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The good player forms policies about money, credit, and rules. These policies are his guidelines for strategy and are planned to yield both short-term and long-term advantages. Proper policies result in fewer mistakes and better decisions.
a. Maintaining proper attitude (60)
Since poker is based on money, the proper attitude about money is crucial. What is the good player's attitude about money? Realizing that each dollar represents an irreplaceable segment of life (the time required to earn that dollar, he respects money out of respect for himself.
b. Stimulating poor attitude in opponents (61)
A poor money attitude in opponents increases the edge odds for the good player. Since most players are influenced by the opinions of the good player, he uses that influence to stimulate poor money attitudes by advancing erroneous ideas such as--
The good player often encourages the use of poker chips instead of money in order to--
In certain games, however, players will play for higher stakes when cash (rather than chips) is used.
c. Increasing money in game (62)
The good player tries to increase the cash brought to the game because more cash--
An effective way to increase money brought to the game is to increase the money needed to play by limiting the use of credit.
Ted Fehr has been losing heavily on the horses. His cash position is low; he is borrowing excessively to stay in the action. John is worried because now Ted brings less than $100 to the game, loses his stake promptly, and then borrows for the rest of the game. John figures that each player should bring at least $300 to keep the game healthy at its current stakes. So he puts pressure on Ted to increase his cash position:
"Lend me a hundred," Ted says, turning to John after losing a pot.
"It's only the third hand and you're broke?" John growls and makes no move to lend him money. "I can't lend my cash right off ... what'll I play on?" The other players nod in agreement.
"Who'll lend me a hundred?" Ted asks as he looks around the table with his mouth smiling. When no one replies, his mouth droops.
Noticing Ted's sweaty forehead, John finally says, "Write out a check and put it in the game. Next time bring five or six hundred like everyone else does. Then if you run out, there'll be enough cash in the game to lend."
Ted's freckled face wrinkles as he pulls a blank check from his wallet. "I've lost thousands in this game," he says in a choking voice. "Can't even borrow a hundred. Isn't my credit any good?"
"Sure your credit is good," John explains as he cashes the check. "That's not the point. It's for your own protection. How can you possibly win without money to back you up? Got to have money to make money." . . . John knows this meaningless platitude will be swallowed as the truth by most players, especially gamblers like Ted.
"Got to have money to make money," Ted mumbles. "I'll bring plenty next week and overpower everyone."
During that week, Ted wins at the racetrack. Remembering John's advice and blaming his poker losses to a lack of cash, he brings over $1000 to the next game. The excess cash clouds his sense of value for money--he tries to overpower everyone. His overpowering play is an exhibition of wild, reckless poker. By two in the morning, Ted is writing a check; John Finn is a very big winner.
All debts must be paid by the start of each game.
No one may play while owing money from a previous game.
The above rule is effective in preventing bad debts that can damage or destroy a game. The credit rule also prevents a valuable loser from accumulating such a large poker debt that he quits the game and never plays again just to avoid paying the debt. When a loser is temporarily forced out of the game by the credit rule, he usually recovers financially, repays his debts, and then returns for more losses.
Enforcing the credit rule offers the following additional advantages:
The good player is flexible and alters any policy when beneficial. For example, he may ignore the credit rule to prevent a wealthy, heavily losing player from quitting the game. But he carefully weighs the advantages against the long-range disadvantages before making any exception to the credit rule.
By not borrowing money himself, the good player avoids obligations that could reduce his influence over the credit policies. If the good player loses his cash, he writes a check. A check puts more money into the game and sets a good example for using checks instead of credit. If the good player must borrow, he does so from a player who rarely borrows himself and thus would seldom demand a reciprocating loan.
a. Extending credit (64)
The good player extends credit only for personal financial gain. He selectively extends credit for the following reasons:
To obtain maximum benefits when lending money, the good player creates impressions that he--
b. Refusing credit (65)
Easy credit automatically extended by a winning player will make him the target for most or all loans. Automatic credit decreases the money brought to the game, which in turn decreases the betting pace. Ironically, losers often feel ungrateful, resentful, and often suspicious toward overly willing lenders.
Refusal of credit is an important tool for controlling credit policies. The good player selectively refuses credit in order to--
c. Cashing checks (66)
In most poker games, checks are as good as cash. The threat of legal action forces fast payment of most bounced checks. The good player likes to cash losers' checks, because --
d. Bad debts (67)
A bad poker debt is rare. Losing players are gamblers, and most gamblers maintain good gambling credit. Some players go bankrupt, but almost all eventually pay their poker debts. When a loser stops gambling to recover financially, the best policy usually is to avoid pressuring him into paying his poker debt. Such pressure can cause increasing resentment to the point where he may never pay . . . or even worse, never return to the game to lose more money.
