Poker Plus - The Horseshoe Game
That elusive lady we all court when we are playing, but whom seldom smiles upon us. There may be some people in the world who say they don’t believe in luck, and I can almost guarantee these naysayers are not gamblers.For the rest of us who play poker, pull a handle or roll the dice, we know better. We know there is a huge luck factor when we place a bet or drop a coin. And, if you don’t think poker players believe in luck, or are superstitious, just look around the poker table the next time you are in a live game, or are watching a game on TV. If you look, you are likely to see all manner of lucky do-dads players carry with them for luck, some used as card cappers.
But lucky trinkets aren’t all you will see; lucky apparel is also popular with players. I have heard some top notch pros talk about their lucky shirt, pants, jacket, a certain lucky hat and even lucky underwear!
Trying to analyze the luck factor is impossible, but when someone thinks something is lucky, therefore they are lucky. So, maybe some of the luck factor resides in the mind. I do know there have been times I felt lucky, and I was. Then there were other times I was hit on the head with a lucky stick, and everything went my way, I couldn’t lose.
I have had one mega rush in my life, in a $4/$8 Limit Hold’em game with $5/$10 overs. I was so lucky I could virtually raise and play my hands in the dark (without looking) and still win. It was almost embarrassing! I won over $1200 which is amazing for that limit of game. I would have never quit except I was literally about to fall asleep at the table after playing for hours on end.
The million dollar question is: What caused this luck? I have no clue, if I could figure it out, I would be a gazillionaire.
When you sit in a game, there will almost always be one player at the table who can seemingly play anything and win. In Hold’em, it is the guy who stands three raises, plays 9-3 and 7-2 and ends up making a full house to crack your pocket aces. And, it doesn’t happen just once, but over and over again. This is the player we say has a horseshoe up his patootie. He is also a luck bucket and his bucket is overflowing.
It is great if it is you who has the horseshoe, but if it is the other guy, it can be chipicide if you keep getting good hands against him, because he will suck out on you every time.
If you are in a game with an incredibly lucky player, then like it or not, you are playing the horseshoe game. Since I have been playing online, which has been several years, I can’t remember ever playing in a game that wasn’t a horseshoe game. Even in the mid-limit games there is usually one player who makes almost every hand.
But, what happens if the player with the horseshoe is a good player? Well, then it is much better for you and the other players. Why? Because the good player won’t play any two cards and hit you with their horseshoe. The loose player will play any two cards he is dealt, playing his luck. The good player will continue to play premium starting cards, not relying on luck. This will make your chances of winning against a good player much better than against the loose, horseshoe game player.
Most poker players agree they would rather be good than lucky. The reason is; Luck is fickle and fleeting, skill stays forever. But, if you gave us the choice of being consistently lucky, day in and day out, well…most of us would choose luck!
The lucky, horseshoe player is set in his ways. He will continue to play luck instead of learning and acquiring skill. Since he won playing that way, he sees no reason to change his play. The good news is, his luck WILL run out eventually, and when it does, we will be there, patiently waiting, to get all his chips and we won’t need a horseshoe.
When it comes to figuring out just what determines luck, maybe it isn’t so complicated after all. Maybe it is just a state of mind and the Philosopher Descartes was right on the money when he said, “I think, therefore I am.”
Think lucky and grab a chair…see you there!
*Editor’s Note: PokerHack plays on PokerStars*
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