Monday, February 09, 2015

The importance of bright-line rules

I had not previously heard of or seen the phenomenon that Lee Jones discusses in this excellent blog post--calling an all-in bet by just tossing out a single chip instead of a stack. But he effectively shows why this new fad should be definitively disallowed, and in the process has some good words about the function of rules in keeping the game fun and fair.

http://www.pokerstarsblog.com/en/blog/lee_jones_journal/2015/rules-keep-the-game-fun-154041.shtml


6 comments:

Memphis MOJO said...

I agree that one chip signifies a call is bad -- just guys trying to be cool. I do feel, however, that if you stick out a stack of chips, that is clearly a call of the all-in and is fine by me.

Rakewell said...

Yes. However, one has to be careful not to commit so many chips that it constitutes a raise, if there are players yet to act behind you and you're not intending to raise.

Rob said...

This is timely for me, just last week I saw this for the first time. Well, I'd seen the "one-chip call" in tournaments, always when the other person was "all in." This was the first time in a cash game.

But last week in Vegas, I made a big bet on the river when I caught the nut flush (wasn't actually the nuts, a straight flush was possible). I didn't think he'd call a shove so I bet half my stack, he tanked and put out a single chip.

Fortunately, either he or the dealer said "call" as I was wasn't sure if it was a call or an all-in raise (which I would have thrilled with of course). I double checked with the dealer, "Call?" He said yeah, it was a call said "Lets see the hand," and I showed my cards.

But as I was a bit confused it would be easy to see a person with less live poker experience could be misled.

Rakewell said...

I don't think I've ever seen it happen. If it's a new fad, it's a loathesome one.

Thorn said...

The one-chip call thing is even being pushed by dealers. In my annual Atlantic City trip last weekend, I clearly, verbally said, "Call" to an all-in, and the dealer told me to then put a chip in "to signify that I had called," even though nobody else was in the hand. I was confused since it was my first experience with it, but it wasn't worth making a scene so I just did it.

Anonymous said...

my first time I thought guy didnt know it was allin, just a bet he was calling