A house rule that allows bad debts to be absorbed by all players (e.g., by cutting the pot) has two advantages:
Establishing a maximum bad debt that will be reimbursed by cutting pots is a wise addition to that house rule. Limiting this bad-debt insurance will--
A gambling debt has no legal recourse (except debts represented by bad checks). A welcher, however, will often pay if threatened with a tattletale campaign. If he still does not pay, a few telephone calls to his wife, friends, and business associates will often force payment. The good player openly discusses any bad poker debt as a deterrent to others who might consider welching.
Handling credit is an important and delicate matter for John Finn. He must make credit available to keep the game going, but must limit the use of credit to keep cash plentiful. He must appear generous in lending his winnings, while appearing tough against players abusing the use of credit. John pressures other winners into lending their money and pressures losers into writing checks. He must prevent hurt feelings on the part of losers as he enforces the credit rule (described in Concept 63).... All this requires careful thought and delicate maneuvering.
Sid Bennett is wealthy and loses many thousands of dollars every year. John takes special care of him. Usually Sid brings plenty of cash to the game, maybe $500 or $600. When he loses that, John gently pressures him into writing checks. Occasionally, Sid gets upset and refuses to write any more checks. He then borrows with gusto. Sometimes when he runs out of money, he scans the table for the biggest pile of money. Then, smash, his big fist descends without warning . . . he grabs the whole pile of money and peels off a couple hundred dollars. If the victim objects, Sid just grunts and looks the other way, but keeps the money. Most players grant him that liberty because they know he is rich and will always repay them.
Occasionally, Sid becomes bitter when suffering big consecutive losses and refuses to pay off his debts by the next game. John realizes that Sid might quit the game if the credit rule were applied to him. So if Sid owes him money under those conditions, John says nothing and lets the debt ride until the following week. But if Sid refuses to pay money he owes to another player, John pays off the debt while reminding everyone that debts cannot be carried over. Sid usually pays John later the same night or the following week. With his tantrums appeased, Sid happily goes on to lose many thousands more.
While lax with Sid, John Finn rigidly enforces the credit rule against other players. He is particularly tight about extending credit to Ted Fehr because of his poor financial condition. John often refuses him credit and makes him write checks That tough policy forces Ted to quit when he is broke. Then when he accumulates enough money, he returns to the game, pays off his debts, and loses more money.
When Ted quits for several weeks to recover financially, a losing player occasionally complains about holding one of Ted's debts or bounced checks. John offers to buy the debt or check at a 25 percent discount. Such transactions keep everyone happy: they give the losers more cash to lose, and John acquires extra profits from the stronger players.
At times, John Finn refuses to lend money to anyone. Such action forces others to lend their cash. At other times, he puts on subtle displays of generosity. For example, if players with good credit run low on money, John advantageously reduces his cash position by handing them money before they even ask for a loan. Everyone is favorably impressed with his acts of fake generosity.
In John's notebook is the following list:
| Credit Rating | |
|---|---|
| Quintin Merck | Best |
| Sid Bennett | ↓ |
| Scotty Nichols | ↓ |
| Ted Fehr | Worst |
When a player writes a check, John usually makes a quick move to cash it. To him, checks are often better to hold than money because cash winnings are more obvious targets for loans than are check winnings.
Poker, unlike other card games, is not subject to rigid rules. Published rules and the various "Hoyles" on poker are merely descriptions of conventions. Strict adherence to any set of poker rules produces an array of contradictions and inequities. By avoiding reference to Hoyle or to any fixed rules, and by consistently interpreting poker situations and equitably resolving poker problems, the good player can gain control of the rules.
a. Modified rules (69)
The rules found in poker books fail to cover many situations, especially in games involving split pots, twists, and other, more complex modifications. To cover the many ruleless situations, the good player equitably formulates new rules (actually, he formulates flexible guidelines rather than rules). He will then consistently follow the guidelines, even when that costs him money. Why would he do something that costs him money? Because in the long run, such a policy delivers major financial benefits by giving him control of the rules. Furthermore, he can from time to time remind everyone of the money he has lost because of his "fairness," which reinforces everyone's confidence in him as the controller of the rules.
b. Disputed plays (70)
Because the good player interprets the rules consistently and fairly, his opponents implicitly trust him and depend on him to resolve disputed plays and technical problems about poker. Typical approaches he uses in settling commonly disputed plays are summarized in Table 21.
| Disputed Play | Consistent Approach |
|---|---|
| Misdeal | Cards are never redealt because of a misdeal. Each player is responsible for his own cards. Any misdealt hand having an uncorrectable advantage must be folded. Any misdealt hand that is correctable or left at a disadvantage can be played. |
| Exposed card during the deal | An exposed card can never be exchanged for a new one--all cards must be accepted. |
| Exposed card before the deal | All cards must come off in order. No one can ask for a reshuffle, a cut, or a different card. |
| Out-of-turn betting, calling, raising, or checking | Any play made out of turn (except folding) is meaningless and can be remade or changed during the player's proper turn. |
Note: These approaches are for private games. Approaches for public games (casino and club poker) may be entirely different. See Part six for information on public poker.
