Casino Game 42

Is there any psych advantage in a low limit game to having a large stack of chips?

Answer 1:

Yes, most agree that having a lot of chips gives an illusion of strength. It isn’t an illusion, however, if you know how to use the chips.

Answer 2:

I would agree that having a large stack can give the appearance of strength by making it look like you are piling up winnings or merely from the castle effect, of course a reduction in the large stack can lead to a belief that you are on tilt.  Some players also can start playing on short money, even if they are not if the stack begins to get low.

Answer 3:

i was just wondering, with the regular buy-in for a 7stud game being around $100-150 where i play, is it a psychological advantage to get a rack and a half of white($1), or better off mixing it up?

Any opinions, good or bad, on the LL HE (4-8 or less) games at Sam’s Town or the Station Casinos?

Answer 1:

Both have good rooms. I played at Palace Station today. They have a 29,000 bad beat with a 15,000 bonus, if the bad beat is hit during some slow periods. They provide a $5.00 comp for three hours of play; also, they are planning another $100,000 free roll in September for all Station casinos.  The staff is friendly and the dealers competent. Likewise for Sam’s Town, who are offering a $7500 free roll for 25 hours of play in a two week period.  Both companies believe in poker.

Answer 2:

I play at both and agree.  Very well managed rooms.  

If you play at P. S. for two hours and get hungry you can get a comp (that’s what Greg Nares tells me anyway).  $5 as you says (for any restaurant except Burger King).  One bad thing — it expires same day.  They have a $3-$6 (w/half kill to $5-$10) sud high-low game most afternoons — hard to find stud/8 around town.

Answer 3:

The sunset station has a great 3-6-9 limit holdem and Omaha and sometimes they spread 6-9-12. The jackpots are great, and the people are friendly.   The dealers are good and very friendly; it’s just a great place to spend some time.

Next week I will be spending some time in San Mateo, Ca. and also a couple of days in the L. A. area.  What are some opinions about the best low limit (4-8, 6-12) holdem rooms in which to play in both areas?  

Answer 1:

Any card room in the LA area will do.  I suggest trying Hollywood park for starters, just remember to bring lots of bullets and to fasten your seatbelt, if you are not familiar with the so-call ram and jam holdem games you are in for a treat.

Answer 2:

There is a club in San Mateo itself called Pacific News, but I’ve not been there.  They are very small.

If you further north to San Bruno and Colma, you will find Artichoke Joe’s and Lucky Chances, respectively.  They are large rooms and offer games starting at the 3-6 level.

Answer 3:

Pretty much any game.

What is meant by ‘limping in’……..like “I limped in on the big blind”?

Answer 1:

It means that you do not have a good hand, but would like to see the flop or the next card if it will not cost you too much.  So if you are the big blind and there has been one raise, you might ‘limp in’ with a call where as if there were multiple raises you would fold.  And if there were no raises and you are the big blind, you would of course just check so you could see the flop.

Answer 2:

‘Limping in’ would be just calling the original bring in bet without a raise.  For example if the big blind (BB) is 10 and the person under the gun (the person to act first after the big blind) just ‘limps in’ for 10 instead of a raise…or if the BB just checks without a raise I suppose that would also be considered limping in.

 Answer 3:

“Limping in” means “opening for the minimum”.  You can “limp in” in Holdem with A.  Usually it implies weakness on the part of the hand but that is not the point.  Limping is coming in for the minimum bet, usually before anybody else comes in. “Limped in on the big blind” is not a common term.  It’s basically impossible to limp in on the big blind, you either just check because nobody has raised (that is, everyone else limped in), or you call a raise. Calling a raise is never “limping in”, period.

I came up with one solution for on-line collusion.  It has the advantage of preventing collusion but the disadvantage of changing the structure of the game.  The solution is for the computer to run the tables hand for hand and randomly assign players to the tables at the beginning of each hand.  This can be done in such a way as to maintain each player’s position relative to the button.  From any individual’s perspective he/she would remain in the same seat, at the same table and the button would move normally.  On each hand a random group of players would be seated in the other seats.  If there were N tables I would only be seated with my collusion partner 1/N times.

Answer 1:

Believe it or not, this concept has been discussed. It leaves large teams able to communicate and identify themselves to each other, though. Still interesting. It would probably reduce collusion attempts, but it’s difficult to implement and explain. The main way this idea comes up has less to do with collusion. If players are shifted to new games as soon as they fold, you can have new hands dealt almost instantly. This requires a large number of games, Otherwise you spend too much time waiting for the seats to fill with players who have folded at other tables, and you might as well stay at the same table.

Answer 2:

If this really worked it would be awesome. Of course it would take away one of the fundamental elements of the game, observing how other players play and adjusting your play accordingly. Seems to me, however, that many of the people who wouldn’t play due to this are already not playing in online games. I know some online players go so far as to keenly observe other players and keep notes on their play, but I bet most don’t. One other thing to consider as a player – if you get used to getting a new hand within seconds of folding the old one, going back to a live game could really try your patience.

Answer 3:

 That’s exactly the disadvantage to which I was referring.  You wouldn’t be able to do that.  Also, it would take longer to learn your opponents play because they will only be at your table 1 time in N tables.

I picked up suject book used mainly because it was in its third printing.  Does Ken Warren understand low stakes Holdem?

Answer 1:

He might but he doesn’t understand how to calculate odds very well… Although many of his thoughts are ok.. He makes many errors in his calculations of how much a hand is favored over another… At least in his last copy…Steady. Money travels from those who don’t know correct odds to those that do…

Answer 2:

Yes, he does understand low-limit poker.  A couple of the sections aren’t well written and might be misleading, but overall it’s a good book.  It’s the only book on the market that specifically targets the most common spread limit structure 1-4-8-8 with 1/2 blinds. The odds mistakes aren’t really important.

Answer 3:

This was the first poker book I ever purchased. It produced a remarkable improvement in my game. I’ve gone on to read several others that have added to my arsenal of knowledge. IfWarren’s book is the first book you’ve studied than it should produce similar results. The fact that you purchased a poker book and want to improve your game by studying is what produces advances in your play. BTW, I’m been readingCarson’s digital book and I’m finding parts to be very interesting and enlightening.

DISCLAIMER: I won theCarsonbook because I knocked him out of the MARGE no limit holdem tournament. I skipped most of the early sections because they were too elementary. However, the parts on poker theory make me think and analyze which is a key to learning any subject.

There’s a thread about whether or not it is a good idea to “straddle” but I have no idea what that is.  Could someone help me here?

 Answer 1:

 Straddling is like posting a voluntary blind twice the size of the big blind.  In a 4-8 game, the small blind is $2, the BB is $4, and a straddler might put up a straddle of $8.  In essence, it’s like raising the blind before looking at your cards. Some (most?) rooms rule that a straddle is live, meaning that the straddler has the option to raise when the action comes back to him (just like how the blinds have the option to raise).

 Answer 2:

Straddling is something i encourage, but don’t do. I MIGHT do it if I knew it would loosen the game up (it often does if you get a couple guys in a row to  follow).  Two nights ago a guy straddled two rounds in a row and got AA BOTH TIMES.  I think i’ve already “seen it all”. Before you all go and think how great it is to straddle-he lost more in the first AA than he won in the second AA-the first AA i think he was up against: KK, JJ, TT and 77.  Two sets were flopped.

Answer 3:

Now that’s Poker the way it should be–Stir up the game a little–Who won’t to be in a game where everyone hides behind the bottom?