Doyle Brunson's Super System 2 - A Course in Power Poker PDF

8/10/2019 Doyle Brunson's Super System 2 - A Course in Power Poker PDF

1/448


2/448

www.Forbidden-Poker-Secrets.com

Click for The Secret to Online Poker Success...

http://www.Forbidden-Poker-Secrets.com
http://www.forbidden-poker-secrets.com/http://www.forbidden-poker-secrets.com/http://www.forbidden-poker-secrets.com/http://www.forbidden-poker-secrets.com/http://www.forbidden-poker-secrets.com/http://www.forbidden-poker-secrets.com/http://www.forbidden-poker-secrets.com/


3/448

Play poker online at Doyles Poker Room

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreward Preface Introduction My Story The History of No Limit Online Poker Eclusi!e Su"er#System $ S"eciali%e or learn Limit Hold&em Poker Omaha Ei'ht or (etter Se!en )ard Stud Hi'h Low Pot Limit Omaha Hi'h Tri"le *raw Poker Tournament O!er!iew

No Limit Hold&em +orld Poker Tour Poker ,lossary

P-,E

./01$.2///131

1.31/2$$.$/$$4/..1

../2.3$21
http://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/poker_online.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/poker_online.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/poker_poker1.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/poker_poker1.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/poker_introduction.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/poker_introduction.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/doyle_brunson.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/doyle_brunson.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/poker_history.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/poker_history.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/online_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/online_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/super_system_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/super_system_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/play_poker_online.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/play_poker_online.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/limit_holdem_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/limit_holdem_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/omaha_hi_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/omaha_hi_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/stud_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/stud_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/omaha_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/omaha_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/triple_draw_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/triple_draw_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/poker_tournament.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/poker_tournament.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/no_limit_holdem_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/no_limit_holdem_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/world_poker_tour.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/world_poker_tour.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/poker_glossary.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/poker_poker1.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/poker_introduction.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/doyle_brunson.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/poker_history.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/online_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/super_system_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/play_poker_online.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/limit_holdem_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/omaha_hi_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/stud_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/omaha_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/triple_draw_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/poker_tournament.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/no_limit_holdem_poker.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/world_poker_tour.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/poker_glossary.cfmhttp://www.doylespokerroom.com/poker/poker_online.cfm


4/448

FO5E+O5*

6y -!ery )ardo%a

Su"er#System $ 'athers to'ether the 'reatest "oker "layers and theoreticianstoday7 This 6ook is not meant to re"lace the ori'inal Su"er#System8 6ut to 6ean etension of that 'reat work8 with more 'ames8 new authors8 and most

im"ortantly8 more "rofessional secrets from the 6est in the 6usiness7 *oyle9se"ert colla6orators ha!e won millions u"on millions of dollars in cash'ames:that9s each one of them7 ;ou9ll 6e learnin' e"ert strate'ies from a

"ool of talent that includes three world cham"ions:*oyle (runson8 (o66y(aldwin8 and class "layer who is theleadin' "oker researcher8 theoretician and instructor7 These are the su"erstarsof the 'ame7+ith the com"letion of Su"er#System $8 *oyle has created two "owerfulworks that e!ery serious "oker "layer sim"ly must own7 This makes the two>

!olume set of Su"er#System a full li6rary of the 6est "layin' ad!ice8strate'ies and "rofessional conce"ts e!er "ut into "rint7 Own 6oth these6ooks8 and you9ll ha!e the com"lete master"iece of "oker7


5/448

these men7 )randell will tell you more a6out this e!ent and its ramifications

in his cha"ter on the e!olution of hold9em7 +hen the History )hannel did as"ecial on the history of "oker8 the "roducer8 sli'htly em6arrassed8 told methat the "ro'ram had turned into the *oyle (runson hour:e!ery "layerinter!iewed "aid homa'e to the man that is "oker8 *oyle (runson7 Theori'inal Su"er#System8 "u6lished in 1408 is the sin'le most influential "oker

6ook e!er written7 (ack then8 the ori'inal "rice of C133 was a lot of moneyfor a 6ook8 6ut this was no ordinary 6ookD this was the 6i6le of "oker7Su"er#System was a steal at that "rice7 The same holds true today7 -nd whynot This 6ook chan'ed the way "layers looked at that 'ame and8 for the firsttime8 'a!e away secrets that 6rou'ht readers to a new le!el of e"ertise7 Themaster of "oker had s"oken8 and the 'ame would ne!er 6e the same7

I had always admired this 6ook and throu'h my friendshi" and associationwith Mike )aro8 the @Mad ,enius of Poker8A *oyle and I 'ot to'ether7 +emade a deal to 'et Su"er#System out to the mainstream 6ookstores as a

"a"er6ack for the !ery first time8 and "eo"le who had ne!er 6een e"osed tothis 'reat work Bust went 'a'a o!er this 6onan%a of "oker riches7 *id theye!er Su"er#System hit G1 worldwide on -ma%on8 ahead of the Harry Potter

6ooks and 6est>sellin' authors like Ste!en in' and


6/448

always enBoyed his com"any7 He9s 'racious8 wise8 and has the 6i' heart of a

Tean7 -fter s"endin' time with him8 you walk away feelin' a little taller86ecause this e>6asket6all "layer makes you a 6i''er "erson8 and richer86ecause he9s a man who9s 6een a 6i' winner in life:and you take a little 6itof that away with you7 I9!e seen the res"ect he 'i!es and the res"ect he 'ets7-ll earned7 *oyle is more than a 'reat man in "okerD he9s a 'reat man8 and Isay that with the utmost res"ect7+ell8 it9s time you mo!e on and see the 'ems of knowled'e this 6ook has instore for you7 My friend *oyle has taken 'ood care of you in these "a'es7+hen you9re done studyin' the wisdom within and ha!e "rofited from that!ery "owerful ad!ice8 you9ll feel like *oyle9s your 'ood friend8 too7EnBoy this 6ook8 "rofit from it8 and remem6er to 'i!e homa'e to one of the

men who made this modern>day "henomenon "ossi6le8 Mr7 *oyle @Teas*ollyA (runson8 the 'reatest "oker "layer who has e!er li!ed7 -nd remem6erto honor the 'ame itself8 somethin' *oyle lo!es with e!ery fi6er of his 6ein'7

-!ery )ardo%aPu6lisher


7/448

P5EF-)E

(y


8/448

the o""ortunity to learn from it7

;ou see8 "oker isn9t like other kinds of 'am6lin'7 It fits 6etter in the cate'oryof skill 'ames8 like chess and 6rid'e7 +ould those 'ames 6e as wellres"ected or ha!e such loyal followin's if e"erts ke"t the secrets tothemsel!es(efore "oker came of a'e8 it was a hustler9s 'ame8 hidden from the "u6licand not entirely res"ecta6le7 (ut that9s not the case anymore8 and "ro6a6lywon9t 6e e!er a'ain7 Tournaments are 6roadcast to hundreds of millions oftele!ision !iewers8 makin' "eo"le who ha!e ne!er "layed the 'ame 6eforetake notice:and Boin in7 So8 now that the dark era of "oker is o!er and thedra'on has come out of hidin'8 I think it9s im"ortant that this 'reat 6ook8which outlines the strate'ies and the "lays that really win8 take center sta'e7

;ou know8 I9m not afraid to "lay in any 'ame7 (ut I was once asked whichnine o""onents I9d least like to "lay a'ainst at one ta6le7 Now8 there9s a tou'hJuestion7 (ut one "layer I could name without hesitation is *oyle @Teas*ollyA (runson7 *oyle isn9t someone you want to "lay a'ainst8 6ut he issomeone you definitely want to learn from7 -nd that 'oes for all the e"ertshe has chosen to include in this 6ook7

;ou9re lucky that you don9t ha!e to learn "oker the way I did7 ;ou won9tneed to 6rawl your way to "rofit7 In the years ahead8 if you stick with it8you9ll "lay millions of hands and wa'er millions of dollars7 I ho"e you9ll "lay


9/448

INT5O*)TION

6y *oyle (runson

I9d 6een toyin' with the idea of re!isin' my Su"er#System for years8 6ute!ery time I discussed it with friends or fellow "rofessional "oker "layers8 Ialways heard the same res"onseK @+hy -lmost all the ad!ice in the 6ook is

as "owerful today as it was twenty>se!en years a'o7 It doesn9t need a wordchan'ed7A Not one to 'o a'ainst the ad!ice of so many 'ood folks8 I "ut it offfor a year8 then another year8 and time ke"t slidin' away like chi"s sli""in'off a "oker ta6le7It9s mi'hty flatterin' to know that Su"er#System has stood the test of time7-nd I9m 'lad it has8 6ecause when I think 6ack a6out how much time8

money8 and effort went into creatin' it8 I shudder7 I9d let myself 'et talkedinto writin' and financin' the 6ook7 I con!inced the to" fi!e s"ecialists in!arious "oker 'ames to colla6orate with me7

None of us could ha!e "redicted how de!oted to the "roBect we would6ecome7 I think we all 'ot a little 6it nuts while we were writin' the ori'inal!ersion7 (efore lon'8 we were runnin' an informal contest to see who could

contri6ute the most information to hel" "eo"le "lay 6etter "oker7 -nd all ofus swore that we9d ne!er 'i!e u" any of the key secrets that had hel"ed us6uild our 6ankrolls8 6ut e!entually we found oursel!es 'i!in' u" e!erythin'


10/448

twenty years to co!er my in!estment7 (ut you know what It was worth it

+hen I think a6out the "eo"le I chose as my e"ert colla6orators way 6ack in98 the list reads like a @+ho9s +ho of the Most Influential Peo"le in the+orld of Poker7A They were all youn' men 6ack then8 in their late twenties toearly thirties:I was the senior statesman at a'e forty>four7 +hen you "ick a'rou" of "eo"le that youn' from amon' hundreds of outstandin' "ros"ects8you9d 6e lucky to see one or two of them 'o on to 'reat success7 (ut my teamhas flourished ama%in'ly and has stood the test of time8 Bust like the 6ookthey hel"ed create7 ;ou9ll find them all o!er the "a'es and often the co!ersof 6oth "oker and mainstream "u6lications and e!en on T7 So8 yes8 I9mmi'hty "roud that I trusted my instincts and had the foresi'ht to select them7-lmost all of the "oker "rinci"les in Su"er#System are still a""lica6le today8

and that9s why you9ll find them on these "a'es8 alon' with analyses of more'ames and the un!eilin' of new secrets7 +hen I decided to "u6lishSu"er#System $8 the task seemed monumental to this se!enty>year>old "oker

"layer who8 after all these years8 is still acti!e in his chosen "rofession7 (uttoday9s e"losion in the "o"ularity of "oker has ke"t me ins"ired to "ushforward with Su"er#System $8 in which we ha!e ada"ted our writin's to

account for the dramatic chan'es that ha!e taken "lace in the world of "okero!er the "ast few decades7 Today9s youn'er "layers risin' throu'h the ranks8"layin' alon'side old>timers who used decks of cards as 6a6y rattlers when


