Plus, the poker tip of the day tells you why you must avoid 'catch up'
FIRST LADY OF POKER Imagine deciding to take up poker as a profession in the 1970’s? Not that incredible, I guess, unless of course you happened to be a woman! We hear so much these days about the brilliant new female poker professionals from the online generation, like Annie “The Duchess” Duke and Jennifer Harman, completely overlooking the First Lady to really open the door for women to big time poker: Barbara Enright.
HOLLYWOOD COULDN’T SCRIPT THIS! Raised from childhood to play Five Card draw, Barbara Enright was playing in a local tournament in the mid 1970’s when she was unexpectedly diagnosed with a chronic illness which forced her to take one of life’s real gambles. As a single mum her decision to launch herself full time into the eccentric world of professional poker drew gasps from just about everyone around her. Barbara would however astound herself, her doctors and her opponents. She battled her way steadily through her illness, somehow managing to build a fabulous career which took her to no less than three World Series of Poker bracelets. In 1986, Enright won the Ladies Seven Card Stud event at the WSOP, returning in 1994 to re-take the exact same championship in stunning style. Perhaps Barbara Enright’s crowning glory came in 1996 when she became the first woman to win the World Series of Poker “Open” (men and women). During that memorable tournament she actually competed with the then up and coming young super-star of womens’ poker, Jennifer Harman, along with a raft of the top male professionals, whom she outlasted in her usual gritty manner. To this day she remains a fierce and determined woman and a powerful force in womens’ poker, currently editing a successful magazine dedicated to female only players: “Woman Poker Player” monthly.
POKER TIP OF THE DAY Avoid falling into the trap of “catch up”. It happens to all of us. You’re having a good evening online and you decide to play hole cards that aren’t tip top but you’re confident you can “catch up” at the flop or the turn. Queen-Ten, Jack-Nine, there are lots of combinations that aren’t quite on your wish list, but you’re winning, so you’re going for it anyway. Here’s how this attitude looks over the long run if we study the four most likely scenarios:
a) I get superior hole cards to you. On top of that I catch better cards than you do. Result: I win! b) I land superior hole cards to you. We both catch rubbish rags. I still win! c) You get better hole cards than me. I catch up with better cards than you. I win! d) You land better hole cards than me. You catch better cards than me. You win!
As you can see from the above, whoever starts with the best hole cards wins out over the long run because the luck that enables you to win sometimes by playing “catch up” with lesser starting cards evens itself out over all players. “Catch up” will catch-you-out eventually. Dump it.
