Who's In Charge of
Tinkering and Quibbles and other Civil Wars?
23 September 2005
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark,
In a poker room, is a player ever allowed to
make decisions regarding rules of the game? I
have actually seen it happen where a dealer let
a bossy player settle a dispute. I am curious as
to who is in charge settling disagreements. John
P.
You didn't mention, John, the particular
cardroom or casino where you witnessed this
occurrence, but I can tell you with reasonable
certainty, that the inmates don't get to run the
asylum.
In gamblese, this type of overbearing meathead
is called a " Table Captain," a tongue-in-cheek
term denoting the player who takes it upon
him-or-herself to mediate all disputes and
officiate in all other matters requiring
interpretation of the rules and the wise
crafting of decisions.
Those of us who enjoy a private game around our
kitchen table all know, and quite possibly
dislike, such an officious player. Fortunately
in a cardroom, games are dealt by house dealers,
whose handicraft is not only to pitch cards, but
also to settle squabbles. If his or her
decisions are challenged, a floor supervisor is
always there to arbitrate any quibbles players
may have.
Dear Mark,
At our Thursday night "friendly" poker game, we
play just about every form of poker imaginable.
A newcomer to our game introduced a new version
when it was his deal and he called it Tahoe
Pineapple. The dealer stated you play it the
same way you play Pineapple (which I've never
played) and only the name Tahoe is added. Being
that you once lived at Lake Tahoe, have you ever
heard of such a game, and is it exactly the same
as Pineapple? Dusty R.
Ah, Tahoe! "Every day a picnic, every night a
party," -- a quote, by the way, I coined years
ago, perhaps eventually to appear on my
tombstone, and the only quotation I would ever
want attributed to my name. Damn, do I miss the
Lake. Back in the day, it was like living in a
beer commercial.
Anyhow, yep, Dusty, there is such a game, also
aptly called, for those of us ski bums who
live/lived there, Lazy Pineapple. And yes, there
is a difference, so it's best I first describe
the rules of Pineapple, then sketch in the
slight distinction of the variant.
Pineapple is a form of Hold 'em in which each
player begins with three downcards, followed by
a round of betting. After the first round of
wagering has occurred, each player discards one
of the downcards, and then the first three
community cards are flopped. At this point, the
game resumes like run-of-the mill Hold 'em.
The variant of Pineapple called Tahoe Pineapple
has the exact same rules with but one exception.
Players do not discard any of their three
downcards. At the showdown, players can use
none, one, or two of their downcards, but not
all three to form, in combination with the five
community cards, their best five-card hand.
Tahoe High-Low is Tahoe Pineapple played
split">high-low split. When played this way, a
different set of cards can be used for each
direction, but no more than two for either
direction.
Gambling Wisdom of the Week: "There are card
players and racetrack betters who are genuine
professionals, but no one makes a profession out
of shooting craps." Peter L. Bernstein, Against
The Odds
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