Raise all in

I had the chance to see some of the LA Poker Classic last week. It was very enjoyable, but not as enjoyable as it would have been to play in it, which I did not. Something about not having $10,000 for an entrance fee kept that from happening. But I did come away with some thoughts.

First, the main line pros continue to dominate, with a gifted amateur flashing to the top from time to time. That lends a lot of fun and excitement, but proves nothing beyond the fact that short term luck can make a difference.

The other thing I noticed was the greatly reduced number of limit games and the larger number of no limit games. Long term I think that will hurt poker for the simple reason that too many players will be busted out of the no limit games because they are beyond their skill level. Players moving up one, or even two, levels in a limit game may get their butts beat, but the length of the playing time allows them to improve their play. That isn’t true in no limit.

In the past, poker was played in your local pool room, country club, VFW, private games, etc. It was, to a certain degree, not socially acceptable, although more money was lost on your local golf course, then and now, than is on poker. However, golf was and is acceptable. Poker has just recently achieved a certain degree of acceptance.

There’s not much the casinos and card rooms can do to stop this, but they can limit the dollar size of the games and be doubly careful to supervise the games. A NL 40-80game is HUGE, and as the prayer says, “lead me not into temptation.”