Table Stakes

[DanTheCardMan]

What is meant by the term "table stakes?"

[PseudoPserious]

It means you can't go into your pocket for more money during the play of a hand.

So you can't throw your car in as a raise unless the title was sitting in your stack when the cards were dealt.

PP

[DanTheCardMan]

Thanks. I've played like that before, just never knew there was a formal name for it.

(And with some of the fishy play I engage in, there's no way my car title would get anywhere near a card game I was involved in. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif )

[benfranklin]

It also means that no one can raise you more than you have on the table, forcing you out of the game. In heads-up action, a raise is limited to the amount either player has on the table. In a multiway pot, if someone raises $50 and you only have $40, you can put the $40 in, and a side pot is created for the $10 and any additional calls or raises. You cannot win anything in that side pot. If you win the main pot, the next best hand still playing wins the side pot.

[hutz]

Good point about the side pots. During a hand, it's important to remember when there's an all-in player because you still have to beat his hand at showdown. So, if you're holding a mediocre hand, don't lose track of the fact you have two opponents, not just one, which reduces the value of your middling hand. On a related note, beginners (and vets, too) should always remain aware of the fact that there is a side pot if they're not the all-in player. This can come into play in many respects, including the fact that you should hold onto your cards at showdown because the all-in guy may have the nut flush, but your TPTK might take down the side pot. If you muck too quickly after seeing the all-in player's cards you could lose the side pot. Of course, a good dealer will award the side pot(s) before the main pot to help avoid that situation. We all know, though, that not all dealers are good dealers.

[M.B.E.]

In a recent column (http://www.cardplayer.com/?sec=afeature&art_id=13566), Bob Ciaffone commented on the table-stakes rule and suggested an amendment that would permit ratholing in some circumstances.

[RydenStoompala]

Ratholing. Now there's a term we can all be proud of.