Poker Players's topics - tribe.net

Winner Baby! again

2008-07-01T03:58:16Z

http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ap-worldseriesofpoker-horse&prov=ap&type=lgns

posted in Poker Players - 0 replies

It's happening now

2008-06-30T06:42:19Z

http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/tourney/updates.asp?tid=4921&grid=411

posted in Poker Players - 5 replies

tournament play

2008-06-21T16:27:30Z

I can play tournaments tightly and make it to the last few tables or better but with barely enough chips to play with
I am suffering with less than ten times the blind.
What can I do to have a more comfortable stack of chips and have some leverage?

posted in Poker Players - 23 replies

Oakland A's Charity Tourney, This Sat.

2008-06-20T06:53:18Z

Short notice, but...

This Saturday at The Warehouse in Oakland (4th and Webster) there is an A's charity poker game, $35 buy in, to benefit Oakland HS sports.

Game begins at 11AM.

I'm not sure on the prizes, but the rumor I heard from the bartender was that the grand prize was akin to a all-expense weekend in Tahoe.

Guests, that I've heard mentioned from the radio broadcast include host Ken Korach from the A's radio broadcast, Ray Fosse from both radio and TV broadcasts for the A's, and some guy named Johnny Chan. I've never heard the name, but apparently he plays poker in Vegas at least once a year.

All you need to do to sign up is go down there to their bulletin board (the cork one at the far end of the bar) and put down your name and number. They'll put up as many tables as they need to and can to fit everyone who wants to play. I don't know if they'll do it day of game though.

posted in Poker Players - 0 replies

berkeley game

2008-06-19T17:33:54Z

There is a very casual game in Berkeley Friday night. We could use a few players. let me know if you're interested
serious RSVPs only please. ASAP
By the way, this is casual. There are wild card games like Baseball and other weird games.
We play small stakes no limit with a maximum bet of $3 per bet

posted in Poker Players - 0 replies

How to spend $25/minute playing poker

2008-06-17T13:09:22Z

WSOP gurlz tournament, 35-40 minutes in. JsJc vs 82h, flop Kh Jh 8c. Hello rail. At least I was very time-efficient.

posted in Poker Players - 3 replies

question

2008-06-17T00:32:57Z

Why do poker dealers sit and blackjack dealers stand?

posted in Poker Players - 2 replies

Any Games in Columbus, Ohio?

2008-06-06T06:08:14Z

I am new to Columbus but would love to play some cards... Anyone know of any games I can check out?

posted in Poker Players - 0 replies

another berkeley game

2008-05-28T03:53:24Z

posted in Poker Players - 0 replies

Good Omaha books?

2008-05-26T20:04:52Z

So, I now have complete, Matt Damon/Daniel Craig-class psychic x-ray vision in Texas Hold 'Em. Which is to say, I don't suck so bad and I'm up over the past two years :)

I'm looking to branch out to Omaha. I'm finding it a much more complex game in terms of starting hand evaluation and a much more simple game in terms of post-flop play (no nuts = no bet is working for me as an initial strategy :) )

I'm playing micro-limit ring right now. I don't have a good enough sense of the hands to start in on tournaments and I'm looking to not repeat my Hold 'Em mistake of learning at the expensive tables :)

Any good book recommendations (ring or tourney?)

posted in Poker Players - 9 replies

Berkeley game

2008-05-22T16:51:35Z

posted in Poker Players - 2 replies

Need a Few Players!

2008-05-19T19:56:46Z

FEDERAL WAY (Twin Lakes area)

Saturday night - May 17th - 7pm

I had limited seating to 14 and had 5 cancel last minute . . . need some players.

Texas Holdem Tournament format.
$25 Buy-in w/ 2 $15 Re-buys.
2500 in tourney chips to start
Re-buys get you 1500, need to be down to 250 and no re-buy after 4th round.
20 min rounds
500 bounty

Pays 4 places

Hope somebody's reading this post.
206.931.6062

posted in Poker Players - 1 reply

The Plural of Straight Flush?

2008-04-22T19:27:42Z

I think I see about one straight flush every few months ("see" meaning see at a table...i've drawn one SF in my life.)

Yesterday I saw four in the space of five one-table sit-n-gos on PokerStars (regrettably, none of them mine.)

I know that variance is variance, but four straight flushes? Or is it straights flush?

I never had to worry about what the plural of straight flush is before.

On the upside, I pushed all in with kings early in a tourney, got called by someone playing the 45 of diamonds and then he sucks out the 2-6 diamond straight flush. The upside? Didn't even bug me at that point. Just moved on to another game. Eventually, you see everything.

posted in Poker Players - 5 replies

Caro/Brunson iAmp University course

2008-03-25T03:38:37Z

has anyone viewed this? any good? How much of a focus on NL hold em?

posted in Poker Players - 0 replies

threebet

2008-03-15T23:49:11Z

I just want to make sure I am understanding this term. I seem to be misreading it.
A player bets, someone raises, and the next raise is the threebet.
Is that right?

posted in Poker Players - 2 replies

Chances: You hold an ace in your hand...

2008-03-14T22:58:23Z

What is the percentage of when you hold an ace in your hand and an ace flops, that your opponent also is holding an ace? I've read or seen it somewhere but don't remember.

Thanks!

posted in Poker Players - 1 reply

poker tv shows

2008-02-29T00:06:44Z

How do the shows like After Dark work? Do the professionals get compensated for being on the show or do they do it for free just depending on winning to compensate.

posted in Poker Players - 9 replies

good book?

2008-02-22T02:11:11Z

Any one read Pot-Limit & No-Limit Poker
by Stewart Reuben (Author), Bob Ciaffone (Author)?

any opinions?

posted in Poker Players - 4 replies

poker dealers?

2008-02-21T23:16:15Z

anybody know any poker dealers in the east bay? I am trying to get more info on the position.
thanks

posted in Poker Players - 1 reply

rigged?

2008-02-08T01:55:57Z

why do people think sites are rigged just because they lose?

posted in Poker Players - 11 replies

broke the bank

2008-02-07T06:46:25Z

I was playing online, 2 tables at once
I got straight flushes on both tables at the same time, one was a royal flush
what are the odds?

posted in Poker Players - 1 reply

odds?

2007-12-21T00:31:52Z

anyone know what the odds are for flopping a two pair with non-pairing pocket cards?

posted in Poker Players - 1 reply

bad beat for poker

2007-12-05T16:46:17Z

This blows.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071205/ap_on_re_us/obit_reese;_ylt=AnSugDpYWXc1Z7wLWgGNvHsDW7oF

http://images.tribe.net/tribe/upload/photo/b15/75d/b1575d3e-07a3-4ac2-acd3-6c2921d7440f

posted in Poker Players - 0 replies

Annie Duke & the House Judiciary Committee

2007-11-16T02:17:57Z

Give 'em hell, Annie!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twNtjEhNQTE&feature=user

posted in Poker Players - 0 replies

The Good Lay Down

2007-11-07T03:38:44Z

Vegas, baby.

My lovely wife is upstairs napping, so I head out to scout the poker rooms, having never actually played poker in Vegas.

The itch to play hits in Bally's and, even though they don't have a very good room, there is immediate seating available at $1-$2 no limit. I've long since given up the limit habit, convinced that either I'm no good at it or it's too boring at my pay scale or (most likely) a bit of both.

