Edward II was King of England from 1307 to 1327. Edward II had few of the qualities that made a successful medieval king. Edward surrounded himself with his favourites, and the barons, feeling excluded from power, rebelled. Throughout his reign, different baronial groups struggled to gain power and control the King. The nobles' ordinances of 1311, which attempted to limit royal control of finance and appointments, were counteracted by Edward. Large debts - many of them inherited - and the Scots' victory at Bannockburn by Robert the Bruce in 1314 made Edward more unpopular. Edward's victory in the civil war of 1321 to 1322 and such measures as the 1326 ordinance which was a protectionist measure which set up compulsory markets or staples in fourteen English, Welsh and Irish towns for the wool trade, did not lead to any compromise between the King and the nobles.
Edward was a homosexual, and neglected his wife, Isabella the sister of the king of France, and finally, in 1326, Isabella led an invasion against her husband which was widely supported by the English aristocracy which had little time for the homosexual Edward. In 1327 Edward was made to renounce the throne in favour of his son Edward III (the first time that an anointed king of England had been dethroned since Ethelred in 1013). Edward II fled to Wales where he was imprisoned in Berkelet castle. While there Edward II was attacked by Isabella's men, and was murdered by having a red hot poker thrust into his anus - a death deemed suitable for a sodomite. Edward's champion, and probable lover, had earlier been arrested in England by the victoriousIsabella, his penis and testicles cut off, and then executed for having homosexual relations with the king. Research Edward II
A hustler is a person who makes a living by dishonest means. Typically the term is applied to confidence tricksters who scam their victims in games such as pool (pool hustling) or poker, where the confidence trickster deceives the victim into thinking that they can win, and entices the victim to place a large wager on a game's outcome - the victim believing they are the better player - only to lose the game and the wager. Research Hustler
Lady GaGa (real name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta) is an American singer. She was born in 1986 at Yonkers, New York. Educated at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, she started playing the piano when she was four years old and later became a stripper before achieving fame as a pop singer. Her stage name, Lady GaGa is a reference to the song "Radio Ga-Ga' by Queen. Among her notable hits may be mentioned 'Paparazzi' and 'Poker Face'. Research Lady GaGa More pictures of Lady GaGa
In mechanics, energy is divided into two kinds called potential energy and kinetic energy respectively. Kinetic energy is the energy which a body has by reason of its motion. Potential energy is the energy something has by reason of its position or state. Obvious examples of kinetic energy are moving bullets or hammer heads. These are able to do work by overcoming forces when they strike something. A heavy flywheel stores energy in the form of motion, and so keeps an engine running smoothly in between the working strokes of its pistons. Heat is a form of mechanical energy, since the heat in a substance consists in the vibration or motion of the atoms of which it is composed. In this sense the difference between a cold poker and a red-hot one is that the atoms of the latter are in a state of more violent agitation. Generally speaking, the term potential energy refers to the energy given to a body by raising it above the level of the earth's surface. When something is lifted vertically through height work is done against its weight, and this work becomes stored up in the body as potential energy.
The word 'potential' is also used to describe the energy stored in a wound clock-spring. A practical example of potential energy is the energy stored in the weights of a grandfatherclock. As the weights slowly descend, their potential energy is converted into kinetic energy in the moving parts of the clock. One may ask what has become of the original potential energy of the weights when the clock has completely run down. The answer is that it has all become converted into heat energy, largely as a result of work done against friction between the wheel spindles and their bearings. The clock therefore becomes slightly warmer, and ultimately this heat finds its way into the atmosphere. A swinging pendulum bob is an example of a body whose energy can be either kinetic or potential or a mixture of both. It is all potential at the extreme end of the swing and all kinetic when passing through the rest position. At intermediate points it is partly kinetic and partly potential. Similar considerations apply to the vibrating atoms in a substance, the mechanical energy of which determines the heat. Research Mechanical energy
If a steelpoker is pushed into the fire and left there for a time the handle becomes warm. Heat travels through the metal by a process called conduction. This process is complex. It differs between metals and non-metals. When a metal is heated the free electrons which it contains begin to move faster, i.e., their kinetic energy increases. The hot electrons then drift towards the cooler parts of the metal and at the same time there is a drift of slower-moving (cooler) electrons in the reverse direction. In those substances where no free electrons are present the process of conduction is entirely different. In such cases the heat energy is conveyed by longitudinal waves, similar to sound waves, but of considerably higher frequency. These waves are transmitted in tiny energy packets called 'phonons'. Most metals are good conductors of heat; silver and copper are exceptionally good. On the other hand, substances such as cork, wood, cotton and wool are bad conductors. Both good and bad conductors have their uses.
