You are the big blind
now, right? For you non-Texas Holdem junkies, that means
you are forced to bet before you even get to see your
cards. If you've never played before, at first glance
the game seems innocent - just guys (joined by an
occasional female or two) pensively sitting at a table,
folding, calling or raising amid the shuffle of a deck
of cards and sliding chips. But even novices quickly
discover there is a lot more at stake here than what
meets the eye and the pile of cash safely stored in the
box.
This is not to say
that what meets the eye isn't significant. Every night
as we walk by dorm lounges, we see students focused on
the cards and, even more importantly, on the other
players' faces. So many people, especially novices, have
a "tell" of some kind that lets experienced players read
them like a book. The people now in the lounge are more
experienced players and are practiced at giving nothing
away. However, everyone is human, and that means no one
is perfect, especially when people start throwing their
piles of chips into the pot.
It might seem like
poker is a trite game that would soon get boring; as
soon as you've played a couple of times, you've got the
rhythm of the game. However, Texas Holdem is anything
but boring. As soon as you put down your $20, join the
circle and are dealt two cards, you are hooked. Though
we are tough enough to resist the addiction, there are
always the same guys with their poker faces on. If only
studying were this addictive - then there might be hope
for our future. Perhaps if students were allowed to put
money on exams, then our grades would improve. Anyone
want to bet $20 on us getting F's on our midterms? But
unlike sure bets, in poker you must remember that though
you may win some, you will certainly lose some.
During the last
tournament in which we played, one of us decided to go
all in on the first hand; he lost, if that serves as any
guide to his luck. With that heavy thought in mind, stop
reading this column because we suck at poker and won't
be able to tell you anything useful. Instead, go play
some poker (without our advice) or at least do some
reading - unless you are in the dining hall having lunch
between classes. In that case, you should memorize the
probabilities of poker hands. Or better yet, whip out a
cell phone right now and make plans for poker tonight.
That goes for you too, ladies - you may actually win,
because guys never have any idea what women are
thinking.
So instead of
reading for marketing on some random weekday night, we
find ourselves reaching for our wallets like kids at a
candy store. The best tip we can offer is from William
Nickels, a former university marketing professor, who
mentioned once during lecture that when he played poker
he always drank a glass of juice so that all he had to
do was wait for the other players to get drunk from
their own glasses, usually filled with alcohol. Never
thought you'd pick up a tip on poker from marketing
class, huh?
The ultimate goal
is the money, right? That's what we thought when we
started playing last year. Although we are still quite
the beginners (apparently raising on the pre-flop with
four and five suited is a no-no to the non-beginners we
have talked to), we have done our share of (poker)
homework, giddily sitting for hours on end watching
hands unfold and experiencing players' frustrations. Now
besides the money, we see poker can be just about fun.
And it is most of the time, except when you are out
after paying $60 to buy back in for the second time.
Even then you get the privilege of turning the cards
over by turning the table over, and two days later, it's
a funny story to tell.
So what will it be?
It's only a couple of dollars and hours to call and stay
in the game. And we still think there's nothing wrong
with pocket four and five, especially suited.