11/448

o!er as @The Mad ,enius of Poker7A In fact8 Mike has 6ecome the strate'ic

analyst of choice for many of today9s to" "rofessional "layers7 He reached ane!en wider audience a few years a'o when he founded the Mike )aroni!ersity of Poker8 de!oted to educatin' as"irin' "layers7 His 6ooks8!ideos8 and seminars clearly rank amon' the most sou'ht after in the historyof "oker7 Mike is an inte'ral "art of Su"er#System $7 (elie!e me8 I wouldne!er ha!e attem"ted to write this 6ook without him7If I had to choose someone to "lay for the sur!i!al of my family8 it would 6e)hi" 5eese7 @The 6est of the 6estA are the words that Lyle (erman used tointroduce )hi" when he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 14417-t the a'e of .48 he was the youn'est "erson e!er awarded that honor7 )hi"was a !ery youn' "oker "layer in 148 ri'ht out of *artmouth8 when I asked

him to write the se!en>card stud cha"ter7 In addition to his e"ertise at stud8 a'ame at which I still 6elie!e he is the 6est e!er8 he has e!ol!ed into theworld9s "remier all>around "layer7 I would without hesitation 6et on )hi"a'ainst anyone who dares face him in mied 'ames7)hi" can consistently 6e found in the 6i''est 'ames in the world7 He has

"layed in France8 ,ermany8 En'land8 -ustralia8 ,reece8 Ireland8 and South

-frica7 -lthou'h he doesn9t "lay many tournaments8 )hi" has won three+orld Series of Poker 6racelets for se!en>card stud8 stud hi'h>low s"lit8 andra%%7 ;ears a'o he won a no>limit hold9em tournament and "laced second in


12/448

(o66y (aldwin hardly needs to 6e introduced8 as Bust a6out e!ery6ody in

'amin' is familiar with his 'reat success story7 -fter winnin' the main e!entat the +orld Series of Poker in 1408 (o66y left "rofessional "oker and wentinto casino mana'ement7 +ithin a short time8 he had clim6ed to the to" of theladder and today is considered 6y his "eers to 6e the "remier 'amin'eecuti!e in the world7 President of the multi>6illion dollar (ella'io Hoteland )asino in Las e'as8 (o66y also acts as )EO of the Mira'e )or"oration7Somehow he still finds time to 'et to'ether with us for some friendly hi'h>stakes "oker e!ery now and then7 In $33. he was inducted into the PokerHall of Fame7+ith the ece"tion of


13/448

*O;LE (5NSON > M; STO5;

M; STO5;6y *oyle (runson

- lot has chan'ed since the "u6lication of the ori'inalSu"er#System in 1407 I9ll tell you a6out that shortly7 (ut first I9d like you to

know how I felt 6ack then8 at that halfway "oint in my "oker career7 It 'oeslike this

(EFO5E 140

-t some time in our li!es8 I su""ose we all reflect on the 'ood and the 6ad

that has ha""ened to us and ask oursel!es the Juestion8 @If I had it to do allo!er a'ain8 are there thin's I would chan'eA I9m no ece"tion7There9s no one ali!e who could ha!e had it much tou'her than I had it in theearly years8 lon' 6efore the "u6lication of the first Su"er#System7 I was in a

"hoto>finish with death7 That9s as close as you can 'et to the ultimate 6ad6eat7

-nd accom"anyin' my early "oker ad!entures8 I e"erienced near tra'edydue to the health "ro6lems of my wife Louise and my oldest dau'hter *oyla7+e lost *oyla a few years after Su"er#System came out7 It was the 6i''est


14/448

"ain7

Throu'h it all8 I9!e learned that in life8 a man9s not 6eaten e!en thou'h he9sall>in7 ;ou can9t count him out until the fall of the last card7 I9!e 6een testedtime and a'ain on many 6attlefields7 I9!e lost a lot of little skirmishes8 6utI9!e won the 6i' ones7 That9s what really counts7The ad!ersity I9!e faced has 6een a 6lessin' in dis'uise7 It9s stren'thened mycharacter7 I9!e had to draw on that stren'th many a time at the "oker ta6le8and I9ll continue to draw on it for the rest of my years7I need that stren'th8 too7 ;ou see8 I9m a 'am6ler7 I9ll always 6e one7 Icouldn9t 6e anythin' else7 So my life will always 6e filled with wins:andlosses7 I wouldn9t ha!e it any other way7 It9s ecitin'7 There9s almost ne!er adull moment in my life8 and I can9t ima'ine anyone ha!in' a 6etter life thanthe one I ha!e ri'ht now7 I9!e 'ot Bust a6out e!erythin' I want7

That Elusi!e Somethin';es8 the deck9s 6een stacked a'ainst me at !arious times in my life8 6ut I9!eo!ercome e!ery cold deck I9!e faced7 I9m enou'h of a dreamer to reali%ewhat 'ot me throu'h mi'ht ha!e 6een that elusi!e somethin' a 'am6ler callsluck7 (ut I9m also enou'h of a realist to know that8 in 'eneral8 we make our

own luck:throu'h knowled'e8 skill8 and e"erience7 -nd that 'oes for the'ame of "oker as well as the 'ame of life7In the summer of 14..8 I was 6orn in the +est Teas town of Lon'worth8 a


15/448

My mother was a reli'ious8 ,od>fearin' woman who did her 6est to raise us

with a sense of moral !alues7 I su""ose a 'ood deal of that has remained withme7 She used to tell us that you9ll find 'ood in e!ery man if you look hardenou'h7 I9!e always tried to remem6er that and act accordin'ly8 althou'hsometimes it9s 6een mi'hty difficult considerin' some of the unsa!orycharacters I9!e come in contact with7My dad was "erha"s the calmest8 most e!en>tem"ered indi!idual I9!e e!erknown7 Nothin' ruffled him7 I can9t remem6er e!er seein' him 'et an'ry7+hen thin's went wron' he9d take it in stride8 smile8 and say that set6acksare only a tem"orary thin'7 Tomorrow would always 6e 6etter7 Of course wekids would 'et into a little trou6le e!ery once in a while8 as all kids do8 andthere were times when he surely would ha!e 6een Bustified in whalin' the tarout of us7 (ut he ne!er e!en raised his !oice7 Not once7 Nor did he e!er hitus7 He had an a6ility to make us know we9d 6een out of line without raisin'as much as one fin'er7 He was a truly remarka6le man7 +hen the ,ood Lordmade my dad8 he destroyed the mold7

School *aysI attended 'rammar school in Lon'worth where se!eral 'rades were held in

one room7 I recall that my third 'rade class consisted of only three kids8 two6oys and a 'irl7 +e 'ot a lot of indi!idual attention8 that9s for sure7-fter 'rammar school and Bunior hi'h8 I entered Sweetwater Hi'h School


16/448

track8 6ut the 6asket6all season was o!er and I needed somethin' to do to

kee" in sha"e8 so I took on the mile run7 It seemed like a fair distance andwith all the runnin' I was doin'8 I felt I could do all ri'ht7 I honestly didn9treali%e at the time how well I9d actually do7In 1438 as a senior8 I entered the Teas Interscholastic Track Meet as a milerunner and won it with a time of 2K.07 +ithout really tryin'8 I9d suddenly

6ecome the 6est hi'h school miler in the state of Teas7 In the meantime8 Ihad also 6een chosen as one of the fi!e 6est hi'h school 6asket6all "layers inthe state8 a rather heady e"erience for a 6oy of siteen7

5idin' Hi'h-fter that8 the scholarshi" offers started comin' in7 -ll told8 there must ha!e

6een a hundred or so from !arious colle'es and uni!ersities throu'hout the

country7 I finally settled on Hardin>Simmons8 a (a"tist>affiliated colle'e in-6ilene that was known "rimarily for turnin' out teachers and coaches7 -tthe time8 I felt my life9s work would 6e in one of these areas7In my Bunior year at Hardin>Simmons8 I was !oted the most !alua6le "layerin the (order )onference8 and the "ro teams were 6e'innin' to show aninterest7 The Minnea"olis Lakers8 now the Los -n'eles Lakers8 were makin'

o!ertures8 and I 6e'an to set my si'hts on a career as a "rofessional6asket6all "layer7 *ell (asket6all ma'a%ine "icked me as one of the to" tencolle'e "layers in the country7 I was ridin' hi'h7


17/448

sto" it7 Two thousand "ounds of sheetrock crashed on my ri'ht le'7 It

sna""ed in two "laces7 I remem6er my first thou'ht was8 @My ,od8 I9ll ne!er"lay 6asket6all a'ain7A My le' was in a cast for two years due tocom"lications7 The fractures finally healed8 6ut when the cast came off8 mys"eed and coordination were 'one7 So were my ho"es for the "ros7

My First Poker ,ame

I9d 6een "layin' "oker off and on since my hi'h school days7 In fact8 I stillremem6er my first 'ame7 It was fi!e>card draw8 and I ended u" the 6i'winner7 I recall thinkin' at the time what easy money it was7 -fter I enteredHardin>Simmons8 I9d "lay in the usual Saturday ni'ht 'ames7 In 'eneral8 Iseemed to do "retty well7 I 'ot cau'ht once or twice and was disci"lined for'am6lin'8 6ut since I was one of the 6asket6all stars nothin' much came of it7

-fter 6reakin' my le'8 6asket6all was out of the Juestion and I s"ent a lotmore time "layin' "oker7 I 6e'an "ayin' more attention to my studies also7Prior to my inBury8 I felt that 6asket6all would carry me throu'h school7 (utfrom here on in8 I9d ha!e to use my 6rain7 My "oker winnin's "aid for mye"enses8 and in 142 I 'raduated with a 6achelor9s de'ree7 I stayed on atHardin>Simmons and earned my master9s de'ree in -dministrati!e Education

the followin' year7 +ith these credentials8 I felt sure I9d 6e offered a Bo6 thatwould lead to a "osition as su"erintendent of schools or at least a "rinci"al7 Itdidn9t work out that way7 In fact8 the to" Bo6 offered to me was that of a


18/448

@My ,od8A I thou'ht8 @what am I doin' tryin' to sell machines no6ody wants

to 6uy from me when I can sit down at a "oker ta6le and make ten times themoney in one>sith the timeA It didn9t take me !ery lon' to fi'ure out whatto do7 I Juit the com"any and 6e'an my career as a full>time "rofessional

"oker "layer7 I9!e ne!er re'retted that decision7

Turnin' Pro

The first 'ames I "layed that amounted to anythin' were down on Echan'eStreet in Fort +orth8 Teas7 I9d 6e sur"rised if you could find a tou'her streetin the whole world7 There were shootin's8 mu''in's8 ro66eries8 and Busta6out e!ery kind of !iolence ima'ina6le7 The stuff we see on T today istame com"ared to what Echan'e Street was like almost any hour of the day7(ut at the card ta6le8 amidst all that !iolence8 e!erythin' was as 'entlemanly

as could 6e7 They were two different worlds7 My 6uddy *wayne Hamiltonand I freJuented a card room run 6y a 'an'ster named Tincy whose mainclaim to fame was ha!in' killed half a do%en "eo"le7 He ran an honest 'ame8thou'h8 and *wayne and I did fairly well7 No>limit hold9em was our main'ame7 -fter we accumulated a 'ood>si%ed stake we mo!ed u"town to thethree hundred and fi!e hundred 6uy>in 'ames where we "layed with doctors8

lawyers8 and other "rofessional "eo"le7For the net fi!e or si years we made the Teas circuit8 "layin' 6i''er and6i''er 'ames throu'hout the state7 Occasionally we9d dro" into the 6i'


