THE WORLD'S #1 POKER MANUAL - Card Games

Poker Book, Strategies
Every player has a chance to bet or raise during each round of betting. With this rule, a player holding a
strong hand cannot be shut out of his bet or raise by three minimal raises made in front of him. Right to
bet increases the betting pace, particularly in split-pot games. Players seldom object to this seemingly
equitable modification.
e. Early bet (29)
An indirect method to increase the ante is to permit a small bet after dealing the first hole card in stud or
the second card in draw. The early bet usually holds more players in the game for the later rounds of
more expensive betting. But if most players stay or drop on the strength of their early cards rather than
on the size of the pot, this modification can drive out potential players and thus decrease the betting pace.
f. Bet or get and blind bets (30)
No checking is permitted with the bet-or-get rule ... each player must either bet or drop. This
modification gets players involved early and keeps them in for the big last-round bets. Most players are
unaccustomed to this modification and may object vigorously to it. A similar modification is blind
betting (and raising) in which the first player after the dealer is forced to bet (and if called for, the next
player is forced to raise). Blind betting and blind raising are common in public poker and are very
effective for increasing the betting action.
g. Additional cards (31)
An additional sixth card is dealt to each draw hand. The hands are then reduced to five cards during the
draw. That additional card keeps more players in the hand, particularly in lowball draw. Players seldom
object when this simple modification is introduced.
h. Novel games (32)
Poorer playing normally results when new or novel games are introduced because most players do not
understand the changes in play and odds that occur. Novel games may range from simple lowball draw
or hold'em stud to a complex game such as "place-and-show-tickets split-pot-with-twist-yourneighbor."
(That game is played as follows: At the conclusion of a stud or draw game, each player draws
for use in his own hand a card from the hand of an adjacent player. The pot is then split between the
second and third best hands.)
A decreased betting pace may result, however, if players become frightened or excessively confused by
wild games or modifications that are too extreme or are introduced too rapidly.
i. Wild cards and freak hands (33)
http://www.neo-tech.com/poker/part3.html (12 of 17)9/17/2004 12:18:25 PM