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You gotta know when to hold'em
By Kelly Breckunitch kbreckunitch@kansan.com
Don't sit there and play Solitaire all by yourself-call up some friends and get a poker game going
I slowly curled the top-left edge of the cards toward me, one at a time. The first card gives me hope—an ace of clubs. The second starts an analytical process—it's the 10 of clubs, and it was dealt to me at the final table of Student Union Activities' poker tournament my freshman year.
I stayed in the game longer than hundreds of students, but this was the turning point. I thought for what must have seemed like an eternity before I stated solemnly, "I'm all in." One competitor with clearly inferior cards—an ace and 8 of spades—called me.
My cards did the talking and I won it all. Though the prize was great, the first thing I did after winning was call my friends to let them know what had happened.
With ESPN's round-the-clock coverage of the World Series of Poker and the advent of online poker sites, poker has seen a rise in popularity in recent years. And why not? It's a great way to socialize with friends.
Eric Jury, SUA games coordinator, says SUA has been putting on one tournament per semester. The tournaments have gotten so popular; Jury says, that SUA may start hosting two tournaments per semester.
Jury says the last tournament was a full field of 152 participants. He says the tournament doesn't just help SUA, but helps students socialize."It gets people to open up and start talking about other parts of their life," Jury says.
Michael Partridge, Olathe junior, shares Jury's view on the social aspect of poker. Partridge hosts a poker night at his apartment. "You're playing cards and there's just a lot of downtime to talk," he says. Partridge's main reason for enjoying poker night is not the glory of taking first place—he admits he rarely wins. He says he started the poker night because he just wanted to have some friends over.
Even a professional poker player can share that sentiment. Grant Hinkle, 2002 graduate, became a professional poker player after winning a World Series bracelet this past summer, but he didn't give up his roots—playing poker with his friends.
"We just get together and mess around. When I play there, it's not as serious. It's just about having a good time and having fun," Hinkle says. More than that, Hinkle says games with friends help build camaraderie.
If you want to get started in poker, you probably want to start with friends, and not in a tournament. I remember playing poker for the first time and not knowing what I was doing, having not the slightest clue what the rankings of hands were, but I got used to it. Your friends can help you learn along the way, and that's part of the fun. Hinkle says. The tough love is part of the learning process.
Stephen Bergman, Baileyville senior, hosts his own poker night as well with friends. "It's definitely something we all look forward to," he says. Bergman says his friends don't take it too seriously. That's why a home game is a good learning environment for people who haven't played poker before.
Hinkle says the poker roots are deep. "It's kind of our nation's oldest pastime. People were playing with friends before this country was founded," Hinkle says. They're "drinking, laughing and having a good time," Bergman says. How could you pass that up?
So, if you need something to do with friends, brush up on your poker knowledge and get your own game going. Before long you'll probably have a new routine with friends. JP
Poker party
Well, hopefully you at least know Texas hold 'em is the most popular form of poker played today. I'm going to give you a crash course in hold 'em and some other variations of poker so you can pick and choose what you want to play.
Hold 'em: The two players to the immediate left of the doaler place the initial bets, called "blinds." Every player is then dealt two cards face down and the first round of betting starts. After that one card is "burned" (placed in a discard pile) and three cards are turned face up. This is called the "flop." Another betting round follows One more card is burned, and one is turned face up. This is called the turn. Another round of betting, and then one final card is burned and the final card is turned face up. This is called the "river," and after that the final round of betting occurs. Than players still in the hand reveal their cards, and the highest hand wins.
Omaha: Omaha is very similar to hold 'em except that you are dealt four cards face down initially. The flop, turn and
Photo Illustration by Alex Bonham-Carter
Bet it all: Poker is a popular way to socialize with friends and relax after a stressful week. Some chips, cards and a table are all you need to have a good game and, in some cases, increase your weekly earnings.
river are all the same, as is the betting. The one catch is that you can use only two of your initial four cards when trying to make the best hand.
Seven card studd in sud poker you are dealt two cards face down and one face up and then bets go around the table starting with the lowest card showing. Afterward, three more cards are dealt (in three separate turns) with a round of betting between each turn, with the best hand showing starting the betting. Then the final card is dealt face down, followed by a final round of betting, and then players reveal their cards.
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April 2, 2009