of these types of players you want. The more advanced games will also let you indicate the skill level of the virtual players at your table.

Before you select a computer simulation software package be sure that it not only does what you want it to, but will also work on your computer platform and operating system version. Those software packages which only run on a Windows operating system will require players using a Mac computer to run a Windows emulation program or run the Windows operating system from a separate partition on their Macintosh computer's hard drive. Because there are so many different types of simulation games available, we will look at three general categories in this chapter.

**Section 7.1** will look at the lower end of the poker simulation software offerings where appearance & atmosphere are more important than functionality.

**Section 7.2** investigates the middle range of the poker simulation software offerings where there is a balance between appearance & atmosphere and the quality of the play.

**Section 7.3** examines the top level software which offers a wide range of controls and virtual player skills for professional level simulation.

## Section 7.1

# Lower Level Simulation

The computer software for poker simulation covered in this section provides only limited approximation to what you would find in a cash game on either an online poker site or at a brick & mortar poker room. In other words even if you can beat the virtual players on this type of simulation software you will be much less successful when you are playing against real players who are playing for real money.

The goal for this type of software is to make the player feel that they are actually at a real table so the appearance and atmosphere is where the developers have put their priorities. Thus, there will be more emphasis on the graphics, sounds, and animation than there is on the quality of the actual play. Listed below are some of the attributes of this lower level simulation.

##### Casino Emulation Software

Many of the poker simulation software programs covered in this section are part of a bundled program which is aimed at having you feel like you are actually in a casino. Thus, you will be able to not only play various types of poker you will be able to play roulette, craps, slot machines as well as blackjack and other popular casino table games.

##### Card Game Emulation Software

Here the poker simulation software will be part of an offering of several types of card games. Thus, you will not only be able to play Texas hold'em, seven card stud & Omaha you can also play bridge, hearts, cribbage, gin rummy & solitaire as well. These software packages also have virtual play which is far from what you would experience at a real cash game.

##### Graphics

The graphics on the lower level simulation games are usually very good. Some of this software will also allow you to modify the colors & views of the table and the cards. One of the software packages also enabled the player to create a personalized avatar character by combining various facial features in much the same way the police use this kind of software to help a witness construct a likeness of a criminal. Since this was a bundled casino package your personalized avatar would identify you at whatever game you were playing in the casino.

##### Sounds

The sounds which are available in the lower level simulation software are also very realistic. These sounds range from background music and casino sounds to those sounds which relate to the game like the sound of the cards being shuffled or dealt. There are also sounds to indicate a fold, call or a raise. Voices for the dealer and other virtual players are often provided and sometimes coordinated with the animations.

The control panels on these games normally allow you to either mute the sounds completely or just some of the sounds that you do not want to hear. So if you want to play the game without driving your spouse crazy you can just turn off the sound.

##### Animation

Some software packages have animation for the dealer and virtual players. These include facial and arm movements and relate to the action being taken by the player and the voice track being played. Some of these software packages will allow you to turn off these gestures as well. The animations & voices for each player can really drive up the space required to store the software program on your hard drive without adding anything to the skill level of the virtual play.

##### General

While some of the software in this category will have a few of the options explained in the next section the emphasis will usually be on the visual and auditory experience rather than on the realism of the play. Although there is no clear border when one passes from the lower level to the middle level of poker simulation software those attributes generally separating these categories will be addressed in section 7.2 of this chapter.

## Section 7.2

# Middle Level Simulation

The poker simulation software addressed in this section will probably have all of the bells & whistles that you read about in the previous section. However, the emphasis of middle level poker simulation software is to more realistically depict how a hand would be played out by more advanced players.

Middle level software is usually not bundled with any other games. In fact it is usually focused on a specific game of poker. Thus, there would be a separate package for seven card stud or Omaha than there would be for Texas hold'em. Because of this level of specialization more emphasis can be given to the realistic play of one particular game. In addition, this level provides a number of options which allow you to configure the game to more realistically depict how a real cash game might be played.

##### Skill Level Options

This option will enable you to choose the skill level of some or all of the virtual players at the table. You may also be able to select the style of play and the location of these virtual opponents at your table. These virtual players will bluff and play more aggressively than the virtual players you would encounter using lower level poker simulation software.

##### Speed Options

You may be given the choice of the speed of the play at your table by designating how many hands per hour that the software should emulate. Since the computer can play extremely fast, you can speed up the game to a level where you can play as many hands as possible within an hour and yet still keep track of the action on the table. This is one big advantage of simulation software over play at a brick & mortar poker room or even at an online one.

