Poker: Opponents, Profiles and You

The scene that will be described below is very much familiar when it comes to playing Poker.

The characters, all present but individually built to play, let us describe further how each Poker player's mind works.

Seated clockwise around the table are Capster, Bill, Jerbet, Wayne, Richie and Buck.

As you vie with them, you will soon realize they are not strangers--- that they are incarnations of players you have often met.

You will readily identify them as prototypes from the vast Poker gallery. You will observe in each one traits of some regular in your own group back home.

Capster is a cheerful little man, a veteran bungler. He plays in every pot--- stays as long as there is the slimmest chance of his winning it, and often stays when it should be obvious he has no chance at all.

He does not make the same error twice; he makes it hundreds of times. Don't try to read logic into anything he does.

Bill is a chatterbox, often witty, sometimes banal. His best sallies are usually directed at himself. His Poker technique is excellent. His chattering is his weakness, for it abounds it tells. The most damaging of these is that he becomes silent when he holds a cinch hand.

Jerbet is the wealthiest member of the group, and the tightest--- away from the Poker table and at it. Wasting no chips, he keeps out of the red.

He stays only when his prospects are excellent; he bets heavily only on locks. On the average, he throws one bluff every six months. He can be bluffed when he is losing.

Wayne knows plenty about Poker but little about prudence. Although the stakes set by this group are beyond his means, he insists on playing. Being in over his head has made him cautious--- too cautious.

He sees nonexistent traps, and fold too often. He jabs when he should slug. A modest raise by him indicates a powerful hand.

Richie owns a thick bankroll, and wants the world to know it. At the Poker table, his status-seeking takes the form of rash bets. He may annoy you by making it costly for you to finish second in a pot in which he finishes fourth.

If you say he spoils the game, you are losing sight of the object: to win chips. He is, in effect, begging you to win his.

Buck is genial at all times, and you will find yourself liking him. He is genuinely warm and outgoing--- that is his most valuable personal asset. Do not be deceived by it: he plays Poker ruthlessly.

He is an authentic expert: a rapid calculator and shrewd psychologist. When you stay in a pot with him, be sure your hand warrants your doing so, because Buck will not be in it unless he is off to an excellent start.

Now, you were asked to sit down with Capster immediately to your left and Buck to your right. Unless you are different from most Poker players, you should like that.

Most players would rather draw before the persistent player than after him. They remember how often he has drawn off, to no purpose.

The card they had hoped to catch; the forget how often he has drawn off a card they could not use, thereby giving them another chance.