Deal Me In! Online Cardrooms, Big Time Tournaments, and The New Poker

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Deal Me In! Online Cardrooms, Big Time Tournaments, and the New Poker Glenn McDonald

San Francisco • London

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Deal Me In! Online Cardrooms, Big Time Tournaments, and the New Poker

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Deal Me In! Online Cardrooms, Big Time Tournaments, and the New Poker Glenn McDonald

San Francisco • London

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Associate Publisher: JOEL FUGAZZOTTO Acquisitions Editor: ELIZABETH PETERSON Developmental Editor: TOM CIRTIN Production Editor: MAE LUM Technical Editor: DOUG RADCLIFFE Copyeditor: SARAH LEMAIRE Compositor: MAUREEN FORYS, HAPPENSTANCE TYPE-O-RAMA Cartoon Concepts: GLENN MCDONALD Illustrator: REUBEN RUDE Proofreaders: JAMES BROOK, AMY MCCARTHY, AMY J. RASMUSSEN, NANCY RIDDIOUGH Indexer: NANCY GUENTHER Book Designer: FRANZ BAUMHACKL Cover Designer: DAN ZIEGLER Cover Illustrator: DAN ZIEGLER Copyright © 2005 SYBEX Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 94501. World rights reserved. No part of this publication may be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or reproduced in any way, including but not limited to photocopy, photograph, magnetic, or other record, without the prior agreement and written permission of the publisher. Library of Congress Card Number: 2004108203 ISBN: 0-7821-4364-4 SYBEX and the SYBEX logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SYBEX Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Screen reproductions produced with FullShot 99. FullShot 99 © 1991–1999 Inbit Incorporated. All rights reserved. FullShot is a trademark of Inbit Incorporated. TRADEMARKS: SYBEX has attempted throughout this book to distinguish proprietary trademarks from descriptive terms by following the capitalization style used by the manufacturer. A note about the images used in this book: In many instances, screen reproductions were taken of live games in progress. Pseudonyms have been substituted for the names of the players to protect the players’ privacy, while preserving the general appearance of the image. The author and publisher have made their best efforts to prepare this book, and the content is based upon final release software whenever possible. Portions of the manuscript may be based upon pre-release versions supplied by software manufacturer(s). The author and the publisher make no representation or warranties of any kind with regard to the completeness or accuracy of the contents herein and accept no liability of any kind including but not limited to performance, merchantability, fitness for any particular purpose, or any losses or damages of any kind caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly from this book. Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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This book is dedicated to my family and friends.

Acknowledgments Many thanks to Tom Cirtin, Mae Lum, Ellen Bliss, Doug Radcliffe, Elizabeth Peterson, Sarah Lemaire, Cammie Allen, and the rest of the Sybex team for making this project come together and indulging my laser-like focus on the second part of the Trial-And-Error Method of Book Development. Thanks also to Neil Salkind and Laura Lewin at Studio B for having faith in the idea from the get-go, and to Reuben Rude for the great cartoons. Thanks, too, to Dennis Boyko, Dan Kimberg, Michael Maurer, Rick Zehr, I. Nelson Rose, and all the authors and webmasters who generously contributed material to the book. Special thanks to Chris Ferguson, poker messiah. Love Minus Zero/No Limit to Bonnie, Declan, Kathy, Mom & Dad, Carol & family, all the Michigan and Pennsylvania clans, and Uncle Charlie. Much gratitude to my friend Todd. Jah love to the Hivemind Collective, authors of the world’s longest-running in-joke. Special thanks to Steve Fox for being crazy enough, many years ago, to send the intern to Las Vegas with an expense account. —Glenn McDonald Sybex wishes to thank compositor Maureen Forys of Happenstance Type-O-Rama, illustrator Reuben Rude, and indexer Nancy Guenther for their valuable contributions to this book.

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Foreword We are in the middle of a poker revolution.

It wasn’t too long ago that casinos considered poker to be a loss leader, a place for men to play a man’s game while their wives fed the slot machines. Many casinos were in the process of closing poker rooms altogether to make room for other, more profitable games. Today the pendulum is swinging the other direction. Casinos across the United States are adding poker rooms or expanding the existing ones. And as with so many revolutions right now, the two primary catalysts for this explosion are television and the Internet. Poker TV shows, such as The Travel Channel’s World Poker Tour, ESPN’s The World Series of Poker, Bravo’s Celebrity Poker Showdown, and UPN’s Ultimate Poker Challenge, can fill a Tivo with nothing but poker every month. But while poker has always been an interesting game to play, watching it has been likened to watching paint dry, so why the sudden fascination? Like all great games, the rules of poker are very simple. You are limited to five decisions: check, bet, raise, call, or fold. But the resulting strategies and the game itself are extremely complex. The most interesting aspect is the bluff, and it’s what makes poker unique. Without it, the game is meaningless. Some think of bluffing as lying, but it is in fact a legitimate strategy that can make you or break you. Whether you use it sparingly or liberally, timing is everything. Where else in life is a successful bluff not only rewarded, but revered? But it’s the addition of hole card cameras—which reveal each player’s cards to the audience while the action is taking place—that bring those bluffs into your living room. All of a sudden, poker is compelling. There’s tension. There’s drama. We get to play along, sweating with our favorite players and yelling at the screen for them to fold or raise or push the other guy all in. With the hole card cameras, we know about the successful steals and the heartache bluffs. And when your favorite player makes a set on the flop, you get to scream “Yes!” while you watch your counterpart on TV, stoic and merely pondering how to extract the most value for his good fortune. It’s captivating. The other driving force in the expansion of poker is the Internet. Online poker rooms have made poker continuously and easily available to people everywhere. No longer do people have to drive hours to the nearest casino to play poker, or call up a bunch of friends and organize a home game. Furthermore, these online Poker rooms have an unmatched selection of games and limits to play. The largest online poker room regularly has over 50,000 people playing simultaneously, dwarfing the largest brick-andmortar casinos.

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vii ■ FOREWORD

Many people now prefer online games to playing face to face. First of all, there is the convenience: no driving, no waiting on lists for games to form, no smokers or nonsmokers to deal with. And you don’t even have to get dressed if you prefer. Games go faster on the Internet, allowing players a lot more action. There’s no more waiting for the deck to be shuffled or the cards to be dealt or pots to be split and awarded, and no more misdeals, string bets, or arguments over floormen’s decisions. If this doesn’t speed up the game enough, there are a lot of players who use the Internet to simultaneously play multiple games, often playing not just two or three, but four or more games at the same time. Try doing that at your local card club! The game of poker itself has remained intact as it has moved from the casinos to the online environment, except for one major difference: Since it isn’t played face to face, it’s impossible to see ones opponents’ emotional reactions to different situations. Thus tells, though they still exist in a limited sense, don’t have nearly the impact they do in the real world. Taking advantage of tells is crucial to playing poker well, but it’s even more important to understand the language of poker in terms of what bets, checks, and raises really mean when determining an opponent’s likely holdings. So it becomes even more important to watch how opponents actually play their hands than how they act when determining what they have. It seems that tells have become a crutch that players overly rely on when playing face to face. Online players are forced to make decisions based only on factual data. Later, when they move into casinos, they start with a better foundation, and when they add tells to an already strong game, they become that much stronger players. It is not a coincidence that the last two poker world champions play poker online, and in fact, qualified for the world championship playing online. Finally a book has emerged that provides “safe passage” into the wild world of online cardrooms and TV tournaments and the extraordinary personalities that inhabit it. Glenn McDonald has captured the mystique and ambiance of online poker while providing sound advice and solid techniques to get you up and running—and all in an entertaining read to boot. If you are interested in joining the Internet poker revolution, or just enhancing your enjoyment as a fan, this is the book that will do all of that for you, and more. CHRIS FERGUSON 2000 Poker World Champion

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Contents

Chapter 1

Foreword

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Introduction

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Welcome to the World of Online Poker

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“Online” (The Technology) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 What’s Really Happening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 “Poker” (The Game) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Basic Game Mechanics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Luck, Schmuck: Poker as a Game of Skill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The Good . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The Bad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The Ugly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 The Internet, the Law, and You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 The New Poker: How the Game Is Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Poker Terms Used in This Chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Chapter 2

Online Satellites and Big-Time Tournaments

19

What Is a Poker Tournament? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Single-Table and Multi-Table Tournaments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Betting Structure and Escalating Blinds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 TV Tournaments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 World Poker Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The World Series of Poker . . . . . . . . . . . Other TV Tournaments and Events . . . . Satellites, Feeders, and Online Qualifiers Why Play Tournament Poker? . . . . . . . . . .

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Poker Terms Used in This Chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Chapter 3

A Brief History of Poker

35

The Origins of Card Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 The Mysterious Tarot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Primero, Pochen, and Poque . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

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Poker, Riverboats, and Saloons: An American Saga. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Poker in the Wild West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 The Modern Era . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 The Poker Pro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Poker Terms Used in This Chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Chapter 4

Poker Basics, Hand Rankings, and Betting Structure

47

Cards & Chips: The Essential Alchemy of Poker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Bet or Get Off the Pot: The Object of the Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Poker Hand Rankings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Betting Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Poker Terms Used in This Chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Chapter 5 x

Popular Online Poker Games

57

CONTENTS ■

Texas Hold ’Em: The Cadillac of Poker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 How It Works. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Omaha: A Word from Nebraska…. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Omaha High. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Omaha/Hi-Lo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Seven-Card Stud: Updating a Classic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Seven-Card Stud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Seven-Stud/Hi-Lo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 New Arrangements of Familiar Tunes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Poker Terms Used in This Chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Chapter 6

System Requirements and Funny-Money Web Games

75

System Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Browser Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Your Internet Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kinder, Gentler Poker: Free Web-Based Games .

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MSN Games: Texas Hold ’Em Poker Showdown Yahoo! Games: Hold ’Em Poker . . . . . . . . . . . . Other Online Poker Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Poker Terms Used in This Chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Let’s Get Serious: Real Poker, Fake Money

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76 77 78 80

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Why Play in Online Poker Rooms? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

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Window Shopping: Browsing the World of Online Poker . . . . . . . . . 88 Directories and Online Reference Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 The Poker Rooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Downloading and Installing Poker Room Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Setting Up a Play-Money Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Poker Terms Used in This Chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Chapter 8

Navigating the Free-Money Cardrooms

97

Getting Your Play Chips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Play-Money Games and Real-Money Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Finding Tournament Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Sorting the Cash Games. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Refining Your Sort Criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Lurking: The Voyeur Within . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Chapter 9

Take Your Seat! The Virtual Poker Table

109

Pull Up a Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 The Buy-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 View from the Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Blinds and Antes . . . . . . . . . . . . The Action Buttons . . . . . . . . . . The Pre-Action Buttons . . . . . . . Timing Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Poker Terms Used in This Chapter .

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Chapter 10 Online Poker Room Etiquette

114 114 116 119 119

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Howdy Stranger! Chatting, Coffeehousing, and Table Talk . . . . . . . 122 Coffeehousing . . . . . . . Table Talk . . . . . . . . . Language and Flaming Courtesy as Strategy . . . .

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124 125 126 127

Strategic Use of Pre-Action Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Mucking, Flashing, and Auto-Posting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Common-Sense Etiquette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Poker Terms Used in This Chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

■ CONTENTS

Poker Terms Used in This Chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

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Chapter 11 Playing with Real Money

133

Kindly Remember: This Really Is Gambling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Making Informed Decisions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Setting Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Rules to Live By . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Table Stakes and Cash Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Internet Poker and the Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Poker Terms Used in This Chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Chapter 12 Establishing a Real-Money Account

145

Why Won’t They Take My Money: An Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

CONTENTS ■

xii

Deposit by Credit Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deposit by Third Party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deposit by Direct Wire Transfer and Check . Bonus Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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147 148 150 151

Affiliates and Rebuy Bonuses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Poker Terms Used in This Chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Chapter 13 Table Stakes,“the Rake,” and Other Playing Expenses

155

You Have an Account: Now What? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Your Starting Bankroll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Games, Stakes, and Tournaments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Case Study #1: Limit Hold ’Em . . . . Case Study #2: No Limit Hold ’Em . The Case for Tournament Play . . . . Tournament Fees and “the Rake” . . . .

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158 159 160 161

Play-Money and Real-Money Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Poker Terms Used in This Chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Chapter 14 Cashing Out and Tournament Prizes

167

Cash-Out Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 More Fun with Third-Party Services Direct EFTs and Checks by Mail . . . A Word About Delays . . . . . . . . . . . Tournaments and Prize Packages . . . . .

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Freeroll Qualifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Satellites and Super-Satellites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Poker Terms Used in This Chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

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Chapter 15 The Top Online Poker Rooms

177

Party Poker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 Game Play and Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Player Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 Poker Stars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Game Play and Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Player Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 Ultimate Bet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 Game Play and Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 Player Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 Pacific Poker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 Game Play and Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 Player Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 Paradise Poker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Game Play and Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 Player Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 Poker Terms Used in This Chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Chapter 16 Moving All-In: Texas Hold ’Em Online Strategy

195

The Strategy of Strategy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196 Deep-Focus Poker: What’s the Point? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 Online Hold ’Em Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 Be Selective with Starting Hands . . Be Aggressive with Playable Hands Be Wary of the Bluff . . . . . . . . . . . Swim against the Current . . . . . . . Know When to Fold ’Em. . . . . . . . Choose the Right Table . . . . . . . . . Study the Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Poker Terms Used in This Chapter . . .

Chapter 17 More Hold ’Em Strategy

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Your Bankroll: Where It All Begins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204 Pull Up a Chair…Carefully . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

xiii ■ CONTENTS

Game Play and Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189 Player Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 Full Tilt Poker: The Next Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

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Hold ’Em Step by Step. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Pre-Flop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . On the Flop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Turn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Math Class: Odds and Expectations .

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Poker Terms Used in This Chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Chapter 18 Hold ’Em Online Tournament Strategy

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Essential Tournament Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 All Players Are Created Equal . The Escalating Blinds . . . . . . . Monitoring Your Opponents . . Tournament Tactics. . . . . . . . . Online Cardroom Tips and Tricks CONTENTS ■

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Tracking Your Opponents . . . . . Using the Pre-Action Buttons . . . Using the Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . Mucking and Flashing. . . . . . . . Poker Terms Used in This Chapter .

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216 216 216 216 217

Appendix A Additional Resources: Books, Websites, and Software

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Books on Poker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 Instructional Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 Literary Takes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 Websites and Blogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 Instructional Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 Wilson Software Turbo Poker Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

Appendix B Problem Gambling

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Pathological Gambling: An Addiction Embracing the Nation . . . . . 228 What Is the Difference between Casual Social Gambling and Pathological Gambling? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Custer Three-Phase Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Who Is Affected? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Do You Have A Gambling Problem? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Glossary

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Bluffing Uncle Charlie or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Game of Poker

xv ■ INTRODUCTION

I grew up playing card games—mostly poker—with my family in Detroit on regular weekend card nights. From the age of about nine or ten, I was the designated drinkfetcher and seat-filler. Occasionally I would be allowed to play a few hands, and this became more common as I got older. It should be noted here that my family consisted mainly of my mother’s extended Scottish clan. Every Saturday was a seemingly endless parade of affectionate, lively, and wildly eccentric aunts and uncles. They all spoke a particularly thick Glaswegian dialect, and after a few drinks, they seemed to slip into some arcane urban brogue that was barely decipherable. All of them were good card players, and some, like my famously lucky mom, were probably even great. But when it came to pure poker, no one could match Uncle Charlie.

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Short, wiry, and intense, Uncle Charlie was a former sailor in the British Navy, and he had the tattoos to prove it. It was generally agreed that Uncle Charlie was the toughest Scotsman to come down the pike since William “Braveheart” Wallace spanked the British circa 1300. He took it upon himself to teach me the game, and over the years I got totally hooked. By the time I was in high school, I’d earned a regular chair in the Saturday night games. I played poker a lot in college, tried the casino rooms in Vegas and Atlantic City, and started reading books on the side to improve my game. On weekends back home, I’d grab a chair and try my best to take down Uncle Charlie. It was all nickel-and-dime stuff, but everyone played smart and played to win. For many years after my initial apprenticeship, Uncle Charlie simply owned me at the poker table, which stood to reason—he taught me everything I knew. (But not—as he would often point out—everything he knew.) But there was one night, just before I graduated from college, where I finally got him. I remember the hand like it was yesterday. It was Texas Hold ’Em, at the end of a long night of poker. The pot was huge, and everyone had dropped out of the hand except for me and Uncle Charlie. I was riding a stone cold bluff, I had an 8-3 offsuit, and the board had paired kings on the flop. My only chance to win was to convince Uncle Charlie, beyond a doubt, that I was holding K-K. I went all in. Many are the Oscar-worthy performances that take place at the poker table, but this night I was brilliant. I was Pacino plus De Niro, wrapped in Steve McQueen from The Cincinnati Kid. Uncle Charlie stared me down—hard. He had a gaze that could penetrate a tank. I stared back. Finally he grinned, sat back, and flipped his cards into the muck. “Well?” he said simply. I flipped my pathetic rag cards face-up and pulled in the pot. The rest of the table exploded with a hundred Gaelic swear words, and Uncle Charlie just laughed. “Aye, son,” was all he said. “Aye, son.”

Skill and Luck Uncle Charlie gave me my start in poker, and he taught me that the game has its own strange and unique alchemy of skill and luck. The luck, he said, you can’t control. But the skills you can develop. This is as true for online poker as it is for the established tabletop game. Internet poker and televised professional tournaments have brought a flood of new players to the world of blinds and antes, straights and flushes. Deal Me In will have you talking the talk and walking the walk in no time at all. There are new wrinkles and twists to the emerging phenomenon of online poker that every player should be aware of. Currently, dozens of online casinos offer fake-money

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and real-money games 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Are they legit? For the most part, yes: Just like their Las Vegas counterparts, it’s in the interest of online casinos to offer security and legitimacy to players. What’s more, many online poker sites now offer satellite tournaments that can lead to a seat in big-money, live casino events. Chris Moneymaker, the winner of 2003’s World Series of Poker, won his way into the Big Game via an online tournament. Chris’s initial investment? $40. His final winnings? $2.5 million. (And yes, Moneymaker is his real name.) Online poker is a quickly expanding phenomenon with seemingly limitless potential. Still, you want to know what you’re getting into. Inside this book, you’ll find the answer to these and many other questions: What are the basic rules of poker? What are the hand rankings?

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Where can I play real poker for fake money online?

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Where can I play real money poker online safely?

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What are the pros and cons of online poker versus cardroom games?

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What are the rules of etiquette in an online poker room?

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How can I be sure the game is fair and my money is safe?

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What basic strategies do I absolutely need to know?

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What are table stakes? What is the rake?

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What is a poker tournament? What is a satellite?

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What is the flop? The turn? The river?

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What are the differences between limit and no limit poker?

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How does tournament strategy differ from cash game strategy?

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What is the Dead Man’s Hand?

Poker is an endlessly fascinating game with a rich and colorful history. Its new incarnation on the Internet brings to the game a new accessibility, convenience, and excitement. Deal Me In will not only provide you with a detailed map for navigating the online poker world, it will give you the inside edge with basic poker strategy primers for popular games like Texas Hold ’Em, Seven-Card Stud, Omaha, Hi-Lo, and tournament play. You’ll also meet colorful characters from poker’s past and present such as Wild Bill Hickok, “Texas Dolly” Brunson, and Amarillo Slim. With Deal Me In, you will know where to play when, when to play what, and how to play smart at all times. Shuffle up and deal!

xvii ■ INTRODUCTION

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Welcome to the World of Online Poker to look at the word itself: “Mankind.” Basically, it’s made up of two separate words—“mank” and “ind.” What do these words mean? It’s a mystery, and that’s why so is mankind. 1

—Jack Handey, Deep Thoughts

The Short Stack Online Poker:Technology Meets Game The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly The Internet, the Law, and You The New Poker: How the Game Is Changing

■ WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF ONLINE POKER

1

Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have

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You might remember Jack Handey from old Saturday Night Live episodes. Great guy. Funny. Helluva card player. This chapter takes a similar approach to the question, “What is online poker?” Basically it’s made up of two words: online (the technology) and poker (the game). So we’ll take those two words in order. In addition, this chapter includes an overview of the specific strengths and weaknesses of the online game vis à vis live poker, a discussion of gambling and legal issues, and a look at how Internet cardrooms and TV tournaments are changing the game.

“Online” (The Technology)

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This book uses the terms “online poker” and “Internet poker” more or less interchangeably. Being online means being on the Internet, or connected to the global network of networks that links computers and allows you to surf the Web, send e-mail, download music, and of course, play games. There are many, many ways to play online poker right now. In fact, you can dart over to Yahoo!, MSN, or any of the other major portal sites and be playing in, literally, seconds. You’ll be playing real poker with real opponents for play money. The thing to keep in mind here is that, at this level, you’re playing an online card game just as if you were playing bridge, hearts, rummy or—a Detroit favorite where I grew up—euchre. Internet card games have been around virtually as long as the World Wide Web itself, which brought interactivity and graphics to the Internet.

Euchre is a four-player ”trump”game popular in the U.K., Canada, and the northern U.S.; it’s also a popular U.S. Navy game.

So if you’ve played any kind of multi-player game on the Web before, you’ll find that online poker works much the same. The game designers create a virtual environment intended to simulate a real table game. You get a top-down view of a casino-style poker game, with two to ten players seated. You’ll see yourself represented there as well as your opponents, who could be from anywhere in the world. The cards in your hand and any community cards on the table are displayed clearly, as is the “money” that you have in play. Throughout this book, we will refer to these Internet poker games as online cardrooms, online poker rooms, or poker sites. Figures 1.1 to 1.3 show three examples: PacificPoker.com, PartyPoker.com, and UltimateBet.com.

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Figure 1.2 PartyPoker.com

■ “ONLINE” (THE TECHNOLOGY)

Figure 1.1 PacificPoker.com

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Figure 1.3 UltimateBet.com

Anything you’d want to do in a real game, you can do at these virtual tables. I’m talking here, of course, about actual game-related actions such as posting a bet, raising the pot, folding your hand, and so on. If you want to holler for another whiskey or aim for the spittoon across the room—well, you’ll have to make other arrangements. To check, bet, raise, or fold, you simply click the corresponding onscreen buttons with your mouse. The virtual “dealer” keeps the action moving, all day, every day—forever. As graphics and game design have grown more sophisticated, so has the virtual “ambience” at these web-based table games. You can hear the cards being shuffled or the clicking of chips being thrown in the pot. Some sites have added motion graphics so that you can watch the dealer fling cards around the table or see other players fold their hands to the center. No poker game is truly complete without table chat, the players’ endless running commentary of cheers, groans, jokes, and small talk. With online poker, table chat means typing messages back and forth on your keyboard. These messages appear in the chat window for everyone to see, just as if you were speaking aloud at a cramped casino table.

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What’s Really Happening

5 ■ “ONLINE” (THE TECHNOLOGY)

The scenario described in the preceding paragraphs depicts the general experience of the online player, assuming you’re at a well-designed play-money site. Let’s consider the technological nuts and bolts that underlie this. First of all, the reason you’re able to play against other players, or even access the game in the first place, is because your personal computer—sitting there peacefully, humming away—is actually connected to the most massive and sophisticated communications matrix in the history of man. I’m talking of course about the Internet. And the Internet, radically simplified, is just one big computer network. Your computer is “talking” to other computers by sending the data and decisions that you type or click across telephone lines (or cable lines, or what have you). The game itself, the “brains” of the operation, is situated on the computer(s) maintained and programmed by the host or website or service that you’re connected to—Party Poker, Yahoo!, and so on. (There are some technical discrepancies here, but we’re talking generally.) It’s here, for instance, that the random card generator determines which hands are being dealt. Here, too, is the computer code that determines and enforces the rules of the game. So in a perceptual sense, we can imagine that the “dealer” or the “house” is located in this central game system, this cyberspace junction in which you and all the other players are coming together. Back again to your happily humming personal computer. The interface of the game you are playing is the graphic or textual content on your screen and the way it responds to your activity. This is the colorful casino table that you see, the buttons that you click, the chat window that records your typed messages. The central game system sends raw data through the network to your computer. That data is displayed through the interface in a way that makes sense to us dim humans—a card is flipped, or a new hand is dealt. These three elements—the network, the central game system, and the interface— combine to make possible the experience of playing our beloved game of poker over the Internet. This is a heavily condensed and simplified explanation, but we’ll be referring to it later when considering some real-world and non-abstract issues and concerns. So when we talk about playing online poker, we’re talking about using your Internet-connected personal computer to approximate the experience of playing real poker against real people. It is not, generally speaking, about playing poker against computer opponents or artificial intelligence (AI) agents. There are many software packages that provide this experience (see Appendix A, “Additional Resources: Books,

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Websites, and Software”), and they can be excellent learning tools, as well as fun games in their own right. Some websites and online services have computer opponents as well, but these are not true poker games—they’re more akin to the video poker slot machines that you see in casinos.

“Poker” (The Game)

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Now let’s spend some time with the second part of the question, “What is online poker?” And let’s make it quality time, shall we? Let’s pour some drinks and put on some music and really get to know one another. If you’re a fan of the great and noble game of poker, I have good news for you. Poker is poker, online or off. That is to say, the game of poker is adapting quite well, thank you very much, to this new and thoroughly modern vector of the Internet. Most of the popular variants of poker (Texas Hold ’Em, Seven-Card Stud, and so on) are now available somewhere online. The new cyberspace cardrooms offer good players and good games, if you know where to go. Improving technology and canny game design are truly optimizing the benefits of online play. The essential alchemy of the game—cards and chips, skill and luck—remains intact. There are some purists out there who will object to this assessment, and many of them come armed with very good points. The online game has some specific strengths and weaknesses—we’ll get to that in a bit. But in terms of the spirit of the game, that indefinable charm that poker lovers know and cherish, the game’s new incarnation online has not diminished its fundamental appeal. Whether you grew up with poker as I did, playing with family and friends, or you came to the game later in life and found yourself hooked, you’ll find that the experience of online poker is richly rewarding. The reason is simple enough: Poker is a great game. Like chess or backgammon, poker has endured and flourished and brought great pleasure to people the world over.

Basic Game Mechanics The game of poker translates very well into the online medium. All the basic game mechanics used in a live game are also used in the online game. You are dealt a hand from a deck of 52 cards, and you wager on that hand (or not) against other players. As betting rounds progress, you can call, bet, raise, check, or fold. All action is represented graphically within the game environment—the virtual poker table.

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Luck, Schmuck: Poker as a Game of Skill There’s a common misperception about poker, most often among those only barely aware of the game, that poker is a game of chance like craps, roulette, or slot machines. Not so. Poker is a game of skill—with an element of luck. This basic quality is fixed and unalterable; it’s in the very DNA of the game. The good news is that the skills it takes to play good poker are learnable. We’ve talked a bit about how the immutable charm of poker and the basic mechanics of the game translate just fine into the online realm. Now let’s talk about how poker skills are rewarded, whether online or off. Practice, planning, and discipline are essential to playing good poker, and they are indeed rewarded—in spades, you might say. You’ll hear a lot of talk in poker about other, more ethereal qualities of a good poker player, such as instinct, heart, and guts. These qualities, however, require a foundation of basic poker know-how and strategy. As the man himself once said, you gotta know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em.

7 ■ “POKER” (THE GAME)

That is to say, the poker game that you play online is the same one you play at home or in the casino, only the interface is different. Instead of manually handling the waxy cards and heavy chips, you click on-screen buttons with your mouse to declare your actions. You also have the option online, as in a real game, to sit out a hand or two if you need a break. In cash games, or ring games, you can get up and leave whenever you like. In tournament play, you can sit out hands if you choose, but you’re obligated to stay at the table until you bust out or, preferably, win it all. We’ll get into the specifics of this in later chapters. The objective of the game remains the same—on any given hand, you want to win the pot that contains all the bets made by all the other players in the game. You do this by having the best hand, or by giving the impression that you have the best hand and getting your opponents to fold. It’s that simple. Of course, it’s not that simple at all. A popular saying about poker (well, really about the popular version known as Texas Hold ’Em) is that it “takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master.” Online poker is an excellent way to learn the game and perhaps—with dedication and some talent—to begin to master it. The skills that you develop playing online can be brought to real-life games, and vice versa.

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Why Poker Is Unique Poker is different from virtually all other casino games for one simple reason:You are playing against other players and not against the house.The house makes its money not by collecting your losing wagers, but by charging a fee to facilitate the game itself, either by “renting” seats at poker table or by skimming a percentage from each pot won—a process called raking the pot. Dice games, wheel games, and card games such as blackjack favor the house with mathematical certainty. Poker does not. A superior poker player can expect to win consistently against lesser opponents.That is why there are legitimate professional poker players, just as there are professional athletes. Let’s be clear—there is an element of luck in poker, and very good players do go broke. But ultimately, skill is rewarded in the game of poker. Even the law recognizes this. In some U.S. jurisdictions where gambling is illegal, poker is allowed because it is categorized as a game of skill rather than a game of chance.

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This very fact makes poker unique among games typically considered gambling. And assuming that your online game is authentic and on the up-and-up, it is every bit as true for Internet poker as for the traditional casino or home game. We’ll be getting into some detailed discussion of skill and strategy later, but for now, I just want to make the point that there has never been a better time to learn the basic skills of poker. Thirty years ago, the only way to learn the game was the proverbial school of hard knocks. You would have to play real games for real money and likely lose your shirt more than a few times. It was a long, arduous, and expensive proposition. While instructional books and, more recently, instructional software have helped to alleviate this situation for the new player, the advent of round-the-clock online poker games marks a new era entirely. Because you never have to play for real money, you can play regularly to sharpen your game and supplement your outside reading and practice. Practice, planning, and discipline: These are the three cornerstones to setting up your structural foundation of poker know-how. Free money online games can provide the practice you need. The Internet can also assist you in developing a plan to learn the game properly. Check out Appendix A for suggested websites, magazines, and books designed to point beginners in the right direction. Finally, there is discipline. This is a critical quality that you must develop to be a good poker player, online or off. In fact, in my experience, it is the single most important quality to winning consistently in online poker games. The reason is simple: Online

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poker is new, convenient, and right now, somewhat trendy. That means a lot of new players are flooding the online rooms, and most of them lack a basic grounding in the game. As a result, online games—especially in play-money and low-stakes games—are relatively loose and unpredictable. Bets and raises fly around like mortar shells. If you play straight, smart, disciplined poker in these wild games, you can win by staying out of harm’s way and making precise surgical strikes when the time is right. Yes, poker is a game of skill; it always has been. In this dawning era of convenient and legitimate online poker, your basic skills—honed by practice, planning and discipline—are worth more than ever.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone were the star and the director, respectively, of the classic Western The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

The Good The most readily apparent benefits of online poker are convenience, ubiquity, and efficiency. Or, more simply put, you can usually find a good online game easily, at any time of the day or night, whether you want to play for funny money or real stakes. This is simply fantastic. I’ve spent a lot of frustrating hours in my life trying to arrange home games with friends and co-workers. I like the fact that I now have the option to pop online whenever the itch strikes.

9 ■ THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

Up to this point, we’ve talked in some depth about what we mean when we say “online poker.” It’s important to have this background as we get into specifics and details. Online poker is a frontier, an increasingly busy plot of virtual real estate where an established and popular card game is converging with new technology. As we have already established, the essential charm, mechanics, and required skills of good poker are eminently transferable to Internet play. But obviously, there are many differences as well. For one thing, if you really want to, you can easily play online poker naked. This is more difficult in a casino. Okay, just kidding—just want to make sure that you’re still paying attention! So what are the specific strengths and weaknesses of the online game? Let’s break it down, with a nod to Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone. We’ll start with the good news.

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Online poker is convenient in that once you learn your way around, you can jump into a game with other live players any time it suits you. The Information Age has been lauded (or accused, maybe) of bringing about the “death of distance.” It’s an amazing thing when you log on to a game of Texas Hold ’Em at 7 a.m. and find yourself seated with equally passionate players from France, China, South Africa, and Cleveland. Now that’s a home game that would be incredibly tough to arrange otherwise. The Internet game’s ubiquity is part of its convenience. There are now a few dozen online cardrooms that offer play for fun or real money, operating 24/7, every single day. Figure 1.4 shows the 24/7 tournaments at PartyPoker.com. Even if your game crashes, which they sometimes do, you need only click over to a competing site to get back into the action. Browser-based games at Yahoo! or MSN offer a quick poker fix from any web browser–equipped computer: your sister’s Dell desktop or the Internet café at your hotel. And talk about efficient. These new Internet poker games are fully automatic and often brilliantly designed. The virtual dealer metes out the cards, processes the wagers, officiates the play, and shoves over the chips—endlessly, faultlessly, and without complaint. You don’t even have to tip!

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Figure 1.4 24/7 tournaments at PartyPoker.com

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Because the game translates well to the Internet mode of play, you get a convenient game experience that is considerably authentic, relatively speaking. Playing poker online is a lot like playing poker at a real cardroom. By contrast, playing NBA basketball on your PlayStation, while fun, is rather different than actually driving the lane against Shaquille O’Neal. At least, I hope so. For your sake.

The Bad

11 ■ THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

Probably the number one criticism of online poker—and it is a legitimate one—is that you cannot actually see, hear, or directly assess your opponents. As you’ve probably seen on the various televised tournaments, at the highest levels of the game, a serious premium is put on the ability to read your opponents, to guess your opponent’s cards or strategy by observing facial expressions, body language, or other telltale signs. If you’re holding a good (but not great) hand, you want to figure out as best you can what your opponent is holding—or whether she is bluffing. You, on the other hand, want a good poker face: the ability to avoid “telegraphing” your hand by maintaining a blank or neutral demeanor. This is true to a lesser extent at the more modest recreational and low-stakes games that you’ll be playing online. It is the primary weakness of the Internet game that you cannot read your opponents in the traditional sense. Poker, it is often said, is a game of limited information. The more information you have on your opponent, the better your chance of making the right decision. When you can see your opponent sweating, or hear him breathing quickly, you have some information. How you interpret that information depends on your skill at reading your opponent (and his skill at obscuring the truth about his hand).

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As of now, there is no way around this dilemma. There may come a day when broadband technology allows for a kind of “videoconference poker,” in which all players are on live camera, but even this has its limitations. There’s a famous episode of Star Trek: The New Generation in which the character Data plays poker in a holograph deck with virtual projections of Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, and Stephen Hawking. Maybe—maybe—holograph technology will someday remedy this problem of virtual poker. Until then, you have to deal with this inherent limitation of the online game. And contrary to what some poker commentators maintain, there are some limited ways to read your opponent online, as well as methods of bluffing and representing. Careful players can still, for example, pay attention to an opponent’s betting patterns and general tendencies. We’ll explore these in detail in a later chapter, so stick around. The other major complaint about the Internet cardrooms is that they tend to be much more loose than live games, even with real money at stake. This is a genuine problem, as much of the value of in-depth strategy is lost when four or five people are calling bets all the way to the end. You can make the most of this situation, however, because you will be playing smart poker and trying to improve while many of your opponents will be flailing around “having fun.” We’ll talk again in Chapter 8, “Navigating the Free-Money Cardrooms,” and Chapter 15, “The Top Online Poker Rooms,” about how to find relatively good poker at play-money and low-stakes virtual tables. Finally, online games can be slower than live games (although they can be faster, too). Your opponents may be distracted, they may have slow computers, or they may lose their ISP connection altogether. Online poker games address this problem by giving each player a set amount of time to respond when it is their turn to act—usually 15–20 seconds. When time runs out, the player is automatically folded out of the hand. (There are some exceptions; see Chapter 9, “Take Your Seat! The Virtual Poker Table.”) Still, even one or two slow players at a 10-seat table can kill the fun and rhythm of a game. Not a critical issue, but believe me—it can be decidedly annoying.

The Ugly Western society has long had an ambiguous relationship with gambling. We like it, it’s exciting and fun, but it somehow offends our more Puritan instincts at the same time. There is a simple explanation for this, so simple that it has to be true. Gambling involves money.

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13 ■ THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

While poker proponents rightfully maintain that it is a game of skill, there is no getting around this fact: Poker is also a game in which wagering money is integral to the very structure of how it is played. You can play poker without real money, of course, but it does alter the game; it’s not quite pure poker. Because money is involved, new complications and concerns arise that would not be a problem in the case of, say, online Scrabble (which is lots of fun, by the way). The first problem is as old as gaming itself: cheating. Wherever there are games, there will be cheaters. Wherever there are games involving money, there will be dedicated, resourceful, cunning, and ingenious cheaters. You can bet on it. In the case of online poker, the news is mixed. On the one hand, because everything is automated, digital, and remote, it is impossible for your opponents to cheat in the old-fashioned ways. You can’t have an ace up your sleeve. (Well, you can, but it ain’t going anywhere.) There is no way to mark cards and no way to peek under the top of the deck or at the next guy’s hand. Of course, being the resourceful little bastards that they are, cheaters can still find an illegal edge in online cardrooms. The most common concern is collusion, in which two or more players at a table share information on their hands in order to gain an advantage over a legitimate player. Your cheating opponents could be talking by phone, or they could be in the same room. It could even be the same person playing two different accounts. Many of the other concerns about cheating focus on the possibility that the underlying game system itself could be compromised, either by independent hackers or by insiders at the virtual cardroom itself. A related worry is that the online cardroom itself is either crooked or unreliable on an institutional level—that it may shut down, go broke, or simply vanish, and you will not be able to cash out your winnings. Check out the “Online Casino Security Issues” sidebar for more details. Aside from concerns of cheating and corruption, there are the rather murky questions of online poker’s legality—especially in the U.S. We’ll look at this more closely in the next section. The final potential ugly side of playing online poker is one that is rarely addressed, but almost certainly more dangerous than all of these other concerns combined. It is the very real issue of problem gambling, or gambling addiction. This is something that should be taken very, very seriously. Any kind of gambling, online or off, poker or otherwise, has the potential to get you into a lot of trouble very quickly. Internet poker, with its virtues of efficiency and convenience, only compounds the danger. If you have any questions in this area (or even if you don’t), I would urge you to check out Appendix B, “Problem Gambling.” Here you will find a basic overview and links to sources of reliable information.

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Online Casino Security Issues Here’s a website that you should bookmark right away: www.rgpfaq.com.This is the online FAQs (frequently asked questions) document generated by the good folks at the rec.gambling.poker newsgroup. Here is a list of online poker security issues that they have identified over the years: •

The ease of collusion among players.The magnitude of this risk is a matter of ongoing debate, but it is possible for your opponents to communicate secretly or even be the same person.

•

The possibility that the cardroom will not honor a redemption request, that is, will stiff you when you ask for your money. (A few of the early sites folded holding player deposits.)

•

The chance that your personal financial details, such as credit card number, are stored insecurely, allowing either a dishonest cardroom insider or external hacker to obtain them.

•

The possibility that the game technology is not secure, allowing others to compromise the game’s or site’s integrity.This can take any number of forms, from others knowing your cards, knowing what cards will be dealt next, changing what cards are dealt next, or even impersonating you and withdrawing your money.

•

The possibility that the underlying game technology is programmed to deal an unfair game, for example, by failing to shuffle randomly.

•

The possibility that an insider at the cardroom will take advantage of existing security flaws or secretly create new ones to favor their accomplices during play.

•

The chance that a cardroom insider will compile records of your play and reveal them to your opponents for strategic or tactical analysis.

•

The chance that you will be found guilty of a crime in some jurisdiction, perhaps not even your own, simply for playing. For example, if your Internet traffic is routed through Virginia, as much of it is, are your Internet activities subject to Virginia law?

•

The chance that authorities—somewhere—seize your money, either while deposited or in transit, and then place the burden on you of demonstrating why they should return your funds.

•

The chance that opening an offshore account will bring other aspects of your life under the scrutiny of authorities, for example, by increasing the chances of an IRS tax audit.

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The Internet, the Law, and You The legal discussions in this book are not to be construed as legal advice, but as general information only. Please see a qualified attorney for any questions about the legality of online gambling.

The New Poker: How the Game Is Changing Without a doubt, the game of poker is now more popular and widespread than it has ever been. Once associated with outlaws, gangsters, and poorly lit underground cardrooms, the game has assumed its rightful place as a seriously fun, intellectually challenging, and fundamentally social activity.

15 ■ THE NEW POKER: HOW THE GAME IS CHANGING

Now let’s take a look at the final piece of the puzzle—the often confusing and stillevolving issues of Internet poker’s legal status. The $10,000 question is this: Is it legal to play poker online for real money in the U.S.? The answer: kinda-sorta. I understand that this leaves a little to be desired in terms of exactness, but it’s actually the most definitive thing you can say about the matter right now. The deal is that no federal laws apply directly to the individual activity of gambling online. The Interstate Wire Act, initially drafted to fight bookies back in the days of Prohibition, prohibits wagering over any communications network that crosses state lines. But the law applies only to those accepting wagers, not to the bettor. That’s why you can buy into a $5 Texas Hold ’Em tournament from your home PC in Anytown, U.S.A., but the online cardroom itself is located outside U.S. jurisdiction. Further complicating matters is the matter of state and local laws. With a few exceptions such as the Interstate Wire Act, gambling has always been a state issue in the U.S. And this is where it all gets terminally goofy. Very simply put, the problem is that online gambling has outraced government regulation—state and local laws currently on the books do not expressly encompass this new online phenomenon. That makes it complex for a state or local prosecutor to go after individual players, even if existing local laws might possibly apply. Over the next few years, this issue will be slugged out in the courts by state attorneys and CEOs. There are several bills currently in development on both the state and local level. We’ll dig into this more thoroughly in Chapter 11, “Playing with Real Money.” So far, the government is not interested in going after the little guy playing poker on his Dell desktop system. In fact, no one has been given so much as a stern glance. Nevertheless, it is up to you as a player to determine whether playing poker for real money online is illegal in your jurisdiction.

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Much of poker’s recent upsurge can be credited to two of our most recent and widespread technologies: TV and the Internet. Televised tournaments are now regularly broadcast on several national networks, with broadcast coverage resembling that of a pro golf tournament. (Really, think about it—applauding galleries, player interviews, and the hushed, reverent tones of the commentators.) Poker is essentially being treated as a competitive sport, and its mushrooming popularity speaks to the inherent thrill and drama of the game. Ten weird-looking people sitting deadly still and glaring at each other would not seem to be the stuff of compelling TV. And yet, somehow it is. And, as we’ve discussed, the Internet has made a tremendous impact on the game. The industry website PokerPulse.com, which tracks activity across the major online cardrooms, estimates that upwards of 20,000 people are playing Internet poker at any given time. And those are just the real-money games. Conservative estimates suggest that the industry as a whole is grossing around $1 million per day.

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Online real-money poker rooms Average number of real-money players online at any given time Estimated total $ of cash-game wagers in any 24 hours Estimated total prize pool of online tournaments since October 2003 Gross daily poker industry revenue

192 16,000 $83 million $20 million >$1 million

Poker is cresting in what experts call the third wave of gambling in the U.S. Twice before, gambling has mushroomed in popularity and spread across the nation. (Significantly, both previous waves died when the government responded with nearcomplete prohibition.) Convenient and efficient, Internet cardrooms and TV tournaments are drawing tens of thousands of new players to the game every year. So what does that mean to you? Well, it means that it’s a whole lot easier to find a good poker game these days, and you can’t complain about that. It also means there are a lot of inexperienced players—known as dead money—both in the online games and at the casino tables in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. But mostly it means that your timing is exquisite. You’ve come to the game at a time when poker is rapidly evolving to new technologies and communication systems. It’s an exciting time to be a poker player.

Poker Terms Used in This Chapter artificial intelligence (AI) Generally speaking, the ability of a computer to approximate human thought; in gaming, a computer program designed to play a game “intelligently.” bluffing To bet or raise with a hand that is unlikely to be the best hand in the hopes of getting your opponent(s) to fold.

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bust out To lose all of your chips; usually refers to being eliminated in a tournament. central game system The “brains” of an online poker game: the computer program that facilitates the game itself. chat window The on-screen area in which players type messages back and forth. collusion A kind of cheating in which two or more players secretly share information at the table. It’s illegal in all poker games. dead money (1) Inexperienced players at high-level games. (2) Money in the pot by players who have already folded. game mechanics The rules that govern and organize the game of poker. interface What you “see” when you play poker online: the graphic and textual elements of an online poker room. loose A poker slang term for a game in which many players are wagering freely and unwisely. network A system of computers interconnected in order to share information.

problem gambling Gambling behavior that causes disruptions in any major area of life: psychological, physical, social, or vocational. (Source: National Council on Problem Gambling) raking the pot A policy by which the house takes a percentage or portion of each pot won as the fee for facilitating the game. random card generator A computer program that uses complex mathematical algorithms to simulate the act of physically shuffling the cards. read To attempt to determine your opponent’s cards or strategy by observing facial expressions, body language, or other telltale signs. represent To deceptively wager in a way that suggests you have a hand other than what you actually have. ring games (1) A non-tournament game. (2) A cash game. table chat Conversation and small talk among players at an online poker table typed into the chat window. video poker Digital slot machines, online or off, that use poker hand rankings as an organizing principle.

