There are a few reasons to form and play a home poker league: camaraderie, something fun to do, or win some coin are just a few. Aside from these aspects one founding idea for our league was to improve our games. If our game was so great our bankroll would be too – it isn’t yet and that’s the thing - hence, the CPl player improvement goal (and hopefully future bankrolls).
That leads us to today’s Home Poker League Tip. We’ve recently implemented what we’ve termed the “Missouri Chip” - as you may have heard in some past podcasts. As we all know (okay, maybe not more than 10% of the population outside of Missouri) is that the Missouri state motto is “The Show Me State”. What does that have to do with poker, you ask? The Missouri Chip gives you an opportunity, once per match, to force an opponent to show his/her cards. For leagues that have player improvement as a goal this is an innovative way to add an educational element to the game. No, not teaching all your members trivia about all 50 state mottos, but allowing a player to see just why they are folding. Did they get the pants bluffed off of them? Did they make the lay down of the century? Does Tina really go all in during the first level any time she’s dealt 8/3 off suit on the button and she’s first in? The Missouri Chip gives players a chance to learn a little something about playing styles and difficult situations.
For our league, it’s one chip per person per match. You may only use your chip immediately prior to (or with) your fold. If more than one other opponent is still in the hand (say a bet from Tom and a raise from Jane) and you fold you must designate which player’s cards to see (for example, “I’m going to use my Missouri Chip on Jane and fold.”). Finally, if a player doesn’t use their chip and gets knocked out the unused Missouri Chip goes to the player winning the hand. Obviously, we have a few more minor rules regarding the chip but this gives you a starting idea for your home poker league. Use the Missouri Chip in your league to add an extra element of learning for your players and improve everyone’s game.
Note: Listen to the 10/13/08 podcast to hear a discussion of the Missouri Chip
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3 comments:
That is a really cool idea! We might try to implement this in our home game next Thurs (it's on PokerDIY if anyone is up for a home game in Sydney)
Hi Rodney:
Thanks for stopping by. One item that might interest you if you encounter resistance is "the block".
You can either use your Missouri Chip to see a hand OR to put a block on someone who's trying to use it on you.
It's a nice compromise measure to get those on board who are opposed. They may still need to show if enough people want to see their hands, but they can at least block one attempt.
The free poker games are too tough, unless you are playing at a totally worthless limit. Don’t fool yourself with a sprint of good luck in the beginning, before the other players judge any sense of your play.
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