March Poker Next Week: Tuesday the 12th
🃏 come join our grand adventure...
Hello Gamblers,
I’ve been playing a black jack game on my iPad and I’m not very good at it, but also, maybe it’s not a very good game? As I was playing I kept getting bored, because any sort of gambling game isn’t fun without some kind of real stakes. Thankfully we get to play poker next week, and poker is one of the greatest games ever invented.
📆 Tournament Details
Tuesday Mar 12th at 7pm pacific
Game hosted on pokernow.com and a share zoom
Login details will be sent Tuesday
Also available in the #disc-poker channel of the KmikeM Slack
$50 Tournament w/ up to two rebuys
❗Invite a friend and I’ll give them a free share of KmikeyM!
✨ Changes to the Special Rules! (see below)
🧙♂️ Why Poker is a Great Game
Evaluating poker through the lens of what some think of as essential game design elements highlights why it's such a fantastic and well-designed game. Let's rate some of these elements on a scale of 1 to 5:
Game Mechanics: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The basic rules of betting, raising, folding, and revealing hands are simple to learn but allow for complex strategic play.
Game Dynamics: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The dynamics in poker emerge from player interactions, bluffing, and strategy. The game constantly changes based on the players' actions, the cards on the table, and the betting rounds, creating a dynamic and unpredictable play experience.
Aesthetics: ⭐⭐ Poker lacks much in terms of visual or auditory aesthetics compared to other games. While the design of cards, chips, and the table setup contributes to the game's atmosphere the aesthetics of the game, especially online, are lacking.
Storytelling: ⭐⭐⭐ Poker doesn’t have an inherent narrative component, but it creates its own stories through the drama of the gameplay, the bluffs, the big wins, and the losses, especially when playing with the game people over and over.
Challenge and Progression: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Poker offers a scalable challenge. Players improve over time, and there is a lot of easy to learn information about sophisticated strategies and how to play better. The progression is not linear or predefined like an RPG but rather personal and skill-based.
Feedback and Rewards: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The feedback loop in poker is immediate and clear, with wins or losses in each hand. The reward system (winning chips or money) is a better than almost all other games.
Fairness and Balance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Poker is designed to ensure that no player has an inherent advantage at the start of a hand. Skill, strategy, and psychology play significant roles in success, as does a bit of luck with adds to the dynamic play and possible upset.
Accessibility: ⭐⭐⭐ The basic rules of poker are easy to learn, making it accessible to beginners, but it also offers depth for experienced players. However, the accessibility can be limited by the stakes involved in playing with real money.
Social Interaction: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Poker is inherently social, whether played around a table in a casino or online. It involves reading opponents, bluffing, and engaging in psychological tactics and talking about crypto.
Replayability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Poker has high replay value due to the variability inherent in each hand and the depth of strategy involved.
Player Autonomy: ⭐⭐⭐ Players have control over their actions—choosing when to bet, fold, or bluff, which significantly affects the outcome of the game, as well as to consider rebuys or getting mad and leaving the zoom.
If you want a little more adventure in your poker playing we have been talking a lot about Balatro in the poker slack.
🏛 The Special Rules
As a reminder, we play with special rules meant to incentivize certain behavior. Some of these rules have significant consequences!
✨ Also, this month I’m lowering the bonus amounts, but will also be applying bonus shares immediately as we play.
Mean Girls: Players on the official Zoom call during the game may collude against players who are not on the official Zoom call during the game, provided that the absence is not a temporary one due to technical issues.
Participation Award: All players who show up to play will be given 0.1 shares. (Paul is the only one who can receive 0.1 just for showing up to the zoom)
The 2-7 Bonus: If you make it to a showdown with 2-7 you get a free half share! But it only counts when there are five or more people at the table. (so if we are split up at the beginning, you might be out of luck until the tables merge). Be sure to announce this as it can happen quick and someone else needs to witness it. If you win in a show down with 2-7 you get three shares.
The Hope Coin Slayer: Whoever takes out the holder of the Hope Coin (Chris) gets .25 share.
The Final Countdown: If seven deuce is played as the final hand of the tournament the player will be given two shares, and if a player wins the tournament with seven deuce they will receive seven shares.
Cain + Abel: If Mike’s brother Gene is playing there is a bonus of 0.25 share to whoever knocks him out.
Kevin Deuce: If you are the first person of the night to beat someone at showdown with unsuited K2 and yell “Kevin Deuce!” Beau will give you a share.
🌴 For Los Angeles Friends
If you’re in (or near) Los Angeles, I’m hosting a Guerrilla Happy Hour with shareholder Alex Mahan this coming Friday, March 8th at 5pm at Johnny’s Bar on York avenue. Come out and we will pay you a $1 for every drink you order!