A Chat With Chad, Creator of California Hold’em – chericasino.net
Though I agree to an extent that ‘poker is poker’, I feel the game should have a competitive structure that is more consistently reflective of ability and less random. It’s commonly said that in order to win a Texas Hold’em tournament, you have to survive a few ‘coin flips.’ Forgive me if I’m wrong, but if I have to survive multiple random events, aren’t the results themselves random?
My chericasino.net game provides greater distinction between hands and also provides skilled player some protection from bad beats.
It is my belief that the limits and numbers where most people play poker in today’s environment were never envisioned for Texas Hold’em. I think that game has been outgrown to an extent, except at high limits where skilled players congregate and attempt to play optimally. The original World Series of Poker, in 1970, had a grand total of 7 players. There were over 5,600 in 2005. The game was in need of some modifications that preserved its integrity but created a fair playing field. That’s what I set out to do and I feel I did optimally.
Poker is largely ego driven and it’s hard to find players who admit to losing. But I was losing and mad as hell! I knew there was a need when I realized that though I almost always got to the top 10% of tournaments, I still lost more than won in tournaments and when I did, I always (with VERY few exceptions) had the best hand! It occurred to me that in those hands when I played an opponent perfectly into a making poor decision, I wanted a bit more of a real-world reflection of that fact and some more protection from luck — just to the degree where real-world results were fair.
I realized that the two places where Texas Hold’em provides the highest proportion of bad beats were in low-limit ring games and low-entry tournaments. These are also the places where the vast majority play. So I saw a real need in the marketplace for a game that provided a reflection of relative skill. Then I figured out the best way to accomplish my goals.
By making the changes I did, I preserved the same rules and game play of Texas Hold’em by making the results fairer to those who play well.
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