##### Advice Options

Some of the software in this category will allow you to secure information about the hand you are involved in before you need to take action. The advice may come from a faceless robot player or from a recognized poker expert. They may tell you what they would recommend based on your current hand, situation and the size of the pot. They may also break it down by telling you that a certain percentage of experts would recommend various options you have available. These advice options may also give you the pot odds you are facing as you make your decision on how to proceed.

###### Cheating Options

The preferences control panel will also provide you with some options not available in a brick & mortar poker room or even on an online poker site. For instance a player may peek at another player's holding during the hand or even replay a hand so that you can get your chips back and try a different strategy.

##### Skill Building Options

These options are not the same as cheating options, because they will not change the way you play any particular hand. They do offer a way for you to get information that you would not be able to get in a brick & mortar game or an interactive online game.

For example you can see what the other players were holding after the hand is over. You can also see what cards would have come on the board even if the hand were folded before those cards were dealt. This option will give you some feedback on those situations where you were bluffed out of a hand and when you made a good lay down with a strong hand.

##### Jump Ahead Options

With this option you can have the computer play out the hand rapidly once you have folded. Thus, you can see the end result of the hand without having to wait for each of the virtual players play out the hand at the speed you selected for all hands. This enables you to play in more hands than would be possible otherwise and still see how the hand ended.

##### Statistical Information

Middle level poker simulation software will often give you a recap of your play statistically. It can tell you how many times you saw the flop and how many times you played the hand to showdown. It will also tell you how many of those hands you won.

This information is cumulative, but you can reset the statistical information and start building new stats. This gives you a better idea of how you play over a period of time. You can also change your strategy or style of play and see how those statics change as a result.

##### Game and Limit Options

Middle level simulation software will usually give you an opportunity to select games with various betting limits. It may also give you choices as to the structure of the games from limit to pot limit to no limit games. Like online poker sites, some middle level software will keep track of your bankroll and let you decide how much of that bankroll you would like to take to the table on which you are playing.

##### Tournament Simulation

One middle level computer simulation software product enables you to play various types of tournaments all the way from a small card room tournament to satellite tournaments and several of the deep stack World Series of Poker main events. If you select one of the deep stack tournaments, it will emulate the same number of entrants that were in that tournament and give you a running account of where you stand in that tournament.

Since you can save a game in progress, you do not need to have the time to play out the entire tournament at one time and can save a game in progress and return to that game later to continue playing. In addition to breaking tables and other functions of a real world tournament it keeps track of your cumulative profit or loss by adding your winnings (and losses) and deducting your entry fees.

The deep stack main event tournaments for various years not only replicate the number of entrants but the actual prize money that was awarded to the winners at the final table and others who finished in the money. It also enables you to get advice on your play and provides you with your pot odds for the decision you are facing.

Another advantage of this tournament simulation software is that it enables you to create and name tournaments that will replicate one you may play at a casino or card room. Thus you will be able to set the entry fees, number of tables, time periods, starting chips, number of players to cash, payout distribution and other aspects you will face in the tournaments you play at in the real world.

## Section 7.3

# High Level Simulation

High level simulation software is aimed at replicating the most realistic poker experience possible by the computer generated virtual players. It will be even more specialized than the middle level simulation software and have different program packages for limit and no limit games. It also has stand alone versions for various tournament games. With high level simulation software the emphasis is on realistic game play rather than cute graphics and sound effects. In fact, one of the highest level simulation packages I know of, and have used, has very primitive, low resolution graphics.

High level simulation software also has a number of control options which enable the player to create opponents and cash game realities not available on low level and middle level simulation software packages. For these reasons this software can be used for realistic practice, which more closely reflects what you would face in a real cash game in a casino poker room. The specific control options are addressed below.

##### Skill Level Controls

These controls will enable you to designate the overall skill level of the opponents you face. There are usually at least three skill levels available so that you can upgrade your opponents skill level as your own game improves. The higher the skill level the more difficult it will be to read your opponents and the more likely they are to bluff with no hand and trap you with "monster" hands.

##### Style Controls

Here you can designate the style of play for individual players. So if you are consistently seated at a real cash game with a certain types of players, you can create that same field of players at your practice table. The players can be set up to be on a range from very loose to very tight. They can also be designated to be aggressive, passive, or somewhere in between.

One high end simulation product uses up to eight different kinds of bots to further enable you to replicate the types of variances you might find at a real poker table. You can not only adjust your opponents on the loose-tight and passive-aggressive scales but on the honest-tricky and math-model styles of play as well. You can also designate how a player would play before and after the flop. That software also enables you to designate if a player would defend large pots and use implied odds for post flop calling.

##### Placement Controls

With placement controls you can put players with various styles and skill levels in various positions on your table so that you can practice how you would play against different styles of players in various positions relative to where you are seated at the table. In a real cash game you are not always able to put the loose aggressive player to your right, so you need to be able to play well regardless of where you are seated.

