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 he Guardian G2 Poker Column |
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| Victoria
Coren |
| Monday Oct 30th, 2006
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Playing poker is a fun way to make money, if you're any good at it.
It can also (within reason) be a fun way to lose money if you're not. But
playing the game is not the only way to profit from it.
The new world is
full of poker-related businesses (websites, card rooms, TV channels) whose
owners are also taking a gamble - on the game's continuing success. And there
are still plenty of niches for anyone who fancies the risky thrills of big
business. You could invent a magnetic dealer button which moves around on its
own. Or a combined poker and food-shopping website which rings the doorbell
with a bottle of champagne if you win a big pot, and a comforting pizza if you
lose.
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If that sounds too much like hard work, why
not bet on major tournaments? Several bookmakers were taking money on the Irish
Masters, which has just finished in Dublin. If you have opinions on well-known
players, you can put your cash behind them whenever a big competition
looms.
Or you can bet on your own games. With friends, you can juice up
the action by having "last longer" bets against individuals, winning extra if
they go out before you. Last week, at the William Hill Grand Prix, Harry
Demetriou and Phil Laak amused themselves by having a "last shorter" bet:
whoever got knocked out first won £100 from the other.
Still
hungry? You can bet on whether each flop will be predominantly black or red. An
excellent "sucker proposition" is to bet that the flop will have, say, an ace,
a jack or a deuce in it. It is more likely that one of them will appear than
not. But most people don't realise this, so it's a good way to screw your
friends.
Or you could just play poker. Using solid strategy, you can
lock up year-on-year gains, relying on the long-term triumph of skill over
luck. Not only is this safer, it buys you the right to reassure your family
that you're not actually "a gambler" at all.
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