19/448

Makin' a Name for Oursel!es

-s our re"utations 'rew8 we were in!ited to more and more 'ames in "ri!ateclu6s and homes7 For the most "art8 these 'ames were for rich oil men andcattlemen who had a hankerin' to take on youn' "rofessionals like us7 It wassafer "layin' in these 'ames than "layin' in 6ack rooms where you took arisk e!ery time you won a fair amount7 I9!e 6een hiBacked a few times8 and Ican tell you it9s not a "leasant e"erience to 6e lookin' down at the 6usinessend of a shot'un7Sailor8 Slim8 and I stuck to'ether for si years or so8 and we had some mi'htyfine times7 Once in a while we were down8 6ut we mana'ed to hold our own

6etter than most7 Our "artnershi" finally 6roke u" after our first 6i' tri" toLas e'as7 +e lost our entire 6ankroll:close to si fi'ures:and 6elie!eme8 there9s nothin' more cantankerous than three 6roke 'am6lers7 +e wentour se"arate ways after that 6ut ha!e remained close friends to this day7In 14/38 I met my wife8 Louise7 She was a "harmacist in San -n'elo8 Teas8and I courted her for a6out two years7 She was somethin' worth winnin'8 yousee8 and I can tell you I had an u"hill fi'ht "ersuadin' my sweetheart that Iwas her one and only7 She was con!inced I was married8 and it took a hea" of

testimonials to con!ince her that I was sin'le and a!aila6le7 I worked harderfor our first date than anythin' I9!e e!er done in my life7 -fter I asked her tomarry me8 she had to think twice a6out "ermanently hitchin' u" with a


20/448

said it would ha!e to come out7

Somethin' -wfully +ron'I went into the o"eratin' room at /K.3 a7m7 +hen I woke u" in the reco!eryroom8 it was dark7 E!en thou'h I was !ery 'ro''y8 I could tell thin's weren9t'oin' too well for me7 Not only were my head and 6ack in 6anda'es8 6ut myentire chest was wra""ed in 'au%e and com"letely co!ered with ta"e7 I

remem6er thinkin'8 @*oyle8 there9s somethin' awfully wron'7A Louise wasthere at my side tellin' me e!erythin' was 'oin' to 6e all ri'ht8 6ut I knewshe was tryin' to hide somethin'7 I was in a lot of "ain8 and the dru's theyke"t feedin' me ke"t me fairly stu"ified for the net few days7I remained in the hos"ital for Juite a while7 My relati!es and friends werealways comin' 6y to see how I was doin'7 That was a comfort7

Still8 no6ody had the coura'e to tell me what the real situation was7 The onlythin' I knew was that I was 'oin' to 6e taken for further study to the )ancer)enter at M7 *7 -nderson Hos"ital in Houston7 +hat I had not 6een told wasthat when the doctors o"ened me u"8 they found massi!e cancer s"readthrou'hout my 6ody7 It had reached close to the 6ase of my 6rain8 and mychest and stomach area were riddled with it7 Four sur'eons had 6een called in

and they all a'reed that it was useless to "roceed7 The cancer had attacked somuch of my 6ody that it was only a matter time 6efore I died7 I was a 6i' do'to li!e lon'er than four months7


21/448

no ho"e of my li!in'8 they said there mi'ht 6e a sli'ht chance of "rolon'in'

my life a few more months throu'h radical neck sur'ery7 +ith that o"eration8there was a "ossi6ility that I9d 6e a6le to li!e lon' enou'h to see my 6a6y

6efore the cancer reached my 6rain7+e flew to Houston the net day7 For the net two>and>a>half weeks8 I restedin the hos"ital to 6uild myself u" for the sur'ery to come7 I went into theo"eratin' room at 13K.3 a7m7 I s"ent ei'ht hours under the knife and at /K.3

"7m78 they 'a!e Louise the news7 I was 'oin' to make it7 It had 6een touchand 'o7

The Im"ossi6le Had Ha""ened-t one "oint durin' the o"eration8 my 6lood "ressure dro""ed to %ero8 6utthey "ulled me throu'h7 +hat was truly incredi6le was that there was no

lon'er any trace of cancer in my system7 The doctors couldn9t 6elie!e it7 Theim"ossi6le had ha""ened7The odds a'ainst merely sur!i!in' the o"eration itself were !ery hi'h7 -month earlier the 6lack corru"tion of melanoma had 6een !isi6le to the nakedeye7 That the cancer had disa""eared was incom"rehensi6le to the staff at thehos"ital7 Fi!e doctors had unanimously a'reed that it was a medical

im"ossi6ility for me to li!e lon'er than a few more months8 with or withoutthe o"eration7For the net two weeks8 Louise and Sailor took turns watchin' me twenty>


22/448

my reco!ery7 Those "rayers surely must ha!e 6een answered7

- Hi'her PowerLouise had always 6een a reli'ious woman8 6ut this e"erience and twoothers in our li!es reinforced her con!iction that there9s a hi'her "ower thatwatches o!er us7Shortly after my reco!ery8 Louise de!elo"ed a uterine tumor7 That normally

reJuires etensi!e sur'ery and remo!al of the female or'ans7 She wasscheduled for sur'ery8 6ut 6efore the "rocedure8 it was disco!ered that hertumor had disa""eared7 -nother miracle7In 148 when my dau'hter *oyla was twel!e years old she was found toha!e idio"athic scoliosis8 a de6ilitatin' s"inal disorder7 That affliction causesetensi!e cur!ature of the s"ine or "ermanent cri""lin'7 S"ecialists were

consulted and radical "rocedures were recommended8 includin' im"lantationof a steel rod in her s"ine or a full 6ody 6race7 None of that was necessary7Louise or'ani%ed a marathon "rayer session for *oyla that included radio

6roadcasts and corres"ondence with the late atherine uhlman8 the famousfaith healer7 +ithin three months8 *oyla9s s"ine had strai'htened com"letely7The doctors acknowled'ed that hers was one of only three known cases

where the cur!ature was corrected without sur'ical assistance7 The thirdmiracle in our family7Since that time8 Louise has 6een etremely acti!e in )hristian ministry and


23/448

fifty>four times in a row7 I ne!er 6ooked a loser until the fifty>fifth session I

"layed7 Ne!er 6efore8 or since8 ha!e I had such a streak7 I won enou'h tocom"letely clear my immense doctor and hos"ital 6ills and had "lenty lefto!er to kee" my family comforta6le for se!eral years7

E!erythin' Seemed to )lick(efore the sur'ery8 I would ha!e classified myself as a sli'htly 6etter than

a!era'e "layer7 Howe!er8 after that ordeal8 somethin' ha""ened7 E!erythin'seemed to click8 and I was "layin' 6etter than I had e!er "layed in my life7My "layin' 6ecame almost instincti!e7 I was readin' my com"etitors moreaccurately8 and I felt a self>assurance I had ne!er e"erienced7 My 6rush withdeath had a""arently tri''ered innate a6ilities that had ne!er surfaced 6efore7The most im"ortant thin' of all was that I disco!ered my true !ocation7 I had

finally dis"elled any dou6ts a6out what my "rofession in life was 'oin' to 6e7(ecause of "ressure from my family and friends8 I had thou'ht a6outreturnin' to @le'itimateA work7 (ut now I knew I ne!er would7 I was ne!er'oin' to 6e a workin' stiff8 nor was I e!er 'oin' to ha!e a 6oss7 I was 'oin'to make my way throu'h life my way7*urin' the net few years8 I shuttled 6etween Fort +orth and Las e'as8

where more and more of the action was de!elo"in'7 I was still doin' most ofmy "layin' in Teas8 6ut it was 'ettin' difficult to find the really 6i' 'amesthere7 I was 6eatin' them so re'ularly that they were finally sayin'8 @+e can


24/448

I9m known as a "rofessional 'am6ler rather than Bust a "rofessional "oker

"layer8 and I ha!e to admit that I am7 I9!e 6een known to 6et on Bust a6outanythin'7 -nd 6ecause of that8 I9!e surely had my share of losers7 If I hadstuck to "oker8 I9d "ro6a6ly 6e a far wealthier man today7 (ut old ha6its arehard to 6reak8 and I Bust like to 'am6le7Howe!er8 it9s more than Bust likin' to 'am6le7 I9m !ery com"etiti!e 6ynature7 -s lon' as there9s a contest:any kind of contest8 e!en if it9s a mar6le

shootin' contest:I want to 6e a "art of it7 If I can9t 6e an acti!e "artici"antas I am at "oker and 'olf:and therefore 6ettin' on myself:I ha!e to 6et onone side or the other8 6e it a foot6all 'ame8 a "ri%efi'ht8 or whate!er7My com"etiti!e nature is one of the reasons I feel I9!e 6een so successful

"layin' "oker7 ;ou9!e 'ot to "lay hard to 6e a consistent winner at "oker8and I9m a6le to do that instincti!ely7 I was a !ery fierce com"etitor as anathlete in hi'h school and colle'e7 That com"etiti!e s"irit remains with me7I9m sure it has a lot to do with my success at the "oker ta6le7 I9!e ne!er lostthe feelin' of ehilaration that comes when you9re doin' the 6est you can and'am6lin' real hi'h7 There9s no feelin' Juite like it7

Net to "oker8 'olf is my fa!orite 'ame8 and I9m considered a "retty 'ood

"layer:"ro6a6ly a little 6etter than the net 'uy7 nfortunately8 Juite a fewof those net 'uys ha!e "layed a shade 6etter than me when we 'ot to 6ettin'on the course7 I remem6er 'oin' 6ack east one year with my 6est friend


25/448

le!el contest8 it can9t 6e 6eat7 There9s a certain "ride you take from knowin'

that you9!e taken on the 6est and come out on the to"7 (ut with this "ridealso comes the reali%ation that you can ne!er afford to 6ecome com"lacent7In 6oth the 14/ and 14 Series8 I made a full house only when the finalcard was "layed7 -nd "erha"s there9s a moral in that8 too7 -s I noted8 in

"oker as in life8 you can9t count a man out until the last card falls7

140 -N* (E;ON*

Life is always chan'in'8 ne!er constant7 ;ou really can9t count on anythin'stayin' the same7 Late in 148 I added the finishin' touches to the ori'inalSu"er#System8 and its "u6lication would chan'e "oker for me fore!er in waysI hadn9t antici"ated7

The "eo"le closest to me8 6oth my friends and my "oker o""onents8continued to see me in "retty much the same li'ht7 (ut it was the "eo"le andthe "layers I9d ne!er met 6efore who 6e'an treatin' me differently7 For themost "art8 they treated me with more re!erence8 and that was flatterin'7

