Champions of Poker

I was playing in a tournament the other day when the following scenario occurred. I was in late position and looked down to pocket eights. I have a stack that was beginning to get short and I had decided that if the action got to me, I was going to shove. I was waiting for a couple of players to act and after a while, I said that I was going to go all-in and that the players should probably just get out of the way. The player just before me then moved all-in. This play is a very tight player and would shove with no worse than A-K. Since I had said that I was going to move all-in, I figured him on a bigger hand.

I decided to go ahead and fold. After I folded, the table blew up at me. They told me that since I had declared my action, I must bet. I told them politely that it was not my turn to act and that verbal bets are not binding unless action is on me. They insisted that they were binding. Which is correct here?

Jacob

Jacob,

Your friends were partially correct. If you had declared that you were going all-in and nobody ahead of you had put in a raise, then your verbal declaration of your bet is indeed binding. Since a player did indeed raise, then the action had changed and therefore your action was no longer binding.

Your actions here constitute both acting out of turn. If you were to do this at the World Series of Poker, you would receive a penalty for your actions. You must wait until you act before making any betting declarations. Otherwise, you are changing the natural course of the game. How do you know that your player that went all-in wasn’t going to just call. He may have indeed had you beat, and then again, he may not. You may have cost yourself bets here.

I was playing in a NL Holdem tournament at my friend’s house the other day and there was a big pot between myself and two other players. One of the players were all-in after the flop and the third opponent and myself checked it down. At showdown, both myself and the third player held A-K and there was an ace on the flop. The all-in player held pocket jacks and was eliminated. Or so we thought. The pot was being divided up between myself and the third player and there was a single $100 chip left. We were no longer using $25 chips and we didn’t know what to do.

One player at the table said that the chip should go into the pot for the next hand. Someone else disagreed and said that the player with the higher suited ace should get the card. Yet another player said that we should play another hand to determine the winner of the chip. Then we had another debate. Since the all-in player had started the hand with more than $100, he felt that he should be dealt in. We felt that only the winners should be in. Finally, we played another hand three way and the all-in player won the hand. He then went on a run and finished in 3rd place. I don’t think that he should have been in the other hand. Did we do this right and if not, what should we have done?

Joey

Joey,

Wow, you guys went through a lot to settle a really simple matter. In Texas Holdem, when there is a chopped pot, the odd chip goes to the player that is closest to the button going from left to right. The player that was all-in and busted had no right whatsoever to this chip. He was eliminated from the game. Whichever of the two of you were the closest to the button should have received the $100 chip. Purchase a copy of Robert’s Rules of Poker.

I have had an ongoing debate with my local minister for quite a while about the morality of poker. He claims that poker is immoral because it promotes covetousness. I try and defend poker in that the players choose whether or not to play and that it is just a game. What are your thoughts on this?

Billy

Billy,

This is a common debate among many religious groups, especially Christians. There is nothing in the Bible that specifically speaks out against a game of chance. In fact, the act of casting of lots was used in many instances to settle disputes, and in one case to determine an apostle.

However, where the argument shifts is when you evaluate some of the negative results that playing poker can cause. For example, if you have a man that will play poker to the exclusion of taking care of his family, then that person is conducting morally reprehensible behavior. If a player gets into a fight over a poker game, then the game gets blamed for the actions. In some cases, people have killed over a poker game.

Poker by itself is not morally wrong. However, when people allow themselves to get involved with activities that are morally wrong as a result of the game, then the game naturally gets viewed as the cause. Some people can play poker all of their life and never do anything morally wrong. Others will enter lives of crime or wind up hooked on gambling and drugs. If you are the type of person where the poker lifestyle may influence you negatively, then perhaps you shouldn’t play.

Is poker immoral? No. Can it lead to immoral behavior? It depends on the person.

Poker is an individual game played amongst individuals. However, as you begin to improve your game, you will find that if you want to really improve, you need to work with other players to help improve your own game.

The first thing that a person may think of when one mentions getting someone else to help may be that they don’t want the other person to know how they play. While this can be a concern, a truly great poker player should always be modifying their game, so this should not be as big a concern.

The primary advantage to having someone help you with your game is getting another perspective on how to play the game or even specific scenarios. For example, we pretty much have a set idea of how to play a hand that is the nuts, but we may not have the same thoughts about playing a drawing hand against a loose-aggressive player. Also, there may be information that you can pass on to other players to help them improve.

Another advantage to having people help you with your game is that you make friends in the game and have a support system. This is vitally important when one goes through a down period in the game. Many people don’t understand what a poker player goes through. However, your friends that play know what you’re going through because they are going through the same exact thing.

The way that you go about having people help you varies. For example, the members of the famed “Mayfair Club” would get together after long sessions at the table and sit around either dinner or drinks and discuss the plays that they made. They exchanged ideas and improved each others games. You might recognize some of those players as Howard Lederer, Dan Harrington, Erik Seidel, and Steve Zolotow.

Other ways would be to sit around a table and go over specific scenarios with your friends. If you are an online player, another option for you may be to have your friends sit and watch you play and then critique your play. Whatever option you choose, it can only serve to improve your game.

So if you are looking for ways to improve your game, start talking to other players. Not only can their ideas help you improve, but the added thought you are giving to your game will help you to improve your game on the way to becoming a champion of poker.

Hello,

I have actually two questions. But before that I want to share one of my most unforgettable experiences at the table first.

At the table, three of us were left for the pot. Well, I was the short stack however not by a lot. At some point, I saw As Kd and so I raised a not so big yet a not so small amount. Certain player called and then followed by the dealer. Flop came and brought 10c Ah Kh. Then I checked it to him while he opted to go all in. I then called and he showed he had Jh, 10s.

