"Hold Me Darling" + Obscure Poker Word of the Day (1 Viewer)

[Jimulacrum]

I dug up this old gem from the depths of my poker book collection: Poker Strategy: Proven Principles for Winning Play (2000) by A.D.Livingston, which is basically just a reprint of Advanced Poker: Strategy and Smart Play (1971).

I picked up the 1971 edition for $2 at a flea market and loved it, which is why I bought the other one (before realizing it was the same book). The writing style is much more entertaining than your average strategy book, and though it's way out of date for most modern games, it's still a great read.

I'm going to donate my 2000 copy to @bergs at the next gathering so that it can serve as a reference volume at Truman's House. Almost the entire back half of the book is a list of dealer's choice games and basic strategy points for each. Lots of wild-card games, but plenty of interesting straight-up games too. Notably, what this book calls Omaha is a flop game ("widow game" to Livingston), but it's significantly different from our notion of PLO.

Table of contents, for your perusal (note that there are far more dealer's choice games covered in the book than listed in the table of contents):

Plus the "Hold Me Darling" pages, probably my favorite pages in the book:

Obscure Poker Word of the Day: To "tap" in old-timey poker means to bet all of your remaining chips in a table-stakes game, i.e., to move all-in.

 

[abby99]

Notably, what this book calls Omaha is a flop game ("widow game" to Livingston), but it's significantly different from our notion of PLO.

How is it different?

 

[jbutler]

Obscure Poker Word of the Day: To "tap" in old-timey poker means to bet all of your remaining chips in a table-stakes game, i.e., to move all-in.

Only learned this one a few years ago. Not sure if this usage is common, but the guys in one of my game would say "I'm going to tap you," meaning to put the other player all in.

 

[Jimulacrum]

How is it different?

It's just like Hold Me Darling, two hole cards and five board cards, but the five board cards are turned up one at a time. Tulsa is an alternate name for this game.

There's another notable "widow" game in the Dealer's Choice section called Cincinnati: five hole cards each, plus five board cards turned one at a time. Play any number of hole cards with any number of board cards to make the best five-card poker hand.

Here's the very end of the Hold Me Darling section, where Omaha/Tulsa is covered (plus another variant called Amarillo).

 

[Jimulacrum]

Only learned this one a few years ago. Not sure if this usage is common, but the guys in one of my game would say "I'm going to tap you," meaning to put the other player all in.

The only person I have ever seen or heard use it in real life is @onerand.

 

[AlPresidente]

tapis means all in in French. IDK if there's any connection.

 

[Jimulacrum]

tapis means all in in French. IDK if there's any connection.

Tapis literally means "a piece of textile that covers a floor or furniture" and can sometimes be used to refer specially to a carpet, mat, tapestry, etc. So in this case it's being broadened (or used with poetic license) to basically mean "[down to the] felt."

That's my best guess, anyway. Never played poker in French before.

 

[DJ Mack]

Not sure if this usage is common, but the guys in one of my game would say "I'm going to tap you," meaning to put the other player all in.

To quote the great Lawrence of Office Space fame, in most groups I've played:

 

[bergs]

Only learned this one a few years ago. Not sure if this usage is common, but the guys in one of my game would say "I'm going to tap you," meaning to put the other player all in.

Where I come from "I'm going to tap you" means you're either Trump talking to an attractive woman or Vito about to collect on an uncollectable debt with a .45 ACP.

I remember when OneRand said it and I called him an old soul. LOL.

 

[guinness]

I wish one of the chapters was called "The Rebuy".

 

[tommythecat]

Let's not forget Teddy KGB uses tap in Rounders... "No checks here...I tap you..."

 

[Jimulacrum]

Let's not forget Teddy KGB uses tap in Rounders... "No checks here...I tap you..."

Yes! I forgot about that!

Wait, isn't it Mike who says it? "I'mma tap you, Teddy." Then he shows jacks up.

 

[tommythecat]

Yes! I forgot about that!

Wait, isn't it Mike who says it? "I'mma tap you, Teddy." Then he shows jacks up.

