FEATURE POKER: SWIMMING WITH SHARKS

WORDS BY DENNIS OEHRING

With poker quickly becoming the nation’s favorite pastime, now is the time to learn how not to be the sucker at the card table.

Not so long ago, a man who was proficient at cards was regarded as a scoundrel and a drain on society, but today top poker players are revered as sporting heroes and adored by admirers with dollar signs in their eyes. Why this sudden burst of popularity for a game that was around long before Wild Bill Hickok was famously shot in the back by Jack McCall while playing poker on August 2, 1876, in Deadwood, SD? (He was allegedly holding pairs of aces and eights, forever to be known as “the dead man’s hand.”)

The World Poker Tour website estimates that there are currently more than 50 million people now playing poker in the United States alone. Ratings of television networks covering poker tournaments are soaring; land-based casinos are witnessing huge increases in player volume; home games are becoming more popular; the New York Times has started a weekly poker column; private clubs and fraternal organizations are hosting tournaments to raise money for charities; online poker sites are the fastest growing segment of business on the internet; and nearly every other celebrity seems to be admitting to a passion for the game.

Two years ago, Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 World Series of Poker. He won his $10,000 seat into this no-limit Texas Hold’em event via a $39 online mini-tournament, or “satellite,” parlaying his initial investment into $2.5 million. His rags-to-riches triumph fueled tremendous interest in the game, as people everywhere reasoned that if he could do it, maybe they could too. In 2004, the WSOP attracted 2,576 entrants—three times more than the previous year—with Greg Raymer, who also qualified for his seat by winning an online satellite, winning a record $5 million for his victory.

So, aside from developing an impenetrable poker face, how can you find yourself winning the jackpot, or at least understanding what the heck is going on in your spouse’s late-night TV viewing?

The key to winning is surviving long enough to give yourself a chance to get lucky. Many players will fold to aggressive play rather than risk their chips.

In Texas Hold’em—by far the most popular poker variation— each player receives two cards face down, known as “hole cards,” followed by a round of betting. Three “community cards” are then dealt face up in the center of the table, known as “the flop.” After another round of betting, a fourth card, or “the turn,” is revealed, inducing another round of betting. The fifth and last card, known as “the river,” is then turned up, followed by the last round of betting. The player who makes the best five-card hand using any of the five community cards and their two hole cards wins the pot. In limit Hold’em, betting is structured in predetermined amounts, but in no-limit, players may bet any amount up to all of their chips—known as going “all in”—which may result in them losing their entire stack if called by a better hand.

Texas Hold’em features “blinds,” which determine the amount of the betting. There are usually two blinds: the small blind to the immediate left of “the button” (a small hockey-puck-shaped disc which moves clockwise to a different player after each hand) and the big blind, two positions left of the button. They are called blinds because they are forced bets that players in those positions must make in the first round without even seeing their cards. In no-limit, any bet made must be at least the size of the big blind, with the blinds increasing in tournament play after set periods of time. In limit play, such as $4/$8 cash games, the small blind would be $2 and the big blind $4, with betting at the $4 level before and after the flop, and at the $8 level after the turn and the river.

If you are new to the game, the best way to start your journey towards becoming a poker ace is to play. Many online poker sites offer “play-money” games, where one can practice before playing for real money. Or, you could start organizing home games with friends, where everybody can have fun without risking large stakes.

Once you are ready to play for money, hit the casinos, both real and virtual. Playing online and playing in a land-based casino are essentially the same, the biggest difference being that you’ll see many more hands per hour online. The limits are usually at least $2/$4 in bricks-and-mortar casinos, but can be much lower online, allowing players to choose games within any budget. But to win the big jackpots, you’ll want to play in tournaments. Many land-based casinos have tournaments with buy-ins as low as $25, although they can run much higher. Some tournaments allow you to buy more chips during the first hour, known as a “rebuy,” and again at the first break, called an “add-on.” Other tournaments are known as “freeze-outs,”—once you lose your chips, you’re out. Some online sites offer daily tournaments that can attract thousands of entrants. With entry fees ranging from $3 to $30, they give a feel for what it is like to compete against a field as large as at the high-stakes tournaments, for a fraction of the cost.

 

So once you’re in the game, how do you avoid becoming the proverbial sucker at the table? Alan Schoonmaker, author of The Psychology of Poker, says, “Poker is essentially a game of waiting until you have the edge, and then exploiting it.” Jan Fisher and Linda Johnson, two of poker’s most influential female authors, recommend playing “ABC” poker; learning the fundamentals through books, tapes and magazines, and then sticking to them until you find a style that works within your comfort level. They also advise surrounding yourself with mentors—players with more experience and higher skill levels— and discussing hands and strategies with them whenever possible.

For intermediate players, WSOP champions and poker book authors Tom McEvoy and Brad Daugherty recommend developing a solid, aggressive style of play, particularly in tournaments. They say that the key to winning is surviving long enough to give yourself a chance to get lucky. This is particularly true in the third stage of a tournament, referred to by many professionals as the “bubble stage,” when many remaining players who are close to getting into the money will fold to aggressive play rather than put their chips at risk. According to Johnson, 2004 Player of the Year Daniel Negreanu excels in this stage of a tournament for that very reason.

For more advanced players, 2001 WSOP champion Carlos Mortensen says, “Winning in no-limit is all about bluffing.” Poker guru and author David Sklansky is credited with first saying, “It takes a better hand to call with than to raise with,” so knowing when to be aggressive even without a great hand is essential. McEvoy says, “It doesn’t take a big hand to win, it just takes the best hand.” Mastering the ability to read your opponents, to determine what they are holding and the significance of their betting patterns is perhaps the one skill that separates the greatest players from all the others.

Vince Van Patten, an announcer for the Travel Channel’s “World Poker Tour” events, calls no-limit Hold’em a game that takes a minute to learn but a lifetime to master. So, while honing your skills, consider embracing Linda Johnson’s goals when playing: to win money, have fun and help those you play against have fun also. By doing so, you’ll contribute to poker’s continuing growth and popularity for many years to come… and maybe even make yourself rich.

Playing poker at bodog.com