Tuesday, June 22, 2004
YARRRRRR!!! Poker can be a harsh mistress and yet offer vast ammounts of plunder. Some days you can play flawless poker and loose great ammounts of money. Other days you can play a hand poorly and have it pay off for you.
Recently I sat down for a session of $1/2 o8b at the new fish tank that is pacific poker. After 45 minutes of the same person raise every pot, I watched in horror as I lost a decent ammount of money and the goon who raised every pot ended up winning. I quit the table in disgust because I thought I played quite well and I didn't even win a damn hand.
A few hours later I joined a juicy $2/4 game with a clear head or so I thought. I played a pot were I drew when I didn't have odds and I hit a miracle river and made back all my losses and an extra $100. Having a pot over $150 in a $2/4 limit game is a rarity. I was very happy to win the pot but I have to admit I played like a goon and I won because of it.
Playing solid poker got me nowhere. In both examples the table goon ended up winning. What more can I say besides I got extremely lucky even though I think I deserved to be. This still doesn't warrent playing like a goon. This story will have a happy ending for all you tight rounders because my hand of the day will show how much easier playing solid poker is than playing like a goon.
Table tempest (Real Money)
Seat 6 is the button
Seat 1: XXXXXXXX ( $31.37 )
Seat 8: singman69 ( $23.45 )
Seat 9: Rabbit64 ( $24.50 )
Dealt to XXXXXXXX [ J
A
5
2 ]
I get dealt a playable hand in mid position and I only call the big blind. Five other people call behind me and we have six way action on the flop.
** Dealing Flop ** [ J
, J, A ]
Playing online poker makes it easier when you flop a full house than at the home game. You don't need to keep a straight face or worry about giving off any tells. I have a monster hand and I am only vunerable to someone holding AA in hand. The usual rule of of thumb on party poker is that if someone doesn't raise preflop in o8b you can be pretty damn certain that no one has AA in hand. The bet came around check to me and I also checked. Many people would bet the pot here. Slow playing big hands can get you into a lot of trouble, but when you do slow play you have to keep in mind what cards can really beat you. If a king or a queen hit the board I might be vunerable to someone holding kings or queens in hand. In this example with only 2 possible cards to hurt me (A jack or Ace would make me stronger), the slow play is the right move because you will get more action if someone makes two pair or even lower trips for a smaller full house down the road.
** Dealing Turn ** [ 8 ]
This is the type of card that opened up a whole bunch of draw oppurtunities. There is a low draw,flush draw and a straight draw as well as a paired board. The only mistake I made was not raising when the bet came .50 cents to me. With so many draws you gotta make the low people pay for a card that can cost you 50% of the pot. Four people called to see the river card.
** Dealing River ** [ T ]
Dream river in this situation. No low draw was possible and rabbit bet 50 cents into me. The ten was such a good card because I can create the illusion that I just hit my straight and I re-raised to $3. Singman re-raised to $5.50 and rabbit folded. My slow play finally paid off. By letting singman draw he ended up hitting a lower full house and was gonna call any bet I made. I put singman all in and because he thought I made the straight he instantly called.
XXXXXXXX shows [ J, A, 5, 2 ] a full house, Jacks full of aces.
singman69 doesn't show [ 5, T, 9, T ] a full house, Tens full of jacks.
XXXXXXXX wins $46.55 from the main pot with a full house, Jacks full of aces.
Slow playing can pay off if done well so don't always bet the pot if the risks are minimal that your big hand will get outdrawn. This play will get you a far greater return in the long run than giving away the strength of your hand early.
Recently I sat down for a session of $1/2 o8b at the new fish tank that is pacific poker. After 45 minutes of the same person raise every pot, I watched in horror as I lost a decent ammount of money and the goon who raised every pot ended up winning. I quit the table in disgust because I thought I played quite well and I didn't even win a damn hand.
A few hours later I joined a juicy $2/4 game with a clear head or so I thought. I played a pot were I drew when I didn't have odds and I hit a miracle river and made back all my losses and an extra $100. Having a pot over $150 in a $2/4 limit game is a rarity. I was very happy to win the pot but I have to admit I played like a goon and I won because of it.
Playing solid poker got me nowhere. In both examples the table goon ended up winning. What more can I say besides I got extremely lucky even though I think I deserved to be. This still doesn't warrent playing like a goon. This story will have a happy ending for all you tight rounders because my hand of the day will show how much easier playing solid poker is than playing like a goon.
Table tempest (Real Money)
Seat 6 is the button
Seat 1: XXXXXXXX ( $31.37 )
Seat 8: singman69 ( $23.45 )
Seat 9: Rabbit64 ( $24.50 )
Dealt to XXXXXXXX [ J
A 5 2 ]
I get dealt a playable hand in mid position and I only call the big blind. Five other people call behind me and we have six way action on the flop.