I sit for about an hour, losing about $50 to various unprofitable suited connectors and medium pairs. More 'Rounders' humor comes to me as I remember Matt Damon warning that "some players, pros even, won't play no limit...they can't handle the swings." Seated around me, of course, are the kind of high-octane hardcore guts-and-glory types who DO play no limit: two old guys in golf pants, a middle-aged housewife from Nebraska who thought my Darth Vader shirt was "cute" and three college-age-to-late-twenties guys who apparently thought it was rude to fold after seeing the flop.

I played tight...tighter probably than I should. When an opponent and I were both on the same busted flush draw, I didn't fire at the pot on the river. Stuff like that.

Finally, I hit AKs (clubs) on the button. A call and a minraise to me and I put in $25 (12 blinds.) I figured I was 50/50 to buy the pot or get some action, given that folks seemed to be calling almost any bet with almost any two promising cards. I get two customers.

Long story short: I catch an ace, my two customers chase their flush draws to no avail and I end up ahead $100.

My hour was up, so I decide to wait for the blinds and head home. In second position, I catch KK. First position minraises. The wheels spin in my head: "You're up now. You're leaving in the next hand or two. KK is good, but this appears to be a no-fold'em "any-ace-will-do" kind of table. On the pure money, the numbers are in your favor, but the personal cost of falling back from this high point needs to be factored in. Fold and go home winners."

I lay down KK and head to the cashier for a rack. When I get back, sure enough, there's an ace on the flop and a raising war going on between three callers.

I tip the dealer $10, leaving me an even $100, and leave before seeing the end of the hand.

Bad move? Mathematically, yes. Narratively, no.

Sometimes knowing what you want out of a game is as important as knowing how to play it, I guess.

posted in Poker Players - 10 replies

Happy Saturday

2007-10-26T21:39:50Z

This week's random war story:

$33 one-table sit-n-go. The two players to my right take an early lead, which is the next best thing to taking the lead myself. Down to five players, the chip leaders with about 4k-5k chips and us three short stacks with less than 2k.

As the blinds go up, I notice that the leaders are not putting pressure on us, which often leaves me open to lay into the other two short stacks, which I do.

The three of us make it into the money with about even stacks. One of the other two goes out and I'm heads up with the player who has been on my right the whole time.

Both of them had been folding way too much for a high-blind end-game, so I've been pushy. I get into a bad all-in hand and end up down to about 1000 chips to her 12000.

Oh well, second place isn't too bad. So, I'm all in on every hand. She folds and feeds me 3k chips.

Suddenly I'm back. Behind, but back. Daniel Craig pops into my head and says, in his velvety smooth James Bond voice: "play the man."

Or woman, in this case. Or female avatar, anyway.

She's folding too much. When she plays, she calls. All-ins are rare. She often folds to a raise. She's a brick.

The strategy: raise with anything. If she calls from the small blind, push her all in. If she raises from the small blind, call with anything. If she calls when you raise from the SB, fire at the flop no matter what. If she pushes back on any of these, fold.

Wore her down and took her last 2k chips on a broadway vs. broadway showdown.

I've been playing for a couple of years now, and I'm finally profitable over the last year. But rarely do I get a chance to actually deeply outplay someone. On a given hand, I outplay or get outplayed, I'm okay sizing up someone's general style, but most of it still breaks down to luck manipulation for me: push with good prospects, retreat with bad prospects, let the EV sort it out.

But it was sweet to be sitting there on the short end of the money and think: "I can get you to hand me your stack" and for once have it be true.

Happy Saturday, all!

posted in Poker Players - 4 replies

netteller, et al.

2007-10-24T19:58:12Z

hey, which is the easiest/best/cheapest firm to use for both depositing and withdrawing funds online?

also, anyone propping these days?

posted in Poker Players - 4 replies

Happy Saturday

2007-10-14T00:15:04Z

This week's random war story:

$33 one-table sit-n-go. The two players to my right take an early lead, which is the next best thing to taking the lead yourself. Down to five players, the chip leaders with about 4k-5k chips and us three short stacks with less than 2k.

As the blinds go up, I notice that the leaders are not putting pressure on us, which often leaves me open to lay into the other two short stacks, which I do.

The three of us make it into the money with about even stacks. One of the other two goes out and I'm heads up with the player who has been on my right the whole time.

Both of them had been folding way too much for a high-blind end-game, so I've been pushy. I get into a bad all-in hand and end up down to about 1000 chips to her 12000.

Oh well, second place isn't too bad. So, I'm all in on every hand. She folds and feeds me 3k chips.

Suddenly I'm back. Behind, but back. Daniel Craig pops into my head and says, in his velvety smooth James Bond voice: "play the man."

Or woman, in this case. Or female avatar, anyway.

She's folding too much. When she plays, she calls. All-ins are rare. She often folds to a raise. She's a brick.

The strategy: raise with anything. If she calls from the small blind, push her all in. If she raises from the big blind, call with anything. If she calls when you raise from the SB, fire at the flop no matter what. If she pushes back on any of these, fold.

Wore her down and took her last 2k chips on a broadway vs. broadway showdown.

I've been playing for a couple of years now, and I'm finally profitable over the last year. But rarely do I get a chance to actually deeply outplay someone. On a given hand, I outplay or get outplayed, I'm okay sizing up someone's general style, but most of it still breaks down to luck manipulation for me: push with good prospects, retreat with bad prospects, let the EV sort it out.

But it was sweet to be sitting there with short, short stack and think: "I can get you to hand me your stack" and for once have it be true.

Happy Saturday, all!

posted in Poker Players - 0 replies

CRAPPY POKER MOVIE ALERT

2007-10-12T19:20:55Z

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Lucky_You/70044700?trkid=189530&strkid=922302201_0_0

Don't fall for this one, kids. Truly terrible movie. Yes, it's mildly entertaining to catch glimpses of all the top players doing their cameos. But none of that justifies the horrible dialogue, predictable storyline, and overall cheesiness that surrounds these scenes. It's kinda sad watching Drew Barrymore and Robert Duvall phone in their performances, but maybe you can only do so much with shmaltzy material that's poorly directed.

posted in Poker Players - 3 replies

Poker Players Private Poker Game

2007-10-11T21:51:57Z

i was thinking it would be cool to set a private game for whoever is interested. i play on stars and could set up a game for sometime next week. anyone in?

posted in Poker Players - 7 replies

DVDs

2007-09-28T14:20:40Z

Are there any good DVDs for beginning players?
thanks

posted in Poker Players - 1 reply

proud papa

2007-09-21T16:43:43Z

My nine year old daughter is reading Lee Jones' "Winning Low Limit Holdem". She working her way through the quizzes in the preliminary chapter(s), identifying what two hole cards would give her the nuts and the second nuts on [whatever] given boards are shown. When she's ready, we're going to play some fake money microlimit poker online.

It's obviously something of a grind, but she just told me "[she's] going to persevere, and be tenacious".

I am giddy.

posted in Poker Players - 3 replies

mobile poker games

2007-09-07T20:43:21Z

No, not poker games on the back of a truck.

