Props In The Home Poker Game

To spice things up a bit in our regular home game Greg (a friend and regular player) and I have taken to playing “props”.  Props or “proposition” bets are side bets that are not (necessarily) directly related to the game.  Also, not every player at the table is involved… usually it’s just Greg & Me.  The bets we make are loosely based on a discussion of props that I read a while back on Daniel Negreanu’s blog.  We’ve adjusted them to better fit our game and stakes.  And, we mostly only play Texas Hold ‘Em, so we don’t have props for any of the other games.

There are a number of different props that we bet on.  First off, we each pick a suit.  If the flop (for any hand, even one in which the prop players are not involved) comes out with 3 cards of your suit you win.  In our case, this pays 2 bets.   The amount of the betting unit is agreed upon prior to the game.

If the flop comes 3-to-a-straight-flush in your suit, that pays 4 bets regardless of the rank of cards.

Also, prior to starting the match each player chooses one or more “props”.  Your prop is a series of 3 cards (e.g., 2-3-5, 9-T-J, etc.).  If the flop is your prop (regardless of suit) you win 3 bets.  If the flop is your prop AND your suit, that pays 10 bets.  Among your props, one is designated as the “Big Boy” meaning it pays more than the others.  Hitting your Big Boy pays 4 bets; if it’s all your suit it pays 12 bets.  Since we’re beginners at this whole props thing, we usually pick just one prop and one Big Boy to simplify things.

We also play “Jacks”.  This means that if the Jack in your suit comes on the flop the prop is paid according to where the Jack is located and whether or not there are other cards of your suit.  In order to get paid on a Jack, there must be at least one other card of your suit on the flop.  If the Jack is the only card of your suit, it’s a “Stiff” Jack and you owe the other player(s).  If the Jack comes in the middle of the flop, that pays 2 bets.  If the Jack is on the side, that pays 1 bet.  And remember, YOU pay if there are no other cards of your suit to accompany your Jack.

If the Ace, King, or Queen of your suit comes in the middle of the flop, that pays 1 bet… nothing if it’s on the side.

If the flop has any combination of AK, AQ, KQ in your suit, that pays 2 bets.

I have a sheet we use to keep track of the bets so we can settle up at the end of the game.  In order to get paid for anything, you have to call it when you see it.  So, you could say “I see my Ace of Spades in the middle and your Stiff Jack on the side… that’s 2 for me and I’m on for doubles”.  Doubles?  Anytime you hit a prop you call it and say you’re on for doubles.  If you hit any of your props on the next flop, it counts for double.  Then, you’d call that prop and say “I’m on for Triples!”  Likewise if you hit the next flop, your props pay Triple.  We stop at Triples, so if you hit a prop at Triples, you’re still on for Triples on the next flop. Whenever you miss a flop you're reset and the next prop you hit pays 1x.

Remember, these props are only on the flop (the first three community cards); the Turn and River cards have no impact on these side bets.

Click to Download the Prop Sheet

Here’s the latest version of the sheet I’m using to keep track.  It lists the possible props (that we play) in the column on the left along with their payouts and a checkbox to indicate whether they’re “On”… We don’t always

play all the props on the sheet; it just depends on the mood.  On the right side of the sheet there’s a section for each suit.  After a player picks a suit, you write his/her name next to the suit they’ve chosen and then list their Prop(s) and Big Boy in the spaces below their name.  The big box to the right with the suit in the background is used as the tally area to keep track of how many bets that player is owed.  At the end of the game, a net is calculated for every player in the game and then everyone settles up.

This works pretty good for us, but I’m open to any suggestions or recommendations, just post them in the comments section.  Or, if you have question, send those as well.



I Guess I'm Ready

Today's the day. I scheduled my final MCITP exam for this afternoon. I was torn between today or sometime next week. Yesterday I knew I wasn't ready, but was hoping I could be ready by 2:15 today. The alternative of thinking about the test all weekend and studying every night until then to keep it fresh in my mind wasn't something I was looking forward to.

So. Here I am. I just finished my sushi (6 pieces of tuna nigiri) as part of what has become a pre-test ritual. I'm sitting in the cafe at Whole Foods staring out the windows into the cold rain. I'll get to walk in the cold rain... the test site is in a building just across the street. I'll walk from here rather than parking at the actual building. That, too, has become part of the ritual and I don't want to deviate from the plan.

Wish me luck. I guess I'm ready.

~keith

Four Down, One To Go

Wednesday marked the completion of my fourth exam in my ongoing quest for MCITP certification.  The test du jour was MCTS 70-643 Configuring Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure.  Seriously... that's the name they came up with.  As I had done with the three previous exams, my primary study material was the Microsoft Training Kit.  This book was even more to-the-point the than those that I read for the other exams.  I think that's what I like most about this series of books; They're direct and focused, while still giving an overall broad view of the subject matter.

As of test time I was consistently scoring in the mid to hi 90's on the practice exams that came with the Training Kit as well as some 3rd party study guides I acquired online.  As such, my confidence was pretty high going into the test.  It was quickly shaken when the very first question threw me for a complete loop.  Of course, I signed an NDA when I took the exam so I can't discuss the question, but it was something that I had not encountered in my many hours of studying.  Fortunately, it got much smoother from there.  The next 4 or 5 questions were right in my comfort zone.  I marked 12 (of 40) questions to go back and review.  The others I was 99.9% sure I had right.  Of those 12, several were just oddly worded and I wanted to make sure I thought them through logically before committing to an answer.  And finally, there were about 5 questions that I was unsure of the answer for.  So, like before, I eliminated any ridiculous answers and tried to make an educated guess from the remainder.  It worked.  I passed the test with a score of 953/1000.

That means it's time to prep for my fifth and final exam... MCITP 70-647: Windows Server Enterprise Administrator.  I've got the Microsoft Training Kit sitting in front of me now.  Time to study.

A Favorite Zen Poem

Just wanted to share one of my favorite poems.

CRIMSON-WEAVE CARPET

Crimson-weave carpet,

silk reeled off select cocoons and boiled in clear water,
sun-bleached and steeped in dyes of crimdigo flower,

dyes turning thread crimson, indigo depths of crimson,
then woven to grace the Hall of Widespread Fragrance.

The Hall of Widespread Fragrance is a hundred feet long,
and the carpet's crimson weave will stretch end to end,

its iridescence soft and deep, its fragrance everywhere,
plush weave and mirage blossoms beyond all compare,

awaiting beautiful women who come to sing and dance,
gauze stockings and embroidered slippers sinking deep.

Even those carpets from T'ai-yuan seem stiff and rough,
and Ch'eng-tu rugs thin, their embroidered flowers cold:

they'll never compare to these, so warm and sumptuous
and sent each year from Hsuan-chou in the tenth month.

Hsuan-chou's grand Prefect orders a new pattern woven,
saying they'll spare no effort on the emperor's behalf,

and then a hundred reverent men haul it into place,
the weave so thick and silk so lavish it can't be rolled up.

Can you fathom what it means, O prefect of Hsuan-chou:
for ten feet of carpet
a thousand taels of silk?

Floors don't feel the cold- people do.  People need warmth.
No more floors dressed in clothes stolen from the people.

--Po Chu-I (772-846AD)

ATM Skimmers. Protecting Your Banking Information.

Check out this great article from KrebsOnSecurity about the advancing technology of ATM "skimmers".  These are the electronic devices used by thieves to steal your ATM card information.  Always be vigilant when using ATMs and if something is JDLR (Just Don't Look Right), go elsewhere.

Would You Have Spotted the Fraud?