##### Rake, Drop & Tip Controls

One of the things which make low and middle level simulations software programs unrealistic is that they do not make any provision for the house rake, jackpot drops or tips for the dealers. These are real world expenses and need to be deducted from the chips you win in a pot. To ignore these things will unrealistically inflate your profits relative to the real world profits you would make at a casino poker room. All of the high end simulation packages enable you to designate this leakage from every pot.

# Chapter 8

# Pokerish Humor

In addition to playing poker one of my favorite pastimes is telling jokes and I can currently recall several thousand jokes from memory. It started out as a great way to get free beer when I was in college. As long as I would continue to tell jokes my friends and classmates would buy me beer at our local college bar. Later when I stared giving seminars, accepting speaking engagements and being the master of ceremonies at roasts, this pastime came in quite handy. So my collection of jokes grew as did my joke delivery skills. When one of my friends found out that I was writing a poker book he told me that I should include some of my favorite poker related jokes.

If you are going to spend long hours at a poker table grinding out a profit, you need to be able to keep yourself alert. Even though you need to keep your eyes open and watch the action on the table to better assess your opponents, you also need some diversion from time-to-time along with hot or cold beverages. Although some players will read books or magazines at the table others will enjoy conversations with the other players on subjects of mutual interest. While poker, sports, weather & cars are good topics for discussion, as with other forms of social interaction, politics and religion are not.

One of the favorite pastimes of poker players at both private games and in public poker rooms is telling jokes. Listed in this chapter are some of my favorite poker related jokes.

## Section 8.1

# Poker Night Strategy

Five guy's were playing at their regular Friday night poker game. They had been playing cards, telling jokes, drinking beer, eating junk food, and generally having a great time.

At about twelve-thirty Jim says "I have to make this my last hand, it's getting late and I have to be getting home.

"Why," ask his friends "you don't have to go to work tomorrow? Besides if you leave it will break up the game."

"Well," says Jim "last week I played until three AM and then when I got a block from home I put the car in neutral, turned the headlights off and coasted the rest of the way home by the light of the street lights. I tapped the brakes as I glided into the driveway got out of the car and gently closed the door. I took off my shoes and then opened the front door very quietly. Then I got undressed in the downstairs hallway, climbed the stairs in the dark, entered the bedroom without a sound, placed my clothes on a chair, and slid into bed without a sound. At that point my wife jumps out of bed, flips on the light and hollers at me for almost an hour. I'm not going to go through that again this week."

"Perhaps you handled it wrong," says Terry "maybe you should take a different approach."

"Such as what?" says Jim.

"All right," says Terry "let me tell you how I handled the same situation. I left here last week at the same time you did. When I got a block from home I put the car in second gear, roared up the block, hit the brakes hard and squealed to a stop in the driveway, slammed the car door, sang all the way up to the house. Slammed the front door, stomped up the stairs, threw open the bedroom door, flipped on the lights and loudly said 'hey baby how about a little loving?' She didn't move a muscle."

## Section 8.2

# Mother's Operation

Mike approaches his old buddy Bob at the local casino. "Bob," says Mike, "I'm glad I found you today, I desperately need to borrow $10,000 and I need it today."

"What do you need $10,000 for and what is the hurry?" asks Bob.

"My mother desperately needs an operation and the doctor says it will cost $10,000. I hate to ask a friend for a loan of this size, but frankly you are my last hope. If mom doesn't get the surgery quickly she may not survive," pleads Mike.

"Wait a minute," says Bob, "I just remembered that the big poker tournament is coming up in a couple of days, and the entry fee is exactly $10,000. Are you sure you don't intend to use the $10,000 to enter the poker tournament?"

"No way," says Mike, "I've had that money saved and set aside for months now."

## Section 8.3

# The Vanishing Poker Game

A policeman walks into a bus station and sees four guys playing poker at a table in the bus station cafeteria. He walks up to the first guy and says "I'm running you in for illegal gambling in a public place."

"I'm not gambling officer," says the guy, " I just sat down here to wait for my bus."

"Then what is all that money doing in front of you on the table?" barks the cop.

"I was just counting my money to make sure I had enough for my trip," says the first guy.

So the cop turns to the the second guy and says: "I'm running you in for playing poker."

"I wasn't playing poker either officer," says the second guy, " I just sat down here to count my money and see if I could afford a bus ticket."

At this point the third guy says: "I wasn't playing poker either officer, I just sat down and started counting my money to see if I could afford to get some dinner."

"OK, OK", says the policeman, " you guys have got your excuses and I'm going to have to let you go."

He then turned to the fourth guy and says; "Not only do you have a pile of money in front of you but you were shuffling a deck of cards when I came into the building. I know you were playing poker and I have all the evidence."