Later, the final two cards were 5h 8h.

The incident actually bothered me for some time though I knew then it was just a plain bad beat. It happened not only once but many times.

I thought it was just actually tough to play against maniacs and I’m still far from being a professional. However, I believe I am a smart player.

I’m thinking now if everything is all because of the way I play hands. I’m usually afraid to slow play and milk a pot. Similarly, I’m afraid to call all ins with great preflop cards. I don’t like playing too tight and skittish however I always get blindsided.

Now, I wanted to ask the following:

1. Do you know any good way how to lessen the maniac effect on me? And do you think I’ll be much better at higher stakes tables?
2. Was everything because of bad luck and for that I just have to continue playing without any trouble?

Thanks in advance!

Rolls
Rolls,

1. Bad beats happen at low and high stakes alike. Remember, when you are a good player, bad beats will happen. It is a part of poker. The key is to not let it affect your play. Continue to make good decisions and the results will even out in the end.
   
2. Exactly. This was just bad luck. Your play was fine. I would be happy if every time I called an all in my opponent had to catch runner runner to beat me. The majority of the time I am going to win. Remember, you will still lose a percentage of the time. That’s just a normal part of the game.

Hello,

This coming Saturday, me and my friends will be hosting a very low stakes tournament. Entry will be $5 only. We intend to have couples with no real poker experience at the tournament.

Do you think limit holdem will be effective for newbie couples? Personally, I think it will be easier for those guys if bets and raises are fixed. Also, we don’t like very quick eliminations. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

Zemble
Zemble,

Limit Holdem is a fantastic option for newbies. It allows for a lot of play and if they take a bad beat, they will not lose their stack in one hand. It also makes it simpler when the bets are fixed.

Hello,

I have two questions.

1. In online NL tournaments, I am usually card dead. My starting hands are typically like 73o, J3o, 92o hand after hand. I remember I oftentimes fight till the end however most of the time I am short stacked. Any advice? Or it’s just a normal thing?
2. Say in a certain event, a player who is in first position calls succeeding raises. On the board, AK24 rainbow. Later, he then catches a 2 on the river and with 72o beats the other player on the button. By the way, the player on the button has AK.

I’m wondering if the sample situation is just a normal stuff in poker? How about online?

Thanks!

Roman Bajorek
Roman,

1. You have to figure out spot where you can pick up chips while being card dead. Raising in position, seeing cheap flops and hoping to hit with garbage hands, and stealing blinds are some ways to do this. Card dead runs happen. You will need to wait them out. Eventually things will even out.
   
2. This is an example of a bad online player getting lucky. You see this sometimes in lower limit poker or someone trying to be cute in a higher stakes game. I see this more online as people can play silly hands without actually seeing people mock them for their poor play.

Hi,

I love playing poker on this one particular site. I remember it doesn’t ask for any money. But what’s quite surprising is that it awards some prizes for tournament plays.

One thing I notice is that because players don’t give any amount, they typically just place obviously low value on their chips, therefore I see many all-ins along the way as well as multi-way pots by which short stack is all-in.

I’m just wondering, is building a side pot sensible and in what circumstance? Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Gary Punell
Gary,

It depends on your hand. If you have a really strong hand and think you can build a side pot, do so. If you think you can push people out, do so. You really want either maximum value for your hand in this type of situation or thin out the field to give your hand the best shot to win.

Hello,

I played poker the other night with two friends James and Matthew. James had an Ace with two aces on the board back then while Matthew had pocket jacks with a jack on the board. Matthew eventually discovered that James had the ace and so put up his cards.

James had 3 aces while Matthew had a full house jacks full of aces. However, Matthew haven’t discovered this until later on when James took the chips and placed them in pile.

By the way, the situation looked like:

James- A 3 Matthew - J J Board- A J 8 6 A

Do you think Matthew should give James the money? Or else he should just keep it safe as James had an error?

Thanks,
Haarstick
Haarstick,

If this was in a casino, the dealer should have divided up the pot and sent the money to the other player. If your friend discovered the error during the hand, then James should pay back the money. If the error was discovered or thought about later, there really isn’t much that can be done since the next hand has been played.

Hi,

I’ll start by sharing that I was once a tenderfoot in the game of poker, specifically in Texas Holdem. I tried to research then and study the basics of the game to eventually improve myself and my skills. However, at a three-six table at the Nugget casino in Sparks Nevada something happened that distracted me. The dealer joined our game on his break. At such instance, I was on the button holding A,5 suited. Following scene was that I raised the blind and had three callers. I don’t why but quite to my surprise one of the callers was the dealer. Of course, flop came and was J, 5, 2 rainbow. Afterwards, the table checked to me and so I bet. Once again, I had three callers. Turn came and was a 7. Again, the table checked to me and so I bet one more time. At that point, two folded while the dealer called. Then river card came and was a 3. The dealer then placed a bet therefore I raised as if I have JJ.

Later on, the dealer played with his chips and all. Afterwards, he suddenly exposed his pocket cards. Does it mean he folded? For me, exposing your cards was like folding other way around.

Well, I remember he had A, 7 by which had me beat. I then turned my cards over, had them in the middle and collected the pot. Quite surprising, he said loudly he’d call.

Can you please explain to me if he could actually call? I’m confused to be honest.

Thanks!

Regards,
Weatherford
Weatherford,

His hand was not dead when he exposed his cards. Exposing your hand does not constitute a fold and he was within his rights to call.