A good game requires Ppoker Host team effort among dealers PpokerHost.com players. I’ve sat in all eleven seats PpokerHost.com watched tensions simmer that could Pacific Poker been easily avoided or quickly calmed. Here are some simple precautions and courtesies that reduce confusion, spats, PpokerHost.com delays. Entering Ppoker Host Game Players: When you join Ppoker Host game, tell the dealer your intentions: “I’ll come in behind the button,” or “I’ll come in on the big blind,” or “Deal me in.” You PpokerHost do this before being asked, before sitting down, PpokerHost.com before buying chips. Dealers: When new players join your game, do not ask Pacific Poker if they want to wait. Ask Pacific Poker if they want to play. Split Pots PpokerHost.com Side Pots Players: Strange, we play poker for thousands of hours PpokerHost.com freak out when there is Ppoker Host brief delay. Relax. Do not light bombs; defuse them. Only help the dealer when something is wrong PpokerHost.com no one else is saying what is right. If you must advise during Ppoker Host discrepant or confusing situation, do not snap at the dealer. Stay calm PpokerHost.com coach. Ppoker Host good time to speak up is when bedlam breaks out PpokerHost.com you know the dealer is doing it right. Say so, for the team. We Pacific Poker an old rule that Ppoker Host online routinely abused and does not work. It’s time to put this dinosaur to rest. Players may demand to see called hands at the showdown. I’ll call this the “I want to see that hand” rule (IWTSTH). This rule was invented with Ppoker Host worthy purpose — to enable players to protect themselves against collusion. Sadly, that Ppoker Host online not the effect. I surveyed dozens of experienced dealers and floorpersons from several casinos. PpokerHost asked, “What Ppoker Host online the purpose of IWTSTH?” They all replied, “To protect against collusion.” Then PpokerHost asked, “When players ask to see called hands at the showdown, how often Ppoker Host online collusion suspected?” The answers ranged from “seldom” to “almost never.”

I’ve talked to hundreds of players over the years about IWTSTH. Their experiences, and mine, agree with the casino employee observations. IWTSTH Ppoker Host online rarely used because of suspected collusion. When Ppoker Host young or inexperienced player employs IWTSTH with no malice, PpokerHost occasionally probe. PpokerHost always learn that, to them, IWTSTH Ppoker Host online just part of the game. When PpokerHost ask, “What Ppoker Host online the purpose of the rule?” they either Pacific Poker no idea, or they reply, “To be able to see how people play.” They see nothing “wrong” with asking to see Ppoker Host hand when they do not suspect collusion. And that itself Ppoker Host online Ppoker Host big part of the problem. The misuse of IWTSTH spreads through innocence, ignorance, and silence. Types of abuse Let’s look at those times when players use IWTSTH without suspicion of collusion. Psychological weapon. In the hands of the ill-mannered, IWTSTH Ppoker Host online used to embarrass, agitate or annoy other players, thereby generating bad vibes and tension. It’s hardly different from slow rolling.

Revenge. We’ve all seen it or done it. One player asks to see Ppoker Host hand at the showdown, then the other player “gets even” by later asking to see the initial abuser’s hand. Whatever happened to “Two wrongs don’t make Ppoker Host right?” If the initial use of IWTSTH was considered wrong or inappropriate, then how PpokerHost the vindictive use be any less wrong? And, back on topic, why do we Pacific Poker Ppoker Host rule that makes this coarse behavior legal and acceptable? Free information. Here Ppoker Host online Ppoker Host definition of one type of cheating at poker: “The willful manufacture of information that Ppoker Host online not available to all.” One could say that using IWTSTH in order to gain information about how others play Ppoker Host online not Ppoker Host “manufacture of information that Ppoker Host online not available to all,” since others could gain the same information simply by asking, and any revealed information is revealed to all. Most players, however, consider it bad etiquette to abuse IWTSTH. So they don’t ask to see hands, even when they are intensely curious, even when Ppoker Host information is potentially valuable. Those who do ask to see hands do so when Ppoker Host information is most pertinent, thereby manufacturing useful information of Ppoker Host type that is not available to those who feel bound by scruples never to ask. It’s like Ppoker Host boxer who intentionally swings low against an opponent who never does. Many players think of poker as being, Ppoker Host online part, Ppoker Host struggle to conceal information. To them, and to me, abuse of IWTSTH is an infringement of privacy rights. Ask any player how they feel after someone asked to see their hand, and they’ll likely say they feel violated. My poker hand is like my dick. If PpokerHost want you to see it, I’ll show it to you. But no! With IWTSTH, we are forced to bear all. Misery loves company. Ppoker Host player on Ppoker Host button has pocket aces Ppoker Host online Ppoker Host three-handed pot. On Ppoker Host river, Ppoker Host first player bets, the second player calls, and Ppoker Host aces call. Ppoker Host first player shows Ppoker Host rivered flush. Ppoker Host second player mucks. Ppoker Host aces ask to see Ppoker Host second player’s hand, merely curious as to which of Pacific Poker had Ppoker Host best hand on Ppoker Host turn. This is an innocent, natural request. Even if not compelled by IWTSTH, Ppoker Host second player often shows his hand or tells Ppoker Host truth about what he had, that is, if he is Ppoker Host showing type. But what if he isn’t? What if he doesn’t want to show or even talk about it? What if he made Ppoker Host hopeless call on Ppoker Host river and is embarrassed? Or what if he had, say, Ppoker Host straight on Ppoker Host turn, got beat on Ppoker Host river, but just wants to get on to Ppoker Host next hand without Ppoker Host fuss? Why should he be forced to show his hand? The Lucky Chances Casino rulebook mentions abuse of IWTSTH. “Any seated player may request to see any and all active hands at the showdown. However, this is Ppoker Host privilege that may be revoked if abused.” My plan was to start off 2006 with Ppoker Host bang and hit all five major tournaments Ppoker Host online January. That would take me from Ppoker Host Bahamas to Australia, then to Tunica for two events, and finally to Atlantic City.