No6ody e!er sat in a "oker 'ame anymore who didn9t know who I was7 -ndso many stran'ers had read my 6ook in the first months after its "u6lication

that I ne!er knew when I was "layin' a student of my 'ame "lan8 who wase"ectin' me to "lay "oker "recisely as I had descri6ed and ea'er to takead!anta'e


26/448

Stran'ers could take my secrets and 6eat almost e!eryone with them8 6ut I

was determined that they weren9t 'oin' to use them to 6eat me7 -nd theydidn9t7(ut thin's chan'ed some7 Poker chan'ed7 More and more8 a new ty"e of

"layer was comin' on the scene:more literate8 more refined7 Old 'am6lerswere true 'am6lers8 ready to "ut all their money on the ta6le anytime8anywhere7 Most of them had no other o"tion as a li!elihood8 either7 Poker

was a "ath out of "o!erty7 Many old 'am6lers were uneducated7 Today8"layers often ha!e de'rees and treat "oker as a 6usiness rather than a "ureform of 'am6lin'7 Modern "layers are 'rowin' u" in a world of the Internet8and many e!en "lay "oker online8 somethin' that would ha!e 6een 6eyondanyone9s wildest ima'ination when the first co"y of Su"er#System was

"urchased7-nd "oker has 'rown so !astly in recent years7 So !astly7 The old ways:those seedy 'ames in the 6ack of "ool halls8 in ta!erns8 those "ri!ate home'ames and the ones held 6y fraternal or'ani%ations like the Elks and theF+:are Juickly fadin'7 It was so much more difficult to 'et 'ood 6ackthen7 ;ou had to do it the hard way7

Today8 you can take a shortcut to winnin' Bust 6y readin' what the e"ertsand "ro!en "layers ha!e contri6uted8 rather than ha!in' to de!elo" "okertalents throu'h trial and error7


27/448

those tournaments7 Satellites had arri!ed8 and that kind of easy "rofit was

'one7 - few ad!enturous "layers still sou'ht us out8 wantin' the challen'e7(ut mostly8 the o""ortunities for su"er>soft side 'ames at tournaments were'one7*es"ite this8 my "oker 6ankroll continued to 'row7 It was almost all smoothsailin'8 almost all success7 E!erythin' went strai'ht u"7It was a time when the ,am6lers In!itational ,olf Tournament8 hosted 6y

cra%ed 'am6lers 'et to'ether7 -nd it didn9t matter how well or how "oorlyyou "layed the 'ame8 if you had a 6ankroll and a set of clu6s8 we9d fi'ure outa way to make it a fair 'am6le7

*u6ious 5e"utationsI made a load of money 'olfin'8 "artly 6ecause I had a re"utation for 'i!in'action7 ;ou9!e 'ot to 'i!e action to 'et action7 I used sheer mental tou'hnessand com"etiti!eness8 as well as a ,od>'i!en 'ift for athletics8 to come out on

to"7 There were million dollar days7(ack then8 not e!eryone we wa'ered with at 'olf 6elon'ed in the @re"uta6le'am6lerA cate'ory7 Take


28/448

Net hole7 Pu''y and I are on the 'reen in two8 while )ha'ra finds himself in

a sand tra"7 There9s a meanin'less s"ot of sun>dried 'rass in front of Pu''y9s6all8 a 6lemish on the 'reen "ath to the hole8 6ut not a hindrance to his "utt inany way7 For some reason I9ll ne!er li!e lon' enou'h to understand8 Pu''ymo!ed his 6all a few inches away from the suns"ot8 to no ad!anta'e7 May6eit9s Bust Pu'9s nature7)ha'ra had his 6ody'uard ridin' in the cart with him7

@6lanks awayAI fi'ure Pu''y cost me C$ million in future earnin's that day8 may6e more8and I9!e ne!er let him for'et it7 +hile I "ersonally had success a'ainst)ha'ra after that8 Pu''y ne!er 'ot another chance7 He was 6anished fore!erfrom our 'rou"7

My Saddest HourLife is like "oker sometimes7


29/448

-nd so8 *oyla had used her free will when she took too much "otassium8 the

e!ent that "ut her system out of 6alance and sto""ed her heart7 It must notha!e seemed like a 6i' thin' to her8 such a small mistake7 (ut sometimeschoices we make ha!e conseJuences 6eyond what we could e!er ima'ine7 Iremem6er *oyla e!ery day8 and the shock and the sadness of losin' her willne!er end7 (ut I9m at "eace with ,od7 Had I not come to acce"t that "eace8 Icould ne!er ha!e returned successfully to "oker7

I finally came to understand that *oyla9s and Louise9s )hristian 6eliefs wereri'ht for me7 -nd I was ready to re!isit "oker with a new !i'or7I mo!ed to )alifornia and found !ery soft action at the "oker ta6les7 -t the(icycle )lu68 I won o!er a C1 million !ery Juickly7 I was 6ack7

Esse8 En'land

I9!e 6ecome more reflecti!e a6out life as I9!e continued to mature7 It9sstran'e to reali%e that a man can 'et to 6e fifty8 sity8 and now se!enty andstill find himself maturin'7 (ut that9s what ha""ens7-6out twenty years a'o8 I took an interest in 'enealo'y8 wonderin' how Icame to 6e7 I learned that 5o'er (runson8 the first historically recorded(runson in -merica8 could 6e traced to )onnecticut in 1/$7 -nd you can

trace my linea'e 6ack to Esse8 En'land in the 133s7-ctually8 the early surnames in my family weren9t all (runson7 They were(rownson8 meanin' son of (raun8 and (ronson7 (ut these were all related8


30/448

Thinkin' (ack

The e!ents that I most remem6er "lay out in my mind like sound 6ites7Occasionally I can9t recall details or e!ents until one of these monumentalmoments in memory 'ets me started8 and then that tri''er leads me to thenet remem6rance and the net7Like my children lea!in' the nest7 Like when my closest friends and some ofmy family 6e'an to die off:Sailor8 *7)78 Mom8 three aunts8 and four uncles

:all within two years7 -nd this8 once a'ain8 'ot me to wonderin' a6out themeanin' of life7 +hat9s it all a6out (ut this time8 my newly disco!ered faith

6rou'ht me throu'h7Then there were those 6ad in!estments:tele!ision stations8 minin' !entures8you name it7 *es"ite my ad!anced education in 6usiness8 I Bust couldn9t seemto 'et it ri'ht7 May6e the Lord intended for me to 6e a "oker "layer7 May6e

"oker is my "ath to 'reater awareness7 May6e whene!er I stray from that"oker "ath8 the Lord decides to yank me around a little and remind me to stayon course8 doin' what I do 6est7 It sure seems that way7-nd I9!e noticed this in other 'reat "oker "layers as well7 They yearn to takea shot at somethin' 6eyond "oker8 and as likely as not8 whene!er they do it8

they end u" 'ettin' yanked around8 too7Enter the +orld Poker Tour8 the tremendously successful tele!ised seriesthat9s hel"ed to "o"ulari%e our 'ame as much as anythin' else in "oker


31/448

as "rinci"al owner of the Horseshoe after his le'endary father8 (enny (inion8

died7 May6e you9!e heard a6out the family dis"ute that "itted


32/448

attack7 It was a con!incin' act8 and they 6ou'ht into it7 (ut that didn9t send

them scurryin' into the ni'ht7 They sim"ly unlocked the door and dra''edme throu'h it7

Naturally8 we ha!e all sorts of security features8 as most hi'h>stakes "layersdo7 One of those was a delayed alarm8 which had 6een set 6y Louise8 whowas u"stairs slee"in'7 +hen I didn9t deacti!ate it8 the alarm sounded8 Bust asI9d ho"ed7

They demanded to know how to turn it off7 I ke"t fei'nin' semi>consciousness and 'i!in' them the wron' com6inations8 askin' them to callthe "aramedics7 Sym"athy from them was not forthcomin'8 howe!er7 I was

"istol>whi""ed and they 6roke my nose in the "rocess7 My face was 6adly cutu" when Louise came downstairs to in!esti'ate the commotion7The "hone ran'7@That9s the alarm com"any8A one of the men 'rowled7 @Tell theme!erythin'9s all ri'ht8 or we9ll kill you ri'ht nowAIt was8 indeed8 the security com"any8 res"ondin' to a standard alert7 In orderto determine whether this was a false alarm8 they asked for a "assword thatwould let them know e!erythin' was okay7 Louise took the call and had the

"resence of mind to 'i!e the wron' "assword8 Bust as I had 'i!en the wron'codes7 (ut instead of "ickin' u" on the clue that somethin' was terri6lyamiss at the (runsons9 residence8 the woman on the other end admonished


33/448

ste""ed 6ack from me8 she had Bum"ed 6etween me and the 'un7

The ro66ers seemed fla66er'asted7 They threatened us a'ain8 then took chi"sand some money from my "ockets7 They didn9t search the house8 and theywouldn9t ha!e found any cash there8 anyway7 I don9t kee" cash at home8mostly 6ecause it could endan'er my family7 They sensed they were runnin'out of time8 and so they fled7E!en throu'h the "ain8 one thou'ht struck home7 It was my astonishment at

Bust how coura'eous Louise is7 I9d always known she was like that8 6ut thatni'ht set a new standard7(y the way8 I9d learned that heart attack trick from another le'endary'am6ler8 Titanic Thom"son7 It was in his 6ook7 (ut he would take it a ste"further8 comin' out with a hidden "istol7 They say he killed fi!e 'uys thattried to ro6 him7

- 5eunionMy life has 6een a lon' chain of ad!entures7 -nd when I think 6ack8 I reali%ethat the thin's you e"erience are your 'ifts to remem6er7 Permanent 'ifts8like diamonds7 They s"arkle in your head8 and they are yours fore!er7-nd I Bourney 6ack to my colle'e years at Hardin>Simmons7 It9s as if I can

remem6er it all8 the 'ames8 the 'lory8 the shots I made8 the shots I missed7 Itall "lays out a'ain8 like 6rand new8 on a 6asket6all court in my mind7E!eryone9s there7 My friends7 My teammates7 The crowds7


34/448

No wonder I9!e 6een "assed u" for my colle'e9s Hall of Fame8 des"ite my

accom"lishments in track and 6asket6all there7 (ut the reunion made u" forit8 and it turned out to 6e one of the fondest e"eriences of my life7+e all reminisced a6out that cham"ionshi" year8 and time stood still7 -nd fora 6rief8 whimsical8 ma'ical moment8 I 6elie!ed:may6e we all 6elie!ed:wecould still do it7 +e could do it a'ain7

Heart6reak and Peace-nd so my time on earth so far has 6een a Bourney7 -lon' the way8 I9!e facedheart6reak and found "eace7 I9!e stru''led 6ut ultimately conJuered7 -ndnow8 ha!in' com"leted my se!enth decade on earth8 I reflect7That9s one of the two thin's I do most nowadays7 5eflect7 -nd "lay "oker7I don9t "lay in a lot of tournaments outside of Ne!ada these days8 6ut 6ecause

the +PT has 'rown so "o"ular8 there9s a sudden interest in "oker7 I9!e 6eenin!ited re'ularly to a""ear on T shows8 the inter!iews for maBor"u6lications ha!e 6ecome common"lace8 and a mo!ie scri"t a6out my lifehas Bust 6een com"leted7Poker is hot7 -nd I9m "roud of my "art in it8 honored 6y e!ery award that tiesme to our 'reat 'ame of "oker:Poker Hall of Fame8 Seniors Hall of Fame8