I got a cellphone that works for once. It can get games! Not like my last one which sucked! SUCKED! I was able to beat the chess game at the hardest setting in like THREE MOVES. that kind of thing.

so i've gone a bit wild with getting cell phone games. specifically POKER mobile games.

here are my reviews:

Midnight Hold'Em Poker - Definitely the best audio with midi versions of some stupid songs. basic premise is you are a guy with a small bankroll... and you play lower level games until you beat them, and then progress to higher level games. SOUNDS ALMOST REVOLUTIONARY in terms of gameplay. in between rounds you get to face someone heads-up. these heads up games are interminably boring and you have to basically call or check all your good hands otherwise the AI will fold. the time it takes for the AI to fold will make you bang your head against the wall. in the regular table games you can often get called down by the AI who is holding a high card.
once you've beaten all the tournies and heads-up challenges, you are treated to an incredible single page of congratulations and then the game starts alllll over.
my one word review: dull

WPT Poker - Hey this goes online against other people sitting on their cellphones! That's great! Why? Because the single player game SUCKS. Apparently you can only play LIMIT poker on single player, I figured maybe if i beat the limit table it would advance to me a second table with different betting structure. no. not worth playing single player. MULTIPLAYER, however, is somewhat fun. You start out with 2000 chips, but you can choose to play either a very low limit game, a pretty low pot limit game, a rather low no limit game, a higher limit pot limit, even higher limit pot limit and then really high no limit. don't waste your time trying to arduously build up a stack. just go to the highest limit NL game and go all in immediately. repeat until you have more chips. you'll find that your measly 2000 chips is a drop in the bucket to the billions and billions (and billions and billions, seriously) of chips that some players have. this is the main drawback to the game and took all of the fun out of it for me. i had grown to about 2.5 million chips through conservative play. every other hand involves a player who will bet just a long string of numbers. i don't think we've even established what to call them, because it basically looks like this: 7961461835461389463874632864238642398475632984762. that takes ALL fun of out of the game. fuck that.
it also takes too long but mainly because you are actually playing against other people and the game STILL IS FASTER THAN MIDNIGHT HOLD'EM.
my one word review: okay

ESPN Poker: fast gameplay. you can skip the AI when you fold (you aren't going to get any information out of watching them, trust me). the AI is a little bit more intelligent, will check-raise you at times, with a bluff. impressive enough. also respects check-raises, but not always, so beware. has an interesting enough career game. different locations on the map mean different types of games, ring and tournament, limit, PL and NL. haven't gotten outside of the town level yet.
my one word review: satisfactory

posted in Poker Players - 1 reply

Rounders Revisited: The Bourne Absurdity

2007-08-23T07:33:05Z

Assuming we're all familiar with the film...

What if Damon had had pocket 9s instead of A9s in his loss to KGB?

The hand would have played about the same.

KGB: "You're raight, I dyon't hyav spyades. Aces fooool, Mike."
Matt: "Good hand...but if it's not the nuts, it's not the nuts Teddy. Quad 9's. How do you like them apples?"

Matt goes home with his winnings, tells Gretchen Mol that he just won forty grand and he's going to Vegas for the WSoP. She wishes him luck and looks for some other guy's balls to bust.

On his way to the show, Worm gets out, confesses that he's deep in the hole. Matt, flush with Teddy's money, pays Worm's debts off and still has enough for his buy in and hotel room.

Worm takes the money and bets Grama double or nothing on a coin toss. Grama takes the bet, Worm tries the old "double headed quarter routine and Grama beats the shit out of him.

Desperate, Worm comes to Damon who knocks him unconscious and handcuffs him to the toilet in his Vegas hotel room.

Downstairs, at the WSoP, Damon finds himself surrounded by 300 lb internet poker geeks with no social skills or tough guy patter and he realizes, for the first time, that it's better for poker players to play for large sums of money against harmless people than it is to play for medium-sized sums of money against the Russian mob.

Long story short, Damon lands in the money, taking home $1m....in cash.

Upstairs in his room, he frees Worm, gives him $500,000. "With that, you can pay off Grama and Teddy and still have enough left over for a lovely starter home in Brooklyn. I figure that makes us square. Try not to lose it all in the lobby."

Damon returns home, refreshingly scar free and presents Gretchen Mol with the remaining $500,000, which she receives cooly.

"Well, I suppose since you won it's okay. But if you ever lose a hand, you have to quit. Deal?"

"Deal," sez Damon, and they kiss.

Fade to black.

Hmmm...maybe there's a reason why you rarely hear about guys who take their shot and lose. Winning is so much more fun!

posted in Poker Players - 1 reply

A little T & A.

2007-08-21T00:33:53Z

Playing a $20 SNG last night, blinds were going up and I was falling back. Finally, find myself in the "all in with any pair or broadway" place and over the course of two hands, double up twice on miracle outdraws (ie my A9 vs AK catches a 9 on the riv.)

I can feel the disgust coming over the interwebs.

The two double ups put me in a close second for chip leader (approx 4k chips, blinds at 150/300.)

I'm in the BB with TT. Chip leader to my left opens with a minraise of 600. This catches one caller (small stack, < 2k) and an all in from the button who is getting eaten by the blinds (approx 1200 chips.)

I figure myself for the best hand, so I all in to isolate. Other players had been pretty passive.

To my annoyance, the chip leader calls. I'm regretting it already. No way she's calling with 99 or less. The other player folds.

Indeed, I have been trapped. Three of us in: button as AQo (about even with me, and no monster stack should I lose) and the leader pops kings.

Flop comes A A blank.

KK and I both smack our heads in outrage and frustration...though me less so since I was way behind anyway.

Turn comes T. I blink several times. Ts over As full. The river neither pairs the board nor brings a K or an A.

Good pot, that...but a small, small part of me was hoping to see an A. Just for the poetry.

Oh well...I won the tournament. $80 will buy a lot of poetry :)

Also, saw a straight flush last week. Second one this year.

Anyone else still having fun?

posted in Poker Players - 1 reply

finally funding a pokerstars account

2007-08-03T20:57:30Z

I understand that in these post-Neteller days, some of my options have some drawbacks (pricey service charges, difficulty with withdrawals, etc). I was reading through the info on the site and it seems like using a credit card (Visa in this case) is probably the least troublesome option. Can anyone here confirm this?

I'm only looking to throw a couple hundred in, if that matters.

posted in Poker Players - 6 replies

confused

2007-07-27T06:04:15Z

I was low in chips on an online tournament so I went all in with pocket queens and about 5,000 in chips.
Another guy raises all in with 35,000 in chips
He had 5clubs, 9 hearts
the worst thing is he got a straight: [3h, 8d, 2c] [7h] [6s]

Why would anyone go all in with 5,9 after I went all in? I don't get it.
Someone explain

posted in Poker Players - 10 replies

which is better

2007-07-24T03:21:03Z

Playing one $2/$4 table or two $1/$2 tables as far as potential profit?

posted in Poker Players - 5 replies

multi-table

2007-07-10T00:28:27Z

I have been doing some multi table playing and I noticed something. More often than I thought would happen, the pocket cards on one table will match up with the flop on the other table. I really am surprised at how often this happens. I actually use it as a sign sometimes. If one of the table's flops matches my cards on the other table I probably should fold because the odds of the flops matching are pretty small.
Anybody else notice this?

posted in Poker Players - 1 reply

The bad play and the lecture

2007-06-28T21:02:41Z

So, I'm getting back into tournament play after a while in ring games. I'm finding that I enjoy the shifting strategies, but my kung fu is not that good yet.

Okay, $20 SNG, blinds are at 40/80. Had a run of luck, so I've got 5170 in chips. Everyone else is between 1000 and 2000. Yo soy perro grande.

I'm on the SB with A4d. All fold to the button who raises 240. A4s beats many blind-stealing hands and I figure if I've got the big stack, why not get aggressive, so I RR to an even 400.

BB folds, button calls.

Flop comes 7d 8s 4s. Bottom pair, top kicker, backdoor flush...not great. But, figuring this flop likely missed my opponent and that he was more likely to be playing broadway than a pocket pair, I continue him for 400 (pot was at 880)

He pushes all-in. I figure, he's probably ahead. All-in is 1400, which would knock me back to 3400 with the new other big dog to my right. That's my most likely scenario. If he is ahead, I figure myself for maybe 5 outs plus the backdoor flush, so some small hope.

