Sponsored Post: Poker is America’s favorite card game, enjoyed by all ages and all people. With a history of nearly seven hundred years, the game is timeless and will continue to entertain for decades. Whether gambling in Panama casinos or playing for coins on the family kitchen table, the tradition of poker playing has outlasted many trends and will continue to flourish.
The foundation of poker, though unknown, is thought to have evolved in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries in Egypt with the use of playing cards. Sixteenth century Persia dabbled in betting rounds with their ivory and wooden cards, while the Spanish enjoyed their high stakes betting game entitled “Primero”.
The development of poker is postulated to have been introduced by the French in the 17th and 18th centuries. The French played a game called “Poque”. Other references exist involving the German game of “pochspiel” around the same time period. This game included gambling techniques and bluffing elements, similar to modern day poker.
Poker saw its first introduction to the United States from the French-Canadian settlers who helped to spread the word through Louisiana. From Louisiana, the popularity spread north along the Mississippi River and to every state in America. Poker was popular on the Mississippi river boats and over time replaced the seemingly “fixed” game of three card monte. One of the earliest written references we can find is that of Jonathan Greene in 1834. He referred t o the new amusement as the “Cheating Game”, giving poker deep roots and a foundation which caused its fame to spread worldwide.
The next forty years marked a rapid boost in intensity. In the Wild West, backroom poker tables exploded in saloons across the country. Legend has it that in August, 1876, a gunman shot Wild Bill while he played poker in the Dakota Territory. On that day, the “dead man’s hand” received its title as Wild Bill died with a pair of eights and a pair of aces in his hand.
In the next two centuries, poker multiplied its followers as it progressed into new variations. Five card draw became popular during the American Civil War. The players, both Union and Confederate, enjoyed escaping the battle with a deck of cards. Immediately prior to World War II, seven card stud debuted as a longer version, replacing the popularity of its predecessor. Though fewer people play five card stud, it has recently gained acceptance with the online poker playing crowd.
The star of the show, Texas Hold’ em, achieved notoriety in the 1970’s with a feature on the Word Series of Poker. The game has dominated poker tables and television competitions ever since. Texas Hold’ em is the preeminent version of poker due to the game’s thrill and excitement. Though other versions have developed, Texas Hold’ em is undefeated for thirty years among casino attendees, online game aficionados, and professional players around the world.
Poker’s reputation has not faltered in its nearly nine century history. Its fame will continue to spread with new generations as long as money is won and fun is had. Poker is here to stay and available for enjoyment for centuries to come.
I’d wager most you readers know how to deal a hand of Texas Hold’em, but apparently not everyone knows that there is a reason behind why we deal like we do. In this case, the purpose of the burn card. Beginners may think it is just out of tradition that a card is burned (or discarded) before the reveal of community cards. Perhaps they just never thought about it. Chances are you know better, but if not, allow me to educate.
After the hole cards are dealt and the players are contemplating the strength of their hands, the deck is typically out there for all to see. In the event of a marked deck, the back of the card gives away as much information as the front. Poker players, being the suspicious lot that they are, invented the burn card to take the card in question out of play. After the flop, the same deck visibility applies, so before the turn there is a burn card and likewise for the river.
How do I know other players don’t get this? The example here is a peeve of mine that has made itself apparent on too many occasions. The player on the button deals out the hands as normal then immediately burns the following card and sets the deck down. Pre-burning is completely useless and missing the point. An even better example is the amateur who burns and sets aside all the community cards in advance, usually proud of his more efficient approach to dealing.
This tidbit is another illustration of when knowing the “whys” of life are more important than knowing the “hows.” It is sometimes in the best interest of a good player to keep a bad player in the dark, but please, if you see someone making these kinds of mistakes it is in the best interest of everyone to say something. Knowing is half the battle.
I want to share this article with you, even though I may be late to the game on this one. I have already been emailed this link once and three of the poker enthusiasts I follow on Twitter have also brought it to my attention.
The article follows a brief history of poker from it’s French origins to it’s current popularity. I especially like how it highlights the game as a metaphor for the American mindset, crossing the Puritan values of our beginnings with the risk-loving cowboy. To top it all off, we get poker anecdotes from two of the most successful Americans alive today: President Obama and Bill Gates. Definitely a great read.