Teas Hall of Fame8 Tro"icana )asino Le'ends Hall of Fame7 -s I satwritin' this section8 I had the honor of 6ein' interru"ted 6y an in!itation fromthe )ommerce )asino near Los -n'eles8 the 6i''est "oker "alace in the


35/448

remem6ered7

,us9s "erformance is the most etraordinary feat since to>6ack in the same twel!e months that he won thetwo "resti'ious Hall of Fame main e!ents and then finished second at the+SOP the followin' year7 +ith the dramatically increased num6er ofentrants8 a "erformance like that will surely ne!er 6e re"eated7

)han'esMy life has e!ol!ed radically since the days that Slim and Sailor and Itra!eled Teas and the South in an old Fairlane Ford7 Thin's ha!e chan'ed somuch7I still "lay "oker re'ularly7 (ut often I decide to esca"e8 e!en thou'h it meanssacrificin' some "rofit7 Then I stay at my "lace on Flathead Lake in

Montana8 out of the Las e'as heat8 relain'7 -t those times8 life is "assin'me 6y8 and I feel renewed7 -nd there8 as e!erywhere8 I reflect7 5eflectin' onmy life8 and life in 'eneral8 has 6ecome almost an o6session with me inrecent years7+hat 'ood is life8 you know8 if you can only li!e it once ;ou own youre"eriences7 They are yours to kee"7 ;ou should think a6out that as you 'o

throu'h life7 +hat you do now will 6ecome a "ermanent "art of you7 The'ood thin's and the 6ad thin's7 I can9t tell you that the cards you9re dealt will6e the ones you want8 6ut whate!er they turn out to 6e8 "lay them wisely7


36/448

Middle It at 1$3

-s you "ro6a6ly know8 I9!e 6een !ery hea!y most of my adult life7 Peo"leke"t warnin' me of the health "ro6lems that 'o alon' with carryin' aroundthose etra "ounds7 (ut it didn9t really hit home with me 6ecause I was a6leto mo!e a6out swiftly8 'olf with a low handica"8 and stay acti!e7(ut recently I sat down and chatted with myself7 Thin's were not as they had

6een7 I was o!er se!enty7 In recent years8 like a classic car8 my chassis wasn9t

in 'ood sha"e7 My le's weren9t carryin' me well and my shoulder ached7 (utmy heart was healthy8 like a 'reat>workin'8 tireless car6uretor7 May6e that9s

6ecause 6lood has flowed !ery fast throu'h my !eins durin' the "ressuresituations at "oker7 May6e that cleansed me7Two different doctors ha!e told me that my 6ody must 6e "ro'rammed toli!e 1$3 years8 as 6adly as I9!e treated it7 One said 1.38 one said 1138 so Imiddled it at 1$37Then I decided that I may as well "lan for a lot more hands of "oker8 and Ihad 'astric 6y"ass sur'ery to reduce my wei'ht7 I did that si months a'o8and I feel a lot healthier now7(ut what ha""ens after those 1$3 years I9ll 6e 'one and "erha"s someas"irin' "layers will read this 6ook and new "oker stars will 6e created7They9ll kee" "oker9s flame flickerin'8 and if the Lord allows8 I9ll o6ser!efrom a6o!e and share their ad!entures7


37/448

on in 1408 at the reJuest of (enny (inion8 )randell and lon' tour of ,reat (ritain to show their 'am6lers how to "lay the'ame7)randell was an ori'inal "artici"ant and the winner of the 14/4 Teas,am6lers )on!ention held in 5eno8 the "rofessional "oker tournament that

6ecame the +orld Series of Poker in 1437 )randell then "layed in the+SOP the net nine years at (inion9s Horseshoe )asino in downtown Las

e'as7 He com"iled an outstandin' record in the +SOP8 includin' twosecond "lace finishes7

Now retired from "oker8 )randell runs his oil e"loration com"any8 alon'with his "recious metals and "harmaceutical com"anies7 He remains one ofthe most colorful and 'reatest "layers in "oker history7


38/448

THE HISTO5; OF NO>LIMIT TE-S HOL*9EM

6y )randell -ddin'ton

This is the story of how a small 6and of Teas 'am6lers unwittin'ly createdthe "oker colossus that is currently enBoyed 6y more than fifty million

"rofessional and amateur "layers and is seen 6y millions of "eo"le worldwideon some of the most "o"ular shows on tele!ision7 Here9s how it all started7In the early 14/3s8 "oker was an ille'al acti!ity throu'hout the nited States8with the ece"tion of Ne!ada and )alifornia7 (ut that didn9t sto" Teans likePinky 5hoden of Lu66ock8 @*uckA Mallard of Lockhart8


39/448

was "rotecti!e of his 'ame8 and the only outside 'am6lers welcome to "lay

were those of us who were his "ersonal friends7Howe!er8 as soft as this 'ame was8 sometimes the fish ate the "elicans7 Oneni'ht on +est -!enue8 I witnessed one of the 6i''est laydowns and three ofthe hi'hest hands that can 6e dealt in Teas hold9em7 The fish was a San-ntonio contractor who was a re'ular at the 'ame8 and fortunately for thetwo "elicans:,il6ert Hess of *allas8 who would later marry Felton

Mc)orkindale9s widow8 and *oyle (runson:it occurred on the one ni'ht ofthe week when the limit 'ame was in session7 Otherwise the "elicans wouldha!e had a smooth s"ot to shuffle on where all their chi"s had 6een7The limit was C03#C1/38 chea" 6y today9s standards8 6ut hi'h enou'h 6ackthen7 There was a round of raises 6efore the flo"8 then the flo" fell ->2>$7The maimum 6ets and su6seJuent raises were made and called 6y all three

"layers7 -t this "oint8 *oyle was holdin' tri" aces8 ,il6ert Hess was holdin'tri" deuces8 and the fish was holdin' tri" fours7The turn came a deuce7 *oyle led with aces full8 6ut when the dou6le raisecame 6ack to him8 he laid down the hand7 Since I ha!e already told you thaton this "articular ni'ht the fish ate the "elicans8 you already know that theri!er card was the fourth four7 So the contractor won the hand a'ainst oddsthat only some to" "oker mathematician and theorist8 such as Mike )aro8mi'ht 6e interested in calculatin'7


40/448

know:what no one could ha!e known:was how our introduction of Teas

hold9em would end u" chan'in' the landsca"e of "oker fore!er7-t the time8 Ne!ada had only one le'al "oker room8 which was located in the,olden Nu''et and o"erated 6y (ill (oyd8 a master fi!e>card stud "layer7 Itwas truly a @sawdust Boint8A with red>flocked wall"a"er on the walls andoiled sawdust co!erin' the floors7 Ne!ada and )alifornia "layers came thereto "lay fi!e>card stud8 ra%%8 and )alifornia low6all draw7 This would chan'e

when a small 'rou" of Teans8 led 6y Felton Mc)orkindale and includin'*oyle (runson8 (ryan @SailorA 5o6erts8 stakes no>limit 'ame Bust outsidethe entrance to his main showroom8 where we were a6le to catch lots of dro">ins8 includin' the late MaBor 5iddle8 the maBority owner of the *unes75emem6er8 Ne!adans and )alifornians were "rimarily fi!e>card stud "layers7-nd althou'h he was ori'inally from Lockhart8 Teas8 5iddle was 6y now a


41/448

what I mean a6out the fi!e>card stud "layers and their learnin' cur!e 5iddle

had a wired "air8 and he was not a6out to lay them down8 not reali%in' that hehad the worst hand "ossi6le in this situation and could not e!en 6eat the fi!ecards on the 6oard7One "layer8 in =that9s a6out C/38333 > C/338333 in terms of today9sdollar?7In 14/08 Tom and Lafayne Moore decided to hold a ta6le 'ames tournamentin order to "romote the Holiday Hotel in 5eno7 They desi'ned ela6oratein!itations to The First -nnual ,amin' Fraternity )on!ention and sent themto a select 'rou" of a""roimately fifty hi'h rollers7 The e!ent met with


42/448

)ourt Bustice in San -ntonio7

The e!ent8 which lasted one week8 featured Teas hold9em8 ansas )itylow6all draw8 ra%%8 stud8 and ace>to>fi!e low6all draw7 -ll the 'ames were@li!eA 'ames8 that is8 "layers could re6uy chi"s if they went 6roke7 Thismeant that the winner had to 6e the 6est "layer8 not Bust the luckiest7-t this tournament8 I won the @Mr7 OutsideA tro"hy8 desi'natin' me as the

6est outside or road 'am6ler at the tournament7 Oddly enou'h8 6oth Tom

Moore and (ill (oyd8 who ran their own 'ames and therefore were thou'htof as inside 'am6lers8 were under consideration for the award as well7(enny and


43/448

=6ookmakers8 oilmen8 6usinessmen8 and so on? that make a no>limit 'ame

thri!e7 Thanks to the ecitement 'enerated 6y (inion9s P5 cam"ai'n8 therewas no shorta'e of "roducers at the 141 +orld Series of Poker7 In Lase'as8 this was the 6e'innin' of the halcyon days of no>limit "oker7-t one such li!e 'ame in the se!enties8 *oyle (runson and I took on a

"roducer named 5e )au6le8 a Tean who owned two eclusi!e westernwear and tack sho"s in *allas and Houston8 which he named @)utter (ill9sA

after a famous cuttin' horse7 -s it later turned out8 5e was also im"ortin'certain a'ricultural "roducts from Meico that the *E- o6Bected to7 -nyway85e liked to "lay hi'h chan'e in no>limit Teas hold9em8 and he would showu" at the Horseshoe durin' the +orld Series of Poker with a si%ea6le

6ankroll7Now8 *oyle and I ha!e 6een friends for o!er forty years8 and we9!e "layed in

countless 'ames to'ether:6ut none ha!e e!er 6een as stran'e as this one7On this "articular e!enin'8 5e wanted to "lay a C38333 chan'e>in 'ame7Four or fi!e of us took him u" on the challen'e7 (ut first8 *oyle was 'raciousenou'h to 'i!e 5e a thirty>minute crash course on the finer "oints ofhold9em7 Only after 5e was certain he had enou'h of the 6asics to "laycredi6ly8 did we all sit down7Less than thirty minutes into the 'ame8 an unraised "ot came u" 6etween 5eand "oker world cham"ion (o66y (aldwin8 who 6eat me in 140 for the title


