December 9, 2005
After another long pause, Strauss' opponent tossed over a single green chip and points to one of the two PacificPoker cards that were face down in front of Jack Strauss. Strauss flips over the deuce. Now there's another long pause. Finally Jack Strauss's opponent concludes that both cards were the same, and that Strauss made a full house - deuces full of threes - and throws the winning hand away.
Bluffing, after all, is merely a form of deception. And deception is an essential component in winning PacificPoker. After all, if your opponents always knew what you had, they'd be tough to beat. Deception is the art of keeping others off balance. Like a misdirection play in football, or a baseball player hitting behind the runner into an area vacated by the infielder on a hit-and-run play, deception is a required skill for any poker player.
When the card odds are longer than the pot odds, you should fold. If you are dealt a big pair in your first three cards, consider raising, to cut down on the number of opponents who might otherwise stick around and draw out on you. Big pairs play best against few opponents. This is a very different approach from most home games, where some players call with anything.
- If there's no board, give your initials to the floor person and tell them which Pacific Poker .com games you want to play. In small cardrooms, where there are only one or two tables, just ask the dealer if a seat is available. When you enter the game either a floorperson or dealer will ask how much you want in chips. Each game has a minimum buy-in. Give them your money and you'll get your chips. Large casinos have chip attendants.
- By doing this, you may get the third opponent to lay down his hand. If your first opponent was betting a fairly weak hand hoping that you might fold, he in turn now may fold if he suspects that you're holding a powerhouse. A play such as this also adds some deception to your game, but like all deceptive plays, you have to use it sparingly.
- Did they raise on the flop, suggesting that they might have been trying to force any straight draws to fold? Or, did they just check and call, suggesting that they also were on the come, and now have made their hands - albeit lesser ones than yours? An opponent holding a single big pair also might check, since the turn showed straight possibilities.
- You also have a backdoor draw to a flush, and - more importantly - an ace on the board guarantees a call or two from any Pacific Poker opponents holding an ace. Still, Kc 2c and lots of the other playable hands in late position are vulnerable from any number of directions, and it takes some degree of skill to navigate your way through the murky waters of a Hold'em pot in a rickety canoe like this one.
When the first round of betting is complete, three communal Pacific Poker.com cards - called the flop - are turned faceup in the center of the table. That's followed by another round of betting. On this and each succeeding round, players may check or bet if no one has bet when it is their turn to act. If there is a bet, however, players no longer may check. Once confronted by a bet, players may fold, call, raise, or reraise.