** Dealing Flop ** [ J
, J, A ]
Playing online poker makes it easier when you flop a full house than at the home game. You don't need to keep a straight face or worry about giving off any tells. I have a monster hand and I am only vunerable to someone holding AA in hand. The usual rule of of thumb on party poker is that if someone doesn't raise preflop in o8b you can be pretty damn certain that no one has AA in hand. The bet came around check to me and I also checked. Many people would bet the pot here. Slow playing big hands can get you into a lot of trouble, but when you do slow play you have to keep in mind what cards can really beat you. If a king or a queen hit the board I might be vunerable to someone holding kings or queens in hand. In this example with only 2 possible cards to hurt me (A jack or Ace would make me stronger), the slow play is the right move because you will get more action if someone makes two pair or even lower trips for a smaller full house down the road.
** Dealing Turn ** [ 8
]
This is the type of card that opened up a whole bunch of draw oppurtunities. There is a low draw,flush draw and a straight draw as well as a paired board. The only mistake I made was not raising when the bet came .50 cents to me. With so many draws you gotta make the low people pay for a card that can cost you 50% of the pot. Four people called to see the river card.
** Dealing River ** [ T
]
Dream river in this situation. No low draw was possible and rabbit bet 50 cents into me. The ten was such a good card because I can create the illusion that I just hit my straight and I re-raised to $3. Singman re-raised to $5.50 and rabbit folded. My slow play finally paid off. By letting singman draw he ended up hitting a lower full house and was gonna call any bet I made. I put singman all in and because he thought I made the straight he instantly called.
XXXXXXXX shows [ J
, A, 5, 2 ] a full house, Jacks full of aces.
singman69 doesn't show [ 5
, T, 9, T ] a full house, Tens full of jacks.
XXXXXXXX wins $46.55 from the main pot with a full house, Jacks full of aces.
Slow playing can pay off if done well so don't always bet the pot if the risks are minimal that your big hand will get outdrawn. This play will get you a far greater return in the long run than giving away the strength of your hand early.
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
If you feel guilt in poker you have no buisness sitting at the poker table. Sometimes it is hard not to feel sorry for some poker players. If you are a good player, you will walk to a table and within 3 rounds you will have identified people who are sharks, break-even players and players with no clues or hope. The first two groups I mentioned do not need pity. The final group may.
I always believed that when you participate in any competative event in life, you should atleast have a fucking clue what you are doing or you are going to make a fool of yourself. Poker involves skill, cunning, math and many other intangables which breed competiton. We compete with each other by putting up our own money against each others and fight until you win it all or go broke. If you don't have a clue in poker, you will be embarrased and broke all in one shot. The million dollar question is why do people play poker at mid to high stakes without a hope or a prayer?
Assumption #1
People have to learn how to play and get experience.
This is true but with alot of sites with micro stakes and play money, if you put in the time you can get good enough to be a break even player. Putting $50 and coming back broke is a very common occurence during a party poker night. Playing for play chips or pennies isn't as fun, but it gives you valuable experience which will help you ten fold down the line. If you play limits over $1/2 there is almost gauranteed to be one shark. No experience equals no bankroll at the end of the day.
Assumption #2
Playing for fun
Can't fault a person for playing for fun. Fifty bucks can be spent in one night at a bar. If someone considers getting their pockets emptied and enjoy it, I am all for it.
Whether a poker player is lazy or just enjoying himself, why should you feel guilty for padding your bankroll? Most good poker players have put in the time and effort to become good players. If people want to give away free money, why should you regret taking it. Always remember that when you get outdrawn or bad beat, other players don't feel sorry or guilty about taking your hard earnt cash. The next time a guy bets the pot with a jack high flush do what I do......
XXXXXXXX wins $83.36 from the main pot with a flush, ace high with ace kicker.
Check raise, smile and relax :)
I always believed that when you participate in any competative event in life, you should atleast have a fucking clue what you are doing or you are going to make a fool of yourself. Poker involves skill, cunning, math and many other intangables which breed competiton. We compete with each other by putting up our own money against each others and fight until you win it all or go broke. If you don't have a clue in poker, you will be embarrased and broke all in one shot. The million dollar question is why do people play poker at mid to high stakes without a hope or a prayer?
Assumption #1
People have to learn how to play and get experience.
This is true but with alot of sites with micro stakes and play money, if you put in the time you can get good enough to be a break even player. Putting $50 and coming back broke is a very common occurence during a party poker night. Playing for play chips or pennies isn't as fun, but it gives you valuable experience which will help you ten fold down the line. If you play limits over $1/2 there is almost gauranteed to be one shark. No experience equals no bankroll at the end of the day.
Assumption #2
Playing for fun
Can't fault a person for playing for fun. Fifty bucks can be spent in one night at a bar. If someone considers getting their pockets emptied and enjoy it, I am all for it.