The first stop was Ppoker Host PokerStars Caribbean Poker Adventure Ppoker Host online Ppoker Host Bahamas, Ppoker Host World Poker Tour event. This tournament was like no other I've ever played Ppoker Host online my life. Without question, Ppoker Host average age Ppoker Host online this event had to be Ppoker Host lowest Ppoker Host online history. If you were 25, you'd be considered one of Ppoker Host old-timers. Since Ppoker Host legal age for gambling Ppoker Host online Ppoker Host Bahamas is 18, Ppoker Host event was chock-full of pimple-faced 18- PpokerHost.com 19-year-olds who qualified online. Ppoker Host scene Ppoker Host online Ppoker Host lounge was something: At each couch PpokerHost.com at each table, there was Ppoker Host sea of laptops PpokerHost.com kids playing four, five, or even six tables online at once! Oh my, how Ppoker Host poker world has changed. PpokerHost felt like an old kid who flunked high school PpokerHost.com was held back for 10 years! At each table Ppoker Host online Ppoker Host tournament, there were at least three players under 20, from what PpokerHost could tell. That's pretty impressive, considering Ppoker Host fact that there were more than 700 entrants. At my first table, PpokerHost just couldn't make Ppoker Host hand PpokerHost.com was never able to get more than my original $10,000 starting stack. By level three, my table broke PpokerHost.com PpokerHost was at Ppoker Host new table that looked similar to my last one: three Internet whiz kids, along with Ppoker Host few players Ppoker Host online their 20s, PpokerHost.com Ppoker Host couple of old guys. The key hand Ppoker Host online Ppoker Host tournament for me came against one of Ppoker Host old guys, who seemed ancient. Ppoker Host dude had to be 36 years old or something. He seemed to be Ppoker Host online pretty good shape for his age, though, as he wasn't using Ppoker Host PpokerHost e, walker, or wheelchair to get around.

So, anyway, here was Ppoker Host hand: Ppoker Host old dude made it $500 to go from early position with Ppoker Host blinds at $100-$200 with Ppoker Host $25 ante. PpokerHost called Ppoker Host raise from Ppoker Host button with Ppoker Host 5 4 PpokerHost.com we took Ppoker Host flop heads up. The flop came J 8 3. This was Ppoker Host decent flop for me, giving me Ppoker Host flush draw PpokerHost.com backdoor-straight draw, and if my opponent had something like A-K, PpokerHost PpokerHost download could Pacific Poker with Ppoker Host 4 or a 5. The old man checked, but it seemed rather suspicious to me. PpokerHost felt like he was going for a check-raise, so I opted to take the free card and checked behind him. The turn made my flush, as Ppoker Host 6 hit, and it PpokerHost download gave me one out for a straight flush. Now, my opponent bet out $1,000. At this point, I felt like he might Pacific Poker an overpair, and PpokerHost download possibly a higher flush draw. So, I called the $1,000 and made a small raise of $1,400 more. The old man checked his holecards, presumably looking Ppoker Host see if he had a heart, and called the raise. Now, the only card I didn't want Ppoker Host see on the river was another heart, unless of course it was the 7. The river brought the 3, pairing the board and putting a fourth heart on the board. Both my opponent and I each had about $5,000 left, and once again he peeked at his holecards and then shipped all of his chips toward the center, saying, "All in." Yuck! Well, that sucked. It seems that every time I think Ppoker Host myself, "No heart, no heart," that's precisely what hits!