17 ■ POKER TERMS USED IN THIS CHAPTER

poker face The ability of a player to avoid “telegraphing” his or her hand by maintaining a neutral demeanor.

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Online Satellites and Big-Time Tournaments I’ve often thought, if I got really hungry for a good milk shake, how much would I pay for one? People will pay a hundred dollars for a bottle of to say it is foolish or wrong to spend that kind of money, if that’s what you want. So if a guy wants to bet twenty or thirty thousand dollars in a poker game, that is his privilege. —Jack Binion

The Short Stack What Is a Poker Tournament? Poker on TV From Online to On TV: Satellite Tourneys Why Play Tournaments?

19 ■ O N L I N E S AT E L L I T E S A N D B I G - T I M E T O U R N A M E N T S

2

wine; to me that’s not worth it. But I’m not going

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Poker’s recent surge in mass popularity is due mainly to two separate but converging phenomena: the expanding online game and the advent of televised poker tournaments. You’ve almost certainly seen these TV shows while clicking around the dial on basic cable. Major networks such as ESPN, Bravo, The Travel Channel, and Fox Sports now have their own marquee poker shows, often with celebrity hosts and/or players such as Dave Foley (NewsRadio), Lou Diamond Phillips (La Bamba), and the incomparable Shana Hiatt.

Shana Hiatt is the model and actress—and righteous poker babe—who hosts The Travel Channel’s World Poker Tour.

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These televised tournaments have been something of a surprise breakout hit in the TV industry. They’re a boon for the poker industry as well, bringing more people to the game both online and off. If you’ve caught a few of these poker shows, you already know how weirdly cool and addictive they are. They combine elements of TV sports programming with a kind of a game show vibe, as regular folks compete with poker pros and celebrities for cash and prizes. I’m completely addicted to them—I think they’re great. (My wife, less so. But she’s coming around….) In this chapter, we’re going to look more closely at the poker tournament and how it works, both on the Internet and in live games. We’re also going to explore the intriguing area where these two arenas intersect—how you can compete in online tournaments to win a seat in the big-money live games you see on TV. Yes, indeed, it’s entirely possible that you could wind up on ESPN or The Travel Channel’s World Poker Tour if you develop a successful tournament game. Case in point: The champion of the 2003 World Series of Poker—Chris Moneymaker—was an online player who won a seat in the main tournament via an Internet poker site. His initial investment? $39. His final cash winnings? $2.5 million. Not bad.

What Is a Poker Tournament? For our initial discussion of tournament play, you can assume that everything you read here applies both to live game tournaments and online tournaments. When there are

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Rebuy Tournaments In some live tournaments, a player is given the option of buying more chips—after the initial buyin—during a specific period of time. Usually this is a fixed amount of chips, and this option is available only during the first few hours of play.This is much less common in online tournaments. If a tournament allows rebuying, this can significantly impact your strategy for the game.

Single-Table and Multi-Table Tournaments Poker tournaments can be either multi-table (usually the case in live games) or singletable (increasingly popular online). Multi-table tournaments can have hundreds of entrants. As players bust out, the tables are condensed and combined until there is one final table left.

21 ■ W H AT I S A P O K E R T O U R N A M E N T ?

differences or discrepancies, I’ll point them out. You can play in a poker tournament pretty much any night of the week in major casinos across the country and the world. You can also find poker tournaments at just about all of the big online poker cardrooms such as PartyPoker.com and PokerStars.com. Simply put, a poker tournament is a game in which all players pay a fixed amount of money before the game starts and begin play with the exact same number of chips. Players are eliminated one by one as they run out of chips until one player has accumulated all the chips that were initially doled out. The amount of money you pay to get a seat at a tournament—called the buy-in— does not necessarily have any relation to the amount of chips that you start the game with. A typical buy-in scenario, for instance, might require that you pay $50 (which goes to the prize pool) plus $5 (the fee that the house charges for facilitating the game.) For that $55 investment, you are given 1,000 chips with which to gamble. These are dollar-denomination chips—$5, $10, $100, and so on—but for the purposes of the tournament, they are only units. These are tournament chips, and they do not function as cash currency as do the chips in a cash game.

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Depending on the tournament’s pay-out structure, the winner or winners divide up the total money—the prize pool—collected at the beginning of the game. For example, in a typical, single-table 10-player Texas Hold ’Em tournament, the winner would get 50 percent of the prize pool, second place would get 30 percent, and third place would get 20 percent. With a $50 buy-in, the winner would get $250, second place would get $150, and third place would get $100. In big multi-player tournaments, the pay-out structure is much more complex. Table 2.1 shows you the representative tournament pay-out system.

Place

Prize Percentage

Cash

1st

30.00%

$405.00

2nd

20.00%

$270.00

3rd

13.00%

$175.50

4th

7.80%

$105.30

5th

5.50%

$74.25

6th

3.70%

$49.95

7th

3.00%

$40.50

8th

2.50%

$33.75

9th

2.00%

$27.00

10th

1.50%

$20.25

11th

1.10%

$14.85

12th

1.10%

$14.85

13th

1.10%

$14.85

14th

1.10%

$14.85

15th

1.10%

$14.85

16th

1.10%

$14.85

2:

Table 2.1 Sample Tournament Pay-Out Structure: $10 Buy-In and 135 Players

17th

1.10%

$14.85

CHAPTER




18th

1.10%

$14.85

19th

1.10%

$14.85

20th

1.10%

$14.85

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With all of this established, let’s get to the heart of tournament poker play. The first thing to bear in mind, which may seem obvious but sometimes confuses people, is that aside from the buy-in and pay-out structure, the game itself is played exactly as it is in a cash game. Whatever the tournament—single- or multi-table, live, or online— you still wager on the strength of your poker hand with the chips that you have. However, this is not to say that your strategy should be the same. In fact, tournament strategy is very different indeed from cash game strategy. But we’ll get to that later. All I’m saying is, don’t be scared off by tournaments because they’re set up differently—the game remains the same.

Betting Structure and Escalating Blinds

In Texas Hold ‘Em, the dealer position rotates around the table, as do the blind bets.

In tournament play, these forced bets—the small blind and the big blind—start out relatively small. In a game in which everyone starts with, for example, $1,000 in chips, the initial blinds are usually $5 and $10, or $10 and $15. Here comes the critical part: The blinds regularly escalate as the game progresses. Tournament structures have developed this way because otherwise, even a small tournament could potentially last for days. And so the blinds approximately double every hour or half-hour (in live tournaments) or every x number of total hands dealt (more typical in online games). The following list shows escalating blinds of a single-table tournament with $800 in starting chips at PartyPoker.com. Blinds escalate every 10 hands dealt. $15/30 $30/60 $50/100 $100/200 $200/400 $300/600

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This section will winnow down the complexity of the issue a little by focusing on flop games such as Texas Hold ’Em and Omaha, which incorporate blind bets. Specifically, we’ll be talking about Texas Hold ’Em because it’s the granddaddy poker game right now. In Texas Hold ’Em, the two players to the left of the dealer are required to put in, or post, a set amount of money before the cards are even dealt. This is to ensure that there is some action—some money in the pot—on every hand.

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$400/800 $500/1,000 $600/1,200 This means that early in a tournament, the size of a forced blind bet to the average chip stack ($15:$1,000) is relatively small. Later in the game, when the blinds have escalated, this ratio changes radically—even if you are more or less breaking even. This has a huge impact on strategy, as you’ll see in Chapter 18, "Hold ’Em Online Tournament Strategy."

TV Tournaments

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Tournament poker is, by nature, compelling and dramatic. It is this very drama that is driving the growing popularity of televised poker tournaments. These shows, produced by TV professionals who know a good thing when they see it, highlight the virtues of competitive tournament poker. It is arguably the very core of their appeal. (I suspect that TV coverage of a rolling cash game would be nowhere near as fun to watch.) The drama—the story that hooks you—is the competition and elimination of the players. Just like sports playoffs, or Survivor and American Idol.

Now there’s an idea—Poker Survivor.Ten players are stranded on an island, with only a deck of cards and chips made from coconuts…. Ah, never mind.

Back to reality. One critical element of the TV game is the use of hole-card cameras that allow the viewing audience to see exactly what kind of hand a player has— whether he’s bluffing with a 2-7 offsuit or slow-playing a pair of pocket rockets. This adds a whole new dimension to the experience of watching others play poker—heightening the drama and lending a nice, Hitchcockian voyeurism flavor to the proceedings. Besides being fun to watch, TV tournaments are opening up broad new vistas of opportunity for the online poker player. There is an amazing synergy developing here. TV is bringing more people to the online game, and the Internet player now has a legitimate chance of competing in the big-money TV tournaments that drew her (or him) in the first place.

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Now you know a little about poker tournaments and how they work, online and off. Let’s jump into the deep end, shall we? The Travel Channel’s World Poker Tour, and even more spectacularly, ESPN’s World Series of Poker, are poker tournament action writ insanely large. There are literally millions of dollars at stake, and as such, poker is being played at its absolute highest level. Let’s take a look at these monster poker tournament shows, and then talk a little bit about how you, as an ambitious online player, can potentially get in on the big-time action.

World Poker Tour

25 ■ TV TOURNAMENTS

A huge success story for The Travel Channel, World Poker Tour (commonly known as WPT) is an ambitious undertaking to bring the high drama of tournament poker to the small screen. The show, which premiered in March 2003, features a series of televised poker tournaments from around the world, broadcast with the flair and energy of a professional sports event. The program has expert commentators (poker pro Mike Sexton and home game expert Vince Van Patten), flashy graphics, player interviews, and multiple camera angles. By the end of the first season in June, World Poker Tour had become the highest rated show on The Travel Channel and one of the top two shows in the network’s history. World Poker Tour is the name of the show itself, but the actual poker tournament televised are all independent events run by various casinos, cardrooms, or online poker sites. The show usually televises the final table of the main No Limit Texas Hold ’Em tournament. Other games are played, but not usually included on the show. While many of the players are poker pros—big-name contenders who travel the tournament circuit for a living—quite a few amateur and online amateur players regularly make the televised final table game. These amateur players buy into the tournament directly—usually a few thousand dollars—or they win their way in through live game or online satellite tournaments. So the way to think about World Poker Tour is that it is a traveling TV show that covers major poker tournaments (see Table 2.2) in the same way that Monday Night Football covers NFL games in season. One critical difference is that anyone can win their way into one of these televised tournament games. In the WPT’s first season, amateurs who anted up as little as $1 in online play made the final table and won tens of thousands of dollars. An unknown even captured first place at one WPT event, earning a seat worth $25,000 at the series finale championship.

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Table 2.2 World Poker Tour 2004 Season

Tournament

Location

Bicycle Casino, Legends of Poker

Bell Gardens, CA

Borgata Casino and Resort, Borgata Poker Open

Atlantic City, NJ

Foxwoods Resort Casino,World Poker Finals

Mashantucket, CT

Bellagio, Five Diamond World Poker Classic

Las Vegas, NV

Aviation Club de France, Grand Prix de Paris

Paris, France

UltimateBet.com, Ultimate Poker Classic

Aruba

PokerStars.com, Poker Stars Caribbean Adventure

Caribbean Cruise

Horseshoe/Gold Strike Casinos, Jack Binion World Poker Open

Tunica, MS

Commerce Casino, L.A. Poker Classic

Los Angeles, CA

Bellagio,WPT Battle of Champions

Las Vegas, NV

Commerce Casino,WPT Invitational

Los Angeles, CA

Bay 101 Club, Bay 101 Shooting Star

San Jose, CA

PartyPoker.com, PartyPoker Million

Mexico cruise

Reno Hilton,World Poker Challenge

Reno, NV

Bellagio,WPT Championship

Las Vegas, NV

The World Series of Poker Ah, yes, the World Series of Poker. This is the Big One, the Granddaddy, the tournament universally considered to be the most important and prestigious on the planet. Established in 1970 by Benny Binion, owner of the legendary Binion’s Horseshoe Casino in downtown Las Vegas, the World Series of Poker—fondly known as WSOP— has been televised and documented in various forms over the years. (See the sidebar titled “World Series of Poker History” later in this section.) Most recently, this annual tournament has been broadcast by sports powerhouse ESPN in their popular program, also titled World Series of Poker. ESPN’s show is similar to the WPT coverage, but even more slick and polished. The show’s hosts, Lon McEachern and Norman Chad, are even designated play-by-play and analyst commentators, and the show has the overall vibe of a major sporting event.

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Other TV Tournaments and Events As poker’s popularity continues to expand and go mainstream, you can expect to see more TV shows, magazine and newspaper articles, radio features, Internet sites, and yes, more books on the subject. It’s TV, though, that seems to be best suited to capturing the minute-to-minute thrill of poker’s most dramatic event—the elimination tournament. Bravo’s Celebrity Poker Showdown takes a more Hollywood approach to the tournament game. Hosted by actor Kevin Pollack (The Usual Suspects) in its inaugural year, the show is now hosted by actor/comedian Dave Foley (Kids in the Hall, NewsRadio) and features celebrities playing for charity. Former celebrity players include David Schwimmer (Friends), Carrie Fisher (Star Wars), rapper Coolio, and heavyweight movie stars like Martin Sheen and Ben Affleck. The game of choice is, naturally, No Limit Texas Hold ’Em.

27 ■ TV TOURNAMENTS

The WSOP lasts nearly an entire month and consists of dozens of individual tournaments in the various poker game variants—Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, and so on. But the main event is the No Limit Texas Hold ’Em tourney with its buy-in of $10,000. While many players buy into the WSOP directly, an increasing number of participants win their seat via satellite tournaments. In fact, 2003’s No Limit Texas Hold ’Em Champion Chris Moneymaker made a huge splash in the poker world by winning the Big One as a rank amateur. While there is no doubt that lady luck smiled on Moneymaker (yes, that’s his real name), it’s also true that he played skilled and disciplined poker against some serious heavyweights. (See “Chris Moneymaker’s Road to the WSOP” at the end of this chapter.) The main No Limit Texas Hold ’Em tournament went absolutely through the roof in 2004, with 2,576 entrants and a prize pool of more than $24 million. For the first time in its history, the event’s opening rounds had to be spread over two days to accommodate all the players. The $5 million first prize went to Greg Raymer, who made his way to the big event via—you guessed it—an online tournament. There are a couple of old sayings that make the rounds at the World Series of Poker. One is that all you need to compete is “a chip and a chair.” The other—which has become the unofficial slogan of the tourney—is “Anyone can win.” It’s that very possibility, that you or I or maybe even my mom could play our way into a blockbuster televised poker tournament, that gives TV poker its unique hybrid charm—part sporting event, part reality series, part game show.

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World Series of Poker History Though the World Series of Poker made its official debut in 1970, the idea of the Horseshoe’s annual tournament was actually conceived more than two decades earlier. 1949 In the summer of 1949, as the story goes, inveterate gambler Nicholas “Nick the Greek” Dandolos approached Benny Binion with an unusual request—to challenge the best in a high-stakes poker marathon. Binion agreed to set up a match between Dandolos and the legendary Johnny Moss, with the stipulation that the game be played in public view. During the course of the marathon, which lasted five months with breaks only for sleep, the two men played every form of poker imaginable. Moss ultimately won “the biggest game in town” and an estimated $2 million.When the Greek lost his last pot, he arose from his chair, bowed slightly, and uttered the now-famous words,“Mr. Moss, I have to let you go.” Dandolos then went upstairs to bed.

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1970 It wasn’t until 1970 that Binion decided to re-create this excitement and stage a battle of poker giants—dubbed the “World Series of Poker”—to determine who would be worthy of the title “World Champion.” Some of the best players in the country were assembled, and Johnny Moss came out on top.The decision was democratic in that the champion was decided by popular vote. 1971 The tournament winner was now determined by a freezeout competition,with players being systematically eliminated until one player had all the chips.Johnny Moss again was declared the World Champion. 1972 A new champion arose—Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston. After the tournament, he went on the talk-show circuit, which gave the WSOP more exposure and a wider following. Early 1980s With the introduction of preliminary "satellite" competitions with lower buy-ins, Binion’s prophesy came into fruition, and the popularity of the World Series of Poker soared. In 1982, the tournament had 52 entries. Five years later, there were 2,141 entries, and the 2002 event had 7,595 participants. The prize money increased from $7,769,000 a decade ago to a staggering $19,599,230 in 2002! 1989 On Christmas Day, Benny Binion passed away. Continues

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World Series of Poker History (continued) 2002 The event draws 7,595 participants, and the prize money increased from $7,769,000 a decade ago to a staggering $19,599,230.

The World Series of Poker® and its related intellectual property are owned by Harrah’s Operating Company, Inc. or its subsidiaries. Used with permission.

29 ■ TV TOURNAMENTS

In a sign that TV poker coverage is becoming as competitive as the game itself, Fox Sports has taken an extremely aggressive approach to tournament coverage. In November 2003, the network aired its first Showdown at the Sands in Atlantic City, a mere 24 hours after the tournament’s completion. Due to the use of hole-card cameras, it’s impossible, of course, to televise a poker tournament live. Fox did the next best thing: Using 21 cameras, 21 tape machines, 12 instant-replay machines, three continuously running editing computers, and a special event NFL broadcast truck, Fox basically provided extended tape-delay coverage of the tournament. This is a sign of where the industry is likely headed as poker begins competing with established tournaments such as golf and bowling. There are also a few European poker shows up and running, the most popular of which is Late Night Poker, produced out of Wales in the U.K. Late Night Poker works much like the other TV shows we’ve discussed, with a sports event–type of coverage featuring commentators, hole-card cameras, and player interviews. It’s a sign of the demand for TV poker that Fox Sports has picked up this show for distribution on its U.S. network of affiliates. What you’ve seen up until now has been the glamorous world of the televised poker tournament, which provides a sense of just how big this phenomenon of supersized, marquee events has become. But contrary to what the entertainment industry would have you believe, there is an actual Real World out there that is not constantly televised and broadcast. This, of course, is where the vast majority of poker tournaments—big and small—take place. There are far too many tournaments to even begin to catalog here, but just about every major casino or cardroom in the U.S. (and the world, ultimately) has at least one annual tourney that serves as their signature event. Check out Appendix A, “Additional Resources: Books, Websites, and Software,” for a list of websites that track these tournaments for further details.

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Satellites, Feeders, and Online Qualifiers It should all be falling into place now—how tournaments, the Internet, and the burgeoning TV poker scene are converging to create some new, altered beast. But let’s wrap this up by getting as specific as we can.

Chris Moneymaker’s Road to the WSOP Chris Moneymaker will be remembered in the history books as the one man who did more to change the game of poker than anyone else. His amazing No Limit Texas Hold ’Em championship in the 2003 World Series of Poker proved that an amateur could legitimately contend with the pros in the world’s biggest tournament. His high-visibility win and gentlemanly manner—broadcast a million or so times on ESPN since then—brought a huge wave of interest to the WSOP, online cardrooms, and poker in general. Here is Chris’ story in his own words:

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“I started playing poker about four years ago when my friends and I saw the movie Rounders starring Matt Damon.The poker-playing scenes were intriguing, and we soon began organizing our own games. After a while, I wanted to try playing against people other than my friends, but the nearest casino was over four hours away. After looking around a little, I found out you could play poker on the Internet, which was perfect for my situation. “I started playing on a few different online poker sites, but I was soon drawn to PokerStars for their multi-table tournaments. Once I discovered PokerStars.com, I really began to enjoy playing tournament poker—especially the multi-table No Limit Hold ’Em tournaments. I played in many $20–$30 tournaments over those next several months. I had some successes in those tournaments and managed to cash in a few of them and even win one. “One day I decided to play in a satellite to the World Series of Poker. In fact, the one I selected was a satellite to another tournament, where the winner of the second tournament would win entry into the World Series of Poker.The entry fee to the first satellite was only $39 and was structured to allow only 18 players.The winner of this mini-tournament would move on to the next level. “Honestly, I really had no expectations of winning even that first tournament; I was just planning to play my best and have fun.When I did win, I looked forward to the next level satellite, but I still didn’t think I had a real chance of winning. “The next level satellite had more entrants than the first—I believe it was over 60.The winner of that one was heading to the $10,000 No Limit Hold ’Em tournament at the 2003 World Series of Poker.The tournament took several hours to play, but at the end of it, I was victorious! I was off to Las Vegas and the World Series of Poker!”

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Why Play Tournament Poker? Now that you have a basic understanding of tournament play, let’s talk about whether and why you should consider playing them in the first place. The first and best reason, especially for new players, is that tournament play gives you the opportunity to play a lot of poker for a fixed and relatively small investment. Many of the online cardrooms offer single-game tournaments for as low as $5 (plus a $1 buy-in fee). For that amount, you can expect a couple of hours of quality poker-playing time. If you’re playing your favorite and strongest game at these tournaments, say, Texas Hold ’Em, this is valuable experience whether you win money or not. Low-stakes tournaments also give you a chance to check out other games, such as Seven-Card Stud or Omaha, for a limited amount of money. Also, generally speaking, the poker played in tournaments tends to be better in “quality” compared to cash games played at similar stakes. By quality, I mean that tournament poker is usually played by the book in terms of basic poker strategy. Tournaments provide a level playing field—all players start with the same chip stack. Once you’re busted out, you have to leave the table. In cash games, any hothead with a

31 ■ W H Y P L AY T O U R N A M E N T P O K E R ?

Almost all of the major online cardrooms now offer tournaments in which the winner receives a seat in a bigger tournament in lieu of cash. These are variously called satellite tournaments, super-satellite tournaments, feeder tournaments, or online qualifiers. But essentially they’re all the same in terms of their ultimate function. The overarching idea behind these kinds of tournaments—we’ll call them satellites—is to provide players with an option to win their way into the big money tourneys without having to pay the huge buy-in amounts required. So, for instance, let’s say you want to play in the World Series of Poker. Heck, who doesn’t? You could either scrape up $10,000 for a direct buy-in, or you could take advantage of the many satellite tournaments offered online. The winner of any given satellite tournament goes on yet another satellite, and so on and so on, until he or she has amassed enough wins to get a seat in the Big Game. That’s exactly how Chris Moneymaker became world champion. For more particulars on our sampling of online cardrooms that offer satellites for big money events, jump right to Chapter 15, “The Top Online Poker Rooms.” Keep in mind, though, that the landscape here changes very quickly as tournament organizers strike deals with the various Internet services. Again, Appendix A will help you out by providing websites that track this stuff 365 days a year.

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big bankroll can try to run over a game by aggressively betting every hand and trying to scare out the competition. That’s completely legitimate poker, of course, but for the beginning player, it’s much more valuable to play in games where skill and discipline are displayed and rewarded. One final reason why tournament play is worth considering is that tournaments are incredibly, gloriously, smashingly, frickin’ fun. They bring to the game an added level of competition and sportsmanship, as you and a few other (or a few hundred other) poker players apply your talent and skills to knock each other out of the game. In the same way that the March Madness of NCAA basketball is exponentially more exciting than the long haul of the regular season, a poker tournament distills the essence of competition and provides a battle royale of sudden-death drama. Tournament poker is a game of elimination. Win, and you get the title of victor and the eyepopping spoils. Lose, and you go home and try—try—to get some sleep.

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Poker Terms Used in This Chapter 2-7 offsuit A 2 and a 7 of different suits; considered the worst possible starting hand in Texas Hold ’Em. ante A small bet posted by all players before the hand is dealt. big blind The larger of the two forced bets in flop games, made by the second player to the dealer’s left. blind bet A forced bet posted before the deal by one or more players to the dealer’s left. buy-in The amount of money you pay to get a seat at a poker tournament. flop games Games such as Texas Hold ’Em and Omaha that use five community cards; the first three community cards are called the flop. hole-card cameras In televised TV tournaments, cameras that record players’ down cards for later taped broadcasts. pay-out structure In a tournament, the system that determines how the pooled prize money is divided among the winners. pocket rockets A pair of aces; considered among the best starting hands in Texas Hold ’Em. post To place a bet or put your chips into the pot. prize pool The total amount of money from all participant buy-ins in a tournament.

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satellite tournament A smaller-stakes tournament in which the winner earns a seat in a larger-stakes tournament. small blind The smaller of the two forced bets in flop games, made by the first player to the dealer’s left. tournament chips Dollar-denomination chips—$5, $10, $100, and so on—used only to designate units for the tournament.

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A Brief History of Poker I was playing poker with Tarot cards the other night. I got a full house and four people died. —Steven Wright

35 ■ A B R I E F H I S T O RY O F P O K E R

The Short Stack Origins of Card Games Poker: An American Saga The Modern Era

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The true origins of poker have been lost and blurred in the mists of time, and even the most dedicated scholar of games is left with a lot of guesswork and conjecture. However, the modern game of poker, as we know and love it today, developed primarily on the American frontier of the 19th century. Poker’s most recent incarnations—online and on TV—have had the effect of spreading poker across the globe. This chapter looks at the ancient roots of poker (and card games in general) and then traces the game forward to its weird and wild place in the Information Age of the 21st century.

The Origins of Card Games

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The history of the card game almost certainly merges with the history of paper currency, somewhere way, way, way back in the day. It’s believed that the ancient Chinese were the first to divvy up cash currency into various denominations, and it’s likely that games were played both for and with this paper money. Actual card games emerged in China sometime later. These games were usually very basic, using numerical cards in which a higher number “captured” a lower number (see Figure 3.1). At some point in the development of card games, a more complicated method of play emerged in which certain cards formed winning combinations, as opposed to a strictly numerical system of value. So, for instance, a pair of matching cards (such as two queens) would best a single card of higher rank (a king). This resulted in two basic principles of card games, from which virtually all modern card games can be traced: one, strict numerical designations determine winning hands; and two, combinations of like cards determine winning hands.

Figure 3.1 The first poker game?

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These early card games were also found in historical India and Persia. The Indian influence on the modern playing card is suggested by the resemblance of the modern suits (diamonds, spades, hearts, and clubs) to the ring, sword, cup, and baton often depicted in the Indian Round Cards in the hands of Hindu statues (see Figure 3.2).

Figure 3.2 Indian Round Cards

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In the 13th and 14th century, the roots of today’s standard 52-card deck begin to emerge in Europe. The Chinese cards probably arrived in the satchel of the famed Venetian explorer Niccolo Polo. (You may remember his son Marco.) The Persian influence was almost certainly a result of the Moorish conquest of Spain. Another possibility is that Arabian cards were brought over by the gypsies. In any case, by the 14th century, the Tarot deck was established in Italy and France and associated with the gypsies, who used these cards for games and fortunetelling. The Tarot deck was divided into a Major Arcana of 22 cards and a Minor Arcana of 56 cards (see Figure 3.3).

Figure 3.3 Tarot cards

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The Mysterious Tarot

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The Minor Arcana looks awfully familiar. The cards are divided into four suits of 14 cards each: wands, batons, or rods (clubs); cups (hearts); swords (spades); and coins, pentacles, or disks (diamonds). Each suit has a value progression of ace to 10, and then “face cards” of page (or jack), knight, queen, and king. Somewhere along the way, the knight card was lost, and our modern playing deck contains 52 cards in four suits. About the 16th century, this 52-card deck became standard throughout Europe and a million or so card games were invented—including familiar classics such as Whist and Bridge. In fact, the incredible popularity of card games is often cited as a factor in the development of various printing technologies.

Primero, Pochen, and Poque

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Probably the first direct ancestor of modern poker is a 16th-century game played in Western Europe called Primera (Spain) or Primero (in England). This three-card game featured some recognizable aspects of the game today. Hands were wagered upon, and value combinations included a pair, three-of-a-kind, and three cards of the same suit (called a “flux”—sound familiar?). By the 18th century, some of the more psychological aspects of the game had been thoroughly established. Five-card games like Brag (England), Pochen (Germany), and Poque (France, see Figure 3.4) centered around concepts of bluffing and outmaneuvering opponents with deception and aggressive wagering. Meanwhile, the world was spinning on in its stubborn way, and Europe found itself engaged in another diverting little activity—colonizing the New World. And so card games arrived in the Americas, where the modern game of poker was born.

Figure 3.4 Poque

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Etymology Corner! The origin of the English word “poker” remains unclear, although there is no shortage of suggestions. Below are a few of the possibilities: Poque Most commonly cited, poque was the name of an 18th-century French card game that bore some resemblance to the modern game of poker. Pochspiel Another early card game—this one German—pochspiel incorporated bluffing and other features now found in poker. Players would indicate checking or passing by rapping their knuckles on the table and saying,“Ich Poche!” (“I pound!”) Hocus-pocus Stage magic and playing cards have gone hand-in-hand for a long time, so this was bound to pop up. Still, it’s the least likely of the possibilities. Pukka A Hindu word meaning genuine or first-rate, the word pukka became a popular slang term in Europe’s seedier cardrooms.

Poker, Riverboats, and Saloons: An American Saga The game of poker, as we know it today, is as American as jazz. Just as that music style fused traditions and influences from the Old World into a distinct new entity, poker drew upon the established card games of Europe and fermented into something altogether different. Most likely, it was French colonists in Louisiana who brought the game to America. The French game poque is most often cited as the origin of modern poker, and some of the earliest records of the game in America come from New Orleans. A description of the game in 1829 featured a deck of 20 cards, in which four players bet on whose hand of cards was the most valuable. From there, poker spread north via the Mississippi and then took a hard left, as frontiersmen brought the game from river cities into the untamed West. Jonathan H. Green’s book, An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling (G. B. Zieber, Philadelphia, 1843), described the spread of the game by Mississippi riverboats, on which gambling was a common pastime. In his book, Green writes about what he called the “cheating game,” which was played with the standard 52-card deck but using only the aces, kings, queens, jacks, and 10s. Green claimed that this game had become popular among hustlers and cardsharps, getting more play than the old standby of Three-Card Monte.

39 ■ P O K E R , R I V E R B O AT S , A N D S A L O O N S : A N A M E R I C A N S A G A

Poke Another slang term from Europe and the U.S., poke was used by pickpockets to mean a bag or satchel, or sometimes to identify a “mark” or possible victim.

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As pioneers and players ambled toward the Pacific, the full 52-card deck came into use, and the flush was introduced. During the American Civil War, many distinctly American additions to the game were made, including draw poker, stud poker, and the straight. Further developments followed, such as the wild card (circa 1875), lowball and split-pot poker (circa 1900), and community card poker games (circa 1925). Poker also moved in the other direction and found great popularity in Eastern seaboard cities such as New York and Boston. The spread of the game of poker to other countries, particularly in Asia, is often attributed to the American military.

Poker in the Wild West Much of the romance and down-and-dirty glamour of poker comes from its history as the game of choice in the saloons of the American West. In the mid-to-late 1800s, poker was wildly popular in the lawless frontier towns due to its relative portability. All you needed were a deck of cards and a fistful of dollars.

Fistful of Dollars is the 1964 spaghetti Western starring our man Clint Eastwood.

Tales abound of gunslingers and cowboys hunched over dusty tables, whiskey at hand and spittoon on the floor. This classic image of the Wild West saloon owes as much to film and fiction as it does to actual history. Popular Western dime novels (see Figure 3.5), one of the genres of pulp fiction of the day, brought stories of card cheats and gunmen from the frontier back to the reading public in cities east of the Mississippi.

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Figure 3.5 Pulp fiction

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The classic Western movie often incorporated poker games as simply part of the scenery—as much a part of Wild West life as the high-noon showdown, the crooked sheriff, and the painted ladies of the night. From old movie standards such as Stagecoach (see Figure 3.6) to modern blockbusters like Maverick, Hollywood has made a pocket industry out of selling the romance of the Old West poker game.

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Probably the most enduring story from these days of yore is the tale of the Dead Man’s Hand. On August 2, 1876, famed gambler and lapsed lawman James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok rode into the bleak town of Deadwood, deep in the Dakota Territory. As he sat in a game of draw poker at Sweeney’s Silver Dollar Saloon, he was shot in the back and killed by Jack McCall, supposedly the brother of a man whom Hickok himself had shot and killed in Abilene, Texas. When he was killed, Wild Bill held a pair of eights and a pair of aces, which has ever since been known as the Dead Man’s Hand. To be specific, Bill held black aces and black eights, and his fifth card was said to be the deuce of spades. A grim-looking combination. So if you’re ever dealt that particular set of cards, you may want to check behind you. Just in case.

Wild Bill’s poker playing and untimely demise were recently brought to life in the new HBO series Deadwood.

The upshot of all this dusty lore is that poker has long been steeped in the iconography of the American Old West (as evidenced by such cultural artifacts as Wild

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Figure 3.6 Hollywood romance

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West poker chips; see Figure 3.7), with its qualities of rugged individualism, cutthroat competition, and high adventure.

Figure 3.7 Wild West poker chips

The Modern Era In the 20th century, poker has matured rather gracefully—and mellowed. Its roughneck image of the past has been gradually supplanted with the advent of family gatherings, friendly home games (see Figure 3.8), and clean, well-lit tournaments. Today, poker is played by more people than any single other card game in the U.S., with the probable exception of Solitaire.

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Figure 3.8 Friendly home poker game

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Bob Dylan and Wild West Poker Even folk bard Bob Dylan paid homage to the image of the sepia-toned Wild West poker game in his classic song “Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts.” Backstage the girls were playin’ five-card stud by the stairs, Lily had two queens, she was hopin’ for a third to match her pair. Outside the streets were fillin’ up, the window was open wide, A gentle breeze was blowin’, you could feel it from inside. Lily called another bet and drew up the Jack of Hearts.

The Poker Pro There have always been poker pros, but in the old days of prohibition, these brave souls were forced to make the rounds in secret, playing in illegal cash games and underground clubs. Poker legends such as Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim, and Sailor Roberts came up the hard way, playing dangerous games in dangerous places. This latest expansion of legalized poker has given rise to a new breed of player— the legitimate poker pro who makes a living playing cash games and tournaments around the country (and around the world). These days, top-tier poker professionals

43 ■ THE MODERN ERA

Poker has also spread back into the rest of the world, with its new Americanized flavoring. It has grown particularly popular in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, and has won many converts as well in the nations of the Pacific Rim and the Caribbean. Of course, the vagaries of law have historically determined just when and where it’s legal to play poker, and this has certainly had an effect on the game. In the U.S., the 20th century has been particularly confusing, with federal, state, and local laws overriding and often contradicting one another. At several points in the modern era, poker was completely outlawed in the U.S. (along with all other forms of gambling), except in a few designated jurisdictions like Las Vegas and Atlantic City. This didn’t stop people from playing, of course, in home games and back-room card clubs. But it did have the effect of stigmatizing the game to a degree and hampering its growth into the mainstream. In the last few decades, poker and other forms of gambling have gradually crept back into the light of legal legitimacy. Consider that now you can play not only in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, but also in Detroit, New Orleans, parts of California, Mississippi, and Connecticut, and in about one million riverboats, Native American game rooms, and locally regulated clubs in between.

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like Howard Lederer, Kathy Liebert, and Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, shown in Figures 3.9 through 3.11, can make a legitimate (and rather healthy) living without risking life and limb. (Mostly. Depends on whether you’re at a table with Phil Hellmuth.)

Phil Hellmuth, Jr., one of the top tournament players and a former WSOP No Limit Hold ‘Em champ, has a reputation as a volatile player.We’re just kidding you, Phil…

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Figure 3.9 Howard Lederer

Figure 3.10 Kathy Liebert

Figure 3.11 Chris “Jesus” Ferguson

Once again we find ourselves on the new frontier of the online game. As Chris Moneymaker and many other Internet players have ably demonstrated, online play can lead to fortune and glory, with a little skill and a lot of luck. Will we see the emergence of the Internet poker pro? Maybe. Maybe it’ll be you! Maybe it’ll be me! Probably, it will be my mom—with her unearthly luck, I wouldn’t bet against it.

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Poker has a long and rich history that has informed in many ways the game we play today. So let’s jump back into the practical and procedural end of things and in the next chapter begin the task of assembling the basic poker know-how that you need to win.

Poker Terms Used in This Chapter Dead Man’s Hand The five-card poker hand said to be held by Wild Bill Hickok when he was shot dead at the table: black aces and black eights, the fifth card in dispute; considered to be an unlucky hand in poker. Tarot deck A set of playing cards used in fortune-telling; possibly a forerunner of the modern 52-card deck. Three-Card Monte A gambling game using playing cards, in which a dealer uses sleight-of-hand to deceive a potential bettor. wild card A card that can serve as any other card in making your hand.

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Poker Basics, Hand Rankings, and Betting Structure nity and the ability to take advantage of it. The man who can smile at his breaks and grab his chances gets on.

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—Samuel Goldwyn

The Short Stack Cards & Chips:The Essential Alchemy of Poker Bet or Get Off the Pot:The Object of the Game Hand Rankings Betting Structures

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I think luck is the sense to recognize an opportu-

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If you are already a regular poker player, you can probably safely skip this chapter. You will, however, miss many excellent jokes, alliterations, and puns. (Perhaps this will convince you to definitely skip this chapter….) This chapter briefly runs down the basics of poker and defines some terms that will come in handy later. We’ll talk about the deceptively simple objective of the game, explain hand rankings and betting structure, and consider the unique combination of elements that makes poker the great game that it is.

Cards & Chips: The Essential Alchemy of Poker

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“A poker game without chips is not a poker game, and a poker game without cards is ten guys with sunglasses on staring at each other.” This famous poker maxim is thought to have originated in Saigon, circa 1968, when the legendary gambler Jean-Luc “Crocodile” LeFarge wagered $15,000 on a pair of—oh, who am I kidding? I just made it up. But it’s a good enough introduction to this chapter here on poker basics. Possibly the single most overlooked basic in beginner poker primers is this simple assertion: Poker is a game of cards and chips. This is the essential and mystical alchemy of poker. You can play with just cards, but it’s not really poker.

Caveat Corner:Careful readers will note that poker is also a game of people.Quite right.Poker Godfather Doyle “Texas Dolly”Brunson often said that when he was really locked in and reading his opponents, he felt he could play an entire hand without even looking at his down cards.He would, however, have to move his chips….

As we’ve discussed, the act of wagering on your hand is integral to the game itself, and poker chips have come to be the accepted coin of the realm. You can use real coins, of course, or rolls of $1,000 bills if that’s your thing. The chips can even be play chips, representing nothing but bragging rights, but there must be some basic unit of exchange within the structure of the game. For the sake of convenience, we’ll refer to these units as chips, whether they be actual or digital, real money or fake. And, of course, there are the cards. Just about any poker game you’re likely to run across uses the standard 52-card deck. Some forms of draw poker and lowball use a joker, or bug, but we’ll get to that later. 52 cards doesn’t seem like all that daunting a number, but keep this in mind: There are 2,598,960 possible five-card combinations in a standard deck. The trick to playing good poker is knowing what to do with the cards you are dealt and the chips that you have. The cards you have will almost always inform what you do with your chips. But the amount of chips you have can also impact decisions on

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what to do with your cards. We’re going to examine the fundamentals of cards (hand rankings) and chips (betting structures) separately, but always keep in mind that you can’t have one without the other. Like love and marriage. (Insert your own cynical joke here.)

Bet or Get Off the Pot: The Object of the Game Simply put, the purpose of playing poker is to win chips. Long-term, short-term, whatever. If you’re winning chips, you’re succeeding at the core objective of the game.

It may be that your actual objective is just to have some fun, to enjoy yourself, and to play.That’s totally legitimate, and don’t let anybody tell you different. Let me just note that winning a lot of chips in poker is really, really, really fun.

•

At the end of all betting rounds, if there are two or more players still in the game, you win the pot by revealing (or showing down) the best combination of five cards according to the hand rankings of poker. If two or more players have the same hand, in terms of rank, then the pot is split, or divided equally, among the winning players.

•

At any point in the hand, if all of your opponents fold by not matching your bet, they relinquish their claim to the pot and it’s yours. In this case, it doesn’t matter whether you had the best hand or not. In fact, you don’t even have to show your hand at all. This, as you might expect, is where bluffing often comes in.

So what do we mean when we say best hand? In most poker games, especially the ones you are likely to play online, the best hand is the high hand. So when two or more players remain for the showdown, the winning hand is determined by hand rank, as shown in the chart later in this chapter. A full house beats a flush, and a straight beats three-of-a-kind. Texas Hold ’Em and Seven Card Stud, for example, are games in which the high hand wins the pot. In other games, the best hand is actually the low hand—the “worst” possible combination of five cards. Depending on the specific game, straights and flushes may or may not count in lowball games, but matching cards always do. So a hand like 2-2-2-4-6 still counts as three-of-a-kind (2s) and will be beat by something like 3-5-67-8 (an eight high).

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More specifically, in poker, each hand dealt is treated as a separate game. You win chips by capturing the pot, which consists of all the chips wagered by players in the hand, including preliminary antes and blinds. You do this in one of two ways:

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Then there are split-pot games in which both the high hand and the low hand win an equal portion of the pot. These games are usually variants of high-hand games, and in most online (or real) cardrooms, they are designated as high-low split games. To make matters just a little more complicated, in many split-pot games, the low hand must consist of five unpaired cards with a rank of eight or lower. The best possible low hand in these games is A-2-3-4-5, called the wheel. (Straights and flushes do not count for the low hand.) This results in rather unwieldy names like Omaha HighLow Split Eight-or-Better (usually abbreviated to Omaha/8). We’ll get into the ins and outs of all this in the next chapter, but the idea for now is that in terms of winning that all-important pot, the best hand depends on the game you’re playing. So you want to know the rules before you drop in. If, like a certain mild-mannered writer we won’t name, you accidentally click the wrong tournament one night and find yourself in a Seven Card Stud High-Low Split, Eight-or-Better game when you were expecting Texas Hold ’Em, well, your best bet is to simply pray fervently to the poker gods and hold on tight.

Apparent Insanity: A Personal Aside Probably the most surprising aspect of poker to newcomers is that, at the very highest levels of the game, most pots are won without any final showdown of the cards.In the big tournaments and cash games, enormous amounts of money can change hands with no winning hand revealed at all.This is often smart poker, of course, but it absolutely confounds many people unfamiliar with the game—my wife, for example.We’ll be watching a TV tournament, and someone will muck after having opened for, like, $100,000 and getting raised.“That’s insane,”she says.I like to chuckle softly and call her my sweet little country mouse.Then she usually swats me on the head with a book—it’s one of our cozy little domestic routines.I mention this as a warning, though.If your spouse or significant other tends to read weighty hardcover literature, you might want to keep the gentle condescension to a minimum.

Poker Hand Rankings All of the poker games that we’re concerned with play with a standard 52-card deck. The deck is divided into four suits: spades, clubs, diamonds, and hearts. Each suit has 13 ranks. The ranks of the cards, in descending order, are ace, king, queen, jack, and the numerals 10–2. In most poker games, the ace can count as high or low; when low, the ace counts as the numeral 1, making possible the five-high straight of A-2-3-4-5. Always keep in mind that a poker hand consists of five cards. Even though many games use more than five—usually seven, as in Texas Hold ’Em and Seven Card Stud— it’s the best combination of five cards that counts as your poker hand.

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What Are the Odds? Hand rankings in poker are determined by the relative difficulty of achieving them.That is to say, they are based on mathematical probabilities, or odds. It is much harder to get a flush than a pair in poker, and so the flush is a more valuable hand and is ranked higher. That said, there’s a rather capricious aspect to how poker hands are determined.The most obvious example is that your odds of getting dealt four aces are the same as getting dealt four deuces. But the aces will beat the deuces every time.The value of the individual card ranking in poker is, statistically speaking, arbitrary. Only the classes of hand rankings (full house, straight, flush, and so on) are based on the probability of getting that combination in five cards. Let’s take a look at the rankings, in descending order, for high-hand games:

Straight flush A straight with all five cards in the same suit, for example, 7h, 8h, 9h, 10h, Jh. When the ace is used low, you can get a five-high straight flush: Ac, 2c, 3c, 4c, 5c. Four-of-a-kind A five-card hand in which four of the cards have the same rank (plus one unrelated card), for example, 7d, 7h, 7c, 7s, 3c. Four-of-a-kind is also called quads. A higher ranked set of quads beats a lower ranked set; a set of four queens beats a set of four jacks. Full house Three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank. If more than one player has a full house, the full house with the highest ranking three-card set wins. A full house is sometimes called a full boat, or simply, the boat. Flush Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence. If there is more than one flush, the hand with the highest card(s) wins. So, for example, As, Js, 9s, 5s, 2s beats Ac, Jc, 8c, 7c, 5c. Straight Five cards in sequence, of any suit. The ace can be used in the high straight (10, J, Q, K, A) and the low straight (A, 2, 3, 4, 5). When there is more than one straight, the highest card in the sequence wins. So a jack-high straight beats a ten-high straight. Three-of-a-kind Three cards of the same rank, with two unrelated cards, in a five-card hand. Three-of-a-kind is sometimes called trips or a set. Two pair Two cards of one rank and two cards of another rank, plus the extra card. If two players have two pair, the hand with the highest pair wins. If they have the same high pair, then the highest second pair wins. If they have the same two pair, then the highest fifth card (called the kicker) wins.

