"You're such, an, inspiration for the ways that I will never ever choose to, be." - A Perfect Circle, Judith
If you're going to play the game, then you better know the rules. I have no idea where that came from, probably just ingrained in each of us during the embryonic stage of development. Seriously though, there are a lot of rules when it comes to Poker. I've been playing for so many years in card rooms all over California, Vegas, Washington, Alberta and B.C., that I've seen just about every situation possible.
The vast majority of the time, the floor person gets the ruling dead-on right. In the rare cases when they completely fuck it up, I usually just live with it because the pot isn't usually worth the trouble or else I would battle to the death. Ahh well, "Let's go, Deal!"
However, I only started playing home games again about 2 years ago when BD got me into his regular game. I really had no idea what to expect, because the last time that I played a home poker game I think that I was 15 or 16. No that doesn't mean that I hadn't played at someone's house in between, sure I'd played with my family and friends, but we all had a pretty good understanding of the rules and tempers never flared.
With my experience, and the fact that this was an excuse for a lot of these guys just to get out of their house for the evening, I had almost always assumed control of the game. Let's face facts, some of these guys couldn't figure out blinds and betting structures after playing for 3 hours. Inevitably, I'm challenged on a ruling.
Me: "Time! Guys, you can't discuss his cards during the hand. One player per hand."
Guy: "But, I folded."
Me: "You still can't help another player in a hand."
---
Guy: "Wait, why are you splitting the pot? Her 6th card is higher than that guy's 6th card!"
Me: "Because, we're playing a 5-card game."
Guy: "Well that's not how we do it at my other home game! She should win the whole pot!!"
Me: "Well, then you're wrong. It's a split pot when hands tie."
Those are the kinds disagreements that I end up presiding over. I mean, come on, a little common sense goes a long way. It's like otherwise intelligent people become complete retards when they sit at a poker table. They think it's just a friendly game, but that doesn't mean you ignore common sense and fundamental rules of etiquette when there's money at stake.
At BD's most recent game the other week, I was challenged on a ruling; frankly I don't even remember what that particular instance was about. It was an easy one to rule on, but it engaged a friendly dialog with a couple of the other players. I explained that "Poker had basic fundamental rules to keep the game on the square. Otherwise, there'd be complete anarchy and rampant cheating. Guys like me could rob the game blind and you'd never know the difference if rules weren't enforced by someone."
There has to be some basic order, and I do let a TON of stuff slide in home games. I'll let an inexperienced player go back to their stack and string raise, but only once and I explain their mistake so that they learn from it. I think I've only called a string raise on someone two or three times in my life at a card room. Usually the dealer will look to the players still in the hand, and I usually whisper, "It's alright...", the dealer usually because they know what's coming. I want that string raise left out there so that I can then act and, "RE-RAISE!".
I'll let players fold out of turn without screaming at them, I just call time and explain that they need to play in turn regardless if they're folding. The Internet Poker crowd is most guilty of this infraction, because 'net software prohibits them from acting out of turn, they just click the fold check box. These guys are the worst offenders as a whole though. They've played a fair number of hands in their life, but not much IRL experience so they never get confronted by having to play by the rules, because they're etiquette is always forced upon them without knowing why.
I've been thinking about writing a book that listed the rules of Poker for a long time. I know a lot of dealers and floor people that I'm certan would help me to craft it. The basic Rules of Poker are imutable, although interpretation and enforcement tend to differ from place to place. I've bent them knowingly many times to my financial gain.
This guy is really stubbourn but he might have been chasing an open-ended straight. I just might get him to fold if I bet. I grab some chips confidently and start to move my hand forward... "Call!" He throws out his call and flips over 2-pair. My hand still hover in mid-air,
Guess not; "I check", and then thump the table with my bet still in-hand. He flips out, but as everyone that plays Bellagio knows, in Limit you must release the chips for the bet to be binding, the betting line on the table is irelevant. That's the rule. I mucked and saved myself a bet because my lonely Ace couldn't beat 2-pair. It wasn't even cheating, the guy acted out of turn and exposed his hand. He got even more pissed that I had mucked and he didn't get to see my hand. He cheated himself and that's why he was really pissed and left to walk off the steam.
So know the rules! As it turns out, Lou Krieger and Sheree Bykofsky have collaborated on a new book, "
The Rules of Poker
", that helps those in need, which is pretty much everyone. Think of it like a pocket floor man to end all table disputes in your home game. I would like to thank them for finally publishing what should have been on the market years ago. I bought a copy to leave at BD's house for his games since that's where all the disputes that I seem to have to deal with come up. This book will go a long way to helping your game run a lot smoother, so buy a copy today. Use the link that I provided and you can get it right from Amazon without searching or waiting for a copy to get in stock. This book will easily save many friendships, which is precisely why I run a solid home game.
Now, back to your regular programming.
Nicholas has left the 3s
