This poker quarrel became oversized

QUESTION: Please settle an argument we had at our last poker outing. Player A bets $6 and then Player B tosses in a $25 chip without indicating that he is raising. The dealer proceeds to deal the flop, and Player B creates a stink, saying he was raising the pot and not calling, then tosses in his cards, calls a mis-deal, grabs his money and quits the hand. Do you mind refereeing this scenario for us so we can stay friends? -- Tom G.

ANSWER: My generalized answer -- a bit ambiguous because some poker rooms sometimes interpret this scenario in different ways -- is this: If you put a single chip in the pot that is larger than the bet, but you do not announce a raise, you are assumed to have only called the bet. Example: In a $3-$6 game, when a player bets $6 and the next player puts a $25 chip in the pot without saying anything, that player has merely called the $6 bet.

In poker, it's called the oversized chip rule: When responding to another player's action, a bet of one chip with a denomination larger than the bet indicated at that juncture is a call -- unless the bettor verbally states otherwise.

The oversized chip rule also applies when more than one chip is necessary to call a bet and when the last chip tendered might be interpreted as a raise. Unless a player says "I raise," or words to that effect, he has only called. What should have happened at your table is that the dealer should have given change to the oversize player before proceeding with the flop.

Q: Who came up with the 10-card (10, J, Q, K) being the most important card to follow when counting cards in blackjack? -- Jake M.

A: It was Dr. Edward Thorp who in 1962 developed the first method of card counting using an IBM 704 computer. He then followed up by writing the classic "Beat the Dealer." Thorp's theory was based on counting cards with a value of 10. He figured that the counter could determine the percentage of 10s against the other cards in the deck and use that information to determine whether the deck was favorable to the house or to the player. In a deck of 52 cards, there are 36 non-10-value cards and 16 10-value cards. After each shuffle, the deck stands at 2.25-to-1, which slightly favors the house. When the percentage drops below that 2.25 threshold, it favors the player, who would then increase his or her bet. Conversely, when the deck favors the house, the player would wager less.

MARK PILARSKI survived 18 years in the casino trenches. He's a university lecturer, reviewer and contributing editor for numerous gaming periodicals and is the creator of the audiocassette series on casino gambling "Hooked on Winning." E-mail him questions at pilarski@markpilarski.com; for more Q&A, see www.freep.com/pilarski.

News Added: 31 January, 2008

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