I ran across a funny little post that Miss Beth put together at College Poker Tips describing a very complex EV calculation in playing home poker games.
Many people think that if they suck at poker, they must turn down invitations to Texas hold-um parties. Yet this in fact an incorrect assumption. Losing doesn’t mean you don’t win overall. Even losers can have winners. House parties generally have a $5-$15 buy-in. This doesn’t mean that if you loose the game you leave in the red. All this shows is that you must consume or drink enough to make a profit. If you go to a house that has a $5 buy in, gulp down at least 4 drinks. Don’t believe me? Do the math. Say a six-pack costs $8. 8/6=1and 1/3, or about $1.33. 4×1.33=5.32. Therefore, you have made a $0.32 profit in consumer goods. To further capitalize on being the loser, wait until the game is done then suggest ordering a pizza. Once this idea is popularized, look at the other players and propose that the big winner pay for it since he/she has “taken all of our money.” I guarantee the other losers will enthusiastically back up this idea. The free pizza further adds to your profit for the night while decreasing the big winner’s profit and so it becomes a less desirable position. (I say that to alleviate your jealousy you cheeky monkeys)
So I guess now you have to figure pot odds, implied odds, and beer odds to weigh when making a big decision. I don’t even want to think about how you calculate the free pizza odds. I mean, what if it’s just pepperoni and not the meat lover’s special? I would like to see Sklansky write a chapter on that in his next book.
But Miss Beth doesn’t stop there; she goes on to talk about how men should play in mixed games (mixed in this sense meaning boys and girls). Bottom line; if you think she’s cute don’t be the guy who busts her. After she consumes some of those +EV drinks women are prone to trying to humiliate the person who has humiliated them and once one girl openly humiliates a guy his desirability amongst all women goes down.
So if you are up against someone you think is cute, and you know you have the winning hand, fold. You will probably lose your money anyway in the end, and who wouldn’t pay $5-$15 for some play? I mean, hookers cost, what? At least $25.
Miss Beth’s parting shot is advice on how to make your cute little target for the evening feel better after they do bust out.
If you were the first to lose, tell your hottie that they played a good game but got a bad beat despite of what actually occurred. When they reply, “No, I’m not that good,” simply respond, “Hey, you’re better than me. I lost way before you did.” Then ask them for some of their tricks. Even the worst players have a strategy and it may be the stupidest, most insane thing you’ve ever heard, but pretend that it is the most intelligent piece of advice you can imagine.