Shock When Old Style Poker Players First Play Online Poker
Why even the old pro poker players stumble at fast paced online poker
ONLINE BEGINNERS BEWARE A lot of older social poker players are trying online Texas Hold’em for the first time and receiving a few initial shocks. If you are only familiar with social poker you will have become accustomed to a liberal attitude to how much time you take to decide whether to fold, bet, call, check or raise. Socially this is usually down to the tolerance of your regular poker pals or the attitude of the appointed dealer if you are in a more formal physical game. Whilst you may well be a considerate and reasonably disciplined player you certainly won’t be used to a clock ticking down while you make your decision. In an online game there IS a clock and you have no choice but to obey it as the software will make no allowance for your traditional habits. Be aware of this because initially it can trigger panic decisions while your mind re-adjusts to the new time restriction. Once you get used to this new imposed discipline you will begin to see it as a major improvement for the game as a whole because it automatically castrates those infuriating players who insist on pondering themselves (and you) into old age over every decision. Software timers level the playing field for ALL players offering an equality that has never existed in poker previously.
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DRAMA QUEEN Sometimes you get to watch a really great game of poker with huge chip value at stake and in the space of just a couple of minutes you see why this is one of the most compelling sports on the planet. Gus “The Gambler” Hansen is pitting his unspectacular Queen-Jack unsuited against Michael Benedetto’s suited eight and seven of hearts. We pick up the hand where Michael bets $165,000 effectively raising $20,000. This power bet has World Champ Negreanu heading for the door. Gus “The Gambler” is in the $3,000 small blind and edges the extra $17,000 into the pot. The only other player left in the game is Hoyt Corkins shaded by a monster ten gallon hat and sunglasses big enough to put most of Arizona in the shade. He folds his nine-eight off suit and leaves Gus and Michael to the “heads-up”. Gus is over 60% favourite now to win. The flop produces ten of diamonds-nine of clubs-Jack of clubs. This gives Gus top pair but blesses Michael with a straight. Mike’s holographic glasses hide his glee. Gus, who has a straight draw alongside his top pair to encourage him, launches a $26,000 bet. Mike (over 60% favourite at this point) is short stacked and goes all-in with his remaining $144,000 leaving Gus with a $118,000 challenge if he wants to stay in the game. Gus storms in with his $118,000 for the showdown. Mike grins as he flips over his straight and Gus looks crushed. The dealer flips over the “turn”. It’s a King and Gus makes a higher straight and the biter’s bit! Beyond the enjoyment of watching the “Drama Queen Straight” unfold it’s important to see Gus’s victory as an occasion when luck defeated skill. Despite Gus winning, Michael made all the right percentage decisions.
