High Stakes Poker - Whatâs Your Limit?
7 years ago19 Sep
(Photo: Fanart.tv)
Everyone knows what high stakes poker is â its games where the dollars are thrown around in man-size bricks isnât it? But what amount would really make it high stakes? Letâs try to work out the magic numberâŚ
The popular TV show which ran for seven seasons - and featured most of the best players the poker world has ever seen - had a minimum buy-in of $100,000 as its standard, sometimes increased to $200,000 for special episodes or specific seasons. Of course some players, the really big boys such as Phil Ivey and Tom âdurrrrâ Dwan would often appear with $500,000! If we cherry pick season 5, Dwan was up $771,000 while Negreanu was stuck for almost $850,000!
So these are high-stakes, no doubt about it, but itâs all relative. The Macau games, for example, in which Ivey and Dwan have both been found, dwarf anything youâre likely to see on TV!
Recently I wrote about the back-rooms of Macau, citing Daniel âJunglemanâ Cates who stated that:
"Dwan once lost a staggering US$20,000,000 pot in a set-over-set situation.â
Now THAT is high stakes! Or rather, youâd describe them as the ânosebleedâ stakes â the games at which the usual high-stakes crew baulk and start crying a little when they lose. Because letâs face it â your average high-stakes pro has to be ready to lose a million or so when he has a downswing; but $10million? Thatâs got to hurt!
Guy Laliberte, the co-founder of Cirque du Soleil, was most definitely hurt when he ventured into the online nosebleed games, but it was his feelings rather than his ridiculously deep pockets which took the hit - $28milllion being a drop in the ocean for the multi-billionaire, the laughs and cries of âwhale!â from his opponents and railbirds being the real cause of pain â enough to cause him to stop playing!
So, what do normal poker players and fans consider high stakes? A Twitter poll carried out by Dan Fleyshman provides an answerâŚand the jury is split!
What do you consider is the lowest cash buy-in before a poker game should be classified as "High Stakes"?đ°â ď¸âŁď¸âĽď¸âŚď¸
â Dan Fleyshman (DanFleyshman) September 16, 2016
Quite a spread there and a very even divide between the three options, I would have voted for number 3, the $100k and up option, but one of the responses to Fleyshmanâs tweet got me thinking about my own âhigh stakesâ experience.
@DanFleyshman@SaraUnderwood depends on your financial situation imo. High stakes means losing it would be a big deal
â Simon Coates (@Coatesy49er) September 16, 2016
I found myself playing $109 S&Gâs a few years back and to be perfectly honest I saw no huge difference in the level of play from the $20 ones! However, when you hit a downswing, it hurts a lot more, especially if like me you arenât really bankrolled for it!
So, high stakes may only be high if your bankroll finds it hard to cope with the losses! Daniel Negreanu recently said that losing a million would mean nothing to him:
"If I lost a million in the game, I'm not gonna be like 'Wow that sucks.' It's just whateverâ
So it obviously means different things to different people as the poll suggests.
Ok, itâs over to you dear reader. What amount constitutes âhigh stakesâ poker? Is there a definite figure we can put on it or, as with many things in poker, does âit depends?â
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