Poker

Lots of times I see players talking about the play of a poker hand. The vast majority of the time, the discussion is framed in a way to be almost useless. Rake isn’t taken instantaneously after a hand is completed and before a pot is awarded. The house takes rake incrementally during the course of the action of a pot, before a pot is awarded. What is valuable to explore though is the fact that these people do in fact exist, and are playing poker online and in casino tournaments in record numbers. In poker, it is very common that poor play can turn a positive expectation situation into a negative one. Even more interesting, poor play can lead to expectations that have no apparent rational reason to occur. While lots of players pat themselves on the back for being able to manage that occasionally, it needs to be put in perspective. The big lay down is a rare thing. The fold happens at some point in every hand we don't win. There is a point where you should not bet, even if you have the best of it, because it affects your ability to make further bets down the line if you lose. Televised big money tournaments are spiffy to watch but as I've played in a few real ones and watched a few more live I know how hard it is to win or even place in these mothers. If a player doesn't have a job, and is playing professionally, they need either a bankroll plus other assets set aside for living expenses, or to understand that their bankroll has to pay living expenses even while losing. In other words, online card rooms have at their disposal algorithmic red flags as well as honest player red flags. Human beings have a lot of weaknesses, and poker is a great game because it is designed to probe those weaknesses. People are challenged when they have to make decisions under stress, frustration, anger, and even joy.