Cooke's Rules of Real Poker - Softcover

Roy Cooke; John Bond

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1886070229 ISBN 13: 9781886070226

Publisher: CONJELCO, 2009

Synopsis

A big part of poker's appeal is that, at its essence, the rules are same everywhere. For the most part, you play with a deck of fifty-two cards, four suits, and thirteen ranks. The best five card hand takes the money. There are (some wild home game variations notwithstanding) only five combinations of actions: check, bet, call, raise, and fold. The purpose of this book is to provide a uniform set of rules for the most popular poker games spread in public cardrooms. Some rules apply to all games. Some apply to particular games. In deciding upon which rules to use, the rulebooks of nearly every major cardroom in the country have been consulted. Where rules differ, the authors have given preference to the rule that best serves the interest of fairness in the game. Indeed that is one of the first rules of the game: that all rules should be interpreted with the spirit of the game in mind. Beyond the issue of fairness, which is paramount, the next greatest weight has been given to the efficiency of the game--getting more hands out per hour benefits everyone: players get more hands, the house gets more rake, dealers get more tips.

After fairness and efficiency, the next most important factor is simplicity. All other things being equal, where there is a simple and a complicated way to do things, the simpler rule has been chosen. Lastly, tradition has been considered. The game has a great history, and the aforementioned variables being equal, the traditional rule has been given preference. Fairness, Efficiency, Simplicity and Tradition: the foundations of the Rules of Poker. An additional factor in establishing rules is inducing action. Although it is not as important as the other influences, action is important to the game. Rules can be constructed and interpreted to encourage action, or to inhibit it. All other things being equal, when one rule would limit action and another would induce it, the authors have given preference to the rule that will encourage players to get involved and play the hand. That said, there are other reasons for preferring one rule to another. When several different rules applying to a certain situation meet the tests of fairness, efficiency, simplicity and tradition, the preferred rule is listed first, and an alternate rule--or rules, if there are several--are listed afterward as Alternate Rules. At times, explanatory notes and/or examples are added after a rule. When interpreting a rule, the explanatory notes and examples should be taken into consideration. These notes and examples, together with the Definitions and Appendices for suggested procedures at the end of the Rules, are the components of Cooke's Rules of Real Poker. While some players and cardroom managers may not agree with all the rules included, it is hoped that the comprehensiveness of Cooke's Rules of Real Poker will result in it being used as a standard in cardrooms across the country. The inclusion of alternate rules that may be used in lieu of the preferred rule at the discretion of cardroom management is an attempt to address the legitimate differences of opinion regarding exactly what rule should be in force at a given establishment. Cardrooms will have the choice of adopting Cooke's Rules exactly as they stand, or Cooke's Rules as modified by house policy.

About this title

Review:

Lee Jones, Author, Winning Low-Limit Hold’em, and Poker Room Manager for PokerStars.com: “Roy and John have codified poker beautifully. I’m particularly delighted to see some long-needed changes (such as restrictions on players’ right to see mucked hands). I would love to see all cardrooms and casinos standardize on this book as their rules; players, dealers, and staff would all benefit enormously.”

Linda Johnson , Tournament Director’s Association, Cardplayer Cruises, World Series of Poker bracelet winner: “Poker players everywhere owe Roy a debt of gratitude for this work. There’s no money in a rule book. It invites people to argue with you and disagree with you. It is at its core a labor of love — love of the game, and for the poker community.”

Tom McEvoy , Author, 1983 WSOP Champion: “I have known Roy Cooke for about 25 years. He has been a pioneer in internet poker, and has made many contributions to the game over the years. This book on the rules of poker is probably his most valuable contribution yet. The poker world needs standard rules and this book is a vital contribution towards this goal.”

Jeff Shulman , CEO, Card Player Magazine : “Roy Cooke has been a powerful force for integrity in poker. Poker needs standardized rules, and Roy Cooke's book is a giant step in that direction.”

About the Author:

Roy Cooke is generally acknowledged to be the most consistent hold'em player in the world in a career that spans over 30 years, and is a master of limit hold'em, having one of the best records over time at the middle limits. By his forty-fifth birthday, Roy had played some 60,000 hours of poker-sixteen years as a professional- from the Florida Keys to Puget Sound, from San Diego to New England, in bowling alleys, strip joints and private homes. But mostly he has played in the public cardrooms of Nevada, California and the Northwest. He has, since 1993, been a featured columnist for Card Player magazine. His first book, Real Poker, The Cooke Collection sold out. His second book Real Poker II, The Play of Hands is available from sellers of gambling books. He has three more books in development. He was a consultant to the first real-money Internet poker site. Roy lives in Las Vegas with his wife Misty and daughter Krystle. Roy and Misty have a successful real estate and mortgage brokerage business.

About this edition

• Publisher: CONJELCO
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1886070229
• ISBN 13: 9781886070226
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 169