catwoman

Ok, here comes a stupid question!

Can someone explain why they call it the River?
I always wondered this, and feel everyone knows here know how stupid i am in this stuff, so not afraid to ask now! lollll

Dyno_Don

I thought I had posted in here already about "why do they call it 'the river' card".

I looked up river card in several places for the history on the river card, but all I could find was that they say it's the last community card in Hold'em poker.

I don't think anybody knows the history of the "why" part.

I'm gonna guess at this and say that since the last community card in Hold'em poker actually called "5th Street", that somewhere in a big city 5th Street is by the "River".

Thus, the last card called the River card.

That's just a guess for now. I do have another theory though;

Most of the people who go all-in, either make it or get broke on the last community card, or up the "River" without a paddle if they lose.

beaston

I think this slang version of "the river" is because so many people drown in the river, when they get sucked out on that card.....and not to mention "cry me a river" since the hand is over and you lost.

Good question, though...

Dyno_Don

That does sound pretty good, "Cry me a river", as for losing on the river card.

I think my odds of winning on the river this year, are at around 30% or less.

catwoman

Don, Their up a "creek" without a paddle! LOLLLL

So, i guess i am not that stupid, if there is no real reason for the name? lol

And if you pro's don't know why, then i am in good company! whoohoo! lollllll


Cheers!

beaston

Talking about drowning on the river:

I was playing live down at Bally's in AC last month, 1/2NL. I had just sat down at the table and this was my first (and last) hand:

I was dealt QKd. I made a small pre-flop raise and had 3 callers.

Flop comes AJd 3c. I make about a half pot sized bet, and only get one caller.

Turn comes, it's the Tc. I make a pot size bet and get raised all in, and of course I insta-call with the nuts and a freeroll to the diamond flush.

The guy turns over QKc.

Guess what the river card was?

6c.

Can a deck be any colder than that?


Talk about brutal. What's worse is the fact that I had just sat down at the table, and it was the first hand I was dealt. He had me covered in chips, and I was so ****ed off about how bad I was running that I just got up and left without even thinking of reloading and steaming off more money.

edit: What makes it even worse is the fact that there were 2 seats open, and I had originally sat down at seat #8, but moved to seat #5 so I could see the community cards better. The guy I was heads-up against was in seat #10, so if I had stayed put, I wouldn't have even been in the hand.

I keep wondering if I had just moved all in on the flop, or made a larger bet, if I would have taken the pot down right then. I was a favorite on the flop, but only even money and drawing for a split on the turn. But, for all I know, he may have called a large bet on the flop with his gutshot and backdoor flush draw. Who knows?

beaston

I'm not a poker professional, by any means, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn last night!!!

But seriously, you're not stupid....I don't think many people know the exact origins of why the river card is actually called the river card

Dyno_Don

In one of my live poker games I only raised once, the same way you did beaston, with nothing in my hand and to buy the pot and hope I would get something.

One person raised all in and I called. He got trips and I "almost" had my strait.

I've learned from that one, and one other hand that also took me out of a game;
If you don't have a pair to call with, "don't go fishing" for a hand you hope to get.

beaston

Actually, I was a heavy favorite on the flop (if only that other player didn't have the exact same hand but different suit, which isn't really that common) with 4 total players in the hand.

With that flop, you have to figure that with 4 players in the pot, I had 9 outs for my flush, along with 3 additional non-diamond tens for the broadway straight (ten of diamonds would have given me a royal flush ), which would amount to 12 outs * 4 (turn and river to come) which = around 48% to win the hand, with the other 52% spread out across the remaining 3 players had they all had a piece of the flop and stayed in the hand. Which means that optimally, even if one of the other 3 players had an ace, they were still a huge underdog....Don't forget that I was also holding the nut diamond draw, so even if someone was drawing for diamonds as well, they were drawing dead, pretty much.

I'll bet on a strong drawing hand such as that one, any day....(and Doyle even addresses stuff like this in SuperSystem [the first and only good one] )

catwoman

Oh man Beaston, i would of been P***ed to, you had no choice, with those cards, i would of done the same darn thing.

My son went to Mohegan last night and entered a Texas Holdem 180$ buy in tourney, against 70 other players, top prize was 3K. He ended up in 6th place with a $600 prize, not bad! But he called during a break and was telling me how he would have AK suited, and fold? I was like what? but he knew what he was doing, cause the flop and river gave him Crap! so he would of lost if he had stayed, so i guess thats why he got 6th place and i would of been 70th!

lollll