Paying For An Education

I settled into a short-handed medium limit Hold 'Em game in a popular Las Vegas poker room. Since it was still early on this weekday, the action was pretty light and the table options were rather limited. Before long a fresh face settled into a seat at the table. The youngster quickly placed his dark, wrap-around sunglasses on his face and leaned his elbows on the table. He pulled his USC cap down to shade his face. Some of the poker veterans at the table could hardly help themselves as they snickered at this living poker clich�. Less than five minutes later another young man found his way to the table. This one could've been a clone of the first, with a similar attitude and demeanor as he began his play. When I caught the two guys shooting quick glances at each other, it was pretty obvious that the pair was trying to appear as though they did not know each other. Almost everyone at the table had little trouble seeing that the two were trying to find a way to communicate and work together. I'd normally try to vacate the table or "out" any colluders when they entered my cash games, but these bumbling youths provided little threat.

After a round of play, I had the pot odds to hang around with suited connectors. When I hit the flush on the turn, I check-raised the youngster who was wearing the USC ball cap. My play made it pretty clear that I had made the flush on 4th street, and most experienced players would've moved along under that simple assumption. The youngster did not act quickly, though. Instead he stared me down as he ruffled his chips. He sipped his drink and sat back in his chair. More and more time passed. The dealer grew increasingly impatient as he reminded, "Sir, call, fold, or raise." As more time passed, some of the veterans at the table could not help but start to comment on his lengthy think time. "Kid, this ain't an all-in at the World Series. It's one more bet to you," an old gentlemen bluntly explained. The youngster rolled his eyes and asked me to show if he folded. "I'll show my cards for two red chips," I said in a half-joking manner. Sure enough, two reds ($5 each) came zipping my way as his cards were flung into the muck. I shrugged my shoulders and flipped up the made flush. My opponent smiled, happy with his decision. I smiled as well, happy to have won the pot and a bonus of $10. Not long after that hand, his playing partner (whom he was still trying to pretend he didn't know) asked to buy a peek at my cards before folding, as well. I started sliding this free money into a separate pile. Soon the dealer began to even hold my mucked cards off to the side, as a player or two would occasionally pay to see what I had folded at the completion of the hand! The dealer was getting nice tips from my side business, so he happily played along.

It only took a couple hours for the two college kids to run through the racks of chips that they'd bought in for. In addition to the � of a rack that I had won from the pots I'd played, I had also earned $80 from allowing my curious opposition to buy some looks at my hole cards. While some might say that they had played over their heads and were foolish to pay to see my cards, I am not so sure that it was a bad investment for them. We've all paid our dues, taking our lumps from those who are more experienced and more skilled along the way. These two kids took it one step further. I allowed them to pay a small price for an informative crash course in poker. They pay for the lessons the professors provide at USC, and they paid $5 per card in Las Vegas for information on poker. There is no harm in paying for an education. If used correctly, the knowledge that you gain will pay off dividends in the long-run. Whether you are a teacher, a student, or both a learner and teacher at the same time, you should always be ready because poker class is always in session.

Note: In addition to being a columnist for many of the top poker magazines in the U.S. and Canada, John is a National Certified Counselor (NCC) in America. He has a Master of Arts degree in Counseling from West Virginia University, and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from Lock Haven University. You can arrange for interviews, speaking engagements, or find out more about the psychology of poker by emailing carlisle14@hotmail.com.

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