News
Know when to hold 'em
By Jessie Waldheim
Daily News staff writer
More people ante up online and at home
With internet-based games and televised high-stakes games showing the public when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em, poker is now anybody's game.
Beloiter Mike Cepeda learned by watching television a few years ago, and has had the chance to play in live games a few times each year. Between live games, he keeps his skills up in internet games.
"I didn't really start thinking about it until I saw it on TV," he said.
The ease of learning through television and the internet has started a poker revolution, explains professional player Brad Daugherty.
"It can be very exciting. Especially when you're watching the dealer turn a card that can make or break you," he said.
Now with the game on television, and with camera angles showing the audience what players are holding, those watching at home can get into the drama as well, he said.
Daugherty was the winner of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas in 1991, the first time the pot reached $1 million. He now teaches the art through EmpirePoker.com.
And there is a lot to learn, he said.
"It's an easy game to learn, but very difficult to master," Daugherty said.
Daugherty learned the old-fashioned way, by getting into live games. He grew up in Idaho and started playing around 18, in the late 1970s. He had heard of a man who won $370,000 playing Texas Hold 'Em.
"They didn't have Texas Hold 'Em (in Idaho), so I moved to Reno," he said.
By 1987, Daugherty was on the professional circuit.
Cepeda also usually plays Texas Hold 'Em. Although not professional, he says he does all right.
"I would say I'm up when I've played," Cepeda said.
His usual strategy in the game is to go with his gut feeling. Although he said he still needs work on his bluffing and he isn't sure if he has a good poker face.
"I don't think I do, but I just try to stay with the same face all the time if I've got a good hand or a bad hand," Cepeda said.
Cards and coins
Most poker games require an ante, or a predetermined amount to be placed into the pot by each player before hands are dealt. There is a variety of poker games with different betting options.
In Texas Hold 'Em, each player holds two cards, while five more community cards are placed face up on the table. Players bet on hand they could make using the cards they hold in conjunction with the community cards on the table. Bets are made after each round of dealing - when the first two holding cards are dealt; when the first three community cards, called the flop, are placed face up on the table, when the fourth community card, called the turn, is flipped, and when the fifth card, called the river, is flipped up on the table.
A similar game, called Omaha Hold 'Em, is played with each player holding four cards instead of two. The same schedule of community cards, the flop, turn and river, is used and players must create hands using at least two of the four cards they are holding.
Seven-card stud uses seven cards as the name implies, dealt to each player. The first round is two cards face down and a third face up, followed by a round of betting. The fourth, fifth and sixth cards are dealt face up with a round of betting after each. The seventh card is dealt face down, followed by a final round of betting.
Any game can be modified to be a high-low game, which means the player with the highest hand splits the pot with the player holding the lowest hand.
New players, or those who just wish to improve, need to know their math. They need to know what hand beats what, and what the various players might be looking for and what the odds are that they can get them.
"Just like the song, know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em," Daugherty said, referencing Kenny Rogers' song, "The Gambler."
"If you always knew that, you'd be doing great," he said.
Patience helps as well. New players are more likely to be loose - playing a lot of hands including some they shouldn't. With a little more experience, players become more selective about what hands to play.
"They want to get in and play," Daugherty said. "It's very fun."
Internet and video poker games are a good way to learn the cards. Players can also see if their opponents are playing loose, or if they are tight players who only play premium cards. There is an emerging group, dubbed maniacs, which are in every pot and raising.
"Those people are very hard to read," Daugherty said, but adds new players who want to try bluffing would do better against a really tight player because they won't want to call.
Tells and tales
Live games are better for reading the other players, he explained.
"You can learn a lot from reading people online, but some of it you can only read by looking at their faces and what tells they might have," Daugherty said.
Some people show extreme nervousness when bluffing, which may be demonstrated by twitching eyes. A player with a good hand may look away from the table like it doesn't matter. And some players will begin to act on a hand before it's their turn, demonstrating they mean to play.
"Some beginners that have hands, it's very hard for them to sit still," Daugherty said, adding you can also see their disappointment when the dealer flips unhelpful cards.
That's where online practice can be helpful. Players can work on their table presence, Daugherty said.
"At home, nobody can see," he said.
Presence isn't just about having a poker face. It involves disciplining the whole body.
Doing something repetitive throughout each hand helps. Like a golfer going through a mental checklist to set up for a swing at the tee, Daugherty recommends practicing the same sequence of small movements for every hand whether good or bad.
"That will make it much harder for people to read you," Daugherty said. "Practice being in that same state."
There are times when acting comes into play. People may try to act nervous when raising, to give the impression they are bluffing. This could help the player "bring somebody," getting them to call the bet and stay in the hand.
"That's when good players have to feel out when somebody is acting and when they're not," Daugherty said.
With the emphasis on body language, it would seem professional actors would have an upper hand. But in the real world of poker that's not always the case. Daugherty did say Ben Affleck, who he's played with once, has been doing well at the game. He called Tobey Maguire, who he's played with a few times, a serious player who keeps a poker face when playing.
