More Hastily Scribbled Notes

Hi. Come on in. I got some Chinese food at the mall. Dig in while we talk of our beloved game of poker.

A while back we went through the pile of notes on my desk and talked about them. That was four months ago, and now there is another pile of notes, bigger than before. I knew I'd have to do something about my messy desk when my phone rang this morning – and I couldn't find it.

I searched for and found the phone, buried under scraps of paper of various sizes, shapes, and colors. These bits of paper contain hastily scribbled notes, from me to me, about poker topics. The thoughts are rarely long enough to sustain a conversation, but they are of interest. So, I always say to myself as I hastily scribble, "Someday we will talk about this." Today is the day.

Hastily scribbled note No. 1: Slow-playing a big hand in low- or medium-limit poker is generally not the best move. These folks came to play, not fold. So, get the money into the pot.

A monster hand is another matter. Here's an example: I was playing in a $10-$20 seven-card stud game. On sixth street, my board was showing four spades. Two other players were also showing four of a suit. (We all held complete flushes.) The fourth player in this pot was showing three sixes. She had the fourth 6 in the hole, which of course we didn't know at the time. We soon found out, though – even before she showed her hand. I was fully expecting her to check, so I almost fell off my chair when she bet $20.

I folded my hand as quickly as a cat can wink an eye. The other two flushes pondered a moment, then folded. The woman showed us the fourth 6. I don't believe in giving "lessons" at the poker table, so I held my silence, although I very much wanted to know why she bet instead of try for the check-raise. (But, I made a hastily scribbled note.)

How would I have played in that spot? My thinking is this: If I'm showing three sixes while looking at four-flushes in three other hands and I bet into those hands, I'm either trying an incredible bluff or I'm holding a full house or better.

The possibilities of a bluff are minimal, because we have a protected pot. That is, with three other players involved, there is a high likelihood someone will call the bluff. If I check, I'm saying I have only the three sixes, and I'm concerned about all of those flushes. Of course, in the deepest reaches of my greedy little heart, I'm hoping someone will bet so that I can check-raise.

The woman missed a great opportunity to profitably slow-play her hand and possibly induce betting and raising that would have added substantially to her stack.

Note No. 2: Speaking of giving lessons at the poker table, why is it usually the losers who tell the winners how incorrectly they played a hand? The person who wins the pot rarely says anything about how the loser played. (Personally, I'd rather take a lesson from the winner.)

Note No. 3: A big difference I see between low-limit hold'em players and low-limit stud players is that hold'em players tend to overvalue their starting hands, while stud players tend to undervalue their starting hands.

Note No. 4: This observation came from one of my students: Every solid seven-card stud player feels somewhere in his soul that if he could find a six-card stud game, he would become rich, because drawouts on seventh street would be eliminated.

Note No. 5: Take notice that most major tournaments are won by good players who get a good run of cards – or fair players who get a great run of cards. A poor player stands little chance.

I didn't know you were so adroit with chopsticks. Now that my tummy is full, I require repose. Kill the light on your way out.

Editor's note: Roy West, author of the best-seller 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.