War Without Blood

I love to joke around with the other players at a poker table. Not only does it relax the atmosphere, it helps give me a good 'read' on who I am facing at the table.

The other evening was a good example. I had just arrived at Wild Horse Pass around 4 p.m. My objective was to warm up for the 7:30 p.m. tournament by playing in a limit cash game for a couple of hours. It's a good exercise and generally helps me relax so I can play my best poker.

There were two seats available. A woman who was probably in her 70s sat between the two of them. I bent over her and said jokingly, 'I hope you're not the type who checks and raises.'

She looked up in horror. 'Me? I don't even raise,' she said, causing the other players to laugh.

I took the seat to her right.

In poker where you sit often determines if you are going to have a winning or losing session. If you can sit to the right of a passive person who rarely raises, you have a perfect position to play a risk-free game.

My choice of seats proved perfect. I won a couple o hundred in the next two hours and made friends at the table. In fact, there was only one person who turned out to be an enemy.

You can always spot the poker enemies. Look for the person who has the highest stack of chips. If someone at the table has chips stacked up like the Taj Mahal or Eiffel Tower, watch out. That person did not come to the casino to engage in small talk.

I was in seat two and my enemy was in seat eight. He was a kibitzer and a good one, I have to admit. Each time I made a comment, he would come over the top to lessen the effect of what I said in an obvious attempt to dominate the table.

I loved it.

We went at each other to the amusement of the other players. They obviously were tired of his dominance of the table chip-wise and were hoping or someone to put him in his place, which I tried mightily to do -- in a civil, humorous manner, of course.

When I finally did trap him in a big hand and raked in a monster pot, the table did everything but cheer.

Poker is war without blood, guns or gore. It is the ultimate test of wit, wisdom and judgement. That is why your frame of mind and temperament is so important when you sit down at a table.

Donald Trump overcomes his political enemies by accusing them of having little or no energy. The same can be said of a player who wishes to dominate the other players in a cash game or poker tournament.

My losing sessions usually occur on the nights I arrive at a casino lacking energy. It could be because I am coming down with a cold or flu or maybe because I tried to do too many things that day. Whatever the cause, I can usually tell when I am in for a whipping even before it happens.

Because I love to play the game, I'll give things a chance to right themselves. But if my pile of chips start to diminish, I will give serious consideration to calling it an evening and finding a good Mexican restaurant or Red Lobster or a dinner that will help restore my equilibrium and self-confidence.

Just before the tournament began, I began racking up my chips. The sweet little lady was still there to my immediate left. Her chip pile was about the same as when I sat down.

'See,' she said, smiling, 'I never raised you once.'

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 ).