The Power Chip (PC). I have been racking my brains about it's usage and replaying hands over and over again in an attempt to understand what I did wrong. The more I work it over, the more I come to the conclusion that the PC is more powerful than the Secret Bet. Question: Except for the WSOB does ANY event use anything similar to the PC? Do you, as players, like, dislike or makes no difference to having a PC?
The LV Hilton uses the equivalent of a power chip (they call it a Mulligan) in their $100,000 semi-annual BJ tournaments. They may use it in other tournaments as well. Do I like the power chip? ABSOLUTELY!!! Gives me another advantage over the ploppies. Even when playing against a seasoned player, it becomes a contest of who can use it most effectively. Now a word about the secret bet. IT SUCKS!!! Turns the hand in question into a guessing game. BO, BO, BO to the secret bet. I think I make myself clear on my opinion on this matter.
secret bet the secret bet is just another way to increase the luck factor--unless your skill happens to be in mind-reading. if you guess wrong, you are toast. liked the mulligan-at least there is some skill involved.
Since when have you used a secret bet? Of the two, PC and SB both are powerful. PC is more of a tool to be used to assist your hand, while the SB, in my opinion, can be used to neutralize the button. As far as increasing the luck factor, yes it can - but not always.
fgk42, Secret Bet: Only played in one tournament with the secret bet. It was the Palms on 1/27/07 in their weekly Thursday UBT qualifier. I advanced from the 1st and 2nd round so I played 3 tables with a secret bet. I did manage to survive to the last hand on each table. Granted that's not a lot of experience with the secret bet but it was enough for me to conclude that I hate it. I found that instead of applying the meager skills I have, I was guessing. May as well be playing the TV game show "Deal or No Deal". Power Chip: Usage of the Power Chip has been discussed to some length in other threads. No need to re-hash it here. My only comment here is that since a ploppy does not know how to properly use the Power Chip and often wastes it, you have an advantage over him/her. A seasoned player often does not even use the Power Chip. The advantage comes from knowing when to use it, if used at all. Now your turn: You said about the Secret bet: "can be used to neutralize the button". Can you explain how not knowing someone's bet or keeping your bet secret can "neutralize the button"? I'm not sure I even know what that phrase means.
Secret Bet The secret bet PARTIALLY neutralizes the button by making the player with position uncertain of the opponent's bet. In head to head play it's as if both have the button. The player with position can use it in the hands leading up to the final hand, but cannot use it on the final hand. Example, in my semifinal Saturday (B&M casino) no one busted out. I had 2nd position on the last hand. I took a lead but the guy on my left used his position to take it back from me, then correlated me to keep it and win the game. If I had had a secret bet in my semifinal Saturday, BR1 could not have matched my bet on the last hand. He would have had to bet as if he were on the button, even though he bet after I did. This partially offsets the luck factor involved in getting good position. Saturday's semifinal was an uphill battle for me because of poor position, based entirely on the luck of the draw before the round even started. A secret bet would have evened the playing field somewhat.
When you are on the button and have the secret bet available you can mask what you bet. MonkeySystem gave a perfect example of that. Lets take another example: 3 players BR1 20,000 BR2 18,000 BRL 17,000 Now if BRL is on the button they’re basically screwed because no matter what they bet BR1 and BR2 can correlate. If BRL bets 1,500, BR2 bets 1,500 and BR1 bets 500, etc… The only hope that BRL has to win is for a swing, pair and DD, etc. BRL has the back luck of being on the button. If BR2 were on the button sure they’ve got the low, bet 500, but BRL can bet 2,000 to take the high. Whatever BR2 bets, BRL and BR1 can compensate. While this scenario is better than the first one, BR2 has the disadvantage of being “on the button” Now Enter the Secret Bet (SB) Case 1. What “should” BRL bet? If I were BRL I would bet 8,500. That would allow me to split and still have the DD available. I could just bet max, 17,000 and force BR2 & BR1 to correlate. No matter WHAT BRL bets BR1 & BR2 have the advantage of betting AFTER BRL. With the SB BRL can bet 0 up to 17,000. At this point the disadvantage of being on the button vanishes. The pressure is now on BR2 & BR1. In most cases BR1 & BR2 could reasonably expect a max bet from BRL. So BR2 bets 17,000 and BR1 bets 17,000. Well if BRL only bets 500 and the dealer has BJ! SWING! Could this happen? Sure. Does it happen? Not often because too many times people use the SB to cover the obvious. It is like poker. When the person across the table goes all in with 4 hearts on the table you have to wonder, do they have the flush or are they bluffing. SB is the same. It can be used as a great offensive tool (bluffing) but when used AGAINST me it can be frustrating because NOW I have extra work of thinking what they would bet. The more you play against certain people and see their styles the better you get at estimating what SB’s people place. Unlike the PC, the SB doesn’t change the cards. It is more of a psychological tool whereas the PC actually changes the game, i.e., cards. The problem with the PC is that there is no predicting if the cards is changes help or hurt the player. Example, I split 10-10. On the first 10 I draw a 7. The dealer is showing a 7 and I can’t afford a push. Without the PC I would simply hit, (or DD but I was saving the DD for the 2nd 10). With the PC I replace the 7 and get a 6! So I go from a push to a losing hand!
