Leave It to the Experts
There is a very tall, bearded man sitting at a poker table in a casino. He's locked in an intense game of No Limit Texas Hold'em with some very good players. And, unfortunately, he's not exactly dealt the kind of hand that it takes to hang with high caliber players. He has before him an off-suited 7-2, the worst starting hand in poker.
Feeling bold though, he actually chooses to raise before the flop prompting everyone except for one person to fold. It is this one person that would stay with him till the end and set the stage for greatness. After a 7-3-3 flop, the man was left with a two pair but an awful kicker. The pressure really comes on after the man's opponent raises him forcing the man to call to stay in with his lousy hand.
It's obvious before the turn that the opponent has a big pair and the man's decision to raise is foolish. The turn card reveals a 2 leaving this guy with a two-pair but also one that he knows is ultimately a loser. So, looking at his opponent he says, "I'll tell you what…..just give me one of those $25 chips of yours and you can see one of my cards. Whichever you choose."
The opponent plays along by throwing out a $25 chip and pointing to a card. The man flips over one card revealing a 2, which leads the opponent to fold thinking that this guy has a full house. The man, as it turned out, was 1982 World of Series champion Jack "Treetop" Staus. And he was now the proud owner of one of the greatest poker bluffs of all time. His weak two-pair stole the pot worth over $30,000 and became the stuff of legends.
TV Poker Tragedy
The game of Texas Hold'em hasn't changed much and professionals still love to pull off the impossible when the opportunity arises. Sadly though, many, many more people are watching the pros these days than they did back in the years when Jack Straus played because poker has taken television by storm. And why is the increased popularity that TV poker has brought on been such a tragedy?
The answer is that many novice players are trying to take the unthinkable tricks that they see the professional Hold'em players pull off and apply them to games that they play in. And this has spawned some atrocious play that leaves many people at tables across the globe wondering where they went wrong after using a move that they saw executed to perfection on TV.
These are the same people who don't realize that these players have big-time reputations and are frequently shown on television for a reason. Professionals are called "professional" because poker is their work and they do it for a living. With this responsibility comes the uncanny expertise that only a seasoned veteran has and only a player such as this should even be considering frequently playing outside of the box.
A pro has been around long enough to know when they have a legitimate shot at bluffing another person at the table and when they need to stick to the basics and fold because they've got absolutely nothing. The TV game is predicated on the psychology of poker and only those who've put in the time necessary to develop the instincts for the incredible play should even attempt to play like a professional.
But incredible bluffs and heads-up play are all we see when poker is on television. Folding, checking, and solid fundamental play doesn't make for great TV and so it rarely ever makes the cut come production time. This leaves the average viewer with a mistaken perception of what playing like a professional is really like. It's not just the advanced instincts that a beginning player lacks but a feel for how top level games go as well.
The Reality Of Poker
Rookie players need to understand that flops aren't seen as frequently as they are perceived to be shown on television and one's position is important when making calls, raises, or checks. The reality is that bluff situations don't arise once every five hands and players must still pay attention to their prospects of winning a hand based on the two hole cards that are they are holding.
However, despite a simple thing called better judgement that is in the back of all our heads saying, "Don't stay past the flop with that non-suited 5-8", players will continue to use the techniques and strategies that they see on television. So whether you're in a Low Limit casino game, playing for money on the Internet, or just relaxing in a friendly little game with some friends make sure to take advantage of all these wannabes and increase your bank roll at the same time.
Feeling bold though, he actually chooses to raise before the flop prompting everyone except for one person to fold. It is this one person that would stay with him till the end and set the stage for greatness. After a 7-3-3 flop, the man was left with a two pair but an awful kicker. The pressure really comes on after the man's opponent raises him forcing the man to call to stay in with his lousy hand.
It's obvious before the turn that the opponent has a big pair and the man's decision to raise is foolish. The turn card reveals a 2 leaving this guy with a two-pair but also one that he knows is ultimately a loser. So, looking at his opponent he says, "I'll tell you what…..just give me one of those $25 chips of yours and you can see one of my cards. Whichever you choose."
The opponent plays along by throwing out a $25 chip and pointing to a card. The man flips over one card revealing a 2, which leads the opponent to fold thinking that this guy has a full house. The man, as it turned out, was 1982 World of Series champion Jack "Treetop" Staus. And he was now the proud owner of one of the greatest poker bluffs of all time. His weak two-pair stole the pot worth over $30,000 and became the stuff of legends.
TV Poker Tragedy
The game of Texas Hold'em hasn't changed much and professionals still love to pull off the impossible when the opportunity arises. Sadly though, many, many more people are watching the pros these days than they did back in the years when Jack Straus played because poker has taken television by storm. And why is the increased popularity that TV poker has brought on been such a tragedy?
The answer is that many novice players are trying to take the unthinkable tricks that they see the professional Hold'em players pull off and apply them to games that they play in. And this has spawned some atrocious play that leaves many people at tables across the globe wondering where they went wrong after using a move that they saw executed to perfection on TV.
These are the same people who don't realize that these players have big-time reputations and are frequently shown on television for a reason. Professionals are called "professional" because poker is their work and they do it for a living. With this responsibility comes the uncanny expertise that only a seasoned veteran has and only a player such as this should even be considering frequently playing outside of the box.
A pro has been around long enough to know when they have a legitimate shot at bluffing another person at the table and when they need to stick to the basics and fold because they've got absolutely nothing. The TV game is predicated on the psychology of poker and only those who've put in the time necessary to develop the instincts for the incredible play should even attempt to play like a professional.
But incredible bluffs and heads-up play are all we see when poker is on television. Folding, checking, and solid fundamental play doesn't make for great TV and so it rarely ever makes the cut come production time. This leaves the average viewer with a mistaken perception of what playing like a professional is really like. It's not just the advanced instincts that a beginning player lacks but a feel for how top level games go as well.
The Reality Of Poker
Rookie players need to understand that flops aren't seen as frequently as they are perceived to be shown on television and one's position is important when making calls, raises, or checks. The reality is that bluff situations don't arise once every five hands and players must still pay attention to their prospects of winning a hand based on the two hole cards that are they are holding.
However, despite a simple thing called better judgement that is in the back of all our heads saying, "Don't stay past the flop with that non-suited 5-8", players will continue to use the techniques and strategies that they see on television. So whether you're in a Low Limit casino game, playing for money on the Internet, or just relaxing in a friendly little game with some friends make sure to take advantage of all these wannabes and increase your bank roll at the same time.
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