Must-Movin' Again

In my last column, I explained what happens when a poker room starts what is referred to as a must-move game. In this column, I will go over some rules for a must-move game and highlight some of the problems with must-move rules being used in some poker rooms today.

Starting a must-move game is a method that is used to help protect a main game (the first game of any particular limit), in which the players in the second game must move into the first game as openings occur. This is usually done when there are enough names on a list to start a second game but the list is probably not strong enough to keep both games full for some time. The idea is that a must-move game will protect the first game started.

What happens once the second game has started? The list that was originally in place for the main game now becomes what is known as the must-move list, and a separate list is started for new players. These new players will be seated in the must-move game and the players in the must-move game will be moved to the main game. Let's assume the must-move game started ninehanded, and a half-hour later a seat opens in the main game. The floorperson moves the first person on the must-move list to the main game and a seat is open in the must-move game. What if the first person on the list doesn't want to move and would rather stay in the must-move game? Some rooms allow the floorperson to go through the list until he finds someone who wants to go. I think this rule causes problems and wastes time. The first person should be forced to go to the main game or leave the must-move game he is currently in.

One hour after the must-move game has started, it becomes shorthanded with only four players. One of the four players decides that he doesn't want to play short, but he is first on the list for the main game. If he quits the must-move game, does he stay first up for the main game? In my opinion, the answer should be no. As long as the must-move game is still going, those players should have preference in moving to the main game. However, there should be an exception to this rule. If the must-move game gets down to threehanded, a player should not be forced to play short to hold his seat on the list. At this point, it should be OK to allow someone to quit and keep his name on the list, but as soon as someone sits down in the must-move game, the player who quit should also have to rejoin the game to keep his name active on the must-move list.

When should the must-move be taken off? In other words, at what point should both (or all) of the games be able to stand on their own? The answer: one hour, with stipulations. If after one hour there is a list for the must-move game, the must-move should be taken off. This means that the must-move list is erased and the current list of new players now applies to all games of that limit/game. If there is no active list after one hour, the must-move stays on for another hour and the same evaluation is made then and after each succeeding hour.

This leads me to the reason I wrote these columns about must-move games in the first place.

As I mentioned in my last column, I recently went to Casino Arizona to play some poker. I had my name put on the list for $20-$40 hold'em and was soon called for a seat. During the next two hours, all eight of the people in the second must-move game with me were called to the first must-move game, and I followed shortly after that. Within three hours, all nine of us had literally moved from one table to the next. You guessed it, within five hours of playing with each other at the first table, all nine of us (minus one guy who had left for the night) had been must-moved again to the main game. How did this happen? Well, the must-move is left on. I felt sorry for the floorperson who was constantly moving one person to one game and another to another game, just to keep them all full and in order. It was pointless and served no purpose, as the people the must-move game had protected in the beginning were all at home in bed by the time it would have mattered.

Editor's note: Michael O'Malley can usually be found playing online at partypoker.com as Rzitup. To learn more about him, go to www.rzitup.com.