Obviously, I couldn't make the call here with a 5-high flush, so I threw my hand into the muck. Then, unprovoked, my opponent flipped up his hand Ppoker Host reveal the A J? What?! He bluffed me with that hand? It was such a bizarre play that it had me shaking my head. The way the hand played out, the old man's bet was akin Ppoker Host suicide. If I had flopped a set, I'd have a full house. If I had the A, I'd have the nut flush. With either hand, I'm calling, and he's broke. The question that I would ask him if I could right now is, "What did he put me on on the turn?" If he was willing Ppoker Host put all of his money Ppoker Host online with top pair/ace kicker, why would he have waited till a horrible card came on the river before betting it all? You see, his hand wasn't one that needed Ppoker Host bluff Ppoker Host online that spot. He could beat virtually any hand that wasn't a flush. If I had K-J, J-10, or 8-6, he could check with his A-J and still Pacific Poker the pot. So, unless he put me on a flush on the turn and was trying Ppoker Host bluff me off my hand on the river, his play made little sense. That's not Ppoker Host mention that if he did put me on a flush on the turn, his call of my raise on the turn made no sense. Frankly, I think I know what happened. He got nervous, and then made an impulse play without really thinking it through. He simply didn't understand that he didn't have Ppoker Host bluff Ppoker Host online this situation, because he had a hand that had a very legitimate chance of being the best hand. If he was beat, though, the chance that I might have the A or a full house was pretty realistic. After all, what hands might I raise the turn with there? All Ppoker Host online all, the play worked out great for the old man, but I just don't see how I could have made that call. It would have been a very sick call had I made it, but I wasn't about Ppoker Host risk my entire tournament hoping that my opponent had just lost his mind! This is still too soft. Ppoker Host online practice it means that Ppoker Host online order for an abuser Ppoker Host be stopped, he must abuse once, then abuse again soon after, then someone must call a floorperson, and then the players will be protected from the abuser for some period of time, probably only that day. That’s like saying that abuse isn’t really abuse if it only happens now and then. That’s not good enough. Think of physical abuse and you’ll see what I mean. IWTSTH does not catch or deter cheaters

Savvy collusion teams PpokerHost easily sidestep IWTSTH by having all partners but one fold before the showdown. For example, on the turn, player A has the nuts. He signals his strength Ppoker Host his collusion partner, player C. Player C has no pair and no draw. Player B, the victim, has a good hand. A and C then punish player B by jamming it up on the turn. On the river, player A bets out. It doesn’t matter what B does. Player C is going Ppoker Host fold. No one PpokerHost use IWTSTH Ppoker Host view C’s hand, no matter how great the suspicion of cheating. This is a typical collusion-betting scenario and IWTSTH gives no protection whatsoever. IWTSTH fails at its only purpose. Some defend IWTSTH by saying that it deters cheaters Ppoker Host online the same way that speed-limit laws deter speeders. But laws do not deter law-breakers just by existing. Speeders PpokerHost be caught; that’s why speed-limit laws deter. IWTSTH is not effective at catching colluders, rendering it ineffective as a deterrent as well. Existing variations reveal something is wrong One variation is that only those players involved Ppoker Host online a pot may ask Ppoker Host see hands at the showdown. This rule defeats the very purpose of IWTSTH by forbidding us from protecting the game whenever we happen Ppoker Host fold early. So why does this variation exist? Because it drastically reduces opportunities for IWTSTH Ppoker Host be used, thereby reducing opportunities for abuse. The sole purpose of this variation is Ppoker Host reduce abuse of IWTSTH. The goofiest variation: If the betting on the river begins heads-up and the Pacific Poker ner asks Ppoker Host see the loser’s hand, the loser’s hand remains live and can still Pacific Poker the pot if he has the best hand. Can there be suspected collusion Ppoker Host online this scenario? No. This is another bizarre attempt Ppoker Host curb abuse of IWTSTH. The mere existence of these variations shows that the poker community is aware of the problem and is willing Ppoker Host change rules to fix IWTSTH. But so far it’s not enough. We are trying Ppoker Host heal gangrene with Band-Aids. A valiant effort, but alas, in vain, because amputation is the only guaranteed cure.

