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Or Maybe the Problem is That I Think too Much

…Or Maybe the Problem is That I Think too Much

By Nick Laurrell


The problem is chip value.


It’s their different values that are the killers.


Because I may be a gambler but I am a fair man and it’s pretty obvious that a bra is just not worth what a hat is worth in strip poker. I can see that, she can feel that – it’s incontrovertible.


But it’s not my fault that I bluffed her cousin out of her socks, she shouldn’t have limped in out of position. And now we’ve got a mess because she’s betting her bra pre-flop and I’ve got Jacks and a jacket still on. Is my jacket enough to match her bra? It costs more and covers more but of course, it covers a significantly less important area – or technically speaking, two areas. Or do I need to pony up the shirt and belt too? Because I’d drop my jacket in a second but frankly, we’re still too early in the tournament to be going all-in with Jacks pre-flop.


But then shouldn’t I want to be losing at this point? Certainly the idea behind winning in strip poker is not to remain swathed in 3 layers of clothing.


In that case, why not just get naked in the first place?


Because it’s fun to play games and strip poker is an effervescent sort of foreplay – light and relatively non-contact but still explicitly sexual. It’s an evening’s aperitif, full of flavor itself but designed to set the palate for the forthcoming meal more than anything else.


And besides, if I lose the hand then she’s got my jacket which is a much more likely loss than the probability of my having her bra. Because the pot odds with Jacks when making the jacket to bra call are strong enough even early on in a tournament, but the pot odds of Jacks when making the jacket, shirt and belt call may be pushing it too far.

The problem is chip value.