The best kettles, other than electric kettles, are made of copper, since heat is conducted most rapidly through this metal. The 'bit' of a soldering iron is also made of copper, so that when its tip is cooled through contact with the work, heat is rapidly conducted from the body of the bit to restore the temperature of the tip and maintain it above the melting point of solder. Bad conductors have a very wide application. Beginning with our personal comfort, we prevent loss of heat from ourselves by a covering of poorly conducting material. Textiles are bad conductors of heat, since they are full of tiny pockets of air enclosed by the fibres of the material. Air, in common with all gases, is a very bad conductor of heat. It is usual to say that wool is warmer than cotton. Technically, of course, we imply that it has a lower thermal conductivity than cotton. A stone floor feels cold to the bare feet, but a carpet on the same floor feels warm. This difference arises from the fact that stone is a better conductor of heat than a carpet. To begin with both the stone floor and the carpet are at the same temperature. Since the feet are warmer than either, heat tends to flow from the feet. Stone, being the better conductor, conveys heat away from the feet more rapidly than the carpet. Consequently, the feet feel cold on the stone but warm on the carpet. Precisely the same effect is experienced when handling a garden fork in winter. The iron part of the fork feels cold, but the wooden handle warm.
Loss of heat by conduction through the walls of an oven is reduced by constructing it with double walls. The space between is packed with slag wool or glass fibre. These substances are not only very poor conductors but also have the merit of being non-inflammable. Material of low thermal conductivity used for the purpose of preventing heat loss is called lagging. Another example is the covering of hot-water storage tanks and pipes with a layer of plaster mixed with asbestos or other insulating material. Similarly, cold-water pipes may be lagged with strips of felt or sacking to prevent freezing during very cold weather. Research Transmission of Heat
Rounders is a drama starring Matt Damon, Edward Norton, Jorn Turturro and Gretchen Mol in a story about two friends, one of whom has just been released from prison after serving time for a pokerscam, decide to play one more time. Rounders was directed by John Dahl in 1998. Research Rounders
Barbu is a skilful card game for four players. It uses a standard 52-card pack as for bridge or poker, ranking as usual from highest to lowest Ace K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 in each of the four suits. In the course of a session, each player will play each of the seven contracts once, so that there are 28 hands played in all. The initial declarer is chosen at random. For the first seven hands, this player will be declarer. The cards will be dealt by the player on the declarer's right, and cut by the player opposite to declarer. After this declarer has done her seven contracts, the player on the original declarer's left will be declarer for seven contracts, and so on, until everyone has done her seven contracts. In each of these contracts, each player is playing for herself. Declarer chooses the contract, but there is no reason for the other players to co-operate against her. The rules about doubling, however, are asymmetrical with respect to declarer Research Barbu
Boodle (Michigan, Newmarket) is a card game suitable for about three to eight players. It is a fairly simple stops game in which the aim is to get rid of your cards first, and to win stakes by playing particular cards. There is a variation called Three in One in which before the stops part, each player selects 5 cards from their hand and plays a game of Poker with them. That version is also known as Michigan Rummy, though according the books 'MichiganRum' is actually rummy game - a version of 500 Rum. A standard 52 card deck is used. The cards in each suit rank from lowest to highest: 2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K-A. During the game stakes are placed on a layout. This can be a board or cloth, or can be made by laying out an Ace, a king, a queen and a jack of different suits from a second deck on which the stakes are placed. Research Boodle
Chicago is a card game for two to four players, using a standard 52-card deck without jokers. Points are scored for having the best hand according to poker ranking, but also in the final stage of the game the cards are played to tricks, and points are scored by the winner of the last trick. Research Chicago
In 2007 a court in the United Kingdom ruled that poker is a game of chance. Quite obviously the judge who sat in judgement was not a poker player. Poker is not a game of chance. Poker is a game of skill. An element of chance exists in every poker round, and this presents a challenge to the players, but taken long term poker is a game of skill and a skilled player will win more than a random player relying upon chance. As such, it is possible to learn the skills required to win at poker, though not every single hand dealt to one.
