Author Topic: And now, for something completely different...  (Read 3543 times)

Nettlekid

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And now, for something completely different...
« on: May 25, 2011, 04:36:50 am »
Hey all. I wasn't sure if this should go in Flipside Discussion or in something else like Free Chat or Hall of Games, but considering how it does impact on the path of the story several times, has been featured frequently in intermissions, and seems to be a recurring motif, I'd like to start a topic where we discuss poker in depth. Frankly, I am completely ignorant as to how it works. I have no idea what Maytag is doing or saying when she talks about the flop and the river. I read the descriptive intermissions, but those seem geared toward an intermediate player looking to become advanced. I'd be interested in learning about first the actual mechanics of the game, the way in which cards are played and bets are made, and then about the finer points and how to be a good player. Is anyone in my same boat, or on the other side (the flipside, as it were) and know so much that it'd be a breeze for them to teach me?

Brion Foulke

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Re: And now, for something completely different...
« Reply #1 on: May 25, 2011, 10:02:39 am »
In poker you are competing to make the best 5 card hands.  I think the order of the hands is shown in the first poker intermission.

In hold em, the variation of poker used in Flipside, you have only 2 cards in your hand.  There are 5 cards on the board which are community cards, shared by everyone, and you have to make the best 5 card hand using these 7 cards.  The betting goes like this: first, there is a round of betting when you only have your two cards.  Then a "flop" is dealt, which is 3 community cards, then another round of betting.  Then a "turn card," which is the 4th community card, then more betting, finally a "river" card, which is the final community card, then a final round of betting.  So there's 4 rounds of betting in all.

Nettlekid

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Re: And now, for something completely different...
« Reply #2 on: May 25, 2011, 11:18:58 am »
Huh. That makes pretty good sense. I was confused, since I'm pretty ignorant of the different kinds of poker. The only one I'm vaguely familiar with is the kind where you're dealt five cards, you choose a number to put back into the deck, and then you're dealt those back. What other kinds of poker are there?

When it comes to betting, what about calling and raising and folding and all that? I don't really get what those mean either. And then when it comes to the whole "betting thin" or aggressively or...well, those are the only two that you distinctly mentioned, so those are the only two I'm aware of.

To make this not totally un-Flipside related, could there be a connection between "Betting Thin" and "The Thin Man?" Perhaps Galdur IS the Thin Man, the Betting Thin Man! Or not.

Brion Foulke

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Re: And now, for something completely different...
« Reply #3 on: May 25, 2011, 01:28:56 pm »
The most popular kind of poker today is the one I described, Hold Em.  Otherwise known as Texas Hold Em, though it's played all around the world now.  The classic kind that you're familiar with is called 5 Card Draw, you get a hand of 5 cards, and instead of community cards you can discard and draw up to 4 new cards.  The other most popular form of poker is 7 Card Stud, in which you get 3 cards down and 4 cards face up, but the cards are all yours unlike Hold Em where the face up cards are shared by everyone.

Betting is pretty straightforward.  If no one has bet yet, you can either bet or check/pass.  Checking simply means you decline to make a bet, but you are still in the hand.  If someone has already bet, then you can either fold, call, or raise.  Folding means you refuse to match the bet, but you have to forfeit your hand and can no longer win.  Calling means you match the bet and are still in the hand.  Raising means you increase the size of the bet.

"Betting thin" is an advanced term in current poker theory, it means to bet for value with a relatively weaker hand.  Betting for value means you expect to win more often than not if you get called, hence "value."  So to "bet thin" means you are close to the hypothetical border to where you can still expect to win if you are called.  Advanced poker theory in general is about getting the maximum "expected value" out of all of your actions... usually there are 3 different actions you can take every time it's your turn, fold/call/raise, and each one has a theoretical expected value, advanced poker theory is about figuring out the value of each play, and then making the best one.

Robochocobo

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Re: And now, for something completely different...
« Reply #4 on: May 26, 2011, 10:15:55 pm »
A gambler's choice of game says a lot about their character.  A decisive individual may decide that Roulette is their favorite chance game because it provides an illusion of control through choice.  Poker's a game where the rules are somewhat complex, and tests your ability to form strategies, as well as read people.  This makes it perfect for a character like Maytag because it represents the way she flirts with danger while being so confident in her abilities.

On a side-note, I wonder if Baccarat exists in the Flipside universe?  It's long been considered the game for sophisticated types and thinkers.  Would a character like Maytag be familiar with it, or would they have trouble with it?