Tournament Strategies
After receiving pocket cards, you are immediately faced with a choice: play your cards and either raise or call the blinds, or fold.
Practice Matters
Regarding the question of cutting the cards prior to the deal, I agree
Regarding the question of cutting the cards prior to the deal, I agree with the statement of "Amarillo Slim" Preston, Las Vegas Poker expert, that "the last and final cut prior to the deal should be a plain and simple one-handed cut by the player immediately to the dealer's right. A one-handed cut always is best because that way there cannot be any hocus-pocus. If I were in a game and a player was cutting those cards two or three times with both hands, I'd be pretty wary of that cat because he's either locating some cards on you or else he's not cutting the deck at all."
The above advice offered by Amarillo Slim is good, but it possesses
The above advice offered by Amarillo Slim is good, but it possesses one major loophole. It does not prevent an unsuspecting player or the cheat's confederate from cutting into a "crimp," which serves the same purpose as a false cut. A crimp is a bend placed in the deck by the cheat. When the crimp is placed in the middle of the deck it causes a small break or opening in the deck's edge which can be felt and easily cut to by the dealer's confederate.