"Me playing poker officer? says the fourth guy, "with who?"

## Section 8.4

# I'll Take That Bet

A well dressed man went into a downtown bar, walked up to the bartender and said, "Bartender, I'd like to buy the house a round of drinks".

The bartender said, "That's fine, but I'll need to see some money first".

The guy pulls out a huge wad of bills and sets them on the bar.

Well, the bartender can't believe what he's seeing. "Where did you get all that money?" asked the bartender.

"I'm a professional gambler", replied the man.

The bartender said, "There's no such thing! I mean, your odds are 50-50 at best, right?".

"Well, I only bet on sure things" said the guy.

"Like what?" asked the bartender.

"Well, for example, I'll bet you $50 that I can bite my right eye."

The bartender thought about it. "OK".

So, the guy pulls out his false right eye and bites it.

"Aw, you screwed me", said the bartender, and paid the guy his $50.

"I'll give you another chance. I'll bet you another $50 that I can bite my left eye" said the stranger.

The bartender thought again and said, "Well, I know you're not blind, I mean I watched you walk in here. I'll take that bet".

So, the guy pulls out his false teeth and bites his left eye.

"Aw, you screwed me again" said the bartender.

"That's how I win so much money, bartender. I'll just take a bottle of your best scotch in lieu of the $50," said the man.

With that, the guy went to the back room and spent the better part of the night playing poker with some of the locals. After many hours of drinking and poker playing, he stumbled up to the bar. The guy, drunk as a skunk, said, "Bartender, I'll give you one last chance. I'll bet you $300 that I can stand on this bar here on one foot and piss into that whiskey bottle on that shelf behind you without spilling a drop".

The bartender once again pondered the bet. The guy couldn't even stand up straight on two feet, much less one. "OK, you're on".

The guy climbed up on the bar, stood on one leg, and began pissing all over the place. He hit the bar, the bartender, himself, but not a drop made it into the whiskey bottle.

The bartender was ecstatic. Laughing, the bartender said, "Hey pal, you owe me $300!".

The guy climbed down off the bar and said, "That's OK. I just bet each of the guys in the poker room $100 that I could piss all over you & the bar and still make you laugh!"

## Section 8.5

# Really Bad Hands

Eight guys are sitting around the table playing Texas Hold'em poker. No one calls the big blind and so the hand is folded and the big blind gets his money back along with two bucks from the small blind.

"What a rip." says the big blind, "I had pocket rockets and couldn't get a call."

"What are pocket rockets," says the small blind, who is a new player.

"Pocket rockets are a pair of aces in the hole. They're called rockets because they look like rockets about ready to blast off," says the big blind.

"I couldn't call." says the third player," I was in early position with a Broderick Crawford." Then realizing that the new player didn't know what a Broderick Crawford was he explained. "A Broderick Crawford is a ten with a four, and we call in a Broderick Crawford because he stared in the TV series Highway Patrol, and was always on the police radio with his ten-four lingo."

"I was in early position also," says the fourth player, "and all I had was union oil. That's a seven with a six. We call it union oil because their logo is a blue 76 on an orange ball."

"I couldn't call either," says the fifth player, " I had a Barbara Hutton, that's a five with a ten. We call it a Barbara Hutton because her Grandfather was F.W. Woolworth and started Woolworth's, which was a five and ten cent store."

"I didn't want to call in middle position position with the dog that I was dealt", says the sixth player "it was a real 'canine'. That's a king and a nine you know a K9."

"I couldn't call in the cutoff position either, says the seventh player, because all I had was a Montana banana. That's a deuce with a nine. They call it a Montana banana because it's as hard to win with this holding as it is to grow bananas in Montana.

"I couldn't even call on the button," says the eighth player, "I had a Dolly Pardon. That's a nine with a five. We call it a Dolly Pardon because she stared in the movie nine to five."

The big blind then asked the new player: "Why didn't you call, you were the small blind and had half of your bet already in?"

"I couldn't call either," says the new player, "I also had a really bad hand... I guess I would call it a gay waiter."

"What is that?" says the big blind, " We've never heard of a gay waiter."

"Oh," says the new player, "That's a queen with a trey."

## Section 8.6

# The Old Bar Fly

If ever there was a bar fly it was old Clyde. He spent most of his time in the local bar, where he would play poker and swap jokes, tall tales, or gossip for a drink. He was a colorful old guy and everybody liked him. One of the regulars named Jack had been out of town on business for a month and came back to the bar to drink, play poker and to catch up on the news.

The minute Jack walked through the door, he spotted old Clyde at his favorite stool at the bar. Jack sat down beside Clyde and ordered a drink. Then he ask Clyde what he had been doing. Clyde's response was that everything in the bar, and in his life, had been pretty much the same for the last month, except for last Wednesday.

