A Gambling Spirit

A gambler's mind walks in places where angels fear to tread. The longer a person gambles, the more inclined one may be to pursue these journeys.

All gamblers, especially poker players, develop certain systems of play that direct their games and their wagers. They calculate odds or approximate odds and know that they should restrict their opening hands to certain high cards while rejecting lower cards that are not connected.

Over the years, I have followed this practice. When I am in early position, I look at king-jack offsuit, think about it, and then toss the cards into the muck. Then I note with satisfaction that the flop does not match cards and I have just saved a bet. Sometimes, of course, the flop hits me and I deliver a silent curse that I did not play the hand.

A bluff takes any two cards and plays them like they are winners. For example, you may pretend that the two cards in your hands are pocket aces or kings rather than the deuce-seven offsuit dealt to you. You may use those two largely useless cards to raise or even re-raise a player, fully intending to play the cards like they were large pocket pairs.

When I make such a play -- and it happens rarely -- I feel as though I am possessed by a gambling spirit.

Let's say I am in seat six and am dealt a queen-seven of clubs. I smile inwardly. Instead of folding the hand as I would normally do, I boldly raise the pot. If someone raised the pot in front of me, I re-raise as though I possessed pocket aces or kings.

The original raiser generally just calls and watches the flop. When he checks, I don't even look at the flop -- I come out betting. I do the same thing on the turn or fourth street. In most cases, this will be sufficient to win the pot. But if my opponent calls, I must look at the four cards on the board to see what the gambling spirits have dealt me.

When I see three clubs, ace high, I barely conceal a smile as I come out betting. My opponent has caught a pair of aces or better but I have connected with a club flush -- and win the pot.

Now aside from the fact that I will leave my foes talking to themselves and wondering what possessed me to raise or even re-raise with a queen-seven suited, I will set myself up for future calls when I raise with legitimate raising hands. Poker players have long memories. A play like that stays in the brain for a long time and pays off in ways the average player simply cannot imagine.

No, it pays to have a gambling spirit. While you shouldn't overdo it, you should definitely include it from time to time. It makes the game fun, it challenges your imagination, and it can increase the size of your bankroll if you handle it right and the powers of chance favor you.

The next time you play poker, try it. Legendary odds maker Mike Caro recommends this type of playing, by the way. In his formative years as a poker player, Caro would make some incredibly bizarre plays just to throw off the opposition and to keep them from putting him on a hand. While he sacrificed a few chips to establish this image in the minds of his foes, it paid off in the long run and helped him build his bankroll to a comfortable level.

I hope it does the same for you.

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).