I call. He reveals pocket 3s. My 4s hold up.

He then spends the next 10 minutes in chat lecturing me on what a bad player I am and what a horrible call that was and so on. He, of course, is a poker genius for pushing with pocket 3s against a betting player with a monster stack while he still had 16 big blinds.

I took the bait and argued back at him, going for condescending and arrogant (which I excel at), figuring that would feed the image. "Folding equity...look it up...as in, you had none on me..I don't fold made hands" and so on. All in aid of going for a maniac-ish image while far ahead in chips. I call that "The Full Cheney" I think it worked, too, because after that I had more blinds folded into me than a Levalor showroom.

I figured the consequences of losing (which I put myself at about 4:1 underdog) weren't that bad and the benefits of winning were pretty good.

I've done no math on this, besides counting my outs. Just seemed like there was a decent chance he was trying to steal and I could afford the chips to find out. On the pure numbers, I was only getting 2:1 from the pot, which I don't think would be justified. But knocking a player out and gaining more leverage on the remaining players has a lot of hidden value to it.

What about you strong tourney players (cough Patti cough)...strong play or crazy call?

PS,
In the end, got knocked out in 3rd place when one player pushed in with T7os and I called with JQs. He caught a 7 and two Ts. This left me with 1 blind, got dealt pocket kings, went all in, they didn't hold up. I figure that's karma :)

posted in Poker Players - 5 replies

term?

2007-06-22T06:01:30Z

Is there a term for a hand (pocket cards pre-flop) that you fold only to be dealt a flop that would have given you the nuts or close to?

posted in Poker Players - 6 replies

Tooting my own horn

2007-06-21T14:07:46Z

2007 WSOP Event #17: Ladies' tournament... I finished in 18th place of 1286. Last year was 27th of 1106 and the year before 23rd of 602.

I'm both happy and frustrated with my performance. I was in 4th place of 65 going into the second day, and then went completely card-dead the whole day.

posted in Poker Players - 12 replies

Question for the SF bay area members.

2007-06-13T23:31:26Z

Do you play in card clubs? If so which ones? Are there any good home games looking for an extra player? I have had a hard time getting my friends to commit to a weekly game.

posted in Poker Players - 2 replies

online bans

2007-06-13T04:23:17Z

I am having a hard time finding sites that will let me (an American) play. Are there any? Which ones?
Thanks

posted in Poker Players - 2 replies

You're poker rant for the day...

2007-06-11T06:57:45Z

What's one of the most annoying things you find about other poker players?

I hate it when the guy... or lady (sometimes it's way worse when it's a lady) stinks like dawg poop. It's either their body odor or their nasty breath or I don't even wanna know! Hygiene isn't so hard to master.

posted in Poker Players - 6 replies

The semi-bluff, short-stack, pot-odds

2007-06-10T00:13:19Z

Ever have one of those hands where two or three things you've been studying all come together?

6-max NL ring, $25 max (blinds at $0.25 and $0.10). I've got $20. I get 55 in the SB. One player limps before me, I limp and the BB checks.

The flop comes 5h 4h 8h, and I decide to go all Matt Damon and outplay everybody because I'm just such a poker badass that all should fear me. Ahem.

I check, figuring to check-raise and not TOO afraid of giving away a free card, as that will likely indicate that my 5s are good and no one's gonna give action with a scary 1-suited board.

BB bets $0.75, limper calls and I push in a large overbet: $5. I figure, I'll represent a monster flush. If either of my opponents is on a draw, they'll fold (this is what I'm looking for.) A call will be, well frustrating as I will be out of position, but I MIGHT get to the river for free and I stand a decent chance of hitting my boat.

BB pushes all-in for $48, limper folds, action is $15 to me.

Shazbat.

My brain goes to the math:

I put him on the flush, almost certainly, figure 90%. Maybe 10% that he has a strong flush draw or a set of 4s or 8s. I figure his flush is probably weak, or he'd let me keep betting, but that doesn't matter...a flush is a flush from where I sit.

So, $15 puts me all in to win a $40 pot and I figure I pretty much need to catch a boat or quads to win. That's 8 outs, presumably none of them counterfeited, with two cards to come, roughly 44% or 2.2:1, with the added bonus that if I miss on the turn, my outs jump to 11, keeping the odds down to 2.83:1 going to the river.

By the numbers, an easy call...but it's always hard hitting that "all in" call button when you KNOW you're behind. And note that the call would not be so easy if I had him covered, as then the pot odds would be just about even with a slight edge to call. The same would be true had I not gone for the $5 bluff.

I call, board pairs on the river, SB shows a 10 high flush and I take the $40 pot.

I've been thinking about this hand for two days.

Sometimes I think it was a nice bit of derring-do. Sometimes I think it was a tilt play.

posted in Poker Players - 8 replies

who shows first

2007-06-08T10:32:56Z

I forgot. Does the original bettor show their cards first or the last bettor?

posted in Poker Players - 9 replies

Phil Hellmuth

2007-04-27T01:15:39Z

What do you think of Phil's black belt poker?
think it has potential?
http://philsecrets.iamplify.com/

posted in Poker Players - 5 replies

Harrington on Holdem: Volume III (the Workbook)

2007-04-11T05:18:11Z

Who's got it, and what did you think? How did it compare to Volumes I and II?

posted in Poker Players - 2 replies

2 face cards

2007-04-11T05:16:56Z

can someone explain why 2 pocket face cards (like KJ, KQ, QJ) hardly ever do me any good?

posted in Poker Players - 2 replies

No limit ring

2007-03-15T19:54:41Z

So, I've mainly been a limit ring and no limit tournament player, but the limit games have been drying up, so I'm spending more time in no-limit ring.

I'm actually finding so far that it's a much easier game than limit, and I wonder what other people's experiences are.

The reason is, at least in the games I'm playing, there's not a lot of pre-flop pressure. Pre-flop raising isn't too common and raises tend to be 1 or 2 big blinds. This means that you can see a great many more flops relatively cheaply.

I'm playing $50 buy-in, which has blinds at $0.25 and $0.50. Average hands are around $8.00 and you can call to the flop for an average of about $0.75, which makes the implied odds of calling are in about the 10:1 range, as opposed to limit where it seems to be more like 4:1 average.

Bascially, I'm limping in from almost any position with any two suited above a 10 or any pair (maybe 5s and above on more aggressive tables) and folding to pressure on anything less than a set or a flush or straight draw.

In limit, I've found that I really need strong post flop play to do well, since getting to the flop is so pricey. On a no-limit hand just recently, I mucked pocket queens against two pre-flop raises, which I wouldn't have done in limit.

In both games, the odds of winning with queens are pretty good...even against most raising hands. But, in no-limit, the consequences of being outdrawn (as a percentage of the calling cost) are so high, that I was content to watch the guy with pocket kings take out the guy with pocket Ts.

So, I'm finding that I'm getting to play more hands, spending less time anguishing over post-flop play and I'm averaging about the same as I did in limit, even though my no-limit chops are not nearly as good as my limit chops.

Anybody else playing no-limit for cash?

posted in Poker Players - 2 replies

Adjusting to the final table

2007-03-12T20:24:36Z

I started playing some local small no limit holdem tournaments and have done well, placing 4th and 3rd (40 players, top 5 get paid) I've been doing well at full tables but once it gets down to 6-8 I start bleeding.

