Things That Make You Say, Hmm - Part I

I started playing poker for a living in the spring of 1998. It is now almost six years later, and I have achieved more than I ever imagined possible. I have become one of the top money players in Europe, not because I make big scores all the time, but, more importantly, because of my consistency. Plus, I have become a pretty successful columnist for Card Player. Various poker sites have asked me to do things for them on the Internet, and I have become the official reporter for Holland Casino's annual Master Classics of Poker tournament. Even with all of these exciting things going on, my poker results just keep getting better and better, and I still love the game as much as when I first started.

Does this all mean that I see only the good side of poker and close my eyes to the bad things that are also part of the game? Of course not. It is just that I usually like to highlight the good parts of the game. Having said that, I will use this column to discuss some experiences I have had during my years as a pro that have caused me to say, "Hmm."

• My girlfriend Elvira and I were on vacation in the United States, traveling the West Coast, and we decided to visit a casino in Vegas to play a little poker. Because we like to play at the same table – this being our vacation – we opted for a $3-$6 limit hold'em game, even though I normally play in higher- and pot-limit games only. However, even for small stakes I always try to play my best game, and that usually means I'm not involved in very many hands. At that time, a new dealer came to the table and entered the box; he recognized me as "that European professional player/writer." Some 20 minutes later, I finally played my first hand against a tourist who called my A-K raise while holding A-10, and who couldn't get away from his hand once an ace flopped. When the dealer pushed the pot to me, the tourist started complaining and cursing his bad luck for flopping top pair and then losing because of his kicker. The dealer replied that in his opinion, the tourist shouldn't have played the hand in the first place. He explained that since I'm a professional player, and had been folding so many hands, my under-the-gun raise probably meant I had a high pair or two very big cards. Therefore, he said, the player's A-10 was likely to be dominated and not good enough to enter the pot with. Elvira – a dealer herself – and I looked at each other … hmm.

• A well-known high-stakes gambler walked into the poker area and asked what kind of game we were playing. We replied, "Our regular game, pot-limit Omaha with $10-$10 blinds and a $500 buy-in."

"Gee, that's playing for pennies," the high roller remarked. "Call me once you've got a real game going." Two years later, he owes a total of at least 50 grand ($50,000) to various players in our game, and he is said to have left the country for good … hmm.

• At the showdown, it is time for a well-known lady angle-shooter and her extremely inexperienced opponent to open their hands. The lady, who – according to the rules – has to open first, announces, "Flush," while keeping her cards facedown. Her opponent, unable to beat this, folds his hand, and the dealer pushes the pot toward the lady. When she is asked to open her cards, though, it becomes clear that she doesn't have the two hearts she is supposed to have, but a heart and a diamond, for an ace-high, no-pair hand. Her extremely inexperienced opponent, having folded the winner, now protests, but the floorman says that even though the lady had announced her hand wrong, this does not mean she cannot have the pot. The floorman adds that it is one's duty to protect one's hand, and to fold only after one has seen the other person's cards, because vocal statements are simply not binding. The lady stacked her chips, having gotten away with yet another angle shot … hmm.

• An off-duty floorman, let's call him James, was playing in a $200 buy-in pot-limit Omaha game. After playing for a couple of hours and having a few drinks too many, an argument arose between him and one of the regular players. This man – let's call him John – was known for his emotional outbursts and had a history of violent attacks against players and personnel alike. This regular was involved in a hand and lost a big pot to James. Immediately, he started complaining in his usual loud manner, and questioned not only how his opponent had played the hand, but also his abilities as a floorman: To be more concrete, he thought James was not just a horrible player, but a horrible floorman, as well. James quickly replied that this analysis could very well be right, since any good floorman would have barred him for life a long time ago. John got up immediately, pulled the floorman out of his chair, and started punching him in the face as hard as he could. It took three security officers to calm him down. Even though everyone expected the offensive, aggressive John to get serious punishment this time, management claimed that since the floorperson was out of line, too, John was not the only one to blame, and therefore couldn't be held solely responsible. After being asked politely to stay a bit more calm in the future, John was allowed to return to the table, and that was the end of it. "Deal me in," he ordered the dealer, who was unsure what to do about obliging John's request. In the end, the dealer did what was asked – dealing everybody in – and play simply resumed as if no incident had occurred at all – with both James and John continuing in the game. Nobody said a word … hmm.

In the next issue, I will discuss some more things I have experienced in poker that might raise your eyebrows.