How Much is the Buy-in? But First, Some Thoughts

Hi. Come on in. I have four kinds of chips and three kinds of dip. And in case you're into eating healthy, I also have carrot sticks, broccoli, and asparagus. Our fingers may be greasy, but our taste buds will sparkle.

Just a thought: Do you have the "will to win"? College basketball coach Bobby Knight says the will to win won't make you a winner. I agree. Everyone has the will to win. What you need is the will to prepare to win. Are you preparing to win? Or, are you, like so many, many others, hoping to win, wanting to win, and willing to win – but not preparing to win? Just a thought.

Another thought: Should you raise or not on third street with small to medium rolled-up hands in seven-card stud. I was playing in a $10-$20 game in which a player raised with rolled-up fours in his hand on third street. When the hand was finished, he said, "I never know if raising is the right thing to do in that spot. Sometimes I do well and sometimes I get clobbered."

The dealer said to him, "It's like standing on top of a dam and trying to decide which way to jump. You have the water on one side and the rocks on the other. Either way, you're going to be had." (I say raise – but it's just a thought.)

One more? OK, here's some free advice – and rest assured, it's worth every cent you pay for it. This wisdom isn't actually mine, but I'm passing it along from the source.

An old-timer once told me (did you ever notice that anytime anyone every got advice about poker, it was from an "old-timer"? I never heard anyone say, "This young punk once took me aside and told me … ") this:

"Never moan and gripe about your bad luck. Half the people at the table don't care – and the other half are glad."

Curious thought: It's amazing how we poker players almost universally overrate our skills.

Many times when a player leaves a game, someone says, "There goes the 'live one' – now what do we do?" Meanwhile, you're looking around, telling yourself they are some of the worst players you have ever seen. They're all "live ones" who consider themselves to be "sharks." (I wonder what they say when I leave a game. Curious thought, huh?)

Total change of subject (no more thinking): "How much is the buy-in?" Whatever answer the dealer gives, I advise my students to double it. You know that the house requires you to buy a set minimum amount of chips upon entering a game – and lots of you do just that. Let me give you a couple of reasons not to do just that.

As a rule of thumb, the house will usually ask you to buy in for 10 times the minimum bet. In a $5-$10 seven-card stud game in Las Vegas, the required minimum buy-in is $50. My advice is to buy in for 10 times the maximum bet. The house's reason for 10 times the minimum bet is that you will have enough money on the table to play at least one hand to the end. My reason comes from plain observation.

I've seen the following tale happen more than a few times: A player sits down and buys in for the minimum $50. His first hand shows promise, so he enters the pot. To be brief, he makes a good hand, goes to the end, and is beaten by a better hand. His stack now contains just a few dollars.

The dealer shuffles and begins to deal as our hero takes out another $50. This being a table-stakes game, no money can be put on the table once the deal has started, and the dealer so informs our friend. Our friend now looks down to see a great starting hand. This time he ends up with the best hand – and wins just a few dollars from each of four players. About $120 will never see his stack. Buy in for 10 times the maximum bet!

The other reason? Someone making the minimum buy-in is probably a tight player with a short bankroll who's playing with scared money. That's one heck of an overgeneralization, but I think you get the idea. He's not going to be splashing around without value.

How healthy is it when you dip your carrot sticks, broccoli, and asparagus into my cholesterol-laden dips? It must have tasted good, because the veggies are all gone. Now I tire and require repose. Take what's left and 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. Call 1-800-548-6177 Ext. 03.