POKER DOG Last Sunday, I get up and the sun's shining and my dog's tail is wagging like he's just hit a straight at the river and the pot's worth more than a grand. “There´s more to life than poker!” I put my shoes on and just decide to check the mails on the laptop, as you do. “Hmm! Time for a quick game.” Butch has settled down on the rug with that, “He's got a problem look!”. I give him that, “No I haven't!” look. Within twenty minutes Bolteater666 has called my all-in bet of $150 with Queen-3 of clubs and a nine of clubs on the flop. I figure the odds of Mr Iron Muncher completing his flush and beating my Kings are not good. Butch looks up at me with that “You're gonna get clubbed!” look and tends to his loins. I begin to think even dogs play better poker than I do. Fate strikes a blow for my wallet. The “turn” and the “river” produce diamonds of no interest. My royalty prevails, I'm relieved and Butch makes it to the grass and busts his flush. The moral of this story is “the flop” tells you pretty much all you need to know to make the right risk-reward decision, despite pressure from a mastiff with a full bladder.
EUROPEAN POKER TOUR The Grand Final of the European Poker Tour is the biggest Poker tour in Europe with a buy-in of $10,000 and it´s held at the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel and Resort which has its own heliport and perches right on the edge of the Mediterranian. Don't have your own helicopter yet? Don't worry. You can qualify by super-satellite. The EPT sponsors, Pokerstars.com, have the most seats to give away but if you fancy your chances Betfair and William Hill are also giving away a dozen 12,500 euro packages each, starting from $5.50. Just to be there makes you feel like a winner. The final runs from 7th to the 11th of March so... no time to lose.
FREQUENTLY ASKED POKER QUESTIONS Q: I noticed a reference to "10-2 hole cards" online the other day. It said that combination was called a "Doyle Brunson". Why on earth would a mega champ like Brunson be associated with such humble cards? A: Frequently asked by relatively new players. Doyle Brunson won TWO of his World Series of Poker bracelets with 10-2! Don´t look for a reason why? There isn´t one except maybe that Brunson isn´t human.
Q: What is a "Split Pot"? A: Let´s say that the five community cards make the strongest hand, the pot would be split among all players left in the game. Also if two players in a showdown have the same hand and their kicker cards are lower than a card that can be used by both of them on the board as a kicker, that would require them to split the pot.
ALL THE ACES poker column: Monday, February 27, 2006: Online Poker: Using The Pre-Action Buttons