I went out the same way both times - I correctly identified a player trying to buy the pot with a big raise and poor or mediocre hand. I had roughly the same hand, and I went all in to try and get them to fold. Both times they called anyway and won the coin flip. None of these players had caught me in a bluff or semi-bluff before because of how players had been shuffled around, so I don't think they could have picked it up as a pattern. I had been playing pretty conservatively to that point.

Any thoughts on figuring out why they would have called in this situation when they wouldn't have earlier in the match (one had 2-8 offsuit!) or on cutting through the last few players in general? I'm not sure how much of it was that they had gotten better at reading me and how much is just that the possibility of taking out another player is so tempting. Also wondering if I'm an idiot for going all with an iffy hand.

posted in Poker Players - 11 replies

how is low read?

2007-03-06T16:18:23Z

In omaha hi-lo how is the low read? is it read from the high card and whoever has the lowest high card wins or is it read from the low card in which case an ace would always win?

posted in Poker Players - 1 reply

You Make the Call

2007-03-05T03:08:28Z

nothing particularly noteworthy here, just looking for opinions on how I played this hand last night:

The game is $3-6 (no foldem holdem). Only one player has been getting out of line (killing time waiting for 8-16 to open up), and he's away from the table. Everyone else has, for the most part, been playing ABC poker.

Five limpers see a flop of Jd 8h 6d ($15 pot). UTG player leads for $3. I have Ks Jc and raise to $6. Cutoff and button fold, small blind calls two bets cold (surprising to me, he has not played too many hands or gotten out of line), big blind folds, UTG folds. Turn is a 6h giving a board of Jd 8h 6d 6h ($30 pot). He checks, I bet (considering he may have a big diamond draw), he raises.

I'll post my thought process and subsequent action in a bit, but for now I'm interested to hear: what do you do, and WHY?

posted in Poker Players - 14 replies

Ever limp with AA?

2007-03-05T00:00:28Z

Common wisdom is to always raise first in w/AA, but some suggest that if you're in a tight game and your raises have been getting too much respect, that limping from middle or late position could be better.

I was in such a hand tonight. I had about 10% VP$IP and 3/4 of my pre-flop raises resulted in blind steals. So I figured either my image was really tight, or everyone was just playing really tight without worrying about me. Seemed like the latter...very few multi-way pots.

At any rate, I limped, bettor to my left raises, all fold, I reraise, he caps. We showdown: AA vs KK. The board never touches either of us and I collect, so the hand proceeded pretty much the same way as if I had raised first in.

Do you ever limp with aces? If so, is it just to mix up play, or do you ever slow-play tight tables?

I'm also wondering what folks think about the math of raising vs limping w/aces.

It's true that encouraging callers increases the chances of being outdrawn, but ita also increases the pot. Of course, cold-calls of your raise are twice as big an error than limping after you, so if limping doesn't at least double your action (actually more, considering the out-draw potential), it's certainly not worth it.

(disclaimer: I virtually always raise with AA, but have slow-played twice in the last month...once in the SB and once tonight...whether any other move is MORE right, raising is never wrong and I'm certainly not advising limping.)

posted in Poker Players - 15 replies

body language

2007-02-28T22:21:41Z

I wanted to know if anyone can recomend a book on reading tells.

posted in Poker Players - 8 replies

am I that bad a player?

2007-02-28T03:33:06Z

I was playing an online tournament and lost my connection. When I finally got back on I was down to a few hundred and in the money. I actually got a few good pocket cards and I ended up finishing 26 out of 700. I swear I did better offline than if I had actually played. What does that tell you?

posted in Poker Players - 1 reply

Pot Limit Omaha in LA

2007-02-20T18:45:23Z

I started a Google Group to try and collect any players interested in live Pot Limit Omaha in the Los Angeles area. Once we have enough interest, we can start a home game or talk to a local cardroom to see about hosting (easiest might be the epoker room at Hollywood Park, if pokerpro tables handle Pot Limit).

Anyone interested can sign up at http://groups.google.com/group/omaha-la

posted in Poker Players - 2 replies

looking for bio

2007-02-20T04:38:18Z

Can someone recommend a good bio of a professional poker player that has a good portrayal of what it is like to be a professional player, not just the game but the whole life?

posted in Poker Players - 3 replies

A Modest Proposal: Poker & Taxes

2007-02-08T10:37:18Z

We all know that Congress is doing whatever it can to push online poker, well offline. I've been playing seriously now for a little less than a year, and while I am down lifetime (though turning around in recent history), I feel as though I've bought something valuable for my money.

Though I knew these things in the abstract before starting, actually playing the game...even for modest amounts of money...has taught me a lot about living with uncertainty, focusing on things you can control instead of things you can't, accepting loss, maximizing gain by understanding the facts instead of relying on faith or morality or what "ought to be," controlling my emotions, making good decisions despite bad luck and avoiding bad decisions despite good luck.

As I listen to our leaders debate, it strikes me how much value they (and the voters) could get out of these lessons. Whenever they talk about the "consequences of failure" in Iraq, I think about how "failure" isn't one thing. A good laydown will save you money. A bad call will cost you money. Will the surge knock our chip stack down so far that we won't be able to play the next hand well? What's the EV of attacking Iran vs. talking to Iran?

I think about bad hands I've played...97s that I called because there were four players in, unraised, and I was the small blind. Instead of the flush, I catch top pair 9s and get called down to the river. What was I thinking? No flush, four players in, chances are SOMEONE can beat top pair w/shitty kicker. Check-fold you idiot! At least by the turn, anyway.

I got in looking for one kind of fight and ended up with another...but "the consequences of failure!" Oh no, not the consequences!

Online poker is like a skinner box for bad choice aversion therapy. It's not that I'm going to take a buck away every time you make a bad choice. You'll earn some money for bad choices and lose some on good choices, but the general trend will be the reverse.

And yet, it's as though our leaders are making speeches defending bad play. Picture Condolezza Rice on the dais proclaiming that any two cards can win, that the 9 and the 7 were suited and that we were already half committed. Players do bluff, so it's technically possible that all four of them are bluffing. We do have top pair and, besides, don't you WANT America to win? Why not give this hand a chance?

Victory is our strategy.

So, my proposal is this: given your tax return, the government lets you buy $X in an online account every year. If you win, you can cash out once your balance is above a certain amount. If you lose, you can't refill until next year. The government takes the rake.

Makes more sense than the lottery. The lottery teaches all the WRONG lessons about probability. Any set of numbers is as good as any other set of numbers. It's one big faith-based tax program for people who are bad at math.

We might not make as much money off poker, but the education of the population would be worth it, no?

posted in Poker Players - 1 reply

The Value of Deception?

2007-02-07T20:12:34Z

James:
>I just hate the 'I know this is the standard play but I made the move for deception purposes and to develop a tricky image' response.
>To be honest, I think it's a lazy response and makes me feel like you don't take anyone's insight very seriously.

I'm interested in following up on table image. I swear to God, I'm just interested in knowing what you think.

I'm wondering what value you place on the various forms of deception in poker. There seem to be two basic forms of deception: throwing your opponent off your current hand and encouraging your opponents to misread your general style of play.

For example, do you find much value in slow-playing strong hands that look to hold up (ie sets on uncoordinated flops?) Or is the bet lost of on the flop rarely made up on the turn?

What about mixing up plays for the sake of inconsistency? Is it ever worth it to take a play with a lower EV simply to avoid being predictable? Or do you feel the cost of being predictable is made up for by the benefit of always maximizing return?

