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POKER IN the virtual card rooms on the internet is a different game from playing in a real bricks-and-mortar casino
Published: 2004-11-01
 POKER
Independent, The (London), November, 2004 by Nic Szeremeta
POKER IN the virtual card rooms on the internet is a different game from playing in a real bricks-and-mortar casino.
With just a PC and a mouse to work with, it is not possible, for example, to register an opponent's unease when faced with a raise. "Tells" - poker- speak for physical actions that give away clues to a hand - do not exist in www.land.
There are, however, other ways of ascertaining whether or not the avatars sitting across the virtual table are any good at the game or not.
Learning to play poker is like learning to play music. You first have to know what the notes are and where they are on your instrument. Then you learn to read music, and eventually you can play a tune.
Present a piece to a dozen different musicians and, although they all have the same starting-point, there will be a dozen different renditions.
Well, poker is like that. Once the basics have been learned the ability to improvise comes into play. But there is no getting away from the fact that the basics have to be mastered first.
Now, on the internet, it is a relatively easy task to identify players who cannot distinguish between middle C and A flat. Without being too unkind, they haven't got a clue.
The two main ways they betray their cluelessness are by their betting patterns and their starting hands.
An experienced player knows roughly how much to bet at any time. For example, in a no-limit hold'em game the pot is 120 units and the board, the common cards used by all players, shows the possibility of a straight draw - say 82 - 9# - 4!. A correct bet into a pot of this size is in the 90 to 120 range. This should be high enough to dissuade an opponent from trying to catch one of the eight cards to complete the straight - if, indeed, that is what he has.
In the internet games, though, there are thousands of players who will bet 15. This gives an opponent the chance to catch a big hand for a very cheap price. A player who does this can be marked down as weak.
Over-betting hands is also rife in the virtual poker world.
On every table there seem to be two or three participants who cannot wait to put all their chips in with a pair of fours.
This also goes in the book as a somewhat optimistic play, the perpetrator of which can be regarded as a potential victim. Sometimes the fours win, which only reinforces the bad habit.
Copyright 2004 Independent Newspapers UK Limited
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.
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THE BIGGEST ever redistribution of wealth on the European poker scene is about to take place, starting this weekend
Published: 2004-11-01
 POKER
Independent, The (London), November, 2004 by Nic Szeremeta
THE BIGGEST ever redistribution of wealth on the European poker scene is about to take place, starting this weekend. Three major tournaments will be happening at the same time - in Blackpool, Amsterdam and Monte Carlo.
A few years ago, before the online poker rooms had popularised the game, this might have diluted the attendances. Next week, however, all three are likely to be mobbed by players looking for a big pay- day.
The Monte Carlo Millions at the Salon Francois Blanc is restricted to 72 players, all of whom either put up or won a $20,000 (pounds 11,000) package to participate. This was sold out almost a month in advance.
Several Americans have overcome their fear of flying and will be in the starting line-up. These include the former world champion Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, John Juanda, Howard Lederer and Phil Ivey.
As a side show, the quartet will be playing a heads-up match, one vs one, against the Hendon Mob - Joe Beevers, Ram Vaswani and the siblings Barny and Ross Boatman. At stake will be the small matter of $100,000 (pounds 55,000).
Meanwhile, even bigger prize money will be on offer at the annual Master Classics of Poker at the Holland Casino, Amsterdam.
Last year, more than pounds 1m changed hands and the winner of the main event, the Swede Johann Storakers, took home EUR243,000 (pounds 167,000). This year, the buy-in for the no limit hold'em affair has been increased to EUR5,000, about pounds 3,500, a hike of 66 per cent.
Rather than deterring potential players, the increase is likely to have the opposite effect. The organisers have increased the field limit from 220 to 270 and spread the competition over three days rather than two.
The forecast prize pool is around the pounds 700,000 mark, and the winner's purse is likely to top the pounds 250,000 mark for the first time. The support events will probably generate as much again, and an indication of the poker frenzy about to descend on the Dutch capital is that the opening competition was sold out two weeks ago.
Stay-at-home Brits who don't fancy the idea of lobbing pounds 5,000-plus into a week of poker will be heading for the Northern Lights Festival at the Grosvenor Casino, Blackpool. Buy-ins during the series range from pounds 100, with the main event priced at a more modest pounds 500. Even so, about pounds 300,000 or so will change hands in the town, which is tipped to become the UK's Las Vegas.
Copyright 2004 Independent Newspapers UK Limited
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.
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