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Royal flush Ten, jack, queen, king, ace of the same suit. A royal flush is simply an acehigh straight flush; the best straight flush you can get. It’s royal, of course, in that it contains all the courtly face cards.

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One pair Two cards of the same rank, with three unrelated cards. If two players have the same pair, the hand with the highest ranked outside card(s) wins. High card Five otherwise unrelated cards—no pairs, no flush, no nuthin’. In this sad case, whoever has the highest ranked card or cards wins the hand. So Kh, 9s, 8d, 3d, 2c beats Ks, 9d, 6c, 5c, 4d.

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Betting Structures Our alchemical poker recipe consists of cards and chips (poker, not potato). Cards we’re done with for now—let’s see about these chips. Poker would be a very boring game indeed if it weren’t for chips and what you do with them: place bets. Everyone would stay in every hand until the end, because no one would have anything of value at stake, and simple luck of the draw would determine the winner. You may as well just sit around flipping coins. Betting is the heart of poker, really. It’s where most of your skill and discipline come into play. Different games have different betting rules, but there is a basic betting structure common to all poker variations. Aside from the first round of betting, which usually involves some sort of forced bet, poker requires either a check or a bet from the first player to act: If you check, you are not putting any chips into the pot, but you keep the right to call (or even raise) a player that bets after you.

•

If you bet, you are making a wager of a certain amount of money, limited by the rules of the game.

A check is essentially saying “I pass,” and it’s up to the next player. So if the first player checks, the second player to act (usually, the next player to the left) may also check or bet, and so on around the table. The first player to actually place a bet has made the opening bet. Sometimes this is just referred to as opening, as in, “The first three players check, and Janine opens for $20.” Once a pot has been opened, subsequent players can either fold, call, or raise: •

If you fold, you do not match the opening bet and are quitting that hand. You cannot win the pot.

•

If you call, you put an amount of chips equal to the last bet into the pot. You’re still “in the hand.”

•

If you raise, you increase the initial amount wagered and put it into the pot.

And that’s basically how it works for any given round of betting in a hand of poker. Pretty much all modern poker games have multiple betting rounds, and the basic structure is the same. However, depending on the specific game, there are some limits and differences in exactly how the betting proceeds: Fixed limit game In a fixed limit game, bets and raises must be made with a predetermined amount of chips—no more, no less. You can bet only $2, say, and you can be raised by only $2. Usually, the amount of raises in a round is also limited—three or four raises is the usual cap. In addition, the amount allowed is usually increased in the later betting rounds. In $2–$4 Texas Hold ’Em, for instance, the first two rounds of betting are kept in the $2 limit, while the last two rounds of betting use the $4 increment.

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•

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Spread limit game Players in a spread limit game can wager any amount within the specified limits. The limit might be $3–$15 at any time, so opening bets and raises can be made in any amount within those limits. Raises must be at least equal to the preceding bet. Pot limit game In all poker games, a raise must be at least as large as the previous bet or raise. In pot limit, however, your raise can be as much as the total amount in the pot at the time the wager is made. If you want to raise the limit in a pot limit game, you count your initial call as part of the pot. So let’s say there’s $20 in the pot, and someone raises $20. You can then call the $20, making the pot $60, and then raise the whole shebang another $60, for a total of $120 in the pot. No limit game Just like the lady says—no limit. You can bet or raise any amount at any time.

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Blinds and antes Most poker games require antes or blind bets, which are designed to ensure that there is some action on every hand. An ante is usually a very small bet that all players in a game must post before any cards are dealt. Blind bets are more substantial bets, usually required of the one, two, or three players to the left of the dealer. As the dealer position rotates around the table, so do the blinds, so that everyone has to pay to play. Those are really all the essentials you need to start digging in. As you’ll see in the next chapter, there are several different variations on these basic themes of poker, and all of the popular games are now available somewhere online. But no matter what the game, the guts of poker remains as outlined in this chapter—cards and chips, skill and luck.

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Poker Terms Used in This Chapter best hand The most valuable five-card combination, as determined by poker hand rankings. bet To wager; to put chips into the pot. boat, or full boat A full house. bug A joker card that can be paired with aces or used to make a straight or a flush. call To match the previous bet. check To bet $0; to pass while still retaining the right to call or raise subsequent bets. fixed limit Games in which the amount of chips you can bet in a given round is restricted. fold To surrender your hand and any claim to the pot (including your own previous wagers). forced bet A required wager that initiates the action in the first round of betting. high hand The best poker hand as determined by standard hand rankings. kicker The highest-ranked, unpaired side card in a hand. lowball Games in which the lowest or “worst” poker hand wins. odds The ratio of the probability of an event occurring to the probability of it not occurring. opening To make the first wager in a betting round. pot The total of all players’ bets; the chips in the center of the table. pot limit Games in which the maximum bet is equal to the total amount of chips currently in the pot. quads Four-of-a-kind; four cards of the same rank. raise To call and increase the previous bet, usually by an amount equal to or greater than the last wager. rank The relative value of a card; all cards have a suit and a rank. set Three-of-a-kind, or “trips”; three cards of the same rank. showing down The act of revealing all active hands after the final round of betting to determine who wins the pot. split-pot A pot in which there are two or more winning hands; a tie. spread limit Games that offer a range of wagers in a betting round, within a minimum and a maximum amount. suit One of four designations of playing cards: clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades. trips Three-of-a-kind, or a “set”; three cards of the same rank. wheel A-2-3-4-5, the best possible low hand in most lowball games.

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low hand The worst poker hand as determined by standard hand rankings.

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Popular Online Poker Games God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable game of his own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective an obscure and complex version of poker in a pitch dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a dealer who won’t tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time. —Gaiman and Pratchett’s Good Omens

The Short Stack Texas Hold ’Em Omaha Seven-Card Stud New Arrangements of Familiar Tunes

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5

of any of the other players, to being involved in

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While many home games feature weird and wild poker formats, serious poker players tend to stick to just a handful of traditional games. These games have stood the test of time by proving themselves well-balanced, fun to play, and true to poker’s basic alchemy: cards and chips, skill and luck. Texas Hold ’Em, Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, and a few Hi-Lo variations are the games found in most casino cardrooms, and they’re also the ones most commonly found online. Because they are relatively pure poker games (in other words, not gimmicky), they work pretty much the same as live games in terms of the essential mechanics. They can all be played—for play money or for real money—at the top online cardrooms, and many funny-money versions can also be found on major portal sites such as Yahoo!, Excite, and MSN. This chapter details the rules and traditions of the most popular games available online. While the interface at each of the individual sites varies, the basic rules of the game remain the same. When there are significant differences in how the game is played, we’ll point them out. But generally, the descriptions in this chapter apply, no matter what online cardroom you’re visiting.

Wacky Home Games My family was famous for playing ridiculous home games toward the end of a night of serious poker. After eating and drinking way too much, the mood tended to get silly and out came the zany stuff. It took no skill whatsoever to play most of these games—it was all crazy luck and bravado. Blind baseball is one I remember pretty well. Everyone got nine cards face down and would flip them face up, one at a time.Whoever had the best poker hand showing stopped flipping and made a bet, and then it was on to the next guy.To make matters worse, 3s and 9s were wild, and you got a free card if you flipped a 4.This game generated huge pots, and the winning hand was invariably five-of-a-kind. My dad preferred to play standard poker games with funny wild cards like the standard “one-eyed jacks and the man with the axe” or “red sevens and black fives.” Aunt Vera liked to suggest playing with all hearts wild. Later, in high school, even goofier games were introduced: card-swapping games such as Screw Your Neighbor or “guts” games in which the critical factor was just how stupid (or drunk) you were. In college, things got completely out of hand, with our home games full of class clowns, creative writing majors, and math savants. One game I remember was an insanely complex form of Hi-Lo Stud called Chewbacca Poker in which split pots were calculated, somehow, using pi (3.14165…).

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Texas Hold ’Em: The Cadillac of Poker For the last few decades, Texas Hold ’Em has been the most popular form of poker in casinos and tournaments. There are many reasons why, but a few essential elements of the game are worth pointing out right up front. It’s fast. Because there are only two down cards and five community cards, Hold ’Em moves much more quickly than Stud or Omaha games. That means more hands per hour, more action, and more excitement. It’s “easy.” Please note the quotation marks there. Hold ’Em does not require that the player monitor other cards in play or cards that have been folded. This makes it a relatively easy game to learn. As you’ll see, though, Hold ’Em’s complexity is subtle. It’s dramatic. There’s a reason Hold ’Em is virtually the only game broadcast on TV tournaments: Bluffing and representing are common in Hold ’Em, and in the no limit game, aggression and deception are premium weapons.

How It Works Hold ’Em uses the standard 52-card deck with no jokers. A dealer button is used to indicate the dealer of each hand. The cards are actually dealt by the central game system, of course, but the dealer button establishes relative position of the players, which is critical. This button passes clockwise around the table for the duration of the game. At the end of each hand, the button passes to the next active player to the left. In online games, a random card generator is used to “shuffle” the cards for each hand. The randomized deck is used for that hand only, and then it is reshuffled for the next hand. Let’s assume that a new tournament game is starting. The dealer is established by a preliminary process called highcarding. It’s as simple as it sounds. Everyone gets a card, and the highest card gets the button. In the case of multiple cards with the same rank, high card is determined by suit—spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs, in descending order of value. This is one of the only times in poker that suits are ranked. Once the dealer is established, the player immediately to the dealer’s left is required to post the small blind. The small blind, as a rule, is equal to or less than half the lower stake of a limit game. In $2/$4 game, the small blind would be $1. The player to the left of the small blind, in turn, must post the big blind. As you might expect, the big blind is equal to the lower stake—or double the small blind. In a $2/$4 game, then, the big blind is $2 (see Figures 5.1 and 5.2).

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The most prestigious professional tournaments are No Limit Texas Hold ’Em, and the game has now probably surpassed Stud as the most popular home game as well. The evidence here is naturally anecdotal, but I’ve seen a lot of new home games start up recently, and they all—without exception—play Texas Hold ’Em.

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Figure 5.1 The blinds at PartyPoker.com

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Figure 5.2 The blinds at UltimateBet.com

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These blind limits are just traditional guidelines and may differ depending on the stakes and the structure of a game. For instance, in pot limit and no limit games, the blinds are essentially arbitrary and are established at different levels to allow for varying bankroll budgets. In a typical online cardroom, you might find pot limit or no limit games starting at $.25/$.50 and going upwards of $200/$400. In tournament play, the blinds escalate at certain intervals. (For more information, see Chapter 2, “Online Satellites and Big-Time Tournaments.”) Finally, if you are joining an in-progress cash game, you may be given the option of placing an additional big blind when you join in or waiting until it’s your turn to place the big blind in turn.

Betting Rounds

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After all the blinds have been posted, each player receives two down cards, or hole cards, from the dealer. This is your starting hand. The player to the left of the big blind starts the betting for that round. This position is sometimes referred to as being under the gun. Chapter 4, “Poker Basics, Hand Rankings, and Betting Structure,” provides more details on betting and betting rounds. Each player in turn has the option of placing a bet. Sometimes this is called the pre-flop bet, for reasons that will soon become obvious. The amount that you can bet depends on the table stakes. In a limit game, the amount is limited to the lower number indicated in the stakes structure. So in our exciting $2/$4 game in progress, the amount of a bet in the first round is $2. Bets can be made (or not) by choosing to fold, call, or raise (see Figure 5.3). In the online game, these options are presented as clickable buttons that appear when it is your turn to act. These buttons change depending on the actions taken by the previous player. For instance, at the beginning of the first round of betting, the player under the gun has the option of calling the big blind bet ($2), raising it (to $4), or folding. Let’s say this player raises to $4. Subsequent players now have the option to call the current wager ($4), reraise (to $6), or fold. Betting continues in this fashion, clockwise around the table, until all players in the hand have wagered the same amount. In limit games, the amount of total bets in a round is capped, usually at four. This means one initial bet, plus three raises. After a round of betting has been capped, players have the option only to call or fold. So, returning to our example, the betting would be capped at $8—the initial $2 bet, plus three $2 raises.

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There are some exceptions to this and some variations at certain cardrooms. There are even some basic disagreements in the poker community at large over what constitutes the limit of four bets—does the big blind count as the first bet or just the first call of the big blind? For the most part, however, betting and capping works as described in this section.

Figure 5.3 Fold, call, or raise

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After the first round of betting is complete, three community cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. This is called the flop (see Figure 5.4). These three cards are common to all players still in the hand. The second round of betting works the same as the first round, except that because there are no blind bets active, players have the opportunity to check. Checking basically means making a bet of $0 and passing on your turn. It’s possible, even somewhat common, for all active players to check in a round of betting. When this happens, it’s called checking around, and no money goes into the pot for that round of betting. Betting begins with the player to the left of the dealer button. In limit games, the amount of a single bet is limited to the same amount as in the first round, $2 in our example. After the second round of betting is complete, a fourth community card is placed next to the other three. This is called the turn, or fourth street. Guess what time it is?

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Time to bet again. Beginning with the turn, however, bets and raises are now limited to the upper level of the betting structure. That is to say, instead of $2, players now bet and raise $4 at a time. The cap—the limit on the number or bets and raises—remains the same. Checking is also still a possibility.

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The Showdown Finally, the fifth and final community card is dealt. This is called the river, or fifth street. By this time, there should be few players in the pot (if any). Nevertheless, we soldier bravely on with a fourth and final round of betting. Bets and raises are still at the upper stake limit ($4), and it’s still possible to check. Once any and all the bets have been made, called, raised and called again, it’s time for the showdown. In showdown, the players remaining compete to see who has the best possible five-card poker hand made from their two hole cards and the five community cards (see Figure 5.5). The five-card hand, therefore, can be made in one of three ways: •

Both hole cards and three community cards

•

One hole card and four community cards

•

All five community cards (called playing the board)

■ TEXAS HOLD ’EM: THE CADILLAC OF POKER

Figure 5.4 The flop

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The player who made the last bet, or raise, is obligated to reveal his or her hand. In online play, this means that the game system will reveal your hand to the table. Anyone else in the hand has the option to muck, or fold their hand, without revealing their down cards to the table. (Many online cardrooms give you an option to automatically muck losing hands.)

Figure 5.5 Showdown

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And that’s that. The best hand showing, according to the standard ranking of the five-card hand, wins the pot, the whole pot, and nothing but the pot. Then everyone laughs, or groans, or maybe weeps, and the whole process starts up again.

The Fine Points of Play There are just a couple additional elements to mention here regarding Texas Hold ’Em. The most important is the concept of going all-in. Any player who does not have enough chips to call a bet but still wants in on the hand is declared all-in. That player is eligible to win the portion of the pot up to the point of that final wager. All further action in the hand is put into a side pot, which is not available to the all-in player. All new bets are then placed in the side pot. If the all-in player has the winning hand, he gets the main pot. The next-best hand is awarded the side pot. If a player

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other than the all-in player has the best hand, that player gets all the winnings in both pots. This can get very confusing, especially when more than one player goes all-in on a hand. One of the great benefits of online play is that all side pots are instantly and accurately calculated by the central game system and disbursed accordingly when all hands go to the showdown. A related concept to note is that Hold ’Em, like virtually all games played online, is played for table stakes. This means that only the chips you have at the beginning of the hand may be used during the hand. You can’t go to the cashier and get more chips during play. (However, some tables allow you to buy more chips between hands, while still retaining your seat.) Moving right along…

Omaha: A Word from Nebraska…

Omaha High Omaha High is a flop game and typically uses the same structure of dealer button and blinds used in Texas Hold ’Em. Betting rounds and limits are also the same, with the exception that Omaha is usually spread only as a limit and pot limit game in online cardrooms. Omaha has two key differences from Texas Hold ’Em: •

Each player is dealt four cards instead of just two.

•

A hand must be made using exactly two pocket cards (out of four) and three from the table.

This seems simple enough, but these changes make for a markedly different game (see Figure 5.6). With four hole cards to choose from, the range of (seemingly) playable hands expands dramatically compared to Texas Hold ’Em. You basically have six different starting two-card combinations, as opposed to only one.

65 ■ OMAHA: A WORD FROM NEBRASKA…

Omaha Hold ’Em is essentially a variant of Texas Hold ’Em with a few changes. As you shall see, these changes—which seem minor—actually produce an entirely new game with a unique flavor and flow. Omaha first began showing up in tournament play in the early 1980s, although it’s thought that the game existed well before then. The game is more popular these days in Europe than in the U.S., but you’ll still find it offered in most cardrooms. Using the detailed discussion of Texas Hold ’Em as a springboard, we’re going to jump into Omaha by highlighting the ways in which it differs from the Texas game.

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Figure 5.6 Omaha High

The additional hole cards also mean that winning hands tend to be quite a bit stronger. Straights and flushes are common winning hands in Omaha. Two pair and three-of-a-kind—often powerful in Texas Hold ’Em—rarely stand up in Omaha. Also, the fact that you must use two down cards—no more and no less—creates some interesting dynamics. For example, if four spades hit the table, you still need two more in the hole to make a flush. And four-of-a-kind in the hole is a rather weak hand, because you basically have a pair and another pair. It’s the stuff ulcers are made from.

Generally speaking, bluffing does not work well in Omaha High.There are just too many combinations and too many possibilities for strong opposing hands.In a serious tournament, when everyone is playing tight, bluffing may be an option.But in low-stakes and beginner games, you’re better off forgetting about bluffing altogether.

Omaha/Hi-Lo Omaha/Hi-Lo is shorthand for the game otherwise known as Omaha Hold ’Em, 8-or-Better, High-Low Split Poker. This variant of Omaha High has actually become much more popular than its parent game and is the version of Omaha most often found in casino cardrooms. Omaha/Hi-Lo is a high-low split game, in which the high hand and the low hand split the pot (see Figure 5.7). It works the same in all other respects as Omaha High. To

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qualify for the low half of the pot, the low hand needs to be made up of five unpaired cards with a rank of 8 or lower. The best low hand is A, 2, 3, 4, 5—also known as the wheel. (Straights and flushes do not count against you when vying for the low hand.) The winning low hand goes to the player with the lowest high card. For example, a player with 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 would have a better low hand than someone with A, 2, 3, 5, 8. If two or more players have the same high card, the player with the second lowest card (or third, fourth, and so on) wins the low side of the pot. (Of course, not every game will have a qualifying low hand.) Omaha/Hi-Lo tends to be an extremely high-action game, with all of the additional combinations of Omaha High combined with the low-hand split element. This means more players in each hand and more chips in each pot. It can also be an intimidating game to play due to the staggering number of possible combinations among hole cards, community cards, and high- and low-hand rankings.

Figure 5.7 Omaha/Hi-Lo

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If you want to get good at Omaha, it’s a good idea to spend a lot of time in the free cardrooms first.The game system automatically sorts and figures all the high- and low-hand winners, so simply by watching carefully, you can pick up board-reading skills that otherwise would take years to learn.

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Seven-Card Stud: Updating a Classic One of the oldest of the popular modern poker games, Seven-Card Stud developed in the U.S. around the time of the Civil War. It’s been a favorite home and pro game ever since. But it’s a very different animal indeed from flop games like Texas and Omaha Hold ’Em. Stud games do not employ community cards. Instead, every player gets a full hand of their own cards—some face up and some face down. In Seven-Card Stud, each player has three down cards and four exposed cards at the end of the hand. This presents a situation in which virtually every poker hand is possible, and there is a lot of information on the board. Seven-Card Stud requires concentration—deliberate observation and mental retention of cards on the board, as well as cards that were on the board but have been folded. Careful players can make relatively well-informed decisions in Seven-Card Stud—if they pay attention.

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Seven-Card Stud Seven-Card Stud uses the standard 52-card deck with no jokers. A new game starts out with all players posting the ante. Like the blinds in Hold ’Em, the ante is there to make sure that there is something in the pot for every hand. The size of the ante varies, but it’s usually just a fraction of a standard bet. At a $1/$2 table, the ante is usually 25 cents; at a $3/$6 table, the ante is 50 cents. After the antes have been placed, each player gets two down cards and one up card. The initial up card is sometimes called the door card or third street. The player with the lowest up card is required to post the bring-in bet (see Figure 5.8). If more than one player has the lowest card, the bring-in bet is determined by suit order alphabetically: clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades. Once the bring-in bet has been posted, the player to the left of the bring-in bet may fold, call, or raise to a full bet. The bring-in bet is an amount greater than the ante, but less than a full bet. In a $2/$4 game, then, the bring-in bet may be 50 cents or $1. If the bring-in bet is called, the next player also has the option of calling or raising to a full bet. Once a player raises to a full bet, subsequent players must fold, call the full bet, or raise again. In any case, the number of raises is almost always capped at three or four, except when there are only two players in the pot. In that case, the number of raises is unlimited.

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69

Once the first round of betting has concluded, with all bets equalized, a second card (fourth street) is dealt to each player still in the hand. From fourth street on, the highest hand showing (among the up cards) initiates the action by checking or betting. Wager amounts on fourth street are in increments of the lower number of the full bet range—$2 in a $2/$4 game. Except… If any player has a pair showing on fourth street, then all players have the option of making a double bet—a $4 bet in a $2/$4 game. If a double bet is made, then all subsequent calls and raises are made in the double bet ($4) increment. So, for instance, Panama Pete gets two queens as his first two up cards in a $2/$4 Seven-Card Stud game. Pete—or anyone else still in the hand—now has the option of betting $4 instead of $2. If no one doubles the bet on fourth street, it is automatically doubled on the third round of betting—fifth street. Once again, the player with the highest hand showing among the board cards initiates the betting. Sixth street works the same. The last card dealt to remaining players, called seventh street or the river, is face down. At the river, all active players now have their complete hand of three down cards and four up cards. Betting is initiated by whichever player acted first on sixth street.

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Figure 5.8 The bring-in bet

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It’s time once again for showdown (see Figure 5.9). The player holding the best five-card combination of her seven cards (three down, four up) wins the pot. As with the other games we’ve discussed, the last player to initiate action is required to reveal their hand first. Other players have the option of mucking losing hands if they wish.

Figure 5.9 Stud showdown

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And that’s that. The same basic poker rules regarding table stakes and all-in wagers that apply to the Hold ’Em games also apply in Seven-Card Stud, so there’s the possibility of side pots.

Unlike the flop games discussed to this point, Seven-Card Stud is a game of variable position.The lowest exposed card acts first on third street, and the highest exposed hand acts first thereafter.That means the ostensible dealer seat, which is fixed for the hand in Hold ‘Em games, tends to move around the table randomly with each betting round. Betting last is always an advantage, but because your position is unpredictable, you will need to change your strategy on the fly.

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Seven-Stud/Hi-Lo

New Arrangements of Familiar Tunes A few of the emerging online poker sites are adding some new games to the mix, but for the most part, these are specialty games aimed at niche players or gimmicky variations on the standard games. Some of the familiar poker games that you might see online include Five-Card Draw and Five-Card Stud, and we’ll touch on these later in this book. Among the wackier ones are games such as Crazy Pineapple and DoubleFlop Texas Hold ’Em. You’ll learn more about these games in Chapter 15, “The Top Online Poker Rooms,” when we tour some of the top online cardrooms. But in any case, the formats outlined in this chapter are the core poker games that you need to be familiar with before exploring the other stuff.

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Once again, we have a convenient little bit of shorthand here: Seven-Stud/Hi-Lo is short for Seven-Card Stud, 8-or-Better, High-Low Split Poker. Like Omaha/Hi-Lo, this is a high-low split game in which the high hand and the low hand (if there is one) split the pot. Any high-low split game is likely to be a high-action game, with a lot of contending players and big pots. That’s just the nature of the game; with more valuable combinations of cards possible, more players are going to be chasing that pot. The 8-qualifier rule in Seven-Stud/Hi-Lo works the same as elsewhere. To qualify for the low half of the pot, the low hand needs to be made up of five unpaired cards with a rank of 8 or lower. The best low hand is A, 2, 3, 4, 5, also known as the wheel. (Straights and flushes do not count against you when vying for the low hand.) In all other respects—antes, bring-ins, and betting structure—Seven-Stud/Hi-Lo works just like Seven-Card Stud. Aces can count as both high card and low card when determining hand rank. One exception: Unlike straight Seven-Card Stud, an open pair on fourth street does not give players the option of doubling the bet. A rather nice benefit of the online game in Seven-Stud/Hi-Lo is that there is no need to declare whether you are contending for the high hand, low hand, or both. This is often the case in home games. Because the central game system automatically and instantly evaluates all hands at showdown, you can simply sit back and watch as your monster high-low hand decimates the table. Ideally.

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Poker Terms Used in This Chapter all-in Betting all of your chips. When all-in, you are eligible for only the amount of money in the pot present when you declared all-in. bring-in bet In Seven-Card Stud, a forced bet in the first betting round by the player with the lowest card showing. capped In limit games, a policy limiting the number of raises in a single betting round. checking around When all players check during a betting round. dealer button A small disk used to signify the player in the last position in flop games. door card In Seven-Card Stud, the first face-up card in a player’s hand. double bet In Seven-Card Stud, a policy allowing players to double the existing limit bet if any player has a pair showing. fifth street (1) In flop games, the fifth community card and the final round of betting. (2) In stud games, the third face-up card dealt to each player and the third betting round.

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Five-Card Draw A draw poker game in which the players start with five cards and have the option of replacing a specified number of them from the deck. Five-Card Stud A stud poker game in which each player gets one down card and four face-up cards. flop The first three face-up community cards, dealt simultaneously to start the second round of betting. fourth street (1) In flop games, the fourth community card and the third round of betting. (2) In stud games, the second face-up card dealt to each player and the second betting round. highcarding The process of dealing all players a single card to determine who gets the first deal. high-low split A variation in many poker games in which the highest and lowest hands split the pot evenly. hole cards Cards dealt faced down and concealed from other players. muck (1) To discard. (2) The discard pile. playing the board Using the five community (no down cards) cards to make your hand. pre-flop bet A wager made before the community cards are dealt in flop games. river (1) In flop games, the fifth community card and the final round of betting. (2) In stud games, the seventh card dealt and the final round of betting. seventh street In Seven-Card Stud, the seventh card dealt and the final round of betting.

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side pot A separate pot created when one or more players are all-in. sixth street In Seven-Card Stud, the sixth card dealt and the fourth round of betting. table stakes A policy in most poker games that prohibits players from betting more than the money they have at the table. third street In Seven-Card Stud, the third card dealt and the first round of betting. turn In flop games, the fourth community card and the third round of betting. under the gun To be the first player to bet in a given betting round.

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System Requirements and Funny-Money Web Games I must complain the cards are ill shuffled till I have a good hand. —Jonathan Swift, Thoughts on Various Subjects (1728) The Short Stack System Requirements Browser Requirements Internet Connection Issues Funny-Money Web-Based Games

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Now that you’ve learned many of the poker basics, it’s time to get your collective feet wet with some tune-ups and trial runs. Your personal computer is your window to online poker, so let’s start there. Internet connectivity issues are next—you’re going to make your first forays online to some of the web-based funny-money sites and services. This is a good way to get acquainted with how poker tables, and card games in general, work in the digital realm. We’ll also talk a little bit about some of the ancillary phenomena you might stumble across online like video poker and themed slot machines—and why you should avoid them.

System Requirements

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The sites and services discussed in this chapter need very little in the way of system requirements. All you really need is a computer with Internet access and a web browser. Any reasonably up-to-date PC, Mac, or Linux machine using Internet Explorer (IE) or Netscape Navigator will work just fine. If you can currently browse major websites such as Yahoo! or MSN.com, you have everything you need to play at the web-based funnymoney sites. In the next chapter, you’ll dig in a little deeper and download the client software for various online cardrooms. These programs may require a bit more power from your computer.

Operating System While individual cardrooms may have different requirements, here are some suggested minimum system specifications that will keep you afloat: •

One of the following operating systems: •

Windows 95, 98, Millennium Edition (Me); Windows 2000; Windows NT4; or Windows XP

•

Mac OS 9.x or Mac OS X (10)

•

A Pentium II 300 or higher processor (or equivalent)

•

At least 128MB of RAM

•

A sound card to hear the audio

•

Screen resolution of at least 640 × 480 pixels with minimum of high color (16-bit)

Most likely, if you have a computer that was purchased new within the last three or four years, you already have all you need. The software required to run the online poker games we’ll be talking about is actually relatively low-maintenance. That is to say, they don’t take up much in the way of system resources when you play them. You can usually run other programs at the same time without putting too much stress on your computer.

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Some web games will not run with the Macintosh operating system.

Browser Requirements Nine times out of ten, the browser you are already using will work just fine with webbased games of any sort, including poker. One possible stumbling block: Many of the game areas require that your browser support Java, a particular programming language that facilitates online graphics and animation. Netscape Navigator 4 (or higher) and Internet Explorer 4 (or higher) support Java, so upgrade your browser if need be. If you’re still having trouble loading the game, you may have to turn on Java support manually. Follow these steps for your browser, as recommended by Yahoo! Games: For Netscape 4.x or newer for Windows, Mac, or Linux, follow these steps: Click Edit in the menu bar and then select Preferences.

2.

Click Advanced and put check marks in the boxes next to Enable Java and Enable JavaScript.

For Internet Explorer 4.x for Windows, follow these steps: 1.

Click View in the menu bar and then select Internet Options.

2.

Click the Security tab.

3.

For the Internet zone, be sure that the Security level is set to Medium or below. (If you have chosen to customize your Security settings for the Internet zone, be sure that under the Java heading, Java Permissions is not set to Disable Java. You’ll want to select one of the three safety levels instead. Also be sure that under the Scripting heading, Scripting of Java Applets is set to Enable or Prompt.)

4.

Next, click the Advanced tab.

5.

Scroll down until you see the subheading Java VM.

6.

Mark the check boxes next to Java Logging Enabled and Java Console Enabled. (Note: If you have marked the check box next to Java JIT Compiler Enabled and are experiencing freezing problems, remove the check mark from that box.)

For Internet Explorer 5.x or 6.x for Windows, follow these steps: 1.

Click Tools in the menu bar and then select Internet Options.

2.

Click the Security tab. For the Internet zone, be sure that the Security level is set to Medium or below. (If you have chosen to customize your security settings for

■ SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

1.

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the Internet zone, be sure that under the Java heading, Java Permissions is not set to Disable Java. You’ll want to select one of the three safety levels instead. Also be sure that under the Scripting heading, Scripting of Java Applets is set to Enable or Prompt.)

3.

Next, click the Advanced tab.

4.

Scroll down until you see the subheading Java VM.

5.

Mark the check boxes next to Java Logging Enabled and Java Console Enabled. (Note: If you marked the check box next to Java JIT Compiler Enabled and are experiencing freezing problems, remove the check mark from that box.)

Your Internet Connection

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The web-based games you’ll be checking out in this chapter are designed to work with dial-up connections as well as with broadband connections, although they will be predictably slower on dial-up. At a minimum, you should have a 56kbps dial-up connection. If you connect via a proprietary service such as AOL or MSN, there may be connection problems if you use the default web browser. The quickest and easiest way around this is to download the latest version of Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. You can still connect to the Internet via AOL or MSN, then simply switch over to IE or Navigator to do your web surfing. If you must use the online service browser for whatever reason, check the help files of the poker game site to see if there is a workaround.

Workaround: Originally a jargon term in computer programming, now a general-purpose word for a temporary solution used to bypass a problem in some system.

If you’re lucky enough to have a decent broadband connection—cable modem, DSL, or a nice, fat T1 line—you’ll find that it’s a much smoother ride. Everything moves faster, and connections tend to be more stable, so there is less of a chance of getting disconnected. This becomes a fairly serious issue later on, especially when playing for real money.

Firewall Issues A firewall, in the context of computers and networks, refers to security schemes that prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to a computer network or that monitor transfers of information to and from the network. Usually, firewall issues are only a problem if you are connected to some sort of local network—for example, if you are playing from work or are on a university

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network. The individual help pages for the various poker services have specific information on how to work with network firewalls. Of course, if you’re at work, you may not want to bring up this issue with your technical people. Internet games—particularly games with an element of gambling—are probably not going to be popular in your workplace. (Well, they’re probably plenty popular, just not with the boss….) There are also personal firewalls and other security programs that may be running on your home computer. ZoneAlarm is a good example. This is an excellent program for anyone using a cable modem connection—it’s free, and it does a good job of protecting computers on a local cable modem system. When ZoneAlarm is active, it prevents most poker cardroom programs from working properly—if at all.

ZoneAlarm is a popular personal firewall product, especially good for cable modem users. A free version is available at www.zonelabs.com. 79

Those who have moved from dial-up to broadband Internet connections are already familiar with this basic axiom of the Information Age:You can never go back.Well, you can, of course, but it really and truly sucks. Broadband spoils you, and when you find yourself forced to deal with a dialup connection again, time itself seems to slow to glacial velocity.With online poker, faster is better—there’s no way around it. Dial-up connections tend to increase lag time—the interval between when you click, type, or take any action, and when it actually registers on the central game system.This is true for all online poker across the board. Even if you are playing quickly and making fast decisions, the lag slows overall system response time.When you’re sitting at a virtual poker table with eight or nine other people, excessive lag time can slow the game to a crawl. Dial-up is also inherently less stable than always-on broadband and increases the chance that you will be disconnected, which can be trouble in real-money games. (See Chapter 9,“Take Your Seat! The Virtual Poker Table,” for more information.) That said, if you do have a dial-up connection, you can still play at every single one of the poker cardrooms discussed in this book. It’s just that the experience may be a little slower and more frustrating.You may also find other players sending cranky chat messages.The best thing to do is to explain your situation once and then ignore them—it’s a breach of cardroom etiquette to complain when someone has a genuine technical issue that they can’t control. One nice thing is that the situation is actually improving. Clever programming on the part of the online cardrooms has made dial-up connection lag less of a problem than it used to be.

■ SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Faster Is Better, Says Mr. Painfully Obvious!

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If you have ZoneAlarm or a similar personal firewall system on your machine, you can simply deactivate it for the time you are playing. This isn’t specific to online poker—all manner of multi-player games and voice chat systems require that personal firewalls be deactivated.

Kinder, Gentler Poker: Free Web-Based Games It’s a testament to poker’s growing mainstream appeal that the game has become popular at big online venues such as Yahoo! Games and MSN Games. These are general game portals, filled with dozens of common games such as checkers, chess, mah jongg, Scrabble, and various trivia games. These sites are not aiming at gamblers, or even serious card players, yet the poker “tables” are always full.

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Mah jongg is a ridiculously addictive Chinese tile game, usually played online in its solitaire version or as a computer game known as Shanghai.The name translates roughly as “sparrow”or “bird of 100 intelligences.”

To play at these websites, you need only call up the game within your existing web browser by clicking the appropriate links. You may have to establish a user account, which basically means choosing a login name and a password. Yahoo! currently requires this; MSN does not. It’s all funny money, of course—there are no real cash stakes at any of these web-based games. The poker experience offered here is very basic and simple, and can be a useful introduction for those just getting started with the online game. Texas Hold ’Em is by far the most popular, although MSN Games also offers Deuces Wild and Slide Poker, which are a slot game and a puzzle game, respectively. We’ll talk about these a little bit later.

MSN Games: Texas Hold ’Em Poker Showdown The games at MSN are actually provided by Zone.com, which runs its own website at, yes, www.zone.com. It makes no difference which “front door” you use; both of them lead to the same game area. Texas Hold ’Em Poker Showdown is offered as a game under the Zone Casino category. Simply click the link to begin the game. There’s an interstitial advertisement—get used to these, they’re the future—and then you’ll be taken to the main instruction page.

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When it is your turn to act, you can check, fold, or open (for the limit amount of 50 chips). These options are displayed as buttons at the bottom of the screen. The pot can be raised up to eight times.

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With this particular game, you’re essentially playing 50/100 limit Texas Hold ’Em in a one-to-one showdown game against the dealer. The dealer is an automated opponent—he gets two down cards, you get two down cards, and the game proceeds as usual. Both you and the dealer start with 5,000 chips. Because it’s a two-player showdown game, there are no blinds used. Instead, you and the dealer alternate an ante of 50 chips before every hand.

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There is not much call for strategy here, other than folding extremely weak hands. The automated “dealer” plays very aggressively—almost never folding and usually raising the pot. If you stay in the hand, it’s likely that the dealer will too, all the way down the river. Poker Showdown is more or less a game of chance—you can raise up really good hands or muck trash hands, but that’s it.

A trash hand is a very poor hand that should be folded, thrown away, burned, or put into a blender at the first opportunity.

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The usefulness of Texas Hold ’Em Poker Showdown is strictly for beginning players. The interface is similar to what you will see in the serious online cardrooms— clickable buttons, shared community cards, and a graphics scheme that shows the movement of chips to and from the pot. In fact, this game even has an animated dealer “hand” that tosses the cards around. It looks pretty slick. MSN Texas Hold ’Em is a good place to learn the ropes and get your bearings.

Yahoo! Games: Hold ’Em Poker The second of the funny-money web games that you might want to check out is Yahoo!’s Hold ’Em Poker. Here you’ll find a much closer approximation of how the game is played at the established online cardrooms. The most important difference is that you’ll be playing multi-player games with real people, logged in just as you are through the Yahoo! service. As with the MSN game, however, the primary benefit of playing here is to get acquainted with how poker is played using your PC. In other words, it’s a place for beginners to roam around and experiment. First of all, surf over to Yahoo.com and click the Games link. You’ll be provided with a rather overwhelming number of games. Under the Card Games category, you’ll find Hold ’Em Poker listed between Hearts and Klondike. If you are not already signed in to Yahoo!, you will be asked to enter your user ID and password. If you don’t have a Yahoo! account, you can create one here. It’s relatively quick and painless, and gives you access to all of Yahoo!’s other services, such as e-mail, instant messaging, and chat. Once you’ve logged in, you’re taken to a page that lists all of the available rooms open to players. As you can see, there are a lot of options. There are four categories of rooms: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Social. Click any of these rooms, and the Java applet launches, which may take up to a minute or so if you’re using a dial-up connection. Once you’re in, you’ll find a list of tables—anywhere from three to thirty or more. To join a table, click any of the boxes marked Join. This automatically launches

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Flirt is the ubiquitous online practice of making playfully romantic overtures via chat, possibly a strategic maneuver when playing poker, so be on guard. You will occasionally find a good game, and the best place to troll is the least populated Advanced room. You can also set up your own “private table,” to which you can invite particular players and block uninvited players entirely. This method has a lot of potential, especially if you have a small group of dedicated players looking to play more serious games. Yahoo! does not offer any options aside from 2/4 limit Texas Hold ’Em, but it works perfectly fine facilitating that particular game. One final note: Yahoo! now offers a pay-to-play League Play section, in which groups of players can form their own leagues, with point systems, tournament play, and voice chat. This is a promising idea and can provide a better poker experience among like-minded players. To participate, players must join Yahoo! Games’ All-Star Package ($7.95/month; $59.95/year). Check the Yahoo! help files for more information.

Other Online Poker Games Surf around enough online, and you can find plenty of other poker-themed games on the Internet. We’ll call them poker-themed, because they are not really poker as we are talking about in this book. Mostly, these games are puzzles, solitaire variants, or games

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the program, and you’ll be seated at an in-progress game. You can also choose to just observe a game by clicking the Watch button to the left of the table listing. Regardless of the room or table you choose, Yahoo! Hold ’Em works as a 2/4 limit Texas Hold ’Em game and incorporates all the rules of that variant; blinds, betting structure, raise caps, and so on work as described in Chapter 4, “Poker Basics, Hand Rankings, and Betting Structure,” and Chapter 5, “Popular Online Poker Games.” Yahoo! Hold ’Em also features an in-game chat window below the virtual table. This chat element will come into play in later chapters, when we discuss various etiquette and strategy issues. To chat, you just type your message in the input field. Yahoo! Hold ’Em is a great introduction for the player brand new to online poker. It’s easy to access, well-designed, and remarkably stable. Yahoo! also provides very good help pages with instructions and some basic strategy tips. The interface is very similar to what you find in the major online cardrooms in terms of how you use a keyboard and a mouse to play the game of poker online. That said, the level of poker played in any of these rooms is very poor. In my experience, it doesn’t matter at all whether you choose Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced. Most of the time, the pot is raised to the limit on every betting round, and most players stay in the hand all the way to the end. The Social tables are particularly bad—players here are mostly looking to chat and flirt.

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of pure chance that use the 52-card system and the hand rankings of poker to structure the game. MSN’s Slide Poker, for instance, is really just a digital tile-puzzle game in which you shift cards around to make the best poker hand. Poker solitaire, which you can find at several online game sites, is really just another solitaire game that uses poker hand rankings as an organizing factor.

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Then there are the various poker slots or digital poker games, just like the ones you see in the Las Vegas casinos. These games usually work like a game of five-card draw— you bet an initial amount and are given a starting hand of five cards. You can choose to hold some, all, or none of them; then you are dealt replacement cards for those you tossed.

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Poker Terms Used in This Chapter broadband A fast Internet connection such as digital subscriber line (DSL) or cable modem. client software Software installed on an individual computer designed for use with a network service. game portals Large, general-interest gaming websites such as Yahoo! Games or Zone.com. interstitial advertisement On-screen web page ads that pop up while another page or game is loading. poker-themed games Games that use poker hand rankings as an element, but are not true poker. poker slots Also known as video poker; poker-themed games that function like casino slot machines. trash hand An extremely bad hand that should be folded.

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If you make a certain poker hand—three-of-a-kind or a flush—you are paid out an amount relative to the initial bet, determined by a preset payout structure, as shown here. Royal Flush (No Wild) x500 Four Deuces x200 Royal Flush (Wild) x25 5 of a Kind x15 Straight Flush x9 4 of a Kind x5 Full House x3 Flush x2 Straight x2 3 of a Kind x1 These games can be fun to play, but keep in mind that they are basically digital slot machines. While a working knowledge of poker hand rankings certainly helps (to determine which cards to keep on the draw), you’re still playing a game mathematically certain to favor the house over the long term. Play them for fun, play them to wind down from a grueling tournament, play them just to see what they’re like. But don’t play them seriously. When it comes to real money, video poker games are ultimately outside the scope of this book. They are Internet slot machines, an entirely different critter. Whether you want to play them should depend entirely on how you feel about slots generally. The only point I would make is this: Don’t be fooled into thinking you’re playing poker when you’re really just playing a tricked-out digital slot machine. Surfing around these various web services can provide you a good leg up on how the card game of poker translates to the digital realm. In the next chapter, you’re going to get started on the process of playing at the dedicated online poker rooms.

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Let’s Get Serious: Real Poker, Fake Money One should always play fairly when one has the winning cards. —Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) 87

The Short Stack Why Play in Online Cardrooms? Window Shopping The Poker Rooms Downloading and Installing Setting Up a Play-Money Account

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Once more, dear friends, into the breach. In this chapter, you’re going to take your first pass at the actual online poker rooms, wherein you can play real poker for real cash (or not!). We’ll start with a little window shopping, browsing the displayed wares of the online poker world. Then we’ll talk specifics about downloading and installing. Finally, we’ll get our first online poker accounts set up—for play money.

Why Play in Online Poker Rooms? Before getting into the tour, consider a basic question: Why play poker in online cardrooms? That is to say, why mess with these offshore operations, with their separate client software and slightly dubious image? Why not just play Yahoo! Poker or the other web-based offerings? The answer is that these dedicated Internet cardrooms currently offer the best online poker experience, whether you’re playing for real stakes or not. There are several reasons for this:

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•

The online poker rooms are focused on one thing—facilitating the game of poker online. Remember that these poker rooms are businesses competing with one another to offer a commodity to a hungry market. In terms of strict capitalist economics, this is an extremely active and healthy industry. Competition has driven innovation in graphics, game mechanics, and technical infrastructure.

•

The dedicated online poker rooms also tend to attract more serious players. This is immediately evident, even in the play-money rooms. As discussed in the last chapter, web-based games such as Yahoo! Hold ’Em are so ridiculously loose as to be all but useless to the serious player.