You are correct...they both use it...forgot about Mike saying it.

 

[<°)))><)]

Tapis literally means "a piece of textile that covers a floor or furniture" and can sometimes be used to refer specially to a carpet, mat, tapestry, etc. So in this case it's being broadened (or used with poetic license) to basically mean "[down to the] felt."

That's my best guess, anyway. Never played poker in French before.

The "tapis" is also the playing surface on the poker table.
Then "tapis" means "I'll put all my chips on the cloth".
"All-on" rather than "all-in"

 

[pltrgyst]

Good read -- thanks for posting the pics of the pages.

 

[upNdown]

Interesting slang, because when you tap the table, it pretty much means the opposite.

 

[mike32]

Speaking of "Hold me darling" if you have not already read this here is a link to a cool article in Life Magazine from the 60's about the "new" poker game.

https://books.google.com/books?id=Sj8EAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PA38#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

[pltrgyst]

Speaking of "Hold me darling" if you have not already read this here is a link to a cool article in Life Magazine from the 60's about the "new" poker game.

https://books.google.com/books?id=Sj8EAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PA38#v=onepage&q&f=false

Yeah, this was discussed extensively back on CT.

 

[jbutler]

This discussion reminds me of another bit of poker terminology I hadn't heard until several years ago: "I'm down." I first heard it and thought my bet had been called since in my experience "I'm down" means something to the effect of "I agree." But when these guys said it they meant that they were folding.

Since I first heard it in a home game I've heard it in a casino a few times, so it might be that I just hadn't noticed it until I heard it in the home game.

 

[pltrgyst]

This discussion reminds me of another bit of poker terminology I hadn't heard until several years ago: "I'm down." I first heard it and thought my bet had been called since in my experience "I'm down" means something to the effect of "I agree." But when these guys said it they meant that they were folding.

Since I first heard it in a home game I've heard it in a casino a few times, so it might be that I just hadn't noticed it until I heard it in the home game.

Hmmm -- I've always heard and said that -- or just "down" -- to mean a fold.

 

[jbutler]

Hmmm -- I've always heard and said that -- or just "down" -- to mean a fold.

I had only heard "down" colloquially and never to do with poker, so I'm sure in the poker context that's all it's ever meant. It was sort of the precursor to "I'm game" which was, in a sense, the precursor to "I'm 'bout it."

 

[pltrgyst]

I had only heard "down" colloquially and never to do with poker, so I'm sure in the poker context that's all it's ever meant. It was sort of the precursor to "I'm game" which was, in a sense, the precursor to "I'm 'bout it."

I think that sense of "down" only goes back roughly as far as Kool and the Gang's "Get Down Tonight."

 

[bergs]

I have only heard down used in that sense in one place - a 1/5 spread stud table at the Mohegan Sun where I was the youngest player by 30 years at 43 years old.

 

[upNdown]

Man buys ring woman throws it away
Same old thing happens every day
I'm down

 

[Jimulacrum]

I have only heard down used in that sense in one place - a 1/5 spread stud table at the Mohegan Sun where I was the youngest player by 30 years at 43 years old.

This story is obviously bullshit. Bergs at a stud game? You may as well have said you rode there on a unicorn.

 

[Chicken Rob]

This story is obviously bullshit. Bergs at a stud game? You may as well have said you rode there on a unicorn.

I believe he has played 1/5 spread stud at foxwoods before, but I think he sat at the wrong table, and was too drunk to get up again.

 

[legend672]

Tap = I sent you to tap city, also know in these parts as tapioca, or for th extreme brokenness of getting put...tapioca puddin

 

[onerand]

Jim and Rob are correct, I use "tap" on occasion. I like the old phrases.

In addition to Rounders, there is a line in Andy Bellin's poker book (a good read, light on strategy) where an antagonist shoves the river when the flush hits, and says, upon observing Bellin has a tough decision: "you should have tapped on the turn."

 

[bergs]

This story is obviously bullshit. Bergs at a stud game? You may as well have said you rode there on a unicorn.

I was waiting for a 2/5 table and wanted free booze. True story. I played like 8 hands.