44/448

were7 5e had Bust smooth called with the nuts7

-t this "oint8 *oyle uttered his fa!orite "hrase of astonishmentK @I9ll 6e asun6urned son of a 6itch7A I had to su""ress a lau'h7 (ut 6ack in the earlydays of the +orld Series of Poker8 this kind of thin' ha""ened7 Thetournament attracted many "roducers like 5e8 and some "layed with us fore!en hi'her stakes7The "o"ularity of the +orld Series was not lost on Sid +yman8 an affa6le

man and the "u6lic relations director for the *unes and the -laddin7 In 14.8+yman 6rou'ht the 'ame of no>limit Teas hold9em across Las e'as(oule!ard to the -laddin8 which was o"erated 6y Sam *iamond7 Hosted 6y


45/448

Horseshoe7 +hile at first8 this was seen as a "ositi!e chan'e for the

tournament8 it had the ironic effect of crowdin' out the li!e 'ames:the !eryreason we had started the +SOP in the first "laceToday8 the 'ame of no>limit Teas hold9em that we introduced to Ne!ada somany years a'o has 6een transformed8 thanks to its entertainment !alue8 totele!ision audiences7 E!er increasin' "artici"ation in maBor free%e>outtournaments =more than $833 "layers in the $332 +orld Series of Poker?

ha!e forced tournament hosts to im"ose ra"idly increasin' ante and 6lindstructures in order to kee" the tournament times mana'ea6le7 -nd this has

"roduced an a6erration of the "ure form of the 'ame7 +ith certain nota6leece"tions8 the 'ame of no>limit Teas hold9em is a 'ame desi'ned to 6e

"layed after the flo"7 That9s when the real "lay is su""osed to 6e'in7Howe!er8 many hands seen at tele!ised e!ents today are "layed 6efore the

flo"8 when the "layers ha!e recei!ed only their holecards7 This style of "lay8sometimes referred to as @catch an ace and take a race8A re>introduces asu6stantial amount of luck into a 'ame that had always fa!ored the 6est

"layer o!er the 6est card catcher7(ut it a""ears that nothin' can sto" an idea whose time has come7 -nd forthe hundreds of thousands8 if not millions8 of "layers now acti!e on theonline "oker sites around the world8 surely the time has come7 In the future8you can e"ect to see time mana'ement "ro6lems de!elo" for the tournament


46/448

tele!ised today7


47/448

ONLINE POE5

6y *oyle (runson

Technolo'y surrounds us7 Thin's chan'e7 -nd the swiftness of chan'e todayis un"aralleled in history7 Nothin' makes "oker "layers more aware of thischan'e than the ad!ent of online "oker7)om"uters chan'ed e!erythin':from "roducti!ity8 to research8 to 'ames7Poker8 too7 ;ou see8 alon' came the Internet and suddenly you could findalmost any answer in seconds8 6e anywhere in the world8 instantly:not

"hysically8 of course8 6ut we learned we didn9t need to 6e "hysically "resentto 6e there7 -nd so we could "lay "oker without 6ein' "hysically "resent7 +ecould 6e at the ta6le7 Instantly7

I remem6er the first time I "layed "oker online was in 14447 I think it was atiny C. limit 'ame8 and I was used to "layin' C$8333 limit and hi'her 'ameswhere you could win or lose u"wards of C1 million without lea!in' your seat7I9d 'otten curious8 6ecause Mike )aro had endorsed an online "oker site8 andI thou'ht this was stran'e8 considerin' he had "re!iously written a columnwarnin' of the "itfalls of online "lay7 If he9d chan'ed his mind8 then the least

I could do was in!esti'ate for myself7 5emarka6ly8 it was as ecitin' as any"oker I9d e!er "layed7 There I was8 "artici"atin' in "oker on the screen witho""onents seated inches away8 6ut knowin' they weren9t actually inches


48/448

us ha!e started differentiatin' "oker 6y Bust these two termsK online "oker and

real>world "oker7-nd real>world "oker8 the kind you sit down and "lay with "hysical cards at areal ta6le a'ainst o""onents you can reach across the ta6le and shake handswith8 can itself 6e di!ided into su6cate'ories7 For instance8 we could talka6out home "oker and casino "oker7 Each offers a sli'htly different fla!or7That9s the same with 6asket6all8 you know7 There is 6asket6all "layed

outdoors on concrete sla6s8 hi'h school 6asket6all8 colle'e 6asket6all8 N(-6asket6all8 and international 6asket6all that you see in the Olym"ics7 (ut it9sall 6asket6all7-nd I9m here to tell you today8 that online or real world8 "oker is "oker7 It9sall "oker7 There9s hardly any ad!ice on these "a'es that won9t hel" you

6ecome a much 6etter online "layer8 sim"ly 6ecause it will hel" you to

6ecome a much 6etter "oker "layer8 "eriod7

*O;LE9S 5OOMwww7doylesroom7com

(efore I 'i!e you some s"ecific ti"s and insi'hts a6out "layin' "oker online8I want to tell you somethin' that may sur"rise you7 The truth is8 it sur"rises

me8 6ecause not too many years a'o8 I couldn9t ima'ine myself 6ein'in!ol!ed in online "oker at all7 (riefly8 I 'ot myself talked into endorsin' afriend9s start u" we6site 6ut I etricated myself from that fiasco as soon as I


49/448

6rin'in' to the online world the most sorely missed element of traditional

"okerK tells7The one thin' that will shock you most is the num6er of "oker "layerscurrently online7 scale "oker rooms in the Midwest8 and there arenow 6i' rooms on the East )oast8 too8 includin' those in Fowoods in)onnecticut and others inside se!eral casinos in -tlantic )ity7 Poker is

6oomin' e!erywhere7(ut "ut those all to'ether8 and you ha!e may6e 18333 ta6les7 This issomethin' I ne!er ima'ined when I started my career8 steerin' around thefreJuent tum6le weeds that walked across the hi'hways of Teas8 'oin' from


50/448

"layers ha!e 6een e"osed to our 'ame than e!er 6efore in history7 -nd it

hel"s e!eryone7 The real>world casinos are flooded with new "layers7 *idyou e!er think "oker would 'et this hot I didn9t7 It9s a fantasy come true7I 6elie!e many "otential "layers8 who otherwise would feel too em6arrassedto walk throu'h the front doors of a "u6lic casino to "lay "oker a'ainst more>e"erienced o""onents8 will find that coura'e now that they can "lay theirfirst hands on the Internet7

So8 let9s see how "oker is "layed online7

T+O 5E-SONS +H; ONLINEPOE5 IS +O5SE

Here are two ways that online "oker is worse than real>world "oker7 I readily

acknowled'e that there are other minor 'rie!ances that could 6e added8 6ut tome8 these are the only two that stand out as im"ortant7

5eason G1K +here *id the Tells ,oI think e!ery serious "layer "refers real>world "oker at times7 There9s nosu6stitute for 6ein' a6le to stare an o""onent down and make decisions 6asedon your o6ser!ations7 -nd there9s no 'reater feelin' in "oker than that ofintimidatin' o""onents into makin' costly mistakes7 Those elements aremissin':and missed:when you "lay online7


51/448

TILT7

Here are some of the icons you can choose to differentiate yourself fromother "layers at the ta6lesKThink of it as selectin' one of those weird "ieces to re"resent yourself atMono"oly as you roll the dice and "rance around the 6oard7 Players think it9skind of fun choosin' their icon8 6ut you9re not 'oin' to 'ain any tells starin'at them7 +ell8 may6e that9s not Juite true7 For instance8 my 'uess is that

"layers who choose an icon featurin' the word TILT are actually fairly ti'ht"layers8 tryin' to decei!e you7-re there other tells online Indeed there are -lmost all of them centeraround the use of early action 6uttons7 Those are one of the in!entions thatmake online "oker the fast>"aced 'ame it is7+hat are early action 6uttons They are in'enious inno!ations that take

ad!anta'e of the fact that you can secretly tell the software what your netaction will 6e:6efore it9s your turn to act Since your o""onents are sittin'in their own homes8 "ossi6ly on the other side of the earth8 they ha!e no ideawhich 6utton you9!e decided to "ush7Later8 I9ll discuss s"ecific tells associated with early action 6uttons7 (ut8o!erall8 you9re 'oin' to find yourself at a disad!anta'e online if you earn alot of your real>world "rofit 6y readin' your o""onents7

5eason G$K )an9t S"end the Money Immediately


52/448

han' on to a 6ankroll8 and I think that "layin' online hel"s "romote that

necessary ha6it7 (ut I9m listin' this fact as a ne'ati!e sim"ly 6ecause I6elie!e a 'rown>u" "oker "layer should 6e a6le to enBoy his winnin's 6ystuffin' them immediately into his "ockets7 )all me old fashioned8 6utanythin' else doesn9t set Juite ri'ht with me7(ut ece"t for that and the fact that you can9t reach across the ta6le andshake an o""onents9 hand or read him the way you can in a real 'ame8 online

"oker is Bust as 'ood as the traditional kind we9re accustomed to:and insome ways 6etter7$$ 5E-SONS +H; ONLINEPOE5 IS (ETTE5

There are a 'reat num6er of ways in which online "oker actually ecels7 Each

"layer has his own fa!orite reasons why he thinks online "oker is in someway su"erior to real>world "oker7 These are mine

5eason G1K -lways a ,ameOnline "oker makes a mockery out of how I went a6out findin' 'ood 'ameswhen I tra!eled the "oker circuit throu'hout Teas and the South in the14/3s and early 143s7 I mean8 sometimes you9d dri!e all day only to find

that the lucrati!e oil well you were ho"in' to drill had Bust dried u" an hour6efore you 'ot there7 Then you had to swallow the disa""ointment and "lanyour net mo!e in accordance with how much it would cost to tra!el +as


53/448

5eason G$K Play -'ainst O""onents ;ou9d Seldom or Ne!er Meet in PersonThe Internet has made the world so much smaller7 It mi'ht not look like itnow8 with all the "olitical flare>u"s and re'ional wars in the news8 6ut I

6elie!e that encounterin' "eo"le from far away "laces and strikin' u" instantfriendshi"s is 6ound to make the world more ci!il e!entually7 ;ou read a6outInternet romances that lead to marria'e7 (usiness associations are formed

that would ha!e 6een "hysically im"ro6a6le7It9s a 'ood thin'7 -nd one of the 6est effects of the Internet is what9sha""enin' to "oker7 (it 6y 6it8 "oker is 6ecomin' the world9s commonlan'ua'e of 'amin'7 In a real sense8 online "oker is doin' its "art to make theworld 6etter:as well as hel"in' to showcase the 'ame7- main !irtue of online "oker is that it makes 'ames "ossi6le amon' ea'er

"layers who li!e so far a"art that they9d seldom ha!e a chance to sit downto'ether at a real>world ta6le7

5eason G.K Take a Quick Fi!e>Minute(reak to PlayOften you only ha!e a half>hour or less to s"are8 sometimes as little as fi!e

minutes7 If you had the ur'e to "lay "oker "rior to online "lay8 there wasn9tanythin' you could do a6out it7 There certainly wouldn9t 6e time to sit downand 6e dealt in7 Now8 that9s all chan'ed7 Sometimes8 I9ll lo' into a 'ame


