AboutChris Expertise I am a professional poker player and game theory expert. I can answer almost any question related to poker, from your local home game to winning big tournaments or playing at a casino. I am the head cash game instructor at pokerxfactor.com, and I run a site for poker coaches at http://www.foxpoker.com, give lessons (I'm usually booked at least two weeks ahead of time) and I know a little about the online poker affiliate business as well.
Experience I've been playing poker for a living for 4 years, and have written about the subject extensively. I have sold articles to places like twoplustwo.com and Deal magazine, and I write a monthly column called The Online Fox in Poker Pro Magazine and Poker Pro Europe. I run a poker magazine at www.blindstraddle.com and a rakeback site at www.pokerwhip.com.
Education/Credentials I've read the books, talked to the old timers, and done my time at the tables. That's all the education a poker player gets. I own over 100 poker books and have read them all at least once.
Awards and Honors "Best Article" award on pocketfives.com for 2005 for my bankroll management article. All my other "awards" have been in cash, and I've already spent them. Poker isn't about trophies, it's about money.
Many major tournament wins online.
Past/Present clients Too many to list. I run http://wwwfoxpoker.com I also work for PokerXFactor.com as a consultant and fixed-limit Hold Em expert.
Question Last night we had a problem arise. We were playing 7 card stud, low hold wild. Earlier, we had called that aces could play high or low (i.e. A2345) My opponent turned over his hole cards and revealed an ace and a deuce. He called the deuce as his low card and it matched another deuce which was up in his hand. He then called a straight flush A2345 of diamonds using the ace of diamonds which was also a down card. We had never stated aces would be considered high for the purposes of determining a low hold card (which is what he said was the rule he was used to playing by at his group.) I said that I thought he couldn't have the 2 as the low card and then play the ace low in the straight at the same time if they were both down. I also said that if he had another ace up, that he could have played the ace as his low card and both could have been wild. He disagreed. What is the correct ruling under these circumstances?
Answer Unfortunately this is one of the problems with playing home games with non-standardized games. Any game is only played by the players as an agreement to a rule set, and with home games that play lots of crazy different games it's almost impossible to consider every possible situation.
I just don't have an answer for you here, because in your game you have to have your rules and I can't guess as to what those rules are or tell you what they should be when I have never played the games you are asking about. What I can do is advise you to play standardized games and stick with hem so that these problems don't continually pop up.
Stick with Hold'em, Omaha, Razz, Stud, Draw, Pineapple, Stud hi-lo, Omaha hi-lo, Badugi, triple draw and lowball, and get a book or find a site that clearly defines the rules for each game. Then you will never have a rules dispute at your tables again. This will save friendships and hassle and keep your game running smoothly.