•

The commercial online poker sites can facilitate real-money wagering. While the gambling of actual money is not critical to a good poker-playing experience, it is an option many serious players will want to have. Actual cash stakes can dramatically change the way a game is played, and real-money games generate an entirely different vibe. We’ll be talking quite a bit more about that in Chapter 11, “Playing with Real Money.”

Window Shopping: Browsing the World of Online Poker One of the insanely great things about the Internet in general is how much virtual distance you can cover in a short amount of time. Information really does flow fast and freely online. No matter what the topic, vast amounts of knowledge and reference material are never more than a click or two away. This is as true for the world of online poker as for any other subject. There’s a lifetime of reading material out there. The trick, as always, is how to sift the valuable

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stuff from the junk. The goal of this chapter, and this book in general, is to help get you on your way with some quality points of departure. But these days—with new websites popping up every second—no directory or guide, online or off, can claim to be comprehensive. The idea of skimming or surfing the Internet has been around as long as the World Wide Web itself. It’s even built into the very language used to describe the process. You use Web browsers to do your virtual window shopping. As you explore the world of online poker, you will likely find and bookmark your own unique collection of poker resources. Appendix A, “Additional Resources: Books, Websites, and Software,” includes a detailed list of poker websites; this section browses beginner destinations and directories specifically. Let’s get started with some good jumping-off points.

You Don’t Have To Play for Real Money—Ever

It works like this:When you establish an account—name and password only, no credit card information required—you receive a nominal amount of free play chips.You then wager with these exactly as if they were real cash chips.You keep all your winnings from one session to another.This is critical, because it gives these play chips value.They become commodities, even if their relative value is good only for bragging rights. (Some poker rooms grant actual value to your play chips by letting you use them to enter tournaments with real cash prizes.) You will find, therefore, that even at the play tables, there is an elevated level of play because the wagers and the chips have at least a minimal value to most players. (Some players, of course, don’t care and play like idiots regardless).The point of this is that you can play quality online poker for free. You don’t have to play for real money—ever. Play-money tournaments are especially valuable. The careless players are usually eliminated early, and in the later rounds, free tourneys can be every bit as tough as low-stakes cash tourneys. These free games have become wildly popular, and at any given time, at any given poker room, there are likely to be more people playing for free than are playing for cash. So keep this in mind: by taking advantage of the commercial cardrooms’ free-play options, you can play good poker online without spending a dime.

■ WINDOW SHOPPING: BROWSING THE WORLD OF ONLINE POKER

A curious phenomenon has developed as the game of poker has made its way into real-money online play. In an effort to attract and orient new players, all of the major online poker rooms offer funny-money options in which you can play the games for free—immediately, indefinitely, and with no obligation to pay later.You won’t find this offered in the Vegas casinos.

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Directories and Online Reference Points The proliferation of online cardrooms in recent years (and recent months!) is rather astounding. Some are stand-alone poker sites, while others are part of larger online casino ventures. In addition, there are literally thousands of independent and commercial poker websites: online magazines, blogs, strategy guides, even poker player fan clubs (like the always-fun www.poker-babes.com). That’s a lot to sift through. Happily, quite a few web pages and directories designed for online poker beginners have popped up in the wake of the game’s recent growth spurt. Some of these are associated directly or indirectly with a particular online cardroom. These can be helpful, but generally you want to aim for independent websites. Two destinations in particular have become popular waystations for the beginner: •

The rec.gambling.poker FAQ (www.rgpfaq.com) is a friendly distillation of the aggregate wisdom of this venerable newsgroup.

•

The affiliated Online Poker FAQ (www.onlinepokerfaq.com) has deeper and more specific information on the Internet game in general.

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Both of these sites are compiled by volunteers, and while there are some advertising elements and referral links, they are both editorially independent and trustworthy. In terms of pure ambition and scope, the Poker Portal (www.pokerportal.co.uk) is tough to beat. Operated out of the U.K., this is the Yahoo! of poker directories, with links to every imaginable poker-related website. Besides the comprehensive listing of online poker rooms, the Poker Portal includes the following categories: •

Rules and Strategy

•

Software

•

Odds and Statistics

•

Non-English Poker Services

•

Books

•

Tournaments

•

Magazines

•

Cheating

•

Movies

This site also includes a long list of specialty journals and blogs. Some of the more intriguing blogs include “Ralph Nader’s Chocolate Poker Jam” and “Vegan Poker.” Serious Poker (www.seriouspoker.com) is a no-nonsense site, efficiently designed, with a well-organized overview of the major online poker destinations.

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Poker Top Ten (www.pokertop10.com) uses the old top ten list as its organizing principle and is somehow funny, insightful, and comprehensive at the same time. The accelerating trend of TV poker has spawned more than a few official websites and fan pages. The World Poker Tour home page (www.worldpokertour.com) has a lot of supplemental content, including player biographies. The World Series of Poker has yet to generate a definitive web page, but recent news and developments can be found at www.harrahs.com/wsop (see Figure 7.1). The useful TV Poker Guide features a list of TV events updated weekly at www.tvpokerguide.com.

Figure 7.1 World Series of Poker website

The Poker Rooms In Chapter 15, “The Top Online Poker Rooms,” you’ll be taking a detailed tour of five of the top online poker rooms. However, you may want to do some window shopping in the meantime, if for no other reason than to get a sense of the offerings available. A great place to start, if you want a list of popular poker rooms, is Poker Pulse (www.pokerpulse.com), shown in Figure 7.2. This independent website monitors and ranks the leading online poker sites by how many players are currently logged in and playing.

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The World Series of Poker® and its related intellectual property is owned by Harrah’s Operating Company, Inc. or its subsidiaries. Used with permission.

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Because these poker rooms are all independent of one another, with differing content and designs, there’s no easy walkthrough process for assessing them. Instead of indicating specific pages and links that you should follow, we’ll instead focus on the kinds of things you should be looking for: Quick tour/Getting started/FAQs A well-organized site should offer some kind of easy-access front door for new visitors. This is just a basic web design principle. Usually, these will be very easy to spot—a link or splashy graphic that says Quick Tour, Getting Started, FAQs, or something similar. Peruse these pages carefully, but keep in mind that this is really the sales pitch of the poker room—take the overtly promotional language (“The Greatest Online Poker Room Ever!”) with a grain of salt.

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Figure 7.2 PokerPulse.com

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Free play area This is another home page element that should be pretty conspicuous, usually a link or graphic that reads Play for Free, Play Money Games, or what have you. Click here to see exactly what you need to do to establish a free-money account. As a rule, you’ll be asked to download the poker room’s client software, which we’ll get to in a minute. The thing to watch for here is that you should not have to disclose too much personal information just to access the play areas. The best poker rooms want little more than a username and a password. In any event, you should never disclose any credit card or financial information at this point in the process. If you’re not ready yet to download the software, then just move on…. Games offered Look around for a link that says Games, Poker Room, or maybe Features. What you’re looking for is a list of the poker games facilitated: Texas Hold ’Em, Omaha, and so on. Often these will be listed right there on the home page.

Downloading and Installing Poker Room Software As it stands right now, virtually every online poker room requires that players download some kind of client software. There are some exceptions, in which the site offers a browser-based version that works much like the games described in the last chapter. This is usually to offer a friendlier, easier front door to the game, or to accommodate users of alternate operating systems such as the Macintosh. What this client software essentially does is put much of the data needed to run the game on your local system. It’s the same basic idea that underlies many multi-user Internet applications, games especially. By keeping the resource-intensive processes running locally, the game moves faster. The client software also locks in with the central game system to ensure higher levels of security. For example, all the major poker rooms use an encryption system to protect the integrity of data moving between the client software and the central game system. These are the whys and wherefores of client software. Downloading and installing these programs is as easy as folding a 7-2 offsuit. It’s in the interest of the

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Security and privacy This link is likely to be less conspicuous than the others, although the leading online cardrooms are making a point of promoting their bonafides. Here you should find quite a bit of information on the poker room’s security and privacy policies. We’ll cover this in more detail in Chapter 11 and in Chapter 12, “Establishing a Real-Money Account.” If you can’t find information on these rather crucial details, then it’s time to find another poker room.

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online poker rooms to make this process as quick and painless as possible, and generally, they do. Even over a dial-up connection, you can download what you need in a matter of minutes.

Oh, yeah—these software downloads are all free. If you find a poker room that wants money to download its software, chuckle incredulously and move on.

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You’re probably familiar with how this works: Click the software download link, probably located several places on the home page and elsewhere. Depending on the browser you’re using, you’ll get one or more prompt windows. Simply follow the instructions in the prompt windows to download the program to your computer. The poker room you are downloading from will likely include step-by-step instructions if you need them. A web page is automatically generated when you click the download link. Because the process varies from site to site, make sure to stick close to these instructions. Once downloaded, there will be further instructions on how to install and launch the program itself. Again, this is best handled by following the on-screen directions. Most often, you will simply see a prompt screen after the download is complete that asks if you want to launch the program. (If you have trouble with the downloading and installation, check the poker room’s Help files.) Once installed, the poker software can thereafter be launched directly by clicking the logo now on your desktop, or in whichever folder you placed it. You do not have to go the poker room’s website. Many of the poker programs also feature an auto-update feature. This is a handy and convenient way to make sure that you have the most up-to-date version of the client software. If there is an update available, the program will automatically update itself—usually a delay of less than a minute.

Setting Up a Play-Money Account The first time you launch your poker software, you are asked to create an account by filling out a registration form. What’s required on this form varies from site to site, but at the very least you will be asked to create a username and password. See Chapter 15 for specific information on the five top online poker rooms reviewed in this book. For a username, you can choose whatever you want, within certain restrictions imposed by the poker room. One name you certainly do not want to use is your actual full name. This is just common sense in any online forum where people chat, play, or otherwise interact online. There’s no point in taking chances.

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Usually, profanity is prohibited, and even if it isn’t, just don’t, okay? A disturbing number of new players are creating usernames that are offensive or antagonistic,possibly with the thought that it is somehow strategic— a preemptive attempt to goad opponents into making bad decisions.While an argument can be made for creating a deliberate table image (see Chapter 10,“Online Poker Room Etiquette”), it’s ultimately a boorish and amateur maneuver. So play nice.

Poker Terms Used in This Chapter auto-update A common feature of client software that keeps the installed program upto-date. blog Short for web log, a personal website or online journal usually dedicated to a particular topic. bookmark A favorite or designated web page that can be saved in a list for later reference. download To transfer programs or data from a remote computer to your own computer. install To set up a program on your computer and prepare it for use. logged in To be actively connected to a network service, such as an online poker room. newsgroup An online forum, located on a part of the Internet known as Usenet, dedicated to the discussion of a particular topic. A newsreader, such as Outlook Express, is required to access any of the many thousands of newsgroups. web log See blog.

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One developing custom among players in many of the online cardrooms is to choose a name that indicates in a general way where you are physically located or where you’re from originally. In the spirit of real-life players like “Amarillo Slim” and “Texas Dolly” Brunson, many players choose monikers such as “BrooklynJoe” or “AppalachianJane.” This is kind of fun and friendly, and will often prompt table chat from the other players. Of course, if you want to avoid table chat, then you should go with something less conspicuous. You should of course use all the usual precautions when choosing a password. In general, a good password has a mix of lowercase and uppercase characters, numbers, and punctuation marks, and should be at least eight characters long. Many of the poker rooms have specific suggestions on creating passwords, and you can find more information elsewhere online. (Type the phrase “Choosing a password” into Google or another search engine for a list of helpful resources.) With your account established, you’re set up and ready to play, in the funnymoney games, at least. So collect your free chips and get started.

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Navigating the Free-Money Cardrooms There are few things that are so unpardonably neglected in our country as poker. Why, I have eral, sincere, and all that, who did not know the meaning of a flush. It is enough to make one ashamed of the species. —Mark Twain

The Short Stack Getting Your Play Chips Finding the Play-Money Games Free Play Tournaments Sorting the Play Games Lurking:The Voyeur Within

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known clergymen, good men, kind-hearted, lib-

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You’re finally up and running. Now that you have an account established, it’s time to gather your chips and check out the virtual poker room. Unlike casino cardrooms, there will be no haze of cigarette smoke, no drinks, and no strange-looking people huddled over cards playing Omaha Hi-Lo at 8 a.m. Of course, all of this can be arranged if you like, right there in the comfort of your own home! In this chapter, you’re going to grab some free poker chips and case the joint. You’ll figure out how the tables work and how to find the game you want. You’ll also do a little lurking and peek in on some play-money and real-money games in progress.

Getting Your Play Chips Collecting your starting play chips couldn’t be easier—they literally hand you the money when you walk through the door. It’s like a beautiful dream. Sure, they’re fake money chips, but still…

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Take some time to savor the sensation of getting handed free chips by a poker cardroom, because it’s not likely to happen again in this lifetime.

Anyway, nine times out of ten, your play-money account is automatically established when you successfully complete your registration and setup. To see whether your play chips are already there, just click the Cashier or My Account button that is visible in any open window, as shown in Figure 8.1. The name and location of this button varies for different cardrooms, but it should be fairly obvious. In the My Account or Cashier window, you usually see the amount of play money and the amount of real money you currently have. Of course, at this point you don’t have any real money deposited. The first time you open this window, you should see in your account the amount of play-money chips that the poker room initially doles out. If you don’t have any play chips yet—if your account reads $0—there should be an option to add play chips for the first time. Click that option, and you’re all set. Usually the amount of play chips is some nice, round number—1,000 is typical. Some cardrooms may not display your play-money account on the cashier screen. Paradise Poker, for instance, only keeps track of your real-money account in the cashier window. To access your play-money chips, you actually have to sit down at an open play-money game and then you’re prompted to choose how many play chips you

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want to bring to the table. Then and only then can you actually see how much you have to work with (in this case, $1,000 in play chips). At any rate, you now have a stack of virtual poker chips at your disposal. Feels nice, doesn’t it? Let’s go table shopping.

99

Play-Money Games and Real-Money Games Finding the play-money games in an online poker room shouldn’t be hard. Depending on the service, you may even automatically default to the play-money area if you don’t have a real-money account established. In any case, don’t worry about accidentally joining a real game—it’s impossible to sit at a cash stakes game without first depositing funds into your player account. Online poker rooms use several different approaches to separate the play-money games from the real-money games. Pacific Poker, for example, employs a straightforward method (see Figure 8.2). Whenever you log on to that site, you choose then and there whether you’re playing for fun or playing for keeps. This simple approach is rather effective; it removes any ambiguity about where you are.

■ P L AY- M O N E Y G A M E S A N D R E A L - M O N E Y G A M E S

Figure 8.1 The My Account button at Ultimate Bet

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A more common solution is to simply have a main interface window in which clearly marked buttons or tabs allow players to switch back and forth between playmoney and real-money table listings (see Figure 8.3). One nice aspect of this method is that you can quickly toggle between screens and compare the play-money offerings with the real-money games. While there are minor variations, this method of navigation is becoming something of a standard among the online poker rooms.

Figure 8.2 Pay or Play at Pacific Poker

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Figure 8.3 The Free Games and Real Money options at Ultimate Bet

At a few poker rooms, it takes a little more work to determine the play-money tables. Rather than grouping all the play-money tables together, these rooms list playmoney games along with the real-money games, requiring the player to sort through the tables. This tends to be the case at sites where the design is older and more basic, with fewer frills.

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Paradise Poker is an example of this type of design. To find the play-money tables, you have to scroll down the list of tables on screen. By default, Paradise Poker games are sorted by table stakes, beginning with the most expensive games. You must scroll down through the real-money tables to find the play games at the end. Notice that Paradise Poker’s real-money table stakes can get pretty low—for example, $.02/$.04 limit Hold ’Em. These are sometimes referred to as microlimit games, and they can be a great place for beginners to start. Even if you try really hard, it’s tough to lose the mortgage payment at a $.02/$.04 table.

Finding Tournament Tables

Scheduled tournaments have a specific starting time, and you must register for them in advance. Sit-and-go tournaments are those in which the game starts as soon as the table is full of players.

Cash games are by far more common than tournaments in the play-money area of online poker rooms. In fact, many rooms don’t even offer play-money tournaments, which is a shame. These free tournaments are the best place for the new player to gain valuable table experience. Play-money tournaments online are almost always of the sit-and-go variety. They require a buy-in, usually represented as $XX/$X, in which the first figure represents the amount you pay to get your starting chips, and the second figure is the fee that the poker room charges to facilitate the game. (See Chapter 2, “Online Satellites and BigTime Tournaments,” for more details.) So at a 50/5 play money table, your play-money account would be debited by 55 chips. Many of the top online poker rooms now offer free-money tournaments. At any given time, you can find single-table tournaments for Texas Hold ’Em (no limit and pot limit), Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud/Hi-Lo, Omaha, and Omaha/Hi-Lo.

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As discussed earlier in this book, most poker games can be played in either cash games or tournaments. In this context, the term “cash games” does not necessarily mean realmoney games. In cash games, the action is continuous, and you simply grab a virtual seat when one becomes available. Tournaments have a set number of players, all of whom begin the game with the same number of chips. Tournaments can be either scheduled or sit-and-go (see Figure 8.4).

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Figure 8.4 Scheduled tournaments at Party Poker

Party Poker has incorporated a Windows Explorer–type interface for navigating all its offerings: real-money and play-money games; cash games and tournaments. The left-hand drop-down menus make it easy to find the game you want. Party Poker has put some obvious effort into this area; new tables are being constantly generated as others fill up, so you can always find a free-money tournament to play. Another good destination for free-money tournaments is Ultimate Bet, as shown in Figure 8.5, although you’ll find No Limit Texas Hold ’Em offered only in tournament format. In addition, new tournament tables are not generated as quickly at Ultimate Bet, so it can take a while to get a seat.

Sorting the Cash Games Now let’s take a look at how to explore and navigate the cash games offered in the free-play area of online cardrooms. As a rule, the free play areas work like smaller versions of the real-money areas. That is to say, navigation and interface is the same—only the number and type of tables available are smaller. For example, all of the major online poker rooms offer Texas Hold ’Em cash games in both the real-money and the free-play areas. In the real-money areas, you are likely to find several varieties of no limit and pot limit games. You’ll also find a vast array of limit games at various table stakes—from $.02/$.04 games up through $200/$400.

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Figure 8.5 Texas Hold ’Em Tournaments at Ultimate Bet

Refining Your Sort Criteria Once you’ve found the game you’re looking for—let’s use limit Texas Hold ’Em as an example—you can get even pickier. It’s become standard at most online poker rooms to offer a few additional ways to assess the tables before actually choosing one and sitting down.

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However, in the play-money area, there is no real need to offer such a wide range of table stakes. Instead, you are given a much smaller range of table stakes, and in many cases, a much smaller range of games. For instance, Poker Stars, as of this writing, offers Texas Hold ’Em only as a play-money game, but you can play no limit, pot limit, or a handful of fixed limit games. You can’t play Stud or Omaha for free. Paradise Poker, on the other hand, lets you play all the major games for free, but only in limit games of 3/6 or 4/8. You’ll find similar limited options in the other poker rooms. Pacific Poker is an exception—virtually every game and table stake option offered in the real-money area can also be found in the play-money area. At any rate, once you’ve found your way into the free-money cash games, you can sort the tables in a number of ways to quickly drill down to the game you’re looking for. Let’s say you want to play Pot Limit Texas Hold ’Em at Poker Stars (see Figure 8.6). At the top of the table listings window, there are tabs by which you can sort and rearrange the available tables. Click the Limit tab, and the tables are sorted by Fixed, Pot Limit, and No Limit.

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Figure 8.6 Sorting by limit at Party Poker

Check out the window shown in Figure 8.7, which shows the play-money Texas Hold ’Em games at Ultimate Bet. As you can see, there are nine different categories by which you can sort the available tables: •

Table

•

Stakes

•

Seated

•

Wait

•

Blinds

•

Avg Pot

•

Flop

•

Hands/Hr

•

Type

Some of these categories are self-explanatory. Table is simply the name of that particular table; Seated and Wait indicate how many players are currently seated (8/10) and how many players are waiting for a seat. Stakes and Blinds you already know about.

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Figure 8.7 Sorting the games at Ultimate Bet

Avg Pot This number is the average final pot for each hand played at that particular table. A high number indicates a table with a lot of action and heavy betting. A low number indicates a tighter table, with not much being wagered. You can use this to gauge whether the table is right for your playing style. Flop This category indicates the percentage of players initially in on the hand who are also in the pot after the flop. Again, it is an indicator of how relatively tight or loose the game is. A high percentage means that most of the time, there will be a lot of players contesting every pot. This makes for larger pots, of course, but it also means that bluffing is going to be difficult because you have a lot of other players likely staying in the hand to the end. Hands/Hr This is the average number of hands dealt per hour at the table. A higher number, naturally, means that the game moves relatively quickly. Generally, you want to choose a table with a high number in this column. Lower numbers mean there are slow players at the table—whether by inclination or due to a bad Internet connection. Type We’ll get into this more specifically in Chapter 15, “The Top Online Poker Rooms,” but generally this category indicates whether special rules for that table are in play. Turbo, for instance, means players have only 9 seconds to take action when it is their turn, as opposed to the usual 20 seconds. Other online poker rooms usually feature some or all of these table-sorting criteria, sometimes under slightly different names. The idea behind them all remains the same: They exist to help the discerning player pick the table that’s right for him or her.

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The other categories are not so clear, but as you shall see, they can be very helpful in determining which exact table you want to choose:

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Lurking: The Voyeur Within

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Now that you know how and where to find the specific kind of poker game you’re looking for, take a moment to pause…to reflect…and to spy. At any online poker room, you always have the option to simply watch a game in progress rather than sit down and play. This is sometimes called lurking, and it’s one of the great benefits of online poker as opposed to casino cardrooms. Watching inprogress poker games in a casino is usually a dicey (heh) proposition. Usually, this is because there is simply no space—cardrooms are often crowded, and there is no easy way to watch except to stand there in the aisle and peer over somebody’s shoulder. Online, it’s no problem at all. To watch any game, you simply double-click the table you want to observe. It doesn’t matter whether the table is full or not; you’ll be taken to the game table screen, and you’ll have the same view as the other players (except, of course, that you won’t see any down cards). This is a great opportunity for new players to get acquainted with the game before actually taking a seat. You can usually sit and watch indefinitely, and you’ll also be able to “hear” the table chat via the chat window below the table.

In most poker rooms, you can even join in on the chat.

If you’re brand new and hesitant to sit at a live game for the first time, spend some time simply observing. Put yourself in the virtual shoes of a player at the table and try to anticipate what you need to do. Is the dealer button coming your way? Will you need to post a blind on the next hand? Watch how each game develops and see what kinds of hand tend to win the pot. Should that guy have stayed in with a low pair? Should he have bet heavily on the turn to avoid the showdown? Watch also how people tend to interact, if there’s any conversation in the chat window. You’ll see soon enough that the games and people tend to vary wildly—some are friendly and full of joking and chatting. Some are more tense, with aggressive play and (sometimes) aggressive talk. And some are just silent, deadly, efficient poker. Now that you’re familiar with how to get around and check out the action in your virtual poker rooms, it’s time to take the plunge. In the next chapter, you’re going to take a seat and finally play some cards against real opponents online.

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Virtual Railbirds If you were the kind of kid who always skipped ahead in class, now is your chance.You’ve seen how to discern the play-money tables from the real-money tables. For now, you’re staying in the shallow end and exploring the play-money stuff. But if you’re feeling mischievous and want to see what the big kids are getting into, you can sneak over to the deep end. In most online card rooms, even if you have only a play-money account, you can still switch over to the real-money rooms to watch. This can be a very valuable and worthwhile exercise.The process is just the same as in the playmoney rooms. Click over to a table and lurk.Take the time to watch and note how the same game, at the same “stakes,” can be played very differently when real money is being wagered. Notice also how the action changes as you climb the ladder of real-money table stakes. It can be oddly thrilling to watch a high-stakes poker game online, especially when you realize this is real, actual money being wagered, won, and lost.

Online, though, please keep your manners about you if you’re lurking at a real-money game in which you can participate in the chat. It’s perfectly okay to post once in a while, offering congratulations or condolences. But it’s a serious breach of the rules to comment on a hand in play. Generally, you want to avoid being overly “vocal” at all when you’re sitting on the rail.

Poker Terms Used in This Chapter lurking Observing a live game without actually playing. microlimit Extremely low limit poker games, such as $.02/$.04 Hold ’Em. play chips/play money Chips and money that have no actual monetary value and are used in the play/practice area of online cardrooms. railbirds Spectators who observe a live or online poker game from the sidelines, or the rail. scheduled tournaments Tournaments that have a specific starting time and for which you need to register in advance. sit-and-go Non-scheduled tournaments with fixed buy-ins and prize structures.

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In actual cardrooms, non-playing spectators who sit (or stand) and watch the games are called railbirds. (Many casino cardrooms have a rail separating the playing area from the viewing area.) Often in actual poker rooms, you’ll see a flock of railbirds at high-stakes games, keeping up a hushed running commentary on the action.This is part of the ambience in casino play (as much as some players hate it).

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Take Your Seat! The Virtual Poker Table The guy who invented poker was bright, but the guy who invented the chip was a genius. —Big Julie 109

The Short Stack Sitting Down and Buying In Tournament Seating Action Buttons Pre-Action Buttons Timing Out

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The first time you take a seat in a real casino or cardroom can be a harrowing experience. No matter how good you are, how confident you feel, and how much planning you’ve done, you still feel lost and adrift for those first few moments. Everything moves too fast, chips and cards are flying everywhere, and you can feel the stares of the other players checking you over. You’re the FNG, where N stands for New, G stands for Guy, and F stands for what it usually stands for in euphemistic acronyms. Rest assured, though, that taking your first seat in an online card room is a much more mellow experience. Especially if you’ve already done some browsing and lurking, and have a decent grasp on how the game works. It’s still rather thrilling, but not as intimidating—this is a big part of the appeal of online poker for new players. This chapter takes a step-by-step approach to the process of sitting down at your first virtual poker table. It’s really quite easy and fun. You’ll see.

Pull Up a Chair

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You’ve already established how to get your starting chips and browse the free-money tables for the particular game you’re looking for. You also know how to lurk at a game in progress—to simply observe from the virtual rail. Now it’s time to get in on the action. Online poker rooms are now sufficiently well-designed that it’s usually very apparent how you take your seat. When you click the game you want from the list of available tables, you get your familiar top-down view.

Sit-and-Go Tournament Seating Grabbing up a seat at a sit-and-go tournament table is a little bit different than sitting down at a rolling cash game.Tournaments begin only when all the seats have been taken, and all players have posted the tournament buy-in amount. To enter a play-money tournament, browse the offerings using the sorting techniques discussed in the last chapter.They are listed by game, with the buy-in amount, the number of seats available, and the number of seats currently occupied.Tournaments tend to fill up quickly, so you need to be quick on the (mouse) draw. When you click an open tournament listing, you’re taken to the familiar overhead view of the playing table. Open seats are marked as such, and you can select yours from whatever is there. But again, be quick! When you click an open seat, you’re prompted to OK the buy-in amount before you are officially taken to the table. Many times, the seat you want is grabbed up right from underneath you.Then you have to choose another seat and hope you can click through quickly enough. Once you’re seated,it’s simply a matter of waiting until the table is full.Your table stakes are already established—everyone has the same amount of chips,of course.Once the last player is seated,the action begins.

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For current purposes of illustration, let’s say you are about to sit at an in-process cash game. Available seats are clearly marked with a clickable marker that reads Seat Open, Sit Down, or something similar (see Figures 9.1 and 9.2). It’s just that easy. Click away.

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Figure 9.2 Open seats at Ultimate Bet

■ PULL UP A CHAIR

Figure 9.1 An open seat at Pacific Poker

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Once you have clicked your seat, you may see a pop-up screen or two, depending on the game. At some poker rooms, you are asked to log in—if you haven’t already—before participating in a game. That’s easy enough—just type in your account name and password.

The Buy-In

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In cash games, you usually see another pop-up window; what appears here depends on the amount of play money you have in your account and the table stakes of the game you are joining. It is here that you must state your buy-in amount. Cash-money games often have either a minimum or a maximum buy-in amount, and sometimes both, as shown in the message in Figure 9.3. The buy-in, as you know, represents the amount of chips you are bringing with you to the table. Remember that cardroom poker—online or off—is always played for table stakes. That is to say, you cannot bet more than the amount you have on the table in front of you at the beginning of the hand. Your initial buy-in, then, determines your table stakes for that session of playing. Depending on the cardroom, you may have to actually get up and leave the table to get more chips. At any rate, you can never bring more chips to the table in the middle of an individual hand of play.

Figure 9.3 Minimum and maximum buy-ins at Ultimate Bet

That said, the minimum buy-in for a table in play-money games is there to ensure that each player has enough chips to play for a reasonable amount of time. Different cardrooms establish different amounts; a rule of thumb often used in limit flop games is that the minimum buy-in should be 20 times the amount of the minimum bet. In the case of a 50/100 limit Texas Hold ’Em game, then, the minimum buy-in is 1,000 chips. In no limit Hold ’Em, the minimum buy-in is usually 10 times the amount of the big blind. No limit games may also have a maximum buy-in to prevent someone with a mammoth bankroll from sweeping in and bulldozing the game. Maximum buy-ins

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vary, but 100 times the big blind is common. So, in a No Limit Texas Hold ’Em game with 1,000–2,000 blinds, the minimum buy-in would be 20,000 chips, and the maximum buy-in would be 200,000 chips. What does this all mean to you? Ultimately, in play-money games, it doesn’t mean all that much. You may not be able to “afford” some high limit games due to the minimum buy-in amount. And in certain no limit games with a low blind structure, you may not be able to bring your full bankroll to the table. Whatever the case, you are always allowed to bring whatever amount of chips you want to the table, within the minimum and maximum buy-in limits. When prompted, you’re usually given the option of buying in for the maximum table amount allowed (assuming you have enough chips in your account) or an “other amount” of your choosing (see Figure 9.4).

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Figure 9.4 Buy-in with the Other Amount option at Ultimate Bet

Now you’ve done it. You’re sitting at the table, with your chips, ready to be dealt in. No turning back now—let’s play.

View from the Top The first thing you notice when you take your seat is that not much has actually changed. You’re still looking down at the action from the same vantage point, as if you were just observing the game. Some poker rooms, like Ultimate Bet, change the pointof-view slightly by “rotating” the table so that you are in the center of the screen. But basically, the view is the same. What is different is that you are now one of the players at the table, and you see your chosen account name displayed on or near the virtual seat. You also see some representation of the number of chips you currently have at the table. Congratulations— you are now an active participant in the game.

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The action, as you see, does not pause. The other players around you are calling and checking, raising and folding. Some kind of conspicuous action marker indicates which player is currently active. Depending on the poker room, there may other activities going on such as animated graphics of the cards being dealt or the chips going into the pot.

Blinds and Antes

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The first prompt you are likely to see is one asking you to post the initial blind or ante, depending on the game. In ante games, all players are required to ante before each new hand is dealt. As the new player, you do not have to jump into the very first hand—you can take a minute or two to settle in if you like. A prompt window appears asking whether you want to post the ante or sit out. In games that incorporate blinds, the situation is a little different. When you join a table at which a game is already going on, you get the option of placing a bet equal to the big blind at the start of the next hand or waiting for your turn as determined by the movement of the dealer button—to place the big blind in turn. This prevents players from dropping in and out of games without ever posting blinds and can result in hands in which more than one big blind is posted.

The Action Buttons Now that you have posted your initial blind or ante, you are fully in the action and part of the ongoing game. The primary mechanism by which you interact with the game is the set of prompts that we call the action buttons. These buttons vary from site to site, but they are almost always just below the graphic depicting the poker table. Simply put, any time when it is your turn to act, you make your move by clicking one of the available action buttons: •

Fold

•

Bet (or Open)

•

Check

•

Call

•

Raise

•

All-In

Naturally, these buttons vary depending on the game and the situation. But so long as you are minimally familiar with the concepts in Chapter 4, “Poker Basics, Hand Rankings, and Betting Structure,” and Chapter 5, “Popular Online Poker Games,” you should find this interface very easy and intuitive.

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The buttons presented always reflect the possible actions you can take in that situation (see Figure 9.5). For example, if you are in dealer position in a game of Texas Hold ’Em before the flop, and the big blind has been called all the way around the table, you have the option to click Fold, Call, or Raise. You do not have the option to check in that situation, so the Check button is not displayed.

Calling and Raising In situations where you intend to put money into the pot—either by opening, or by calling or raising a previous bet—notice that various new options are open to you, depending on the game. In limit games, where you can bet only a set amount of chips, the appropriate buttons automatically display the amount of chips you are wagering. This is another nice benefit of online play. You cannot make a mistake, because the game system allows you to take only legal actions.

Figure 9.5 Action buttons at Party Poker

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Well, to be accurate, you cannot make a mechanical mistake, such as betting $40 when you are allowed to bet only $20.You can certainly make strategic mistakes, like calling a big bet with a weak hand.

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In pot limit and no limit games, when you can place bets of various amounts at any time, you must indicate exactly how much you want to wager when opening or raising a pot. All of the major online poker rooms use a similar interface to facilitate this process. Three basic options are standard:

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•

You can click the appropriate action button, which displays the minimum amount that you can bet or raise. Remember that a raise amount must be at least as much as the previous bet or raise in the same round. For example, if the first player to act bets $10, then the second player must raise a minimum of $10, for a total bet of $20.

•

You can type the amount of your wager directly into the text box displayed below the action buttons. Then click the appropriate action button.

•

You can use the bet slider, an on-screen device that designates the minimum and maximum amounts that you can wager. You simply use your mouse to drag the bar on the slider to the amount that you want to bet or raise. That amount is then displayed in the text box and/or the action button. Click the button, and your bet is placed.

The Pre-Action Buttons In an effort to speed up play and make games run more smoothly, all the major online poker rooms now incorporate something we’ll call pre-action buttons. These are buttons that you can click—when it is not yet your turn to act—to indicate the action you intend to take when your turn comes around. It’s an innovative (and wildly successful) solution to the problem of lag time in online poker. Even when you decide and react quickly, it can take a second or two to locate and click your action button. In a hand with nine players, these small lags stack up, and that’s not even taking into account technical system lag time between players. Pre-action buttons allow the player to designate his choice before it is his or her turn to act. The result is that the player’s action turn, when it comes around, takes place instantly. When several players are using pre-action buttons in a big game, the impact can be significant. For example, in a nine-player hand of Hold ’Em, let’s say seven players get terrible starting hands and see no reason to contest the pot. After the blinds are posted, you see a blur of action as seven hands are folded in an instant, leaving the players in the blinds to duke it out.

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Figure 9.6 Pre-action buttons at Party Poker

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Like the standard action buttons, pre-action buttons are dynamic, and change according the situation and the game, as you can see in Figure 9.6. You are only able to select pre-action buttons that represent legal actions on your turn. There’s a bit of variation among the poker rooms on exactly how this is handled, but again, as long as you have a working familiarity with the game and with basic poker rules, you’ll catch on quickly. There are also a handful of standard pre-action buttons that are always active and can help speed up the game. For example, in games that incorporate blind bets, many sites have a box you check that reads Auto-Post Blinds, or something similar. When checked, your blind bets are automatically posted when it is your turn to do so. Another standard box, when checked, automatically mucks (discards) losing or uncalled hands. Usually, this is preferable, but sometimes you may want to show your winning hand for strategic reasons. We’ll explore this more thoroughly in the next chapter. One final on-screen element to consider is the Sit Out button. Sometimes displayed as Sit Out Next Hand, this button simply alerts the dealer that you want to skip the next hand. Maybe you want to get a drink, have a sandwich, check your e-mail, whatever. As long as this box is checked, you will be dealt out of subsequent hands until you decide to return. When you check the box, another button is generated that reads I’m Back, Deal Me In, or something similar. Just click your way back into the game when you’re ready to return.

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All-In Protections The good folks at the Online Poker FAQ (www.onlinepokerfaq.com) have provided a good introduction to the sometimes confusing issue of timing out and all-in policies. You should also always check the rules and regulations of the online poker room you are using—individual policies often vary and change. An important way that online poker differs from real-world poker is the risk of getting disconnected.There are two common causes of this. First, your Internet connection can be interrupted, even temporarily. If this happens, the poker client will detect the problem and attempt to reconnect automatically. Sometimes it will reconnect quickly and no harm is done. But if the connection is truly lost (like if your dial-up session hangs up), the client will not be able to reconnect.

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The second common cause of disconnections is a software crash on your computer.The poker client may freeze up (because of a bug) or your entire computer might reboot (you know how that is). When this happens, you will of course lose your connection to the poker server. On rare occasions, you will lose the connection because the poker server itself is “experiencing technical difficulties.”You will recognize that scenario if your Internet connection to other sites is just fine, but your poker client is unable to reconnect to the server.When this happens, you can be confident that thousands of other players are having the same problem. What happens when you are disconnected? First, the poker server will detect your absence and will give you some extra time to reconnect and play your hand. Second, if you run out of extra time, the server will dip into your “disconnection protection” pool of credits.These are like get-outof-jail-free cards.When you have one, the dealer declares you as all-in for the duration of the hand (even though you are not technically all-in because you still have chips). Just as in the real all-in case, your hand will compete for the main pot at the showdown, while the other players will compete for the side pot that was created after you disconnected. But third, if you don’t reconnect in time, and you don’t have any “disconnection protection” credits, then your hand will be folded.This is true even if you have the nuts on the river! If you play online poker for real money, it’s important to have a good Internet connection and a non-crash-prone computer. The “all-in protection” rule is controversial because some players abuse the system and cheat by intentionally disconnecting their computer when it would be to their advantage to be all-in. Therefore, the sites limit the number of times you can be protected in this way. Also, the site support staff investigates complaints about a player who may be abusing the privilege. Some sites even offer “no all-in” tables where your hand is automatically folded if you fail to act in time because of disconnection. —Online Poker FAQ

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Timing Out

Poker Terms Used in This Chapter action buttons The clickable on-screen buttons that display the range of actions you can take when it is your turn. action marker The graphic element in an online poker game that indicates which player at the table is obligated to take the next action—whose “turn” it is. bet slider In pot limit and no limit games, an on-screen device that lets you use your mouse to drag a bar across a slider to declare the exact amount of your wager. pre-action buttons Clickable on-screen buttons or check boxes that announce your intent before it is your turn to act. sit out To skip one or more hands; to be temporarily dealt out of a game in progress. timing out When a player does not take action during his term within a designated amount of time, usually 15–25 seconds.

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A timer system has become a necessary component to the process of playing poker online. When the continuation of the action depends on multiple, remote players clicking on-screen prompts, it’s easy to see how the game can screech to a halt. Therefore, all online poker rooms grant players a limited amount of time to take action during a hand when it is their turn; 15–25 seconds is typical. Once the action buttons are displayed, the countdown begins. After a few seconds, the interface shows how much time the active player has left to respond. If the player does not respond, she is said to have timed out, and her hand is folded. (See the sidebar “All-In Protections” for more details.) Most of the time, players make decisions within a few seconds, and the timer is not an issue. In some cases, if there is a particularly tricky decision to made, players may legitimately take the entire allotted time to make a play. When a player does run out of time, it is usually because there is some sort of technical problem. It might be that the player’s connection to the Internet has been broken, the game software itself has frozen, or the player’s PC has locked up. Obviously, we all know that these issues certainly happen from time to time. Each of the online poker sites have different policies regarding timing out and disconnections. Be sure to check out the poker room help files for specific information. Whew! Now you’ve digested the essential procedures of how poker is actually played online. If it seems overwhelming, don’t worry. You’ll find that it all comes quite naturally once the cards and chips are in place. The next chapter gets away from the strict technical mechanics and more into the developing customs and etiquette of online poker—the “feel” of the Internet game.

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Online Poker Room Etiquette for our mutual good. The lie is the basic building block of good manners. That may seem mildly shocking to a moralist—but then what isn’t? —Quentin Crisp 121

The Short Stack Chatting, Coffeehousing, and Table Talk Language and Flaming Other Online Considerations

■ ONLINE POKER ROOM ETIQUETTE

10

Of course I lie to people. But I lie altruistically—

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Greetings and welcome, gentle reader, to the charming and elegant Chapter 10, in which we shall discuss the finer points of poker etiquette. Poise, equanimity, graciousness, lucidity: these are to be your constant companions in the noble poker room, wherein you will find—oops, wait a second. Wrong notes again. Ah, here we go: Poker etiquette consists of not spilling your drink on the table and at least trying to swear with some sense of wit. All kidding aside, there are some basic rules of conduct at the poker table, and it’s important to be aware of them. These traditions have become established over the long history of the game, and most of them apply as much in the online realm as in the casino or cardroom. A few of these rules are fairly serious in that they relate to game play directly, for example, the prohibition against discussing hands in play. Other rules are just there to keep things civil. In the days of outlaw poker, bad manners could earn you a .45 slug in the belly. So it pays to play nice. The quotation that opens this chapter by British author and bon vivant Quentin Crisp has at its heart a sneaky grain of truth. Good manners are often rooted in altruistic lies. When you congratulate an opponent who has just smashed your hand with a miracle card on fifth street, you probably don’t really mean it. What you’d like to say is likely very different indeed. But in the interest of civility and taking the high road, you agree to be polite. NH is an acronym you’ll see a lot in the online poker room chat area; it stands for “Nice hand.” What it actually means, though, is, “You lucky bastard, you shouldn’t have won that hand. You know it, I know it, the rookie at seat six knows it—and I am going to absolutely crush you when I get the chance.”

Howdy Stranger! Chatting, Coffeehousing, and Table Talk The practice of table chatting has been around as long as the game of poker. In fact it’s been around as long as games themselves, or tables for that matter. Games by their very nature are social constructs, multi-player table games like poker even more so. When you’ve got nine people sitting around a table staring at each other, conversations tend to arise. With the game of poker, though, conversation and chatting become a little more complex. Because poker incorporates interpersonal and psychological elements such as bluffing, intimidation, and deception, the simple act of talking with your opponent can take on strategic significance. As such, what you say at the poker table and how you say it can be good, bad, or ugly, depending on the situation. There are no real cut-and-dried rules here, but

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some general designations have emerged. The advent of multi-player online poker— with typewritten chat replacing spoken words—has revealed that these issues are still relevant in the Internet game. Three general terms have come into common usage regarding conversation at the poker table. Chatting is the broadest and safest term. Chatting essentially means the kind of friendly conversations that come up when people sit down to play cards. “Where are you from?” “Did you see the tournament last night?” “How ’bout them Giants?” In online cardrooms, chatting is facilitated by the chat function, in which players type their comments on-screen rather than speaking them aloud (see Figure 10.1).

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Online, you will find that the general mood, feel, and frequency of chat varies wildly from game to game. Sometimes, an entire tournament can go by without anyone “saying” a word. Other times, there will be so much small talk and joking that the actual poker game itself can fade into the background. Usually it’s somewhere in between. Chatting can add a lot of fun to the online game, if for no other reason than it gives you something to do when you’ve mucked early and are not interested in studying the rest of the hand. Oftentimes, the players at an online poker table are scattered all over the world, and interesting conversations can result.

■ H O W D Y S T R A N G E R ! C H AT T I N G , C O F F E E H O U S I N G , A N D TA B L E TA L K

Figure 10.1 The chat window at Party Poker

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Coffeehousing

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Coffeehousing is a more contentious term. The Word Spy (www.wordspy.com), a very fun website that tracks new and emerging terms in the English language, defines coffeehousing as “Small talk and other noises designed to distract an opponent during a game or sport that requires concentration.” The word “coffeehousing” seems to have originated in competitive Scrabble tournaments in the 1980s, although some insist that it has been in the poker argot for decades. At any rate, coffeehousing at the poker table has come to mean any discussion between players that is intended to mislead or manipulate other players. It usually refers to an individual player trying to intimidate or “get into the head” of another individual opponent. A more recent (and definitely more troublesome) usage of the term “coffeehousing” is when two or more players try to distract or otherwise influence another player or players. Usually, this means experienced players trying to intimidate new players. Poker authorities are not in universal agreement on the first aspect of coffeehousing. Some see it as a legitimate strategic weapon in a player’s arsenal. If you see an opportunity to get into your opponent’s head, it’s your right to do so. Some famous professionals, such as “Amarillo Slim” Preston, have a reputation for using coffeehousing at the table. Other pros disparage the use of coffeehousing in their own game, but they accept it as something other players may try against them.

Top Ten Online Poker Chat Topics 10. Hey, I used to live right near you! 9.

Why the TV poker shows are great.

