|
|
. |
 |
 he Guardian G2 Poker Column |
|
| |
|
 |
| |
 |
| |
| Victoria
Coren |
| Monday Nov 20th, 2006
|
| |
 |
| |
 |
|
|
Reader John Holme has written to ask why I bang on so much about
Texas hold 'em. Mr Holme has been playing poker for 50 years, and for most of
that time he has enjoyed a wide range of poker variants, played in a congenial
spirit ("conversing, drinking, smoking and general ribaldry").
These
days, Mr Holme has noticed, people seem to play hold 'em almost exclusively.
And they transform it into a "silent, often sullen, ruthless bloodletting
process in which the sole purpose is the eradication of other players".
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I don't think ruthless bloodletting is an
intrinsic part of the twocard poker variant. But both trends may have the same
root: televised poker tournaments, with giant pots, have spread both the
popularity of hold 'em (the easiest game to fi lm) and the concept of
"professional", money-making poker. So people not only select hold 'em as their
game of choice , but they take it (and themselves) very seriously. They
concentrate rather than chat, drink Red Bull rather than Wild Turkey, aim for
profit rather than fun.
In my defence, much of the advice in this column
relates to poker generally, rather than any specific type. But I do write a lot
about hold 'em, because it's what most people play. The irony is that my own
weekly game is a riot of poker variants, many of them freshly invented, and the
mood more ribald than professional. Maybe poker is simply more of a laugh when
it's played "dealer's choice".
Luckily, there is a retro spirit in the
air. At this year's World Series, while the main championship event was $10,000
hold 'em, the most expensive buy-in was $50,000 HORSE: a combination of Hold
'em, Omaha, Razz, Seven-Card-Stud and Eight-Or-Better Omaha. This has awakened
new interest in these variants, many of which are now off ered on the bigger
websites. For the next few weeks, I'll try to give you an idea how to play
them.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
 |
| |
|
. |
|
Main Menu)
