The card sharks are
circling. Poker has become the game to
play, and people are bluffing their way to
victory from senior centers to country clubs.
You've seen it on TV and heard about those
charity tournaments. How about hosting a poker
night in your home? It can be simple or
elaborate.
There are a few
basic elements. You'll need at least two decks
of cards for a six-person game. Ron Pfeiffer is
an experienced poker player who is coordinating
a Texas Holdem charity tournament for the
Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America in
February. He explains that having a second deck
of cards is important for players with
superstitions who think that changing decks may
change their luck. "I've seen people walk around
their chair to change their luck ... or
sometimes a person will want to sit in the same
seat all the time." He adds that his weekly
poker game adheres to a three-hour time limit,
regardless of who's won or lost up to that
point.
While poker is
usually played on a kitchen or dining room
table, some people choose to outfit their homes
with elaborate card rooms. Dale Rockwell,
professional poker player and manager of Reece's
Las Vegas Supplies in Dayton, explains,
"Everybody's turning their rec rooms into Las
Vegas rooms." The collapsible card tables of
yesterday are quickly being replaced by
specially designed "Texas Holdem tables." These
tables, named for one type of poker, can be used
for any card game and are priced $400-$1,200.
Chips are another
stapleof poker, although plenty of people just
use pocket change. According to Rockwell, you
need "a minimum of 500 chips for 10 players."
Reece's sells 100 chips for anywhere from
$5-$105.
Big-time poker
players like Rockwell swear by cards made by Kem.
"Kem cards are all plastic, won't bend or tear,
and can even be washed." These cards don't come
cheap though, he says, at $23 for two decks.
Small-time poker
players swear by free airline cards and
matchsticks, and buy their chips in a bag to
munch on throughout the evening. No matter how
fancy or expensive your surroundings, like the
song says, "You've got to know when to holdem,
know when to foldem... ." Happy bluffing.
Types of poker
There are countless
different card games in the broader category of
poker. Here are the basic types of games from
which dozens of variations stem.
Community games:
Some cards are dealt face down to each player
and some are laid out in the center. The cards
in the center are flipped over as the game
progresses, with betting occurring between
rounds. Each player "shares" the center cards
and can combine them with those in their own
hand to form, it's hoped, a winning hand.
Texas Holdem is a
community game.
Draw games: After a
regular deal, players can discard a number of
cards for new cards from the deck in the hopes
of improving their hand.
Stud games: Each
player gets a number of cards face up and a
number face down (called "in the hole").
Cincinnati: Yes, we
have our own poker game, and it is one of the
original community games. Each player is dealt 5
cards, and 4-5 cards are laid out in the center
to be flipped over one at a time with betting in
between. Players make the best 5-card hand out
of all 9 or 10 cards.