One thing I've noticed about deception and table-image in online games (and this is where I think your general approach is probably correct) is that single-hand plays don't do much to establish an image. If you're running PokerTracker and a HUD, you can see how people have played the last 100 hands. On the flipside, if you track your OWN statistics, you can get a good idea of what others might be thinking about you.

I've noticed, for example, that when my VP$IP drops below 10% for a long run, I can bluff more frequently. When it pops above 20%, I can't buy blinds from Levalor :)

posted in Poker Players - 2 replies

Poker News

2007-01-31T20:59:15Z

Do we have anything like this in the US?

http://broadband.pokerzone.tv/

posted in Poker Players - 2 replies

pineapple

2007-01-30T02:15:10Z

can anyone give strategy advice on Pineapple?

posted in Poker Players - 1 reply

High Stakes Poker again with possible spoiler!

2007-01-24T21:10:43Z

So I am watching season 3 of HSP and Gab Kaplan asks to sit in. Negreanu jumps up and offers to give him his seat if he can go into the booth and co host. What a brilliant move on Daniel's part! For the next hour or so he gets to see what how everyone plays. What cards they are folding. What hands they limp with and what hands they raise with. That man is a genius.

posted in Poker Players - 6 replies

neteller

2007-01-24T07:00:19Z

What are the options now that Neteller is no longer servicing Poker sites?

posted in Poker Players - 17 replies

High Stakes Poker Hand

2007-01-18T15:39:20Z

If you guys haven't been watching, HSP on the game show network is a really great show. They get paid to play pretty handsomely but you still see some decent action.

I think Mike Matusow has a gambling problem. I'm not sure how he's doing so this is all 100% speculation. I've watched him several times on Full Tilt poker. He has an aggressive style where he overbets many pots. He is also not afraid to call huge bets. More often than not, I see him losing on FT whenever the play is more than 4-handed. He must have some huge sessions for him to stay in action online. I have however seen him destroy the game sometimes when it is 3-handed. His aggressive style is just better suited when the likelihood of running into traps is lower.

However, of all the pros, I think Matusow seems to make more mistakes than any other. I just don't think he's in the same caliber. Here's an example of a huge one he made.

Alaei makes a small open raise with A9. Matusow re-raises with QQ. Negreanu calls cold from the blind with AK. At this point, Matusow must know that Negreanu has a real hand.

Flop is Qxx. Negreanu checks and Matusow CHECKS! This has got to be the most boneheaded move from a "pro". Negreanu has made no attempt to hide the strength of his hand. People do not call double-raises in NL poker without reason even from the blinds. Everything about this hand screams for Matusow to make a continuation bet. So he checks and of course, everyone is like WTF? On the turn, check/bet. Danny says, 'You must have QQQ' and mucks. In fact, everyone at the table knows he has QQQ.

Matusow is a pounder. Everyone knows he is a pounder and that he will keep firing at the pots, sometimes even 3 times (remember the hand against Mizrachi?) He makes the very rookie mistake by suddenly switching gears when he flops a monster.

Honestly, I don't know how this guy keeps his bankroll. He did mention in an interview once than $1M wouldn't change his life because all it would do is pay off a few markers. I believe him.

posted in Poker Players - 12 replies

My 'Teddy KGB' moment

2007-01-11T08:06:14Z

AA in the big blind, everyone folds to the SB who raises. I decide to slow-play, so I just call.

Flop comes A T 5 with 2 hearts (not the ace). SB bets and I call, wanting him to put me on a flush draw so I can push hard when it busts out. The turn is a blank. SB bets, I call.

The river is Kh, screwing me two ways: if he puts me on the flush, he's just going to crying call; if he's on the flush draw, he just beat me.

SB checks. I don't put him on a flush now, as I doubt he would risk me checking down, so I bet. He calls and shows A T.

When I flop my aces he pauses for a moment and then says, "wow...nice play; I never saw that coming."

Of course, I would have preferred a T on the river, but still, I had some Oreos to celebrate :)

posted in Poker Players - 7 replies

Raising a drawing hand preflop

2007-01-11T00:47:01Z

A6s (spades) in the BB. 4 players call. Normally, I would just check and hope for a profitable flop. Instead I raise. The raise itself is EV(0)...A6s is just as good for two bets against 10 as it is for 1 bet against 5.

But a show of strength might get me a free card or at least some passive play if I need to chase down a flush.

Also, I want the pot to be big enough that folks with good draws or moderate made hands will stick around to see my flush.

Flop comes 7 5 5 with 2 spades. SB checks, I check and it's checked all the way around: free card! Had a late position player bet, I would have just called...don't want to drive any customers out with a raise and if I'm facing a 5, I'm far enough behind that I want it to be a) cheap and b) profitable to call down to the river.

The turn is a blank (no spade). SB checks, I bet, everyone folds around to me and I take the 10 bet pot. Had I not raised, I likely would have faced more resistance for less money.

Note that these kinds of plays are strong only when taken in moderation. Basically, you want your customers to put you on a premium holding. The more you do this kind of thing, the less likely they are to respect your raise.

posted in Poker Players - 5 replies

Lucky Chances Poker Tournament to Beneft Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area

2007-01-09T21:40:58Z

Join me for the 1st annual No-Limit Texas Hold ‘em Poker Tournament to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area.

The event is being sponsored by Lucky Chances Casino in South San Francisco (Colma) on Saturday morning, January 27, 2007. This event features cash awards of up to $5,000 or a seat at World Series of Poker in Las Vegas ($10K Value), plus additional cash prizes to each person at the final table.

The tournament is limited to 120 seats. Best of all, 100% of your registration fee will be donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area where your funds will help transform lives of children in our community by providing them with professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships with caring adults. (For more information please visit www.bbbsba.org )

Poker has reached new celebrity status and popularity as a sport, and this could be your chance to go from being just a poker enthusiast to becoming a poker PLAYER… all while helping to support Bay Area kids! For more information or to register please email mheitz@bbbsba.org or call 415.503.4093. Thanks!

posted in Poker Players - 1 reply

Online Tells

2007-01-08T03:59:21Z

Well, that Mathematics/Rounders/Cinematics of Poker thread-jacking really made me think about my game.

And since I'm in the midst of a some excellent online players, who, by the sounds of it have a lot of experience both online and in rea life (with the bankrolls to prove it) I would love to pick your collective brains.

What are some of the more obvious online tells? What are some of the more reliable tells that you've noticed in real life? What tells have you HEARD about but not yet experienced or had run-ins with?

What are your tells? :)

Thanks guys! It's great to have a community of players, both experienced and not, to brainstorm ideas with in an open environment. I really appreciate all of your feedback. It's a great way to help improve.

posted in Poker Players - 17 replies

Mathematics of Poker

2007-01-08T03:57:00Z

Bill Chen and Jerrod Ankenman have just released their eagerly-anticipated book, The Mathematics of Poker.

This is not light reading. It's not for beginners. It's not basic strategy and starting hand tables, and it's not for the faint of heart. It is, however, an entirely new way of looking a poker, and one that has the potential to revolutionize the game. I got my copy last week, and every time I open it I'm afraid some of the equations are going to jump out at me and bite my nose. They don't, and every time I read a few pages I learn something new.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1886070253?ie=UTF8&tag=gammoncopm

My favorite story about this book goes back several years. In 1991, Bill and I went to Hawaii for a long weekend. I wanted to go snorkeling, but Bill decided he'd rather stay on the beach while I was in the water. It was a beautiful sunny day with warm tropical breezes and bikini-clad women everywhere. I swim out and amuse myself with coral reefs and colorful fish, and eventually come back in and wander over to where Bill is sitting.

