Poker: The Moneymaker Factor

I read an article in a poker magazine lately focused on Chris Moneymaker. Not sure exactly what the news peg was, but it probably had something to do with the World Series of Poker tournament. Anyway, the author was trying to make the connection between Moneymaker’s victory and the current popularity of the game of poker.

At first, I had to do a double-take, that of all people he’d give credit to the one person the poker community at large seems to want to have pegged as the fluke of all flukes. I honestly don’t want to get into that, it’s obvious Chris Moneymaker is a skilled player, and every poker player gets lucky plenty of times. So whether he deserved to have a bracelet is really moot here.

But as I got into the article, I could at least understand the pitch. The claim is that at the time Binion’s was in huge financial trouble, and according to the Full Tilt Poker Rakeback, the World Series of Poker needed to be sold to stay alive. This was back in 2003, when Moneymaker bested Farha at the final table to take the championship. The argument goes that his victory sparked the “amateur revolution”, leading to all the ESPN coverage that followed, and digging up enough interest to convince Harrahs to buy the World Series, thus saving it from certain death.

There’s at least a few points in there that are a significant stretch, but I’ll start with Moneymaker deserving much of the credit for poker’s popularity. In reality, poker was already experiencing a surge in popularity. I was seeing it at the college and home-game level, and watching it between sporting events and SportsCenter on ESPN. It was because of poker’s popularity that Moneymaker became so well-known, not the other way around.

And second, I seriously doubt Moneymaker’s victory instead of the veteran Sammy Farha of FullTiltPoker.com is alone what convinced Harrah’s the World Series of Poker was worth saving, or that if Harrah’s hadn’t bit, another company or casino wouldn’t have stepped in and taken the opportunity to associate itself with such a prestigious tournament. It would’ve happened, don’t kid yourself. The WSOP wasn’t going to die like an orphan abandoned on the Vegas gutters.

So while it’s nice to talk topical about how the current tournament and all the hoopla surrounding “almost wasn’t,” there’s little sense in crediting one lucky once-amateur with being it’s savior. I just don’t buy it, and honestly, it’s almost an insult to the tournament.

Poker: Gross-out tactics

In poker, as everyone knows, it’s vital to keep your head in the game. Concentration and focus are major components to every facet of putting together a winning poker strategy. Your opponents know this, as well, and while some will try to beat you with statistics, and others by trying to read you and putting you on a range, another group out there will do whatever they can to simply throw you off your game, let you make a mistake through frustration or lack of concentration.

One of the ways PokerStars players will take this route is through gross-out tactics. Now there are actually two kinds of players here – those who know what they’re doing, and those who are just naturally disgusting. For the purpose of this article, we’ll stick with the former.

I’m sure you’ve run into one or two (or a hundred) of these people before. First come the bodily functions. Subtle enough to avoid the prolonged attention of the dealer, but prevalent enough to pull your attention away from your cards. A burp here, a gas expulsion there. They might even wipe their nose on their sleeve a few times and leave it there. If someone is sitting directly to your right and wipes their nose on their left sleeve, you can bet it’s no accident.

Their intention, of course, is to cause the “movie theater” effect. To get you almost to the point of saying something, but definitely riled up enough to lose track of the movie/game for a few minutes. That’s when they make their move, and catch you in the trap.

Another gross-out tactic is through UltimateBet.com conversation. A player who swears, depending on the casino, will likely get warned just once, so they have to figure other ways to get their point across. A nasty story or a sexist anecdote are crowd favorites. The only thing you can do here is just ignore them without looking like you’re trying to ignore them. What I mean is, just keep playing your game. Don’t visibly seek out a television screen or start looking around for the waitress – both of those are confirmation that you’re being affected. Your job is to keep making the right decisions – win or lose – and the player will either stop, focus on someone else or get up from the table.

Sometimes, but not always, you can spot these folks by the clothes they wear. Of course, old, tattered clothes aren’t exactly uncommon in smaller casinos, but keep an eye out before you even sit down next time.

Poker: When to walk away

There are certain strategies I’ve talked about regarding when to walk away from the blackjack table, either as a winner or to avoid losing too much. But the same rules and strategies don’t necessarily apply for poker. So what’s the rule here? When should you clap your hands once and call it a night?

The short answer is: It depends. The first thing I’d consider is what the table has been like? More specifically, how have you been losing if you’re down? Has it been your careless play or the poor play of others getting lucky? If it’s the former, I’d be honest about it, collect what chips you have left and call it a night. It’s probably time to reassess how you handle yourself in the heat of the moment. Don’t beat yourself up too much, have a drink and learn from your mistakes. However, if some loose canon has been raising with rags the whole night and just getting lucky against you, I’d strongly consider reloading if you have the bankroll. At some point, his stupid play is going to pay off huge for you. It wouldn’t be a hunch, either. It would be playing the odds, which is what you should be doing in poker the vast majority of the time, anyway.

If you’re in the red at your favorite online poker sites, though, it can easily be just as tough a decision. When you’re on the losing end, the draw to stay is to “just get back to even,” (although we all know you never do this even if you do something claw your way back to the starting point.)

When you’re winning, though, there’s no roof unless you’ve set one for yourself. You just want to ride out the feeling and the payoff until there’s literally nobody left to play. Bad strategy, especially if you’re sitting no-limit, because all it takes is one hand and a little over confidence to see it crashing down around you. My recommended strategy for walking away a winner is a combination of two things. 1) Have you played longer than an hour? And 2) Did you just score a huge win? If the answer is yes to both, then I tip the dealer and pick up and leave. I don’t care how many sore faces stare back at me, I’m going to have a steak. And so should you.