Two funny anecdotes

[Clarkmeister]

#1: I briefly step into the room on Saturday night to see what the 40 looks like and say hi to several people in the game. I get back to the room on Sunday morning and see one of those players that I said hi to still playing. He's one of the live ones and can really gamble it up when he wants to. So at one point, he says "Can I get a Hold'em for Dummies book over here please!? I need some help". I make some inane comment and he responds with "you know what, there was this guy with a poker book in front of him last night when you came by, maybe I should have borrowed *his* book."

The book that this live one was referring to was Small Stakes Holdem. The "He" was one of the people I said hi to the night before, some guy named Mason.



#2: NateTheGreat came into town and we played some 40-80 together for about an hour before I got called into the main game. Nate, an internet player, was clearly unfamiliar with handling actual chips in a live game, forgetting to return his cards to the dealer, etc.

He string raised twice in 5 minutes at one point. The first time, the dealer called it a string, which it was, but a pretty nice regular defended Nate saying that he should have gotten a warning. The dealer's decision stood, and it was called a string raise. A few hands later, Nate string raised again, this time far worse and more blatant. This time, the same regular who defended him the prior hand said, "Now that one was really retarded. That is definitely a string."

Needless to say, in honor of this forum, I called him NateTheRetard for the rest of the session, mercilessly heckling him on behalf of the rest of this forum. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[bwana devil]

ok, now mason made it cool to read poker books at the table? i just can't keep up with all the trends these days.

or is this simply a marketing ploy on mason's part? is he "reading" SSH at the bus stop, eating out, in the grocery store hoping someone will ask him what he's reading. we're on to you.

[Clarkmeister]

He wasn't reading it. It was just sitting on the table in front of him. He then placed all his chips on top of the book.

[bwana devil]

he didnt go all in and push the book to the pot did he?!?!?!

[Clarkmeister]

Not that I saw, but he could have said "hey, the book has a cash value of two chips!"

[andyfox]

It's interesting: a whole generation of poker players, many of them wonderful players, who aren't familiar with handling cards and chips. Maybe we shouldn't call it playing cards when on the internet, since there are no actual cards involved . . .

So, to update the old saw, the guy who invented poker was smart; the guy who invented chips was smarter; the guy who invented the internet was a genius.

[nolanfan34]

[ QUOTE ]
the guy who invented the internet was a genius.

[/ QUOTE ]

And his name, is Al Gore.

Man, the Vegas regulars must not know what to think about guys like NateThaRetard, who can barely get their chips in the pot correctly, but really know HOW to play. I'm picturing a lot of grumbling, is that the case?

[fsuplayer]

I was thinking the same thing Nolan, they must have been drooling at first...then wondering how this guy took their chips!

fsuplayer

[Nate tha' Great]

[ QUOTE ]
#2: NateTheGreat came into town and we played some 40-80 together for about an hour before I got called into the main game. Nate, an internet player, was clearly unfamiliar with handling actual chips in a live game, forgetting to return his cards to the dealer, etc.

He string raised twice in 5 minutes at one point. The first time, the dealer called it a string, which it was, but a pretty nice regular defended Nate saying that he should have gotten a warning. The dealer's decision stood, and it was called a string raise. A few hands later, Nate string raised again, this time far worse and more blatant. This time, the same regular who defended him the prior hand said, "Now that one was really retarded. That is definitely a string."

Needless to say, in honor of this forum, I called him NateTheRetard for the rest of the session, mercilessly heckling him on behalf of the rest of this forum. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you're vastly underestimating the potential of the bluff string-bet.

[M2d]

Actually, i had a discussion about this with El Diablo (I think...it was a while ago). of course, his end of the conversation was a little ethanol enhanced, so it was highly animated and very interesting.

[tolbiny]

i would think the implied odds of winning the book alone would be worth much more... still checking the mail every day for my copy

[eastbay]

I've done all the "internet guy" stuff the couple times i played live.

Can't handle the chips for [censored], forget to return my cards to the dealer (twice), am spacing when the action comes to me, string raise, etc.

But one thing I don't quite understand: what's the function of the "string raise" rule?

Is it so that you can't watch out of the corner of your eye to see if the next guy is going to call, and then throw in the raise in a second motion?

eastbay

[Franchise (TTT)]

[ QUOTE ]

Is it so that you can't watch out of the corner of your eye to see if the next guy is going to call, and then throw in the raise in a second motion?


[/ QUOTE ]

Pretty much. Else your turn to bet never really ends... and it becomes too subjective. If you want to raise in multiple motions, just say 'raise' first.

[Vehn]

The purpose of the string raise rule is mostly so your local nits can feel big about themselves when the drunks and internet kids do it an utterly oblivious way.

[kyro]

enlighten me on the string raise please

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

basically it says if you do not decalre your intent to raise verbally, or you have to put your entire action in the pot in one continuous motion. You cant put enough chips in to call, then go back to your satck for the chips to raise.

[kyro]

oh...why would you do that?

[spacemonkey57]

[ QUOTE ]
oh...why would you do that?

[/ QUOTE ]

If you learned how to play poker by watching Cowboy movies where everyone raises by saying I'll see your ten, and raise you the deed to this mine.

[M2d]

a more nefarious reason would be to gauge your opponents' reactions before you put more chips in the pot.

[fsuplayer]

[ QUOTE ]
nefarious

[/ QUOTE ]

Great word M2d. very impressed.

fsuplayer

[SomethingClever]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
oh...why would you do that?

[/ QUOTE ]

If you learned how to play poker by watching Cowboy movies where everyone raises by saying I'll see your ten, and raise you the deed to this mine.

[/ QUOTE ]

Post of the week... and it's not even close.

[Nottom]

[ QUOTE ]
I think you're vastly underestimating the potential of the bluff string-bet.

[/ QUOTE ]

This reminds me of my first time playing live. It wasn't a string bet, but the one chip rule that got me. I was gonna raise from my SB with AJs after some limpers in a 1-4-8-8 spread-limit game so I causually toss out a red chip. The dealer goes to make change and I'm like "No, I wanted to raise" but of course its too late.

Flop comes rags and I bet out, all fold. Worked out pretty well, I got to show strength without making the pot big so everyone would chase me.

[gergery]

First live session I had I was down to $20 and was dealt AA. I reach into my pocket and plunk down another $40 and ask for chips right away. Dealer says no you have to wait for hand to end. So I say alright, then i want to raise. Dealer says, "No one has bet yet so why don't you do that first?". I give my best "Big Doofus" look to the table and put my chips in.

Regular player just to my right just laughs and flips his cards into the muck. Do you think i have a tell? /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

--Greg

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]
So I say alright, then i want to raise. Dealer says, "No one has bet yet so why don't you do that first?".

[/ QUOTE ]

Heh I like to do that on purpose sometimes....act all stupid and new for a while (not hard for me to pull off) and then look lost when its been checked to me. When the dealer finally points out that its my turn, I go "oh! sorry...how much can I raise?". That usually nets me the pot /images/graemlins/smile.gif

my first time at a b&m I pulled off the standard string raise. Got berated by some old guy, who started yelling at the dealer that I string raised. I had no idea what I had even done and had to have it explained to me. The bastard old man bitched about it for the next half hour everytime I made a bet. Heh, as if the first time live is intimidating enough. I think that was more nerve racking than the first time I got laid /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[radar5]

wait...you mean....
n/m....it's too easy.