Poker Dynamic

In the last post, we discussed the basics to Omaha Hi Lo. While the Hi part is obvious, it is just regular Omaha Hold ‘Em, the Lo part is confusing and hard for beginners to grasp. For those still shaking their heads over the brief discussion of low games in the last post, we will discuss what low poker games are and how they are played.

In most poker games, the object is to create the best possible poker hand. These hands range from a royal flush to a simple pair. The basics of these hands are easy to learn as they ask players to find pairings, sequences, and cards of the same suit. In low poker games, however, all these rules are thrown out the window and replaced by a different set of rules. As the name of the game indicates, low poker games are played with the main goal of creating the lowest possible hand possible.

This means that you don’t have to worry about making specific sequences or matching colors or suits. In low games that are played in combination with other high games, like Omaha Hi Lo, there often is a limit to which cards can be used to make a low hand. In Omaha Hi Lo, for instance, players cannot create a low hand unless they can make a five-card hand with cards that all have values under seven. Someone whose five lowest cards are eight, seven, four, two, and ace cannot make a low hand in this type of game.

The best low hand is, for obvious reasons, ace, two, three, four, five. This hand, commonly called the wheel, will win any low hand. There are no advantages given to suits in the low game so the worst a player can do with this hand is a tie.

Hopefully this discussion helps you learn some of the more specific rules that accompany low poker games. We will discuss more later.

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A couple of weeks ago, we discussed the basics of Omaha Hi and why it was an interesting variation of other Hold ‘Em games. Omaha Hi itself, however, has a number of variations and rule changes depending on where and with who you play. One of the most common variations of this game, and other poker games, is Omaha Hi-Lo.

Now before we talk about what Omaha Hi-Lo is exactly, you should know that all the rules from Omaha Hi still apply. Every player gets a four-card hand that he can use with table cards to make a five-card poker hand. And every player can only use exactly two cards from his own hand and three from the community cards. After all betting is done, the player left or with the best poker hand wins.

In Omaha Hi, the winner with the above rules is guaranteed the entire pot. In Hi-Lo, however, there are two ways to win and thus two players can split the pot on any hand. Without getting too complicated, Omaha Hi-Lo rewards both the best Hi hand and the best Lo hand. The Lo hand refers to, as you may imagine, holding the lowest cards. This means that you need to have five cards that are lower than eight. If you can’t make a hand with five cards lower than eight, you cannot make a Lo hand.

If that sounds confusing, think of it this way. One player makes the hand of ace, three, five, six, seven. The other makes a hand of two, three, four, five, six. Because the first hand has the highest card, it loses. This is a very simple explanation and rest assured an entire post will be devoted to what the best, and worst, Lo hands are. Hopefully this post helps with the basics of Omaha Hi Lo even if the Lo rules are a little hard to understand.

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Last post we discussed the basics to the poker game Five Card Draw. As mentioned, the game itself is pretty simple to learn and to play. But one thing that isn’t always simple about the game is the rules. In other poker games, like Texas Hold ‘Em and Seven Card Stud, the rules are pretty much the same no matter where you play and no matter who you play against. But Five Card Draw has many variations and to best be prepared, you should know what rules you are playing with and what variations are possible going in.

To start out with, Five Card Draw is not always played with blinds. Many times, because of the extreme luck factor of the game, all players are forced to pay antes, much like Stud games. While antes often cost less than blinds, they also mean that players have to pay to play every hand.

Another key difference that can be used is the number of cards a player can drop. In our simple explanation of the game, players were allowed to drop as many cards as they want and pick up the same amount after the first round of betting. In most casino games, however, players are only allowed to drop and pick up a maximum of three cards. This prevents players from dropping entire hands in hopes of getting lucky.

A final rule that can occasionally be seen also has to do with the number of cards a player can drop. Some venues will allow players to drop up to four cards if and only if they hold an ace in their hand. In this scenario, the player with the ace must show the card to every player at the table. He or she can then drop up to four cards to, presumably, try to pair their ace or better.

So those are some of the variations of Five Card Draw. None of the three are too complicated and once you know them, the game is still simple no matter where you play. Just be prepared to play under any set of rules. The worst thing a player can do etiquette-wise is to play without knowing the rules. Other players hate it and it could get you booted from the game. With that said, good luck as usual!

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Five Card Draw is perhaps the most unusual game of poker that exists. While most games of poker rely on luck and skill, Five Card Draw’s uniqueness makes it almost all about getting lucky and getting good cards. While bluffing is possible in Draw, the majority of hands are won by small hands and thus many players will stay in even when they have little to nothing. A pair or high card commonly wins games.

