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The poker face - and how to read it
Published: 2005-11-24
 You have read it often in this column, and you will read it again. In fact, you will read it now.
Poker is more about people than cards and chips. It's about sizing up your opponent based on his betting patterns and whatever physical tells you can discover. you need to be able to determine what your opponent's bets mean in relation to his holding, factoring in position at the table and whether it's an open-raise or a reraise, among other things.
You also need to be able to know your opponent's mannerisms when he makes those bets - something that comes with experience at the tables in tournaments and ring games.
And perhaps these things are never more important than when you are playing pocket jacks, one of the most troubling hands in hold 'em.
Phil Ivey, regarded by many as the best poker player alive, showed how to work through that kind of situation during a no-limit hold 'em event at the 2005 World Series of Poker at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas.
With the blinds at $50-$100, Ivey raised to $300 from early position with jacks, a standard raise of three times the big blind. An opponent raised $1,000 more from late position, indicating either a strong hand or an attempt to steal the pot right there from a position where you might expect such a move.
"I called a thousand more," Ivey said. "I don't know what he has. He's rolled out a lot of big hands, but he's raised a lot of pots too."
The flop came 9-6-2, two hearts. Ivey checked. his opponent bet out $2,000.
"I was pretty comfortable with having $16,000 in chips," Ivey said of his chip count, which was similar to his opponent's, so he didn't have to fear the power of a bigger stack running over him. "If he has kings, queens or aces, I don't want to put all my money in there. I have to
be pretty sure he doesn't have it. I thought for a little while, and I decided to call."
The turn came the three of hearts. Ivey checked again. His opponent made it $3,500 to go. If Ivey's opponent was drawing to a heart flush, then he made it. If his opponent held a small pair, then he also might have made it. If his opponent was playing big cards, then he still might be trying to buy it.
"I looked at him for a little while, thought about it and called," Ivey said.
The river came a deuce. Ivey checked again. His opponent checked.
Ivey showed his jacks. His opponent flipped over A-K. Ivey took down a big pot.
Ivey took the hand to the river because the board didn't have an overcard to his jacks. He apparently didn't believe his opponent would play a flush draw the way he bet. But there was something else, something that comes with playing millions of hands and developing heightened instincts.
"I called on the turn because I didn't like the way he looked," Ivey said.
TABLE TALK
Ring games: Another name for cash games, as opposed to tournaments. The name comes from the ring formed by the shape of the table.
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Ongame links poker network with Coral Eurobet
Published: 2005-11-23
 Online poker company Ongame has linked up with Coral Eurobet’s two poker websites to expand its player network, taking the business away from rival PartyGaming.
The deal sees Coralpoker.com and Eurobetpoker.com now running on Ongame’s software and sharing their customer base with the more than dozen other affiliate members on Ongame Network.
Ongame said it won Coral Eurobet’s business from PartyGaming.
Coral Eurobet operates two online poker brands: Coralpoker.com, which focuses on the UK market, and Eurobetpoker.com, which operates in Europe and the rest of the world.
These sites have a customer base of several hundred thousand registered members and they will join the 6m already registered on the Ongame Network.
Mats Johnson, director of Coral Eurobet, said: “We chose to move to Ongame because we feel their network benefits both our customers and Coral Eurobet as a company. The move to Ongame powerfully boosts our future growth prospects, and provides our customers with a much better all-round playing experience.”
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