The other day I’m sitting in a Stud Hi-Lo game and the following happens. This happens in any type of game but is more prevalent in Stud games.

A player has three eights showing on his board and another player has AA and 44 showing. Someone mentions, “Oh this could be a jackpot.” Another player speaks up and says “No it can’t, one of the Aces is gone and his fourth eight is gone.”

I immeadiately say, “One player per hand please.”. The player who was reading the cards for everyone starts saying he can say what he wants, etc.. Needless to say I had to call the floorman to straighten this player out.

I see this happen everyday in Hold Em, Stud, and Omaha Someone can’t read the board or forgot which cards have come out. Another player tells them the missing card or reads the board for them.

Or a player will say “Who raised?”. Another player tells them who the raiser is.

All casinos have rules prohibiting this. It is one player per hand, no collusion. I know some folks come to have fun and play with their friends. When you help your friends out, that is collusion and against the rules.

If a player wants to know who raised, he should quit reading his magazine or eating at the table and pay attention. After all, his money is at stake.

If a player can’t see what is on the board, the dealer can move the cards closer for the player to read. No one is allowed to read the board for them. What if  a player reads the board wrong for another player?

As for Stud, the whole skill and strategy in the game is remembering which cards have been exposed. Telling a player which cards have been previously shown defeats the purpose of Stud.

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Tournaments have the advantage of being able to take a small amount of money and making a big amount of money.

The downside is that you must play long hours, and if you get way ahead, you can’t pocket any of the money.

How would you like to make big money with a small bankroll but still have the ability to quit when you want and to pocket some winnings along the way?

Well you can if you make your own one-person tournament. Here’s how it would work:

You could start with $60. Play in a $2-$4 Limit Hold ‘Em game for 40 minutes. If you have $30 or more at that time move up to a $3-$6 Limit game. If you don’t, consider the tournament over and add more money to what you have left and start again.

If you did progress to $3-$6, play there for 40 minutes then move up to $6- $12. Keep repeating every 40 minutes until you are up to the $300 - $600 game and scoring big.

Naturally for this to work you’ll need a casino or card club that has many levels of Hold ‘Em. Most nowadays go up to $40-$80. There are others that have bigger limits like the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, or try the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

After you play 40 minutes at the highest limit. Get up and consider yourself the winner and pocket all the thousands you won from a mere $60 investment.

At a mid-limit Hold ‘Em game, the way I play a small pair depends on my position and the type of game I’m in.

In early position, I see a lot of people raise with a small pair. Chances are you’ll get one or more callers so a small pair is pretty dead. Instead I like to limp in. If the flop doesn’t go my way I can get out and only lose one bet. However, if I hit, I have a potential to win a big pot since no one can put me on a set.

In a late position I will raise if no one else has come in. I want to take the pot right there or face just one opponent. With one opponent and if they don’t have a pair, it’s almost equal as to who will win. Since the odds of 1-1 are right, it’s a good bet.

If others have already come in, I just limp in and hope to hit as I mentioned in the first paragraph above. If I don’t hit, I get out with a small loss. I have seen many players raise in a late position after 3-4 others players have come in. To me this is suicide since anyone with a pair may have you beat already. If no one has a pair, chances are one of the overcards will hit for them. In a sense you have only two outs and you need to hit to win.

Also remember, they could hit their pair also and then you really lose a lot if you hit at the same time.