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A PLAYER can expect to be dealt a pair of aces face down once every 220 hands
Published: 2004-12-01
 Poker
Independent, The (London), December, 2004 by Nic Szeremeta
A PLAYER can expect to be dealt a pair of aces face down once every 220 hands. This applies to both hold'em and seven-card-stud.
In playing time, this represents about once every three-and-a- half hours in an online game, and double that in a real live casino card room.
It is quite important, therefore, that the recipient makes the correct move when this unlikely occurrence turns up.
In hold'em, the right thing to do is to raise or re-raise in all but the rarest situations. But in a seven-stud game, particularly those with a split-limit betting format, while it is normally correct to raise with pocket aces, sometimes making a re-raise is not the right thing to do.
Limit stud is a form of poker in which the subtleties are missed by 95 per cent of those who mainly play the ramming-jamming game of hold'em. The spreading of disinformation - and the corollary, the ability to obtain information - is of paramount importance in limit stud.
Two of the factors that are relevant in deciding whether or not to re- raise with a hidden pair of aces are what the original raiser's upcard is and what is the upcard accompanying the pocket rockets.
If a player showing a king raises, one of the things he may be saying is: "I have a pair of kings." Another thing he might be saying is: "I am pretending to have a pair of kings but actually I have a pair of jacks hidden as back-up."
Now, let's assume that the holder of the aces has a queen showing. A re-raise with this hand might legitimately be interpreted as: "I don't believe you have two kings but I think I can beat whatever pair you have hidden."
But let's say the showing card on the aces is a lowly four. Now, a logical interpretation of a re-raise would be: "I have a big pocket pair."
Now, this is a very big and dangerous give-away in limit stud. So a call is a better option as it could indicate a small pair or a straight or flush potential.
If a player can put an opponent on a big pocket pair, that opponent cannot improve his hand without it showing until the final downcard.
When there is no pair showing when the next three upcards are dealt, it is a fair assumption that the big pocket pair is all that the other player holds.
When a player knows an opponent holds only one pair it affords the opportunity to exploit two pairs - or even bluff with a single pair showing.
Copyright 2004 Independent Newspapers UK Limited
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.
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IT MAY be a month to Christmas but if a poker book is on the presents- to-buy list, better do something about it now
Published: 2004-11-01
 Poker
Independent, The (London), November, 2004 by Nic Szeremeta
IT MAY be a month to Christmas but if a poker book is on the presents- to-buy list, better do something about it now. Hundreds of books have been written about the game and the majority have one thing in common. They are terrible.
The nation's high-street bookshops have not been slow to notice that poker has become somewhat more popular and so there are some books on the shelves for the unwary present buyer. These are not recommended reading either.
What they fail to stock are those which are going to be of interest and help to the reader. So which books are worth reading?
Two which have stood the test of time are Hold'em Poker for Advanced Players and Seven Card Stud for Advanced Players. Both were written a couple of decades ago by American poker gurus David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth.
The stud book had an additional contributor, Ray Zee, a low- profile professional from Montana, whose contribution turned it into the stud bible for people who know about such things.
Both are basic text books which outline the optimum way to play in almost all situations and more importantly why.
Although the titles suggest they are for "advanced" players, the concepts contained in them are well within the grasp of beginners.
A more weighty tome which is well worth reading is Super System 2 by former world champion Doyle Brunson. This too was written more than 20 years ago but has recently been revised. This is a sort of encyclopaedia of poker, and covers all the different forms of the game. Brunson himself wrote a fair chunk of it but pulled in other experts to handle the sections where he felt they knew more than he did. There's modest for you. Normally it sells at around pounds 20 but it is available free to those who sign up at Brunson's online card room at www.DoylesRoom.com and quote reference PE2004.
Last but not least is Poker Nation by Andy Bellin which is not a text book but a study of the poker body as it exists at the moment. Bellin, another American, fell in love with poker on his way to a Masters in astrophysics. His book is part memoir and part history with instruction along the way. It is hugely readable even for those who have yet not been hooked by the world's favourite card game.
All can be bought from the High Stakes Bookshop in Great Ormond Street, London, or via the website www.gamblingbooks.co.uk.
Copyright 2004 Independent Newspapers UK Limited
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.
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