Strategies for the Management of Luck and Action in an Urban Poker Parlor

Poker players primarily rely on two major types of strategies: those which control luck & those which control interpersonal action. Luck control occasionally involves the use of "lucky" physical objects as well as more mundane manipulations, eg, changing decks or changing seats within...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of contemporary ethnography 1978-01, Vol.6 (4), p.475-488
Main Author: Hayano, David M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
California/Californian/ Californians
Game/Games/Gaming
Luck
Skill/Skills/Skilled
Strategies
Strategy/Strategies/Strategic
Urban areas
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Summary:Poker players primarily rely on two major types of strategies: those which control luck & those which control interpersonal action. Luck control occasionally involves the use of "lucky" physical objects as well as more mundane manipulations, eg, changing decks or changing seats within a poker table. Action strategies are based on the intense evaluation & examination of others' playing styles, & are an aspect of skill & familiarity. Both strategies are important to the winning & professional poker player. The primary factor for the implementation of either or both types of strategies is a player's perceived position in a win-loss cycle. When winning, strategies of these type are rarely used, but when "running bad" players usually resort to some method of control in an attempt to alter their losing condition. Over two years of field research was conducted among the poker players in the public draw poker clubs of Gardena, Calif. 1 Table. AA.
ISSN:0891-2416
0098-3039
1552-5414
DOI:10.1177/089124167800600405