Why is Texas hold 'em so popular? - James McManus

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Ivana Krivokuca

Throughout the 1800s, in saloons across the West,

Tokom 1800-ih, u salunima širom Zapada,

you could find cowboys locked in tense standoffs.

mogli ste da zateknete kauboje prikovane u napetim okršajima.

But these weren’t shootouts.

Nije se pak radilo o pucnjavi.

They were simply playing cards—

Prosto su igrali karte -

for a mountain of chips worth their weight in gold.

za brdo žetona čija se vrednost merila u zlatu.

Most men wore loaded pistols in case a player was caught cheating.

Većina muškaraca je nosila napunjene pištolje u slučaju da neki igrač vara.

When they prepared to make their bets, however,

Kada bi se pripremali da postave uloge, međutim,

these cowboys weren’t focused on their holsters or their cards,

ovi kauboji nisu bili usredsređeni na svoju futrolu za pištolj ili karte,

but rather on their opponent’s face.

već pre na lice svog protivnika.

Because not even a bullet could protect them from a well-executed bluff.

Zato što ih ni metak nije mogao zaštititi od dobro izvedenog blefa.

From its earliest incarnations, poker has always been a battle of nerves.

Od svojih najranijih oblika, poker je oduvek bio bitka nerava.

The game first emerged around 1800 in the melting pot of New Orleans.

Igra se prvo pojavila oko 1800. u kulturnom žarištu Nju Orleansa.

At this time, two games ruled the card tables:

U ovo vreme su dve igre gospodarile kartaškim stolovima:

French poque played with a 20-card deck, and English Brag which used 52-cards.

francuski pok koji se igrao sa špilom od 20 karata i engleski brag sa 52 karte.

Both these games saw players being dealt five cards from a four-suit deck,

U obema ovim igrama igračima je deljeno po pet karata iz špila sa četiri boje,

and then trying to make the best hand possible according to a simple hierarchy.

a zatim su pokušavali da postignu najbolju ruku sledeći prostu hijerarhiju.

They would then wager on whether or not they had the best hand—

Potom bi odmeravali da li imaju ili nemaju najbolju ruku -

either adding more money to the pot

pri čemu bi dodavali još novca na ulog

or folding and forfeiting their chance to win it.

ili se povlačili i predavali svoje šanse za pobedu.

But since each player's cards were only revealed at the end of the hand,

No, kako su karte svakog igrača otkrivane tek na kraju ruke,

someone with bad cards could always bluff—

neko sa lošim kartama je uvek mogao da blefira -

betting enough to scare his opponents into folding.

tako što bi ulagao dovoljno da preplaši protivnike tako da se povuku.

Both games had slightly different hand combinations, but most importantly,

Obe igre su imale neznatno drugačije kombinacije ruku, ali što je najvažnije,

Brag allowed players to discard and draw new cards,

brag je dozvoljavao igračima da odbace karte i vuku nove,

making better hands more likely and allowing for another round of betting.

unapređujući tako šanse za bolje ruke i omogućujući dodatnu rundu klađenja.

Eventually, the Southerners merged the two games

Vremenom su Južnjaci spojili ove dve igre

into a new version of poque— which they pronounced pokuh—

u novu verziju poka - koju su izgovarali poka -

that created bigger pots and opportunities for more complex bluffing.

koja je omogućavala veće uloge i prilike za složenije blefiranje.

This winning combination of guile, guts, and gambling caught on quickly.

Ova pobednička kombinacija lukavstva, odvažnosti i kockanja se brzo primila.

But its popularity skyrocketed after the invention of the steamboat,

Međutim, popularnost joj je naglo skočila nakon izuma parobroda,

which carried livestock, goods, and card games

koji je prenosio stoku, dobra i kartaške igre

up the Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri rivers.

uz reke Misisipi, Ohajo i Misuri.

By Abraham Lincoln’s election in 1860,

Do izbora Abrahama Linkolna za predsednika 1860,

Americans in every state and territory were playing the newfangled bluffing game.

Amerikanci u svim državama i teritorijama su igrali novopečenu igru blefiranja.

And while many played for low, friendly stakes,

I dok su mnogi igrali u male, prijateljske uloge,

some gamblers put their homes and livelihoods on the line.

neki kockari su stavljali na kocku svoje domove i sve što su imali.

These life-changing bets even found their way into popular novels

Ove životne opklade su se probile i u popularne romane

like “Gone with the Wind,”

poput „Prohujalo s vihorom",

where Scarlett O’Hara’s father wins an entire plantation

gde otac Skarlet O'Hare dobija čitavu plantažu

in a single hand of poker.

u jednoj ruci pokera.

