NOVEMBER 1 2008
AMERICANWAY 69
with skillful players.”Taking the time tofind
soft games, and ascertaining that the player
will buy into them, rather than taking shots
at tougher situations with more profit po-
tential, oftenmakes the difference between
winningand losing.
Before a single hand is dealt, make sure
that the person you’re backing is properly
bankrolled. It’s nice to sit down in a high-
stakes poker game. But it’s not nice to go
broke while playing in it. Generally speak-
ing, it’s suggested that a player trying to
make a go of it at no-limit TexasHold ’Em
needs to have a bankroll that can cover
2,000bigblinds. Thismeans that someone
playing in a $2/$4 no-limit game should
have $8,000 at his disposal. And as an in-
vestor, acquaint yourself with the negative
swings that are possible, along with the
sums that you and your player can reason-
ably expect towin.
Finally, be sure that you can afford to
lose the money you’re putting up. Even
under the best circumstances, this is, after
all, gambling, and once you step into that
realm, the notion of a sure thing is more
elusive thana royal flush.
FindinganEdgE
If you feel compelled to do your own
gambling in a casino, here are a few
moves that will help to preserve capital.
Avoid insurance:
The insurancebet at a
blackjack table— inwhich youget back
yourbet if thedealerhits ablackjack
but losehalf of it if hedoesn’t— can
beagreat one if youhavean ideaas
tohowmany tens remain tobedealt.
Card counters areable to estimate this.
Hence,when thedealer shows anace
and thedeck is rich in tens, it’s a strong
bet. If youdon’t know the count, it’s a
suckerbet and shouldbeavoided.
Play the odds:
Thebest bet at a craps
table is “takingodds.”This is essentially
an even-moneybet, andwhenplaying
against thehouse, it doesn’t getmuch
better than that. So forget about spray-
ingmoneyall over the felt.Makea
pass-linebet, andonce thedice thrower
establishes apoint (that is, thenumber
that heneeds to roll again), takeanodds
bet for asmuchmoneyaspossible.
Follow the tourists:
Tourist traps are
notwhere youwant to stay, but theyare
where youwant toplaypoker. Stayaway
fromgames that arefilledwith locals
who spend theirdays folding, raising,
andbilkingout-of-towners. Instead,
seekout thegames that attract tourists,
whoare likelier tobeunseasonedand
unsureof optimal plays.
ANONYMOUS
is awriter based inNewYorkCity.
Recipient of
four
consecutive
NYC’s
“GoldenApple
Awards”
for Food
Safety and
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Wine
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