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
Number of Raises Permitted:
Number of Raises Permitted: The rule I recommend on the number of raises permitted is the one used in most Nevada casinos' public Poker rooms, which is: The maximum number of raises permitted at any betting round or interval is three. However, when there are only two active players remaining in the pot, the number of raises is unlimited, since either player can put an end to the raises by simply calling the bet.
Freezing a Raise or Possible Raises a la Scarne
Freezing a Raise or Possible Raises a la Scarne The following rule is recommended to big-money Poker players who do not want restrictions on their raises but at the same time desire some protection against whipsawing. How often have you been sandwiched between two players who are raising and reraising each other with no consideration for you, and you had to cough up enough money to match their raises just to stay in till the decision? You had made up your mind to stay to the bitter end, even if you lost all your money, and there were times when you did exactly that. One night I counted thirty raises between two reckless high rollers in one round of Draw Poker, and one player who never raised had to match the thirty raises to stay in the pot. Then and there I decided something must be done to protect a player from being whipsawed between two confederates, two cheaters, or two reckless players with no regard for the other men in the game. I give all Poker players a rule that eliminates this hazard from Poker without putting a limit on the number of raises permitted. Here it is—a freezer.