To win at poker one must consistently do two things: win the most money and lose the least money. It is inevitable, especially in a variation such as Texas Hold Em where one is forced to bet irrespective of the hand dealt, that one is going to lose some hands due to the element of chance. It is therefore essential to minimise the amount that one loses. This is known as playing tight. One might think of it as being boring, or miserly or careful.
Winning the most money in a round of poker usually involves taking a risk, gambling. The most expert poker players gamble least often. One might even say, paradoxically, that great poker players don't gamble. If poker was simply a game of chance, it would be a case of gambling on every hand. Mathematically it has been calculated that relying upon chance, and playing wildly a player might, if lucky, win 40% of the time. This also means they will lose 60% of the time.
Popular are Texas Hold Em poker tournaments where players pay the same stake, receive the same quantity of counters - known as chips - and at the end of the tournament the stake money, perhaps minus a percentage taken by the venue, is paid out proportionately to the winners, the first player receiving the most money, second a smaller amount, third a smaller amount still and depending upon the size of the tournament other losing winners may also receive some money back. If one plays in such tournaments, it is only necessary to be among the winners to make money. Entering twenty tournaments, losing nine and coming first in one may make one feel good, but it is usually more profitable to be placed third in fifteen of the twenty tournaments and lose the other five.
In order to win a hand of poker it is essential to know the rank of the different hands, perhaps most common is for new players to forget that a full house out ranks a flush, or that a straight flush out ranks four of a kind. Pairs are often over valued. A pair of aces may appear very attractive, but it is out ranked by any two pairs, or three of a kind, straight, flush, full house &c. In short, a pair of aces is just a pair!
A lot is made of the mathematics of poker. Knowing and calculating the probabilities of communal cards being dealt which will join with your hand to provide a higher ranked hand. It is not necessary to be able to precisely calculate the odds, but a basic understanding of likelihood is beneficial. Given ten players at a table of Texas Hold Em, twenty cards from the 52 card deck will be dealt. It is quite likely that someone has been dealt at least one ace. If there are just five players at the table, ten cards will be dealt, and the likelihood of someone being dealt an ace is much lower (about 1 in 5). There are numerous tables published showing the odds on various poker hands, suffice to say the chance of drawing five cards straight from a deck and receiving a pair is 42% (about two in every five attempts), three of a kind is less likely at 2.11% (about one in every forty-seven attempts) and a full house has a probability of 0.14% (one in every 694 attempts). In Texas Hold Em these odds are reduced because each player has seven cards from which to make a hand of the five best, and full houses are considerably more common than the odds might imply. Remember also, probabilities are unaffected by what has gone before. One can sit all night and not draw a pair of aces, the likelihood of being dealt a pair of aces next hand is no more likely than it was for any other hand - luck may change, probabilities do not.