8.

Why the TV poker shows are stupid.

7.

Favorite tournament poker pros.

6.

Your area sports team is inferior to my area sports team.

5.

16th-century Andalusian architecture (just kidding).

4.

My area sports team is superior to your area sports team.

3.

Favorite poker starting hands.

2.

What the heck does your screen name mean, anyway?

1.

All my area sports teams are superior to all your area sports teams in every conceivable way.

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As for the second definition, serious poker competitors take a much dimmer view when it comes to two or more players coffeehousing to influence others at the table. This comes awfully close to an act of collusion, in which multiple players act in concert to influence the game. Collusion is explicitly forbidden in the game of poker, no matter what the setting or format. It runs counter to the very structure of the game, in which all individual players are considered independent and equal competitors. In other words, there is no “team” in poker.

Table Talk

The boundaries of what constitutes table talk are a bit more blurry when it’s dialogue among players actively in the hand. But the basic prohibition still applies: Never discuss a hand currently in play. Let the cards and the chips do the talking.

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This leads us to the final term—table talk. This phrase has a very specific meaning in poker: It refers to any discussion at the table of the hand currently underway, especially by players not currently involved in that hand. This is a much more serious breach of conduct, because it can directly affect the play of the game. The classic example of this is a player who has folded his hand and then somehow communicates to the table the cards that he has folded. This can be as overt as saying aloud or typing out: “Sheesh — I just mucked J-J.” This alerts the entire table that two jacks are in the muck, which can obviously impact subsequent play. This kind of table talk can also be less conspicuous. For instance, a player folds on the first round of betting, the flop comes 3-3-3, and the player jumps out of his seat, or swears, or what have you. (In the online game, it could be someone typing “Dammit!”) It’s obvious to the table, then, that the fourth 3 has been mucked. It’s possible, of course, in either instance that the player is lying, or mistaken, or just kidding around. It doesn’t matter; any comment on the hand currently in play disrupts the game. In real-world cardrooms and casino games, you can be temporarily suspended from play or even physically thrown out for table talk. In online cardrooms, you can also be suspended or booted for particularly egregious table talk. Remember that online poker rooms have the ability to recall entire games—including all chat—if someone lodges a complaint. The prohibition against table talk can apply as well to the players actually involved in the hand. Generally speaking, any kind of communication or conversation intended to directly influence the way your opponent will act is considered table talk. Consider an example of two players in a tense showdown. Player #1 is deciding whether to call a big bet by Player #2. Player #2 says (or types) “Don’t do it.” This is considered by most players and cardrooms to be crossing the line.

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Language and Flaming

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Outside of the conventional guidelines restricting coffeehousing and table talk, pretty much anything goes when it comes to chatting and conversation at the poker table. This is true both online and off. It’s part of the weird charm of poker; put nine or ten total strangers at a game incorporating luck, skill, deception, and money, and see what happens. It’s like some deranged experiment in social Darwinism. For all its increasing respectability, poker is still a game where colorful characters and even more colorful language can often be found. In the real world, casinos and cardrooms are home to some of the most entertaining and innovative applications of language on the planet. It’s not restricted to English, either. I once heard a player at an Atlantic City cardroom let loose a stream of Korean invective that was truly impressive. I don’t speak a word of Korean, but the elegance and power of these curses transcended language. Everyone at the table was wowed, and there was even some scattered applause. The online poker rooms have taken different approaches to this issue, many of them now incorporating filter bots, which screen and automatically blank out potentially abusive or offensive words. For instance, certain words are flagged and partially replaced by asterisks, and you can’t do a f***ing thing about it. (See what I mean?) Of course, if you have any experience with online chat, you know that there are 1,001 ways around filter bots. No matter how thorough a system, naughty language will get through. If you have delicate sensibilities, simply consider turning off the chat feature altogether—an option available at all the major online poker rooms.

The Sound of Silence There is one easy, foolproof way to avoid all table talk, coffeehousing, and offensive language.Take up bridge. Just kidding.You’ll find plenty of offensive language in bridge, too.The way to avoid it is to simply turn off the chat feature. This is an option at every major online poker site, and it’s usually very easy to figure out. At Party Poker and Pacific Poker, for example, you are given a drop-down list of several different options for what you want to see in the dialog box—anything from total silence to abbreviated dealer summaries to full player chat. Pacific Poker and Ultimate Bet use an entirely separate chat function that you can enable or disable completely. If worse comes to worst, you can always cobble together a low-tech solution and just affix some masking tape to the appropriate area of your computer monitor.

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Flame Wars

Courtesy as Strategy Online poker is still a developing phenomenon, but it has been around for a good many years now. In that time, several developments have come about to make the game more efficient and fun to play. It’s been a bit of a trial-and-error process, with innovations arising and quickly replicating themselves among the various online cardrooms.

Strategic Use of Pre-Action Buttons The preceding chapter discussed the pre-action buttons offered by most online poker rooms. These buttons allow you to signify your next move while other players are making theirs. It can save a good amount of time and make the game move more

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As a matter of free speech, anyone has a right to say (or type) anything they want at the poker table, no matter how loutish it may be. As a matter of etiquette, it is considered rude and amateurish to swear excessively or to be generally aggressive or abusive. This is sometimes called flaming, and it can have repercussions. The first, of course, is that the poker room monitors can and will come down on abusive players, suspending their chat privileges or banning them altogether. Also, other players may target an offensive player—consciously or unconsciously—and alter their play accordingly. Of course, that’s what some abusive players are intending. In these cases, the player is trying a kind of shotgun approach to coffeehousing, ticking off the table in hopes of getting opponents to make bad, emotional decisions. Whether or not this is a good or effective strategy is extremely debatable, but it happens, so watch for it. The real trouble starts when two or more players get into an escalating flame war. Flaming has been around since the dawn of the Internet, and basically means any kind of antagonistic communication via chat or e-mail. In an online poker table flame war, one player starts the fire with some belligerent comment, one or more other players join in, and it usually becomes a tiresome game of back and forth. Most players find this, at the least, to be distracting and unpleasant. Some players find it funny, and some simply ignore it all. The very best thing you can do for the sake of the current game, and for poker in a larger sense, is to simply not participate. Yes, it’s a question of taste and manners, but it’s also a practical concern because flame wars invariably slow down the game. Don’t throw fuel on the fire.

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quickly. For instance, if you’re holding a worthless starting hand and know that you’ll fold when your turn comes around, clicking the pre-action button saves the whole table a little bit of time. However, many online players are coming to believe that the use of pre-action buttons can have strategic significance. It’s usually obvious when someone has employed a pre-action button—when their turn comes around, their action is instantaneous. So let’s say there is a significant big blind in the late stages of a Texas Hold ’Em tournament. If Player A instantly calls the big blind, other players may infer that Player A clicked the pre-action button immediately because she has a very strong starting hand. Whether or not this is true, it is potentially relevant information and therefore is of strategic value. Some players may choose only to use pre-action buttons early on in tournament games, when the convenience of speeding up the game outweighs possible strategic concerns. And, of course, some players might deliberately use pre-action buttons in an attempt to mislead opponents. You never really know, and that’s what makes poker the game that it is. Such specific considerations depend on the particular game circumstances, but it’s true that pre-action buttons are designed to be a convenience and can make the game speedier and more pleasant for everyone.

Mucking, Flashing, and Auto-Posting Another standard feature at the major online poker rooms is the option to muck losing or uncalled hands. This is usually a box that you can check or uncheck, and it remains in effect unless you choose to change it. If the box is unchecked, then you have a fivesecond window of time to either reveal or discard your hand in certain situations. In a hand in which all other players have folded, for example, you have the option to either reveal your hand or muck without showing. By auto-mucking, you simply fold your cards and collect the pot. Again, this is intended to save time, but in some cases you may want to reveal your uncalled hand for strategic reasons. For example, if you bluff with a big wager on fifth street in a game of Texas Hold ’Em and all your opponents fold, you may want to reveal that bluff hand. This is called flashing. It all depends on the situation and your style of play. As with the pre-action buttons, many players choose to auto-muck early in a tournament but retain manual control in the late stages.

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Auto-posting blinds and antes is usually something you can choose to enable without much thought about strategic issues. This simply lets the game automatically post your antes and blinds without waiting for you to give the official go-ahead. In full table games, this really does save an appreciable amount of time. If you’ve played a lot of home games, you know how it goes. There are always a few players who keep forgetting to ante or post blinds, and everyone ends up waiting around for the cards to be dealt. An additional courtesy you can pay to your fellow players is to excuse yourself politely if you need to leave the game for a period of time. Online, the way to do this is to click the Sit Out or Deal Me Out option (see Figure 10.2). This removes you as an active participant, although you still retain your seat. Otherwise, you’re prompted as usual when it is your turn to act, and everyone has to wait until you time out.

■ COMMON-SENSE ETIQUETTE

Common-Sense Etiquette

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Figure 10.2 The Auto Post Blind, Auto Muck, and Sit Out buttons at Ultimate Bet

The nice thing about playing poker over the Internet is that a lot of the etiquette breaches common in the live game are simply not possible online. Players cannot splash the pot (throw chips out sloppily), slow roll another player (slowly or tauntingly reveal a winning hand at showdown), or act out of turn. You won’t get smoke in your eyes, either. So long as you play at a reasonable speed, refrain from abusive or offensive language, and observe the cardinal rules of table talk, you’ll be just fine at any online poker game. And remember—forbearance, restraint, and little white lies are at the heart of courteous poker discourse. So when that chucklehead in seat five beats you on the river with a hand that shouldn’t have even seen the flop, type NH, click Deal Me Out, and then go tear up the couch cushions.

Poker Terms Used in This Chapter chatting General conversation at the poker table that appears on-screen in the chat window. coffeehousing Chatting or discussion intended to distract or manipulate other players. filter bots An automated feature used in chat systems to censor abusive or offensive language. flame war When two or more people engage in continuous flaming.

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flaming The act of posting aggressive or hostile messages in a chat room or online poker room chat window. flashing The act of showing your winning or uncalled hand to the table instead of mucking the cards. NH A common online poker room chat window acronym meaning “Nice hand.” table talk Any discussion of the hand currently in play, especially by players not involved in the pot. Table talk is expressly forbidden at all online poker games.

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Your first duty is to the Game; then come Mother, God, and Country. —Motto at the National Press Club, Washington D.C. 133

The Short Stack This Really Is Gambling Are Real-Money Stakes Right For You? Setting Limits

■ P L AY I N G W I T H R E A L M O N E Y

11

Playing with Real Money

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You will experience a very peculiar sensation the first time you lay down real money—your own hard-earned cash—at the poker table. This feeling is the same, whether it’s in a dimly lit casino or a jazzy multimedia online cardroom. It’s a kind of tingly sensation, an overall bodily feeling of anticipation that seems to exist at the cellular level. There is a name for this feeling, and that name is raw, animal panic. Just kidding, although there is an element of panic. No, the feeling is something closer to elevation. With real-money stakes, the game plays at a higher level. There are none of the knucklehead moves so common in funny-money games (five people all-in on the first hand, for instance). It’s playing for keeps, and that, of course, cuts both ways. This chapter talks about playing poker for real money online, and the particular concerns involved. We’ll revisit issues of safety, security, and legality in more detail, and explore the question of what table stakes are right for your bankroll.

Kindly Remember: This Really Is Gambling

•

Is it sensible for me to risk my money to experience real-money poker online?

11:

The cold hard fact at the core of playing poker for money is that it is, finally, an act of gambling. Yes, poker is also a game of skill, and yes, a superior player can expect to best lesser players over a sustained period of time. But good players also go broke regularly, and the (literal) luck of the draw can and will empty your pockets occasionally. Any honest assessment of playing poker for money must concede that it is indeed a form of gambling. This fact brings to the game some practical and legal implications. On a practical level, as a potential player, you must ask yourself some common-sense questions: •

Is the game just as fun or valuable to me in the play-money rooms?

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•

If I do choose to wager real money, how much should I budget as my bankroll?

•

What limits do I want to set, and am I willing to stick to them regardless of what happens?

Another practical consideration is whether you feel comfortable using the existing mechanisms for establishing a real-money account with an online cardroom. As you shall see, buying virtual chips is not as straightforward as getting your chips in a casino. In fact, it’s something of a hassle. (A justified hassle, though, because the extensive security processes are there to prevent fraud and cheating.) Is it worth the aggravation and the possible transaction fees to set up a real-money online account? The legal questions, of course, are a bit more complex. Is it expressly legal (or illegal) to gamble online in your jurisdiction? We’ll cover this more thoroughly later in this chapter. The situation is somewhat murky and in flux, but the bottom line is that it is up to you as the player to determine whether there are legal prohibitions against playing poker online where you live.

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Are Real-Money Stakes Right For You? A Quiz It’s your very first online game, a $10 buy-in No Limit Texas Hold ’Em tournament.You play skillfully but bust out early, getting a bad beat on the river. Do you a)

Immediately jump into another $10 tournament?

b)

Consider playing again at lower stakes?

c)

Uninstall the software and quit online poker for good?

d)

Deposit more money and go for a bigger win at a higher stakes table?

You decide to make an initial deposit of $200 into your account. After a week’s play in small-stakes games, you are up $300. Do you Keep playing slow and steady?

b)

Cash out and keep the profits?

c)

Move into higher stakes games with your increased bankroll?

d)

Quit your job to be a professional poker player?

You are trying to establish a real-money account with an online poker room.You discover the process can take a few days, and that you must provide quite a bit of personal and financial information. Do you a)

Carefully review the poker room’s stated privacy and protection policies?

b)

Research even further by going online to find additional information?

c)

Determine that sending such information over the Internet is too dangerous and quit?

d)

Obsessively try to get some damn money in there so you can get down to business?

Generally speaking, if you were to lose a $100 bill due to simple bad luck (it falls through a storm drain, say), would you a)

Tear out your hair and weep inconsolably?

b)

Tear out someone else’s hair and go on a tri-state killing spree?

c)

Shrug and whistle Que Sera Sera?

d)

Get another $100 bill, find a roulette table, and bet it all on red?

What is the principal reason you like to play poker? a)

For the fun of it

b)

For instruction and improvement

c)

For money

d)

For blood

Obviously, I’m kidding around a bit, and there are no right answers here.This is just designed to get you thinking about whether you want to play poker for real money online.

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a)

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Another legal issue involves that great inevitability of life—taxes. Regardless of whether you play online or off, if you are a U.S. citizen, your poker winnings are taxable. Your poker losses are deductible, too, but you cannot deduct losses that are more than your winnings.

Unless otherwise noted, when discussing legal issues in this book, we are referring to United States laws.

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A final consideration is essentially a personal assessment, and it depends on how you approach gambling generally. Winning a lot of money can be a heady thrill, even more so when you have earned it though skillful play. Losing a lot of money can be a crushing experience, even more so when you lose despite skillful play. These emotions can get out of control, and when things go particularly awry, you enter the dangerous waters of problem gambling. This is not a new dilemma, of course. Many people can and do go to Las Vegas with a set gambling budget and stick to it. For these folks, gambling expenses are just part of the overall vacation budget. If they make money, it’s a bonus. If they lose it all, that’s okay too; they just take a bus tour to the Hoover Dam, or whatever. Some people, on the other hand, go to Vegas and get themselves in a lot of trouble. Some lose everything they own. Some never come back at all. This isn’t being overly dramatic—it’s a sober assessment of what happens to many people. Similar things can happen to online players, when real money is concerned. Don’t dismiss the issue, and make sure to read Appendix B, “Problem Gambling.”

Making Informed Decisions Playing with real money requires that the careful player put some effort into ensuring as much safety and security as possible. And this happens before you even wager a dime. After all, you are sending real money—even if it’s just digital transactions—to online cardrooms in rather faraway places. These cardrooms are not regulated by any U.S. institution or government agency. Ultimately, there are no real guarantees that your money will arrive safely or be handled properly. That said, the vast majority of real-money transactions with the major online cardrooms go off without a hitch. The lack of official U.S. regulation or accreditation does not mean that the cardrooms are crooked or lawless. All of the major online poker sites are regulated to some extent, usually by licensing agencies operated outside the U.S. It is in the interest of the online poker industry as a whole to prevent fraud or abuse. An unsafe venue, after all, scares away potential customers—which is a greater

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incentive than government regulations to maintain a clean operation and reputation. Also remember that, with poker, you are not playing against the house; you win or lose your money to the other players. The poker room makes its money by facilitating the game, usually by raking the pot. The trick—as with any financial transaction or purchasing decision—is to be an informed consumer. There are ways to play it safe, but it’s up to you to do the footwork.

The Poker Rooms First of all, take the time to read the stated policies and procedures of the poker room. The major poker sites make this information explicit and easy to find. Here are some questions to keep in mind: •

•

What are the poker room’s encryption and privacy features? It has become standard to include at least 128-bit encryption to ensure security of the raw data passing through the lines. Also look to see if the site has a stated privacy policy and read it carefully. Find out if any of your personal information, such as your e-mail address or street address, is shared with third parties.

•

What are the poker room’s deposit and pay-out policies? Is there a minimum deposit or cash-out amount? Are there maximums? What assurances are offered that you can withdraw your winnings quickly and completely?

•

What kind of fraud protection does the room offer? Are there security systems in place to detect collusion and other forms of cheating?

•

Is the poker room endorsed by a trustworthy person or institution? Many of the leading poker services now have celebrity spokespeople or endorsers—often, pro tournament players. What do they have to say? And does this make a difference to you? (The implied question, of course, is how trustworthy do you find professional poker players? Heh, heh.)

All of this is certainly relevant information, but as a smart consumer, you want to retain your healthy skepticism. After all, this is just what the poker service is saying about itself, and this kind of information is by nature more promotional than objective. Consider corroborating your findings by going to other, independent sources of information. There are many existing and emerging websites that offer comparative assessments of the major online poker rooms. Be savvy and decide for yourself how

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Is the site regulated or licensed? It’s generally a good thing if there is a licensing or regulatory body cited on the policies page. You may want to dig around a bit here. Exactly who is issuing the license? What is their authority and jurisdiction? What other poker rooms does the regulating agency monitor? Keep in mind that many regulating agencies are run by the online poker sites themselves. In other words, they are essentially self-regulated.

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much weight to grant such assessments. If the comparative site is run by a poker site itself, obviously, there will be some bias. Some “objective” sites accept advertising or referral money from the poker rooms, so factor that in as well. We’ve taken some of the grunt work out of this by providing recommended websites and online resources in Appendix A, “Additional Resources: Books, Websites, and Software.” But doing your own research is always recommended.

Third-Party Services and Other Deposit Options

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So you’ve decided to deposit some real money into an online cardroom account, and you’ve chosen a poker site that you’re comfortable with. There’s still the task of getting from Point A to Point B. Several approaches are available for moving your money into a poker room account, and we’re going to detail them at some length in the next chapter. For now, we just want to touch on the idea of using third-party services to facilitate the move. Just as you would research and examine the final destination of your deposit, you also want to look at the method by which you are making the transaction. The most common and established way of paying for something over the Internet is to use your credit card. Unfortunately, as of this writing, virtually all of the major credit-card-issuing banks have adopted policies prohibiting transactions for online gambling—poker included. There is still enough of a gray-market stigma to online gambling to scare off major corporate interests. Several third-party services have emerged to remedy this situation. These outfits essentially allow you to make credit-card or debit-card deposits into a neutral account. Then, you transfer the funds to the online cardroom to establish your actual poker account. This adds an extra layer of complexity, but also an extra level of security.

Other deposit options, such as wire transfers and bank checks, will be covered in the next chapter. But while you’re making your initial decisions and researching, take this time to think about not only where your money is going, but how it’s going to get there.These are important considerations when considering the issue of playing real-money poker online.

Setting Limits The next question to ask yourself is: How much money do I want to bring to the table? If you’ve spent any time in the casinos of Las Vegas or Atlantic City, you may be familiar with this process. You should always have a defined budget in mind when going into any session of gambling (or gaming, as the image-conscious casino industry likes to say).

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Rules to Live By The first rule of gambling: Never wager more than you can afford to lose. This applies across the board to any game, any format, whether online or off. It’s the Golden Rule of Gambling. The time to determine how much you’re willing to wager is before you start playing, when you first set out to establish your bankroll. Go into any session of playing with the assumption that you will lose everything. Really. Envision that very real possibility in your mind and see how you feel. Gut-check yourself and apply common sense. If it doesn’t feel right, lower your bankroll amount. Once you have established that amount, stick to it. That money is now your bankroll; how you use it will depend on your overall strategy and what you’re looking to get out of the experience. If and when that initial bankroll amount dries up, it’s time to step back—all the way back—and start from the beginning. Whether to establish a new bankroll is a whole new decision-making process. The temptation when losing is often to dive right back in ASAP and try to get even. That leads us to the second rule, which applies specifically to the online game: Limit yourself to a set amount of playing money per session. That is to say, determine at the outset of a session of play exactly how much you are willing to play with. That amount may be a portion of your player account, or it may be all of it. The reason I encourage you to consider this a rule is that it’s entirely too easy in the online game to get more money when you want it. While it’s true that making an

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In terms of online poker, the amount of money that you deposit into your playing account can be thought of as your bankroll, whether for a single session or for several sessions of play. In a general sense, your bankroll is the amount of money you have to wager at any given time. It can be used to play in rolling cash games or to buy into tournaments. It doesn’t matter which game you’re playing—you use the same bankroll to sit at the table. Different players have different philosophies about how to manage bankrolls and limits. Some are willing to empty their pockets completely and immediately, while others carefully designate certain amounts for certain sessions of play. For example, let’s say you deposit $100 into a poker site. You may want to sit at one cash game, buy in with your full bankroll, and see how far you can go. Or, you may decide you want to play only $50 in limit Texas Hold ’Em and another $50 in Seven-Card Stud. A third option may be to play some of the money in rolling cash games and use the rest to buy into sit-and-go tournaments. How you choose to manage your bankroll is finally a matter of personal preference and level of comfort. There are a couple of general rules, however, that you will want to follow when playing poker for real money online.

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initial deposit is a lengthy process, subsequent transactions are a snap. And once your player account is established, it’s just a matter of a few seconds and a few clicks of the mouse to move money from your account into a game. At a real casino or cardroom, you have to deal with actual cash, fork that over to get real chips, and usually spend some time moving between the cashier’s window and the poker table. Not so online. You don’t even have to leave your seat. So if and when you bust through a particular playing bankroll (play long enough, and there’s no “if” about it), just take the loss, chalk it up to experience, and log off.

Table Stakes and Cash Games

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If you’re interested primarily in playing cash games, then a question arises of just how much money to bring to a table relative to the game’s betting limits (or lack thereof). For example, it doesn’t make much sense to sit at a $5/$10 limit game with $20 in chips. Most cash games have table stake limits—a minimum and/or maximum amount of chips that you are allowed to bring to the table. But even within this range, there can be quite a lot of variation. There are a couple rules of thumb for limit games. A standard practice is to buy in with at least 10 times the amount of the table’s big bet. So at a $3/6 game, you would buy in for $60. This ensures at least a couple of hours of poker, assuming that you play conservatively (and that your luck is not too terrible). A more commonly cited standard amount is 20 times the big bet, or $120 in a $3/$6 game. This is enough to keep you in a game long enough to read the table pretty well and determine whether it’s a good game for you. In no limit and pot limit games, basic strategy dictates that you buy in with as much as you can afford, up to the table maximum for the game. That’s for the simple reason that—in pot limit and no limit—having a larger stack of chips than the next guy is always preferable, because it gives you the option of putting opponents all-in. Putting that aside, a similar rule of thumb for no limit/pot limit is 20 times the amount of the big blind. Tournaments, of course, simplify the matter nicely. Buy-in amounts are clearly stated, along with the potential payouts if you finish in the money. All players pay the same amount to sit at the table and begin play with the same amount of chips. The only thing to keep in mind here is that, if you are looking primarily for tournament poker experience, it probably makes more sense to play lots of $5/$1 tourneys rather than a single $50/$5 tourney.

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Internet Poker and the Law The legal discussions in this book are not to be construed as legal advice, but as general information only. Please see a qualified attorney for any questions about the legality of online gambling.

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The issue of online poker’s legal status in the U.S. is, politely stated, rather complicated. More bluntly put, for the player looking to get in on some real-money poker over the Internet, the situation is a mess. Here is the one true and unassailable thing that can be said regarding real-stakes online poker: It’s up to you, as the player, to determine the legal situation in your jurisdiction. Local laws and policies are numerous and often in flux. There are many reliable sources of information available online, and it’s definitely in your interest to check these out. For a few good starting points, please refer to Appendix A. Generally speaking, here’s the situation: On the federal level, existing laws appear to apply only to the operators of online gambling sites, including poker rooms. This is why all legitimate Internet poker sites are located in countries other than the U.S. For the most part, the federal government is not interested in gambling; it has traditionally been a state and local issue. That being the case, most state and local gambling statutes were written well before the dawning of the Internet, and so it’s often unclear how existing laws apply to online games. In some states and jurisdictions, “social games” are exempted from the more general gambling prohibitions, so long as the player does not help set up or run the game. Further complicating matters is the fact that poker is often considered separately from other casino games such as roulette, dice, and slots. As we’ve discussed, poker is a game in which the player does not bet against the house. Instead, poker rooms online and off make money by simply facilitating the game, in which players wager against one another. The situation is very murky, indeed. If you are at all in doubt, remember that you can always safely take part in the play-money games offered by the various online poker rooms. There is still great value in this, especially for the beginning poker player, and you can take that knowledge and experience with you on your next trip to Vegas.

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Ask the Experts: I. Nelson Rose Attorney I. Nelson Rose is one of the world’s leading experts on gambling law in general, and online gambling in particular. The following is excerpted from his paper titled “Is It a Crime to Play Poker Online?” I get more e-mail asking me whether it is legal to bet online than on any other subject. The answer is, it depends. It depends mostly on where you live. It depends also on how the game is being run. And, in the real world, it depends on whether anyone is going to do anything about it. Federal law is clear.The federal government’s interest in gambling is pretty much limited to organized crime. Federal statutes are written with phrases like,“Whoever being engaged in the business of betting or wagering…” or “Whoever conducts, finances, manages, supervises, directs, or owns all or part of an illegal gambling business….”

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A regular player cannot get into trouble with the federal government even if the gambling operation is blatantly illegal, unless he does something to help the business. Prosecutors have charged players with being part of the gambling business when they helped operators collect debts from other players. But the very few times the federal Department of Justice has gone after regular players, judges have thrown the cases out. What about state laws? Here the question is more difficult, because many states long ago passed anti-gambling laws, which are still on the books. All states make it a crime to conduct some forms of unauthorized gambling. But about half the states also make it a crime to make a bet under some circumstances, even though nobody is ever charged anymore. There are obvious exceptions to the anti-gambling laws. It would not make sense for a state to run a State Lottery and make it a misdemeanor to buy a ticket. Many states also make exceptions for social gambling. For example, the Oregon Legislature passed a statute expressly exempting players in social games, like poker, from the prohibition on gambling, so long as the players do not help set up the game and the only money they make is from winning. But a player at a commercial poker website is not so clearly protected. The only way to know for sure is to check the laws of your state.

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Poker Terms Used in This Chapter 128-bit encryption An established minimum level of encryption for secure online transactions. bankroll The amount of money you have available to wager, whether applied to a single session or multiple sessions of play. licensing agency Any independent body that regulates and/or issues operating licenses to companies within a particular industry or market. privacy policy The policy under which an online service or website handles the personal information collected about visitors. third-party service A financial processing service that facilitates deposits into online poker accounts.

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Yeah, well, sometimes nothin’ can be a real cool hand. —Paul Newman as Lucas Jackson in Cool Hand Luke 145

The Short Stack Depositing by Credit Card Depositing by Third-Party Financial Processor Case Study: NETeller Moving Cash into Your Poker Account Depositing by Direct Wire Transfer and Check Bonus Codes Affiliates and Rebuy Bonuses

■ ESTABLISHING A REAL-MONEY ACCOUNT

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Establishing a Real-Money Account

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This chapter describes the various ways you can deposit real money into an online poker room account. Each poker site offers different methods of depositing funds, although a few options are becoming more or less standard across the industry. When you make your first deposit, be aware of account minimums (and maximums) and possible transaction fees. This chapter also discusses signup bonuses and how to take advantage of them.

Why Won’t They Take My Money: An Overview

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The first thing you learn when attempting to make an initial deposit to an online poker site is that it’s not as easy as it seems. In fact, you’ll likely have to jump through quite a few hoops to get started. Unlike most other online transactions, you cannot (usually) just type in a credit card or debit card number to buy virtual chips. There are a couple of main reasons why setting up an account is so complicated. First is that the major credit card–issuing banks do not facilitate online gambling transactions of any kind. (Banks often refer to these types of transactions as e-gaming transactions.) This was an industry-wide change in policy that occurred a few years back. Credit card transactions are, of course, the most common way of paying for things online. Security and technology has progressed to the point that it is statistically safer to use your card online than in a retail store. However, because credit card companies often compensate cardholders in cases of theft and fraud, it was deemed too risky to get involved with online gambling. There is also the concern that facilitating the deposit transactions could be deemed somehow illegal in the U.S. In any case, you’re unlikely to be able to deposit money directly into a poker room account with any credit card issued by a major national bank. (It’s possible that credit or debit cards issued by smaller local banks may work. Check your bank’s policies if you’re not sure.) Another factor complicating the issue is that, well…this is gambling we’re talking about. And as discussed, wherever there are games played for money, there will be cheaters and frauds looking to work an angle. As a result, the online cardrooms and related third-party companies are very security conscious. There are usually several layers of authentication required to move real money into a poker room account. The poker sites want to be sure you are who you say you are and that the money you’re playing with is really yours. So be prepared to divulge personal information—your mailing address, credit card information, and so on. In fact, quite a few third-party companies require you to speak personally to a representative before finalizing an account. Get used to the idea that you’ll have to provide a lot of information to set up an account. If you’re not comfortable doing so, you don’t have many options. Some sites may allow you to deposit

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funds by bank check or wire transfer, but this is slow and often prohibitively expensive. We’ll discuss this in more detail later in this chapter. While it can be a bit of a hassle, it’s generally a good thing that setting up an online poker room account requires some effort. It should be a carefully considered decision, after all, and the extra security measures are worth a little hoop-jumping.

Deposit by Credit Card All the major online poker rooms offer the option of depositing funds directly via credit card, although as discussed, most of the banks that issue these cards don’t allow Internet gambling transactions. The way to find out, of course, is to give it a shot. If you’ve ever made a credit card purchase online, say at Amazon.com or any other virtual retailer, you’ll find the process is very similar. You’re asked to fill out an online registration form, indicating your card type (Visa, Mastercard, and so on), card number, billing address, card expiration date, and the name of the issuing bank. You’re also asked to provide the three-digit security code on the back of your credit card.

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Most poker rooms require that you validate your e-mail address when you make your first deposit, regardless of the payment method. This is one of those additional levels of security set up by the poker rooms. A message is sent directly to the e-mail address that you have on file with the poker site. Simply follow the directions from there. At this point, you’re prompted to enter the amount you wish to deposit, plus any bonus codes (more about these later in the chapter). The amount must be within the specified minimum and maximum allowed by the poker site.

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If the transaction is declined, you’re notified within a few seconds, along with a reason for the transaction failure. If successful, it usually takes only a few minutes to transfer funds, and you’ll see your real-money deposit reflected in your account. (Sometimes you have to log off and log back on to update the balance.)

Deposit by Third Party Probably the most common method of depositing funds into an online poker account is via a third-party service, sometimes called a financial processor. Simply put, these are middlemen-type services that allow you to deposit money from a credit, debit, or checking account into a new and independent web-based account. You can then take the funds from this new account and deposit them into your poker room account.

Some third-party services process credit card transactions, and some only process deposits via your personal checking account.These latter services are sometimes referred to as eCheck services.

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FirePay

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One of the first and most famous third-party services is PayPal, now owned by the online auction powerhouse eBay. Unfortunately, PayPal recently changed its policies and now no longer does business with online gambling companies. Like the credit card–issuing banks, PayPal does not make any distinction between poker rooms and other online gambling services—they all adhere to a kind of blanket prohibition policy. In the wake of PayPal’s departure, several similar services have entered the market. The most popular service is NETeller, a publicly traded company based in Canada. Other services include

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ePassport

While their essential function is the same, each of these services has different policies and procedures. Be sure to read up on them thoroughly before committing to an account. All of the major online poker sites provide detailed descriptions of the third-party services they offer.

Case Study: NETeller For purposes of illustration, let’s look at how to make a deposit via NETeller. The procedures at other third-party services are similar. Probably the main reason NETeller is the most popular option for players is that with a little planning ahead, you can deposit

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•

You can use your credit card. The banks that won’t do business directly with the poker sites will facilitate transactions with NETeller and the other third-party services. There is a catch, naturally. As of this writing, NETeller charges a 3.9 percent fee on top of whatever transaction fee your credit card imposes. The benefit is that, as long as the transaction is approved by your bank, you receive the money instantly.

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You can request an electronic funds transfer (EFT) from your checking account. To do so, you provide NETeller with the account number and routing number of your checking account. NETeller then makes a small deposit into your account (less than $1). You must return to your NETeller account page and enter the exact amount of this deposit. Again, this is a security procedure to verify your identity and bank account. Once authenticated, you can transfer money from your checking account directly into your NETeller account. The upside is that there are no transaction fees for this process. The downside is that the process requires 4–5 business days.

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funds from your personal checking account with no transaction fees. We’ll get to that in a minute. First of all, check that the poker site you’re interested in using accepts NETeller account deposits. Almost all of the major poker rooms do. Go to NETeller’s website, www.neteller.com, to begin the process of establishing your account. The initial signup form contains the standard fields. You’re asked to enter your name and mailing address and to create a username and password. You’re also asked to provide a phone number, because a NETeller service representative will call you before activating your account. This is for security and fraud protection, and NETeller has a thorough privacy policy. Your personal information is not shared with any other company or agency. After you complete the initial signup form, you’ll receive an e-mail with further instructions. Sounds rather ominous, doesn’t it? Like some postmodern spy novel. Don’t worry, this is just a confirmation e-mail, another security measure to ensure that you are who you say you are. One important thing to keep in mind is you should submit the same e-mail address to NETeller that you are using with the poker room you’ve chosen. The e-mail contains yet another security code number, called your Secure ID, which you’ll use along with your password to activate your account. As you can see, it’s quite a process, but it’s necessary to prevent fraud and abuse. Now you have a few options as to how you want to deposit money into your account. There are basically three mechanisms:

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A third option is to use the Instacash option, which is basically an instant EFT, without the 4–5 business days’ wait. You must still verify your account as outlined in the preceding paragraphs; you just don’t have to wait for the funds to be actually transferred. NETeller basically extends you credit for a processing fee of 8.9 percent.

In any case, the minimum NETeller deposit is $50, and the maximum deposit is $500 per transaction.

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If you choose to use any of the other third-party services, you’ll find the process is similar. Essentially, the thing to keep in mind is that you are using a separate company or service to move your funds from your personal account (credit card, debit card, or checking account) to your online poker room account. Once your money is in place in your third-party account, you must move it yet again to your poker room account. You do this via your poker site cashier page. Choose as your deposit option the third-party service in which you have your account and enter the amount you wish to transfer. You’re asked to provide your username, password, and whatever other security information established by the service. Provided that you have sufficient funds in your third-party account, the cash is transferred to your poker room account instantly. Keep in mind that you don’t have to move all of your cash into your poker room account—you can always keep some back in reserve. This can be a helpful option when determining just how much you want to play with in a given session. As discussed in the last chapter, choosing your bankroll for a specific session of play is an important decision. It can be a strategic consideration when playing cash games, but mostly it’s a way to keep yourself out of trouble.

Remember the Golden Rule: Never bring more than you can afford to lose.

Deposit by Direct Wire Transfer and Check If you want to avoid third-party transaction hassles, arrange a direct wire transfer from your bank to the poker site. All the major poker sites facilitate direct wire transfers. You will soon find, however, that you have a whole other set of aggravations on your hands. Most significant is that in most cases, you have to physically go to your bank to arrange the wire transfer. To set it up, click the wire transfer deposit option at

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Bonus Codes The nice thing about an emerging and competitive industry is that consumers tend to get courted rather nicely. All the poker sites are hungry for new players, and as such, they’re always offering nice promotional goodies. If they could give you flowers and chocolate, they probably would. For the new player, this means you need to keep an eye out for signup bonus offers. These are usually available as bonus codes, which you enter along with your username and other information when establishing a real-money account. When you enter this code, you get a percentage or flat-rate dollar amount actually added to the amount you deposit. For instance, the poker room may add 25 percent to your first deposit. Drop $100 into your account, and the site kicks in another $25. This is a one-time-only deal, however. It applies only to the very first deposit that you make into your poker room account. There’s a catch, of course. Typically, you must make a minimum deposit and play a specified number of raked hands before the additional money is added to your account. (Remember, raked hands are cash games in which the poker room skims a

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your poker site. You’re given several pieces of information, including a unique transaction ID, which you have to in turn provide to your bank. After you’ve arranged the wire transfer at the bank, most poker sites require you to send them an e-mail confirming all the details of the transaction, including the name of the bank, the amount wired, the date, and the various transaction IDs and reference numbers provided by your bank. Once the wire arrives and is confirmed at the poker site, the money is posted directly to your account. This can take anywhere from 1 to 7 business days. A related option now offered by many of the poker sites is making a money deposit via Western Union. Check the individual poker sites for their policies. Typically, you have to get an actual name of the person designated as the “receiver” at the poker site. Then, after making the transfer at a Western Union office, you must return to the poker site and enter information from your receipt. Of course, you have to pay all associated fees required by Western Union to facilitate the transfer. Finally, you can always send poker sites money the old-fashioned way—send ’em a check. Most poker sites do not accept personal checks, as you might expect, but they do usually accept bank checks—a check written from your bank to theirs. Most banks typically charge you anywhere from $15–$30 for this service, and of course you have to mail the check and wait for it to arrive. Many of the top online poker rooms appear to be moving away from accepting check deposits, so read the deposit options information carefully or contact the site directly.

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percentage of each winning pot.) Alternately, a poker site requires that you wager a specific amount before receiving the bonus, or it will include some mechanism for counting tournament play toward your required activity. These requirements are there to prevent people from signing up for an account, receiving the bonus, and instantly cashing out.

The minimum playing requirement to receive your sign-up bonus is typically 5–10 raked hands per dollar awarded.

Recently, many of the top poker sites have simply made this initial signup bonus part of the process of establishing your real-money account. You don’t have to worry about where to get your bonus code; you get the extra cash automatically.

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Affiliates and Rebuy Bonuses In addition to signup bonuses, many poker rooms use an affiliate system to drum up new business. Affiliates may be poker-themed websites or blogs, or simply individual players who refer other players to the site. In the case of affiliates, both the new player and the affiliate get paid. This is something to keep in mind when reading “reviews” of online poker rooms from independent poker websites and blogs. If the poker site is an affiliate of a particular poker room, it is obviously in their interest to direct your business that way. Of course, once you’re a real-money player at a particular poker room, you too can be an affiliate and earn bonuses for referring other new players. Each poker site has different policies here; read up on them if you’re interested. Some poker rooms also offer occasional rebuy bonuses for existing players. Usually this is a system-wide promotion, and you are notified by e-mail with certain dates and times during which you can get a bonus for reloading your account. Some sites also offer individual players rebuy bonuses, often if an account has been empty or inactive for a period of time. For the new player, though, it’s the signup bonuses that matter. Many websites track signup bonuses among the leading poker rooms. The Online Poker FAQ (www.onlinepokerfaq.com) keeps a good up-to-date listing and has detailed information about affiliate programs in general. Note that this FAQ page is itself an affiliate, but an egalitarian one—it offers bonus codes for all the poker rooms it tracks. If you’re interested in a poker room not on this list, Google around for a different source or consult Appendix A, “Additional Resources: Books, Websites, and Software.”

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The next couple of chapters describe the in-depth issues of maintaining your real-money online poker account. But for now, carefully consider choosing a deposit option that makes sense for you. The information presented in this chapter is necessarily general; when the time comes to make your first deposit, you want to be the most informed consumer on the planet. Read carefully the practices and policies of the poker site, and of the third-party service if you choose to use one. Watch out in particular for any processing fees assessed by third-party companies. And make sure to take advantage of those bonus codes! That extra $25 could be the stake that buys you into a profitable cash game or prestigious tournament.

Poker Terms Used in This Chapter affiliate A person or website that refers new players to a poker site. bank check A guaranteed check from a bank, used to establish real-money accounts.

e-gaming transactions Online gambling transactions. These types of transactions are disallowed by most banks that issue credit cards. electronic funds transfer (EFT) A direct transfer of money from a checking account to an online poker room account. financial processor A third-party service that facilitates deposits into online poker room accounts. raked hands Cash games in which the poker room skims a percentage of each winning pot. rebuy bonus A cash bonus given by the online poker room to existing players when they replenish their real-money account. signup bonus A cash bonus given by the online poker room to new players when they first establish a real-money account. transaction fees Fees assessed by third-party services for facilitating deposits into online poker room accounts. wire transfer An electronic transfer of money to an online poker account.

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bonus code A code or phrase that triggers a cash bonus when depositing money into an account.

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People would be surprised to know how much I learned about prayer from playing poker. —Mary Austin, 20th century American writer 155

The Short Stack More on Bankrolls Choosing Games and Stakes Tournament Fees and “the Rake” Real-Money Strategy

■ TABLE STAKES, “THE RAKE,” AND OTHER PLAYING EXPENSES

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Table Stakes, “the Rake,” and Other Playing Expenses

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Well, you’ve officially arrived. With your real-money account established, you’re now free to play poker for cash stakes over the Internet any time the mood strikes. What a long, strange trip it’s been. We’ve trekked through everything from ancient Chinese card games to the modern minefields of Internet commerce. This chapter, and indeed the rest of this book, is devoted to the specific goal of helping you to play smart, stay safe, and have fun playing poker online. First off, we’ll discuss some more details on establishing your initial bankroll and choosing which games and table stakes are right for your purposes. Then we’ll explain the charges levied by the poker rooms to facilitate the games—tournament fees and the rake. Finally, we’ll touch on the critical area of play-money strategy versus real-money strategy, which will be explored more thoroughly later in this book.

You Have an Account: Now What?

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You’ve chosen your online poker room, tested the waters in the practice rooms, researched your options, and made your initial deposit. (Ideally, with a healthy signup bonus—review the previous chapter for more details.) The good news is that much of the heavy lifting involved is already behind you. The other news is that you are now really and truly playing for keeps. It’s time for your first battery of serious (and seriously fun) decisions. Which game do you want to start with? Stud? Hold ’Em? Omaha? Are you looking for a cash game or a tournament? If you’re looking for a cash game, what table stakes are best to begin with? If you’re looking for a tournament, what kind of buy-in? Would you prefer to start with a small sit-and-go tournament, or go all in (in a cosmic sense) and try your hand at a multitable, big-ticket tourney? How much do you want to establish as your initial bankroll? Then there are the more immediate and material concerns. You’re sitting at your computer, mouse and keyboard at the ready. What kind of beverage is appropriate? Bottled water? Cherry Coke? 30-year-old single-malt scotch? No-fat, half-caf, extrafoam soy latte with vanilla? What about snacks? What about shoes? Can you feel confident about your ability to semi-bluff on an inside straight draw wearing bunny slippers? Should you have a cigar? Are you wearing sunglasses? If so, why? As you can see, there are many critical decisions to be made. Let’s get to it.

Your Starting Bankroll The last chapter touched on this a bit, but it’s worth exploring a little further. Remember that when establishing an account, you may encounter various fees associated with the method of deposit. Reloading your account may involve paying some or all of those same fees again. So, depending on your general approach to the game, take this into account when determining both your initial deposit and your bankroll for a particular session

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An Option for the Patient and Prepared If you really want to get crazy with it,here’s another idea:Move your $500 into a third-party service and then make multiple smaller deposits to several different online poker rooms.This takes some planning, and you have to find a third-party service that works with several poker sites.(Again,NETeller is a good choice.) By going this route,you can scoop up the various signup bonuses and establish,say,five different $100 accounts ($120 with the bonuses) at five completely separate poker rooms.You get the advantage of the signup bonuses,plus the buffer of having only $100 to lose at any given site. This also allows you to do some true comparison shopping.You can browse the real-money cash games and tournaments offered at each site and assess the level of competition.I’ve found in my testing that you can safely download and install the client software for multiple poker sites.In fact, I’ve had more than five poker programs installed on my machine simultaneously.However, you probably want to avoid running more than one at the same time.I occasionally have two running at once, but even that’s asking for trouble.Another thing to keep in mind with this method is that you need to keep careful notes of your various usernames, passwords, and other security information.

