Poker: A Guaranteed Income for Life

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PART FIVE

GAMES

More players and more games mean more income for the good player. He increases his poker activity by--

• finding other games
• organizing games
• expanding current games
• maintaining or reviving games
• starting new games.

XIX
Other Games (94)

Other poker games offer new sources of income. Even if the stakes are not financially worthwhile, the good player enters new games in order to--

• take control of them and then increase their betting paces and stakes to worthwhile levels
• evaluate the losers--some may be good candidates for higher-stake games
• make contacts with new players that may lead to still other poker games and other new players.

When John Finn first entered the Monday night game, the stakes were not worth the effort required to play winning poker. But he took control of the game, reorganized it and then steadily increased the pace and stakes. The chart shown in Concept 35 tabulates John's progress during five years as his profits climbed from $200 to $42,000.

1. Finding a Game (95)

• plays a clean game
• arrives on time
• is cooperative and congenial
• acts respectful toward other players
• plays to the end regardless of his winnings or losses
• keeps the game organized.

The good player by design has those "desirable" traits, but considers such traits in his opponents as neither important nor desirable. Since he is interested only in extracting maximum money from the game, his desirable opponents are--

• poor players
• steady players
• players with plenty of excess
• money players who will not harm the game.

Ironically, most players will invite the costly good poker player to their game in preference to a profitable poor player.

The players in the Monday night game consider John Finn a desirable player and an asset to the game. They refuse to realize that he is their biggest liability--staggering liability of $42,000 per year. They are glad John is in the game because he is cooperative, congenial. and respectful. He plays a clean game, always arrives on time, and plays until the end. They are grateful that he keeps the game organized. He is a pleasant, soothing, comfortable player. Everyone appreciates him.

John works hard to keep his opponents satisfied and happy. His fee for the effort -- $42,000 per year.

2. Becoming a Permanent Player (96)

• lending money at the first opportunity
• offering his own cigars, candy, and gum to the players (even if he does not smoke, eat candy, or chew gum)
• helping to pick up the cards between deals
• sympathizing with losers
• praising winners
• complimenting good plays of his opponents
• helping to clean up after the game
• offering to bring refreshments (especially beer) to the next game.

If the new game is financially worthwhile, the good player plans his behavior to get a permanent invitation by--

• avoiding the image of being a tight or a tough player
• keeping quiet about his activities in other poker games.

The good player generally will not press for maximum edge odds until he becomes a permanent player. Once a permanent player, he concentrates on taking control of the game. He builds the ego of key players (those with important influence over the game) in order to gain their friendship and confidence. With the support of key players, he is in a strong position to take control of the game.

The first time John Finn played in the Monday night game, he was a nice fellow--humble, quiet, even timid-- and very considerate in passing out his cigars and admiring everyone's poker skill. Best of all, he lost money and played loose. And he never slowed down the game or irritated anyone.

A fish, an ideal player, a nice guy--so everyone thought. How about those nutty plays he makes? Raising, then drawing four or five cards. Loosest player I've ever seen. Did you see how he lent Sid $50 even though Sid never even asked him for it? He even offered to pick up the refreshments for the next game. Sure hope he becomes a regular player. At least he'll come back next week to collect Sid's loan.

Over the next few sessions, John put zest into the game. He played wild, exciting poker. Everyone knew he was bound to be a big loser. His popularity grew; his friendships deepened. He established himself with supporters, and no one had an excuse to get rid of him. As soon as John became a permanent player, he began taking control of the game. Five years later, he had taken $90,000 from the game, but was just as popular. John Finn never gave anyone a reason to dislike him.

In public games (casino or club poker) or in other one-shot games, especially those with strangers, the good player will press for immediate and maximum advantages over his opponents. Many of his tactics are opposite to those he would use in regular games: His behavior in one-time games may be almost unbearably tough, unfriendly, and aggressive. He concentrates on extracting money at a maximum rate from the weakest players. He is not concerned about being a nice fellow if his opponents have no future value to him.

3. Quitting a Game (97)

John Finn quit the Thursday night game because it was not profitable enough to consume another weekday night on poker. He quit under congenial circumstances and occasionally returns to play and recruit new players for the bigger games. In the past two years, he has recruited four players from that game for the higher-stake Monday and Friday night games. He won an estimated $10,000 from those four players in one year.

4. Breaking up a Game (98)

Besides the Monday night game, John Finn regularly plays in a Friday night game and occasionally in Tuesday and Thursday night games. The low-stake Tuesday game has the least profit potential, but one of its players would be a good addition to the high-stake Monday game. John estimates that his entire income from the Tuesday game is less than the money he could win from that one player if he were shifted to the Monday night game. So John breaks up the Tuesday game by focusing his aggression on the two worst players, causing them to suffer consecutive, morale-damaging losses. After three weeks, those two losers quit and the game collapses when John makes no effort to reorganize the players.

By destroying that game, John gains a free night, along with a new player for the high-stake Monday night game. Also, he can now feed the other players from the defunct Tuesday game into the Friday and Thursday games.

XX
Organization (99)

The financial potential of a game depends on how well it is organized. The good player organizes a game by--

• scheduling it on a regular basis at a time and place best for maximum attendance
• establishing a firm starting time
• contacting players before each game to get commitments to play.

