(Distributed June 27, 2006)
NEW POKER PLAYER PUTS LESSON TO GOOD USE
Our hero for this story is Jerry S. of Davenport, Iowa — plumber by day and soon-to-be recreational poker player at night.
Jerry and about 400 other novices got their first live poker instruction last week at a “Jokers Playing Poker” training session held at the Isle of Capri convention center along the Mississippi River. Two local morning radio talk show hosts promoted the idea, which was so popular that a second 200-player session was added.
After about 90 minutes of Texas hold’em lessons from professional dealers, more than 50 of the rookies boldly ventured across the parking lot to the riverboat casino’s nine-table card room for a taste of the real thing.
Jerry was the first one there. He and friend Paul C. stood nervously at the poker room entrance for a moment, taking everything in — the clatter of players riffling chips, the table chatter of “I raise” and ‘Nice hand,” the flat-screen TVs lining both long walls of the rectangular room.
Dawn G., working the reception desk, recognized them as “trainees” right away since they were carrying their free t-shirts from the convention center. She was ready for them.
“Come on in, guys. We’re setting up a $2-$4 hold’em game for the new players. You can be the first ones on the list,” she said. Jerry and Paul took their first steps into the world of live card room poker.
“I’ve played in some home games just for chips, not money,” Jerry said after he, Paul and I sat down at a vacant table. “I went to the training session to avoid being embarrassed in a real game.”
Paul said he went to “get a better idea of the rules. I was confused about the big blind and the small blind at the beginning of each hand,” he said.
I turned tutor for a few minutes, sensing Paul still was uncertain how the blinds worked. The first player left of the dealer button must post the small blind before each hand, I said, and the next player posts the big blind. In the game they were about to play, the blinds would be $1 and $2.
Knowing how intimidating that first card room visit can be, I couldn’t resist giving them a few additional tips:
* Act in turn — Pay attention to the action and only fold or bet when it’s your turn.
* Protect your hand — Place a chip atop your two hole cards while you’re in a hand, and don’t let your neighbor see what you have.
* Bet properly — In $2-$4 hold’em, bets are $2 before and after the three-card flop, and $4 after the fourth and fifth community board cards. Raises must be in those same increments.
* Play good starting cards — Look for big pocket pairs (tens or better) or two high cards (ace through ten, preferably suited). Middle pairs can sometimes win; small pairs are dangerous. Suited connectors can be profitable, but not lower than 8-7.
* And, finally — Have fun!
Thus fully briefed, Jerry and Paul soon were joined by seven other rookies from the training session and the game began. Gina the dealer helped by explaining the basics.
Jerry folded his first hand, but on hand #2 in the big blind he called a raise and six players saw a flop of K-6-4, all clubs. I was standing beside the table with a clear view of Jerry, who gave me an unmistakable look. I knew immediately he held A-x of clubs in his hand and had flopped a nearly unbeatable nut flush. The other players had no idea what the look on Jerry’s face meant.
The action was furious. Because the player acting first in the small blind kept betting, Jerry was able to raise on every round. Four players stayed to the end, when Jerry turned up the A-5 of clubs to win a monster pot. His hands were shaking like crazy as he stacked the big pile of chips.
I gave him a knuckle shake and went off to chat with other rookie players filling up additional tables. Heather K. said she wanted “to take everyone’s money,” Jeff H. said he took the lessons because “I don’t want to lose my shirt,” and Teri V. was learning so she could “join my 14-year-old daughter and her grandfather who play at home.”
I wandered back over to Jerry’s table and smiled when I saw he was gone. He had taken my last piece of advice: If you double your starting chip stack, leave while you’re ahead!
E-mail your poker questions and comments to russ@luckydogpoker.com for use in future columns. To find out more about Russ Scott and read previous LuckyDog Poker columns, visit www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2006 RUSS SCOTT
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