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of play. Let’s say you’ve decided that you’re comfortable wagering up to $500 in your mission to try out the phenomenon of online poker. Should you deposit that $500 all at once? Or should you just drop in $50 at a time to keep a leash on things? If you decide to move this entire $500 all at once from your personal funds into your poker room account (possibly via a third-party service), you’ll enjoy a couple of benefits. The first is that any percentage-based signup bonus will of course be larger. The standard 20-percent benefit would equal an extra $100 (subject to the raked-hand requirements of the poker room). If you go $50 at a time, you’ll get that percentage bonus only on the first deposit—$10. Second, if there are any loading or processing fees, you’ll have to pay them only once with the single deposit. If, instead, you deposited $50 ten times, you would be paying those fees over and over. The down side, naturally, is that depositing $500 all at once is a much bigger commitment and can be a little scary. When you have deeper funds readily available (in other words, sitting right there in your poker room account), it’s a lot easier to dip into them after an upsetting loss. In the interest of compromise, if you’re using a third-party service, consider leaving a little behind, assuming that moving money from the third-party account to the poker room is free. (It usually is.) You can do this by moving the full $500 into the third-party account and then using only some of it—$300, say—for initial deposit to the poker room. You’ll forego some of the percentage signup bonus ($60 vs. $100), but you’ll have that psychological buffer.

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Games, Stakes, and Tournaments

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Once you’re settled in with a bankroll, your next decision is which poker game or games to play first. (Be sure you’ve made those other critical decisions, too—beverage, shoes, cigar, and so on.) For the brand-new, first-time player, you should definitely go with your strongest game when playing with real stakes. Not sure what your strongest game is? Easy—it’s your favorite game. Poker players get better by playing poker, whether in live casino games and friendly home poker nights, or via instructional software and Internet cardrooms. For the beginner, the game you play most often is your strongest game. Probably, you already have a favorite game—the game you have been playing in the practice rooms for free. This is also the game you’re likely to want to go with for real stakes. Having determined your game, the next step is to decide whether to play in a rolling cash game or a tournament. There are a couple of ways to approach this question, and it can most definitely hinge on the specific game you have chosen. Let’s use the example of Texas Hold ’Em, because it’s currently the most popular online game for new players. As discussed in earlier chapters, Texas Hold ’Em comes in several flavors of betting limits and structures. For the new player, the most important distinction is between limit Hold ’Em and no limit Hold ’Em.

Pot Limit Hold ’Em, in this context, plays a lot more like a no limit game than a limit game, so we’re going to consider pot limit a kind of subset of no limit. Spread limit games are uncommon, so we’ll skip them for now.

Case Study #1: Limit Hold ’Em Limit Hold ’Em imposes particular caps and limits on the amount of money that can be wagered at any given time. (For more information, see the section “Betting Structures” in Chapter 4, “Poker Basics, Hand Rankings, and Betting Structure.”) This has the effect of modulating the game and limiting the amount of money that a player can expect to win or lose in a certain amount of time. With limit Hold ’Em, you usually have a lot of cash game options. Principally, you have many different levels of stakes (sometimes called table stakes) to choose from. Quite a few of the leading poker sites offer micro-limit games, with stakes as low as $.02/$.04. For the high rollers, limit Hold ’Em table stakes can run into the hundreds

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of dollars. So for the limit Hold ’Em newcomer, cash games are an attractive option. You have a wide range of stakes to choose from, and you can easily find a game that suits your bankroll. Many sites also run limit Hold ’Em tournaments with escalating blinds and stakes, as shown in Figure 13.1. (See the section “Betting Structure and Escalating Blinds” in Chapter 2, “Online Satellites and Big-Time Tournaments.”) These tournaments have value for the new player as well, but keep in mind that the stakes increase (and the number of players decreases) as the game progresses. This means situations and attendant strategies are constantly in flux. If you’re looking to get better at 10player $2/$4 limit Hold ’Em, you may find a rolling cash game more stable and useful.

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Figure 13.1 A $0.05/$0.10 limit Hold ’Em game at Pacific Poker

Case Study #2: No Limit Hold ’Em The variant of the game most often seen on the various TV poker shows is No Limit Texas Hold ’Em. This is the granddaddy, the Cadillac of Poker, as they say. At any point in the game, any active player can choose to go all in, wagering all of their

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remaining chips. There are no betting caps or limits in No Limit Texas Hold ’Em. You can get rich quick with this particular game. You can also go broke instantly. For the brand-new, first-time player, then, No Limit Texas Hold ’Em is a dangerous game to play in rolling cash games. In terms of simple risk-to-reward ratio, it’s a dubious proposition—you can lose your entire stake in a single hand. As a new player, it’s beneficial to get the most poker action for your dollar. Another hazard of no limit cash games for the beginner is that you are likely to be outgunned in terms of your chip stack. Even in games where there is a maximum buy-in, you usually find one or two players at the table with intimidating stacks. As you know, the chip stack is critical in no limit games, and players with deep pockets often try to run over a table by wagering aggressively. That’s why tournaments can often make more sense for no limit and pot limit Texas Hold ’Em. With tournaments, you can pay a set amount of money and start the game on even footing with the other players, because everyone is issued the same number of starting chips.

The Case for Tournament Play These two examples serve to illustrate how the kind of game you’re looking to play might impact whether to begin with cash games or tournaments. There are many good arguments to be made for various situations, and it’s ultimately up to you to determine which choices suit your intentions and playing style. In my personal experience, I’ve found low-cost, sit-and-go tournaments to be most beneficial for players looking to get maximum poker bang for their buck, especially when playing no limit and pot limit games. It’s difficult to win much money in small tournaments, but it’s hard to lose a lot, too. In short, it’s easier to stick to your established bankroll and still get in a lot of good poker. In addition, as discussed in Chapter 2, tournament poker tends to be more straightforward and “by the book.” That’s because it’s an elimination format—once you lose your starting chips, you’re out. Play tends to be conservative, in the earlier rounds at least, and high-risk gambits are less common. There’s one more point to be made for tournament play, and it’s specific to the online game as opposed to live casino poker. Many of the new players coming into the online poker rooms right now have been attracted to the game by televised TV tournaments on ESPN, The Travel Channel, and so on. As such, many new players are starting out in tournaments, because that’s what drew them to the game in the first place. In casino

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poker rooms, usually the opposite is true: Most new players tend to go for low-stakes cash games, and experienced players like to compete in the big cash tournaments. This isn’t to say you’ll have an easy time in online tournaments, but you’ll find yourself among many other newer players.

Tournament Fees and “the Rake”

The term dropped originates from a common practice in live casino games, in which the dealer literally drops raked chips through a slot on the table.

161 ■ TOURNAMENT FEES AND “THE RAKE”

Your principal playing expenses in poker are the very chips you’re wagering and the money that they represent. That’s why it’s called gambling. There are, however, some additional expenses associated with playing poker in any kind of organized setting, whether in a casino, an independent cardroom, or at an online poker site. Some of the online-specific expenses have already been covered, such as the transaction fees and other costs associated with establishing a real-money poker account. Add to these a couple of traditional poker-playing expenses that have migrated from the real world to the virtual realm: tournament fees and the rake. You’ve learned already that online cardrooms do not make their money by accepting wagers from players. Instead, their profits depend on charging a fee to all players for facilitating the games themselves. These fees come in two varieties, the first of which is known as the rake (or sometimes the table rake or the pot rake). The rake is the amount of money that is collected by the house from each cash game pot (see Figure 13.2). Each online poker room has different policies here, but they are stated up front and in fact are pretty similar. A typical rake is five percent of the pot, rounded to the nearest $.25, up to $3 per pot. Many online poker rooms have carefully calibrated rake charts that take into account the betting limits and the number of players in the game. The rake is often reduced when there are fewer players at the table; at some micro-limit games, there is no rake at all. This money is automatically taken from every pot generated in a cash game. So, for instance, in a $3/$6 limit game with a five percent rake and a $40 average pot, the house collects $2 from each hand dealt. In many cases, the house simply deducts the rake when the pot reaches a certain threshold. When the pot reaches $20, one dollar is dropped and taken as the rake fee. At $40, another dollar is dropped.

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In this example, then, assuming there are 10 players in the game, the rake is costing each player about 20 cents per hand. Let’s say the game is averaging 40 hands per hour. That means it’s costing you about $8 per hour to sit there and play. Many complicated and charming mathematical theories proceed from here, regarding whether it is even possible to “beat the rake” at low-limit poker games.

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Figure 13.2 The rake chart at Party Poker

The good news is that rake policies at online poker sites tend to be lower than those in casino cardrooms. Also, there’s a tradition in casino cardrooms (more of an unspoken policy, really) of tipping, or toking, the dealer when you win a pot. In the online rooms, of course, that’s not an issue.

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Tournament fees are more simple and straightforward. Rather than raking the pot, the cardroom simply charges every player in the tournament a flat fee for participating. The emerging industry standard is 10 percent of the buy-in for lower stakes events. So in a $10 tournament, you pay a $1 fee. The $10 goes to the prize pool; the $1 goes to the house. This is usually indicated as $10/1 or $10+$1. For larger buy-in events, the fee is usually a little smaller: $100/9 or $200/15. One thing to note is that in sit-and-go tournaments, your buy-in and tournament fee are refunded to you if you choose to leave the table before play begins. In instances where the poker site itself goes offline during tournament play, all monies are refunded so long as you are still at the table.

Play-Money and Real-Money Strategy

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This might seem a bit obvious, even if you’re relatively new to the game of poker and its new online incarnation, but it’s worth mentioning briefly: The level of play at realmoney games is significantly different than at the play-money games. Therefore, your general strategy and approach to the game should change as well, regardless of the specific variant you are playing or the stakes involved.

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As a rule, real-money games are much tighter than play-money games. Players do not make the foolhardy moves so common in games when no real cash-value chips are at stake. Stands to reason, doesn’t it? For the new player, though, it’s very important that you be aware of this distinction when first moving from fake-money to realmoney poker. This applies to you and to your game, even if you tend to practice funny-money poker with discipline and skill. The reason is that, even if you are stalwartly employing your same steady game, the general play of the competition is now significantly different. Strategies that worked consistently in the practice rooms may not work at the realmoney tables. There are no black-and-white rules or guidelines here, but you’ll notice some differences rather quickly. You’ll likely find the players in your first real-money games to be more selective with starting hands, more skillful with marginal hands and situations, and more aggressive (or deceptive) when the circumstances call for such play. In short, they are more practiced and more proficient—they are wily, like coyotes.

Wile E. Coyote: Supra-Genius

When weighing matters of expense in the real-money poker game, you are welladvised to take this into consideration, as self-evident as it may seem. Remember, your principal expenses in poker are the chips you’re wagering. In real-money poker, the other players aren’t out there on a lark, going all in for the hell of it. They’re in the game to win. They’re in it to take your chips.

Poker Terms Used in This Chapter elimination format Any tournament event in which players leave the game when their chips are gone. gambit A maneuver or stratagem, especially one used at an initial stage of a game. instructional software Interactive computer programs designed to teach the game of poker. rake chart The schedule of rake policies posted by a poker room.

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run over To run over a game or a table is to leverage a big stack of chips and wager aggressively. toking To tip the dealer after winning a pot in casino poker games. tournament fee The flat fee, separate from the buy-in, assessed to each participant in a tournament.

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14

Cashing Out and Tournament Prizes Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well. —Josh Billings, American humorist

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The Short Stack Cash-Out Options A Word About Delays Tournaments and Prize Packages

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Playing the game of poker is a pleasure. Winning a hand, or several hands, due to skillful play and effective strategy—that feels good, too. Walking away from a session of poker with more money than you had when you started? Priceless. This chapter will talk about the process of cashing out your virtual chips— how to get the money you’ve won from your poker account back into your pocket. You’ll see that withdrawing money can be as convoluted as depositing it in the first place, mostly for the same reasons of security and fraud protection. We’ll also take a closer look at the increasingly popular phenomenon of massive, multi-level prize package tournaments. These two topics, otherwise unrelated, have one happy fact in common—both tend to come into play when you win a lot of virtual poker chips.

Cash-Out Options

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In an actual casino cardroom, the term cash out is fairly literal. You hand over your accumulated poker chips to the cashier, who hands back cold, hard cash. A pretty straightforward transaction. But in the brave new 21st century, cash—that is to say, paper currency— is quickly going the way of the dodo. Or the typewriter. Or the Montreal Expos. Science fiction writers have long speculated that eventually the use of cash will become a black market transaction, totally supplanted in legitimate society by digital currency. In any case, it’s true that “cashing out” is already an archaic term in regard to online poker, and Internet transactions in general. Probably a better way to think of this process is that you are withdrawing funds from your poker account and moving them back into your personal checking, credit, debit, or third-party accounts. This occurs either as a digital cash transfer, or you usually have the option of being mailed a check. You’ll discover soon enough, however, that regardless of the method, getting your money back is likely to take several days. First things first: Any and all withdrawal options offered by a particular online poker room are explained in detail in the cashier window section of the site. See Table 14.1 for an example of the cash-out options at Party Poker. Here you will find information on the minimum (and sometimes maximum) amounts you can withdraw at any given time. You’ll also be given details on the average transfer time for each method and possible associated fees. Read everything and choose carefully. Let’s take a look at the options generally offered.

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Table 14.1 Cash-Out Options at Party Poker

Transfer Time

Comments

Minimum/ Maximum

iGM-Pay

$0.00

3–4 business days after approval

You must register and verify bank account with iGM-Pay.

$50 minimum

Neteller

$0.00

Within 1 business day of approval

You can transfer funds directly into your bank account.

$50 minimum

FPS-ePassport

$0.00

Within 1 hour of approval

You must have an FPSePassport account.

$50 minimum

Wire transfer

$35.00

Sent within 1 business day of approval

Wired funds will reach you within 24–48 hours after sending.

$250 minimum

Check

$0.00 for U.S. mail; $25 for Federal Express

Sent within 1 business day of approval

7–20 business days for U.S. mail; 2–3 business days for Federal Express.

$50 minimum for U.S. mail; $100 minimum for Federal Express

More Fun with Third-Party Services Probably the most common (and convenient) method of cashing out your poker winnings is to withdraw funds directly back to the third-party service you used to make the initial deposit. As discussed in Chapter 12, “Establishing a Real-Money Account,” there are several third-party services that work with the various online poker sites. To move money from your poker account to your third-party account, you simply choose this as your cash-out option and indicate the amount that you wish to transfer. Most of the major online poker sites have a minimum amount that you can withdraw, and sometimes this depends on which specific third-party system you use. A typical minimum amount is $50. Your cash-out request is then put into a pending file while the poker site’s internal review team checks out your bonafides. Again, this is a security precaution intended to prevent fraud.

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Payment Method Fee

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This review period differs from site to site, but it’s at least 24 hours in most cases.Some poker sites offer quicker payouts to frequent players who establish a premium account with additional security information.The details vary quite a bit from site to site; if you’re interested, contact the customer support team directly.

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Once vetted by the poker site review team, the transfer to your third-party account takes place more or less instantly. As a rule, there should be no transaction fee for this whatsoever. In fact, if the poker site or the third-party service requires any kind of fee for cashing out, it’s time to start shopping around for some new options. Probably you won’t run into this problem, as increased competition in the online poker world has all but eliminated this issue. Once your money is in place in your third-party account, you have several options. If you made your initial deposit to the third-party service via your bank account, you can simply choose to move the funds back by electronic funds transfer (EFT). This process can take from one to four business days. Some services, such as NETeller, offer an option by which you are issued an ATM/debit card. You can then use that card to withdraw cash directly from public money machines. (NETeller cards can be used on the Cirrus/Maestro and Pulse/Star networks, and the usual ATM fees apply.) Or, you can simply have the third-party service mail you a check.

If you made your initial deposit via credit card, you may or may not be able to reverse the charges directly back to your account.It depends entirely on the particular third-party service you’re using and whether they facilitate this option. Make sure to read the fine print.

Direct EFTs and Checks by Mail Another approach to getting your money back is to arrange for a direct EFT from the poker site to your bank account. Many of the top poker sites now offer this option. The trick is that you have to go through a lengthy certification process to tie your personal bank account to your poker account. This is ultimately the same process required by NETeller, as described in Chapter 12.

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A Word About Delays While some of the delays associated with cashing out your winnings are legitimate, you should be wary of unreasonably lengthy cash-out procedures. There are many in the online poker community who complain that some sites deliberately impose delays and restrictions, in the hope that you’ll change your mind about cashing out and jump back into the games. This is a valid concern, but the situation seems to be improving. Again, healthy competition among the online poker rooms is driving many changes in realmoney policies and customer service. And that’s a very good thing. It’s true that your first cash-out attempt is likely to take a while due to various security concerns. Subsequent cash-outs, however, should happen more quickly if the poker site has an efficient system in place. If you find that you’re having to make a lot of customer support phone calls, or you’re being asked to produce an unreasonable amount of additional identifying information, it may be that the site is deliberately gumming up the works as a matter of unofficial policy. You don’t need these kinds of headaches. There are plenty of alternatives out there now. Be a discerning consumer and take your business elsewhere.

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The process usually takes about a week, but afterward, money can be sent straight from your poker account to your bank account, with no need for an intermediary third-party account. There’s a bit of a fine distinction here, though. The poker sites actually do use a separate financial processing service to facilitate direct EFTs. The difference is that the money does not stop and rest in a third-party account. Rather, it goes directly from the poker site to your bank account. Party Poker’s iGM-Pay is an example of this kind of option. If you’re sick of all this tricky digital-money maneuvering, you can usually go the old-fashioned route and have the poker site simply mail you a check. You probably can guess already the downside here: Still more time waiting. Checks can take anywhere from one to four weeks to be processed and mailed. Many of the online poker sites offer express delivery options, but they’re expensive—at least $25 to cut the delivery time to one to three days. Keep in mind, too, that no matter which option you go with—third-party, direct EFT, or regular mail—you still have to wait the initial 24-hour period (at least) while the poker site reviews your cash-out request. Also, many poker rooms prohibit cashing out within a certain period after your last deposit, usually 8–12 hours.

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Tournaments and Prize Packages

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Poker is a game of cards and chips, skill and luck. With enough skill and luck, you will find yourself in possession of a lot of poker chips. In real-stakes poker, online or off, chips equal money, and the dividends of successful poker are just that—cash in your pocket. Sometimes, though, the rewards of sustained, winning poker—especially in the online game—can take you down a different avenue entirely. There’s still plenty of money involved, of course, but you may find yourself in a tropical paradise somewhere, or on a cruise boat, or maybe even in front of the TV cameras at the World Series of Poker (WSOP). All of the major-league online poker rooms now regularly host special multitable tournaments with glamorous and expensive prize packages to be won. Typically, these tourneys operate under the satellite system (see Chapter 2, “Online Satellites and Big-Time Tournaments”). Initial qualifying tournaments, with buy-ins that are very small or even free, lead to bigger tables and bigger money. If you can manage to hang in there long enough, you might need a passport and some sunscreen before you’re through. So let’s just blue-sky the situation for a few minutes here and look at some of the big-ticket tournaments you can find online. This is fun stuff to think about, but always remember that tournaments by their nature produce a lot more losers than they do winners. For every miracle story like Chris Moneymaker’s amazing 2003 WSOP run, there are thousands of dead-end narratives featuring poker hopefuls left by the wayside. With that firmly in mind, let’s go on holiday with a couple of examples.

Freeroll Qualifiers It’s becoming more and more popular for online poker rooms to offer multi-table satellite tournaments that grant the winner or winners a berth in an established “realworld” tournament. For example, the Legends of Poker is a tourney held annually at the Bicycle Casino in California and is now a regularly televised event on The Travel Channel’s World Poker Tour (WPT). Players at the online cardroom Paradise Poker can earn a seat in this event by winning a series of multi-table events.

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In this case, Paradise Poker offers twice-daily qualifying events that are totally free to enter, provided you are a registered real-money player. The top 200 finishers in any daily qualifier are automatically entered into one of five subsequent online “main event” tournaments. The five individual winners of these massive multi-table tournaments earn a prize package that includes a seat at the Legends of Poker event (itself worth $5,000), plus an additional $2,000 in travel expenses. As you can imagine, there is a lot of small print here. The total number of entrants is capped at 4,000, and the main event tourneys are scheduled games that you must participate in to advance. So you’ll want to check the posted schedules against your calendar if you’re hoping to go all the way. This structure is similar to other freeroll qualifiers that you can find at the other major poker sites.

Satellites and Super-Satellites

These preliminary events require a relatively small real-money buy-in, as low as $11/$1. From there, Ultimate Bet has erected a mammoth structure of tournaments that eventually results in the big prize package. It includes the following: •

Entry into the 2004 UltimateBet.com Poker Classic Tournament Championship event

•

Coach airfare for two to Aruba from their hometown

•

Hotel accommodations in Aruba for up to 11 nights

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With some events, the actual “real-world” destination tournament is sponsored and produced by the online poker site itself. The UltimateBet.com Poker Classic Tournament is a good example. Another World Poker Tour event, this tournament takes place annually in the Caribbean island of Aruba and draws hundreds of entrants. While participants can buy into the event directly, without ever playing a hand online, most entrants qualify through a huge system of online satellite and super-satellite Ultimate Bet tournaments.

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•

Private welcome party with all online poker winners

•

Private awards ceremony with all Aruba winners

•

Welcome gifts

•

Eligibility to play in one of eight Gold Bracelet events to win a gold bracelet plus a share of $24,000 in cash and prizes.

More than 400 players earned a spot in the 2003 event, with a total prize pool of $1.7 million and a first-place prize of $500,000. The prize pool in 2004 was upwards of $4 million. These are just two examples of how the online game is changing the world of tournaments and prize packages. Other big-ticket events include the Pacific Poker UK Open, the Party Poker Million (which finishes aboard a cruise ship), and of course the famous Poker Stars system of tourneys, which have generated the last two World Series of Poker champs.

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Poker Terms Used in This Chapter cash-out The process of withdrawing your real-money winnings. premium accounts An option in some online cardrooms that offers high rollers certain perks. prize package tournaments Large, multi-level tournaments in which players can win exotic vacation trips or entry into prestigious poker events worldwide.

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The Top Online Poker Rooms Poker is the game closest to the western conception of life, where life and thought are recognized as intimately combined, where free will prevails are considered moral agents and where—at least in the short run—the important thing is not what happens but what people think happens. —John Lukacs, Poker and the American Character (1963) The Short Stack Party Poker Poker Stars Ultimate Bet Pacific Poker Paradise Poker Full Tilt Poker

177 ■ THE TOP ONLINE POKER ROOMS

15

over philosophies of fate or of chance, where men

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Click around some of the online poker directories and blogs, and it soon becomes apparent that there are a lot of Internet poker rooms now. A whole lot. This chapter will profile six of the most popular online poker rooms, in no particular order and with no particular preference for one over the other. Each of these poker sites has its own strengths and weaknesses, but all are established and crowded with players. Which one is right for you depends entirely on your personal preferences, and whether a particular poker room offers what you’re looking for. For the record, these poker sites were chosen because they’re consistently among the most popular online poker rooms in terms of numbers of active players. This means that they have endured in a competitive marketplace. They also represent different approaches to the essential challenge of bringing the game of poker to the Internet. These poker sites are a fair sampling of what’s out there—how technology and the game of poker are converging on the Internet. We’ll also take a look at one of the newest poker rooms to come online—Full Tilt Poker—to get a sense of what the next generation of poker services has to offer.

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Check out www.pokerpulse.com for an up-to-the-second ranking of poker sites vis-à-vis active players.

Because the online poker industry is evolving so rapidly, the policies and promotions of each individual site tend to change rapidly—especially in regard to real-money issues. This information is therefore best obtained in real time, by doing your own research when you’re ready to play online for the first time or by consulting independent online poker room comparison charts (see Appendix A, “Additional Resources: Books, Websites, and Software”). This chapter focuses instead on issues of game play, interface, and player options—fundamental elements that apply whether you are playing for real money or play chips.

Party Poker Games spread:Texas Hold ’Em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven-Card Stud, and Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo.

Launched in 2001, Party Poker (www.partypoker.com) has quickly risen to the top of the online poker heap. Much of this is likely due to Party Poker’s friendly image and pioneering promotional efforts. You may have seen their commercials on television—funny ads encouraging players to work on their poker face by sharpening their game skills online. Party Poker trades heavily on the “party” half of its name; it puts forth an image of a crowded, fun place to play cards with lots of other players. To that end, Party Poker is indeed a friendly place for the newcomer. The FAQs, help files, and new-player tours are well-designed and easy to understand. The free-play

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area offers versions of all games in various formats, including pot limit and no limit for Omaha and Texas Hold ’Em. Single-table sit-and-go tournaments are popular here, whether for play money or real money. Because Party Poker has such a huge base of active players, it’s easy to find a game or tournament at various stakes any time.

Game Play and Interface

Figure 15.1 Player avatars at PartyPoker.com

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For the poker table itself, Party Poker uses the familiar top-down interface, with players represented by 10 different avatars, as you can see in Figure 15.1. (The avatars can be male or female, depending on which gender you specified during signup.) Players’ chip counts, individual wagers, and the amount of money in any given pot (or side pot) are particularly clear and easy to read. Pre-action buttons and player option check boxes are of the standard variety. One nice touch for new players is the option to have the game automatically determine your hand strength for you. Navigation is also generally intuitive and pretty easy to follow. On the main lobby screen, a drop-down menu to the left gives players quick access to all games, whether real money or play money. You have the option to hide full tables, so as to find available games more quickly. For each game listed, the average pot is displayed, as well as the number of players seated and number of players waiting (when applicable). Highlight a particular table, and a window is generated that lists all players in the game and their current chip count. You can sort by column, too, for quick navigation.

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Player Options You can customize your experience fairly well at Party Poker. If you find the avatars distracting, they can be turned off completely, so that each player is represented only by name, chip count, and an empty seat, as shown in Figure 15.2. Audio and roll-over help windows can also be toggled on or off.

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Figure 15.2 PartyPoker.com with avatars disabled

As for chat, you can choose several different levels of interaction from a handy drop-down menu. For example, you might just want to “hear” the official pronouncements of the dealer, without player chat. Or you might want the abbreviated “summary” option, in which the dealer announces winning hands but does not declare every action of all players.

Random Notes •

Party Poker is endorsed by poker pro and World Poker Tour commentator Mike Sexton.

•

Party Poker hosts the annual Party Poker Million tournament aboard a cruise ship.

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Party Poker also gives you the option, at the end of a session of play, to have a hand history e-mailed to your player account. These hand histories are very extensive, and they detail exactly every card dealt and every action taken for that session of play.

Poker Stars Games spread:Texas Hold ’Em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven Card Stud, and Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo.

Game Play and Interface The first thing that new players notice at Poker Stars is the fact that there are, indeed, other faces staring you down at the tables, as you can see in Figure 15.3. Well, kind of. Poker Stars offers players the unique ability to upload an image that is then used to represent them at the virtual poker table. Players can use real pictures of themselves or any image that can be uploaded to the central game system. It could be a cartoon, a picture of your dog, or maybe the ominous red globe of HAL, the insane computer from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

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Poker Stars (www.pokerstars.com) is probably best known as being the online cardroom that generated the last two No Limit Texas Hold ’Em champs at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas: Chris Moneymaker (2003) and Greg Raymer (2004). In fact, big multi-player satellite tournaments are the specialty of this rapidly growing online poker room. For the new player, playing at Poker Stars is kind of like jumping into the deep end of the pool. That’s not necessarily a bad idea, but be aware that Poker Stars has a reputation for drawing very good poker players. That is to say, the other folks you’re playing against tend to be better on average than players at other online poker sites. This is especially true in the higher stakes cash games and especially in the big-money multi-player tournaments. Ah, yes. Tournaments. What distinguishes Poker Stars from its competitors is its ambitious slate of scheduled real-money tournaments. Literally hundreds of Texas Hold ’Em, Omaha, and Stud tourneys take place every week, including all possible variations of limit, no limit, pot limit, and heads up. Sit-and-go tournaments are also available all day, every day, with buy-ins ranging from $1 to $200 and up. Poker Stars offers up an enormous spread, and if you’re looking to get in on the action, you might want to budget a week or so just to read up and lurk.

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Figure 15.3 Face time at PokerStars.com

This imaging feature results in a virtual poker table that, at first glance, is markedly different from others on the Internet. Don’t worry. The basic game mechanics are similar to all the other online cardrooms. While each player’s chip count is always shown in numerals under that player’s name, the numeric amount of each individual wager is not automatically displayed; you simply see the chips and denomination as you would in a “real” poker game. (You can choose to have the wager amount displayed in numerals. Use the Options menu in the lobby screen.) In addition, you must roll your mouse over the pot to get the numerical value of the chips therein. These defaults render the virtual table at Poker Stars closer to what you actually see in a live casino game.

Player Options The chat window at Poker Stars features additional tabs at the top designed to give serious players a number of advanced options, as shown in Figure 15.4. The Notes tab lets you jot down any observations about a particular player at the table. Those notes are then available to you when you engage that player in a future game. By using the Stats option, you can review statistics for any number of your most recent hands, or even the all-time statistics for your account. (Several other poker sites now offer similar features.)

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Random Notes •

Poker Stars hosts the annual World Championship of Online Poker.

•

Four of the nine final players in the 2004 WSOP main event qualified online via Poker Stars.

Clicking the dealer tray uncovers even more options. It’s here that you request the specific statistics displayed in the Stats tab. You can also mute the chat of other players and set the level of detail you get from the dealer dialog. A nice bonus here is the option to allow player chat but mute chat from observers (or lurkers). You can even request a deck of a different color.

It’s one of the small miracles of the digital game that each player in the game can be playing with differently colored cards. Achieving this in an actual casino game would require powerful hallucinogens—definitely not recommended.

■ P O K E R S TA R S

Figure 15.4 Player options at PokerStars.com

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Finally, Poker Stars gives you the option of turning game sounds and animation on or off, and you can block the system-wide announcements that occasionally pop up on screen.

Ultimate Bet Games spread:Texas Hold ’Em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo, Double Flop Hold ’Em, Crazy Pineapple, and Crazy Pineapple Hi-Lo.

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One of the older and more established online poker rooms, Ultimate Bet (www .ultimatebet.com) is popular with both new and experienced players. The site heavily promotes its multi-table prize package tournaments, which typically involve an allexpenses-paid trip to some tropical paradise for the final live game rounds. In 2004, the big Ultimate Bet tourney was also a World Poker Tour (WPT) event—the UltimateBet.com Poker Classic in Aruba. While most poker sites now offer some kind of frequent flyer program, Ultimate Bet has a particularly extensive rewards system. Players earn UltimatePoints for every hour played, whether at a real-money or play-money table, and every raked hand. You can also earn points by playing tournaments or by participating in surveys and other special events. UltimatePoints can be used to purchase various prizes or as the buy-in for special freeroll events. The upshot here is that you can earn points at the playmoney tables that can then be used to buy your way into real-money tournaments.

Game Play and Interface Ultimate Bet features a unique interface that is significantly different from other online poker sites. Rather than a uniform top-down view, the tables at Ultimate Bet are dynamically rendered so that each player is “centered” at the table, as you can see in Figure 15.5. It works like this: When you select a seat, the table appears to rotate so that you are seated in the middle of the bottom half of the table. This creates a point-of-view effect that more closely resembles the experience of playing at a real casino table. Otherwise, the table interface at Ultimate Bet works much the same as with any other online poker room. When it is a player’s turn to act, that player’s chair is clearly highlighted, and the 20-second timer kicks in. Action and pre-action buttons are anchored above the chat box, and you can choose to have the current amount of money in the pot displayed in the upper-left corner of the window.

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185

The mini-view option is an interesting feature, and unique to Ultimate Bet (see Figure 15.6). Click this button, and the game window is reduced to approximately the size of a banner ad. The virtual poker table disappears entirely, and players, wagers, and the pot are displayed in text with small graphic elements. This is potentially useful for the multi-tasking player who likes to edit spreadsheets while playing a little Omaha.

Figure 15.6 Mini-view at UltimateBet.com

Player Options Hand history and player statistics are available to the advanced player via buttons on the main table screen. The hand history is generated “live,” so you can click over and actually see exactly what each player did earlier in the hand or in previous hands. This

■ U LT I M AT E B E T

Figure 15.5 Centered point-of-view at UltimateBet.com

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is very valuable information; it’s like having perfect instant recall at the poker table. When you’re deciding whether to call on fifth street, it’s nice to be able to scroll back and see how your opponents wagered in earlier betting rounds.

Random Notes Ultimate Bet is endorsed by poker professionals Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth, Jr., and David “Devilfish” Ulliot.

•

Ultimate Bet frequently hosts online chat sessions and seminars with tournament pros.

You’re also given plenty of options as to how your game actually appears and sounds. Animation can be deactivated entirely, and game, chat, and alert sounds can be individually toggled on or off. The extended chat window option opens a separate chat window that can accommodate 30–40 lines of text instead of the typical four or five. This means less scrolling back if you’re trying to read posts at an especially chatty table. You can even choose your own font for chat text.

Try a nice cursive font sometime; it lends an air of sophistication to the proceedings.

Pacific Poker

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•

Games spread:Texas Hold ’Em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven Card Stud, and Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo.

Pacific Poker (www.pacificpoker.com) is the online poker room of the larger Internet casino venture 888.com, which offers every game under the virtual sun, including keno, slots, craps, roulette, and blackjack. It’s also one of the newer poker sites on the scene, and it has a reputation for offering a lot of loose games, with plenty of action and newer players. Pacific Poker is also one of the few online poker rooms that offers a quick-play option that does not require downloading any software. You must still register an account with Pacific Poker to use the quick-play option, but you don’t have to establish

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a real-money account. Limit games can be found for as stakes as low as $.05/$.10, and the site recently added a nice variety of Texas Hold ’Em tournaments for both real and play money.

Game Play and Interface Pacific Poker features a nicely organized lobby area, where all available games are listed and sorted. Note that Pacific Poker has two separate lobby areas—one for play money and one for real money. (Figure 15.7 illustrates the page for these choices.) In either case, games can be sorted by using the many tabs atop the lobby screen. Cash games are sorted by the type of game offered (Omaha, Stud, and so on) and tournaments divided into scheduled and sit-and-go events. As of this writing, Pacific Poker hosts only Texas Hold ’Em tournaments.

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Figure 15.7 Play money or real money at PacificPoker.com

The main table interface is basic although nicely rendered, with leather chairs, drink tables, and even ashtrays. Players are represented only by name and chip count, with the text box “sitting” in an empty chair. The chat box is actually a separate window that you must actively select to view. Wager amounts are displayed only as chip stacks; you must roll over the stack with your mouse to get a numerical count. You can rebuy chips at the table in cash games (real or play money) by clicking the dealer chip tray graphic.

Player Options There’s not much in the way of advanced options at Pacific Poker. Unlike the granular control you’re given at other sites, Pacific Poker is a take-it-or-leave-it proposition. The sole option under settings is the ability to turn off the game sounds. There are no statistics features, and the Game History option only provides a list of the games that

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you’ve played previously. One promising new feature is the ability to playback previous games, as shown in Figure 15.8. Here you can play, pause, rewind, and fast-forward just as if you were using a VCR.

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Figure 15.8 Playback at PacificPoker.com

One of PacificPoker’s best qualities is the range of options you have in the playmoney area. In fact, every game offered in the real-money area is also available for play money. That means you can play at any table stake limit for cash games, and even participate in multi-player tournaments for free. This is a nice option for new and beginning players, because you can participate in various games and stakes without wagering any real cash. It’s also very difficult to find free multi-player tournaments anywhere else online.

Random Notes •

Pacific Poker hosts the Pacific Poker U.K. Open, with a buy-in of $10,000.

•

Pacific Poker features a daily No Limit Texas Hold ’Em tournament, with a guaranteed $10,000 prize pool.

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Paradise Poker Games spread:Texas Hold ’Em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo, Five Card Stud, Five Card Draw, and Crazy Pineapple.

Game Play and Interface Paradise Poker lives up to its name in that it’s probably the best-looking poker room on the Internet. The theme, as you can probably guess, is tropical, with lots of color and palm trees, as shown in Figure 15.9. The main poker table interface is nicely textured, and player chat is actually displayed in text balloons next to the seat of the “speaking” player. The site has also taken a page from the commercial software book: When you first log into the game, a Tip of the Day is displayed, with a little infonugget about a particular feature or option. You can scroll through several of these or disable them entirely. They’re surprisingly useful, though, and new players are encouraged to keep this option open. The lobby area is structured rather differently than most other online poker rooms. Rather than having a tab or menu by which you can sort play-money games from real-money games, Paradise Poker lists all games in one long, rolling list. To get to the free games, you have to scroll all the way to the bottom. (By default, games are ranked according table stakes.) Otherwise, the game listings are very detailed, with sortable criteria such as hands-per-hour and average pot. Tournaments, both scheduled and sit-and-go, are listed separately. Paradise Poker offers real-money sit-and-go tournaments with buy-ins as low as $1, so this is a good place to get in some relatively inexpensive tournament experience.

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Paradise Poker (www.paradisepoker.com) has been in the business longer than most of its competitors, and it has a particular old-school charm. The site has a good reputation for customer support and provides comprehensive information about its policies and security features upfront. For instance, Paradise Poker’s card-shuffling program is regularly reviewed by the monitoring agency PricewaterhouseCoopers. It also offers more types of poker for the curious player, including Five Card Draw. The site is particularly known for running a lot of special promotions and tournaments. Paradise Poker recently launched a series of multi-table rebuy tournaments, which can be hard to find elsewhere. Another recent promotion featured a free multiplayer tournament that sent two winners to London to play poker with four supermodels. Really.

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Figure 15.9 Tip of the Day at ParadisePoker.com

Player Options Because Paradise Poker has been around so long, it has incorporated an impressive array of options for the advanced player. One particularly nice feature is the playing statistics button available in every cash game and tournament. Just click this button, and you’re provided with detailed statistics on your play for that particular session— for instance, percentage of hands folded or percentage of hands won after the flop. You can choose to accumulate these stats across multiple playing sessions or reset them from scratch at any time. If you really want to do your homework, you can print out your total stats or even save them as a spreadsheet-compatible file.

Random Notes •

Paradise Poker sponsors a syndicated national radio show in the U.S. called “World of Poker.”

•

Paradise Poker is endorsed by tournament pros Steve Badger and Barbara Enright.

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The usual display and sound options are available, or you can choose to disable them. The audio effects here are actually very sophisticated and delivered in stereo; if you have surround-sound speakers, you can really get a cool ambient poker vibe going. One final option offered by Paradise Poker—and this is unique for an online cardroom—is the ability to order cocktails and snacks, as shown in Figure 15.10. Seriously: coffee, tea, champagne, beer, hot dogs, dipped strawberries—even cigars—are available. Just click the drink icon displayed on the main game screen and make your choice. The appropriate cocktail will be displayed on the table next to your seat. It’s kind of fun, and indicative of the oddball charm of Paradise Poker.

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Full Tilt Poker: The Next Generation Backed by some of the biggest names in the professional tournament circuit, Full Tilt Poker is one of the latest full-service cardrooms to come online, and it’s making an ambitious foray into the occupied lands of Internet poker. Nicely designed and organized, Full Tilt Poker spreads the usual cash game options for Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven-Card Stud, Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo, and—of course—Texas Hold ’Em. Table stakes range from $.50/$1 to $15/$30 for limit games and $.05/$.10 to $1/$2 for no limit games. Full Tilt also offers an extensive variety of tournaments, including scheduled freerolls, multi-table games, and sit-and-go tourneys. Buy-ins range from $1 for the multi-table games to upwards of $100 for single-table games and special satellite events. Full Tilt Poker incorporates just about every online cardroom innovation of the last few years. This is no surprise considering the heavy hitters who were involved in developing and launching the service, including poker pros and tournament regulars Howard Lederer, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Erik Seidel, Andy Bloch, Clonie Gowan, and Phil Ivey. The pros regularly play at the tables and host special tournaments, so you

■ F U L L T I LT P O K E R : T H E N E X T G E N E R AT I O N

Figure 15.10 The menu at ParadisePoker.com

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might find yourself sitting across from a world champ. (The pros, by the way, have their own custom avatars—you know you’ve arrived when you have a personal online cartoon version of yourself.) If Full Tilt Poker represents the next generation of online cardrooms, let’s hope this is a sign of things to come.

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Figure 15.11 Full Tilt Poker

Game Play and Interface The design at Full Tilt Poker is state-of-the-art, with readily accessible help files and intuitive navigation. Cash games can be sorted by criteria, including Average Pot, Players on the Flop, and Hands per Hour. The standard pre-action buttons are provided, along with the usual range of player chat options. Full Tilt adds a nice “Last Hand” feature that lets you review previous hands by scrolling through snapshots of the table when the hand was resolved. This is handy, and it’s another example of the new and inventive aspects of play that the Internet game provides. Full Tilt Poker also offers the option to auto-center your avatar, so that you’re always “sitting” at the bottom center of the table (a la Ultimate Bet). One conspicuous absence at this site is any kind of built-in note-taking option for keeping written tabs on your opponents.

Player Options Full Tilt Poker looks great, too, and mixes in some playful game options. New players can choose from 30 or so cartoon-like avatars—a variety of “people” characters and a handful of oddball choices such as a Doberman, a shark, and some kind of man-eating plant. (Not a bad metaphor for a card player, actually—immobile and carnivorous.) Players can also change the background image, or theme, at any time. Choices include a beach scene, a ski resort, the Las Vegas skyline, or outer space.

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Figure 15.12 Custom avatars of the pro players at Full Tilt Poker

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•

Because Full Tilt Poker has only been around for a few months, it has yet to develop a big player base. In an effort to remedy this, Full Tilt is offering a pretty remarkable deal—a 100 percent signup bonus for new players.

•

There is yet no track record for general level of play or customer support, but you can expect to see that develop as more players jump into this site.

As of this writing, Full Tilt Poker accepts real-money deposits by ATM/debit/check card, or by credit card in Europe. You can also make deposits via the third-party services NETeller and FirePay. You can always just stay at the funny-money tables, which are plentiful. Full Tilt Poker maintains a nice selection of play money sit-and-go tournaments, too.

Poker Terms Used in This Chapter avatar A graphic character used to represent each player in an online poker room. freeroll A free tournament that charges no cash buy-in, but pays real money or prizes. hand history A text document that details every hand dealt in a completed game or tournament. playback An option available at some online poker sites that plays back a game or tournament as if it were a video. rewards system Any of the various “frequent flyer” programs that grant points to returning players.

■ POKER TERMS USED IN THIS CHAPTER

Random Notes

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The most dangerous strategy is to jump a chasm in two leaps. —Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881) 195

The Short Stack Some Thoughts on Strategy Online Texas Hold ’Em Tips

■ MOVING ALL-IN: TEXAS HOLD ’EM ONLINE STRATEGY

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Moving All-In: Texas Hold ’Em Online Strategy

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In recent years, Texas Hold ’Em has emerged as the most popular form of poker in the world. The various big-time tournaments—especially the annual World Series of Poker (WSOP)—promote no limit Hold ’Em as their premier event. As a result, Hold ’Em has received a ton of TV exposure, and new players to the game often begin their poker careers playing Hold ’Em rather than older favorites such as Five-Card Draw or Seven-Card Stud. This chapter begins the process of presenting strategy considerations for the game of Texas Hold ’Em, especially as played online. As we’ve discussed, while the actual game mechanics of poker do not change from offline to online, there are some aspects of play specific to the Internet game. We’ll begin with general poker strategy and some core ideas that you should think about before even sitting at the table. The next chapter gets into some more complex online and tournament issues, but the general principles outlined here should help your overall game.

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The Strategy of Strategy Here’s one of the very few ironclad statements that can be made on the subject of poker strategy: There is no blueprint, no secret master plan, and no miracle system for mastering the game. Unlike blackjack, it does you no good to memorize a series of binary mathematical directions. Poker is much too fluid and subtle a game to be easily tamed by a long list of inflexible instructions.

Full Disclosure: I’m Good Enough To Know That I’m No Expert Hello, my name is Glenn, and I love the game of poker. I’m also your humbly endeavoring author here at Deal Me In, and I want to provide an important disclaimer. I’m not a professional poker player, and in fact, I’m not even close to being an expert player.The truth is that there are very few true experts out there, and they’re making their living by playing the game, not writing about it. (Although some do. Stick around for more details on that.) I’m the other way around. I’m a professional writer and a dedicated poker fanatic. A good part of my life has been spent playing and studying the game, and I have a great respect for those who have really mastered poker. In other words, I’m good enough to know that I’m no expert. For serious, indepth material on poker strategy, check out Appendix A,“Additional Resources: Books,Websites, and Software.”There you’ll get some leads on finding the real poker authorities on our planet. The content provided in the next few chapters is a distillation of issues relevant to any discussion of Texas Hold ’Em strategy. It’s the stuff you should consider when playing the game and building your foundation of poker knowledge.

