Tips from Gaming Greats: Bill Burton and Texas Hold'em Poker

Poker is as American as apple pie and aces and eights, which is, as many of you know, the "dead man's hand" that sent Wild Bill Hickok to his eternal reward, compliments of a bullet in the back of the head.

Poker lingo has entered American culture and politics. If you play it "close to the vest" or have "a poker face" then you're using phrases made popular by the game. When President Truman said, "The buck stops here," he wasn't referring to money, as most commentators erroneously believe, he was referring to the "buck" that signifies who's dealing the cards.

Today poker is riding a wave of popularity that has surpassed any period of time in the nation's history, largely due to the televising of The World Series of Poker and other such high-powered poker events. And the particular game that is leading the charge of poker to the top of the gaming pinnacle is Texas Hold'em, a deceptively simple game that has become all the rage. It seems that everyone wants to play Texas Hold'em, which is great for those players who really understand how to play the game.

Enter Bill Burton the Casino Gambling Guide for About.com and author of Get the Edge at Low-Limit Texas Hold'em, who has made it his mission to teach players how to win at Texas Hold'em: "Texas Hold'em has become a supremely popular game with the sharks that inhabit the poker rooms looking for hapless chum and chumps to fatten their wallets on. With all this newfound interest in poker, too many people are entering the poker rooms unprepared. In fact, even so-called veteran players, especially at low-limit games, really aren't developing the skill necessary to win at the game in the long haul. They play wildly and have no idea of when to play out a hand and when to throw it away. A smart player can make a lot of money on those players!"

Bill believes that by following certain basic playing principles it is possible for disciplined players to get the edge at the game. "Remember that in Texas Hold'em, you are playing against other players, so the best players will win the most money in the long run. However, you have to be able to not only beat the other players but you also must be able to make up for the house rake, the percentage of each pot that the casino takes out for itself. But it can be done and you don't have to be a poker genius to make money at the game. You just have to be better than most of the players at your table."

Bill is living proof that with dedication and the proper game plan, a person can become a winning player at Texas Hold'em. In the past few years, Bill has won many casino tournaments and finished in the money in a host of others. "I always played poker as a kid and I enjoyed the game. But when I first started going to casinos in 1980, playing casino poker was the furthest thing from my mind. In fact, I thought that the people who played poker in the casinos must all be great players. So I steered clear. Instead, I first fell in love with the table games."

Once Bill discovered the great excitement of casino gambling, he decided to learn everything he could about the games. He wanted to know which games gave him the best chance to "bring home the money." He learned the basic strategy for blackjack and in the 1990s became a proficient video poker player. He is also an excellent controlled shooter at craps, a member of The Golden Touch dice control crew. "I always figure, if you are going to play a game, you might as well play it to win. Now I have the best of all worlds," he says, "I get to play the games I love and I also write about them!"

Bill started his writing career as a copywriter for a local radio station after graduating college. Since 1998, Bill has been able to combine his writing talents with his passion for the casinos and the games. Besides writing his weekly feature for the About.com Casino Gambling site, he writes for several national gaming magazines and newsletters, including The Southern California Gaming Guide, Midwest Gaming and Travel magazine, Southern Gaming and Destinations magazine, The Tunica Insider, and the Crapshooter Newsletter. He is also the gaming consultant to Fodor's Travel Guide to Las Vegas.

But Bill's advent on the poker scene as a serious winning player didn't occur until the turn of the century. "I started receiving questions about casino poker from my About.com readers. I had played poker most of my life but I had no experience playing in a public card room and had never played Texas Hold'em." In January 2000, he decided to study the game and gain some first hand knowledge. He did more than study; he immersed himself in it until he became a winning player and a top tournament player. That's when he decided to write a book chronicling his education as a winning poker player. "The book is a how-to and a what-I-did to learn to win. It takes a reader from A to Z in gaining a firm grounding in winning Texas Hold'em play."

Bill Burton will be teaching seminars in his winning Texas Hold'em methods at Frank Scoblete's Gamblers Jamboree at Gold Strike Hotel Casino on November 14, 15, and 16. The Jamboree, sponsored by www.TunicaCasinoResorts.com, features 20 of gaming's greatest experts, including Jean Scott, Henry Tamburin, John Robison in over 36 seminars.

"My Texas Hold'em classes will be for everyone, new players as well as veterans. In addition to the formal classes, I will be giving hands-on individual instruction throughout the Jamboree."

Frank Scoblete's Gamblers' Jamboree, sponsored by TunicaCasinoResorts.com, is $199 for one person, and $299 for two people. It will be held at Gold Strike Casino Resort in Tunica on November 14, 15, and 16. If you wish to stay at Gold Strike, special Jamboree rates will be in effect once you are registered. Register by calling 1-866-SET-DICE or 1-800-944-0406 or send checks or money orders to Frank Scoblete, Box 783, Lynbrook, NY 11563.