But as pots became bigger, so did the temptation to cheat.

Međutim, kako su ulozi postajali veći, i iskušenje za varanjem je raslo.

Some players enlisted an accomplice to spy on opponents

Neki igrači su unajmljivali pomoćnika da špijunira protivnike

and used props to communicate their hands.

i koristili su rekvizite da saopšte sastav ruke.

Others marked important cards with nicks, dents, or invisible ink.

Drugi su obeležavali važne karte urezima, naborima ili nevidljivim mastilom.

But perhaps the most common method was sneaking a cold deck into the game.

Možda je najuobičajeniji pak metod bio krijumčarenje nameštenog špila u igru.

Cold decks were pre-sequenced to give victims powerful hands

Namešteni špilovi su bili unapred podešeni kako bi žrtve imale jake ruke

that encouraged them to bet big,

koje su ih ohrabrivale da ulažu na veliko,

while giving the cheater an even better one.

dok su varalici obezbeđivale još bolju ruku.

However, even cheaters had to keep up with the game’s constant changes.

Međutim, čak su i varalice morale da idu ukorak sa stalnim promenama igre.

As poker moved west with the Gold Rush, new variants emerged.

Kako se poker pomerao zapadno sa zlatnom groznicom, pojavile su se nove varijante.

Five-card Stud became the game of choice

Stud sa pet karata je postao omiljena igra

among notorious gunmen like Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp, and Wild Bill Hickok.

među ozloglašenim revolverašima poput Doka Holideja,

Vajata Erpa i Divljeg Bila Hikoka.

With four rounds of betting,

Sa četiri runde za klađenje,

Five-card Stud produced even more lucrative pots,

stud sa pet karata je omogućavao još unosnije uloge,

encouraging so much cheating that California outlawed the game in 1885.

ohrabrujući varanje u tolikoj meri da je Kalifornija zabranila igru 1885.

Meanwhile, back in Texas, another variant emerged

U međuvremenu, nazad u Teksasu, pojavila se još jedna varijanta

to solve the common problem of having too many players and not enough cards.

koja je rešavala čest problem previše igrača i nedovoljno karata.

This game, known as Texas Hold'em,

Ova igra, poznata kao Teksas hold'em,

became a favorite because its low ratio of private, hidden cards

postala je omiljena jer je njen nizak omer između privatnih, skrivenih karata,

to shared, exposed cards

i zajedničkih, otkrivenih karata

allowed for plenty of deductions and tactical maneuvering.

omogućavao obilje dedukcije i taktičkog manevrisanja.

Even more exciting was no-limit Hold’em, which allowed players to go all in,

Još uzbudljiviji je bio hold'em bez limita gde su igrači mogli da idu sa svime,

betting everything they had at any point in the hand.

ulažući sve što imaju u bilo kojoj tački u ruci.

In 1928, Hungarian polymath John von Neumann

Godine 1928, Džon fon Nojman, mađarska renesansna ličnost,

sought to explain the nuances of betting and bluffing in mathematical terms.

pokušao je da objasni nijanse u klađenju i blefiranju kroz matematičke termine.

His work became the foundation for a whole new branch of mathematics

Njegov rad je postao osnova potpuno nove grane matematike

called game theory,

nazvane teorija igara,

which has grown to be vitally important not only in high-stakes poker,

koja je postala od vitalnog značaja ne samo u pokeru sa visokim ulozima,

but in economics and military strategy.

već i u ekonomiji i vojnoj strategiji.

In the late 20th century, game theory became essential

Tokom kasnog XX veka, teorija igara je postala ključna

for navigating the geopolitical bluffing game of nuclear warfare.

za snalaženje u geopolitičkoj igri blefiranja u nuklearnom ratovanju.

Today, America’s card game is an international affair,

Danas je američka kartaška igra međunarodna stvar,

attracting players from over a hundred countries

koja privlači igrače iz preko stotinu država

to the annual World Series of Poker.

na godišnje Svetsko prvenstvo u pokeru.

Fortunes are made and lost every day on casino floors, poker websites,

Bogatstva se zgrću i gube svakodnevno u kazinima, pokerskim veb-sajtovima

and in thousands of live and online tournaments.

i na hiljadama turnira uživo i preko interneta.

So while a single game's outcome will never be certain,

Dakle, iako pojedinačni ishod igre nikad neće biti izvestan,

poker is definitely here to stay.

poker definitivno ne ide nikuda.