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Dear Clonie,
How do you feel about wearing sunglasses at the table? If someone is wearing sunglasses, what can I look for as far as physical tells go?
Thanks,
CHRIS
Dear Chris -
I am not a fan of sunglasses. I believe they are a handicap in any professional players’ game. Most players wear them because they feel comfortable hiding behind them, truly believing that they are not giving off tells. Sunglasses give them a false security of not being able to be read by their opponents. The truth is that most players who wear them need them to play well; the sunglasses are like a security blanket. If they forget them at home or lose them, their game falls apart. Train yourself to play without them; look your opponents in the eyes; show no fear. Say, “Read me if you can,” and you will become a stronger player. Not to say that you haven’t seen me wear them, ‘cause I have – not to hide tells, but because I looked really cool in them.
World Poker Tour tournaments are days of twelve hours or more, and if you combine that with the low lighting of sunglasses, you will be much more fatigued than the players who aren’t wearing them. When players are tired they give off more tells that sunglasses can’t hide. Emotional things going on away from the table and fatigue turn good players into mediocre players quickly and, as you know, one mistake in NL Hold’em is all it takes to get you busted. Recognizing betting patterns, movements of the hands, and changes in the pitch of vocal cords are much more reliable personal tells than those of the eyes. Clonie
Dear Clonie,
What should I do if a player at my table is being very rude to the dealer? I try to keep my mouth shut, but sometimes I feel like there is something I should do to help…
Thanks,
SEAN
Dear Sean -
Nothing makes me angrier than some stupid person who believes that the reason he lost a hand is because of the dealer. The dealer cannot control the outcome of a hand, but losing players need someone to blame for their losing streak, instead of recognizing that they are the ones who made the mistake or that their opponent had a 36% chance of hitting a flush when they had top set. These same players don’t take responsibility for their personal life either, often blaming others for their problems. I normally don’t say anything to the player, and the dealer has the option of calling the floor if a player gets out of line with them.
Dear Clonie,
I was recently playing my first live tournament in Las Vegas. I picked up a pair of aces, and there were two limpers in front of me. Blinds were 50/100, and I tossed in a $500 chip to raise. The dealer said it was just a call since I didn’t announce a raise. Shouldn’t the larger chip be enough to constitute the raise?
Dear Matt -
Most casinos in Las Vegas have adopted the rules set forth by the Tournament Directors Association (TDA). The actual rule is the Oversized Chip Rule: A single oversized chip will be considered a call if the player does not announce a raise. If a player puts an oversized chip into the pot and states raise but does not state the amount, the raise will be the maximum allowable up to the size of that chip. After the flop, an initial bet of a single oversized chip without comment will constitute the size of the bet. To make a raise with a single oversized chip, a verbal declaration must be made before the chip hits the table surface.
Clonie
GOT A QUESTION FOR CLONIE? DROP HER A LINE AT CLONIE@BLUFFMAGAZINE.COM. YOU CAN ALSO PLAY POKER AGAINST HER AT WWW.FULLTILTPOKER.COM.
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