The history of poker button is very old and goes back to that time when the gamblers’ honesty were a matter of doubt and the codes of honor that were formulated could not be relied upon all the time. So the dealer of a gambling game often abused his position and cheated by manipulating cards or seeing them before dealing. This made the dealer’s position in a game coveted and all players would take turn to be the dealer. So that there were no argument about whose turn it was to be the dealer, a buckhorn handled knife as the marker, called the buck was given to the one who was dealing. He ‘passed the buck’ to the next player who would be the new dealer and the phrase gradually came into use in everyday jargon with the new meaning of avoiding one’s responsibility. However, this marker soon changed into a small disc and the term ‘button’ came into use. Since at one time silver dollars were used as the marker, it is said to be the origin of the word ‘buck’ meaning dollar in slang. Also, ‘hat’ was for some time used to signify the dealer as that person was supposed to wear a hat to mark him out from other players.

Button has become the accepted term of use in modern poker games and a white disc with the word ‘dealer’ is used in both private games at home and public games in casinos. Another reason for use of button in poker games is to indicate the momentary details of the game such as a kill button to suggest a kill hand game being in progress or denoting the name of the poker game in play when the game is chosen by the dealer.

All this has led to some accepted norms before chopping the blinds can take place. For example, it is accepted that before a hand of play begins with dealing of the cards, it should be decided among the players whether chopping would be allowed if the need arises with the condition that strength of hands would not be a parameter for chopping so that anyone paying a blind and getting a weak hand do not become predisposed to chopping. Moreover a consistent chopping policy is called for which must be announced and adhered to with the condition that any player wishing not to follow it must make it clear beforehand. A case in point is a community card poker game like Texas hold ‘em where players often agree to allow chopping only when there are six or more players in the game. Those who change their chopping policy on basis of game situation and thus are unpredictable in each hand of play are considered behaving unethically.

There are two main reasons why this situation comes into play. Many gamblers prefer multi-way pot games rather than one-to-one play. So when they find most players are folding, they also fold their hands rather than make a call on the big blind. Another consideration by players is economic where if chopping the blinds happen where a large pot is impossible to build up, it saves the player who paid the blinds from obligation to pay any rake for the given hand.

It has been observed that chopping the blinds happen more frequently in low limit poker games than in the high limit ones. There are three obvious causes for it. Firstly, tight play is the norm in high limit games and players are ready to fold to the blinds more often, a situation that would mean regular chopping and progress of the game gets hampered. Moreover, the high limit poker games do not involve many hands of play and finally, the rake collected by the house is such a small percentage of the pot that the economic reason behind chopping the blinds is not valid enough to use in this occasion.

In other words, by getting staked you are limiting the size of your reward but there is no monetary risk involved here. However, while going for a staking deal you have to be very cautious. The people who put money in such deals are basically gamblers and want high return on a short-term investment plan. They are unlikely to settle for a 50 percent deal with players.

If you think getting staked is too much of a trouble and want to settle for loans as a trouble-free option, you are wrong. Borrowing money is an option when you are responsible for paying back the money from where you have taken the loan within the stipulated time. There must be backup money from where you can provide the cash.

Taking loans for playing poker is not done through banks but through private loan providers and loan sharks. The interest rates depend on your credibility in the market and also on the amount of money you are taking as loan. Moreover, the interest rates are compound rates that are done every week.

Loan sharks are notorious for dealing mercilessly for those debtors who can’t repay the loan within the stipulated time. It is advisable to play poker game when you have money or can repay the loan in case you lose.

Be sure to lose while playing poker at all times. If you feel that you’ll play poker only to pay back the previous loan, you are wrong. The best policy is to have good bankroll management skills to manage your money that you wish to use while playing poker.

Pseudo poker tells can also ruin your chance to win the game. So, what matters is identifying the players’ normal state and then spot the poker tells that are exhibited by them. Accordingly, you have to pay attention to the details uninterruptedly.

However, poker gaming zones are full of distractions. There’s simply a din of noises made from television, music, gossips, banter, and so on. The best way to reduce these distractions is only through discipline.

Online games can also have serious distractions. There are blogs, music, video games, messenger chats and so on to distract you from playing a serious game. If you feel you want to make a living out of poker, be focussed.

You know how hard it is to stay focussed with music or telly on near your poker table. It is equally hard for other players too. So, if you can manage to concentrate even with these distractions around, try using these same gadgets to distract your opponents — if you can.

If possible, put up an interesting game show in the telly or order a yummy food at your table. Chances are high that your peers would be thinking more on these distractions than the game.

However, you need to follow what is legally permissible in the poker zone. Don’t try to do anything that is disrespectful or outrageous. You might then have to lose your chance to win money for that day.