10 Common Misconceptions About Poker
If you play poker regularly
and you understand the game exactly as it is
you probably know that there are misconceptions among people with no direct experience. You’ve probably heard many of these erroneous viewpoints. If you are like me
you spend a fair amount of time explaining to uninformed people precisely what the game is and what it is not. For the benefit of all
this article will clear up some of the more common misconceptions.
Conversely
if you never play poker
and your entire experience of the game is what you read in print and see in movies
you probably have many wrong ideas. That is to be expected. Please
allow me to enlighten you on a few points.
1. Poker is not casual. Many people think of the game as a mellow social pastime
where friends sit around drinking
laughing and whooping it up. In fact
there is nothing friendly about poker. You can be cordial with others at your table (and you should be)
but the game itself is vicious. Played properly
it is a form of warfare. It is an aggressive battle for domination. I think of poker as “violence
without the violence.”
2. A poker face is not the main requirement to play. I cannot tell you how often I hear this misconception. Nearly every time I mention poker to someone whose only exposure to the game is the media
I hear some lame comment like
“Oh
you must have a good poker face.” No
a poker face
a steely-eyed gaze
is not the essence of skillful play. True
you do not want to be sending tells to your opponents
but the so-called poker face is widely misunderstood. The ability to create a poker face does not make you a good player. Consider this: When you play on the Internet
everyone has a poker face.
3. Winning at poker is not easy. Blame television for this one. You generally see only the winners on television. Those who win get the most exposure and are most often featured. The final table in a tournament
for example
is comprised solely of players who are winners. Very little attention is paid to those who lose
say nothing of the vast majority who bust out of tournaments without fanfare. Playing well takes a huge amount of study
discipline and practice. Succeeding at the game is far from automatic.
4. Women can play. The idea that poker is exclusively a man’s game is another falsehood. Years ago
many well-known authors wrote that women do not have the killer instinct necessary to play well. Time has proven that theory wrong. Nowadays
women compete at every level
and plenty of skilled women win in cash games and tournaments. The idea that poker is a man’s game is laughable these days
and I wouldn’t have included it among common misconceptions were it not for the fact that many still believe it.
5. Poker is not a game of mathematics. In blackjack
for example
you always have one best move at any moment. Your task is to determine what that move is. If you have 13 and the dealer is showing an ace
then you should hit. That is always true
no matter who is seated at the table or what they are doing. Poker is different. You must take other players into account
and the mathematically preferable move may not be wise. Top caliber players often debate what is the best move in a particular situation. Poker cannot be reduced to mathematics because there are too many human factors.
6. Poker is a not game of luck. This is perhaps the most common misconception
and it is dead wrong. Luck averages out. Over time
all players receive the same percentage of good hands and bad hands. The difference is what players do with those hands. A good player will maximize the amount won with good hands and minimize the amount lost with bad hands. The key element that separates winners from losers
over time
is not the cards dealt
but the decisions made. Stu Unger
three-time World Series of Poker champion
put it this way: “In cards
the luck always bal
ances out. The good players are going to win. Any player that thinks card playing is a game of luck
I’ll show you a fool. That’s what the losers always say. The winners don’t worry about the short term; we play for the long term.”
7. Cheating is not rampant. The prevalence of cheating is another incorrect impression held by many. In private backroom games
cheating does happen occasionally. But in modern casino cardrooms and high-profile tournaments
where most of today’s professionals play
cheating is virtually nonexistent. (Online
however
is a different story. It is possible to cheat when playing on the Internet
due to the nature of the technology.) Although cheating is technically possible in some situations
and it does happen
it is not nearly the factor that many people suppose. If you are hesitant to play poker out of fear of being cheated
you are overreacting.
8. Poker is not an addiction. No matter what the media would have you believe
the vast majority of poker enthusiasts play because they enjoy the game
not because they are hooked in some way. Sure
a tiny percentage of players do struggle with addiction
but they are people with an addictive personality
whether or not they play poker. We should not blame poker for someone’s compulsive behavior any more than we should blame sex for someone being a rapist.
9. Poker is not sleazy. There is nothing even remotely “underbelly” about this beautiful game. A great many good and decent folks play for a wide variety of reasons
such as fun
challenge and personal betterment. Poker highlights the best of human interaction and calls into play the most honorable of human qualities
such as courage
sound reasoning and self-control. The game is a wonderful way to build character.
10. Poker is not illegal. Most people with a functioning brain do not actually believe this
but the forces of misguided morality want you to think that the game is against the law. It is not. Poker is not associated with crime in any way. Nor is it controlled by the mob. Not is it dangerous. You do not need to be on the lookout for gangsters. Or gunplay. No
you do not need to carry a sidearm and shoot your way out of the casino to protect your loot. You’ve been watching too many movies.
These are a few common misconceptions held by many in the public. If you encounter people with these ideas
please set them straight. But be understanding; it’s not their fault that they hold these incorrect viewpoints
which are passed off as fact everywhere in today’s media. It rests with us
intelligent members of the poker-playing community
to spread the truth regarding the magnificent game of poker.
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