John Tarvin sits down to his poker table, but rather than taking
his seat in the smoky back room of a bar, he has alighted in front
of a screen and a mouse, joining thousands of other players betting
huge pots of play money in the latest craze to sweep the nation:
online poker.
John Tarvin sits down to his poker table, but rather than taking his seat in the smoky back room of a bar, he has alighted in front of a screen and a mouse, joining thousands of other players betting huge pots of play money in the latest craze to sweep the nation: online poker.
Poker, whose roots are drawn from early games played in Persia, India, France and Germany, began to form its modern shape along the banks of the Mississippi and on the steamboats that carried passengers up and down the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The game was spread person to person through wagoneers, train passengers and sailors, and by the late 1850s, it had a name and a steadily solidifying set of rules. That, and the small packs of cards were perfectly sized to travel with soldiers fighting along the fronts of the Civil War, according to the television show “World Poker Tour”‘s Web site.
A favorite image of Hollywood, poker found a home in American culture, famously featured in films like “The Sting,” “Rounders” and “Ocean’s Eleven” as well as television shows from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” to “The Sopranos.” The game’s export potential has been huge, claiming 100 million players around the globe with a major poker tournament going on weekly somewhere in the world, according to the site.
The game is so popular it’s become a television phenomenon, exposing new potential players to an ever-changing cast of international champions whose skill and nerve are broadcast to viewers on stations like ESPN, Bravo, the Travel Channel and even network television.
This added television exposure has done for the online gaming industry what the game’s history could not: exploding the number of players logging on by erasing stereotypes about the game, according to Ron Burke, manager of EmpirePoker.com, an online site based in Gibraltar that allows players to gamble with real money.
Log on to EmpirePoker.com on any given night, said Burke, and you’ll find 70,000 or more players vying for prizes. The same is true in offline games: poker games played the traditional way, in casinos, bars, homes and anywhere else players meet. In the real world, the number of those willing to invest large sums of money for the chance to hit it big continues to grow.
“There is, once a year, a tournament that’s called the World Series of Poker,” said Burke, referring to the giant Las Vegas playoff, which will be held in June and July this year. “Three years ago there were 860 players in the final event, which has a $10,000 buy-in. This year they’re going to have to cap it off. There will be 6,000.”
EmpirePoker.com will be sending close to 100 players to the competition, all of whom will have won their slot – a $12,000 prize that pays the buy-in cost and makes some allotment for travel costs – through tournaments played through the site. The prize pool? A cool $100 million, which is by far the biggest prize in any sporting event. The first prize winner will walk away with somewhere between $10 million and $12 million, according to Burke.
For casual players, like Morgan Hill resident Tarvin and his wife, Linda, the appeal lies not only in the game’s skill requirements, but in its social time. The couple plays online, where players can chat to pass the time at each table.
“Typically, you’re only actually playing 20 or 30 percent of the time,” said Tarvin, who began playing after watching the World Poker Tour on The Travel Channel. “There’s strategy. Obviously, online you can’t look at a person and read them. All you can do is watch how they play and form some conclusion as to how you should play in response to them.”
Linda likes the competition of the game, but she is also captivated by the social aspect of the game.
“There are people from all over the world online playing, so you might meet someone from really far away or you might wind up at a table with someone playing from Hollister,” she said.
Players come from every country in the world, but the bulk of the online poker industry’s customers are in North America, particularly the United States.
And the online world has benefited particularly from women like Linda, according to Burke who said they make up the fastest growing portion of the online poker world.
“There’s one thing that you get in offline poker that you don’t get online: The intimidation factor,” said Burke. “When you’re sitting at a brick and mortar poker table, you’re sitting across from other people, and you have to face that. We’ve done research on that aspect, and women feel much more comfortable playing online because of the psychological aspect.”
Unlike most women surveyed by EmpirePoker.com, Linda actually prefers offline games because observing other players gives her more insight into the way they bet and the way they play. The Tarvins organize a poker game at their home about once a month, she said.
Some of the things John has used in offline play he has picked up from watching professional shows where players compete in front of television cameras and show their cards to the viewing audience through lipstick-sized cameras mounted in the table.
Mostly, though, his enjoyment of poker has been a learning process. Online sites offer players access to poker schools and expert help provided by Web hosts, emphasizing skill development and education about the game, said Burke.
That, and he likes whupping the pants off the competition.
Ranking of Hands
Poker hands have a hierarchy, so it pays to know when you’re beat. From lowest to highest, here is your guide to poker basics:
Highest card – Cards are ranked in order, with a two being the lowest card and an Ace being the highest.
One pair – Highest pair wins
Two pair – Highest pair wins. If highest pair ties, highest second pair wins.
Three of a kind – Three of any card, highest wins. This can also be called a “set” or “trips.”
Straight – Five cards in rank order of different suits (5, 6, 7, 8, 9).
Highest straight wins.
Flush – Five cards, all of which are in the same suit. Highest flush wins.
Four of a kind – Four of any card. Highest wins.
Straight flush – Same as a regular straight, but all cards must be in the same suit.
Royal flush – The specific straight flush of 10, J, Q, K, A. If this pops up in your hand, bet the bank.
Source: John and Linda Tarvin
Poker Styles
Omaha
Like Texas Hold ‘Em, but players are dealt four cards initially and required to use at least two of their own cards rather than having the opportunity to draw all five winning cards from community cards.
Texas Hold ‘Em
Players are dealt two cards and may then play off up to five community cards in an effort to create the best hand. Betting is open after the initial two-card deal, then again after the deal of the first three community cards, known as the “flop.” Additional rounds take place as one more community card, known as the “turn,” is released and as the final community card is overturned. It’s called the “river,” because that’s where you’re most likely to drown, according to betters. Winners may use any five cards to create the highest hand.
Stud
This version’s initial deal consists of one card face down, called the hole, and one card face up. After this, a round of betting takes place before the dealer doles out another card to each player, face up. Betting takes place again and the process is repeated for as many as two more rounds.
Stud High/Low
Same as regular stud, except for a couple of details. This version is played with seven cards and the initial draw consists of two hole cards and one face up, or door, card. Additional cards are dealt face up and the winner splits the pot with the lowest hand, provided the lowest hand has no card higher than an eight. A player may sweep the pot if they collect, for instance a low hand that also forms a straight flush.
Omaha High/Low
Same rules as Omaha, but winner is required to split the pot with the lowest hand if that hand does not contain a card higher than an eight.
Tournament Game
Multiple tables of players buy in to play against one another for the chance to advance through multiple rounds, much like any other sports tournament. Can be played with any type of poker.
Ring Game
An individual table game with a maximum of eight players.
Sources: www.pokerstar.com, www.casinocity.com, www.pokerstyle.com, www.casinogaming.com
If you’re eager to hop on the bandwagon, learning to play is just a click away at some of these sites:
www.EmpirePoker.com
www.PokerStars.com
www.PartyPoker.com
www.PokerRoom.com