1. Regular Game (100)

If a game is about to collapse because certain players are losing at rates beyond their financial limits, the good player may temporarily reduce the betting pace or stakes. Or, occasionally, he may temporarily reschedule the game on a biweekly or monthly basis instead of reducing the betting pace or stakes.

To keep the Monday night game going on a weekly basis, John Finn increases the stakes until some players are losing at rates beyond their financial limits; he then lowers the stakes. He may raise and lower the stakes several times before permanently establishing them at a higher level.

In going to higher stakes, the losing tolerances of players increase as they adjust and get accustomed to their greater losses. When John lowers the stakes, the big losers are usually the first to insist on returning to higher stakes.

Sometimes John stabilizes a shaky game by bringing in new players. Those new players not only contribute to his income, but they also help hold the game at higher stakes. By controlling the betting pace and stakes and by adding new players, John has kept the highly profitable Monday game going on a regular weekly basis for the past six years.

2. Starting Time (101)

• Make a firm starting time clear to all players.
• Emphasize the reason and importance of being on time.
• Admonish late-arriving players.
• Establish fines or penalties for late arrivals.
• Fill the game early so late-arriving players will not get a seat.

The Monday night game is supposed to start at eight o'clock. As more and more players arrive late, the game starts later and later. Eventually players start arriving at ten and eleven o'clock. Attendance begins to drop, so John Finn takes action. He suggests a $5 fine for anyone arriving after the game starts. The players, disgusted with the late starting times, all agree.

The following week, six players arrive by eight o'clock and the game starts at eight fifteen--the earliest start in months. At nine o'clock, Quintin Merck wanders in.

"Get it up!" Sid roars.

"Uh, what ya mean?" Quintin grumbles as he seats himself at the table.

"You're late," Sid says, grinning. "Five-buck fine, buddy."

"Ah, don't give me that kid stuff. Deal the cards," Quintin says. He then puffs hard on his cigarette.

Sid deals Quintin out.

"Hey!" Quintin slaps his hand on the table. "What about my hand?"

"You ain't playing till you pay your fine," Sid says. The other players nod in agreement.

"We play for thousands of dollars and you boy scouts hound me for five bucks," Quintin growls while throwing a $5 bill at Sid.

The following week, all the players are at Scotty's house by eight o'clock. Since the fine was put into effect, the game never starts later than eight fifteen.

It's amazing, John thinks to himself. They'll casually lose thousands through lack of effort, but they'll make a big effort to avoid a $5 fine.

3. Quitting Time (102)

Making players quit early is easier when the last round is played at higher stakes. Higher stakes not only benefit the good player, but serve as a psychological climax to the game as well. If the good player wants to enforce an agreed-upon quitting time, he plans the final round so the last deal ends with him. He then gathers the cards after he deals the last hand, cashes in his chips, and leaves before anyone can start a new deal.

But the need for a definite or an early quitting time decreases if any player, winner or loser, feels free to leave whenever he wishes. Furthermore, the game becomes more relaxed under those conditions and more profitable for the good player.

John Finn plays all night on Mondays because the additional profits he garners after midnight are worth his time. In one year, he played about 400 hours of Monday night poker and won $42,000. Of that amount, $23,000 was won after midnight at the rate of $115 per hour, while $19,000 was made before midnight at the rate of $95 per hour. The following data show another important reason why John plays all night in this high-stake game.

Estimated Edge Odds, %

4. Contacting Players (103)

The best time for telephoning players is late in the afternoon before the game. This is early enough so everyone can plan for the game and late enough so those available will seldom have a subsequent excuse for not playing. The good player then knows who his opponents will be for that evening.

An important and convenient tool is a photocopied form (as shown in Table 28) that lists the players' names and telephone numbers along with a column for their responses. By filling out those forms (as shown in Table 29) and periodically reviewing them, the good player obtains valuable information about the--

• health of the game
• attendance patterns
• character of his opponents and their motives for playing
• losers with declining attendance records who may need special treatment to bring them back as regular players
• ways to keep the game organized and players interested.

TABLE 28
TELEPHONE CALLS

TABLE 29
TELEPHONE CALLS

In some games, players do not expect telephone calls. The game is played on a regular basis, and everyone just shows up. While such a game is convenient, the good player generally prefers to organize each game because his telephone calls provide opportunities to--

• get or provide "confidential" information
• increase his control over the game
• propagandize players and talk to them about their problems
• obtain definite commitments that make the game less vulnerable to collapse from a lack of players.

John Finn telephones the players each Monday afternoon and fills out the telephone-response form as shown in Table 29.

5. A Place to Play (104)

Playing at the same location each week offers the following advantages:

• The game is more stable.
• The burden of locating suitable places to play is eliminated.
• Players not contacted always know where the game is.

Still a game played at a different location each week offers advantages:

• There is closer control over who is invited (e.g., undesirable players, such as other good players, cannot drop in and play if they do not know where the game is located).
• There is more flexibility because the game can easily be changed to locations offering the greatest advantage.
• The possibility of a robbery (particularly in a high-stakes game) is decreased.

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