Beat the drum slowely, play the fife lowely

[Mike]

Funny situation I hope you don't find yourself in. Two fairly good players sitting directly on my left. Smoking gun who can do no wrong at the moment two seats to my right. The Gun is on the mother of all streaks. He colors up his second rack in his run of amazing hands when the player on my left decides enough is enough. She gets the player on her left going about busting the Gun's streak. The second player still has some sense and he tries to rally the rest of the table to play back at the hot player. Well, you need a hand to play back with right?

This idea is totally lost on the first upset player and she starts betting and raising. Of course no matter what hand she has the hot player has one better. How does she solve this problem? By ordering even more chips.

So now the hot player may as well be on the receiving side of a dumping BJ table. This goes on until the Gal has no more money to invest, but she tells the table she will get even next time they play. All in all about 30 hours of solid profit down the drain in about 35 minutes for the Gal. The Gun is still winning.

I have to wonder how she felt about herself when she woke up the next morning.....

[Jimbo]

have to wonder how she felt about herself when she woke up the next morning.....

Do you mean like when you go to bed drunk, are not alone, wake up sober and want to chew your arm off?

[Al Mirpuri]

[i]Beat the drum slowely, play the fife lowely.

Is this a quotation from somewhere? It is a very striking phrase. I would like to know its origin.

[Al Schoonmaker]

Both reactions to his streak are irrational. She decided to "Play Sheriff," despite her cards. I strongly suspect (although you did not say so) that other people were letting him run over them because he was "hot." That is, they gave him credit for better hands than he had and may have folded winners.
A rush has absolutely no predictive value about future cards. Anyone's chances of having the best hand are exactly the same regardless of how many consecutive hands he was lost or won.
However, even though the math remains the same, the psychology changes dramatically. When a rush occurs, these two reactions (plus others) often occur. By chance my next two columns in "Cardplayer" will deal with how to play a rush and to defend against it. In both cases, your critical task is to determine how other people are reacting to the rush, then make appropriate adjustments.
Regards,
Al

[Mike]

I first heard it sung by Marty Robbins about a cowboy dying from being shot in a gunfight. When I prusued it, I was told it was origonally a civil war song and not a cowboy song. If you have a further interest email me at azigni@yahoo.com. It gets better after when your depresed and had a few beers...LOL

Beat the drum slowely,
Play the fife lowely,
for I'm a young cowboy,
who's going to die.

Lay the sod oe'r me

and so on....

[Mike]

Thanks Doc! You are right of course, and stated better than I could have. This table is usually comprised of mice. I sometimes blow a hand playing overly agressive against a big bully, so I can get their action - preferably alone.....

I know for my hands (it was little stud), I couldn't beat the board so my chips stayed put unless I was forced. It amazes when people tilt like this though.

Of course speaking for myself, I only tilt for important reasons :-&gt. Actually I have never tilted to this level, but I am sure I tilt like anyone else.

P.S. If you put out another book, I will be in line for a copy! Until then I will try to grab up copy(s) of CP.

[Al Mirpuri]

Dear Mike,

I really would like the full text to this, if you have it. Send me a private message, if you do not want to paste it on the forum. For some reason I could not reach your email by clicking on the link. Much obliged.

Yours,

Al

[Gus Contos]

"...beat the drum slowly and played the fife lowly..."

This phrase is from the chorus of a traditional cowboy ballad called "Streets of Laredo", supposedly adapted from an older Irish ballad. You can read the complete lyric on this page.

If you're old enough, you may also remember a movie from 1973, with Robert De Niro and Michael Moriarty, called "Bang the Drum Slowly"--well worth seeing.

GC