Page 13 - December 2008 • Southern California Gaming Guide

Jim Mercurio: Poker
WRhat Does Woody Allen Have to Do With Poker Tells?
emember the old Woody Allen joke? I was thrown out of college for cheating on the metaphysics exam. I looked into the soul of the boy sitting next to me.
Well, if you believe everything you hear from the announcers on TV and half of what Phil Hellmuth claims about himself, you might think that this ability to peer into your opponent’s soul and “know his cards” is a ubiquitous feat for poker pros. Granted, there are some exceptional readers like Daniel Negreanu and
Antonio Esfandiari who pry information from opponents, but for mortals, the most reliable information is found in the situational context as well as their opponent’s tendencies.
If some grizzled old rock limps under the gun and then calls your re-raise and the op comes 222 or 333, you can sit and wonder for ve minutes if his scratching his hand is a tell or just an itch. But I will
tell you this: if you have AA, you have the best hand. If you bet twice the pot on a K72 rainbow board and a solid ABC player calls, your KQ and probably AK are in trouble. And I didn’t even see him wrinkle his nose.
at said, I know one of the next steps in my poker growth is to try to master the art of deciphering verbal and nonverbal tells. I have read Caro’s Book of Tells and Joe Navarro’s Read ‘Em and Reap, and now my goal is to seek out information I was missing in the past. I recently made a call where my decision was partially based on (or maybe merely con rmed by) a tell.
Here’s what happened. Everyone was straddling in a loose 1–2 home game. I straddled for $5 and got four callers, so there was $25 in the pot. I looked down to nd QQ and I raised to $40. A short-stack called and then it was folded around to button. He had been telling an animated story to another player, but now he became quiet and super-focused. He looked at me and my stack and announceed all-in for $300 more.
Now, the non-tell clues were weighing toward a call. He thinks of me as a frisky and loose player in this game (I am di erent in the 2–5, deep stack game in which we play), so he could think I am making a move to win the $25 in the pot. He also likes action and since $300 doesn’t mean that much to him away from the table, I know he doesn’t have to have the nuts. He and I also have a playful rivalry lately, clashing in big pots. And furthermore, with $20 in the pot and a short stack showing willingness to play, it was a great time to raise on the button with AA or KK.
But the “tell” that gave me overwhelming evidence that he didn’t have aces or kings was the fact that he was coherently telling a complex story to another player when he called and only became focused when I raised. So, I thought his idea to re-raise was something he stumbled upon, not something he had planned beforehand. If he had aces or kings, he would have interrupted his story and been super- focused from the point he looked at his cards, not from the point where I raised.
I called and he showed me TT and I won a $700 pot (thanks to the short stack call with KJo). If you can pay attention to players, there is de nitely information that can help you. But although this was a story that was supposed to emphasize the nature of physical tells, note that in the two paragraphs of evidence that the longer one is the one with the context and player pro le.
A reminder: at the table, if you are involved in a big hand with players who are paying attention, be inspired by another Woody Allen line—this one from his lm Annie Hall: “Oh, what I wouldn’t give for a large sock with horse manure in it.” And stick a sock in it.
December 2008 Table Game and Slot Tournaments
BARONA VALLEY RANCH RESORT AND CASINO TUESDAY, December 16th through THURSDAY, December 18th Birthday Slot Tournament
Any Club Barona member with a birthday in December can participate in a free slot tournament held December 16th through December 18th from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The top-scoring daily player wins $1,000, with $500 for second and third place. Just present your id and Club Barona card to play. Winners will have one week to claim prizes.
Blackjack with Guaranteed PlayTM
Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino is the first casino to introduce Blackjack with Guaranteed PlayTM, where for one low buy-in price, players have the opportunity to play at least 30 hands, while the sky is the limit for how much they can win. Players can buy-in with $20 and receive $150 worth of Guaranteed Play Chips at the $5 table; $40 receives $300 worth of chips at the $10 table; and $60 receives $450 worth of chips at the $15 table. Players can take home anything over their Guaranteed Play Chip amount.
Barona’s Three Card Poker Jackpot
Barona’s ree Card Poker progressive jackpot keeps growing. When you place a small side bet of $1 on each hand, you are automatically quali ed to win all— or part—of the progressive jackpot.
SOBOBA CASINO
WEDNESDAYS at 5 p.m.
$1,500 Weekly Blackjack Tournament
Registration begins at 3 p.m., rst qualifying rounds are at
5 p.m. $20 buy-in/$10 re-buys. $1,500 guaranteed in cash prizes. One bonus payout per hand and per player only.
SATURDAYS from 10 a.m. to noon Early Bird Bonus Blackjack
Win up to $1,000 in bonuses on every blackjack game from 10 a.m. to noon every Saturday in December. Bonuses for three 7’s, suited blackjacks, three blackjacks in a row, and much more.
TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS in DECEMBER Play Around, Spin Around, Win Around
e Wheel of Cash is back. Win up to $2,500 each Tuesday and ursday in December. One winner every half hour will spin the wheel beginning at 4:15 p.m.
VALLEY VIEW CASINO
MONDAY, December 22nd at 4 p.m.
The Kings and Queens of Blackjack Tournament
$40 buy in, $20 re-buys, $5,000 guaranteed prize pool.
All tournament participants receive $20 in Match Play if they are Players Club members. Entries may be purchased at the casino cashier. Tournament space is limited, so buying entries early is recommended. For more information, please call 1-866-view-win.
December 2008
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
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Gaming News (Continued) Table Game and Slot Tournaments