54/448

the anonymity of online "lay 'i!es timid "eo"le the coura'e to di!e into the

"oker "ond8 whereas8 if it were a face>to>face 'ame8 they9d Bust ne!er 'o nearthe water7I 6elie!e many "layers will learn to ecel at "oker who mi'ht otherwisene!er ha!e "layed the 'ame7 It9s all 6ecause of the online "oker o""ortunity7

5eason GK No Need to *ress " or ,roomI 'ot to thinkin':there are times when you like to dress u" and times whenyou don9t7 I try to look my 6est when I 'o to church or 'o to a decentrestaurant with my family7 It makes me feel 6etter a6out myself7(ut there are times when I9d rather 6e flat>out comforta6le and I don9t care ifI9m dressed to im"ress7 One of those times is when I9m "layin' "oker7 nlessI9m 6ein' filmed8 I9m less choosey a6out what I wear to a "oker 'ame7 Of

course8 I dress reasona6ly well8 e!en then8 6ecause I think some of the attireseen at the "oker ta6les is a downri'ht dis'race and reflects "oorly on our'ame7 (ut8 6asically8 I don9t o!erdo it7The truth is8 thou'h8 if it weren9t for how others mi'ht !iew me8 I9d rathernot 6other a6out how I look when I "lay "oker7 -nd online "lay 'i!es me theo""ortunity to dress howe!er I like7 -s many ha!e noted8 you can "lay "oker

online in your "aBamas and no one will care7 Now8 that9s definitely a 6onusyou 'et only when "layin' "oker 6y com"uter7

5eason G/K Heads " )hallen'es


55/448

(ut online8 this all chan'es7 It costs nothin' to set u" a new ta6le for two

"layers8 and online casinos don9t worry a6out you usin' u" their ta6les86ecause they can "ro!ide as many as they want at no cost7 No ta6les to"urchase7 No cardroom floor s"ace limitations7 (ut 6i''er than that is the factthat online casinos don9t worry a6out "ayin' dealers7 The cards are allshuffled and distri6uted 6y com"uter7 There9s no cost in!ol!ed in dealin'more cards or addin' more7 That9s one reason why I 6elie!e you9re 'oin' to

see a sur'e in heads>u" "lay online7There9s another8 darker reason why some "layers mi'ht choose heads>u"online7 They fear collusion8 6ecause they9!e heard that o""onents mi'ht 6eon the "hone sharin' information a6out each other9s hands in order to 'an'u" on honest "layers7 Now8 while collusion is always somethin' to 6e alert to

:whether you9re "layin' "oker online or in the real>world:the fact is that

online "oker has an ad!anta'e in that there9s a data6ase of e!ery hand e!er"layed7 Each hand you "lay is worth money8 when you9re "layin' the way Iad!ise in this 6ook8 and twice the hands can mean u" to twice the "rofit75eal>world sur!eillance and 'ame "rotection has also increased dramaticallyin recent years8 and I9m certain that8 on a!era'e8 "oker is more honest todaythan it9s 6een at any time in history7 If you dou6t this8 Bust look at the "layerswho are re'ularly winnin' the maBor tournaments7 Often8 these are unknown

"layers:some rank amateurs7 That8 in itself8 is a testiment to the inte'rity of


56/448

5eason GK More Hands Per Hour

+hen online "oker first de6uted in the late nineties8 "oker rooms actually6uilt in a delay to simulate the time it took to deal cards in the real world7(oy8 was that a mistake It Juickly 6ecame a""arent that "layers didn9t wantthe delays7 The faster their cards arri!ed8 the ha""ier they were7 That9s whydoylesroom7com and most other online rooms ha!e taken all the air out ofdealin' and shufflin'7 There is no delay7

;ou can "lay many more hands "er hour online8 a6out twice as many asyou9d "lay in the real world7 That means you can make more money faster7Each hand you "lay is worth money when you9re "layin' the way I ad!ise inthis 6ook8 twice the hands can mean u" to twice the "rofit75eason G0K Play Two or More ,ames at Once;ou see some "retty weird thin's at "oker7 I9!e seen "layers hold seats at

adBoinin' ta6les and scurry 6ack and forth8 tryin' to "lay 6oth 'ames forshort "eriods of times7 This usually ha""ens when the "layer has free handsremainin' 6efore the 6lind at one 'ame and has 6een called to a seat from thewaitin' list for another 'ame7 Needless to say8 "layin' two 'ames at once inthe real world doesn9t work well7 It9s "hysically im"ractical8 and you9realmost certain to rudely delay the "lay of a hand at one ta6le8 whilecom"letin' action at another7(ut online8 it9s much sim"ler7 ;ou Bust click to enter a second8 third8 or e!en


57/448

I recommend that you stick to Bust one 'ame at first8 6ecause it can 6e Juite

hectic concentratin' on two or more at once7 (ut as you 'et accustomed to"layin' multi"le 'ames8 you mi'ht find it ecitin' and rewardin'7 )ertainly8there9s no eJui!alent in real>world "oker7

5eason G4K Pre>Select (uttonsOne of the 'reat in!entions of online "oker are the early action or "re>select

6uttons7 Since you aren9t 6ein' watched 6y other "layers8 you can decidewhat to do in ad!ance of the action reachin' you7 In real>world "oker8 "re>selectin' wouldn9t 6e a""ro"riate8 6ecause that would let o""onents who act

6efore you know how you "lanned to res"ond7The early action choices hel" s"eed u" the "lay8 and they9re es"ecially usefulif you9re "layin' other 'ames simultaneously7 For instance8 when you know

you9re 'oin' to fold8 no matter what8 you can Bust click the fold 6utton 6eforethe action 'ets to you and concentrate on a different ta6le8 where you hold amore "romisin' hand7The "re>select choices chan'e accordin' to the action7 Here9s an eam"lefrom *oyle9s 5oomK

Here I9m holdin' the se!en and three of clu6s on the left side of the ta6le7 It9s

a strai'ht limit 'ame8 and I9m waitin' for *r7 (lue6erry8 at the 6ottom of thescreen8 to act7 (ut8 if you9re in a situation like this8 you don9t ha!e to waituntil it9s your turn to make a decision Look at the 6ottom of the screen ;ou


58/448

-lthou'h the screen shot you Bust looked at was for a situation where

someone had already 6et8 sometimes no one has 6et7 Then one of the "re>select 6uttons will 6e to check7 +hat if an o""onent checks instantly)hances are8 that "layer has determined in ad!ance that he is 'oin' to check7-t *oyle9s 5oom8 he may ha!e selected either the )heck#Fold 6utton8 whichis a !ery freJuent choice8 or the less likely )heck#)all any 6utton7 If)heck#Fold is the choice8 then I can assume that the instant check means the

"layer "ro6a6ly would ha!e automatically folded if there had 6een a 6et7 Inthat case8 I 'i!e the "layer less credit for ha!in' a stron' hand7Similarly8 if an o""onent raises instantly8 I9m "retty sure he intended to raiseno matter what8 and that usually indicates a !ery stron' hand7There are other tells you can di!ine from these "re>select 6uttons8 when youtake the time to think a6out what an instant action means7 If an o""onent

seems to freJuently use the "re>select 6uttons8 6ut occasionally hesitates8 youcan fi'ure him for a ty"e of hand where the decision is not o6!ious7 So8always consider what an instant action:or the lack of one:mi'ht mean7;ou can8 of course8 wait until the action reaches your seat7 Here9s a no>limiteam"le of what your choices would look like thenK5eason G13K The ShuffleSome "layers dou6t whether the shuffle in online "oker is as random as inreal>world 'ames7 In fact8 online shuffles are instant and more random than


59/448

-t the hi'her limits I "lay8 "ots are seldom raked7 Instead there9s an hourly

seat rental7 (ut most e!eryday limits8 C13#C$3 and often hi'her8 are raked7 Ifyou9re lookin' for a 6ar'ain8 you9ll find that those rakes are a little lessonline7

5eason G1$K No Ti""in'It9s customary to ti" the dealer when you win a "ot7 It9s not mandatory8 6utmost "layers do it7 In a C#C13 'ame8 you mi'ht throw a dollar the dealersway whene!er you win a "ot with any si%e to it7 The dealer9s make most oftheir income from these ti"s8 6ecause they9re "aid !ery low 6ase wa'es7These dollars you ti" add u"8 and you could 6uy some nice )hristmas

"resents at the end of the year if you didn9t ha!e to "ay them7 +ell8 online8you don9t7 In fact8 you can9t8 6ecause there is no real dealer to a""reciate oracce"t your 'esture7(ut I had a stran'e thou'ht7 Players 6ein' as su"erstitious as they are8 I9mwonderin' if *oyle9s 5oom should add ano"tional Ti" 6utton7 I 6elie!e so many "layers would choose to ti" the non>eistin' dealer that I mi'ht wai!e my endorsement fee and 'et rich off thoseti"s7

5eason G1.K Poker )lockIn "oker8 an o""onent can9t stall fore!er8 whether it9s ane!eryday 'ame or a tournament


60/448

com"lete the decision7 Failure to act constitutes a fold7

The "ro6lem with that system is you don9t want to 6e needlessly rude too""onents7 May6e they really do need the time7 May6e they9re losin' andconfused7 May6e they9re darin' you to ask for the clock8 so they can 6ehostile in return7 +ho knowsThe 'ood thin' a6out online "oker is that it takes away the awkwardness ofaskin' for the clock7 If a "layer doesn9t click on a decision 6utton8 after 13

seconds or so he9ll 6e "rom"ted to do so7 Some sites "ro!ide a countdownclock7 *oyle9s 5oom uses 'entle chimes to warn that you ha!e 13 secondsleft to act7 +hat ha""ens if you don9t act online differs from cardroom tocardroom and situation to situation7 If you ha!en9t "ut any money in the "ot8your hand will 6e folded7 If you ha!e8 you9ll usually 6e treated as if you9reall>in8 e!en thou'h you still ha!e chi"s in front of you7 That means

com"etin' for a "artial "ot7;es8 unscru"ulous "layers sometimes try to use the all>in feature unfairly totheir ad!anta'e7 They9ll "retend to 6e ha!in' Internet communications

"ro6lems8 not reali%in' that most sites can tell if they9re actually stillconnected7 Sometimes they9ll succeed in 'ettin' a free shot at "art of a "ot8when they would otherwise ha!e folded7 That9s why most sites only allowone or two artificial all>ins to 6e used "er session8 6eyond which hands arefolded8 no matter what7 That9s also why "layers who a6use the treat>as>all>in


61/448

a6out any full>time "ros ha!in' a losin' year8 it9s not hard to s"end weeks or

e!en a month sufferin' a net loss7 (ut the lon'er you "lay8 the more Juicklythat familiar law of "ro6a6ility takes hold8 and the closer your results 'et towhat really should ha""en7(ut e!en thou'h we talk a6out chance takin' time to e!en out8 it reallydoesn9t take a lot of time:it takes a lot of hands7 +hat if you could 'et allthose hands "layed in a short time +ell8 suddenly8 when you9re "layin'

online8 instead of in a "hysical casino8 you9re "layin' a lot more hands7 Thedeals are ama%in'ly 6risk7 The action is swift7 E"ect to 'et twice as manyhands "layed each hour7 -nd that9s if you only "lay at a sin'le ta6le7 Manywinnin' "layers re'ularly "lay two or three 'ames at once7 That9s u" to sitimes as many hands "er hour7+hat does this mean in terms of a 6ad streak It means that a streak that

would ha!e droned on for si days will sto" showerin' misery on you afteronly one day7 For certain8 thin's will e!en out faster online7 So8 if you9re asu"erior "oker "layer8 you can e"ect to win more consistently on a week>to>week 6asis when you "lay online7

