poker9-idn: robvegaspoker

Rob's Vegas and Poker Blog

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Health (and Poker) Update

First of all I'd like to thank everyone who left comments on my last post. As you know, I usually respond to comments individually; this time I didn't. It was just too difficult at the time to respond. But I do appreciate all the well wishes.

So…..it appears I am on the mend. I saw the doc on Wednesday, he said I am progressing nicely. I see him again in another 10 days, and a few days after that I will begin physical therapy.

He took the immobilizer off and although he gave me a sling, I don't really have to use it. I am using it mostly to sleep to make sure I don't roll over onto my bad arm which would not be a good thing.

He even said I could drive although this is a bit problematic. I did drive the other day but I cannot shift gears with my right hand. Fortunately it's been around 20 years since I drove a stick shift—that would be impossible now— but even having to use my left hand to shift the automatic transmission is not pleasant. Plus I have a rather large car and it is not easy turning with one hand.

But obviously I am encouraged and hope to be much more functional very shortly, Fingers crossed!

I want to talk a little about the return of poker. As you may have heard Nevada insists on only 4-handed poker when they finally turn on live poker. Of course 4-handed poker is not a great game. Most people assumed only a locals rooms like perhaps The Orleans would even try it.

Thus, it was a surprise when the LVRJ revealed the other day that the Venetian plans to open the poker room as soon as their casino opens, with 4-handed games. So what does this mean?

I have no insider information but I can speculate a little bit. My guess is that management over at the Venetian has heard from some of their regulars and determined that there is some interest in 4-handed games. They may have even reached out to some of their known regulars to get a feel for this. So though it seems like a long shot, perhaps they know that they can get some games going 4-handed, even though obviously most players would prefer bigger games.

Another thought I had is that they are probably hoping that 4-handed poker won't be the standard for very long. I am sure they are hopeful that the powers that be will allow 6-handed poker in the not-too-distant future, depending on how the numbers on the coronavirus continue to decline. Obviously 6-handed poker should be viable in the Las Vegas market. So perhaps the Venetian figures that if they're already up and running with 4-handed poker, they'll have a leg up on the competition—which will be closed—when the spigot is turned on for 6-handed games, It's just a thought.

We'll just have to see but it sounds like a possibility to me.

In the meantime stay well everyone, and try not to take a nasty fall that will break your arm. I do not recommend that at all.

PS: While I was out of commission, this little ol' blog passed TWO MILLION total page views! If I hadn't been convalescing, I would have done some kind of celebratory post. Oh well.

Sunday, May 3, 2020

A Left-Handed Blog Post

This is an update for those of you who don't follow me on Twitter. Two weeks ago, just a day before my birthday, I managed to take a nasty spill at my house and broke my right arm. Yes, I am right handed. Needless to say it'll be a while before I can actually post much of anything again. I have no idea what the recovery time is. I'll try to keep you posted. In the meantime try to enjoy your quarantine time—for those of you with two good arms, it'll be a lot easier for you than me.

Pictured above is golfer Paige Spiranac, demonstrating one of the many things that she can do with her right arm that I can't.

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Movie Review: A Big Hand for the Little Lady

Like most of you, I imagine, I'm watching a lot of movies lately on the ol' boob tube (I guess that's an outdated expression, but for some reason I rather like it). Sure I have Netflix and Amazon Prime, but honestly, I really tend to like older films so I watch more things on Turner Classic Movies than those two combined.

So every morning I check the TCM listings to see what I can save to DVR for viewing at my convenience. Recently I noticed a movie titled, A Big Hand for the Little Lady, from 1966. It kinda/sorta sounded familiar, but not really. I was somehow thinking maybe it was a poker movie I wasn't familiar with, I mean the title was sort of a hint, but you know, I did consider the possibility that the "big hand" was a reference to applause. For all I knew, the little lady of the title had done something worthy of a standing ovation, perhaps she was an actress or a singer? When I saw the cast, Henry Fonda, Joanne Woodward, Jason Robards, Kevin McCarthy and Burgess Meredith, among others, I knew I had to get more info on it.

Turns out it was a western set around the biggest poker game in the West, an annual event. With that subject and that cast, it was a no brainer to record it. Hungry for some poker action after all this time cooped up, I watched it as soon as I could.

