Yes or no — Give it to me straight again!

Note: Not at the old Poker1 site. A version of this entry was originally published (1991) in Card Player magazine.

Two years and 26 days ago, I brought forth on these pages a new notion, conceived in 30 seconds and dedicated to the proposition that — all things being equal — it simply had to be the quickest way to knock out a column.

The idea was to list things in yes-and-no, true-and-false categories without elaborate explanation. To commemorate the 2.07th anniversary of that event, let’s do it again …

NO …

  • On average, do razz players giggle more than stud players?
  • Do skilled poker players win more pots than unskilled poker players?
  • Is a skilled poker player more likely to win a jackpot (awarded when two super-strong hands collide) than an unskilled player?
  • Is five-stud dead?
  • Is ace-to-five lowball dead? (Note: Further comment on this 1991 list. It is still played in home games, some casinos, online, and in big-limit dealer-choice or variety-rotation games.)
  • Is ace-to-five lowball slowly dying? (Note: Focus on the word “slowly” and see list below.)

YES …

  • Is ace-to-five lowball dying?
  • In a single session against weak players, is it easier to beat hold’em than seven stud?
  • On average, are hold ’em players more sophisticated at poker than razz players?
  • On average, are high-low split players more sophisticated at poker than razz players?
  • … And are stud players more sophisticated?
  • … And Omaha players?
  • Couldn’t that suggest that, relatively speaking, razz requires less intelligence?
  • Do you really believe otherwise skilled players raise too often before the flop in hold’em?
  • Does the jackpot add a level of skill to poker?
  • Can skilled players beat jackpot games?
  • … Even without ever winning the jackpot?

FALSE …

  • I regularly play jackpot poker.
  • It’s about 50 percent more likely that there will be a jackpot if the game is nine-handed than if the game is six-handed.
  • Seven stud: If you have kings-up well concealed on fifth street and an opponent has a pair of aces showing and bets, you should usually raise.
  • … You should routinely call.
  • There are more big-limit poker games in Nevada than in California.
  • Computers will finally be able to beat the best poker players alive by the turn the century.
  • A highly skilled player can expect to make more than $100,000 a year in typical $10-limit poker games in California and Nevada.

TRUE …

  • A highly skilled player can expect to make between $25,000 and $60,000 a year in typical $10-limit poker games in California and Nevada.
  • Computers can probably beat the best poker players alive right now. (Note: This list was created in 1991 and this statement is absolutely true today.)
  • It’s more than twice as likely that there will be a jackpot if the game is nine-handed than if the game is six-handed.
  • Top professionals playing the biggest poker games often earn less money in a year than lesser-skilled professionals playing $30 to $100-limit games. That’s because the competition is sometimes much stronger in the bigger limits. And therefore the money often passes back and forth among similarly skilled expert players.
  • Many skilled poker players seem to prefer a $25-an-hour profit expectation in a $500-limit game to a $125-an-hour profit expectation in a $50-limit game. This is mostly caused by ego.

I may write more columns like this when? I’m in a hurry. — MC