Jack asked "what happened last Wednesday?'

Clyde then became very animated as he relayed the story. "It was about ten in the evening when the cops staged a raid on the bar to break up the illegal poker game going on in the back room. It was a real wild night with lights flashing, sirens blaring and cops everywhere. I was in the men's room taking a piss when it all came down, and I got so excited, I zipped it right off!!!"

"Oh, come on Clyde you didn't really zip it off," Jack said laughingly.

"I sure did said Clyde", looking dead serious while he reaches into his right pants pocket and retrieves a small, brown cylindrical object and shows it to Jack, "and here it is."

Jack looks at the object in Clyde's hand and says "Clyde, that's just one of your old cigar butts."

Clyde puts the cigar butt on the bar and goes back into the same pocket and retrieves another object saying "here it is, I told you I wasn't lying."

Jack looks at the object in Clyde's hand and says "Clyde, that's just another cigar butt."

Clyde places the second cigar butt on the bar and is fishing in his left pants pocket when he retrieves an object, thrusts it under Jacks nose and says "no wonder I couldn't find it before, it was in my left pocket!"

"Sorry Clyde'" Jack responds "but it's just another cigar butt."

Clyde places the third cigar butt on the bar and looking puzzled as he pats down the rest of his pockets, says "you don't suppose I smoked it do you?"

## Section 8.7

# Good Luck and Bad Luck

Neal would show up at the poker room every Tuesday morning, buy the minimum number of chips and play very tight hoping to make a few bucks. As soon as he would get ahead even ten bucks, he would cash out and leave, even if this meant breaking up the game. Not only did this practice irritate the other players, Neal would drive them crazy with his constant chatter and bragging all the time he was there.

One Tuesday Neal came in as usual and bought his forty dollars in chips and started to hit lucky hands like crazy. In a short time he had added about three hundred dollars and then announced that he was cashing out and leaving the game. Happy as they all were to see Neal leave the game, they were disappointed that they would not have a chance to get their money back when Neal's hot streak was over.

Twenty minutes after Neal had left the game, he came back to the poker room. He announced that he was not going to get back in the game, but that he had been to the bank to deposit his winnings and just came back to visit with them. Actually he wanted to gloat about his big win and tell them all the things he planned to do with their money. This was the worst of all worlds, they had to listen to Neal brag and not even have a chance to get their money back.

Under those circumstances, one of the regular players named Chuck decided to cash out and leave even though he was still down a few bucks. As Chuck left the poker room he noticed that Neal had parked in a five minute zone and there was a policeman writing him a ticket.

Chuck went up to the policeman and said: "Don't be a jerk, I've only been here a short period of time and I'm ready to leave."

"Well," said the policeman, "I was just giving you a warning, but now I'm going to write you a ticket."

"Don't you guys have something better to do than write tickets?" Chuck said, "Like eat donuts and drink coffee."

At this the officer inspected the tires and then said "Your tires are bald, and that's a serious safety issue, I'm going to write you up for that too."

"You're a real asshole," Chuck said, while the policeman wrote up the second ticket.

At this the cop went to the license plate and announced "You're license tabs expired a week a go, buddy that's going to cost you a bundle." And he proceeded to write up a third citation.

"Well if you're going to be that way about it," Chuck said, "I'm going to leave it there all day." and he turned around and walked back toward the poker room.

"That's fine," said the officer, "I'll have a tow truck here in ten minutes, and you can pay for that as well."

Chuck looked out the window and noticed that the policeman was sticking a fourth ticket under Neal's windshield wiper before he called for the tow truck and departed.

Chuck walked into the back room where Neal was still droning on about his big win, and said: "Let me get you a cup of coffee Neal, I'd really like to hear how you plan to spend that three hundred dollars."

## Section 8.8

# The Medical Emergency

A well respected surgeon was relaxing on his sofa one evening just after arriving home from work. As he was tuning into the evening news, the phone rang. The doctor calmly answered it and heard the familiar voice of a colleague on the other end of the line.

"We need an eighth player for poker," said the friend.

"I'll be right over," whispered the doctor.

As he was putting on his coat, his wife asked, "Is it serious?"

"Oh yes, quite serious," said the doctor gravely. " In fact, seven doctors are there already!"

## Section 8.9

# Be Discreet

Six retired Floridians were playing poker in the condo clubhouse when Goldstein loses $500 on a single hand, clutches his chest and drops dead at the table. Showing respect for their fallen comrade, the other five continue playing standing up.

Greenberg looks around and asks, "So, who's gonna' tell his wife?"

They draw straws. Kravitz picks the short one. They tell him to be discreet, be gentle, don't make a bad situation any worse.

"Discreet? I'm the most discreet person you'll ever meet. Discretion is my middle name, leave it to me."

