Double Up

In online poker, most tables have a unique name that helps you identify the table. It's particularly useful if you have a friend who you'd like to have join your table so you can point him or her to the correct table in the list. Some of the names evoke action and winning and testosterone, such as High Roller, Beats All Odds, or Winning Streak. Some take you back to your childhood or to cozy, wholesome fantasies such as Sherman's Lagoon, Get Fuzzy, or Masters of the Universe.

I've always wondered what percentage of players pick a poker table based on those names. Much like the percentage that Harrington assigns to bluffers, I'd put it at about 10%. Even in poker, people are superstitious and people love their packaging.

My best friend Rick is someone who loves packaging, contests/promotions, and etymological word play. If there were two identical poker tables except that one was green and the other purple, he would take the purple one 100% of the time. If one table was named Afterburner and the other was named Lovely Lolly's Lips, he would likely pick the latter because of the alliteration. For some people -- especially people who love words as much he does -- the table names matter.

I could care less. I have never picked a table based on these names, although I occasionally will note the name of the table, assess who's seated there, and make a guess as to whether 10% of the people may have picked the table based on the name and, if so, what that might say about their style of play (High Roller might indicate a slightly more aggressive player; Sherman's Lagoon will get more conservatives, middleagers and Washington Post readers, etc).

Last night Lance was kind enough to let me hijack his computer for a little Bodog tournament. I typically play in the $6 to $30 range because, honestly, I have the attention span of a tse fly and don't want to risk getting bored and losing a lot of money. Last night, though, there was little to no action in that range, so I had to struggle to find any tournaments with more than one or two people already signed up. I finally worked my way up to the $50+ range and noticed a 10-person single table Turbo sit-n-go tournament for a $56 buy-in. This seemed reasonable so I sat down.

I couldn't get to the tournament lobby for some reason to see the payout structure, but I assumed that at a 10-person table, the top three spots would pay out. I briefly noticed that the table name was Double Up, which was cute. I figured that might indicate a few slightly more aggressive players based on my 10% word-lover theory from earlier.

Lance started wildly gesturing and said, "Do you even know how to play a double up tournament?!?!" Shit. It wasn't the table name after all. It was the type of tournament. Given the fact that I had no idea what I was doing, it could have gone worse. I made a few bad plays, particularly with some pocket 4s that I overplayed early. But, in the end I shoved in at probably the correct time and busted out with AK suited to KK.

The lesson learned is to always remember to look at the payout structure before entering a tournament. Because Sherman's Lagoon may just be be a new style of poker of which you've never heard.