Today I’m crossing my love for poker with my love for tech by reviewing the iPhone application PokerGauge. You may remember my past iPhone review for one of the first games available for the device, Apple’s own Texas Hold’em game. Today I have a deeper cut from the app store which is marginally less fun, but a hundred times for useful.
PokerGauge is a mobile odds calculator that I deem the mobile odds calculator. While the marketplace for odds calculators on the App Store in no way rivals the plethora of tip calculators (seriously, who buys those?) PokerGauge isn’t the only one on the scene, just the best.
The screen displays a series of gauges, each representing your hand’s chance of winning against 1, 2, 3…up to 9 opponents. The needle of the gauge represents hand strength, to the left (empty if it were a gas gauge) means poor, to the right (full) means strong. To make things even clearer, the gauge changes color, green for play, red for fold. When you touch a gauge, it opens a detailed view outlining the odds of completing all the various poker hands and, if made, the odds of said hand winning. The app even shows pot equity and can be adjusted for a tight or loose table.
I’m not going to recommend whipping out your iPhone at your local cash game. This would fall somewhere in the range of annoying to outright cheating in the eyes of the host. No doubt it would be a shootable offence in the Old West…mostly for witchcraft as this kind of technology didn’t exist back then. As far as live action goes, I would only drop the touch screeny knowledge when proving that you did indeed make the correct play when calling your friend after the hand is won.
I only warn against the perception of cheating, using PokerGauge is in no way cheating in my book. There is no information within that couldn’t be drawn from a book and a calculator. This app’s value is how easily it places the odds at your fingertips. For live play the best practice is to run some common scenarios before the game and commit the odds to memory. This will only make you a better play in the end.
For online play, go sick. Green means play, red means fold is the mantra for the bots that still swarm the less secure online tables. I would imagine running on that same premise alone could make you profitable, but even better is adding your human experience and intuition to the mix. We all know poker is part math/part psychology…allow PokerGauge to help with the math.
What’s your favorite pocket pair? I hear this question a lot. More accurately, I here people proclaim their favorite hold’em hole cards without my asking. Why would I ask? What else would it be?
Amazingly they never share my favorite pocket pair, which is an ace followed by another ace. I’ve heard all the reasons why suited connectors are so great and why people cling to a hand they’ve had success with in the past. Really though, would you rather have the hand that holds a special place in your heart over pocket rockets? Does anyone believe any other two cards hold up as well?
It has gotten to the point that when I go out to play cards and am dealt AA, I’ll hesitate slightly and announce that I have my favorite hand when deciding what to raise. With this simple comment almost everyone rules out pocket rockets!
Last week the Twitter accounts of myself and HCD frienemy, Pokerplasm, were attacked and seemingly deleted by Estonia-based site “getrealfollowers.com.” Due to the unorthodox negotiation techniques of Pokerplasm, the accounts were returned relatively unscathed. For the official comments of the site in question, see an account of the talks here. The following is an artistic interpretation of last week’s events.
Poker tip of the day: Don’t look at your hole cards until you have to. I can’t call this a rookie mistake, it is more of a rookie habit.
It is an important habit to kick for two reasons. One: Looking at your hole cards before the action is on you gives the other players at the table more time to read you and more time for you to give your hand away. I don’t care if you think you have a great poker face, you shouldn’t give away any more information then you have too. Two: Looking at your hole cards early keeps your attention away from where it is most needed–the other players. You should be watching their reactions and noting how they bet while you can, your cards are not going anywhere.
I know it is tempting to see what you have, and you may think you will need more time to decide how to play them. Show some self-control, your cards aren’t going anywhere. If you need time, take it. Never rush for the table’s sake, just keep in mind that the time you take can be a tell unto itself.
I try to keep a deck of cards around for when the unexpected game pops up. I have a deck in my car and my most worn jacket. There are occasions when I’m out of gas on a warm day that I am sans deck. For these sad times, I apply my poker-related skills to these surprisingly suitable games.
Rochambeau
Many people are introduced to poker through other games. According to the bios of the WSOP players, such gateway games include backgammon, chess, and other card games like bridge. It is a nature progression in that all of those games include an element of luck and an element of skill. I offer another game into the mix–Rochambeau, AKA Rock Paper Scissors.
