Dear Mark,
If a video poker machine shows a good hand with only one coin bet, would the same
hand have appeared if I had played the maximum amount of coins? Sue L.
In practically every gaming jurisdiction, Sue, the answer would be yes. Using
Nevada as an example, their regulations mandate that the number of coins played
cannot influence the outcome. Once that first coin is played, or the Bet button
is pushed, the shuffling of cards is halted. Consequently, it wouldn’t
make any difference had one coin been bet, or five. You would have gotten that
same hand you see dealt on the screen.
Dear Mark,
My favorite poker player is Doyle Brunson. His book, Super/System, is great
bedside reading. My question though is how do I go about getting his World Poker
Tour win last year on DVD? I don't get the Travel Channel with my cable subscription,
so I was wondering if it existed on DVD? Ira G.
First, Ira, you're right, Doyle's Super/System is not only the bible for aspiring
pros and amateurs alike, it is also considered by many pros as one of the best
books on poker ever written. By the way, Ira, Brunson has recently released
Super/System 2, which expands on Doyle's original book with new strategies and
new expert collaborators, including Lyle Berman, Crandell Addington, Jennifer
Harman, Johnny Chan, Todd Brunson and Daniel Negreanu. You might want to add
Super/System 2 to your nightstand since it's a brand new book and NOT just an
update to Super/System.
Brunson, even though he's in his 70s, is still a feared competitor who last
year schooled the final table contestants at the World Poker Tour's Legends
of Poker Tournament at the Bicycle Club in Los Angeles.
You can watch the Godfather of poker give a master class in winning on the
World Poker Tour Best of Season 3, 4 DVD set. Go to either shoutfactory.com
for a copy, or call the Gambler's Book Shop at 1-800-522-1777. Both retail it
for $39.95.
Dear Mark,
Once a hand has been dealt, can a player reach in their pocket for additional
money during the hand if they want to bet or raise additional money? For example,
at our most recent Thursday night game, Player A bet $10, then Player B, with
only $10 remaining in front of him, called, and then went to his pocket for
more money to raise $20. Half of our group believes it is appropriate, the other
half doesn't. Doug D.
You didn't mention, Doug, if your bisected clutch of buddies is allowing me
to make the final call here, but I will give you a poker room, not a kitchen
table, decision.
Player B is NOT allowed to reach into his pocket in the middle of the hand to
take out more money. Player B can do this BETWEEN hands, but never while a hand
is in play.
In that Player B is playing light on funds (short stack), and he or she just
happened to pick up a whopper of a hand, Player B just ends up winning much,
much less with it; but the unfortunate Player B can't be forced out of the pot
with a larger bet, either.
In most poker situations, it is a distinct advantage to be the one starting
with more money. You can bully many a player with the size of your stack, but
you can never push the short stacks completely out of the hand.
Gambling Wisdom of the Week: "The action is everything. More consuming
than sex, more immediate than politics; more important always than the acquisition
of money, which is never for the gambler, the true point of the exercise."
-Joan Didion, "The White Album"