"Actors may have an advantage. I think the seasoned poker player is actually a good actor too - at the table," he said, but adds there is a difference between acting and keeping a presence in a high-pressure situation.
Even when keeping his outside cool, Daugherty still gets excited about a good hand.
"It's hard to hold your composure sometimes, but that comes with practice," he said. "But you want to get action."
A good hand is only worth what opponents will bet on it.
For the fun of it
But poker isn't all about winning, losing and counting your money. Sometimes it's just about fun, as in a good natured family game. And poker also can be a popular part of a charity casino night.
Visit Beloit Director Martha Mitchell admits to playing with her 6- and 8-year-old grandchildren. She admits to losing as well.
"They beat me all the time," Mitchell said.
But the family only plays for fun, and Mitchell also believes the game's popularity is due to its television coverage. And it has proved fun for her family.
"The family that gambles together, right," she said.
Cepeda also plays with his family. His four sons, who he plays with on occasion, range in age from 7 to 16 years of age.
"They seem to enjoy it," Cepeda said. "I think they do."
And once a year the Stateline Boys and Girls Club hosts a Casino Night fund-raiser, which includes about six tables for seven-card stud, explained event chairman Al Bach.
The tables hold six people and generally stay busy from the event's 6 p.m. start until it ends at midnight. This year eight tables are planned because of the game's popularity.
"We've got some great participants - people that are there every year," Bach said.
Players use chips while the money is held in a bank, as per state regulations for similar events. There is no limit on bets, but the pots are not the size Daugherty would be used to.
"Most of ours are pretty tame," Bach said. "We don't go big, big dollars."
A person could win about $200 to $250 dollars at the club's Casino Night if they're winning, he estimated.
But Bach also monitors the tables to be sure players are there for the right reasons.
"It is a fund-raiser for the Stateline Boys and Girls Club," he said.
The club takes a share out of every pot, on an average hand it's about $10.
"That's how we make our money and the rest of it goes to the winner," Bach said.
The money goes to support programs for children between the ages of 6 and 18 at three facilities - Beloit, South Beloit and a summer location at Turtle Creek. Both the South Beloit and Beloit facilities have about 25 computers for children to use, and the club organizes dance lessons and sports programs. Family-orientated after-school programs also help the children learn how to deal with the pressures of today's society, Bach said.
The annual Casino Night, which is usually the third or fourth week in March, will be rolling around again soon. This year it will be held at 6 p.m. March 26, at the Ramada Inn in South Beloit.
Cepeda is considering trying the tables at the Boys and Girls' Casino Night this year, now that he's heard about it.
With internet-based games and televised high-stakes games showing the public when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em, poker is now anybody's game.
Beloiter Mike Cepeda learned by watching television a few years ago, and has had the chance to play in live games a few times each year. Between live games, he keeps his skills up in internet games.
"I didn't really start thinking about it until I saw it on TV," he said.
The ease of learning through television and the internet has started a poker revolution, explains professional player Brad Daugherty.
"It can be very exciting. Especially when you're watching the dealer turn a card that can make or break you," he said.
Now with the game on television, and with camera angles showing the audience what players are holding, those watching at home can get into the drama as well, he said.
Daugherty was the winner of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas in 1991, the first time the pot reached $1 million. He now teaches the art through EmpirePoker.com.
And there is a lot to learn, he said.
"It's an easy game to learn, but very difficult to master," Daugherty said.
Daugherty learned the old-fashioned way, by getting into live games. He grew up in Idaho and started playing around 18, in the late 1970s. He had heard of a man who won $370,000 playing Texas Hold 'Em.
"They didn't have Texas Hold 'Em (in Idaho), so I moved to Reno," he said.
By 1987, Daugherty was on the professional circuit.
Cepeda also usually plays Texas Hold 'Em. Although not professional, he says he does all right.
"I would say I'm up when I've played," Cepeda said.
His usual strategy in the game is to go with his gut feeling. Although he said he still needs work on his bluffing and he isn't sure if he has a good poker face.
"I don't think I do, but I just try to stay with the same face all the time if I've got a good hand or a bad hand," Cepeda said.
Cards and coins
Most poker games require an ante, or a predetermined amount to be placed into the pot by each player before hands are dealt. There is a variety of poker games with different betting options.
In Texas Hold 'Em, each player holds two cards, while five more community cards are placed face up on the table. Players bet on hand they could make using the cards they hold in conjunction with the community cards on the table. Bets are made after each round of dealing - when the first two holding cards are dealt; when the first three community cards, called the flop, are placed face up on the table, when the fourth community card, called the turn, is flipped, and when the fifth card, called the river, is flipped up on the table.
A similar game, called Omaha Hold 'Em, is played with each player holding four cards instead of two. The same schedule of community cards, the flop, turn and river, is used and players must create hands using at least two of the four cards they are holding.
Seven-card stud uses seven cards as the name implies, dealt to each player. The first round is two cards face down and a third face up, followed by a round of betting. The fourth, fifth and sixth cards are dealt face up with a round of betting after each. The seventh card is dealt face down, followed by a final round of betting.
