The Texas Play

I am always a big fan of Texas Holdem, and recently the 2010 World Series of Poker has just started.

With the entry fee of US$40,000 (and my poor poker face), by no chance I could ever join this tournament in Vegas. Still, watching the highlights in youtube still offered me quite some excitement. No doubt one of this year's spotlight would be on the 21 years old Tom durrr Dwan, who has been such a young successful online poker-pro, and indeed, he is one of my favourite players - with his aggressive bets and phenomenal reads - it's simply amazing.

Lots of friends when hear the word "poker", they instantly yelled: nah, gamble. Indeed, just like Mahjong, Texas Holdem would loss its soul if money is not involved (when you say all-in, its all your money in). Still, I would say, the gambling component may actually be less than what you imagine, perhaps, luck is even more important when you are playing Monopoly Deal.

The essence of poker is not to win in all hands you played, instead, it's all about making the right decisions at the right time, in every calling, raising and perhaps more importantly - folding. When poker is played in smart and experienced hands, in the long run a rising amount will come, that's also the reason for why there are so many professional poker players (Phil Ivey!), who could earn a living - a very decent living - just by joining tournaments and online challenges.

So, you now see why there is never a "World Series of 賭大細" in Vegas.


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Tom Dawn vs Phil Ivey in High Stakes Poker