A few weeks ago, Noel seemed quite keen on using an extended poker analogy. He first used it when the player (was it Nik? Can't really remember) said that he played Poker, and then used it at points over two or three other shows. Probably because of the growth in popularity oy Poker over the last few years.

However, it seems to me that it is an analogy that doesn't really stand up to analysis.
When the banker makes an offer, the player has to choices. Deal or No Deal. Both passive actions as deal ends the game, and no deal means that the player is now subject to a series of random event that they have no control over.

In poker, when the decision of what action to take is on the player, they have three options.
The first two are passive. They can pass, thus ending their involvement in the hand, or they can call the bet that has been made to them, the equivelent of saying no deal, thus subjecting themselves to the random turn of at least one card. (The equivalent of opening three more boxes, which may enhance or damage your standing in the game)

The third option, and possibly the most potent weapon in Poker, is a very aggressive one, and an option that is not available to the player in DOND.
This is the option to study your opponent, make a decision on their standing in the game based on their actions, speech and body langauge, and either say raise, or even re-raise. Giving your opponent the option to allow you to win the available money straight away.
This gives you a chance to win whilst avoiding anymore random events that are beyond your control, be it the turning of cards or the opening of boxes.

So as i said, the poker analogy doesn't stand up to scrutiny. Maybe this is why it hasn't been used recently.


Apologies for this slighty rambling post, but my partner and I are both avid Poker players and huge fans of DoND and have been chatting about it. This seemed like the best place on the internet to share our thoughts.

Any other Poker players out there?

Yes, I enjoy a game of poker bork. I started playing online about a year ago and am now hooked.

I enjoy a bit of poker. Texus hold 'em is the best version.

Got some chips at xmas, and used them a few times. Infact Poker's on C5 in 5-10 minutes!

Thanks for the reminder nik, i always forget what night it's on and miss the show.

Texas hold'em is the only game i know, I've just got a few friends interested in poker as well and have just bought a set of chips so we can have start having home games.

You're right, Hold 'em is certainly the the best way to play Poker.
Cheers for the reminder about the program, I had forgotten about it. After a very long weekend it feels like Tuesday to me.

Do you play online nik/bork?

If so, what sites do you play at, I wonder if we have ever played against each other online before

I don't play on-line as a rule, as I enjoy sitting down at a table with a pile of chips and a beer and being able to see my opponents, as I think that the ability to make some decisions based on table image is more fun than playing infront of a screen.

I have played with one of my mates on Ladbrokes site afew times when we couldn't get a live game going, and that seemed like a good place to play. We normally play 3/4 times a week with friends.

If you guys have Sky, then Poker is on most of time nowadays. Here are a couple of good links for articles and advice on the game.

http://www.fullcontactpoker.com/
This is my favourite players site.

http://www.pokerpages.com/articles/archives/index.htm
This is the articles section of Poker Pages, a great site.

I've never played online.

What do you have to do? Does it cost anything?

You register at a site, and nowadays there are hundreds.
Transfer some money into your account on the site using your bank/card details and then pick what game you want to play in. There are alot of choices of what games to play, ranging from low-investment games, to high-investment games. You can also play long lasting tournaments, where you need to play a few hours to win, or short games (Turbos) were the blinds go up very fast and it can turn into a bit of a crap-shoot, meaning that it can be the cards you are dealt rather then the way that you play them that determines the outcome. I personally don't like these games as much.

Brig Bother, who runs Bother's Bar (where several people, myself included, provide a running commentary of each episode) has made the poker analogy too. While I can't remember exactly how he made it, he did say that dealing too soon is like folding when you could have won the hand otherwise, or something.

Yes, I agree with that up to a point, however, If the banker offers you £20,000 and you deal, then you get £20,000. When playing poker, if you fold, you get nothing.

Like I said in the first post, I don't think the Poker analogy really stands up. (Although, I clearly like talking about it )