Any game can be modified to be a high-low game, which means the player with the highest hand splits the pot with the player holding the lowest hand.
New players, or those who just wish to improve, need to know their math. They need to know what hand beats what, and what the various players might be looking for and what the odds are that they can get them.
"Just like the song, know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em," Daugherty said, referencing Kenny Rogers' song, "The Gambler."
"If you always knew that, you'd be doing great," he said.
Patience helps as well. New players are more likely to be loose - playing a lot of hands including some they shouldn't. With a little more experience, players become more selective about what hands to play.
"They want to get in and play," Daugherty said. "It's very fun."
Internet and video poker games are a good way to learn the cards. Players can also see if their opponents are playing loose, or if they are tight players who only play premium cards. There is an emerging group, dubbed maniacs, which are in every pot and raising.
"Those people are very hard to read," Daugherty said, but adds new players who want to try bluffing would do better against a really tight player because they won't want to call.
Tells and tales
Live games are better for reading the other players, he explained.
"You can learn a lot from reading people online, but some of it you can only read by looking at their faces and what tells they might have," Daugherty said.
Some people show extreme nervousness when bluffing, which may be demonstrated by twitching eyes. A player with a good hand may look away from the table like it doesn't matter. And some players will begin to act on a hand before it's their turn, demonstrating they mean to play.
"Some beginners that have hands, it's very hard for them to sit still," Daugherty said, adding you can also see their disappointment when the dealer flips unhelpful cards.
That's where online practice can be helpful. Players can work on their table presence, Daugherty said.
"At home, nobody can see," he said.
Presence isn't just about having a poker face. It involves disciplining the whole body.
Doing something repetitive throughout each hand helps. Like a golfer going through a mental checklist to set up for a swing at the tee, Daugherty recommends practicing the same sequence of small movements for every hand whether good or bad.
"That will make it much harder for people to read you," Daugherty said. "Practice being in that same state."
There are times when acting comes into play. People may try to act nervous when raising, to give the impression they are bluffing. This could help the player "bring somebody," getting them to call the bet and stay in the hand.
"That's when good players have to feel out when somebody is acting and when they're not," Daugherty said.
With the emphasis on body language, it would seem professional actors would have an upper hand. But in the real world of poker that's not always the case. Daugherty did say Ben Affleck, who he's played with once, has been doing well at the game. He called Tobey Maguire, who he's played with a few times, a serious player who keeps a poker face when playing.
"Actors may have an advantage. I think the seasoned poker player is actually a good actor too - at the table," he said, but adds there is a difference between acting and keeping a presence in a high-pressure situation.
Even when keeping his outside cool, Daugherty still gets excited about a good hand.
"It's hard to hold your composure sometimes, but that comes with practice," he said. "But you want to get action."
A good hand is only worth what opponents will bet on it.
For the fun of it
But poker isn't all about winning, losing and counting your money. Sometimes it's just about fun, as in a good natured family game. And poker also can be a popular part of a charity casino night.
Visit Beloit Director Martha Mitchell admits to playing with her 6- and 8-year-old grandchildren. She admits to losing as well.
"They beat me all the time," Mitchell said.
But the family only plays for fun, and Mitchell also believes the game's popularity is due to its television coverage. And it has proved fun for her family.
"The family that gambles together, right," she said.
Cepeda also plays with his family. His four sons, who he plays with on occasion, range in age from 7 to 16 years of age.
"They seem to enjoy it," Cepeda said. "I think they do."
And once a year the Stateline Boys and Girls Club hosts a Casino Night fund-raiser, which includes about six tables for seven-card stud, explained event chairman Al Bach.
The tables hold six people and generally stay busy from the event's 6 p.m. start until it ends at midnight. This year eight tables are planned because of the game's popularity.
"We've got some great participants - people that are there every year," Bach said.
Players use chips while the money is held in a bank, as per state regulations for similar events. There is no limit on bets, but the pots are not the size Daugherty would be used to.
"Most of ours are pretty tame," Bach said. "We don't go big, big dollars."
A person could win about $200 to $250 dollars at the club's Casino Night if they're winning, he estimated.
But Bach also monitors the tables to be sure players are there for the right reasons.
"It is a fund-raiser for the Stateline Boys and Girls Club," he said.
The club takes a share out of every pot, on an average hand it's about $10.
"That's how we make our money and the rest of it goes to the winner," Bach said.
The money goes to support programs for children between the ages of 6 and 18 at three facilities - Beloit, South Beloit and a summer location at Turtle Creek. Both the South Beloit and Beloit facilities have about 25 computers for children to use, and the club organizes dance lessons and sports programs. Family-orientated after-school programs also help the children learn how to deal with the pressures of today's society, Bach said.
The annual Casino Night, which is usually the third or fourth week in March, will be rolling around again soon. This year it will be held at 6 p.m. March 26, at the Ramada Inn in South Beloit.
Cepeda is considering trying the tables at the Boys and Girls' Casino Night this year, now that he's heard about it.
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