Dear Mark,
Pardon the simplicity of this question, but how do they figure who deals,
and when, when I am watching televised poker? Tammy J.
When you watch televised poker, you are watching Texas Hold'em played with
as many as 10 players. Look closely at the TV image next time, Tammy, and you'll
notice a small disk (brings to mind a hockey puck but usually white) sitting
just in front of one of the contestants. This disk is called the "button."
The button shows who would be dealing the cards if he or she were actually
the dealer. Holding the dealer button is an advantage in Texas Hold'em because
the dealer is the last player to act. By acting last, that player has valuable
additional information when it's betting time. This positional advantage remains
throughout the hand, then passes — clockwise — to the next player for the next
hand. Thus, all players in the game have equal opportunities to hold this rotating
positional advantage.
Dear Mark,
Once a month I go to the casino. I only play keno, eat at their buffet (they
have a great senior discount for the lunch buffet) and never stay more than
two hours. Last May I hit a solid six spot for $2,200, and last month I won
$280 on a 10-spot ticket. I usually alternate between a six and 10 spot ticket.
What do you think of my system of play? Marge H.
The Gambling for Experts school answer is "Hey, Marge, don't you realize
you're making one of the worst bets in the casino, the one with a minimum house
edge of 25%?"
Mathematically, the School is on the ball: the chances of hitting 10 of 10
are one in 10 million at best. Readers of this column know that Yours Truly
has spelled out those long odds and pitfalls of keno with anguishing regularity.
BUT, without even counting your winnings, Marge, I still have the latitude
to salute your play, for a few non-mathematical reasons.
For starters, you are obeying money management rule #1: Betting money you can
afford to lose. Bravo! Also, if you are not winning, at least you are losing
S L O W L Y. With keno games played roughly every 10 minutes, at a dollar a
pop you won't go bust in a two-hour keno stint. And finally, it seems to me
that you're really having fun. If it's fun risking $1 to win $50,000, play.
That's what you're there for Marge, to have fun, right?
Oh yeah, about that cheap buffet at senior prices. Next time you write me,
Marge, don't forget to include place and price. My readers would love to know.
Heck, I'd like to know.
But, back to business: putting your winnings into the equation, I figure you
to be ahead of the game for at least the next four years.
So, what's Marge doing wrong? That famous trio — Nada, Zilch and Nothing!
Gambling quote of the week: "Put not your luck in Kings and
Princes: Three of a kind will take them both." —Robert C. Schenck,
Rules for Playing Poker (1880)