The way this form of poker works is that each player in the hand is dealt five cards each. As with Hold ‘Em game, every hand will force two players to pay big and small blinds. After each player has received his or her five cards, they get to look at what they have and decide if they want to stay in the hand or not. Unlike most games, there is only one subsequent round after this initial round.

What happens after the first round of betting is over is that each player still in declares how many cards he or she would like to drop. This means that someone with a pair can drop three cards and try to get a third card for trips or they can drop two and try to pick up a second pair. Dropping and replacing cards follows the same order as blinds do. That is, the person from the big blind spot starts the dropping and when he or she is done, the next person can start.

Five Card Draw is a deceivingly easy game to play. You will be able to pick up the rules to the game faster than any game, but the specific strategies and variations will take some time to develop. We will, of course, discuss these details later on.

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One thing that poker players seem to love doing in their free time, that is when not playing poker, is sharing bad beat stories. They’re like war stories for professional poker players. Everyone has them and everyone thinks that their bad beats are the worst. The truth is that with the amount of luck involved in the game, it is hard for any player to avoid getting a bad beat for very long unless he or she is extremely lucky themselves.

But what constitutes a worse beat? What makes one bad hand worse than another? Is there a way to tell. While there is no clear way to define how bad something is in a person’s head when it happens, it is possible to figure out what the worst bad beat is based on a number of factors.

1. The stakes - How much are you playing for? If you are playing for pennies with some friends at home, you have no right in thinking your bad beat is worse than someone who lost thousands or more because of a bad turn or river. The amount you lose on a bad beat does factor in and does matter.

2. The hand - What hand did you lose with? Did you lose with pocket aces or with two-seven? If you have a bad hand from the beginning, get lucky on the flop, and then lose to a bad beat…you just ran into karma, not a bad beat. If you have the pre-flop favorite, however, and lose after flopping well…you have a legit beef.

3. The odds - What were the odds of you losing the hand before the deciding card was turned? Many people find themselves on the losing side of a hand despite having a ninety-five percent chance of winning. That certainly is a worse beat than someone who had a 2/3 chance of taking the pot.

Put all these factors together and you can decide who really had the worst hands. Just remember, poker IS a game of luck and bad beats are part of the game. Don’t let it affect your play.

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As I’ve mentioned before, Stud poker games are not really my thing. For this reason, it has taken me twenty-three posts to even address the issue of Five Card Stud. The game was originally created during the Civil War and is barely played in casinos now, but still has a popular following.

The basics of the game are familiar to Seven Card Stud. The major difference between the two games, of course, is that this game only uses five cards. In Five Card Stud, each player is dealt two cards to begin with. A face-down card that only the player can see and a face-up card that the entire table can see. Now in Seven Card Stud, each player gets three face-down cards that allows them to conceal most of their hand. But in Five Card Stud, the first face-down card you get is also the only one you get.

That means four of your five cards are face-up and can be seen by anyone. Strategy and the way players play will obviously have to adjust to this rule and much of the guessing-work done is taken out. The game almost truly becomes all about luck and less about skill.

The remaining three cards, after the initial deal, are dealt one at a time after betting rounds. Think of what happens in Hold ‘Em games except that every player gets his or her own set of cards.

If this sounds like a game that you would enjoy, go ahead and try it out. If not, I promise we’ll get back to talking about mainstream games soon.

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Last post, we discussed the merits of whether or not Phil Hellmuth should be hated. Well whether you hate him or love him, the truth is that he does hold the most World Series of Poker bracelets and is considered, by many, to be the best player in the world. But will he always hold the record in this category? Or will he fall to a better player as time progresses.

Before the last World Series of Poker, Phil Hellmuth only had ten bracelets and shared the record with two other players; Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson. The two should be immediately recognizable names for anyone who has watched poker before, but for those who haven’t…just know that they are the poker equivalents of Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle. Both Brunson and Chan have won Main Event titles, like Hellmuth. In fact, Chan has won two in a row and is the last person, and possibly the last person ever, to achieve this feat.

But can the two sustain winning for many more years? Their advanced ages may be saying “no.” Brunson looks and seems like a man who is only five to ten years away from death or retirement. It is quite possible that he has already lost much of the stamina needed to last through long tournaments and it would not be a surprise to see his wins spread out more. Chan, while not in his seventies like Brunson, is also older than Hellmuth. But not by much.

