(Distributed March 21, 2006)
BEGINNER ADMITS: I DON’T KNOW HOW RAISES WORK
An e-mail from “Mongrow” asks what seems like a simple question, but the truth is, I see lots of newer players messing up their bets and raises in live card room games.
* Hi Russ: I just started playing Texas hold’em and have been doing quite well in online tournaments. My question is, how do minimum raises work in a live game? I’m considering trying some live games but hate admitting to friends that I don’t know how the raises work.
Knowing how much to bet or raise is pretty easy, Mongrow. Since limit hold’em is the most common game in card rooms, let’s start there.
A typical $3-$6 limit game features what’s known as structured betting, which means there are limits on how much you can bet or raise.
The first two players left of the dealer button must post blinds (antes) before the deal. In $3-$6, the small blind is $1, the big blind $3. The player after the big blind acts first and has three choices: fold, call $3, or raise the bet to $6. Let’s say he raises to $6. Any player after that can either fold, call $6, or raise to $9. See the pattern?
In structured $3-$6, then, bets and raises on the two betting rounds before and after the flop (the first three community cards) must be in increments of exactly $3. The increment doubles to $6 on betting rounds after the turn (fourth community card) and the river (the fifth and final upcard).
Most rooms allow either three or four raises per betting round. Just ask the dealer how many raises are permitted.
Two important variables are worth noting.
If a player goes all-in for less than a complete bet or raise, the rules change. If his all-in bet is less than half of the required amount, some rooms allow other players to just complete the bet to the proper total instead of making a full raise. If the short-stacked player has half or more of the required bet, subsequent players may complete the bet, then raise the full amount.
A key point: The all-in player can only win the main pot. He can’t win the side pot created by all bets made after his all-in bet.
The other variable is when just two players remain in a hand. At that point, many poker rooms permit unlimited raises back and forth in the proper increment.
The betting action is different in no-limit hold’em, of course. You can bet any amount you wish, as long as it’s at least twice the amount of the last bet or raise.
Now you know as much about betting as your friends, Mongrow!
* Hey Russ: I used to have Texas hold’em games at my house on Sundays. Nobody wants to play anymore. I did win a lot. Now I’m looking for other people to play with. Got any advice? Thanks, Denis
So, Denis, you win all of your friends’ money and wonder why they stopped coming over? Ha!
The quick solution, of course, is to visit a nearby card room. Or, you could line up a new set of friends for your home game. I’m sure there are other home games in your area, but keep in mind that many of these games don’t welcome strangers.
Maybe every Sunday was too often. Consider switching to one Sunday each month. That might bring back your donors — oops, I mean friends. Or, hold a tournament instead of a live game, which will keep everyone’s bankroll from going kaput. You also could try online poker.
* Yo LuckyDog: How much do you think I should invest to get one of those “LuckyDog Poker” hats? It looks like a nice piece of poker “equipment” that would intimidate my opponents and line my pockets with winnings! — J.T. in Vegas
I don’t know about the hat being intimidating, J.T., but it has been lucky this year. I’ve cashed out ahead seven of 10 times in live games wearing the hat in ‘06. Plus, I finished third with the hat in a January tournament in Tunica, Miss., for a nice $4,000-plus tally.
If I send you a LuckyDog hat, will you cut me in for half your winnings? Now that’s a deal! Good luck, partner.
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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