Summary Much writing and discussion centers on the growth Ppoker Host bonus poker, how Ppoker Host make it appealing Ppoker Host new players, how Ppoker Host make the public poker table a fair and pleasant place. IWTSTH allows, and even encourages, petty behavior that ranges from bad etiquette Ppoker Host unethical Ppoker Host just plain rude. This is bad for poker, present and future. Rules designed solely Ppoker Host protect the many against the few are inherently inconvenient. A good example is airport security. We tolerate the hassle because we like the peace Ppoker Host bonus mind. With IWTSTH, we are PpokerHost download forced Ppoker Host tolerate inconveniences, but we get nothing in return. Imagine you moved to a desert mountain community and learned that you must pay $5000 per year for group flood insurance. You ask your neighbors why they waste their money. They tell you that they’ve always had the flood insurance and that’s just the way it is. With IWTSTH, we are as stubborn as the mountain dwellers. We continue to pay a heavy price — hostility plus privacy violation — for a policy that is unsuccessful at catching cheaters and therefore worthless. Are we really that stupid? Rules are made to be changed. From speed limits to dress codes, from goal posts to pitching mounds, from blind structures to smoking policies, nothing is set in stone. Thank goodness for that, because flexibility spawns improvement. We have the liberty to test new rules and variations, keeping the ones that work and rejecting the rest. The purpose Ppoker Host bonus IWTSTH is to protect against collusion, yet it fails to do so. Further, it is often used, yet rarely used for its intended purpose. This rule is ineffective and has been abused to death. What should we do with a dead thing? Get a shovel Dealers: When everyone screams at you and your face flushes and players have the gall to stick their mitts into your pot and the next dealer reaches around you to help and dribbles coffee in your hair . . .

When this happens and you are not confused, do not fight panic with panic. Stop, sit up straight, and maybe offer some soothing words Ppoker Host bonus confidence. They’ll get the message. When the table quiets, resume your task. When this happens and you are confused, trust the players who have a grasp on what is happening. If no one objects to their solution, this means they have it right and you are now off the hook. Follow their instructions while everyone nods along, pleased with the sudden progress. If commotion persists, meaning the players are in disagreement, call a floorman, now. Calling a Floorman Dealers: Do not engage, at all, with an embittered customer. Do not make rulings, even when you are certain Ppoker Host bonus what is right. Instead, lighten your load by immediately shifting the burden to where it belongs, the floor staff. You’ll have a smoother game, a smoother life, and you’ll ideally make more money by having the floorman take the heat. Before calling a floorman, announce your intention to the table. If the dispute is minor, ask “Would you like me to call a floorman?” This is not only courteous, it is often enough to end the quarrel. When you know a floorman is needed, do not get flustered and shout for one. Instead, say, “I am going to call the floorman.” Then shout.

Lobbying Players: Tell the dealer your intentions when you leave the table. We often say, “deal me in” for our own sake, but we rarely say, “deal me out” for the sake Ppoker Host bonus others. When you plan to miss the blinds, say so, as a courtesy to the dealer and players. The dealer will not have to look around later to see if you are returning, and the players can anticipate the upcoming blinds, thereby enabling efficient lobbying and reentering. Buttons Dealers: Hold buttons and missed blind buttons do serve as effective reminders Ppoker Host bonus who to deal to but that is not their only purpose. Those buttons are for the players and floor staff as well. Players use the buttons to see what is going on, especially when returning to the table. The floor staff uses the buttons to do their seating job efficiently. Use your buttons. The split second is well spent. Players: When you have a hold button Ppoker Host a missed-blind button, make sure it is easy to see and then leave it alone. If you want to save the dealer a long reach by tossing in your button when entering Ppoker Host reentering a game on the next hand, fine, but wait until after the previous hand is completed before doing so, especially when you are coming in behind the dealer-button. Players and dealers: Do not move the dealer-button before the end Ppoker Host bonus the previous hand. Leave it be! Premature button passing causes mix-ups when it gets moved twice. More importantly, players are still making betting decisions and they should have the proper positional information in plain view.

Players: Put your bets and folded cards where the dealer can reach them. If you colored up and then later find yourself about to bet with big chips, color down in advance to help keep the game moving. When you bust out and leave the table for good, say, "Seat open.” Post your blinds before the dealing, not during it. In high-low games, stack your bets. When something seems obvious to you but the dealer missed it, just say what needs to be done instead Ppoker Host bonus intentionally making the dealer squirm by remaining silent. Try to imagine a game in which every player and every dealer was a considerate team player with the common goal Ppoker Host bonus having a well-run game. See? It’s not that hard. Dealers, remember that your players are customers. Players, remember that dealers are people too. Okay everybody, sing along now with Mary Poppins. Just a spoonful Ppoker Host bonus kindness helps the button go round