Kravitz goes over to the Goldstein apartment, knocks on the door. The wife answers and asks what he wants.

Kravitz declares, "Your husband just lost $500 in a poker game, and is afraid to come home."

"Tell him to drop dead!" says the wife.

"I'll go tell him," says Kravitz.

## Section 8.10

# Late Night Poker Game

Fred is approached by his boss and several of his co-workers in the company lunchroom. "Fred," says the boss, "we're going to have another poker game at my house tonight and we need another player. Can we count you in?"

"I'd love to," says Fred, "but I promised my wife I wouldn't go to any more of your late night poker games. She had a fit the last time I staggered in drunk early in the morning."

"Look" says Fred's boss, "just tell her you had to stay and work late on an important project. If she ever checks up on it, I will back you up."

So Fred calls his wife and tells her he will have to work very late on an important assignment at work and that she should not wait up for him. Then he goes to the poker game and has a great time playing cards and drinking with his buddies.

At about two in the morning he staggers home. Shoes in left hand to avoid waking his wife, he tiptoed as quietly as he could toward the stairs leading to their upstairs bedroom, but misjudged the bottom step in the darkened entryway. As he caught himself by grabbing the banister, his body swung around and he landed heavily on his rump. A whiskey bottle in each back pocket broke and made the landing especially painful.

Managing to suppress a yelp, Fred sprung up, pulled down his pants, and examined his lacerated and bleeding cheeks in the mirror of a nearby darkened hallway, then managed to find a large full box of Band-Aids before proceeding to place a patch as best he could on each place he saw blood. After hiding the now almost empty box, he managed to shuffle and stumble his way to bed.

In the morning, Fred awoke with searing pain in head and butt and his wife staring at him from across the room. She said, "You weren't working late, you were playing poker and got drunk again last night."

Forcing himself to ignore his agony, he looked meekly at her and replied, "Now, hon I promised you I wouldn't go to any more late night poker games, why would you say such a mean thing?"

"Well," she said, "it could be the open front door, it could be your empty money clip, it could be the broken glass at the bottom of the stairs, it could be the drops of blood trailing through the house, it could be your bloodshot eyes,---but,---- mostly....it's all those Band-Aids stuck on the downstairs mirror!"

## Section 8.11

# The Final Table

It was at the final table in a no limit Texas hold'em tournament at the local casino. A player in middle position, named Bob, raised the $6,000 big blind to $24,000 and everybody folded except the big blind, who tossed in another $18,000 in tournament chips to make the call.

When the flop came down with a 6-7-8 all off-suit, the little old lady in the big blind, named Beth, put out the minimum bet of $6,000. Bob hesitated for a few seconds, and then went all in. Beth quickly called all in with more chips than Bob.

Since they were playing "heads up" and Bob was "all in," the dealer had them turn over their cards. Bob had pocket Kings and Beth had a 5 and 9. Neither the turn nor the river cards helped either player, and Beth won the pot with her nine high straight, knocking Bob out of the tournament.

Bob was irate. As he got up from the table he turned to Beth and said: "How could you make that call with only a 5-9 off-suit?"

"You're the one who made the bad bet," said Beth, "raising an obvious straight 'all in' with nothing but a pocket pair of kings."

"No," said Bob, "I mean how could you possibly call my raise before the flop with that crap hand? What kind of crack are you smoking?"

"Apparently Bob," said one of the other players, "she's smoking your crack -- you know, the one you have been sitting on all morning!"

## Section 8.12

# Ladies Day

Phil has been driving his motorcycle across the Arizona desert all morning and is getting hot and hungry. He notices a sign on the highway advertising a new Indian casino just five miles up the road. Phil thinks this would be a great place to get off the bike and have some lunch. Also, he rationalized, that since he has plenty of time and it is so hot at this time of day, he could sit in the air conditioned card room for a few hours and play some poker. Then when the sun had gone down a little, he could hop back on his bike and have a cool ride the rest of the way to Phoenix.

After a quick lunch in the casino restaurant, Phil wanders into the poker room and notices that the room is filled with women. Phil asks the floor man what is going on.

"Oh you must be new here", says the floor man, "today is ladies day here at the casino."

"You mean I can't play poker here today?" Asks Phil in a disappointed tone.

"Well there's no reason you can't play," says the floor man, "as long as you are willing to play by the ladies day rules. "

"What are the ladies day rules and how are they different from your regular poker room rules?" asks Phil.

"There are three major departures from our regular rules," says the floor man. "The first difference is the chips and the table. Normally we play with white, red, green and black chips with the casino logo on them. However, on ladies day the chips are ecru, mauve, lime and ebony with a tasteful white Wedgwood cameo in the middle. Then we put a nice lace table cloth over the green felt table and top it off with an attractive floral centerpiece."

