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INFORMATION IS a valuable commodity in poker, so giving it away indiscriminately is a bad idea
Published: 2005-02-01
 Poker
Independent, The (London), February, 2005 by Nic Szeremeta
INFORMATION IS a valuable commodity in poker, so giving it away indiscriminately is a bad idea. A player who randomly shows his hands to all and sundry (when not required to do so) not only gives away clues about his play but also betrays his inexperience.
There are, however, certain occasions when it is not such a bad idea to show either one or all of one's concealed cards even if there is no compulsory showdown. But there have to be reasons for doing so.
One is to "reward" an opponent for passing. For example, player A makes a serious bet or raise on the last round. Player B agonises while considering whether or not to call - but eventually passes. Player A shows him the winning hand, say pocket aces in a hold'em game. The reason is to instil in both the opponent who was involved and others at the table that passing against Player A was a correct decision - not only in this particular hand but in later coups as well.
Another reason to show a hand is to create an impression of tightness. A starting hand of say A-Q in hold'em is often a prime candidate for a raise. But in a tough tournament a strong player holding A-Q might not want to play if the pot has been raised in front of him. And if he is the only player remaining and last to act may choose to pass and then show what he has passed.
The objective is to demonstrate an intention not to get involved with anything less than premium starting hands. It does not matter whether the A-Q was the better starting hand or not. Even if the opponent held less, say A-J, it is the declaration of intent made by showing the hand which is the important factor.
A further reason to show a hand is to instil in the opposition the impression that they are "readable".
If in the last example, where the player chose to throw A-Q and then show it, if the raiser had held A-K the pass would have had a significant impact. It would be tantamount to saying: "I know the range of hands you raise with, so I am one step ahead of you."
Advertising bluffs is a less sensible ploy. A player who runs a bluff and then shows how clever he is by opening his cards is not very clever at all. Better to keep it a secret and do it again later.
Copyright 2005 Independent Newspapers UK Limited
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.
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2 poker-dog paintings fetch nearly $600,000
Published: 2005-02-01
 2 poker-dog paintings fetch nearly $600,000
Deseret News (Salt Lake City), February, 2005
NEW YORK (AP) -- A pair of paintings from the famed series depicting dogs playing poker fetched nearly $600,000 at auction Tuesday.
The two works -- "A Bold Bluff" and "Waterloo" -- were among 16 paintings that artist Cassius Marcellus Coolidge was commissioned to create for a Minnesota-based advertising company in 1903. Of the 16, nine are of dogs playing poker.
The two works that sold Tuesday for $590,400 capture moments in a poker game played by five dogs, among them a St. Bernard that ends up collecting the pot on a bluff.
Copyright C 2005 Deseret News Publishing Co.
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.
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