Meet the Top Dog
30 December 2005
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark,
If a video poker machine shows a good hand with
only one coin bet, would the same hand have
appeared if I had played the maximum amount of
coins? Sue L.
In practically every gaming jurisdiction, Sue,
the answer would be yes. Using Nevada as an
example, their regulations mandate that the
number of coins played cannot influence the
outcome. Once that first coin is played, or the
Bet button is pushed, the shuffling of cards is
halted. Consequently, it wouldn’t make any
difference had one coin been bet, or five. You
would have gotten that same hand you see dealt
on the screen.
Dear Mark,
My favorite poker player is Doyle Brunson. His
book, Super/System, is great bedside reading. My
question though is how do I go about getting his
World Poker Tour win last year on DVD? I don't
get the Travel Channel with my cable
subscription, so I was wondering if it existed
on DVD? Ira G.
First, Ira, you're right, Doyle's Super/System
is not only the bible for aspiring pros and
amateurs alike, it is also considered by many
pros as one of the best books on poker ever
written. By the way, Ira, Brunson has recently
released Super/System 2, which expands on
Doyle's original book with new strategies and
new expert collaborators, including Lyle Berman,
Crandell Addington, Jennifer Harman, Johnny
Chan, Todd Brunson and Daniel Negreanu. You
might want to add Super/System 2 to your
nightstand since it's a brand new book and NOT
just an update to Super/System.
Brunson, even though he's in his 70s, is still a
feared competitor who last year schooled the
final table contestants at the World Poker
Tour's Legends of Poker Tournament at the
Bicycle Club in Los Angeles.
You can watch the Godfather of poker give a
master class in winning on the World Poker Tour
Best of Season 3, 4 DVD set. Go to either
shoutfactory.com for a copy, or call the Gambers
Book Shop at 1-800-522-1777. Both retail it for
$39.95
Dear Mark,
Once a hand has been dealt, can a player reach
in their pocket for additional money during the
hand if they want to bet or raise additional
money? For example, at our most recent Thursday
night game, Player A bet $10, then player B,
with only $10 remaining in front of him, called,
and then went to his pocket for more money to
raise $20. Half of our group believes it is
appropriate, the other half doesn't. Doug D.
You didn't mention, Doug, if your bisected
clutch of buddies is allowing me to make the
final call here, but I will give you a poker
room, not a kitchen table, decision.
Player B is NOT allowed to reach into his pocket
in the middle of the hand to take out more
money. Player B can do this BETWEEN hands, but
never while a hand is in play.
In that Player B is playing light on funds
(short stack), and he or she just happened to
pick up a whopper of a hand, Player B just ends
up winning much, much less with it; but the
unfortunate Player B can't be forced out of the
pot with a larger bet, either.
In most poker situations, it is a distinct
advantage to be the one starting with more
money. You can bully many a player with the size
of your stack, but you can never push the short
stacks completely out of the hand.
Gambling Wisdom of the Week: "The action is
everything. More consuming than sex, more
immediate than politics; more important always
than the acquisition of money, which is never
for the gambler, the true point of the
exercise." -Joan Didion, "The White Album"
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