Cappelletti in New Orleans

At the 11-day 2003 Fall National Bridge Championships in New Orleans, each night after the evening bridge sessions, a large number of bridge players descended on Harrah's Casino for a little late-night gaming action. Consistent with the recent boom in poker popularity, I noticed that lots of bridge players headed to the new poker area.

The poker room, which was located at the South Peters entrance, has been moved right into the middle of the Mardi Gras Court. There are now about 20 poker tables set amidst the colorful jesters and French Quarter ambiance, including actual Mardi Gras floats, crafted by some of New Orleans' most famous carnival designers, and black wrought-iron balconies. They even have player pagers so that you can roam around the casino until your seat is ready.

Apparently, poker is flourishing in New Orleans, as it is elsewhere. I was told that one of Harrah's priorities is to bring the home of poker back to New Orleans, poker's original birthplace in this country. The French, who settled New Orleans in the 1820s, introduced the game of "bluff and bet." American "poker" evolved soon thereafter and spread up the Mississippi, and then westward and eastward, too.

In January 2004, Harrah's New Orleans will host its largest poker tournament ever, the $250,000 Cajun Poker Classic. The $550 buy-in main event will award the winner a seat in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship at Bellagio in Las Vegas. Have you been watching the WPT telecasts on the Travel Channel every Wednesday night?

Harrah's $10-$20 hold'em games are among the liveliest on this planet, and they were particularly popular with the bridge players. I strongly disagree with those who say it is harder to win in the "no-fold'em" jungle-type games, where you have little control and frequently "get run down" by weaker hands. It seems obvious that if weak hands keep chasing, you will win much bigger pots with the hands you do win. And since you are playing good hands, you should be a favorite to win your share of the pots.

Thus, you should win big money in loose games, based on sheer mathematics. Generally, you should play tight and wait for premium hands, and get lots of money into the pot whenever you have an edge. The bottom line is that you figure to win an average of more than one big bet an hour in the long run, so you usually should win in the short run, also.

There are a few little tactical adjustments that you might make. I noticed that each time there was an early-position raise before the flop, most of the players folded reluctantly (and unhappily). So, when I picked up the A Q under the gun, I considered it a mandatory smooth call! If someone had raised behind me and there were other callers ("trapped"), I probably would have reraised.

A bridge client who was watching me play asked why I didn't raise before the flop with A-Q suited. I explained to her that I didn't want to force loose callers out of the pot, especially someone with suited connectors in my suit, who certainly would be a good customer if the flush came.

The next round, she watched me raise before the flop from early position with K-Q offsuit. I explained to her that my raise before the flop might inhibit players from calling with a "soft ace" (an ace without a big kicker – for example, A-7), because they might fear tangling with a "big ace" (for example, A-Q). And, clearly, when you have K-Q and flop a high pair, you would rather not have an ace playing against you.

If you haven't played at Harrah's since the poker room moved, you might wonder on your next visit what became of the wonderful Blue Dog painting, "Luck be a Lady," by famous Louisiana artist George Rodrigue, which hung in Harrah's old poker room. It's still there. I revisited it at The Besh Steakhouse, which took over the old poker room's location.