The approaches in Table 21 provide clear and consistent solutions to disputes that commonly occur, especially in complex games involving split pots and twists.
c. Inequitable rules (71)
The good player may favor a chronic loser with an inequitable rule interpretation in order to keep him in the game (to everyone's benefit). Yet, he interprets and applies a rule with favorable bias toward a loser only if the financial value of that loser outweighs the financial value of interpreting all rules consistently and equitably.
d. House rules(72)
House rules are very important to the good player. They concern betting and playing procedures plus any other rules the players wish to adopt. The house rules determine not only the game stakes but also the game pace.
Since most players fail to differentiate between the house rules and poker rules, they often let the good player control the house rules because of his fairness in interpreting poker rules. Important house rules that the good player seeks to control and manipulate concern--
The good player avoids well-defined or written rules to retain the flexibility needed to change the rules when advantageous.
In the Monday night game, John Finn verbally insists on adhering to the rules, but he carefully avoids any reference to specific rules. Instead, he mediates all disputes fairly, even when it costs him the pot. In his black notebook, he records his rule interpretations and dispute settlements. As a book of law, he refers to those entries in settling future problems. The entries in which he loses money are marked by big stars and recorded in accurate detail. He remembers those entries, and at every appropriate opportunity he reminds everyone how his honest rule interpretations cost him money. Of course, he never mentions the interpretations that favored him.
With his consistent policy of "integrity", John wins the confidence of the players. They know he is fair--everyone trusts him. They ask him to settle disputes, and they abide by his decisions. They accept him as the controller of the rules. Failing to realize that the poker rules bear no relationship to the house rules, they let John's influence spill into the house rules, thereby giving him a key tool for controlling the game.
Using his influence over the rules, John slowly alters and then obliterates the original house rules. In the Monday night game, the original house rules allowed a maximum bet of $1 and permitted only straight draw and stud games . . . $50 winners were rare. Now $100 bets are made in draw. Wild and split-pot games with twists prevail. Thousand-dollar winners are common. After six years of controlling the rules, John increased his edge odds from 35 percent to 65 percent, and his profits soared from $2,500 to $42,000 per year.
He avoids involvement by outwardly ignoring the situation. The good player will, however, study an emotional situation in order to exploit it. He intervenes only in those situations that could cost him money. For example, he steps in to prevent a loser from quitting the game because of a personal argument.
When the good player faces a potential argument, he controls the situation either by yielding quickly or by standing firm. He avoids taking positions that he may have to compromise or yield. He takes a firm position only when financially profitable. When in doubt about yielding or holding firm, he usually yields before a confrontation occurs.
Sid's loud mouth constantly bellows good-natured insults at the players. Professor Merck does not like Sid to tease him about his mustache, his tight playing, or his beret. He tells Sid to stop. But Sid Bennett grins and rides him even harder by calling him a dirty old man. Quintin accuses Sid of running a-dishonest road-paving business and calls him a pasty-faced crook. Sid shouts back louder insults. Since their bickering hurts their poker playing, John increases his winnings from the upset men.... But their animosity increases each week and John begins to worry. Blows are nearly exchanged when Quintin threatens to expose Sid's payola on city paving contracts. Sid threatens to sue him for slander and then calls him a queer. Squinting his green eyes, Quintin cracks the edge of his hand on the table and threatens Sid with a karate blow. Sid vibrates his big fist close to Quintin's nose, calls him a queer again, and then storms out of the house while shouting that either he or Quintin must quit the game.
Fearing that Sid may quit, John telephones both men the next day and settles their argument. He explains how their feud is hurting their playing and is costing them money. They both agree and thank him for straightening out their problem.
John made extra money from their feuding. But when the feud almost caused the loss of the biggest loser, John stepped in and eliminated their argument in a way that improved his image as a desirable player.
The good player never cheats--he never needs to.
