Dana Vaccaro, features editor Decorate like Christopher Lowell... ...play poker like Chris Moneymaker Decorating your room You finally have a place to call your own The only problem is, it's kind of empty. And you want to fill it with stuff so you can, have a party and impress your friends. You don't have a lot of money, and you're also kind of busy. First off, first apartment decor - or first dorm room decor for that matter - doesn't have to be limited to beer posters and stackable storage crates. With a little imagination and the benefit of our guidance, you can put together a place you're proud of without breaking the bank. Since many first digs are smaller than closets and darker than medieval dungeons, it helps to know how to play down your apartment's had points. Then take a look around your new surroundings and make a list of its aesthetic pros and cons. Does it have big windows but low ceil ings? Great wood floors but a boxy, square feel? While emphasizing positive qualities takes little or no effort, counteracting undesirable el ements is a bit harder. One-room living (studios and dorm rooms) With single-room living spaces, you have two options. You can ei ther keep the room as spacious and open as possible, or you can divide it into areas of activity by using screens and/or large pieces of furniture that appear to "section off" one area from the next. Depending on the size of your place, the decor you choose and your lifestyle (whether or not you'll be doing a lot of work there, entertaining often, etc.), you can decide which option is better for you. Either way, he sure to keep it simple. Limit your color palette, and avoid clutter and excess furni ture. Consider getting a two-in-one piece like a sofa bed or a futon to save space. Dark rooms Don't know what time of day it is until you go outside? Well, brighten up dark rooms with light-colored walls, sheer curtains and plenty of plants. Mirrors also help by reflecting light and limiting the appear ance of shadows. Opt for blinds instead of shades on your windows, and choose minimal lampshades with a translucent effect. Tiny rooms Go with pale, cool colors, and fill the space with as little furniture as possible. Instead of a free-standing bookcase, for instance, try a shelf that's mounted to the wall with brackets. Also, if your room is really small, avoid busy patterns on items like curtains, tablecloths and bed spreads. Boxy rooms The key is to create a focal point in the room. Paint one wall a differ ent color than the rest, or hang up a funky mural or tapestry. Other focal point ideas include an attention-grabbing piece of furniture, or a ceiling covered with gauzy fabric and stick-on stars. Low ceilings Raise the roof by using up-tilting lamps to cast as much light on it as possible. Paint the ceiling a shimmery, satiny, pale color, and do the walls one or two shades darker. Draw attention to the bottom half of the room with floor cushions, interesting rugs and low-to-the-ground ISMISKIES a flitilillES Friday, April 2, 2004 Texas Hold'em Poker Poker has grown in popularity over the past few years,so much so that it is now a regularly televised event on several cable stations The popularity of poker -- and specifically Texas Hold'em - - stems from the fact that poker is so easy to learn. Beginners can comfortably start playing poker within minutes. That be ing said, there is a significant amount of skill that can be learned over years of play. This article discusses the rules for one popular version of Poker known as Texas Hold'Em. Poker Hands Poker is based on 5 card hands. These hands are ranked in order of the difficulty in achieving these specific combina- tions of cards Cards from a standard playing deck are numbered 2-10, J, Q, K, A, from lowest to highest value. Each card also has one of four different "suits" -- hearts (h), clubs (c), spades (s), dia monds (d). Specific combinations of these cards represent the Poker hands, and are listed here in descending order of rank: Straight flush Consecutive #s, same suit Full House Three of one #, two of another # Flush All the same suit Straight Consecutive #s Three of a kind Three cards of the same # Two pair Two pairs of cards with the same # Pair Single pair of cards with the same # Examples: Straight: 2 3 4 5 6 Flush: 2c 5c 9c Ac Jc Two Pair: 3 3 8 8 X Three of a kind: 9 9 9 X X X = any card Texas Hold'em rules The game usually involves a table of about 10 players. One player is arbitrarily labeled the "dealer" (or "button"). Play starts to the left of the "dealer" and continues in a clock-wise After each hand, the "dealer" designation moves one posi tion to the left. So every player at the table has his fair share as "dealer". Note: in a casino, there is a designated dealer who physically deals the cards... but this naming convention re sition. The "dealer" position is advantageous because that player is the last to act during betting. Everyone else must either het or fold before the "dealer" has to act. First 2 Cards Each player is dealt two cards face down. These are the player's private cars and should not be shown to anyone else. Each player looks at their cards and a round of heting ensues. As always, play starts to the left of the dealer and each player can either "bet," "raise" or "fold" depending on how strong they feel their cards are. If a player "raises" by increasing the het, then subsequent players must either match that raise ("call") or fold (put down their cards). This way, everyone still playing (ie. hasn't folded) has contributed an equal amount of money to the The Flop Once the initial round of betting has finished. then three cards are dealt from the deck face-up in the middle of the table. These three cards are known as "The Flop" and represent community cards shared by everyone at the table. At this point, each player has a five card hand composed of two private cards and the three community cards. Another round of betting/raising/folding ensues The Turn After everyone has bet on The Flop, a 4th community card is dealt -- called "The Turn." Another round of betting ensues. The River After betting, a final community card is dealt -- called "The River." A final round of betting ensues. And once this is com plete, players reveal their two private cards. The player with the best possible hand out of their set of cards is the winner and wins the money from the pot. If at any point during the betting rounds described above. only one per son remains betting, while all other people have folded, then that one person wins the pot by default. Blinds One additional rule that helps keep the game moving is the concept of "Blinds." The two players to the left of the dealer are known as the small and big blinds, respectively. These two players must put money into the pot before they see their first two cards (hence the name "blind"). This is to make sure there is always someone who has contributed to the pot so that there is always someone playing in each hand. The small blind has to bet half of the minimum het at the table, while the big blind has to bet equal to the minimum bet. The Behrend Beacon Page
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