"That's not a big problem" says Phil, "I can handle that -- what else?"

The second change," says the floor man, are the stakes. Instead of our normal $4 - $8 stakes, on ladies day the bets are $3.99 and $7.98. Also if you have clipped out the coupon from the local shopping news you can get a two for one bet."

"That's a little weird," says Phil, "but I guess I can handle that too. What is the third difference?"

"The third difference is in the dealing." says the floor man, "on ladies day we use the sale table method to distribute the cards to the players."

"What is the sale table method?" groans Phil.

"Well," says the floor man, "Instead of shuffling the cards and dealing them to the players, we turn the cards face down on the table mix them all up and then put a sign up that says 'Sale Table - Half Price'. That is the signal for all the women to crowd around the table and pick through the cards until they get five they like."

"Then the best hand wins?" asks Phil, wondering when the game starts to resemble poker.

"No, actually the group decides who the winner is based on the value of the poker hand, the players hairdo & personal grooming, and the attractiveness of the players outfit & accessories. With your messy hair, scraggy beard, dirty jeans, leather vest, and motorcycle boots, I'm afraid you won't do very well today."

"I guess you don't get many men playing on ladies day," says Phil.

"Not too many bikers," says the floor man, "but we do have an interior decorator named Lawrence and a hair dresser named Mr. Bruce, who both seem to do quite well on ladies day."

## Section 8.13

# Breakfast in Bed

Ralph tells his wife he and some of his old army buddies are going down to the hospital to visit a sick friend. Instead he goes to a poker game where he plays most of the night and gets very drunk. In fact when he awakes with a splitting headache, he can't even remember how he got home. It's about 11:00 in the morning when he hears his wife coming down the hall. Bracing for a real fight he awaits her bolting into the bedroom with a rolling pin and some scathing language.

Instead she enters the room with a big smile and says "good morning sweetheart". She also has his favorite breakfast on a tray with his morning paper.

Stunned, Ralph asks his wife what happened, as he can't recall what went on after he passed out at the poker game.

"Your poker buddies dumped you on the porch about 3:00 AM in the morning and rang the doorbell. I dragged you in and it was obvious that you didn't know where you were or who I was."

"So why are you treating me so nice after all that," asks Ralph.

"Because", says his wife, "when I tried to get you undressed and into bed you said 'leave me alone lady, I'm married.'"

## Section 8.14

# Poker Playing Dog

Walt is hosting a poker game and one of the players can't make the game. So Walt has his dog fill in for the absent player. He has taught the dog not only how to play the game, but also how to use his paws to peak underneath his holding and put out the appropriate number of chips for a call or a raise. After the game Sid, the last player to leave, tells Walt he can't believe what a good poker player the dog is and how Walt should take the dog to the local poker room where he would make a fortune.

"He's not ready for the big games yet", says Walt, "I still need to work with him on his play."

"Why not", says Sid, "he really played well tonight and won a bunch of money."

"Yea", says Walt, "I didn't want to say anything during the game tonight, but he has some tells that professional players are sure to pick up on at the poker room."

"I didn't notice any tells", says Sid, "what does he do?"

"Well for one thing", says Walt, "his tail wags when he gets a good hand."

## Section 8.15

# My Father Taught Me

The teacher asked little Johnny if he knows his numbers.

"Yes," he said. "I do. My father taught me."

"Good. What comes after three."

"Four," answers the boy.

"What comes after six?"

"Seven."

"Very good," says the teacher. "Your dad did a good job. What comes after ten?"

"A Jack."

## Section 8.16

# Money Down the Crapper

At a poker game in the Ozark mountains of rural Arkansas, a player named Clem got up from the table and walked out to the two hole outhouse behind the log cabin where they were playing. When he opened the outhouse door, he saw another old hillbilly named Zeke throwing poker chips down one of the open holes.

"What in tarnation are you doing?" asked Clem.

"Well," says Zeke, "when I was pulling up my overalls a dollar chip fell out of my pocket and down the hole."

"That's terrible," says Clem, "but why are you throwing more chips down the same hole?"

"Cause I ain't gonna to climb down there for just a buck!" says Zeke.
Conclusion

Between the information provided in this book and the previous book in the Pokerish series, you should now have a pretty thorough understanding of the language, logic, and culture of poker. You have also been exposed to some of the finer points of the game and been given skills and tools to put you at the top of your game. If you have not read the first book of the Pokerish series _(Pokerish: The Language and Logic of Poker)_ , the contents of that book are shown at the end of this book.

In addition to the language, logic, and tools of poker you have been given a tour of the pokerish environment and the various facets of the game as played in various poker settings. These two books have also covered tournament poker, private games, internet poker, poker simulation software, and a very extensive glossary of poker terms and phrases. The play and strategy was not only provided for limit hold'em, but for no-limit hold'em, spread limit hold'em, Omaha, razz, stud, and eight & below.

