THE WORLD'S #1 POKER MANUAL - Card Games

Poker Book, Games
XX
Organization (99)
The financial potential of a game depends on how well it is organized. The good player organizes a
game by--
● scheduling it on a regular basis at a time and place best for maximum attendance
● establishing a firm starting time
● contacting players before each game to get commitments to play.
1. Regular Game (100)
Compared to the occasional game, the regular weekly game is easier to organize because players can
plan for it in advance. A regular weekly game also provides more frequent opportunities for money
extraction. But most important, poker players get more emotionally and financially involved in games
that are regular and frequent.
If a game is about to collapse because certain players are losing at rates beyond their financial limits, the
good player may temporarily reduce the betting pace or stakes. Or, occasionally, he may temporarily
reschedule the game on a biweekly or monthly basis instead of reducing the betting pace or stakes.
To keep the Monday night game going on a weekly basis, John Finn increases the stakes until
some players are losing at rates beyond their financial limits; he then lowers the stakes. He may
raise and lower the stakes several times before permanently establishing them at a higher level.
In going to higher stakes, the losing tolerances of players increase as they adjust and get
accustomed to their greater losses. When John lowers the stakes, the big losers are usually the first
to insist on returning to higher stakes.
Sometimes John stabilizes a shaky game by bringing in new players. Those new players not only
contribute to his income, but they also help hold the game at higher stakes. By controlling the
betting pace and stakes and by adding new players, John has kept the highly profitable Monday
game going on a regular weekly basis for the past six years.
2. Starting Time (101)
An indefinite starting time can eventually destroy a game. If players must wait for others to arrive before
starting the game, then the early-arriving players may come later the next week to avoid waiting--thus
causing progressively later starting times and a subsequent loss of disgruntled players. The following
methods encourage players to arrive on time:
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