j. No-limit table stakes and pot limit

No-limit table stakes and pot-limit betting allow more aggressive betting and bluffing, giving the good player direct control over the betting. But such open-ended stakes can slow down the betting pace and normally cannot be used with split-pot games. In many games, therefore, no-limit table stakes or pot-limit betting (versus high-limit games) would actually decrease the financial opportunities for the good player.

Six years ago, Sid Bennett insisted that good poker players liked only straight draw and stud games. He claimed five-card was the greatest gambling game of all. As John Finn gradually increased the betting pace by adding one modification after another, Sid went to the other extreme:

Sid is winning; his pale lips are smiling. He grabs the deck, shoves his face over the table, and announces, “New game!” He then deals two separate hole cards to everyone.

“What’s this?” Quintin says, frowning sourly.

“Seven-stud high-low. Everyone plays two hands. You can even raise yourself,” Sid says with a snorting laugh. “And the hand to the left of the highest hand wins high and the hand to the right of the lowest hand wins low.”

“I’m going home,” Quintin says as he grabs his ante from the pot and stands up to leave.

“Sit down; we aren’t going to play that,” John Finn says. He then turns to Sid and explains gently, “I know its dealer’s choice, but that’s no poker game. You can’t have hands next to the winners as winners.”

“Bunch of ribbon clerks,” Sid whines. “Okay, straight high-low … play your left hand for high and right hand for low. And you can still raise yourself.”

“That’s more like it.” John says.
Sid’s toothy grin stretches wider as he continues to deal.