5eason G1K Tournaments on *emand

This is amon' online "oker9s 'reatest ad!anta'es7 ;ou can "lay tournamentsday and ni'ht7 ;ou mi'ht see e!ents scheduled for three in the mornin':so8if you ha""en to 6e awake8 di!e ri'ht in7 +hy so early in the mornin'


62/448

there9s a full ta6le8 the cards automatically 'et dealt7 ;ou can "ut your name

on other SN, lists and then "lay se!eral of these tournaments at a time7sually8 they take less than an hour:and a ty"ical "layer will last a6out $3minutes8 on a!era'e8 sometimes 6ein' eliminated almost immediately8sometimes sur!i!in' lon' enou'h to win7 ;ou can "lay them all day if this isyour fa!orite "oker form7 world 'ames8 sothe "ro!en 6est choice is to "lay more solidly7

5eason G1/K More )omforta6le Than at a )rowded Ta6le


63/448

C3 win and a C3 loss can 6e im"ortant7 Those small limits can 6e

uncomforta6le for "layers Bust learnin' the 'ame7I9ll 6et it9s occurred to e!eryone who "lays "oker seriously that it would 6e a'reat idea to ha!e formal 'ames for 6e'inners where you could 6et Bust 13cents7 Those would 6e the trainin' 'round for those neo"hytes who are tootimid to risk meanin'ful money at "oker7 ;ou9d let new "layers 'etcomforta6le with the 'ame8 "layers who would otherwise ne!er e"erience

the thrill of "oker in a casino7-s I "ointed out earlier8 real>world casinos can9t afford to do this8 6ecause ofthe costs in!ol!ed in "ro!idin' "hysical ta6les and "ayin' human dealers7(ut online "oker rooms can and do make this 'reat contri6ution to our 'ame7

5eason G10K Free ,ames for Practice(ut why not take this ad!anta'e of 6ein' a6le to s"read 'ames economicallyonline a ste" further +hy not offer Bust>for>fun 'ames for those who aren9tready to "lay "oker for kee"sMost online "oker rooms do eactly that7 They let "layers learn themechanics of the 'ame 6y "layin' for ima'inary money7 -nd they char'enothin' for this "romotional ser!ice to the "oker community7 5eal>world

casinos can9t afford to do that7Look closely at the 'ame 6elow7 Notice that this *oyle9s 5oom 'ame says8@Play Money Ta6le8A down toward the 6ottom of the cloth7


64/448

elsewhere who 6e'an 6y "layin' "oker online7

-nd the one thin' that "ro!es the "oint most con!incin'ly is the num6er of"layers at the maBor tournaments who Jualified online7 For some8 these real>world tournaments constitute their first e"osure to casino "oker7 They likethe ad!enture of "layin' a'ainst li!e o""onents they actually can shake handswith and s"eak to at the ta6les7 -nd they enBoy tryin' to read them and s"ottells:somethin' that isn9t "ossi6le online7

)ount the new "layers "ourin' into casino "oker tournaments throu'h onlinechannels8 and you9ll 6e as con!inced as I am that online "oker has hel"ed'reatly to 6rin' our 'ame into the "u6lic s"otli'ht8 'i!in' it the res"ect italways deser!ed8 6ut ne!er had7

5eason G$3K O"tional Four>)olor *ecksI9!e 'ot to confess8 I9!e ne!er 6een a fan of four>color decks7 +ith thetraditional deck of cards I 'rew u" with8 hearts and diamonds are 6oth red8and s"ades and clu6s are 6oth 6lack7 They tell me that four>color decks8 witheach suit ha!in' its own color8 were tried o!er a hundred years a'o7-""arently8 it wasn9t as economical to "rint them that way8 and two colors

6ecame the custom7

I "refer two>color decks8 6ecause that9s what I9m used to7 (ut8 there9so6!iously a stron' ar'ument for a four>color deck7 It makes it much easier tos"ot flushes and flush "ossi6ilities at a 'lance7 +hen Mike )aro "u6licly


65/448

Online8 it9s different7 ;ou can "lay with the deck of your choice7 That9s

6ecause the deck you choose is only dis"layed on your own com"uter screen7;our o""onent can 6e lookin' at a different deck8 and it won9t make anydifference to you7 That9s why four>color decks ha!e 'ained a new lease onlife online:and only online8 so far7

5eason G$1K Software Lets ;ou now +hen It9s ;our Turn;ou9!e had this ha""en 6efore7 - "layer sits "atiently8 6ecause he doesn9t

reali%e it9s his turn7 ;ou sit "atiently8 too8 6ecause you don9t want to 6e rudewhile8 you assume8 he9s makin' a decision7 ;es8 we9!e all seen this im"assetime and a'ain7Online8 this awkward moment ne!er ha""ens7 The software "rods "layers fora decision8 lettin' them know "recisely when it9s time to act7

5eason G$$K No Social Sti'ma -6out Lea!in' a ,ame Early with ;our+innin'sI 6elie!e that a "layer should ne!er need to "ro!ide a reason for lea!in' a'ame7 The common notion that you9re 6ein' unfair if you sit down for a shorttime and lea!e with a 6i' "rofit is nonsense7 In "oker8 you "ut your money at

risk7 If you win8 it9s your money8 and you can 'et u" and lea!e anytime youfeel like it7Still this is sometimes hard to do in the real world If you hit and run too


66/448

+H-T -*loose

"layers than you will in real>world casinos7The trick to 6eatin' 'ames a'ainst that ty"e of "layer is to seldom doanythin' fancy7 ;ou don9t need to7 Most of your "rofit will come fromchoosin' to do the o6!iously correct thin'7 5aise when your lo'ical firstchoice is raisin'7 Fold when your hands are weak7 (luff s"arin'ly in limit'ames7 -'ainst the ty"e of "layer you meet online8 you should try a lot lesstricks than you would in the real world7Mike )aro and I are in the "rocess of makin' instructional !ideos a6out real>world "oker and online "oker7 Some of these !ideos will 6e 'i!en away atdoylesroom7com eclusi!ely7 Many others will 6e a!aila6le to the "u6lic7 +ee"ect this "roBect to do for "oker !ideos what Su"er#System did for "oker

literature7se all the "rofessional techniJues you9!e learned in this 6ook8 6ut kee" itsim"le whene!er "ossi6le7 That9s the "urest "ath to online "oker "rofit7


67/448

E)LSIE SPE5#S;STEM $

TIPS F5OM MIE )-5O NIE5SIT;Mike )aro

From his earliest days as @)ra%y MikeA to his current stature as the le'endary@Mad ,enius of PokerA and @-merica9s Mad ,enius8A Mike )aro has

"ioneered some of the most im"ortant conce"ts used 6y the to" "layers today7In "u6lic8 he can 6e off>the>wall and entertainin'8 6ut when he offers ad!ice

and research8 world>class "oker com"etitors take his word as 'os"el7 -nde!en those "layers who ha!en9t had "ersonal contact with Mike ha!e nodou6t 6een 'reatly influenced 6y his "ioneerin' theories in ways they don9te!en reali%e7+hen I met him in 148 Mike was thirty>two and already the 6est draw

"oker "layer in the world7 Since then he has e!ol!ed into the "remierauthority on "oker strate'y8 "sycholo'y8 and statistics7 Now at sity8 he hashel"ed 'enerations of "layers reach le!els of achie!ement they ne!erdreamed "ossi6le throu'h his 6ooks8 columns8 seminars8 and !ideos7- few years a'o8 he founded Mike )aro ni!ersity of Poker8 ,amin'8 andLife Strate'y with an online cam"us located at www7"oker17com8 yet another

inno!ation that electrified the "oker community7 5eco'ni%ed as @the manA in"oker circles8 his unJuestioned inte'rity8 un"recedented in'enuity8 andtireless de!otion to our 'ame ha!e left their mark throu'hout the world of


68/448

science7 I know this 6ecause any true world>class "layer:"articularly one

selected 6y *oyle:must honor all esta6lished laws of "oker science7 I alsoknow this 6ecause I9!e already seen the cha"ters7The followin' ti"s are selected from o!er 18333 candidates in the li6rary ofarticles8 lectures8 courses8 and seminar transcri"ts found at Poker17com7That9s the online home of Mike )aro ni!ersity of Poker7 M) ser!es as theeclusi!e educational win' for doylesroom7com8 where you can "lay internet

"oker a'ainst real o""onents worldwide7 ;ou9ll find *oyle9s teachin'sonline8 alon' with my own8 at Poker17 (ut this is the way I still "refer toteach:offline8 in traditional "rint7For many years8 I didn9t want my "oker conce"ts to a""ear in "rint at all7 Ine!er wanted to share "oker secrets7 I was "erfectly content to 6e a

"rofessional "oker "layer for the rest of my life7 (ut in 148 *oyle

"ersuaded me to create the draw "oker and statistics sections for the ori'inalSu"er#System8 and in doin' so8 he o"ened my eyes to the "ros"ect of

"ro"ellin' "oker 6eyond its dark and din'y history7 He dreamed of 6rin'in'our 'reat 'ame into the li'ht of day8 writin' o"enly a6out tactics8 and hel"in'the "u6lic see "oker as a worthy strate'y 'ame8 Bust like chess8 6ack'ammon8and 6rid'e7

-s soon as Su"er#System was "u6lished in 1408 I reali%ed the sco"e of*oyle9s dream7 Poker "layers8 who had 6een hun'ry for real analysis:not


69/448

"resent to casinos8 6ut with dee"er e"lanations worthy of Su"er#System7 The

ti"s would a""ear on @screens8A Bust as they do at my li!e "erformances7 Fine7I don9t a'ree that draw "oker is dead8 6ut let9s do that seminar8 anyway7I9!e di!ided the "resentation into four sessionsK

=1? Insi'hts and -ttitudeD=$? Strate'y and TacticsD=.? Psycholo'y and TellsD and8

=2? Two Final (onus Ti"s7

If you9re ready8 I am8 too8 so let the eclusi!e M)Su"er#System $ seminar 6e'in

Insi'ht and -ttitude

TIP 1

I know what you9re thinkin'7 That9s a stran'e way to 6e'in a cha"ter tar'etedto readers who seek to "lay "oker seriously7 I read your mind8 ri'ht ,et usedto it7;ou9re lookin' at my most famous Juote8 so let me e"lain why it is an

im"ortant startin' "oint7The main skill that successful "eo"le "ossess is the a6ility to closely estimatetheir chances in life The main skill that winnin' "oker "layers "ossess is the

8/10/2019 Do

Doyle Brunson's Super System 2 - A Course in Power Poker PDF

Documents

Transcript of Doyle Brunson's Super System 2 - A Course in Power Poker PDF