Issue Date: March 21, 2004

Recreation

Poker faces

Ante up for a mini-lesson from the experts -- national champions and stars of TV's hot new poker shows.

By Kelly DiNardo

Television is flush with poker. The prime-time mania took off last year when the Travel Channel launched "World Poker Tour" (with a celebrity-laden "Hollywood Home Game" version earlier this year), showcasing No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em games with a table-level camera that lets viewers see players' cards. Bravo got into the game, too, with "Celebrity Poker Showdown," in which stars like Allison Janney and Paul Rudd play against each other for charity.

While the chips are hot, we turn to celebrity and professional players for advice on when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.

Learning the game
Joshua Malina, co-executive producer of "Celebrity Poker Showdown" and co-star on "The West Wing" with Martin Sheen. "Go online. You can play other players in real time for free. When you're feeling a little bit more confident, find a card club and go play $1 and $2 Hold 'Em. You can generally find games where you can buy in for $20. You have to find a live game with low stakes where you can actually get some experience. Watching all the poker shows is great, but ultimately you have to put your butt in a seat and play some real poker."
Daniel Negreanu, who at 23 became the youngest world champion. "The key is to learn the fundamentals. Read anything by David Sklansky or check out "Super System" by Doyle Brunson. The next step would be getting some hands-on experience. Watch the players who win and try to figure out what they're doing. Get into their heads and figure out why these guys are winning every day. Try to emulate or incorporate those things into your own game."

Betting
Annie Duke, the woman with the most "money finishes" at the "World Series of Poker." "Be aggressive. Be a raiser, not a caller. Anytime you raise, you give a person the opportunity to fold, which can win the hand right there. By raising, you narrow the field, so you're more likely to win. It gives you a powerful table image. You're giving your opponent the chance to make a bad decision."

Bluffing
Lou Diamond Phillips, actor who played poker in "World Poker Tour: Hollywood Home Game." "You really need to be aware of your body language. When I first started playing, even if I had the winning hand, my heart would start pounding, and I knew the pulse was going in my neck. All anyone had to do was look at my neck. You have to become self-aware and have the discipline and self-control to maintain a poker face."

Annie Duke. "Remember that you don't have to win all your bluffs. A lot of the bluffs you make are so you get called when you have a good hand. It's not so bad when you bluff and it doesn't work. It helps your table image later in the session."

Life skills at the table
Annie Duke. "Don't take your emotions out on your money. People become emotionally unhinged, and it causes them to play badly. Poker takes money-management skills. There are a lot of people who are great players who are broke because they played too high for their bankroll. You have to live within your means in life and poker."
Richard Karn, host of "Family Feud" and player in "World Poker Tour: Hollywood Home Game." "Poker hones listening and observation skills. If you are going to stay in the game, you have to pay attention and learn from your mistakes."
Joshua Malina. "It's a game of displaying confidence even when you've got a weak hand. I think there's a life lesson there about believing in yourself and projecting confidence even when inside you're going, 'Oh, my God. Oh, my God.' "
Daniel Negreanu. "Patience and discipline are the most important aspects of becoming a winning player. Learning that through poker can give you that virtue in life. You're waiting in line at the bank or stuck in traffic. It can teach you that calm, Zen-like feeling."

Reading your opponent
Daniel Negreanu. "If you're learning how to play, it's much more important to know the fundamentals. The reading of 'tells' [the ways players subconsciously reveal their intentions] is something you get to as you improve as a player."
Chris Ferguson, 2000 world champion. "I try to be very aware of what I'm doing when I'm bluffing. This makes me realize what I'm doing. But my opponents are going through the same thing. When I look for tells in myself, I look for tells in my opponent. I can look for the same body reactions in my opponent."