For new players this will provide an in-depth exposure to both serious poker and the real world of casino poker. For more experienced players it will be a refresher on various facets of poker they may have already experienced, provided in an organized and chronicled manner. Given the amount of information provided in this two volume series, they should be good reference documents for both current and future play.

My hope is that all of the readers will gain new skills and insights from the material presented in the Pokerish series. I also hope that all of the readers enjoy reading the real life experiences, which were used to illustrate the lessons covered.

# About the Author

Doc Eade has played in licensed poker rooms for over twenty-five years in a number of different settings. He has played various cash games and tournaments in over fifty casinos and public poker rooms in seven states. These venues have ranged from licensed card rooms with a single house person to large Las Vegas casinos like Binion's, the Bellagio, and Caesar's Palace. They have included cowboy casinos in South Dakota, riverboat casinos in Louisiana, Indian casinos in Arizona, Colorado, Oregon & Washington, non-Indian casinos & card rooms in Washington, and cruise ships in international waters.

Doc has played in back room games, private games, and home games with differing levels of congeniality. He also played in cash games and tournaments at various online poker sites when this was still legal in the United States. He has utilized several poker simulation software packages to hone his skills. Although his primary game is Texas hold'em he has also played Omaha, razz, seven card stud, eight & below, draw poker, and various other games.

From this experience he has gained an understanding of and appreciation for the Pokerish culture with its unique language, statistics, customs, etiquette, values and rules. Although he has not made a fortune in this arena, he has discovered a hobby with both financial and recreational benefits, which he now wants to share with the readers of this book.

Doc Eade is a Pokerish citizen and a veteran of numerous poker skirmishes. He has demonstrated courage in the face of superior forces and emerged victorious. However, he also has several Pokerish purple hearts for wounds incurred on the felt of battle.

He holds a B.A. degree in Economics from Central Washington University, an M.B.A. degree in Business Administration from the University of Utah, and a Ph.D. degree in Higher Education from the University of Washington. His working career ran the gambit from an Air Force Squadron Commander, to a Corporate Financial Officer, to a College Vice President, to the Commandant of a Leadership Academy in the Air National Guard. He is currently a Senior Partner of an Alternative Energy Engineering firm.
Pokerish: The Language

& Logic of Poker

**Chapter 1 - Conversational Pokerish**

Section 1.1 - Fixed Limit Texas Hold'em 101

Section 1.2 - Introduction to Pokerish

Section 1.3 - Dialog Before the Flop

Section 1.4 - Dialog After the Flop

Section 1.5 - Dialog After the Turn

Section 1.6 - Dialog After the River

Section 1.7 - Pokerish Gestures

**Chapter 2 - Pokerish Savvy**

Section 2.1 - Pokerish Prohibitions

Section 2.2 - Table Manners

Section 2.3 - After the Fat Lady Sings

Section 2.4 - Kill Pots, Overs Buttons & Straddles

Section 2.5 - Jackpots & Promotions

**Chapter 3 - Pokerish Tournaments**

Section 3.1 - Tournament Play

Section 3.2 - Rebuys, Add-ons & Re-entries

Section 3.3 - Satellite Tournaments

Section 3.4 - Other Tournaments

Section 3.5 - Awarding the Prizes

**Chapter 4 - Private Pokerish**

Section 4.1 - Setting Limits & Structure

Section 4.2 - Recommended Games

Section 4.3 - Locations & Libations

Section 4.4 - Pokerish for Four or Less

**Chapter 5 - Pokerish Glossary**

Over three hundred unique poker terms and phrases explained in detail.

_A complete listing of books by Dr. Eade are listed on the next page_

# Books by Terry Eade

Available in ePub Format at Barnes & Noble or The Apple iBookstore and in Kindle format at Amazon.com

Management & Miscellaneous

The Last Minute Manager

Faultless Fuel

The Glories of Geezerhood

Random Rants for Rational Reflection

Finance Series

Basic Nercology

Basic Sarcology

Eade's Law's of Budgeting

Poker Series

Pokerish: The Language and Logic of Poker

More Pokerish: Poker Skills and Insights

Terry's Joke Collection Series

Volume I - Animal to Bar Jokes

Volume II - Barber to Domestic Staff Jokes

Volume III - Drugstore to Genie Jokes

Volume IV - Golfing to Kid Jokes

Volume V - Lawyer to Medical Jokes

Volume VI - Military to Newlywed Jokes

Volume VII - Nurse to Redneck Jokes

Volume VIII - Religion to Senior Citizen Jokes

Volume IX - Sports to Train Jokes