So in the end it should be a two man race. But based on Phil’s consistent success and his younger age, of nearly ten years, it is hard to vote against him. Especially when one considers that he already has the lead.

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When I watch professional poker players play big events on television, one common theme always seems to arise. Hating Phil Hellmuth. For some reason, his combination of arrogance and skill grates the nerves of viewers and commentators and forces many to root against him. But why should we hate him?

The main problem people seem to have with Phil is that he is a bad loser. That, on the surface, is true. He swears and cusses and gets mad at whoever busts him just about every time it happens. But would you really be happy about an amateur getting lucky in a hand he or she should have lost? Would you be happy to lose thousands of dollars on a hand you know you should have won? Beyond his rants is Phil’s frustration with poker players making bad plays and using luck to beat him.

The truth is that Phil is a terrific poker player with all the credentials to back himself up. He has the most World Series bracelets, for now, of all-time with eleven and is just entering his mid-forties. He doesn’t have any personal problems with drugs or other substances like Stu Ungar and he doesn’t have financial problems like Mike the Mouth. He plays poker, wins money, and spends his money wisely without getting into any legal issues. Isn’t that the type of poker player you want to be?

And his “brat” personality is mostly the effect of networks asking him to be more bratty (according to him) because viewers enjoy hating on him.

So why do we hate him so much? For being good at poker? For being overcompetitive and a sore loser at times? The fact is that he is the most interesting character that poker has to offer right now, and we should hope for more Phil Hellmuth, not less.

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When playing Texas Hold ‘Em, one of the best feelings a player can get pre-flop is to look down into his cards and find two of the same painted cards staring at him. Make no mistake, pocket aces, kings, or queens is a powerful hand that do not get dealt often to individual players. Getting one of these three hands usually means a win, but does not guarentee it. Nor does it guarentee a big amount of chips. If you want to win money with your big hand, you have to play it right.

For starters, don’t ever show the excitement you feel on your face. This is poker 101. If you let your opposition know you have rockets or cowboys, you will lose all your competition and win a minimal amount of the blinds. This is unacceptable as you will only get these hands once in a while and need to cash in when you get them.

Try not to bet too much before the flop. Call raises and take time to think about your bets. The more hesitant you appear, the less likely anyone is to suspect you of holding a big hand. Remember, your facial expressions and betting patterns are half of the game. Pay close attention to everything you do and make sure you keep two to three players with you from the start.

After the flop, make sure you start betting. The last thing you want is to lose because someone catches his or her flush or straight on the river. Bet a high amount that only someone with a solid pair would call. Don’t allow yourself to be beaten by an inferior hand because you were too afraid to drive the opposition out from the start.

If you have any opponents left, and if you think you are still ahead, keep betting. If it seems like you have lost, fold. These are simple tips that may sound easy to follow but really can be quite complex in real life. For example, see how hard it is to let go of pocket kings in real life. Even when you know you’re beat, it is tough.

Following these simple tips can result in big wins consistently with pocket hands. But to really know how to play these hands, you should try it out for yourself. Good luck as usual!

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Earlier I talked about online poker and how it was not a good indication of real poker. The fact is, however, that this principle is bidirectional. Real poker is not a good indicator of what online poker is either. Many players can take bad hands and make money off of them in real-life by bluffing. But how can you effectively bluff online when you can’t show facial expressions or talk?

The number one principle in online poker is to only play good hands when not paying blinds. You should have a painted card (meaning an ace, king, queen, jack), with another high card. You should not play weak hands and try to catch lucky cards or bluff. Once in a while, it may work. But more often than not, online pokers will call reckless raises and you won’t catch lucky cards. Be patient and play good hands, it will pay off.

You should also be weary of losing to bigger hands. It has happened to me numerous times. I will get pocket kings and go all-in before the flop, only to find I never had a chance because my opponent had rockets. Or I will have a flush and I will lose to someone else who has a higher flush (something that is unlikely to happen in real life when a player must have two cards in his or her own hand to make the flush.) Don’t think that a good hand means a win and don’t bet all of your money on anything but the nuts.

Finally, don’t play high stakes unless you literally have money to throw away. I don’t fully trust online poker and I can’t imagine wasting hundreds or thousands of dealers on the chance that a computer will give me a good hand. If you want to play for big money, play in a casino. Playing online poker is a good way to pass free time and make a little money, but overspending is a mistake.

If you are patient, smart, and keep most of your money in your pocket, you should find yourself benefiting in the long run.

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