Is he watching girls? Enjoying the surf? Relaxing with a book? No. The first words out of his mouth were, "I figured out how to write a program to solve the jam or fold problem." A couple weeks later, he published the first JoF tables to his friends.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/whipartist/343760772/

posted in Poker Players - 11 replies

The Wrong Focus (re: RANT)

2007-01-04T00:55:15Z

There's a good couple of essays on tilt in 'Inside the Poker Mind' (John Feeney & Sklansky) that relates to the bad beat threads we've been having.

The mistake (indeed, the hole in my own game I've been working on plugging) many players make...even good, winning players...is focusing on near-term wins and losses rather than on good play.

I had noticed this in my own game. I've grown past going on full tilt...pushing marginal holdings, calling down supposed "bluffers" etc...a while back (never say never, but it's been a while since I've had a "what were you THINKING?" moment).

Instead, I noticed that when I win, I tend to win modestly, but when I lose, I lose big.

The last few times this happened, I scanned my hands looking for either tiltsign or for an extraordinary run of bad luck...I found neither. I lost many draws, but I also saw the turn with many unimproved hands. I was on subtle tilt, where each hand could be rationalized but where I had clearly moved on average into losing territory.

I realized that what these sessions, and indeed my winning sessions, had in common was that I was focused on winning and losing hands, not on playing well. This is what Feeney and Sklansky characterize as the "wrong focus."

So now when I play, I try to think about my thinking. Am I worried about being down five bets, even though I've played each hand well? Am I happy about being up five bets even though I won them on a tilt-worthy gutshot river draw?

Sometimes I wish I had no money memory (at ring games...not tournaments :), no idea hand to hand what my stack size is. I have no idea whether I've won the last 100 hands or lost. All I know is I can cover the bets at the table and that's it.

Of course, this is possible online, with a judicious application of masking tape to your screen, but it's not truly desirable. What is desirable is keeping your focus on good play.

My normal routine is to go through these hands looking for bad patterns. Once the bad patterns got subtle and mixed enough, one big glaring bad pattern emerged: I keep playing when I'm losing because I don't want to lose...not because I'm playing well. I decided that, without needing to understand each little hole in the game, if I just resolved to stop playing when losing...to live to fight another day...my big losing sessions will become moderate losing sessions.

So, now if I lose 10 big bets at a table, I make a sober assessment. If I can point to one or two bad beats or a string of cold cards but feel otherwise that I'm comfortable at the table, I'll keep playing. If it seems that every hand I played for zig should have been a zag, then I'll move on.

If I stay, I leave unconditionally after losing 20 big bets, which is my daily limit.

By making this my one, and only money focus and treating it as a simple formula, I've noticed that my moment-to-moment ups and downs no longer have the emotional impact they once did...because I know what I'm going to do about money. I don't worry that losses reflect poorly on my play, nor do I credit wins to my brilliance. That all comes retrospectively when I review my hands.

Winning and losing individual hands are not rewards and punishments for good and bad play. Poker is about a long-term EV.

Feeney and Sklansky tell us that we should smile every time we take a bad beat or have a losing session, so long as we played well. If there was no luck factor and poker was all skill, then it wouldn't attract bad players.

Consider craps. Say for the sake of argument that the house has a 2% edge in the game so for every $100 you play, you lose $2 on average. Now, suppose the casino offered another table where no matter what you roll, they take 1% of your money...you can't win.

Which table would you prefer to sit at? Which table would the casino prefer you sit at? The 1% guaranteed loss is a MUCH better deal, but no one would take it unless there was some sort of contest to see who could lose the least in an hour.

Well, at the poker table, YOU'RE the casino. The more opportunity for luck you provide, the bigger EV you can extract.

Why do you think casinos blow horns and parade showgirls and dealers around whenever someone hits a jackpot? I mean...they're LOSING MONEY! They should be weeping and wailing WHY, OH WHY DID THE $10M JACKPOT HAVE TO HIT?

Because they're buying something with their money: hope. Your hope. They are purchasing your critical judgment...not just the winner's, but everyone on the floor's.

And that's what your bad beats buy you.

posted in Poker Players - 1 reply

RANT

2007-01-03T20:20:15Z

I need to air this.
Playing in an online tournament. First hand I get pocket jacks.
Raise. Some idiot goes all in so I call. He has Q3.
The turn is a queen.
Sometimes I feel like the universe is set against me.
Maybe I shouldn't have called but everybody knows pocket pairs can be hard to get and I know these people play loose like well oiled fish
I am now going to see if i can find a nice jacket. i need a new one

posted in Poker Players - 34 replies

bay area no limit

2006-12-30T20:18:15Z

Are there casinos in the bay area with no limit tables? besides San Pablo. I went there and the place reeked so badly of tobacco I couldn't stay for more than a few minutes

posted in Poker Players - 1 reply

poker-backgammon link

2006-12-30T20:17:08Z

So, it seems like a lot of these poker pros are also pretty competitive backgammon players. Erik Seidel, Dan Harringon, Paul Magriel to name a few...

My question is, what do poker and backgammon have in common? I've never cared for backgammon myself -- not sure why, I've played it a few times but it never stuck. Ditto chess -- it never really magnetized me enough to want to learn every little in and out.

But back to my question -- why is the poker/backgammon link there, and does that link translate into any particular patterns of thinking unique to poker players who also excel at backgammon?

posted in Poker Players - 2 replies

WPT in April

2006-12-29T19:23:50Z

According to this next year's WPT is in April:

http://www.bluffmagazine.com/tournaments/tourneyDetails.asp?groupID=283

Is anyone going (to watch or to play)? I was already planning to go to las vegas for my bday at the end of April anyway so this is a nice bonus. Is anyone trying to play online qualifiers right now? They have some "cheap seats" touneys on Bodog but I think working my way up might be tough. I did try a couple - the last one I was 18th out of 120 or so. Not good enough. I really don't know much about how it all works for qualifying or what it means if you do. I'm a pretty novice player - just going to watch would be pretty exciting I think.

posted in Poker Players - 0 replies

online ettiquite when someone gets disconnected

2006-12-26T23:04:49Z

I was playing a low buy-in sit and go with 4 players left. The guy to my left was on the big blind (with me on the sb) and he got disconnected at some point. The short stack after him and the button had both both folded. Without thinking about it much I raised and took the big blind. When the guy came back he was pissed at me for doing that. In retrospect I realized he was probably right to be mad because I think I had crap hands and more likely would have folded. I guess I know the answer to this but it is generally understood to be bad form to take advantage of someone's disconnect? What are the precedents in these situations?

posted in Poker Players - 12 replies

online money

2006-12-21T02:35:52Z

3. NETeller
If you have used NETeller to purchase, your cashouts will then be processed back to NETeller up to the amount purchased, again from the amount of your oldest NETeller deposit to the amount of your most recent deposit.

According to this language it sounds like they'll allow you only to withdraw as much as you put in. What do you do with your winnings?

posted in Poker Players - 8 replies

Somebody ODed on stupid drugs

2006-12-15T21:42:00Z

It's a $114 SNG on Stars. 50-100 blinds.

The button raises to 300. I go all-in from the small blind for 398. The big blind folds. The button folds.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

posted in Poker Players - 12 replies

update?

2006-12-14T04:29:07Z

I haven't been to the poker sites in a while. Any updates on americans playing? or is it really over

posted in Poker Players - 1 reply

Where and Why

2006-12-14T03:26:12Z

So my partner and I have been playing on Absolute Poker for 3 years or so. Me, definitely not as much as him, but often enough. I love poker. But ever since Party Poker shut out the Americans I've noticed a huge change in game play, community, and my bank roll. The cards are falling differently (one guy getting AA 4 times in 5 hands?) and it's really become very discouraging.

