This and That About Poker

Hi. Come on in. I hope you're not hungry; I'm on a diet. I can eat all I want of anything I don't like. Have some zucchini and cottage cheese.

You were asking about ethical considerations in poker. Well, our beloved game is played just about everywhere you might journey on the face of the planet, by many different groups of people. The basic rules are the same wherever you might find a game spread. However, the standards of ethical conduct can vary from place to place.

No, poker doesn't contain specific principles of immorality, nor are its participants devoid of ethical considerations. Most players are able to discern right from wrong in accordance with the rules and standards established by the society in which they function.

There are standards of ethical behavior written into the rules of some games, such as bridge. No such standards exist at the poker table. Ethical conduct is determined by the players of a given game at a given time and location. What may be perfectly acceptable among the players in a public cardroom, who are trying to relieve each other of every possible cent, could very well be looked upon as the lowest form of outrageous conduct during a Saturday night game in Uncle Al's basement recreation room.

If you'd like to get into a fistfight, just try "sandbagging" in a poker game in the backroom of the local Elk's Lodge.

Sandbagging is another term for "check and raise." It's a perfectly acceptable practice among serious poker players in almost any public poker room from Foxwoods to San Diego. You'll find no objections to this tactic in these public games. Quite the contrary, it is considered a legitimate weapon in a player's strategic arsenal. Done with the proper timing, sandbagging can be viewed as a moment of poker beauty, providing a tale to be told and retold by both the sandbagger and the sandbaggee. (The victim most likely will tell his tale as another bad-beat story.)

Poker history tells us that the term "sandbagging" originated many years ago in a distant place. Among men of cowardly bent, it was considered much more prudent to sneak up behind someone you hoped to do dirty and bash him a good one before he became aware of your presence. A handy weapon that will render a man senseless for a few moments, but not kill him, is a small cloth bag that's half-filled with sand – a sandbag.

Along the major rivers and on the steamboats, freight handlers and other dock workers became quite adroit at this maneuver. The term "sandbagging" thus became integrated into the distinctive character and colorful language of the poker games played on those same riverboats.

You'll want to be certain about the issue of sandbagging (check-raising) before playing in any poker game for the first time. If it's acceptable, employ it as opportunity permits. If it's not, don't. You can't win money from people if they won't let you play.

"Coffee-housing" is another issue of which you should be aware. For example, you have two pair but say to your opponent, "I think your flush is bigger than mine, so I'm just going to check." You're hoping that he'll check along with you and that your two pair will be good. But you don't want to call if he bets, because you actually suspect that he might have a bigger two pair.

Conforming to the ethical standards of the group you are playing with, and casting the image of being a "good guy," will make your opponents tend to take less notice of how much of their money you are winning.

The rule of thumb in most public poker rooms is, "Anything goes," short of cheating, of course. If you happen to see another player's hand as a result of his carelessness, that's OK. It's up to him to protect his hand. But leaning two feet to your left in an effort to discern what he's holding is completely unacceptable (and in a home game, could get you a poke in the eye with a frozen carrot).

Plain old-fashioned common sense should guide you in these matters (and keep your face out of my cards, because I always keep a frozen carrot handy).

Now I need a nap to forget my hunger. Kill the light on your way out.

Editor's note: Roy West, author of the bestseller 7 Card Stud, the Complete Course in Winning, available from Card Player, continues to give his successful poker lessons in Las Vegas to both tourists and locals. Ladies are welcome. Get his toll-free 800 number from his ad on Page 93.