Why RPS? It is perfect in its simplicity. I hate the fact that people use Rock Paper Scissors to decide who rides shotgun or who will be the DD for the night. It reduces the game to the equivalent of drawing straws. It is, in fact, a game of skill. If you know your opponent well enough, it has absolutely no element of luck at all. For my money, Rock Paper Scissors is the best exercise there is in reading your opponent.
To know when the player across from you is sitting on aces or has completed his flush, first know when he will throw scissor. Is he the type of man who would open with rock? Is he capable of following up two papers in a row with yet another paper? It sounds crazy, but the more you can read people in other games, the more successful you will be in poker…and, actually, in life in general.
Liar’s Poker
Liar’s poker is also a popular bar game that only requires a dollar bill to play. In the place of cards, the eight-digit serial number on the dollar bill (see above in blue) represents each “hand.” The object is to make the highest bid of a number that does not exceed the combined total held by all the players. The numbers are usually ranked in the following order: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0 (10) and 1 (Ace). For example, if the first player bids three 4’s, he is predicting there are at least three 4’s among all the players, including himself. The next player can bid a higher number at that level (three 5’s), any number at a higher level (four 2’s) or challenge. The end of the game is reached when a player makes a bid that is challenged. If the bid is successful, he wins a dollar from each of the other players, but if the bid is unsuccessful, he loses a dollar to each of the other players.
If you have a shelf with a book poker in the inventory, chances are you have a table of good starting hands handy. They usually break down the best hole cards in early, middle and late position. Upon studying it, you will find that a hand like AJ may be acceptable to play when in late position, but not early. If you read on, you will learn how to adjust the starting hands against an aggressive table or when short handed. A table of solid advice.
A lot can go wrong when you play AJ and other marginal hands. Novice players think the worst case senario is missing the flop and losing their pre-flop investment upon folding. It takes experience to learn the real danger can be hitting the flop. In the case of AJ, an ace on the flop can give a false sense of confidence. I’m not saying a bet or even a raise here would be the wrong move, but it is important not to over value your kicker. A Jack is good, but not great when you call in late position. Marginal hands fall victim to slightly better hands all the time. It is these hands, when the kicker matters, that usually earns or costs the most of your stack.
If you bring a knife to a gun fight, assume that the gun is loaded.
Trusted sponsor: Poker is a game where strategy is supposed to matter more than having the right cards. After all when you play poker you’re supposed to play the opponent and not your cards. This works out well playing when playing in person but becomes more difficult if you want to become an ace in online poker. While it can still be done it is important to know your odds of holding the winning hand at your table. It is possible to commit a few of the winning hand percentages to memory, but not really feasible in the high stress environment of a poker tournament. This is where online calculators have come to help those of us who play online poker.
These calculators, which can be found online with a quick search, allow players to make quick choices. Do you fold or do you stick around and try your luck? The calculator can give you a quick idea. You might want to fold that hand with only a 5% shot of winning, but maybe you’ll raise on the hand that gives a 25% or better. This kind of guidance can be tremendously helpful, especially if this is your first attempt to learn poker.
But how do you know when to follow the calculator’s suggestion or follow your gut? How often do people choose cards that actually win? It depends largely on your opponents. I suggest trying a few games of free poker to get started, pay attention to who bets when and what cards they had when they won or lost. Even in online poker it’s typically the best player and not the best cards that guarantee a win.
Don’t let other players bully you out of a pot. If they have a large stack of chips in front of them they may bet high with poor cards, attempting to make it too expensive for you to risk betting on even a great hand. Use the calculator for that extra boost of confidence you need to stay in, but be careful. An opponent betting slowly, quietly raising or only calling what you put in may be trying to draw you in. In those cases the calculator may not be helpful.
Remember, when you play poker, it is not just a game of numbers but a game of people. Calculators can give you valuable guidance but they won’t win you that poker tournament alone. Keep your eyes open and watch for trends, if you do you could be the one winning with a poor and not the guy across from you.
Grundy's goal is to build the better poker person. Thanks for visiting Hell's Cold Day, I'm Grundy. I've been playing cards since 2000 and have raised in stakes just short of considering myself a "pro," profiting (mostly) the whole way. I am happy where I am, even though I believe in my heart of hearts I could rely solely on poker for a living. Why not? That is a personal choice you may find in the posts to the right. Enjoy the journey, I hope I can help along the way.
Today I’m crossing my love for poker with my love for tech by reviewing the iPhone application 
