Poker Side Game Ludomanka: Fun Distraction or Poker Killer?

The author describes a side game called 'ludomanka' that was played during a poker tournament to alleviate boredom. The ludomanka game involves players choosing specific cards and watching for them on the flop, turn, and river. If a chosen card appears on the flop, turn, or river, the player who chose that card pays a penalty to the other players.

The ludomanka game became so engaging that it began to dominate the main poker game, affecting players' decisions. The author notes that playing ludomanka can distract from the main poker game and affect rational decision-making. Despite the initial distraction, the ludomanka game ultimately led to a more interesting and varied poker session.

One of the ultra-loose aggressive players lost a lot in ludomanka and went on tilt, while the author and their opponent to the right became more cheerful and started playing more hands. Even those who did not participate in ludomanka started playing more variedly. Interest in poker returned—one non-standard decision followed another, and in the end, we played several interesting hands that we discussed heatedly for a couple of days after that Sunday.