After the flop in Texas Jold Em, there are still two more communal cards to be dealt. These cards may assist a player's hand, the number of cards which can make a target hand are known as 'outs'. For example, if a player has a hand consisting of four suited and consecutive cards, there are fifteen cards remaining which can make either a straight or a flush. The likelihood of one of these fifteen cards being dealt after the flop, with two cards still to come, is very likely (0.8 to 1 in the player's favour). If the first card dealt doesn't make the hand, the river might still do it with odds of 2 to 1 against. By contrast, if a player has three of a kind, the chances of being dealt the fourth card after the flop with two cards still to come is very slim. There is just one out (only one card which can make the hand) and the odds of it being dealt are 22 to 1 against, reducing to 43 to 1 against if the turn does not deliver. Dave Scharf, a respected poker player and author, recommends 'when you have doubts, proceed with eight outs. Fold all the rest'. Meaning if you have doubts about your hand winning and there are less than eight cards which could be dealt to help your hand, then cut your losses and fold.
Bluff is often overstated in poker. Psychology is less talked about. Great poker players, known as foxes, know what their opponents have, and play accordingly. One famous poker player famously folded a pair of kings pre-flop when challenged to bet all-in by an opponent. After folding his opponent revealed his hand - he was holding a pair of aces. Bluff can be used in poker, and indeed should be used, but sparingly. Excessive bluff leads to wild play, and that leads to losing a lot of money. Better than bluff is to be able to read the body language of your opponents and gauge an idea of what they are holding. When a poker player views his hold cards, if those cards are high ranked he will frequently experience an adrenalin surge. This surge will frequently cause an involuntary physical reaction, perhaps a sharp intake of breath, a nervous twitch of the eyebrows, pumping of the knee, a smile. The reactions vary to each person, with great poker players suffering the fewest and least obvious reactions the least times. They 'stay cool'. Bluff involves convincing your opponents that you have a better hand than them, when you don't, so that they fold and allow you the pot. Bluffing is a gamble. If you know the opponents don't have a great hand, the chances of winning should they call your bluff are increased. If you know they have a great hand, and they will win if they call your bluff, then don't bluff. Lose as little as possible.
Poker is not about winning pots. It is about winning money. If poker was about winning pots one could simply bet aggressively - bet lots of chips - every hand and encourage the opponents to fold, thereby winning the pot, but without encouraging the opponents to contribute more to it. If, however, one has a very strong hand, then by allowing one's opponents to bet until the very end one can encourage the size of the pot to increase before winning it. The danger with this type of play, known as slow play, is that with cards yet to be dealt it is possible that an opponent may draw a better hand. The typical scenario is being dealt a pair of pocket aces. Before the flop you check, and then on the flop two kings appear. If one of your opponents is holding a king, they have immediately drawn a stronger hand than your two aces. It is a matter of judgement when to bet aggressively, and encourage opponents to fold, and when to play slowly and encourage opponents to bet. Inexperienced players are often amazed at how few hands good poker player play. But by folding your weak hands you are not losing any money, and your opponents are taking each other out.
Sometimes you will be unable to read your opponents body language. Playing on line for example. However, their manner of play may give you some idea as to their hand. A check call may indicate a weak hand, or may be a slow playing bluff. Similarly, a raise may indicate a strong hand, or may be a weak hand hoping to bluff the other players out of the pot. This is particularly likely if the player making the bet is late in the round, the dealer of the player to the dealer's right. At a table of ten players, if the player to the left of the big blind makes a strong bet it is likely that either: they have a strong hand, or they don't know how to play Texas Jold Em. A re-raise, however, is usually a sign of a strong hand or at least of confidence by the player. Be wary of feeling you have to call a re-raise because you have already bet so much. Better to lose what you have already bet, than to throw away even more. If a player is folding almost every hand, and suddenly bets heavily on a hand, it is fairly likely they are a tight player and have now drawn a strong hand.
Similarly, it is not uncommon for players to attempt to 'steal the blinds' by making a bluffing raise pre-flop. If one is the big blind then one is the last player to bet pre-flop and this is a strong position to be in. One can often steal the raise by simply counter-bluffing and re-raising the opponent.
Some basic principals of Texas Jold Em poker playing are:
You don't win money from good players, only from weak players.
Abbreviations
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