TELEVISED POKER has been around for five years now, but it is only this year that any form of the game other than no limit hold'em has been screened. The programme makers were probably bearing in mind that their audience knew so little about the subtleties that the push- all-your-chips- in-and hope version would be easiest to comprehend.
Recently, though, other types of poker have been broadcast for the nation's insomniacs. Last week, for example, the satellite screening of the World Series featured a razz tournament. Razz, also known as lowball, is a seven- card-stud version of poker, the object of which is to make the lowest possible hand. The sight of the eventual winner, Canadian tournament pro T J Cloutier, winning the pot with 2- 3-5-7-9 must have come as something of a surprise to anyone tuning in halfway through the final table proceedings.
Another form of poker, hold'em but with restricted raising potential, made its debut recently. The Gaming Club World Poker Championship final goes out on Sky Sports on Friday night at 10pm with a repeat at 2am Saturday. What is different about this is that the betting conventions are pot limit. This means that a player cannot bet or raise more than the amount in the pot. The effect of this is that players can prevent an opponent from making a bet big enough to force them out. For example a player with a draw to a flush on the flop - when the first three common cards are out - might choose not to bet out. The intention may be to call for as little as possible if an opponent bets.
The same strategy could be used holding a medium pair before the flop. With the blinds at say 100-200 units, a pot sized raise from one player to 700 units would mean exposure to a re-raise to 2,800. Most Americans are not very good at this form of poker.
About 20 of the USA stars, including four previous world champions, turned up at the Merrion Casino Club, Dublin where the event was played. Not one survived through to the final table. The line-up on Friday night comprises six English players, one of whom is a woman, a Norwegian and Aussie and one Dubliner. If you don't know the result already the game is to guess who picks up the EUR250,000 winner's purse.
n Seven-card-stud will also get an airing but on the internet, not television. I will be doing a live final table commentary from Baden, Austria on www.PokerEM.com on Saturday around 11pm.
Copyright 2004 Independent Newspapers UK Limited
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