THE WORLD'S #1 POKER MANUAL - Card Games

Poker Book, Club Poker
Their more rigid consistency makes them more readable and predictable. The good player,
on the other hand, does not strive for maximum investment odds on every play; thus he is
more flexible and unpredictable.
7. Collection fees or time cuts in public games range from $2 per hour per player for a $1-$2
game to about $24 per hour per player for games with blind bets and, raises of $100. The
casino rake (from every pot) can range from a 5 percent maximum up to a 25 percent
maximum--or even higher for snatch games designed for naive tourists. Maximum rakes in
casinos are usually posted in the poker area. And in most snatch games, the casino dealer
immediately drops the raked chips into the table slot rather than stacking them on the side
for all to see until the hand is over.
8. House cuts are less harmful to the good player's profits in the faster-moving, higher-stake,
time-cut games (versus the slower-moving, lower-stake, pot-raked games).
9. In public poker, lowball games are generally less flexible (more mechanical) than
equivalent highball games. Therefore, the good player can usually use the Advanced
Concepts of Poker more advantageously in highball games. But the faster betting pace of
lowball can outweigh this advantage. Professional players, however, cheat more frequently
and more effectively in high-stake lowball.
10. The narrow and fixed betting ratios (e.g., $10-$20) in all public club games and in most
casino games diminish the effectiveness of the good player's poker abilities, especially in
executing bluffs and power plays. Casino table-stake games usually offer the best profit
opportunities for the good player experienced enough in public poker to be highly
aggressive.
11. Most casino and club shills (house players) play conservative and predictable poker
(especially women shills), making them dependable decoys and unwitting partners for
manipulating other players.
12. In public poker, women are generally weaker players than men. Many women lack the
aggressiveness necessary for good poker. They play more mechanically and more
predictably than men. In Gardena, during weekdays, up to 40 percent of the players are
women. (The percentage of women players drops by half by nightfall.) Many are poor
players--some are desperate players gambling with their Social Security checks and grocery
money. Still, an estimated ten to twenty good, tough women professionals work the
Gardena clubs. Successful women professionals are rarer in the Nevada casinos, but are
increasing.
13. Opponents generally play looser and poorer poker on or immediately after paydays (e.g., on
the first of the month and on Friday nights).
14. Best to enter games fresh and rested at 1:00 a.m.-5:00 a.m. (while faking tiredness,
nervousness, or drunkenness) in order to work over groggy players, drunk players, loose
winners, and desperate losers.
15. To conceal poker abilities and to throw good players off guard, wear a religious cross.
16. Rattle opponents through physical invasions of their "territories" (e.g., by using elbows or
hands, by pushing poker chips or money around, by knocking over drinks). Foist feelings of
outrage, guilt, inferiority, or fear onto opponents through personal verbal attacks. Temper
bad-boy behavior only to avoid physical attacks or banishment from games.
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