Many people love the thought of getting involved with poker, but they naturally want to ensure they play well so they can maximize their chances of winning. Some spend a lot of time learning the ins and outs of poker gaming and practicing in order to hone their skills. However, others opt for the more questionable method of trying to pick up tips from watching the movies:
Anyone keen to learn how to play poker properly should never rely on poker movies to achieve this goal. If anything, you could end up picking up bad habits, getting inaccurate information, and playing the game incorrectly if you rely on Hollywood to teach you how to play this popular card game.
Some Examples of Poor Poker Playing in Hollywood Movies
When you watch the big screen in the hope of picking up poker tips, you will be sorely disappointed. You will pick up some tips, but they are more about what NOT to do rather than what to do if you want to be a good player. So, here are some examples:
Maverick – 1994
This movie starring Mel Gibson was a bit hit, but when it came to seeing Gibson’s character playing poker, any seasoned players would have been
shocked. Why? Well, before he flipped over the last card to show his
winning hand, he paused slightly. This is something that is considered
bad form in poker, and it is known as slow-rolling.
In a nutshell, it is where a player knows they have a great hand but delays showing the hand to the other player. While it may have created some tension and excitement in the movie, if you do it at an actual poker game, you could end up with a fistfight on your hands!
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels – 1998
When it comes to bona-fide poker gaming, there are certain rules in
place. One of these is that you cannot bet more than the opponent has
available and then expect them to put something like their car or house
on the line to make up for their lack of cash.
While there may be underground poker games set up by questionable operators that are fine with this, if you want to play a proper game of poker where your money is the only thing you have to lose, this is not something you would do. However, this movie seems to just ignore that rule.
The Cincinnati Kid – 1965
In proper poker gaming, you have to be clear with regard to whether you
are calling or raising because you cannot do both. However, watching
this movie might give you a totally false impression of what you can do
and what you should say.
All this will do is lead to confusion among other players and even the dealer.
Rounders – 1998
When you are playing live poker and an opponent is bluffing, you won’t
know that they are bluffing unless they are really bad when it comes to
poker face. However, this movie makes it look like anyone who bluffs has
it written all over their face.
If you watch this to learn about poker, you will expect to be able to identify a bluffer in an instant, and it simply isn’t as easy as that.
Don’t Rely on the Movies!
As you can see, you cannot rely on poker games in Hollywood movies to teach you how to play the game. Always take these movie games with a pinch of salt and remember that Hollywood poker is very different from real-life poker games...
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