Boy was I glad I did. What a fun movie. It is really a comedy western and it is just a hoot. It's virtually impossible not to smile while watching this film. Not only is it funny, but the story really grabs your interest, and the acting is excellent, as you would expect from that great cast.

First we see the degens gather for the annual game. And if you think you're a degen or know any, you ain't seen anything like these characters. They all drop whatever they are doing when the driver comes around to pick them up for the game, which takes place in the back room of a hotel/salon in Laredo, TX, probably in the late 1800's. Wait until you hear what Robards and McCarthy each were doing when they just took off for the game without a second thought—especially McCarthy! Yikes.

If you know movies you probably figured out that Henry Fonda wasn't one of the five regulars in this game. No, he, his wife (Woodward) and young son just happened to be driving through Laredo when their wagon broke down on the way to San Antonio, where they intended to buy some land and do so farming. They take a room in the hotel just as the game gets underway. Fonda gets a whiff of the game and is surprisingly interested. Against his wife's wishes, he begs to watch the game for a few minutes while she goes to get the wagon repaired.

We eventually learn that Fonda has a gambling problem. You might say he's addicted to poker. But he had promised his wife that he would never play cards again. Of course, if he had kept that promise, there wouldn't be a movie so you know what happens next.

Naturally, he ends up using the money they were going to use to buy the farm to buy into the game, just like you knew he would. And it is pretty obvious that Fonda is in way over his head with these sharks. Thus, we get to see this movie's take on a wild west poker game.

Whenever I see poker in a movie, I always notice how different it is from real life, at least as we play poker in 2020 in a brick and mortar casino (or did, before the world shut down). One thing I noticed from the first poker book I ever read was that string raises, which are no-no's in our games, were no problem in the movies. You always hear the players say things like, "I see your $50 and add another $100," which would just be a call in a live poker room. I think it's why you see so many newbies attempt to make string raises in Vegas.

Then Fonda is told the game (which is clearly no-limit) is "table stakes." But it wasn't table stakes as I know it. Correct me if I'm wrong but table stakes today means two things. First, you can't add money to the table after the hand has started (or take money off the table at any time), and second, if you don't have enough money to call, you can call with what you have and if there are other players left, there'd be a side pot.

However, as soon as they tell Fonda it's table stakes, they further explain to him that they use "Western Rules." That means if you don't have enough money to call a bet, you tap out. You are out of the hand (and the game) and you are out all the money you've bet. In other words, you can literally be "bet out of a hand" by someone who has more money than you do and there's nothing you can do about. So there's no side pots….and if you are short and you're heads up, all the other player has to do is bet $1 more than you have and even if he just has 8-high, you lose and are busted.

Doesn't sound like table stakes to me. Did the definition change over time or do movie writers like to use the term even though they don't know what it means? I seem to recall they also used the term "table stakes" in the big game in The Cincinnati Kid (a great poker movie, btw) and I thought it was misapplied there too.

And if table stakes means you can only play with the money you have on the table—well forget that too, as you will see. I don't want to say anything more, but you kind of knew that when they explain what Western Rules are, it would come into play later in the story. I can't remember who said it, but someone said that when you see a gun on the table in Act 1, you know it's going to be fired in Act 3. Same thing when you hear about Western Rules.

Now of course there are some big twists and turns along the way and I don't want to spoil it. Yes, it's an old movie but you may be like me and have never seen it and you should be totally unspoiled for it. I've seen some reviews of the movie that give away what I consider way too much. Fortunately I didn't read them until after I saw the movie, which I'm very happy about it.

I will say this: The resolution of the "big hand" is unlike anything you've likely seen before, either in fiction or definitely in real life, and it's so much fun you won't mind that it could never possibly happen in a real game.

I should mention that you won't see a whole lot of poker hands, almost none really. This is not Rounders or even The Cincinnati Kid. The game by the way is five-card draw, although they do also mention five-card stud (it's presumably dealer's choice). It's more about the players, the personalities, and the relationships than the actual cards. Except for that one "big hand" of course.

The other thing that is so good about the film is you get to see a bunch of terrific actors at the absolute top of their games. A real treat.

I highly recommend this film for poker players and non-poker players alike. I'm sure it'll come on TCM again soon, but if you can rent it at Amazon, et al, for just a few bucks.

If you've seen it, leave a comment and let me know what you thought of it.