THE WORLD'S #1 POKER MANUAL - Card Games

Poker Book, Strategies
Wild cards can increase the betting pace and loosen up certain games. As players become accustomed to
wild cards, their fear of very strong hands usually dissipates. But if so many wild cards are used that
hands such as five-of-a-kind and straight flushes become common and any betting strength suggests
those maximum-value hands, the betting will dry up.
The bug card (the joker--used in low hands as a wild card, and in high hands as an ace or as a wild card
for completing straights and flushes) can increase the betting pace without causing fear of maximumvalue
hands.
The good player rarely encourages the use of freak hands such as blazes, tigers, dogs, kilters, and skeets.
While such hands could temporarily increase his edge odds by adding confusion, the use of freak hands
may deter players from accepting other more profitable modifications such as twists and split pots.
j. No-limit table stakes and pot limit (34)
No-limit table stakes and pot-limit betting allow more aggressive betting and bluffing, giving the good
player direct control over the betting. But such open-ended stakes can slow down the betting pace and
normally cannot be used with split-pot games. In many games, therefore, no-limit table stakes or potlimit
betting (versus high-limit games) would actually decrease the financial opportunities for the good
player.
Six years ago, Sid Bennett insisted that good poker players liked only straight draw and stud
games. He claimed five-card was the greatest gambling game of all. As John Finn gradually
increased the betting pace by adding one modification after another, Sid went to the other extreme:
Sid is winning; his pale lips are smiling. He grabs the deck, shoves his face over the table, and
announces, "New game!" He then deals two separate hole cards to everyone.
"What's this?" Quintin says, frowning sourly.
"Seven-stud high-low. Everyone plays two hands. You can even raise yourself," Sid says with a
snorting laugh. "And the hand to the left of the highest hand wins high and the hand to the right
of the lowest hand wins low."
"I'm going home," Quintin says as he grabs his ante from the pot and stands up to leave.
"Sit down; we aren't going to play that," John Finn says. He then turns to Sid and explains gently,
"I know its dealer's choice, but that's no poker game. You can't have hands next to the winners as
winners."
"Bunch of ribbon clerks," Sid whines. "Okay, straight high-low ... play your left hand for high
and right hand for low. And you can still raise yourself."
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