Do we change sites? There's more and more tlk on the AP boards about specific types of bots on the site... and I don't know if I even believe in bots, I try not to, or everytime I lose I'll blame a bot and never improve. lol

I play much better when I talk at the tables. And that's why I really liked AP, a great community of VIPers. Where else? Anyone else have a favourite site with these qualities? I'm trying Full Tilt right now but getting restless.

Thanks

posted in Poker Players - 10 replies

playing your hand????

2006-12-11T20:33:00Z

Does any one out there have a hand they play every time just for fun (not the strongest hand, just like a lucky hand). I play with guy who plays 7 8 like it's aces, because it's fun.

posted in Poker Players - 2 replies

Putting a player on a hand II: The Blind Steal

2006-12-10T08:38:47Z

This is another winning hand. I haven't had many interesting losing hands lately...either cheap laydowns on the flop or turn or busted draws. This is probably a good sign, bad decisions are limiting my winnings instead of increasing my losings :)

In the past, my typical winning sessions had been lots of little losses compensated by some sort of monstrous 4-way clusterfuck that I end up on top of. Lately, my winning sessions have been many modest wins and losses, with the losses less numerous and more modest.

I am adapting to the new frequencies.

Anyway...

9-seater, very tight passive-aggressive table. How passive-aggressive? Comes to your birthday party and criticizes the food because it's still brooding over the time you forgot its birthday passive-aggressive.

Lots of folding and limping pre-flop, then kicking into high gear usually on the turn with made hands or strong draws.

I'd been folding a great deal and playing generally tight, so when I get A7os one-off the cutoff, I decide to mix it up and go for a blind steal. Yes, one off the cutoff is a little early for a steal and A7 is not the strongest hand in the world, but I had no intention of making it a habit. The table was tight and it was time to mix it up with a little looseness.

The cutoff folds, the button reraises and the blinds fold.

Fuck. The button has a real hand. No one was reraising without premiums. I put him on AK AA KK QQ or JJ. I'm pretty screwed here, as nearly half his likely hands counterfeit my ace. But, the pot is offering me 6.5:1 and I'm a 3:1 underdog, so I call.

The flop comes A 7 6 rainbow. Okay, halfway home. Does he have the ace?

So, bet, check-raise or check-call? Check-raise would get me the most info but also cost me the most (2 bets when I'm behind, drive him out of the hand when I'm ahead). Check call is overly passive at this point. I split the diff and decide to play straight: bet out representing the ace.

I bet, he calls. This tells me next to nothing. He's either calling down JJ-KK or slowplaying an ace. If he's slow-playing, he'll make his move on the turn.

The turn is a blank, so I bet intending to fold to a raise and he calls. At this point, I put him on JJ-KK. He'd probably have raised any ace on the turn. Conceivably, he's luring me with AA, but since I have one of the other As, I don't make this as a strong possibility.

The river is a J, a minor scare for me. At this point, my nerves are wracked so, stupidly, I check the river, he checks and turns up QQ.

Analysyis

I decided not to check-raise the flop because if I had him beat I'd scare him off the reservation and minimize my return. If he had me beat, he'd call or reraise. I'll fold to a reraise or try to get a better read on the turn if he calls. I'm paying one extra bet if he's sneaky, but keeping him in if I'm ahead.

This highlights the value of position. On a board like this, I'd REALLY like him to be making the first moves.

I decided not to check because he was almost certainly going to bet. In retrospect, a check might have gotten me more info. If I checked and he checked, then I'd KNOW he had a monster.

The turn bet was good; continuation and value if I'm ahead, fold to a raise if not. I was not going to check-call this down to the river.

The river check was bad, should have bet. By the river, I had every reason to reduce his hand to KK QQ or JJ. Since a J fell on the river, this puts me ahead 2 out of 3 times.

If I check, he will bet JJ and check KK QQ. I'll likely call, so EV(check) = -0.3 (crying call the JJ bet)
If I bet, he will likely call KK QQ and raise JJ. Assuming I call the JJ raise, EV(bet) = 0.6 - 2*0.3 = 0.

As always, what makes a hand like this interesting (read: angst-ridden) is that I'm playing a weak opener (A-rag) against a clearly stronger hand.

The danger of weak openers is that even when they improve, it's hard to know if you're ahead.

posted in Poker Players - 4 replies

Putting a player spot on a hand

2006-12-07T23:12:02Z

9 seat table, tight passive players.

In the cutoff, I'm dealt KQs. UTG limps, everyone folds to me. I call, SB folds, BB checks.

Flop comes AKQ rainbow. UTB bets, I raise, BB folds, UTB reraises.

I know for almost certain he has AQ, with J10s as a dark horse. He would have raised pre-flop with AA, KK QQ or AK. He would have called with Ax. He would have folded K or Q. He would not have limped from first position with J10 unless it was suited.

So, why you ask, did I call to the river? Not crying, KNOWING I had lost? Curiosity...threw away $5 to check my read.

Was it worth it? In the long run, obviously no.

But sometimes moments come when it's worth the price of a grande latte to see if you're learning anything.

posted in Poker Players - 0 replies

(Almost) Always Raise Pre-Flop?

2006-12-07T22:19:18Z

Thinking about our discussion relating to the wisdom of open-raising with 88 against 4 semi-lose players (raises are often folded to, but called more often than is wise).

The idea is that 88 is not a strong raising hand. However, on a full 9-seated board, opening from middle position almost always calls for a raise and 88 is a decent middle-position opener.

We all know the "raise or fold first in" philosophy (http://www.cardplayer.com/author/article/all/124/7641). In this case, I'm about 30% to win against 4 opponents, 50% against 2 opponents and 70% against 1 opponent.

Of course, the flaw in the logic is that I'm not facing random hands, but hands worthy of calling a raise.

However, against loose players who are likely to cold call a raise with monsters like K7 os, it seems to me that raising will have a positive expectation.

Against tight players who are likely to muck to a raise without decent holdings, the raise is a good blind buy and discourages calls with hands that are likely to outdraw me (like KJ). In the case of a call, I'm 50/50 against overcards and as for overpairs, well, that's why they call it gambling.

But what about when you're not first in (and the pot is not yet raised)?

One hand I had this morning: AQs in early position, the UTG limps, I call, the cutoff calls, SB folds and BB calls. Flop misses me with low-gaps...possible straight draw. UTG checks, I bet, cutoff folds, BB calls, UTG folds. 2 of us in. The turn is a blank, I bet, BB folds.

In this case, calling gained me more than raising would likely have, but I still felt like giving the cutoff and blinds a cheap look at the flop was a mistake.

I'm out of position with respect to players on my left. Letting them into the pot cheaply means I have to lead against a board that a) missed my hand and b) is more likely to have hit one of their hands since they called only 1 bet to get in (thus were more likely to call with low connectors).

If I'd raised and been called (this was a tight table), I'd have some info: they have decent hands. If I raised and they folded, then I have isolated the UTG seat with good position.

So, for the price of 1 bet I get one of: a) isolating the players on my right b) revealing the relative strength of the players on my left or c) getting the players on my left to make a bad call.

Of course, this doesn't apply from late position, where a) you already have the positional advantage b) you're not likely to drive out anyone who's limped in already and c) you can judge the expectation of your hand by looking at the pot.

Thoughts?

posted in Poker Players - 3 replies