THE WORLD'S #1 POKER MANUAL - Card Games

Poker Book, Policies
to keep the game going, but must limit the use of credit to keep cash plentiful. He must appear
generous in lending his winnings, while appearing tough against players abusing the use of credit.
John pressures other winners into lending their money and pressures losers into writing checks.
He must prevent hurt feelings on the part of losers as he enforces the credit rule (described in
Concept 63).... All this requires careful thought and delicate maneuvering.
Sid Bennett is wealthy and loses many thousands of dollars every year. John takes special care of
him. Usually Sid brings plenty of cash to the game, maybe $500 or $600. When he loses that, John
gently pressures him into writing checks. Occasionally, Sid gets upset and refuses to write any
more checks. He then borrows with gusto. Sometimes when he runs out of money, he scans the
table for the biggest pile of money. Then, smash, his big fist descends without warning . . . he grabs
the whole pile of money and peels off a couple hundred dollars. If the victim objects, Sid just
grunts and looks the other way, but keeps the money. Most players grant him that liberty because
they know he is rich and will always repay them.
Occasionally, Sid becomes bitter when suffering big consecutive losses and refuses to pay off his
debts by the next game. John realizes that Sid might quit the game if the credit rule were applied
to him. So if Sid owes him money under those conditions, John says nothing and lets the debt ride
until the following week. But if Sid refuses to pay money he owes to another player, John pays off
the debt while reminding everyone that debts cannot be carried over. Sid usually pays John later
the same night or the following week. With his tantrums appeased, Sid happily goes on to lose
many thousands more.
While lax with Sid, John Finn rigidly enforces the credit rule against other players. He is
particularly tight about extending credit to Ted Fehr because of his poor financial condition. John
often refuses him credit and makes him write checks That tough policy forces Ted to quit when he
is broke. Then when he accumulates enough money, he returns to the game, pays off his debts, and
loses more money.
When Ted quits for several weeks to recover financially, a losing player occasionally complains
about holding one of Ted's debts or bounced checks. John offers to buy the debt or check at a 25
percent discount. Such transactions keep everyone happy: they give the losers more cash to lose,
and John acquires extra profits from the stronger players.
At times, John Finn refuses to lend money to anyone. Such action forces others to lend their cash.
At other times, he puts on subtle displays of generosity. For example, if players with good credit
run low on money, John advantageously reduces his cash position by handing them money before
they even ask for a loan. Everyone is favorably impressed with his acts of fake generosity.
In John's notebook is the following list:
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