In friendly and private poker games, most players consider a cheater less honorable than a thief because a thief robs from strangers, but a poker cheat robs from his friends. The normal emotional impulse is to banish the cheater from the game ... or worse.[ 19 ] The good poker player, however, resists acting on emotions. He views any cheating situation objectively and then acts in his best long-range financial interest.
Honest poker allows any behavior or manipulation, no matter how deceptive, except cheating. Cheating is the only dishonest, illegal, or unethical behavior in poker. But where does deception end and cheating begin? Actually, a sharp distinction exists between the two. Poker cheating is the conjuring up of advantages unavailable to others. Poker deception is the taking advantage of situations available to all. For example, all cards are marked. A sharp-eyed player can find printing imperfections in honest decks of cards. Some common printing imperfections are ink spots, inkless dots, and slightly off-centered designs on the back side of the cards. Also, the normal use of cards produces identifying smudges, nicks, scratches, and creases on their backs. (Purposely marring cards for identification would, of course, be cheating.) Those natural imperfections and markings that identify unexposed cards are available to any player willing to train his eye and discipline his mind. The good player willingly exerts the effort to learn and then use these natural markings. He may even increase that advantage by providing the game with cheaper (but honest) cards with less perfect printing patterns.
Sid Bennett cheats. While it is quite obvious, only John Finn fully realizes that he cheats. Quintin Merck suspects it, but never makes any direct accusations. The other players watch Sid's cheating, but refuse to suspect him. His crude cheating techniques include--
John estimates that Sid cheats once in every eight or ten hands.
2. Accepting Cheaters (76)
The good player quietly accepts cheaters if they are losers. In fact, he often welcomes their cheating because they generally lose more money when cheating, particularly when cheating in complex games involving split pots and twists.... A player usually increases his losses when cheating because he--
Why does a player cheat if his cheating increases his losses? Some players cheat to satisfy emotional needs. Other players cheat out of financial desperation.
Sid cheats for emotional rather than financial reasons. His cheating costs him thousands of extra dollars every year, as shown by the data below. The data include a three-month period when Sid stopped his cheating because he was worried about getting caught.
| Period | Edge Odds for Sid Bennett Cheating Frequency | Edge Odds for Sid Bennett Average Edge Odds, % |
| 1st year | Seldom | --10 |
| 2nd and 3rd year | Regular | --23 |
| 3 months in 3rd year | Seldom | --12 |
| 4th year | Regular | --25 |
The data indicate that Sid doubles his losses when cheating. With his current losses in the Monday night game totaling $20,000 per year, his cheating costs him about $10,000 per year.
| Time of Action | Form of Action | Results |
| Indirectly, during game | Make the cheater feel that he is suspected and is being watched. | Cheating stops. |
| Privately, outside of game | Tell the cheater that if he cheats again, he will be publicly exposed. | Cheating stops. |
| Privately, outside of game | Tell suspicious players about the cheater. Point out that he is a loser and the best way to penalize him is to let him play. | Cheating continues, and the players are satisfied. |
| Privately, outside of game | Form a conspiracy with other players to collude in order to bankrupt the cheater. | Cheater is driven from game. |
| Publicly, during game | Expose the cheater during the game in front of everyone | Cheater quits or is expelled from the game. |
The best action against a cheater depends not only on the situation, but on the attitudes of the other players as well. If a cheater must be eliminated, the good player assumes a righteous hero's role by exposing the "nefarious cheater." That righteous role enhances the good player's image of being the most honest and trustworthy player in the game-- an ideal image for manipulating opponents.
What about stealing money from the pot? If the good player does not win the pot, he keeps quiet when losers shortchange the pot or fail to pay their lights (money owed to the pot). But if chronic stealing upsets other players enough to hurt the game, the good player stops the stealing by taking one of the actions listed in Table 22.
Scotty Nichols barely beats Ted Fehr to win a $900 pot. While everyone's attention is focused on the action, Sid Bennett casually takes the $100 that he was light and slips it into his shirt pocket for a quick $200 profit. John notices Sid's theft, but says nothing. With saliva drooling over his lip, Scotty rakes in the huge pot; his breathing quickens as his fingers sort the money . . . he forgets about Sid's lights. Since Sid is a big loser and Scotty a big winner for the night, the theft has an equalizing effect that benefits John.
Several hands later, Sid pulls the same trick by pocketing his $40 lights for an $80 profit. John wins the pot and says nothing. As the next hand is dealt, he quietly gives Sid $20 and says, "You owe me another hundred." . . . Sid blushes and then nods in agreement.
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[ 18 ] For more details and information about amateur and professional cheating see Chapters XXIX-XXXI.
[ 19 ] Stronger emotional reactions against cheaters are common. Some reactions can result in physical violence, even mayhem or homicide.
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