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Wearing shades, headset can leave you in the dark
Published: 2006-01-01
 Poker is a game of incomplete information, Howard Lederer is fond of saying. So many unseen cards, so much to be deduced from your opponents' betting patterns. So much to be read into their physical look and actions, too.
Which is why the "Professor of Poker" believes you lose out by wearing sunglasses or headphones. With that weapons-grade stare of his, Lederer gives away none of the tells that players wearing sunglasses fear they show.
But he reserves special scorn for players wearing headphones.
"They slow down the action and, on the whole, I believe they hurt the people who use them," Lederer said. "When a player throws a single, large chip into the pot, he usually announces 'raise' or 'call.' But all the guys at the table wearing headphones can't hear the call.
Invariably, they have to take off their headphones and ask the dealer what the bet is. It's annoying when the action comes to a grinding halt to clarify something that anyone without headphones already knows."
More important, Lederer contends, you lose the chance to pick up some profitable information - a point made in a hand he wrote about on the FullTiltPoker.net Poker Web site.
With the blinds at $4,000-$8,000 in the World Poker Tour's $15,000-buy-in event at Las Vegas' Bellagio in April 2004, a tight player opened the pot for $25,000 from early position. The small blind called, as did Lederer with pocket 9s. The flop came 8-5-3, two spades. Checks all around. The turn came the 6 of clubs, putting a flush draw on board. The small blind checked.
"I felt like I must have the best hand, so I bet $50,000," Lederer said. "I was very surprised when the original opener raised all-in for a total of $175,000. The small blind folded, and now I had a big $125,000 decision to make. If I call and win, I have $550,000 and I'm in great shape. If I call and lose, I'm in real trouble.
"I didn't think he had a big hand, but it didn't seem like a very good bluffing situation either. The board looked really dangerous. Plus, I hadn't seen this player get out of line at all.
"But then I remembered a comment he had made to his neighbor about 10 minutes earlier. He had hardly played a hand for about an hour and said to the guy next to him that his cards had been so bad, it would have been just as well if he had stayed in his room after the last break.
Remembering that comment, I felt there was a good chance that he was frustrated. With that factored in, I made the call."
Lederer's opponent turned over K-Q suited. The river came a 2. Lederer's overpair held up.
"I won a key hand that put me in great shape in a big tournament," Lederer said. "If I had been listening to music, I don't think I could have made the call."
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Police, Texas Rangers Raid Poker Club
Published: 2005-12-31
Reported by Martha Benavides
A high stakes game of Texas Hold'em ends not with a jackpot, but with 18 players and the owner hauled off in handcuffs.
In the middle of the night Thursday Texas Rangers, DPS, a swat team, San Benito police and the district attorney's office swarmed a popular night spot in San Benito called Diamond "C".
One by one men and women were hauled off in handcuffs.
"We closed down a gambling establishment a Texas hold ' em card shop .. a place they would come in and gamble," said Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos.
One of those arrested had his nine-year old son with him when the bust took place. Villalobos went along on the raid and says you had to be a member of this "private" social club" to play.
The raid happened after officials noticed an advertisement for the club claiming the poker games were legal.
"Well I was working at what I was guaranteed was a legal gambling facility and that's the god's honest truth," said an employee named Chris.
But the Diamond "C" turned out to much more then players bargained for. Villalobos says the owner became bold and advertised the illegal poker den in public.
"They were as out in the open as advertising in the local football program. That's how we became aware of them. So we decided to look into it and we sent in some undercover officers," said the DA.
Undercover officers say they gained sufficient evidence to prove the business was making money off of the games and charging players to enter, which is illegal in Texas Thursday night's game ended not with a jackpot but with 18 people arrested.
Four of those arrested allegedly worked as dealers at the Diamond "C".
Police Chief Orlando Garcia says this is the first poker ring bust in San Benito. He wants to send out a message to people playing illegal games of poker and eight-liner establishments who are beginning to cross the line.
"We want to set the tone that this is something we are not going to tolerate. This is something we are going to go after it very proactively," said Garcia. "And we if anybody is doing anything illegally we are going to go after it and make sure they don't continue operating."
The players and employees were in custody for about thirty minutes. Each were arrested and charged with participating in illegal gambling activity. That carried a $300 fine.
The majority of the then paid up. Those who didn't have ten days or a warrant will be issued for their arrest.
The owner didn't get off so easy .. he faces jail time.
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