POKER TABLE BANTER A lot of online players like to use the chat boxes to sew false tells about themselves. Other players just genuinely find it relaxing to chat in a friendly manner while playing. I was listening to a delightful snatch of table banter between Mike Matusow and Daniel Negreanu on a youtube.com link the other night. If you want to hear it search for “YourMoney2” and you’ll find it amongst lots of good tips and humour within the “High Stakes Poker” episodes they’re running in ten minute chunks. One of my favourite chat box moments from the past week was a Canadian female player saying, “I’ve had a lousy run of cards lately. Maybe if I wear a full burka I could make a living as a ventriloquist instead!”
FREQUENTLY ASKED POKER QUESTIONS Q: I’ve heard rumours that the World Series of Poker might be coming to England. Is this really possible? A: Don’t rule it out. I’d say it could happen within two years. The Americans have really shot themselves in the foot by banning online poker (They’re good at friendly fire). What is true is that Ladbrokes have announced plans to stage a massive tournament in the UK next year to challenge the WSOP supremacy which will now be severely undermined by the U.S. online ban. The London Paddington Hilton is the potential venue if the Gambling Commission gives its consent. This seems likely as Gordon Brown has taken the grown-up approach of allowing the British public to make up its own mind about whether it wants to gamble or not. He’s just going to make sure it gets taxed. That’s one thing you can definitely bet on!
SLIM PICKIN’S Q: As a newcomer to poker I was amazed to see a top professional player actually ask his opponent in a televised heads up what cards he was holding? Is that normally allowed? A: Yes! The player being quizzed doesn’t have to answer. If he does he’s at liberty to lie and of course frequently will. Professionals will badger one another all the time in this fashion. It’s not that they expect an honest answer particularly, it’s just that they hope by keeping up a barrage of questions something important may get betrayed by their selected victim which will lead to a “read”. It can be very amusing to watch as you’ll discover if you’re just getting into poker. The very best exponent of table banter as a strategy is the notorious Amarillo “Slim” Preston. He will drawl out all kinds of well crafted friendly questions to give him intel his opponent rarely even realises he’s leaking.
