This and That About Poker

Hi. Come on in. I found a fast-food place that delivers – half-dozen each of double cheeseburgers and chili dogs. Help yourself.

I have a couple of questions about gambling for us to think about today. First, why do we gamble? For money? For fun? For excitement? After long and serious thought, I've come up with one large answer that's found in the word anticipation.

In any sportsbook, it's possible to wager on an event, the outcome of which will not be known for several months. The Super Bowl in football or the World Series in baseball can be wagered upon well before the football or baseball season even starts. In contrast, you can drop a coin in a slot machine and have the result in seconds.

I believe that the attraction of gambling is actually the anticipation that we experience in the interval between placing the bet and knowing the outcome. The length of that anticipation is determined by the event wagered upon – six seconds or six months.

For many of us, our perception of physical excitement is heightened by this anticipation. While I don't know if this would account for compulsive gambling, I do believe that it's possible to become addicted to this perception.

The second question for us to contemplate is: Do we gamble? For most of the 30-some years I've been playing poker, I have not considered myself to be a "gambler." When nonplaying friends I hadn't seen for a while would ask, "How are you doing with the gambling?" I would tell them, "I'm not a gambler, I'm a poker player." I would explain how poker is a game of skill, and that my skill made me a consistent winner.

I'm still not sure why I was denying that I was a gambler. I think it had something to do with the fear of compulsiveness. And then, too, in the minds of many people, there still lingers that image of a gambler as being a shady, unsavory character. Of course, that couldn't be me. I remain a fine example of clean, standing-tall American youth.

I would explain to my unknowing friends the difference between the skillful poker player and the gambler who plays games such as craps and roulette. I haven't been alone in my denial. I have heard, and still hear, many poker players say they aren't gamblers.

Yes, we know that the skilled poker player has an advantage over the unskilled player. It's the people who play craps, roulette, and similar pit games who are gambling against a built-in house advantage. That's true gambling. Yet, the poker player – even the skilled, consistent, professional winner – is a gambler. He usually will play only when he figures that he has the best of it. He wants the best hand or the best draw. He doesn't look at it as gambling. I didn't.

But let's suppose that we have a magic genie sitting on our shoulder to tell us the precise odds of success on every bet we make at the poker table. And then let's suppose that we decide to bet only in situations in which we are favored by 5-to-1 or better. Or, we could make it 10-to-1 – or even 100-to-1. The fact that the "1" is there makes it a gamble. Without that "1" there would be no game. It is theoretically possible to lose every time we make such a bet (although it's highly improbable). So, even when we play with the best of it, we are still gambling. You can continue to deny it if you want, that's your business. I only bring it up for you who are willing to look at yourselves and know who you really are.

Another of Roy's Rules. Don't play marathon sessions. Personally, I usually play between four and six hours. From experience, I've learned that that's about the most amount of time that I can maintain my concentration at its best. I start checking myself out at the four-hour mark, then at five hours, and then at six hours. Usually after six hours, I'm ready to depart the game, unless

the nice folks are having a party giving away their money. Then, I'll stay until the party is over. As a callow youth, I once played for 42 hours straight without a break, except for the restroom. If I tried that today, I'd be the one giving the party.

I'll be tasting those burgers and dogs for three days. Take a couple with you and 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, has a toll-free 800 number and continues to give his successful poker lessons in Las Vegas to both tourists and locals. Ladies are welcome. See his ad on page 82.