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That’s not to say that math and analysis don’t have their place in poker—they most certainly do. But analysis and mathematically informed decisions must proceed from situational thinking. The right thing to do almost always depends on several interdependent factors. Therefore, good players learn about the many elements they should consider when making decisions at the poker table. And that’s the approach we’re going to take here. Generally speaking, you should be wary of any poker advice that presents a set of surefire techniques for winning. It just doesn’t work that way.

Deep-Focus Poker: What’s the Point?

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The objective of the game of poker—the whole point of it, in fact—is to win chips from your opponents, to come out of any given session of play with more chips than you started with. In the real-money games, this objective can be even further simplified: The idea is to win money. How do you go about this? One way to look at it is that throughout your playing career—in both the minute-by-minute decisions of a particular hand and your longterm game—you want to minimize your losses and maximize your gains. This may seem obvious or oversimplified, but the practical applications of all poker strategy should proceed from this principle. When you fold a trash hand, you are minimizing your losses. When you successfully trap an opponent into betting more than she should, you are maximizing your gains. When you leave a table because you realize that you’re outclassed or aren’t playing your best, you’re cutting those losses again. And when you consistently choose appropriate tables and stakes for your level of play, you’re adding to those gains. In fact, the essential meaning of this basic principle can be extrapolated into just about any poker situation. To get just a little more specific, when making individual decisions with this goal in mind, you are basically doing a series of high-octane risk/reward assessments. Your appraisals may incorporate elements of math, psychology, personal history, and intuition. Your skill and speed at making them ultimately determine the quality of your game. And you increase your skill and speed by building your foundation of poker know-how. It’s all those characteristics discussed in the very first chapter: practice, planning, and discipline. I strongly believe that for new players, it’s good to have this kind of thing in your brain early on. The more you play the game, the more it will all rattle around and bring some focus to the various practical applications of strategic poker. Okay, enough of the heady abstract stuff; let’s deal the cards.

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Online Hold ’Em Strategy The following tips and suggestions can apply to the game of poker at large, but are particularly useful for new online players at low-stakes Hold ’Em tables, whether in cash games or tournaments. Remember that these tips and observations are generally true. Particular game circumstances can change everything in a heartbeat.

Be Selective with Starting Hands

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The awful truth is that, as a rule, you should be throwing away most of your starting hands in Texas Hold ’Em. What is meant by “most?” It’s impossible to say anything exact here, but a ballpark figure of 75–85 percent is not unreasonable. That means that you’d be mucking three hands out of four—at a minimum. Conservative players tend to wait for a premium hand before even getting involved in a pot. What constitutes a premium hand varies, but AA, KK, and AK are some usual suspects. By folding junk hands early and often, you are minimizing potential losses. A couple of other points are critical here: •

The strength of your starting hand depends on the number of other players at the table. In a 10-player game, you should tighten up your criteria for a playable starting hand. In a two-player heads-up match, you obviously would loosen up quite a bit.

•

Keep your position (relative to the dealer) in mind. Starting hands that would be marginal in early position may be playable in late position. Remember that the benefit of late position is the ability to act last, to see and take into account the actions of all the other players in a round of betting.

Be Aggressive with Playable Hands Playing your hand with strength by wagering intelligently and aggressively can help you to both maximize gains and minimize losses. The idea is that you generally want to make your opponents pay up to stay in the hand with you. Very broadly stated, you want to raise rather than call when feasible. Let’s say, for simplicity’s sake, you’re in a hand with just one other opponent. If you have the best hand and your opponent has the second-best hand, your raise will a) bring additional money into the pot if he calls, or b) scare him out, in which case you win the pot right there. Scaring him out also prevents him from drawing a subsequent card that could put his hand on top. By the same token, if you have the worse hand and your opponent has only a marginally better hand, then your raise may again drive him out of the pot, and you win with the lesser hand.

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The trick, of course, is that you can never be sure who has the better hand— that’s poker for you. But generally speaking, playing strong hands aggressively is good strategy in low-stakes Texas Hold ’Em.

Be Wary of the Bluff

Swim against the Current A dusty old piece of conventional wisdom in poker is to play tight in the loose games and play loose in the tight games. The idea is to assess the action of the table and go the other way—to swim upstream, as it were. It turns out that this is rather a good approach to the smaller online Hold ’Em tables. As stakes rise, however, the game tends to get more complex and sophisticated, and poker generalities work even less than they do otherwise. In a small cash game where bets and raises are flying around, you’re better off hunkering down and playing very conservatively. In this case, you’re basically staying out of harm’s way. On the other hand, if the game is really locked down and quiet, it often pays to loosen up your game and try to steal some pots. Again, remember that this is only generally speaking. Each of your individual decisions, from hand to hand and betting round to betting round, will be informed by many other factors.

Know When to Fold ’Em With some experience, you’ll have no problem knowing when to hold ’em in Hold ’Em. Monster hands have a way of declaring themselves to you, and your concerns become how to wager properly. It’s knowing when to fold ’em that gets most people in trouble. This concept is a corollary to the idea of selectivity with starting hands. If your promising hand looks suddenly very weak indeed after the flop, it’s time to get the &%$!# out of Dodge City. Don’t chase a pot if you get new information that changes

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Contrary to what a lot of casual observers conclude, bluffing is not that effective or even that common in most poker games. In higher-level big-bet games and professional tournaments, bluffing is an important weapon in every player’s arsenal, but in lowstakes Hold ’Em, its utility is rather dubious. Here’s a rule of thumb that can be safely applied: Use the bluff very sparingly and never use it against more than one opponent. This is one of the few strategy tips that has a taste of the hard-and-fast about it, and it’s specific to online Hold ’Em played at relatively low stakes. Straight, conservative play tends to be rewarded in the smaller online games. In limit games—and especially in the play-money rooms—bluffing is all but useless. Limit games make calling bluffs less expensive and therefore more likely. In the play-money rooms, half the other players are bluffing half the time, it seems. Which leads nicely into our next item.

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your initial assessment. That information may be strong raises or reraises from your opponents, or new community cards on the table. This is especially true on the flop. “If the flop don’t fit, you must a-quit.” Something like that. Knowing when to fold can be just as critical on fourth and fifth street. You should be watching the board for combinations of cards that could give your opponents strong draws like a straight or a flush. As you get more proficient, you should weigh in factors such as pot odds and specialty moves such as the check-raise. More on these later. The essential thing to keep in mind is that you can substantially minimize a loss by folding out of a hand.

Choose the Right Table

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Many poker players will tell you that this is the single most critical decision you will make in the game. Serious poker people know that the only way to win money consistently and over the long term is to play at tables with inferior players. When you’re overmatched at the table, you will lose in long run, no matter how many good cards you catch in a particular game. The truth of the matter is that the game of poker can be played at many different levels. You need to be able to honestly assess your own game and stay away from tables where your opponents are too tough. For the new player in the online realm, this usually means sticking to micro-limit tables, low-stakes limit games, or low buy-in tournaments. In terms of Texas Hold ’Em, beginners are well-advised to keep their real-money play in the low-stakes rooms initially. If you have a real yen for no limit or pot limit games, consider playing in the smaller single-table tournaments. This is the best way to get a lot of poker playing for a minimal investment.

Speaking Of Choosing the Right Table… The 1998 movie Rounders, starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton, tells the story of Mike McDermott, a talented young poker player who may or may not turn pro. In one scene, Mike arrives in Atlantic City and watches as a couple of tourists sit down at a table full of poker pros and regulars. The dialogue here suggests the importance of table selection. “These two have no idea what they’re about to walk into. Down here to have a good time, they figure, Why not give poker a try? After all, how different can it be from the home poker games they’ve played their whole lives? Luck. All the luck in the world isn’t gonna change things for these guys.They’re simply overmatched.We’re [the pros at the table] not playing together, but we’re not playing against each other, either. It’s like the Nature Channel.You don’t see piranhas eating each other, do you?”

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Study the Table Poker is a game of limited information, and the more information you have on your side, the better your decisions will be. When you know something that your opponent doesn’t know (or doesn’t know you know), you have an advantage. One way to gather such information is to study the play of your opponents. One limitation of the online game is that you can’t directly observe the other players as you can in a live game. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still gather information. Watch your opponents betting patterns and general tendencies. Who’s playing tight? Who’s playing loose? Is there someone attempting a lot of bluffs? The best time to study the table is when you’ve already folded out of the hand and have no direct investment in the outcome. If the cardroom offers a note-taking feature, take advantage of this by typing up your thoughts as you go. Even if your observations don’t pay off in the current game, the very act of studying the table will sharpen your skills and help you to think about poker on a deeper level.

big-bet games No limit and pot limit games. check-raise To check and then raise after an opponent bets. monster An extremely good hand, almost certain to win. pot odds The ratio of the money currently in the pot to the cost of the bet required to stay in the hand. premium hand An exceptionally good starting hand. starting hand In Texas Hold ’Em, the first two down cards dealt.

■ POKER TERMS USED IN THIS CHAPTER

Poker Terms Used in This Chapter

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17

More Hold ’Em Strategy However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results. —Sir Winston Churchill

203 ■ MORE HOLD ’EM STRATEGY

The Short Stack Your Playing Bankroll Seat Selection Hold ’Em Step by Step Odds and Expectations

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There’s a saying in my line of work that goes something like this: If you want to learn to write, the best way to do it is to start writing, keep writing, and don’t stop writing. The same idea can be applied to poker: Want to be a better poker player? Play a lot of poker. That said, it’s certainly beneficial to begin with a certain foundation of knowledge—or a definite plan for learning—when writing or playing poker. The idea is to be mindful as you go along, so that you can truly learn from your experience. You want to know the rules before you break them. In the case of poker specifically, be aware of conventional wisdom before you depart from it. This chapter drills down into more bedrock strategy for Texas Hold ’Em and introduces one of fundamental analytical/mathematical tools that can be applied to the game. Let’s begin with two often overlooked strategic issues that can be addressed before the cards are even dealt. Your starting bankroll and seat selection will have a significant influence on your game and can color all subsequent decisions.

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Your Bankroll: Where It All Begins Earlier in this book we talked quite a bit about the importance of intelligently establishing and managing your bankroll. Serious poker players put a lot of thought into this seemingly basic requisite of the game. As a general topic, it’s often referred to as money management. The really tough hombres—professional poker players—think about this stuff on an entirely different level, because they are actually making their living at the game. For the beginning or casual player, however, your bankroll can be defined simply as the amount of money that you have available to wager at any given time. In a broad sense, these are the funds you use to play any and all poker games offered by the online cardroom—cash game or tournament. It’s essentially the amount of cash currently in your real-money player account. In a more specific sense, though, your bankroll can also mean the amount of chips you bring to the table for a particular cash game—your starting chips. (The bankroll concept in this case doesn’t really apply to tournaments, because everyone starts with the same amount of chips.) The chips that you bring to a cash game may or may not be equal to the total amount of money in your account. The core idea here is that you want to have enough starting chips to ride out any short-term fluctuations in the game. Let’s take the example of limit Texas Hold ’Em. Assuming you’ve chosen a table that is appropriate for your level of play, your starting chips should be of an amount that keeps you in the game even if you take a few bad beats or you’re just not catching cards.

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Poker Pros and Bankrolls For the working poker professional, those lucky few talented and persistent enough to play the game for a living, the concepts of bankroll and money management are very serious, concrete concerns.That’s because the professional poker pro must maintain a certain amount of capital to compete in cash games and tournaments with stakes appropriate to his or her game. If the bankroll gets too short, the player must fall back to lower-stakes games or find another source of revenue. The professional’s bankroll works essentially as the operating capital for that player’s personal small business (or large business, as the case may be). Of course, poker pros have to pay the bills just like the rest of us, and so they must derive some sort of personal income from their playing. The pros map out their finances very carefully, and essentially pay themselves a living salary from their winnings.

The amounts discussed earlier are aimed at beginning and casual players. For a single session of play, 10 times the big blind is an absolute minimum. In a limit game of $3/$6 Hold ’Em, $60 will sustain a conservative player for the minimum amount of time to make the session worthwhile. 20 times the big bet is a better starting amount, if that fits into your budget. In our $3/$6 example, then, you want to bring $120 in chips to the table. If you play smart poker against opponents of a similar skill level, this will keep you in the game long enough to settle in and get a feel for the table. You can wager without worrying too much about your stack, and this frees you up to apply your full arsenal of strategic weapons. This is why your starting chips can be thought of as an issue of strategy. At the low-stakes limit level, having more starting chips opens up more options down the line and protects you from power surges of plain bad luck. Players looking to maintain a starting bankroll through several sessions of play— weeks, months, even years—should probably consider the issues of starting chips and overall bankroll separately. And big-bet poker games of the pot limit and no limit variety require a different approach entirely. Generally speaking, if you’re a beginning player

205 ■ YOUR BANKROLL: WHERE IT ALL BEGINS

When a player converts too much of an operating bankroll into personal income, it can put the entire operation in jeopardy. History is littered with once-successful poker players who lost it all by bleeding off their winnings and failing to maintain an operational bankroll. Some players who are down on their luck and low on personal resources will agree to be a horse, taking on a financial backer who fronts the bankroll for a percentage of that player’s winnings.

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interested in big-bet cash games, find the table with the lowest blinds and buy in with as many chips as you can afford.

Remember that at most online cardrooms you have the option to play in low-level tournaments instead, where all players start with the same stack—almost always a better option for the beginning player.

Pull Up a Chair…Carefully

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Now to the matter of seat selection. A general rule-of-thumb in Texas Hold ’Em (and poker in general) is that you want aggressive players to your right and passive or tight players to your left. This helps you keep a closer eye on the players likely to raise up a hand. Because the action moves clockwise around the table, it’s good to have the loose players act before you do. That way, you can see if they’ll raise before you decide to call a bet. On the same token, having tighter players to your left gives your bets and raises a better chance of scaring out opponents who might outdraw you later. This basic idea also applies to choosing your seat relative to the chip stacks of your opponents. In fact, the two go hand in hand. When you can, sit to the left of any player with a big stack of chips relative to the rest of the table. (In other words, this player will be on your immediate right.) Players with big stacks tend to play more aggressively than short-stacked players. Again, this gives you the benefit of acting after that player does, which is always advantageous. Getting to the left of a particular opponent is sometimes referred to as taking position on that player. You always want to take position on players who are more aggressive and/or skillful than you are and who have the bigger chip stack. (Tragically, much of the time, all of these qualities will apply.) So how exactly do you determine where to sit in the online game? Well, first off, you can easily see which player at the table has the biggest stack. If there’s an open seat to that player’s left, grab it up. Or you can lurk at a game for a while to get the feel of who is playing tight and who is playing loose and then make your decision accordingly. If you happen to have knowledge of certain players at the game (you’ve played with them before or have notes on them), you can take this information into account. Tournament play is a different matter. In scheduled tournaments, players are usually seated randomly, so there’s not much you can do. In sit-and-go tournaments, you can usually choose your seat, but of course, all starting chip stacks are equal and you can’t observe play in advance. One final observation is that table selection and seat selection combined can make for the one of the most powerful strategic considerations in poker. Find the right chair in the right game, and it’s like starting the 100-yard dash at the 50-yard line.

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Hold ’Em Step by Step Now let’s look at some of the general concepts you should consider once you’ve taken your seat and the game is underway. We’ll approach this in a step-by-step fashion, following the basic structure and betting rounds of a typical low-stakes limit Hold ’Em game. It’s important to keep stressing the point made in the previous chapter: These are rather roomy guidelines and should be taken simply as things to consider when making your case-by-case decisions.

Pre-Flop

On the Flop Once again, your main decision here is whether to proceed with the hand at all, or muck your cards and wait for the next deal. For beginning players, absent strong reasons otherwise, you should fold your cards if you have not made a decent hand on the flop. Remember that the flop gives you three cards before asking for a decision; the turn and the river are much stingier. Even potentially strong hands that have not strengthened on the flop may need to go in a 10-person game, and this includes the premium hands of K-K, A-K, and even A-A. When assessing the flop, look for what kind of hands your opponents could potentially make. For instance, three suited cards close in rank—such as 8h-10h-Jh— put an awful lot of scary possibilities out there: the straight and the flush, and possibly two pair, because your opponents may be playing starting hand connectors like J-10. Lower pairs that have not improved into trips on the flop make for a dubious hand, particularly if there are cards on the board higher than your pair. (For instance, you have 8-8 in the hole and the flop comes 6-10-A.) Inside straight draws, in which only one card will make your straight (7-10 with a 4-8-J flop), are a long shot to improve on the turn and the river.

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The principal decision you will make pre-flop is whether to play your starting hand at all. Certain premium hands—A-A, K-K, A-K (suited or unsuited), for example—are playable no matter what, except in the most extreme of circumstances. Other high pairs, such as Q-Q and J-J, are strong starting hands. In addition, high suited connectors such as K-Q suited and Q-J suited are worth serious consideration in most cases. In big games with a lot of players (say, 8–10 in Hold ’Em), high-card starting hands are not as valuable as many beginning players think. Q-10, and even K-J when unsuited, is not particularly strong. On the other hand, smaller pairs and smaller suited connectors are worth considering in looser low-stakes games with a lot of players. Suited connectors especially can be a good hand to pursue in the hopes that they pay off with a straight, flush, or (oh, please, please, please) a straight flush.

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If you can get out of more bad flops than your opponents, you will be saving bets and ultimately minimizing your losses. Assess what you have, see what the board is offering your opponents, and watch carefully what the other players are betting when you have position.

The Turn

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The fourth community card—fourth street, the turn—is the point in Texas Hold ’Em when the bet doubles in limit games. You should have a good reason for being here and a good plan on how to come out ahead. By the time the turn rolls around, your decisions should be based on a number of factors. Making the right call here isn’t as easy as dumping a pathetic starting hand or quitting a loser on the flop. Here’s one important point to bear in mind: In lowstakes limit Hold ’Em, bluffing is usually very rare indeed on fourth street. If a player raises on the turn, he almost certainly has a tough hand. Watch the size of the pot and the number of other players still in the hand. Put yourself inside your opponent’s head. Consider the kind of starting hands usually played, plus the cards on the flop and the new card on the turn—what kind of hand could your opponent be holding? The turn is the time to gather as much information as possible before making your decision. In the low-stakes limit game, you probably do not want to be chasing any kind of draw after the turn. Remember, there is only one more card to go. The odds of making your hand have dropped to their lowest point. If you can check for a free card, that’s ideal. Calling a modest bet is an option. Raising on a drawing hand is generally a bad idea. But as always, specific game situations can change everything.

The River By the time you get to the river, there will often be enough money in the pot to make it worthwhile to call any bet. (See the description of pot odds in the next section.) If you feel you have a strong hand with a good chance of beating your opponents, it’s usually profitable in the long run to raise it up and bet it out on the river. In a loose game with three or more players still in the hand, you’ll want to carefully consider your options. That’s because the other players may well have been waiting for a miracle draw on the river—and they may have caught it. If your hand has not significantly improved from the turn and your opponents have been doing a lot of waiting around (checking and calling), tread lightly and check in early position.

Math Class: Odds and Expectations Mathematical analysis in poker is a topic that you could fill a book or two with. Actually, a shelf full of books. Well, on reflection, more like a library of books. The good

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Poker Terms Used in This Chapter chase To keep betting an inferior hand in the hopes of drawing to a better hand. horse A poker player who uses the bankroll of a financial backer (and splits any winnings with that backer). inside straight draw A hand with four to a straight, missing one card in the middle instead of at either end. starting chips The amount of chips with which you begin a particular cash game. suited connectors Two cards of the same suit and consecutive rank (8d, 9d). take position To sit to the left of a player, so that player acts first in a betting round.

209 ■ POKER TERMS USED IN THIS CHAPTER

news is that many of these books have already been written, and you’ll find the best of them listed in Appendix A, “Additional Resources: Books, Websites, and Software.” For our purposes here, a brief introduction to the subject will suffice. But if you’re serious about pursuing knowledge on the pure game of poker, you will definitely want to expand your reading. As a beginning player, one of the most basic and useful mathematical concepts to have under your belt is the idea of pot odds. Simply put, the term pot odds refers to the ratio of the amount of money currently in the pot to the amount of money it will cost you to call a bet. Let’s look at a quick example. You’re deciding whether to call a bet of $5 after the flop in limit Hold ’Em. There is currently $25 in the pot. That gives you pot odds of $25:$5, or 5:1. This becomes useful when compared to ratios you can generate for your chance of winning the hand. Another simple example: In Hold ’Em, suppose you have a spade flush draw (four to a flush) after the flop with two cards to come. The odds of making your flush can be determined mathematically. Out of 47 unseen cards (52 cards minus the five cards you’re looking at), the nine remaining spades will make your flush, while the remaining 38 will not. Therefore you have odds of 38:9, which reduces to 4.22:1. Because your chance of making the flush (4.22:1) is better than the current pot odds (5:1), it makes sense to call this bet. Doing so will not necessarily win this particular pot for you, of course, but in the long haul the math works out to favor making a call in this situation. To get more specific would require another 20 or so chapters, so we’re going to leave it at that. Generally speaking, the greater the pot odds, the more likely you should be to call a bet. If you really dig into this topic, you’ll add many arcane and delightful new terms for your vocabulary, such as effective odds, implied pot odds, and reverse implied pot odds. For now, though, a basic grasp on the concept of pot odds and positive expectation will provide another brick of solid foundation for your game.

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18

Hold ’Em Online Tournament Strategy If, after the first twenty minutes, you don’t know who the sucker at the table is, it’s you. —Unknown

211 ■ HOLD ’EM ONLINE TOURNAMENT STRATEGY

The Short Stack Essential Tournament Strategy Online Cardroom Tactics A Word from Uncle Charlie

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Poker, as you’ve seen, comes in a million different types and flavors: Stud and Omaha, limit and pot limit, cash games, and heads-up showdowns. But the most dramatic variant of poker—and not coincidentally, the most televised—is the No Limit Texas Hold ’Em tournament. Whether single-table or multi-table, this event combines the fast action and subtle strategy of the Hold ’Em game with the urgency and excitement of the elimination tournament. And so our final chapter together will focus on the strategy of tournament play and how it differs from the cash game, with an emphasis on Texas Hold ’Em. Because low-stakes online tourneys are of particular value to beginning players, we’ll examine some game tactics particular to the online cardrooms.

Essential Tournament Strategy

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I recently attended a huge gaming industry convention in which every game under the sun was being played in tournament format. Mostly these were hobby games—board, dice, and collectible card games that by themselves support a multi-million-dollar industry. There were also several bridge and euchre events, and pretty much everyone at the convention center had a deck of cards and a ticket into some ridiculously massive tournament. These were gamers—dedicated players with a serious competitive streak. This year, the event organizers introduced a multi-level poker tournament that was played out over the course of four days. The event was a big hit at the convention, and it quickly sold out. The format, naturally, was No Limit Texas Hold ’Em elimination tournament. The majority of entrants were casual players or novices, and it’s a testament to the growing appeal of poker that this particular event—among literally hundreds of others—drew so many players. Once the qualifying rounds began, it became quickly apparent which players had a grounding in basic poker tournament strategy. They were the ones with all the chips. Much of the strategy discussed in the previous two chapters applies to poker play generally, in which each hand is essentially treated as a new game. Tournament strategy takes a longer view. The goal is to win the event outright, or at least be among the finalists to finish in the money. As you’ll see, tournament play is essentially a matter of survival. If you can avoid elimination longer than your opponents, you win. It’s just that simple. But, of course, it’s not that simple at all. Let’s dig in….

All Players Are Created Equal Here’s a quick refresher on how poker tournaments are organized. Let’s assume a singletable, 10-player, No Limit Texas Hold ’Em game. Each player buys in with the same amount, say, $10/$1. ($10 goes to the prize pool; $1 to the facilitating fee.) For that amount, each player receives the exact same amount of starting chips; $1,000 is common.

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Remember that these are tournament chips, and denominations do not represent actual cash value.

A Case Study Consider an example situation to illustrate this point. Imagine that you’re among four remaining players in a single-table sit-and-go tournament.You know that only the top three finishers will receive any kind of payout, and you have the second-highest chip stack. On the flop, you find yourself with a fairly strong hand: high trips, a straight, or maybe even a flush. But all of a sudden the two short-stacked players to your right come out firing bullets with a raise and a bigger reraise. The reraise, in fact, puts that second player all in. You assess the board and see some scares—a nut flush or a full house possibility.Your decision here should be based on a number of factors, but keep in mind that your ultimate goal is to survive, to see other opponents knocked out of the game. If your decision were to simply win the pot, or to win chips generally, your decision would almost certainly be different. But because you’re on the bubble—one position short of finishing in the money—your priority is to survive and see another player knocked out. So you should strongly consider laying down your strong hand and letting the short stacks duke it out.

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In most poker tournaments, your starting chips are a one-time buy-in, and they are all you have to work with for that tourney. Except in the case of rebuy tournaments, players cannot bring any additional chips to the table. This creates a fixed or zero-sum situation in which any gain by a player (or players) is offset by an equal loss by another player (or players). The game begins and ends with $10,000 in chips on the table. Ten players with $1,000 each eventually becomes one player with $10,000. The identical starting chip amount puts all players on an equal footing initially— generally a good situation for newer players. But remember: This is an elimination tournament, and you’re obligated to stay in the game until you bust out or win. Just as you can’t buy more chips when you’re down, you can’t cash out your winnings and leave the game when you’re up. Such a situation demands different strategic thinking. This may sound odd, but stick with me for a minute. Your primary goal in a tournament is not to win chips, or even to win pots. Your primary goal is to survive, to have all of your opponents get knocked out of the game before you.

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The Escalating Blinds

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Texas Hold ’Em incorporates blind bets to ensure some action on every hand. In tournament Hold ’Em, the blinds escalate on a regular basis—every x minutes or x hands dealt. Initial $15/$30 blinds rise to $25/$50, $50/$100, $100/$200, and so on. Without these escalating blinds, tournament games would last for days as players wait around for the stone cold nuts. Escalating blinds mean that you need to adjust your strategy and style of play as the game progresses. On the very first hand of play, using this example, the big blind bet is $30 compared to your chip stack of $1,000. So you have more than 30 big bets in your stack. In the late stages of the game, you might be looking at a big bet of $500 against your stack of $2,500—only five big bets in your stack. In the early rounds, then, when you have a large chip stack relative to the big bet, you might want to play loose and wager on drawing hands like a four-flush or a straight draw. The idea here is to accumulate chips for the later rounds, and take some shots while the initial stakes are still low. When the bets get bigger relative to your stack, you may want to tighten up, preserve your chips, and let other players knock each other out. However—and there are a million and one “howevers” in poker—watch the action carefully. If you’re at a table where many of the other players are employing this early gambit strategy, which is common in low-stakes games, it would make sense to go the other way (in other words, swim upstream!) and play only premium hands. It’s really a matter of reading the table. In any case, this is probably the single most important strategic consideration you can bring to the tournament game, and it should color all of your other decisions. Be mindful throughout the game of the escalating blinds in relation to the size of your chip stack.

Monitoring Your Opponents By the same token, you should also be carefully keeping track of your opponents’ chip stacks. Your main concern is where you stand relative to the other players. As a general rule, players with significantly larger stacks than the rest of the table have an advantage—especially in the no limit and pot limit game. They can easily let go of marginal hands to preserve their chip lead, and they can also bet heavily on strong hands or even pure bluff complete rags. Chip position gives a player many viable options, all of which appear plausible to the other poor and worried players. Extremely short-stacked players should also be carefully dealt with. In the late stages especially, you should always put a short-stacked player all in, rather than leave him with just a few remaining chips. If you have multiple short-stacked players in the game, it’s usually a good idea to tighten up and let the escalating blinds force them out. Remember, your primary goal in an elimination tournament is to outlast your opponents—by any means necessary.

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Tournament Tactics Okay, time for a dictionary break. Strategy and tactics are two different terms that are often confused with each other, or wrongly used interchangeably. Strategy is a longterm plan of action intended to accomplish a specific goal. Tactics are the expedients and maneuvers for achieving that goal. Now that we’ve sorted quite a few of the strategic issues, let’s run down some of the tournament tactics that can be extrapolated from them. We must dutifully repeat that these tactics are dependent on game situations and are not hard-and-fast rules. Calling short stacks If a short stack raises a pot, you can usually safely call, because short-stacked players are often forced to play marginal hands. If it makes sense to raise and put that player all in, by all means do so. Playing a short stack The flip side of that particular poker chip is playing a short stack. Your options are limited. If the next round of blinds is going to bust you, you’ll want to go all in on anything halfway decent, such as an Ace-whatever offsuit. Otherwise, you’re going all in on the blinds with random cards.

Switching gears Another general guideline that becomes practical at the tournament table, switching gears means making a deliberate shift from tight to loose play, or viceversa. It’s related to the idea of swimming upstream, except that you take the initiative to switch up your style of play. If, in the early stages of a tourney, you have projected a table image of an extremely tight player (whether by choice or circumstance), an abrupt shift to aggressive play can be effective. If the cards make it at all reasonable, keep on firing; in other words, be selective, and then be very aggressive. Riding a big stack The temptation when playing a big stack early in a tournament is to jump into a lot of pots and start splashing around. Consider going the other way, especially if you took down a really big pot in the first few hands. In low-stakes, no limit single table games, you’d be amazed at how easy it is to sit back and watch other players fall off. By playing very selectively, you can make the occasional surgical strike from behind your fortress of chips.

Online Cardroom Tips and Tricks I made the case in the very first chapter of this book that the game of poker is adapting quite nicely to the online medium. It’s true, and really kind of amazing. Consider that pretty much all of the poker strategy and tactics explained in these last few chapters apply just as well to the online game as to the offline one. In terms of basic mechanics and structure, the game remains the same.

■ ONLINE CARDROOM TIPS AND TRICKS

Swimming upstream This general strategy becomes a specific tactic in an elimination tournament. Many players wager aggressively early on in a tournament. If you find that a lot of players at your table are shooting it out, tighten up and let the table thin out. If a game tightens up later, try to make some moves and get ahead of those escalating blinds.

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The principal exception, also noted in the first chapter, is that you cannot directly observe or assess your opponents in an Internet cardroom, at least, not in the traditional ways. But there are some evolving methods of gathering information (and putting out disinformation) at the virtual tables. In the future, I suspect, game historians will look back on this era and marvel at how the game poker adapted so well to the digital realm.

Tracking Your Opponents Do yourself a big favor and get into the habit, early on, of taking notes on your opponents’ playing and betting habits. Take advantage of the online cardrooms’ note-taking and hand history features. (See Chapter 15, “The Top Online Poker Rooms” for more details.) This is a genuine benefit of the online game—you don’t have to keep it all in your head. You can look it up and write it down. In a live casino game, this simply isn’t an option. (I suppose you could sit there and take notes while you play, but tell you what, you go first and let me know how it works out….)

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Using the Pre-Action Buttons We touched on this in earlier chapters, but remember that you can use the pre-action buttons as strategic and tactical weapons. For instance, if you plan to play conservatively in the early rounds of a tournament, use the pre-action buttons to fold your hand before your turn to act rolls around. This gives the impression of a super-tight player who is instantly folding all of her hands. When you’re ready to switch gears, your aggressive wagers will look even scarier by contrast. On the other hand, if you want to give the impression of a loose, wild, or criminally insane player, use those same pre-action buttons to make your raises hit the table instantly. This is the online equivalent of players who pounce on a preceding bet by quickly flinging their chips into the pot.

Using the Clock You can go the other way, too. Suppose you’re sitting on a monster hand and you want to slow-play the table. It’s time to do some virtual acting. Let that action counter tick down as you “agonize” over whether to call the previous bet. Or, if you have a hand you know you’re going to fold, you might wait a few seconds if someone makes a big bet obviously designed to scare off other hands. This will make the aggressor pause to take notice of your play, and it may prevent future intimidation gambits.

Mucking and Flashing Mucking, you’ll remember, means discarding your hand face-down while flashing means showing your winning hole cards to the table after everyone else has folded out of a hand. In live games, there’s an unwritten rule that if you flash your cards to one player at the table, you must reveal them to the others as well (“Show One, Show All”).

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A Word from Uncle Charlie My Uncle Charlie had a hard-and-fast rule about mucking and flashing. Any time he got an opponent to fold out of a big pot, he would muck the hands he thought would have won anyhow and flash the hands he thought were losers. He especially relished flashing his total bluffs. His thinking was that by revealing big bluffs and loser hands, he would entice his opponents to call his bets in a later game. Or, at the very least, confuse them badly. Uncle Charlie was no poker pro, but he knew when to get out of a pot. He always said he made most of his money by roping in players who didn’t even know that.

Poker Terms Used in This Chapter four-flush Four cards of the same suit on the flop, requiring a draw for a flush. hobby games A general term for more complex dice, board, and strategy games. in the money In tournament play, any finisher who gets a share of the prize pool. on the bubble To finish one place short of winning prize money. pure bluff A complete bluff with no possible draw to a winning hand. zero-sum A situation in which any gain is offset by an equal loss.

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Online, you have the option to auto-muck losing and uncalled winning hands, usually by checking the appropriate pre-action buttons. When this option is activated, any hand you’re not required to reveal will be discarded face-down into the muck. The upshot of all this is that your opponents won’t know your down cards, and as a result, they can’t tie your betting pattern to a full hand. There are certain situations, however, in which you may want to flash that winning uncalled hand. Flashing a pure bluff on a big pot, for example, can unnerve your opponents and throw them off their game. Sometimes, if you’ve caught a miracle hand such as a royal flush, you’ll want to flash that just for pride’s sake. Hell, you’ll probably want to print it out and frame it. And that’s that. If you employ the principles and strategy outlined in these final chapters to your game, you’ll have a serious leg up on the competition. But always remember that poker, online or off, requires a basic foundation of knowledge, built with planning, practice, and discipline. Books, websites, and instructional software can help, but for the most part, you learn to play poker by playing poker. The growing popularity and sophistication of online cardrooms means that you can find good games—for real money or not—any time of the day or night. Your timing is just right. Shuffle up and deal me in!

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Additional Resources: Books, Websites, and Software Playing the game of poker is a pleasure, and it’s also the best way to get better at the game. That’s why the convenience and ubiquity of Internet poker is such a boon for the beginning poker know-how, supplemental reading and

to your poker research, carefully selected from the overwhelming options you can find in libraries, in bookstores, and on the Internet.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: BOOKS, WEBSITES, AND SOFTWARE

some hand-picked resources that you can bring

A:

A

practice are also critical. This appendix provides

■ APPENDIX

player. But as you’re laying your foundation of

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Books on Poker Poker books have been around as long as the game itself, it seems, and many of the best have come in recent years. The game has changed significantly over the course of time, and those older books that still survive are relevant to the game on a fundamental level. All of the titles described in this chapter belong in any canonical listing of poker writing.

Instructional Books Sklansky, David. The Theory of Poker, 3rd ed. Two Plus Two Publishing, 1989. One of the game’s most prolific writers and theorists, Sklansky has written more than a dozen books on poker and gambling. The Theory of Poker lays down the fundamentals of the game from an analytical/mathematical perspective, with an emphasis on cold, rational decision-making. It’s chock-full of examples and scenarios that can help you apply the in-depth theory to practical situations. Beginning and intermediate players with ambition should put this on their Amazon.com wish list today.

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Brunson, Doyle. Doyle Brunson’s Super System: A Course in Power Poker, 3rd ed. Cardoza, 1979. If Sklansky’s book is the analytical brain of poker bibles, Brunson’s classic is the cheerful heart of the game. That’s not to say it isn’t brainy; the book is a distillation of a lifetime of practical poker wisdom. Brunson, a two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) champ, self-published this massive tome in 1979 and brought in fellow pros like Mike Caro, Bobby Baldwin, and Chip Reese to contribute chapters. While the structure and grammar are somewhat…um…improvisational, the instructional content is broad and valuable. Brunson weaves his personal anecdotes and musings into the text like a master storyteller—which he is. Brunson, known as “Texas Dolly,” came up the hard way as a traveling gambler, and his personal biography is fascinating. Caro, Mike. Caro’s Fundamental Secrets of Winning Poker, 3rd ed. Simon & Schuster, 2002. Mike Caro, the self-described Mad Genius of Poker, teaches a series of popular poker seminars in California that he occasionally takes on tour. He’s published several books on the game, but this is his flagship publication, essentially a book-form transcription of his seminar material. (Important concepts are even written on a “blackboard” within the pages.) This book delivers the goods. It’s an all-around primer covering basic theory, money management, the psychology of “tells,” and tournament versus cash game strategy.

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Malmuth, Mason and Lynne Loomis. Fundamentals of Poker, 3rd ed. Two Plus Two Publishing, 2000. Streamlined and admirably concise at around 80 pages, this book is a nice reference manual for the beginning to intermediate player. It works well as a no-nonsense primer for the most popular poker games—Hold ’Em, Seven-Card Stud, Omaha, and the Hi-Lo split variants. Sklansky, David. Hold ’Em Poker. Two Plus Two Publishing, 1996. One of Sklansky’s first books, Hold ’Em Poker has endured as a valuable resource for the new player serious about laying a sturdy foundation for the game. Sklansky applies his thorough analytical approach to Hold ’Em exclusively, and you’ll find pages of valuable commentary on specific topics such as starting hands, playing on the flop, bluffing and semi-bluffing, and heads-up play on fifth street. Sklansky makes frequent use of practical examples, which grounds all the heady theory nicely.

Now here’s a good idea done well. Steiner’s excellent book is aimed at the recreational and home-game player who would like a leg up on his buddies at the weekly poker night. The book is remarkably thorough, with abundant annotations and footnotes, and it covers all the basics that any beginning player needs. In addition, it has sections on how to assess and play effectively against opponents you face week after week. Examples and practical exercises help cement the lessons learned.

Literary Takes McManus, James. Positively Fifth Street: Murderers, Cheetahs, and Binion’s World Series of Poker. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003. There are books on how to play poker, and then there are books about poker— its culture, history, and colorful characters. One of the best is Jim McManus’ fascinating book. McManus, on assignment from a magazine to profile female poker pros, decides instead to take his advance payment money and buy in to the WSOP main event. Along the way, he investigates a murder in the Binion casino family, and— impossibly—makes the No Limit Texas Hold ’Em final table.

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Steiner, Peter O. Thursday Night Poker: How to Understand, Enjoy and Win. Random House, 1996.

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Holden, Anthony. Big Deal: A Year as a Professional Poker Player. Abacus, 2002. This book is another must-read for anyone who wants a peek into the life of professional poker players. Holden, a British writer, took “off” the entire year of 1989 to try his luck as a poker pro in the U.S. and Europe. He finds a wealth of material and manages to fold into the experience fascinating parallels and musings from psychology, literature, and film. The writing is erudite and often very funny, filtered though the astonished eyes of an Englishman in Las Vegas (and elsewhere). Alvarez, A. The Biggest Game in Town. Chronicle Books, 2002.

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Alvarez’s book is often cited as the best book ever written on the world of highstakes professional poker and tournaments. Centered on the 1981 World Series of Poker, the book is written in the new journalism style of participatory non-fiction and was initially published as a series of dispatches in The New Yorker. Alvarez profiles dozens of legendary poker pros and paints a compelling portrait of a poker community that is eccentric, aggressive, and just this side of insane.

Websites and Blogs The Web is now home to literally thousands of websites, blogs, and archives on the game of poker. Many are really good, many are really not good, and most are disposable promotional sites for the various poker services trolling for players. This section lists a handful of independent poker web destinations that can serve as helpful bookmarks for the new player: rec.gambling.poker FAQ: www.rgpfaq.com FAQ stands for frequently asked questions, and as a concept, it’s one of the Internet’s most valuable contributions to communicating information efficiently. The rec.gambling.poker (RGP) newsgroup has been around for a very long time, and this FAQ page carefully assembles relevant information for the brand-new player. The affiliated Online Poker FAQ (www.onlinepokerfaq.com) is even more specific to the Internet game, but this site is still partially under construction. Card Player: www.cardplayer.com One of the few periodical publications dedicated solely to the game of poker, Card Player magazine features the best poker writers and columnists to be found in print or online. Card Player understands a basic truism about the business: Good editorial content attracts readers, and readers attract advertisers. Card Player therefore provides well-written, interesting, and accurate poker information across the board. Regular contributors include the World Poker Tour’s Mike Sexton, authors Lou Krieger and Bob Ciaffone, gambling attorney I. Nelson Rose, and just about every working poker pro you’ve seen on TV. Much of the magazine content is now available online in archive format.

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Poker Top Ten: www.pokertop10.com Here’s a website that’s found a playful yet effective way for organizing a lot of valuable poker information. As the title suggests, Poker Top Ten compiles everything into handy top ten lists. Such diverse poker topics as Hold ’Em Starting Hands, Poker Blogs & Trip Reports, and Bizarre Poker Terms are presented in top ten format, easily digestible and written with enthusiasm and humor. So much fun to read, in fact, that you’ll barely notice how much you’re actually learning. Serious Poker: www.seriouspoker.com Intended as “a resource for serious (and wouldbe serious) poker players on the Internet,” Serious Poker is a nicely organized independent website that delivers what it promises: content and links for the genuine poker enthusiast, without the clutter of commercial promos and come-ons. Especially helpful is the Poker Dictionary, which defines all those weird poker slang terms. (Should you limp in with a drawing hand if you’re on the button?) Webmaster Dan Kimberg is a frequent contributor to Card Player magazine.

World Poker Tour: www.worldpokertour.com The massive success of the World Poker Tour (WPT) television show has inspired a recent redesign of the program’s supplemental website, and it’s a surprisingly fun and rich destination. If you’re a fan of the show, the site provides player bios for each week’s episode and keeps a running tab of all WPT tournaments and results. You can also find out which players made the WPT via online cardroom satellites and read their stories. The Poker Corner section features a glossary, basic hand-ranking information, and even poker-themed electronic greeting cards.

Instructional Software The advent of instructional software marked a new era for the discerning poker student, offering complex mathematical evaluations and simulations that otherwise would take a lifetime of actual experience to compile. The computer-controlled opponents in many of these games approach the status of true artificial intelligence (AI) agents. They’re able to play mathematically perfect poker, while also adjusting to variable elements such as position, number of players, and relative chip stacks. They can also recall exactly every play you’ve made so far and react accordingly. They bluff. They slow-play. They checkraise. They’re tough as hell.

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GoCee Poker Center: www.gocee.com/poker Compiled and maintained by a technology professional who also happens to be a big-time poker fan (Kenneth Churilla), the GoCee Poker Center is a great launching pad for the beginning poker player looking for a wide-angle overview of Internet poker resources. Churilla knows a lot about how search and directory pages ought to be deployed, and his sprawling site offers links, archived posts from the RGP newsgroup, and plenty of cool and quirky lists like Jokes & Humor, Tales & Stories, Movies, and Road Trip Reports.

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Combined with today’s 24/7 online cardrooms, these software programs render your personal computer the single most valuable poker-learning tool you can own. There are dozens of commercial poker software packages out there right now, with more coming online every day, it seems. The most popular and enduring is Wilson Software’s Turbo Poker Series, which is described in detail here. The Wilson software has traditionally paced the industry, with each new edition incorporating improved training and analysis features. Nowadays, many competing commercial products offer similar features and attributes, but none puts it all into one package as effectively as the Wilson titles.

That said, a great by-product of downloadable software is that you can almost always get a trialware version of any product for free. Check out the listings at a reputable software library like CNET’s Download.com if you’re interested in test-driving the competition. (As of this writing, there are more than 70 individual poker software packages available at Download.com.)

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Wilson Software Turbo Poker Series By far the most popular and longest running instructional poker software series, the Wilson Turbo titles (available at www.wilsonsw.com) cover all the essential poker games. They include the following: •

Turbo Texas Hold’em

•

Tournament Texas Hold’em

•

Turbo 7-Card Stud

•

Turbo Stud 8/or Better

•

Turbo Omaha High

•

Turbo Omaha High-Low Split

These programs allow you to structure the game however you want: number of players, blinds, betting limits, raise caps, and so on. So let’s say you’re gearing up for a session of $2/$4 limit Hold ’Em, either online or in the casino. You can set up your instructional game to match the playing conditions you’re expecting. If you’re headed to a real-world cardroom or casino, you can also establish a rake for the pot—a critical consideration for low-stakes limit games.

