In my last column I dealt with betting options in limit stud on fourth street, covering the decision to bet the lower tier or the higher tier. In this column we'll look at betting options on third street, when there is a forced bet by the low card... more
There aren't many betting options in limit 7-card stud. The bets are pretty fixed by the structure. Unlike spread-limit, pot-limit, and no-limit, you usually have no choice in the amount you bet. You want to bet on fifth street more
My poker-playing cousin and his buddy were in town for the high holidays. So after the break-fast following Yom Kippur services we headed down to Foxwoods. What better way to start the Jewish New Year than with a playing session? more
I've written extensively about play on third street, fifth street and the river. These streets are where most of the difficult decisions are made. Even so, sixth street presents its own interesting problems from time to time... more
School has started. It's time for you to continue your poker exam. For the questions below, assume a $20/40 game with a $3.00 ante and a $5.00 forced bet from the low card. Unless otherwise noted, the players are moderately aggressive... more
When I was in college and high school, decades ago, I hated being tested. It made me nervous. I didn't like the notion of being judged. And I surely couldn't stand some teacher telling me I was wrong. How much better it was... more
In my last column I explained the three methods generally used by players to decide when to leave. They were: Leaving when the game is no longer any good; leaving after a predetermined time period; and leaving after a pre-set win... more
When is it time to leave the poker game? There's a lot of discussion around that topic. I'd like to weigh in. There are three broad views on this subject. I'll look at each in this column and review their pluses and minuses... more
You want to win. It's a passion. It's one of the reasons you play poker in the first place. There are no excuses. It's you against others. There are no teams. If you win it's the product of your own play... more
There's a lot of ego in poker; it's one of the motivations for many players. We poker players are a combative and competitive lot. We prove how tough and 'bad' we are by the games we're in. The higher the stakes, the better players... more
Some poker players overvalue two pair – playing them very strongly when they should not be doing so. We have a name for those types of players: Losers. Two pair is a tricky hand. It is often second best or worse, yet there are situations when... more
I've noticed one quality among stud players that stands out more than any other. We tend to be old. There's nothing wrong with that. Think wisdom and experience; we tend to have them in spades. But we also tend to have some deficiencies... more
It was a sunny summer day in Boston. There was a slight breeze. It was warm enough and clear enough to be a beach day. But I wanted to play poker more than I wanted to lie on the sand. I had finished my work for the afternoon and left... more
In my last article I wrote about getting full value for your hand by betting it on the river. This doesn't mean that you will always call on the river. There are times when you can save a bet based on the betting action. Let me give you... more
I was driving home from Foxwoods Resort Casino (see my poker room review on this great poker room) with my friend Jim. He and I were celebrating our 30th year of friendship with a trip to our favorite poker room. It had been a late night... more
I just came back from a trip to Las Vegas – where I played in the World Series of Poker. This six-week poker competition is known best for its Main Event, the $10,000 no-limit hold'em contest. That's the one that where the winner earns... more
The expression 'rolling the dice' usually comes with negative connotations for the poker purist. Meaning 'to gamble,' it implies that someone is leaving the outcome of an event to chance, as in, 'I didn't study at all for this test... more
I was traveling through Virginia a few weeks back – there for a business trip. I found myself on a lake about thirty miles south of Lynchburg. Lynchburg is the home of Liberty University – the fundamentalist Christian school... more
It was a hand for the ages. Literally one week after my last column on how to play quads on the first four cards in stud, I was dealt quads on the first four cards. This is how it happened... more
There are no public poker room on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. And it's painfully tough on vacationing poker players – because none of the locals will let you into their private games. I know. I used to spend two weeks each summer.... more