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You can also assign characteristics to each of your computer-controlled opponents, making them super-tight, super-loose, or just generally super-tough. You can even approximate the rolling cash game by having your cyberopponents randomly leave the table to be replaced by new players with different styles. This is all well and good, of course, but without an overtly instructional component, you’re essentially playing an improbably disciplined funny-money web game. The real strength of these programs is their ability to let you freeze the action at any given time and ask for advice. Not just any advice, either. The program assesses your current situation in detail and makes recommendations based on a number of factors, including the following: Your current (incomplete) hand

•

The current number of bets in the pot

•

Your position relative to the dealer

•

Possible drawing hands still available to you

•

The current community cards on the board

In other words, it takes into account all the information available to you, sorts it and analyzes it automatically, and then gives specific advice on what to do next (fold, call, raise, or reraise). The software also compiles a thorough analysis of each game or session of games and offers specific odds on every incomplete hand. Other testing features include the option to “stack the deck” by playing one starting hand or position over the course of several games. Try playing A-K in Hold ’Em for an hour against random hands and players, or play it only in the big blind or on the button. Or simply have the game play itself under various conditions for 10, 100, 1,000, or 10,000 hands to see how often that A-K stands up. You’ll find enough charts, graphs, tables, and analysis to overwhelm even the most dedicated stathead. The drawbacks to the Wilson line of software are that they’re expensive ($90 for the flagship Texas Hold ’Em title) and they require the Windows operating system. Another complaint is that the free trialware downloads offered by the Wilson website are too limited (you play the same hand over and over), so it’s hard to get a sense of what you’re potentially purchasing. Still, the Wilson titles remain the best of the bunch and include most everything you will find in other instructional software integrated into one powerhouse program.

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Problem Gambling Poker—while in many respects a game of skill and strategy—also incorporates luck and, signifireal stakes, whether online or off, you are indeed participating in a form of gambling. As such, it’s important to be aware of the issues of problem gambling or gambling addiction.

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cantly, money. When you are playing poker for

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The online game, with its ubiquity and convenience, can compound the threat of problem gambling. When additional funds are only a few mouse clicks away, it’s easy to get carried away and impulsively wager money that you might otherwise leave alone. The next section contains a general overview of problem gambling as outlined by The Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery (IIAR) at Proctor Hospital in Peoria, Illinois—one of the world’s leading institutions for treating problem gambling. The discussion here is on gambling in general, but it applies as well to online poker. Also included in this appendix is a list of 20 questions from Gamblers Anonymous designed to help you identify compulsive gambling. The group’s contact information is listed after the questions. I urge you to take this subject very seriously. Gambling in any form always has the potential to get people into trouble. It’s a complicated issue, and as with so many other things in life, forewarned is forearmed. A P P E N D I X B : PROBLEM GAMBLING ■

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Pathological Gambling: An Addiction Embracing the Nation The following information is from The Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery at Proctor Hospital.

Gamblers no longer need to trek to Las Vegas or Atlantic City to find the action they crave. It is available today in their own hometowns. Legalized gambling is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States. Gambling’s tremendous popularity is evident in the recent increase in the number of off-track-betting parlors (OTBs) and riverboat casinos that dot the Midwest and the Mississippi Delta. Billboards on major highways depict the action and excitement available at such facilities. For most of the industry’s patrons, gambling is fun and a form of harmless entertainment. For the four to six percent of gamblers who become problem or pathological (compulsive) gamblers, however, it can be a devastating illness that negatively affects every aspect of their lives.

What Is the Difference between Casual Social Gambling and Pathological Gambling? Gambling can be defined as playing a game of chance for stakes. Gambling occurs in many forms, most commonly pari-mutuels (horse and dog tracks, off-track-betting parlors, Jai Alai), lotteries, casinos (slot machines, table games), bookmaking (sports books and horse books), cardrooms, bingo, and the stock market.

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Pathological gambling is a progressive disease that devastates not only the gambler but everyone with whom he or she has a significant relationship. In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association accepted pathological gambling as a “disorder of impulse control.” It is an illness that is chronic and progressive, but it can be diagnosed and treated.

The Custer Three-Phase Model Robert L. Custer, M.D., identified the progression of gambling addiction as including three phases: •

the winning phase

•

the losing phase

•

the desperation phase

Who Is Affected? Current estimates suggest that three percent of the adult population will experience a serious problem with gambling that will result in significant debt, family disruption, job losses, criminal activity, or suicide. Pathological gambling affects the gamblers, their families, their employers, and the community. As the gamblers go through the phases of their addiction, they spend less time with their family and spend more of their family’s money on gambling until their bank accounts are depleted. Then they may steal money from family members. At work, the pathological gambler misuses time in order to gamble, has difficulty concentrating and finishing projects, and may engage in embezzlement, employee

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During the winning phase, gamblers experience a big win—or a series of wins— that leaves them with unreasonable optimism that their winning will continue. This leads them to feel great excitement when gambling, and they begin increasing the amounts of their bets. During the losing phase, the gamblers often begin bragging about wins they have had, start gambling alone, think more about gambling, and borrow money—legally or illegally. They start lying to family and friends and become more irritable, restless, and withdrawn. Their home life becomes more unhappy, and they are unable to pay off debts. The gamblers begin to “chase” their losses, believing they must return as soon as possible to win back their losses. During the desperation phase, there is a marked increase in the time spent gambling. This is accompanied by remorse, blaming others, and alienating family and friends. Eventually, the gamblers may engage in illegal acts to finance their gambling. They may experience hopelessness, suicidal thoughts and attempts, arrests, divorce, alcohol and/or other drug abuse, or an emotional breakdown.

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theft, or other illegal activities. IIAR works with employers to offer a comprehensive program of evaluation, treatment, counseling, and support for employees and their families. Please visit our website for more information: The Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery 5409 N. Knoxville Avenue Peoria, IL 61614 1-800-522-3784 www.addictionrecov.org

Do You Have A Gambling Problem? Gamblers Anonymous offers the following questions to anyone who may have a gambling problem. These questions, which appear exactly as they are published in the GA literature, are provided to help the individual decide if he or she is a compulsive gambler and wants to stop gambling: A P P E N D I X B : PROBLEM GAMBLING ■

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1.

Have you ever lost time from work due to gambling?

2.

Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy?

3.

Has gambling affected your reputation?

4.

Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?

5.

Have you ever gambled to get money to pay debts or solve financial difficulties?

6.

Has gambling ever caused a decrease in your ambition or efficiency?

7.

After losing, do you feel you must return as soon as possible to win back your losses?

8.

After winning, do you have a strong urge to return and win more?

9.

Do you often gamble until you run out of money?

10.

Have you ever borrowed money to finance your gambling?

11.

Have you ever sold anything to finance your gambling?

12.

Are you reluctant to use “gambling money” for normal expenditures?

13.

Does gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself and your family?

14.

Do you ever gamble longer than planned?

15.

Have you ever gambled to escape worry or trouble?

16.

Have you ever committed or considered committing an illegal act to finance gambling?

17.

Has gambling ever caused you to have difficulty sleeping?

18.

Do arguments, disappointments, or frustrations create within you an urge to gamble?

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19.

Do you ever get the urge to celebrate any good fortune with a few hours of gambling?

20.

Have you ever considered self destruction as a result of your gambling? Most compulsive gamblers will answer yes to at least seven of these questions. Contact Gamblers Anonymous at: Gamblers Anonymous International Service Office P.O. Box 17173 Los Angeles, CA 90017 213-386-8789 fax 213-386-0030 www.gamblersanonymous.org

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Glossary bank check A guaranteed check from a bank, used to establish real-money accounts.

2-7 offsuit A 2 and a 7 of different suits; considered the worst possible starting hand in Texas Hold ’Em.

bankroll The amount of money you have available to wager, whether applied to a single session or multiple sessions of play.

action buttons The clickable on-screen buttons that display the range of actions you can take when it is your turn.

best hand The most valuable five-card combination, as determined by poker hand rankings.

action marker The graphic element in an online poker game that indicates which player at the table is obligated to take the next action—whose “turn” it is.

bet To wager; to put chips into the pot.

affiliate A person or website that refers new players to a poker site. all-in Betting all of your chips. When allin, you are eligible for only the amount of money in the pot present when you declared all-in. ante A small bet posted by all players before the hand is dealt. artificial intelligence (AI) Generally speaking, the ability of a computer to approximate human thought; in gaming, a computer program designed to play a game “intelligently.”

bet slider In pot-limit and no-limit games, an on-screen device that lets you use your mouse to drag a bar across a slider to declare the exact amount of your wager. big-bet games No limit and pot limit games. big blind The larger of the two forced bets in flop games, made by the second player to the dealer’s left. blind bet A forced bet posted before the deal by one or more players to the dealer’s left. blog Short for web log, a personal website or online journal usually dedicated to a particular topic.

auto-update A common feature of client software that keeps the installed program up-to-date.

bluffing To bet or raise with a hand that is unlikely to be the best hand in the hopes of getting your opponent(s) to fold.

avatar A graphic character used to represent each player in an online poker room.

boat, or full boat A full house.

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128-bit encryption An established minimum level of encryption for secure online transactions.

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bonus code A code or phrase that triggers a cash bonus when depositing money into an account.

check To bet $0; to pass while still retaining the right to call or raise subsequent bets.

bookmark A favorite or designated web page that can be saved in a list for later reference.

checking around When all players check during a betting round.

bring-in bet In Seven-Card Stud, a forced bet in the first betting round by the player with the lowest card showing. broadband A fast Internet connection such as digital subscriber line (DSL) or cable modem.

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bug A joker card that can be paired with aces or used to make a straight or a flush. bust out To lose all of your chips; usually refers to being eliminated in a tournament. buy-in The amount of money you pay to get a seat at a poker tournament. call To match the previous bet. capped In limit games, a policy limiting the number of raises in a single betting round. cash-out The process of withdrawing your real-money winnings. central game system The “brains” of an online poker game: the computer program that facilitates the game itself. chase To keep betting an inferior hand in the hopes of drawing to a better hand. chat window The on-screen area in which players type messages back and forth. chatting General conversation at the poker table that appears on-screen in the chat window.

check-raise To check and then raise after an opponent bets. client software Software installed on an individual computer designed for use with a network service. coffeehousing Chatting or discussion intended to distract or manipulate other players. collusion A kind of cheating in which two or more players secretly share information at the table. It’s illegal in all poker games. Dead Man’s Hand The five-card poker hand said to be held by Wild Bill Hickok when he was shot dead at the table: black aces and black eights, the fifth card in dispute; considered to be an unlucky hand in poker. dead money (1) Inexperienced players at high-level games. (2) Money in the pot by players who have already folded. dealer button A small disk used to signify the player in the last position in flop games. door card In Seven-Card Stud, the first face-up card in a player’s hand. double bet In Seven-Card Stud, a policy allowing players to double the existing limit bet if any player has a pair showing. download To transfer programs or data from a remote computer to your own computer.

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e-gaming transactions Online gambling transactions. These types of transactions are disallowed by most banks that issue credit cards. electronic funds transfer (EFT) A direct transfer of money from a checking account to an online poker room account. elimination format Any tournament event in which players leave the game when their chips are gone.

flashing The act of showing your winning or uncalled hand to the table instead of mucking the cards. flop The first three face-up community cards, dealt simultaneously to start the second round of betting. flop games Games such as Texas Hold ’Em and Omaha that use five community cards; the first three community cards are called the flop. fold To surrender your hand and any claim to the pot (including your own previous wagers).

filter bots An automated feature used in chat systems to censor abusive or offensive language.

four-flush Four cards of the same suit on the flop, requiring a draw for a flush.

financial processor A third-party service that facilitates deposits into online poker room accounts. Five-Card Draw A draw poker game in which the players start with five cards and have the option of replacing a specified number of them from the deck.

forced bet A required wager that initiates the action in the first round of betting.

fourth street (1) In flop games, the fourth community card and the third round of betting. (2) In stud games, the second face-up card dealt to each player and the second betting round. freeroll A free tournament that charges no cash buy-in, but pays real money or prizes.

Five-Card Stud A stud poker game in which each player gets one down card and four face-up cards.

gambit A maneuver or stratagem, especially one used at an initial stage of a game.

fixed limit Games in which the amount of chips you can bet in a given round is restricted.

game mechanics The rules that govern and organize the game of poker.

flame war When two or more people engage in continuous flaming.

game portals Large, general-interest gaming websites such as Yahoo! Games or Zone.com.

flaming The act of posting aggressive or hostile messages in a chat room or online poker room chat window.

hand history A text document that details every hand dealt in a completed game or tournament.

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fifth street (1) In flop games, the fifth community card and the final round of betting. (2) In stud games, the third faceup card dealt to each player and the third betting round.

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high hand The best poker hand as determined by standard hand rankings. highcarding The process of dealing all players a single card to determine who gets the first deal. high-low split A variation in many poker games in which the highest and lowest hands split the pot evenly. hobby games A general term for more complex dice, board, and strategy games. hole-card cameras In televised TV tournaments, cameras that record players’ down cards for later taped broadcasts. G L O S S A RY ■

236

hole cards Cards dealt faced down and concealed from other players. horse A poker player who uses the bankroll of a financial backer (and splits any winnings with that backer).

licensing agency Any independent body that regulates and/or issues operating licenses to companies within a particular industry or market. logged in To be actively connected to a network service, such as an online poker room. loose A poker slang term for a game in which many players are wagering freely and unwisely. low hand The worst poker hand as determined by standard hand rankings. lowball Games in which the lowest or “worst” poker hand wins. lurking Observing a live game without actually playing. microlimit Extremely low-limit poker games, such as $.02/$.04 Hold ’Em.

in the money In tournament play, any finisher who gets a share of the prize pool.

monster An extremely good hand, almost certain to win.

inside straight draw A hand with four to a straight, missing one card in the middle instead of at either end.

muck (1) To discard. (2) The discard pile.

install To set up a program on your computer and prepare it for use.

newsgroup An online forum, located on a part of the Internet known as Usenet, dedicated to the discussion of a particular topic. A newsreader, such as Outlook Express, is required to access any of the many thousands of newsgroups.

instructional software Interactive computer programs designed to teach the game of poker. interface What you “see” when you play poker online: the graphic and textual elements of an online poker room.

network A system of computers interconnected in order to share information.

NH A common online poker room chat window acronym meaning “Nice hand.”

interstitial advertisement Onscreen web page ads that pop up while another page or game is loading.

odds The ratio of the probability of an event occurring to the probability of it not occurring.

kicker The highest-ranked, unpaired side card in a hand.

on the bubble To finish one place short of winning prize money.

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opening To make the first wager in a betting round. pay-out structure In a tournament, the system that determines how the pooled prize money is divided among the winners. play chips/play money Chips and money that have no actual monetary value and are used in the play/practice area of online cardrooms. playback An option available at some online poker sites that plays back a game or tournament as if it were a video.

pocket rockets A pair of aces; considered among the best starting hands in Texas Hold ’Em. poker face The ability of a player to avoid “telegraphing” his or her hand by maintaining a neutral demeanor. poker slots Also known as video poker; poker-themed games that function like casino slot machines. poker-themed games Games that use poker hand rankings as an element, but are not true poker. post To place a bet or put your chips into the pot. pot The total of all players’ bets; the chips in the center of the table. pot limit Games in which the maximum bet is equal to the total amount of chips currently in the pot.

pre-action buttons Clickable on-screen buttons or check boxes that announce your intent before it is your turn to act. pre-flop bet A wager made before the community cards are dealt in flop games. premium accounts An option in some online cardrooms that offers high rollers certain perks. premium hand An exceptionally good starting hand. privacy policy The policy under which an online service or website handles the personal information collected about visitors. prize package tournaments Large, multilevel tournaments in which players can win exotic vacation trips or entry into prestigious poker events worldwide. prize pool The total amount of money from all participant buy-ins in a tournament. problem gambling Gambling behavior that causes disruptions in any major area of life: psychological, physical, social, or vocational. (Source: National Council on Problem Gambling) pure bluff A complete bluff with no possible draw to a winning hand. quads Four-of-a-kind; four cards of the same rank. railbirds Spectators who observe a live or online poker game from the sidelines, or the rail.

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playing the board Using the five community (no down cards) cards to make your hand.

pot odds The ratio of the money currently in the pot to the cost of the bet required to stay in the hand.

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raise To call and increase the previous bet, usually by an amount equal to or greater than the last wager. rake chart The schedule of rake policies posted by a poker room. raked hands Cash games in which the poker room skims a percentage of each winning pot. raking the pot A policy by which the house takes a percentage or portion of each pot won as the fee for facilitating the game.

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random card generator A computer program that uses complex mathematical algorithms to simulate the act of physically shuffling the cards. rank The relative value of a card; all cards have a suit and a rank. read To attempt to determine your opponent’s cards or strategy by observing facial expressions, body language, or other telltale signs. rebuy bonus A cash bonus given by the online poker room to existing players when they replenish their real-money account. represent To deceptively wager in a way that suggests you have a hand other than what you actually have.

river (1) In flop games, the fifth community card and the final round of betting. (2) In stud games, the seventh card dealt and the final round of betting. run over To run over a game or a table is to leverage a big stack of chips and wager aggressively. satellite tournament A smaller-stakes tournament in which the winner earns a seat in a larger-stakes tournament. scheduled tournaments Tournaments that have a specific starting time and for which you need to register in advance. set Three-of-a-kind, or “trips”; three cards of the same rank. seventh street In Seven-Card Stud, the seventh card dealt and the final round of betting. showing down The act of revealing all active hands after the final round of betting to determine who wins the pot. side pot A separate pot created when one or more players are all-in. signup bonus A cash bonus given by the online poker room to new players when they first establish a real-money account. sit-and-go Non-scheduled tournaments with fixed buy-ins and prize structures.

rewards system Any of the various “frequent flyer” programs that grant points to returning players.

sit out To skip one or more hands; to be temporarily dealt out of a game in progress.

ring games (1) A non-tournament game. (2) A cash game.

sixth street In Seven-Card Stud, the sixth card dealt and the fourth round of betting.

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small blind The smaller of the two forced bets in flop games, made by the first player to the dealer’s left.

third-party service A financial processing service that facilitates deposits into online poker accounts.

split-pot A pot in which there are two or more winning hands; a tie.

third street In Seven-Card Stud, the third card dealt and the first round of betting.

spread limit Games that offer a range of wagers in a betting round, within a minimum and a maximum amount.

Three-Card Monte A gambling game using playing cards, in which a dealer uses sleight-of-hand to deceive a potential bettor.

starting chips The amount of chips with which you begin a particular cash game. starting hand In Texas Hold ’Em, the first two down cards dealt. suit One of four designations of playing cards: clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades.

table chat Conversation and small talk among players at an online poker table typed into the chat window. table stakes A policy in most poker games that prohibits players from betting more than the money they have at the table. table talk Any discussion of the hand currently in play, especially by players not involved in the pot. Table talk is expressly forbidden at all online poker games. take position To sit to the left of a player, so that player acts first in a betting round. Tarot deck A set of playing cards used in fortune-telling; possibly a forerunner of the modern 52-card deck.

toking To tip the dealer after winning a pot in casino poker games. tournament chips Dollar-denomination chips—$5, $10, $100, and so on— used only to designate units for the tournament. tournament fee The flat fee, separate from the buy-in, assessed to each participant in a tournament. transaction fees Fees assessed by thirdparty services for facilitating deposits into online poker room accounts. trash hand An extremely bad hand that should be folded. trips Three-of-a-kind, or a “set”; three cards of the same rank. turn In flop games, the fourth community card and the third round of betting. under the gun To be the first player to bet in a given betting round.

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suited connectors Two cards of the same suit and consecutive rank (8d, 9d).

timing out When a player does not take action during his term within a designated amount of time, usually 15–25 seconds.

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video poker Digital slot machines, online or off, that use poker hand rankings as an organizing principle. Also known as poker slots.

wild card A card that can serve as any other card in making your hand.

web log See blog.

zero-sum A situation in which any gain is offset by an equal loss.

wheel A-2-3-4-5, the best possible low hand in most lowball games.

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wire transfer An electronic transfer of money to an online poker account.

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Index Note to the reader: Throughout this index boldfaced page numbers indicate primary discussions of a topic. Italicized page numbers indicate illustrations.

Numbers 2-7 offsuit, 32, 233 52-card deck, standardization, 38 128-bit encryption, 137, 142, 233

account for chip purchase moving cash to, 150 phone number for activating, 149 setup, 146–151 for play-money, setup, 94–95 for Yahoo!, 82 ace, 50 action buttons, 114–116, 119, 233 at Party Poker, 115 action marker, 114, 119, 233 advertisements, interstitial, 80, 85, 236 advice from poker software, 225 affiliates, 152–153, 233 Affleck, Ben, 27 aggressive play, for Texas Hold ‘Em, 198–199 all-in, 72, 118, 233 in Texas Hold ‘Em, 64 Alvarez, A., The Biggest Game in Town, 222

B bank check, 147, 150–151, 153, 233 bankroll, 139, 142, 204–206, 233 starting, 156–157 beginning players, table selection, 200 best hand, 55, 233 bet, 55, 233 bet slider, 116, 119, 233 betting structure, 23–24, 53–54 big-bet games, 201, 233 bluffing, 199 big blind, 23, 32, 59, 233 Big Deal (Holden), 222 The Biggest Game in Town (Alvarez), 222 Billings, Josh, 167

241 ■ INDEX

A

American Psychiatric Association, 229 ante, 32, 54, 233 auto-post, 129 posting, 114 for seven-card stud, 68 AOL, 78 artificial intelligence, 5, 16, 233 ATM/debit card, 170 Austin, Mary, 155 authentication of players, 146 Auto-Post Blinds, 117 auto-update feature of poker-room software, 94, 95, 233 avatar, 179, 193, 233 avg pot for play-money games, 105

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Binion, Benny, 26, 28 Binion, Jack, 19 blind baseball, 58 blind bets, 23, 32, 54, 233 auto-post, 117, 129 posting, 114 in Texas Hold ‘Em, 59, 60 blogs, 90, 95, 233 bluffing, 12, 16, 49, 199, 233 flop and, 105 in Omaha High, 66 in Texas Hold ‘Em, 199 boat, 55, 233 body language, 11 bonus codes, 147, 151–153, 234 bookmark, 89, 95, 234 Brag (England), 38 Bravo, Celebrity Poker Showdown, 27 bring-in bet, 72, 234 for seven-card stud, 68, 69 broadband connection, 78, 79, 85, 234 Brunson, Doyle, 43, 48 Doyle Brunson’s Super System, 220 bug, 48, 55, 234 bust out, 17, 234 buy-in, 21, 32, 112–113, 234 for play-money tournaments, 101

C cable modem, ZoneAlarm firewall for, 79 call, 53, 55, 115–116, 234 calling short stacks, 215 capped bets, 61–62, 72, 234 card games online, 2 origins, 36–39

cardplayer.com, 222 cardrooms, 114–116 browsing, 88–91 buy-in, 112–113 directories and online references, 90–91 funny-money options, 89 lists, 91–93 lurking, 106–107 operations outside U.S., 136 pre-action buttons, 116–117 pulling up a chair, 110–113 view from top, 113–119 why play, 88 cards, 48 52-card deck standardization, 38 Caro, Mike, Caro’s Fundamental Secrets of Winning Poker, 220 cash games, 7, 101, 102–105. See also real-money games cash stakes, 88 Cashier, 98 cashing out, 168, 175, 234 delays, 171 electronic funds transfer (EFT) for, 170–171 third-party services for, 169–170 central game system, 5, 17, 234 Chad, Norman, 26 chasing, 208, 209, 234 chat window, 4, 17, 234 at Party Poker, 123 at Yahoo! Games, 83 chatting, 122–127, 130, 234 coffeehousing, 124–125 flame wars, 127 language and flaming, 126 in Party Poker, 180

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Coolio, 27 courtesy as strategy, 127–129 Crazy Pineapple, 71 credit card, 146 deposit by, 147–148 for NETeller, 149 Crisp, Quentin, 121, 122

D Dandolos, Nicholas “Nick the Greek”, 28 Dead Man’s Hand, 41, 45, 234 dead money, 17, 234 Deal Me Out option, 129 dealer location, 5 selection in Texas Hold ‘Em, 59 dealer button, 72, 234 in Texas Hold ‘Em, 59 delays when cashing out, 171 dial-up connection, 78, 79 direct wire transfer, 150–151 directories of online poker cardrooms, 90–91 discipline, 8 “disconnection protection” credits, 118 Disraeli, Benjamin, 195 door card, 68, 72, 234 double bet, 69, 72, 234 Double-Flop Texas Hold ‘Em, 71 download.com, 224 downloading, 95, 234 poker room software, 93–94 Doyle Brunson’s Super System, 220 dropped, 161 Dylan, Bob, 43

243 ■ INDEX

in Poker Stars, 182 table talk, 125 top ten topics, 124 turning off, 126 cheating, 13 check, 53, 55, 234 in Texas Hold ‘Em, 62 check by mail for cashing out, 170–171 for funds deposit, 150–151 check-raise, 200, 201, 234 checking around, 62, 72, 234 China, 36 chip stack, 160 chips buying virtual, 134, 146 account setup, 146–151 moving cash to account, 150 seat selection based on stack size, 206 starting, 204, 209 tournament chips, 21, 33 Wild West poker chips, 42 winning as goal, 49 Churchill, Winston, 203 Churilla, Kenneth, 223 classes of hand rankings, 51 client software, 76, 85, 234 crash, 118 clock, strategic use, 216 coffeehousing, 124–125, 130, 234 collusion, 13, 14, 17, 125, 234 community card poker games, 40 community cards, in Texas Hold ‘Em, 62, 63 computer requirements, 76–80 operating system, 76

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E

INDEX ■

244

e-gaming transactions, 146, 153, 235 eBay, PayPal, 148 eCheck services, 148 electronic funds transfer (EFT), 149, 153, 235 for cashing out, 170–171 elimination format, 160, 164, 213, 235 equality of tournament players, 212–213 escalating blinds, 23–24, 214 ESPN World Series of Poker, 25, 26–27 history, 28–29 etiquette, 122. See also chatting common-sense, 129–130 courtesy as strategy, 127–128 euchre, 2 European poker shows, 29 expectations, 208–209

F facial expressions, 11 FAQs (frequently asked questions), 14 in online poker websites, 92 federal laws on gambling, 142 feeder tournaments, 31 fees for tournaments, 161–163, 165, 239 Ferguson, Chris “Jesus”, 44 fifth street, 63, 72, 235 for seven-card stud, 69 filter bots, 126, 130, 235 financial processor, 148, 153, 235 firewall, 78–79 Fisher, Carrie, 27 Five-Card Draw, 71, 72, 235

Five-Card Stud, 71, 72, 235 fixed limit game, 53, 55, 235 flame wars, 127, 130, 235 flaming, 126, 131, 235 flashing, 128, 131, 216–217, 235 flirt, 83 flop, 72, 235 in Texas Hold ‘Em, 62, 207–208 flop category for play-money games, 105 flop games, 23, 32, 235 flush, 40, 51, 52 flux, 38 fold, 49, 53, 55, 235 after timing out, 119 junk hands, 198 in Texas Hold ‘Em, 199–200 Foley, Dave, 20, 27 font, for UltimateBet chat, 186 forced bets, 23, 53, 55, 235 four-flush, 217, 235 four-of-a-kind, 51, 52 fourth street, 72, 208, 235 for seven-card stud, 69 in Texas Hold ‘Em, 62 Fox Sports, Showdown at the Sands, 29 free play area, in online poker websites, 93 freeroll events, 193, 235 in UltimateBet, 184 frequently asked questions (FAQs), 14 full boat, 51, 55, 233 full house, 51 Full Tilt Poker, 191–193, 192 game play and interface, 192 player options, 192–193 Fundamentals of Poker (Malmuth), 221

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gambits, 160, 164, 235 Gamblers Anonymous, 228 questions to evaluate problem, 230–231 gambling, 134–138 addiction to, 13, 227–231 Cust three-phase model, 229 impact, 229–230 game mechanics, 17, 235 game portals, 80, 85, 235 gaming, 138 Getting Started pages, in online poker websites, 92 gocee.com/poker, 223 Golden Rule of Gambling, 139 Goldwyn, Samuel, 47 Green, Jonathan H., An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling, 39 gypsies, 37

H hand commenting on, 125 throwing away starting, 198 winning games without revealing, 50 hand history, 193, 235 from Party Poker, 181 hand rankings, 50–52 Handey, Jack, Deep Thoughts, 2 hands dealt per hour, 105 Hellmuth, Phil, 44 help, at Yahoo! Games, 83 Hiatt, Shana, 20 Hickok, James Butler “Wild Bill”, 41

high card, 52, 52, 236 high hand, 49, 55, 236 high-hand games, rankings, 51–52 high-low split games, 50, 72, 236 Seven-Stud/Hi-Lo, 71 highcarding, 59, 72 hobby games, 72, 217, 236 Hocus-pocus, 39 Hold ‘Em Poker (Sklansky), 221 Holden, Anthony, Big Deal, 222 hole-card cameras, 24, 29, 32, 236 hole cards, 72, 236 in Omaha High, 66 in Texas Hold ‘Em, 61 horse, 205, 209, 236

245

I

■ INDEX

G

Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery, 228 images, uploading for Poker Starts, 181 in the money, 217, 236 India, 37 inside straight draws, 207, 209, 236 Instacash option, 150 installing, 95, 236 poker room software, 93–94 instructional software, 164, 223–225, 236 interface of game, 5, 17, 236 Internet, 2 impact, 16 Internet connection, 5, 78 firewall, 78–79 lost, 118 Internet Explorer, enabling Java, 77–78 Internet zone, security level, 77

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Interstate Wire Act, 15 interstitial advertisements, 80, 85, 236

J Java, 77 junk hands, folding early, 198

K kicker, 51, 55, 236

L INDEX ■

246

lag time, pre-action buttons to reduce, 116–117 Late Night Poker, 29 League Play at Yahoo! Games, 83 Lederer, Howard, 44 legal status, 141–142 of online gambling, 134 of online poker, 15 of poker, 43 Legends of Poker, 172, 173 licensing agencies, 136, 137, 142, 236 Liebert, Kathy, 44 limits for game, 54, 102 logged in, 95, 112, 236 loose, 17, 236 losing hands, mucking, 128 losing money, 136 Louisiana, 39 low hand, 49, 55, 236 lowball, 40, 55, 236 luck in poker, 7, 8 Lukacs, John, 177 lurking, 106–107, 236

M Mac OS, 76 mah jongg, 80 Major Arcana, 37 Malmuth, Mason, Fundamentals of Poker, 221 mathematical analysis, 208–209 Maverick, 41 maximizing gains, 197 maximum buy-in, 112–113 McCall, Jack, 41 McEachern, Lon, 26 McManus, James, Positively Fifth Street, 221 microlimit games, 101, 107, 236 minimizing loss, 197 minimum buy-in, 112 Minor Arcana, 37–38 money management, 204. See also bankroll Moneymaker, Chris, 20, 27, 181 road to World Series of Poker, 30–31 monster hands, 199, 201, 236 Moss, Johnny, 28 MSN, 78 MSN Games Slide Poker, 84 Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Showdown, 80–82, 81 muck, 64, 72, 216, 236 automatic, 117, 128 multi-player games, Yahoo! Games Hold ‘Em Poker, 82–83 multi-table tournaments, 21–23 satellite, 172–173 My Account button, 98 at UltimateBet.com, 99

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N

O odds, 55, 208–209, 236 for hand rankings, 51 Omaha, 23, 58, 65–67 Omaha Hi-Lo, 66–67, 67 Omaha High, 65–66, 66 Omaha High-Low Split Eight-orBetter, 50 on the bubble, 213, 217, 236 one pair, 52, 52 online casino, security issues, 14 online poker benefits, 9–11 criticism, 11–12 dedicated cardrooms action buttons, 114–116 browsing, 88–91 buy-in, 112–113

P Pacific Poker UK Open, 174

247 ■ INDEX

National Press Club, motto, 133 NETeller, 148–150 credit card for, 149 Netscape, enabling Java, 77 network, 5, 17, 236 firewall, 78–79 newsgroups, 95, 236 rec.gambling.poker FAQ, 90 NH (nice hand), 122, 131, 236 no limit game, 54 maximum buy-in, 112 No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em tournament, 212 note taking, 216

directories and online references, 90–91 funny-money options, 89 lists, 91–93 lurking, 106–107 operations outside U.S., 136 pre-action buttons, 116–117 pulling up a chair, 110–113 view from top, 113–119 why play, 88 downloading and installing software, 93–94 legal status, 15 speed of, 12 tips and tricks, 215–217 web sites, 178–193. See also specific site names Full Tilt Poker, 191–193, 192 PacificPoker.com, 186–188 Paradise Poker, 189–191 PartyPoker.com, 178–181 PokerStars.com, 181–184 UltimateBet.com, 184–186 Online Poker FAQ, 90, 222 signup bonus tracking, 152–153 timing out and all-in policies, 118 online technology, 2–6 security issues, 14 opening bet, 53, 55, 237 opponents limitations on reading, 11 monitoring during tournament, 214, 216

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PacificPoker.com, 3, 186–188 game play and interface, 187 open seat, 111 play-money vs. real-money games, 99 player options, 187–188 Paradise Poker, 101, 189–191 game play and interface, 189 menu, 191 play-money games, 103 player options, 190–191 qualifying events, 173 Party Poker Million, 174 PartyPoker.com, 3, 178–181 action buttons at, 115 blind bets, 60 cash-out options, 168, 169 game play and interface, 179 iGM-Pay, 171 player options, 180, 180 tournaments, 10, 21, 102, 102 password, 95 pathological gambling, 228–230 impact, 229–230 pay-out structure, 22, 32, 237 PayPal, 148 Persia, 37 personal firewalls, 79 deactivating, 80 Phillips, Lou Diamond, 20 phone number, for activating account, 149 planning, 8 play chips, 107, 237 getting, 98–99 play-money, 107, 237 account setup, 94–95

displaying account, 98 finding games, 99–101 sort criteria, 103–105, 104 in PacificPoker, 188 strategy, vs. real-money games, 163–164 tournaments, 101 entering, 110 playback, 188, 193, 237 playing short stack, 215 playing the board, 63, 72, 237 Pochen (Germany), 38 Pochspiel (Germany), 39 pocket rockets, 32, 237 Poke, 39 poker. See also online poker; problem gambling 20th century, 42–45 Americanization, 39–42 basic game mechanics, 6–7 changes, 15–16 growth in other countries, 43 legal status, 43 for money. See real-money games object of game, 49–50, 197 popularity, reasons for, 20 skill for, 7–9 uniqueness of, 8–9 in U.S. West, 40–42 wacky home games, 58 poker chips, 48. See also chips poker face, 11, 17, 237 Poker Portal, 90 poker professionals, 205 Poker Pulse, 91, 92 poker slots, 84, 84–85, 237

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privacy policy, 142, 237 prize package tournaments, 172–174, 175, 237 prize pool, 22, 32, 237 problem gambling, 13, 17, 227–231, 237 impact, 229–230 profanity, 95 Pukka, 39 pure bluff, 214, 217, 237 flashing, 217

Q quads, 51, 55, 237 qualifying tournaments, 172 Quick Tour, in online poker websites, 92

R railbirds, 107, 237 raise, 53, 55, 115–116, 238 minimum, 116 rake charts, 161, 162, 164, 238 raked hands, 151–152, 153, 238 raking the pot, 8, 17, 137, 161–163, 238 random card generator, 5, 17, 238 in Texas Hold ‘Em, 59 rank, 50, 55, 238 Raymer, Greg, 27, 181 read, 17, 238 real-money games, 99–101, 134 browsing, 157 buying virtual chips account setup, 146–151 moving cash to account, 150

249 ■ INDEX

poker solitaire, 84 poker-themed games, 83–85, 237 Poker Top Ten, 91 PokerPulse.com, 16, 178 PokerStars.com, 30, 181–184 game play and interface, 181–182 player options, 182–183 Texas Hold ‘Em as play-money game, 103 tournaments, 21 pokertop10.com, 223 politeness, 122 Pollack, Kevin, 27 Polo, Niccolo, 37 popularity of poker, 16 Poque (France), 38, 39 Positively Fifth Street (McManus), 221 post, 23, 32 posting, 237 pot, 49, 55, 237 pot limit game, 54, 55, 237 pot odds, 200, 201, 209, 237 pot rake, 161 practice, 8 pre-action buttons, 116–117, 119, 237 in Party Poker, 117 strategic use, 127–128, 216 pre-flop bet, 61, 72, 237 pre-flop, in Texas Hold ‘Em, 207 premium account, 170, 175, 237 premium hand, 198, 201, 207, 237 Preston, Thomas “Amarillo Slim”, 28 Primera (Spain), 38 Primero (England), 38 privacy issues, 137 in online poker websites, 93

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decision to participate, 135 depositing funds for, 138 policies and procedures, 137–138 safety of, 136–137 setting limits, 138–140 strategy, vs. play-money games, 163–164 table stakes, 140 watching, 107 rebuy bonuses, 152–153, 238 rebuy tournaments, 21 rec.gambling.poker FAQ, 90, 222 recommendations, from poker software, 225 reloading account, costs, 156 representing, 12, 17, 238 revealing hand, 49 in Texas Hold ‘Em, 64 winning games without, 50 rewards system, 193 of UltimateBet, 184 riding a big stack, 215 ring games, 7, 17, 238 river, 63, 69, 72, 208, 238 Roberts, sailor, 43 Rose, I. Nelson, 142 Rounders (movie), 200 royal flush, 51, 52 run over a table, 160, 165, 238

S satellite tournaments, 31, 33, 238 scheduled tournaments, 101, 107, 238 Schwimmer, David, 27 screen resolution, 76

seat selection, at Texas Hold ‘Em table, 206 Secure ID, 149 security issues for online casino, 14 in online poker websites, 93 security level of Internet zone, 77 seriouspoker.com, 90, 223 set, 55, 238 Seven-Card Stud, 58, 68–71 showdown, 70 Seven-Stud/Hi-Lo, 71 seventh street, 69, 72, 238 Sexton, Mike, 25 Shanghai, 80 Sheen, Martin, 27 short stacks, calling, 215 showing down, 49, 55, 64, 238 side pot, 64, 73, 238 signup bonus, 151–153, 238 single-table tournaments, 21–23 sit-and-go tournaments, 101, 107, 238 seating, 110 sit out, 114, 119, 238 Sit Out button, 117, 129 sixth street, 69, 73, 238 Sklansky, David Hold ‘Em Poker, 221 The Theory of Poker, 220 Slim, Amarillo, 43 slow-play the table, 216 small blind, 23, 33, 59, 239 social gambling, 141, 142 vs. pathological gambling, 228–229 software instructional, 223–225

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suits, 50, 55, 239 super-satellite tournaments, 31 Swift, Johnathan, Thoughts on Various Subjects, 75 swim against the current, 199, 215 switching gears, 215

T table chat, 4, 17, 239 table for Texas Hold ‘Em seat selection, 206 selection, 200 studying, 201 table image, 95 table rake, 161 table stakes, 65, 73, 239 table talk, 125, 131, 239 tactics, vs. strategy, 215 taking position on player, 206, 209, 239 Tarot deck, 37–38, 45, 239 taxes, 136 televised tournaments, 16, 20, 24–27 Texas Hold ‘Em, 23, 58, 59–65 betting rounds, 61–63 cash games, 102 fine points of play, 64–65 how it works, 59, 61 limit Hold ‘Em, 158–159 no limit Hold ‘Em, 159–160 showdown, 63–64, 64 strategy, 196, 198–201, 204 aggressive play, 198–199 bluffing, 199 flop, 207–208 fold, 199–200

251 ■ INDEX

poker room crash, 118 downloading and installing, 93–94 sort criteria for play-money games, 103–105, 104 at UltimateBet.com, 105 speed of game, 105 split-pot poker, 40, 49, 50, 55, 239 spread limit game, 54, 55, 239 stack the deck, in poker software, 225 Stagecoach (movie), 41 starting bankroll, 156–157 starting chips, 204, 209, 239 starting hands, 201, 239 throwing away, 198 state laws on gambling, 142 Steiner, Peter, Thursday Night Poker, 221 straight, 51, 52 straight flush, 51, 52 strategy, 196–197 courtesy as, 127–129 play-money vs. real-money games, 163–164 vs. tactics, 215 for Texas Hold ‘Em, 196, 198–201, 204 aggressive play, 198–199 bluffing, 199 fold, 199–200 folding junk hands, 198 studying table, 201 swim against the current, 199 table selection, 200 tournaments, 212–217 suited connectors, 207, 209, 239

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folding junk hands, 198 pre-flop, 207 river, 208 studying table, 201 swim against the current, 199 table selection, 200 turn, 208 tournament escalating blinds, 214 monitoring opponents, 214 no limit game, 212 prize pool distribution, 22 Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Showdown, 80–82, 81 The Theory of Poker (Sklansky), 220 third-party services, 239 deposit by, 148 for depositing funds, 138, 142 for withdrawing funds, 169–170 third street, 68, 73, 239 three-card monte, 45, 239 three-of-a-kind, 51, 52 Thursday Night Poker (Steiner), 221 time limits, for player response, 12 timing out, 119, 239 tipping dealer, 162 toking the dealer, 162, 165, 239 tournament chips, 21, 33, 239 tournaments, 7, 20–24 benefits, 160–161 buy-in amounts, 140 fees and rake, 161–163, 165, 239 finding tables, 101–102 limit Hold ‘Em, 159 pay-out structure, 22 play-money, 89

and prize packages, 172–174 random seating, 206 reasons to play, 31–32 single-table and multi-table, 21–23 strategy, 212–217 televised, 16, 20, 24–27 transaction fees, 153, 239 trash hands, 82, 85, 239 Travel Channel, World Poker Tour, 25–26, 172 trips, 51, 55, 239 turbo, 105 turn, 73, 239 in Texas Hold ‘Em, 62, 208 Twain, Mark, 97 two pair, 51, 52

U UltimateBet.com, 4, 184–186 blind bets, 60 free games and real money options, 100, 102 game play and interface, 184–185, 185 open seat, 111 player options, 185–186 Poker Classic Tournament, 173–174 sorting games, 105 Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments, 103 under the gun, 61, 73, 239 uniqueness of poker, 8 username, 94–95

V Van Patten, Vince, 25 video poker, 6, 17, 85, 240

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W

253 ■ INDEX

watching game, 106–107 at Yahoo! Games, 83 web browser, 76 requirements, 77 web sites, 178–193. See also specific site names cardplayer.com, 222 download.com, 224 Full Tilt Poker, 191–193, 192 gocee.com/poker, 223 PacificPoker.com, 3, 186–188 game play and interface, 187 open seat, 111 play-money vs. real-money games, 99 player options, 187–188 Paradise Poker, 101, 189–191 game play and interface, 189 menu, 191 play-money games, 103 player options, 190–191 qualifying events, 173 PartyPoker.com, 3, 178–181 action buttons at, 115 blind bets, 60 cash-out options, 168, 169 game play and interface, 179 iGM-Pay, 171 player options, 180, 180 tournaments, 10, 21, 102, 102 PokerStars.com, 30, 181–184 game play and interface, 181–182 player options, 182–183 Texas Hold ‘Em as play-money game, 103 tournaments, 21

pokertop10.com, 223 rec.gambling.poker FAQ, 90, 222 seriouspoker.com, 90, 223 UltimateBet.com, 4, 184–186 blind bets, 60 free games and real money options, 100, 102 game play and interface, 184–185, 185 open seat, 111 player options, 185–186 Poker Classic Tournament, 173–174 sorting games, 105 Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments, 103 worldpokertour.com, 223 Western dime novels, 40 Western movies, poker games in, 41 Western Union, 151 wheel, 50, 55, 67, 240 wild card, 40, 45, 240 Wild West poker chips, 42 Wilde, Oscar, 87 Wilson Software, Turbo Poker Series, 224–225 Windows operating system, 76 winning money, 136 wire transfer, 147, 153, 240 withdrawing money. See cashing out Word Spy, 124 workaround, 78 World Poker Tour (Travel Channel), 25–26, 172 2004 season, 26 home page, 91 World Series of Poker (ESPN), 25, 26–27, 91, 91, 181 history, 28–29

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worldpokertour.com, 223 WPT. See World Poker Tour (Travel Channel) Wright, Steven, 35

Y Yahoo!, account for, 82 Yahoo! Games, 80

INDEX ■

254

All-Star Package, 83 Hold ‘Em Poker, 82–83

Z zero-sum situation, 213, 217, 240 ZoneAlarm, 79 Zone.com, 80