Whether a poker player is lazy or just enjoying himself, why should you feel guilty for padding your bankroll? Most good poker players have put in the time and effort to become good players. If people want to give away free money, why should you regret taking it. Always remember that when you get outdrawn or bad beat, other players don't feel sorry or guilty about taking your hard earnt cash. The next time a guy bets the pot with a jack high flush do what I do......
XXXXXXXX wins $83.36 from the main pot with a flush, ace high with ace kicker.
Check raise, smile and relax :)
Saturday, June 12, 2004
Been awhile since I posted my hand of the day but without further delay here it is.
Seat 5 is the button
Seat 1: BugsBunny777 ( $23 )
Seat 3: MaxPetey ( $131.12 )
Seat 5: Navin1 ( $26.36 )
Seat 7: XXXXXXXX ( $25 )
Dealt to XXXXXXXX [ J 3 2 A ]
Getting dealt this gem in the big blind I never recommend raising preflop in o8b but I figure I will get atleast 2 calls with a small raise and I raise to $1.50 to go. To my surprize I get 3 callers.
** Dealing Flop ** [ Q, A, 9 ]
Often in poker you get great cards and shitty flops. This example shows this well. In first position I check and it went check around to my surprize cause the chip leader loved to push his stack around.
** Dealing Turn ** [ 6 ]
This card put me closer to my low but it isn't one I will bet on. The big stack bets the pot for 6$ as expected and I called. This may be considered a weak call because I was calling mainly for the low but I had a hunch I might be best. Everyone else folded and we were heads up.
** Dealing River ** [ 6 ]
Very interesting flop card. I made my 2 pair aces and 6's and without hesitation the big stack bet 18$ putting me all in. I had a jack kicker which wasn't exceptional but I knew by how fast the big blind bet he had a monster hand or a bluff. I had watched him play a monster earlier and he took his time to bet. Adding all the clues together I was sure at best he had an ace and sure enough ....
MaxPetey shows [ 7, A, 5, T ] two pairs, aces and sixes.
XXXXXXXX shows [ J, 3, 2, A ] two pairs, aces and sixes.
My kicker beat his and....
XXXXXXXX wins $50.85 from the main pot with two pairs, aces and sixes with jack kicker.
You may think I got lucky here, but to pick off a bluff is a very difficult task. Taking your time is the most important thing you can do at a table when facing this type of bet. By thinking it through I was sure he was bluffing and he paid me off because I added up all the clues to come up with the right conclusion.
Seat 5 is the button
Seat 1: BugsBunny777 ( $23 )
Seat 3: MaxPetey ( $131.12 )
Seat 5: Navin1 ( $26.36 )
Seat 7: XXXXXXXX ( $25 )
Dealt to XXXXXXXX [ J
3 2 A ]
Getting dealt this gem in the big blind I never recommend raising preflop in o8b but I figure I will get atleast 2 calls with a small raise and I raise to $1.50 to go. To my surprize I get 3 callers.
** Dealing Flop ** [ Q
, A, 9 ]
Often in poker you get great cards and shitty flops. This example shows this well. In first position I check and it went check around to my surprize cause the chip leader loved to push his stack around.
** Dealing Turn ** [ 6
]
This card put me closer to my low but it isn't one I will bet on. The big stack bets the pot for 6$ as expected and I called. This may be considered a weak call because I was calling mainly for the low but I had a hunch I might be best. Everyone else folded and we were heads up.
** Dealing River ** [ 6
]
Very interesting flop card. I made my 2 pair aces and 6's and without hesitation the big stack bet 18$ putting me all in. I had a jack kicker which wasn't exceptional but I knew by how fast the big blind bet he had a monster hand or a bluff. I had watched him play a monster earlier and he took his time to bet. Adding all the clues together I was sure at best he had an ace and sure enough ....
MaxPetey shows [ 7
, A, 5, T ] two pairs, aces and sixes.
XXXXXXXX shows [ J
, 3, 2, A ] two pairs, aces and sixes.
My kicker beat his and....
XXXXXXXX wins $50.85 from the main pot with two pairs, aces and sixes with jack kicker.
You may think I got lucky here, but to pick off a bluff is a very difficult task. Taking your time is the most important thing you can do at a table when facing this type of bet. By thinking it through I was sure he was bluffing and he paid me off because I added up all the clues to come up with the right conclusion.
I've been playing this 7 stud tournament on stars for what seems like all night. In reality we're not even two hours in, but we're ticking minutes off in internet time. Christ, online poker sucks. We start with $1500. Antes are $2, the bring-in is $5, and the first raise is $15. For the first twelve minute level, we're playing deep money stud poker, and we all feel like World Series high rollers. Twelve minutes isn't a very long time, and after that point, we're at $25/50. Then $50/100, and by the first break, we're playing $100/200. If you still think the money's deep, try a three meter springboard into your bathtub. I've played well up to this point. No, really. I'm at around $7000, we're playing 200/400 poker, and i'm about 1500 over the average stack. I've been waiting to find a hand, and by god, here it comes.
My door's a K, i've got QQ behind it, and the highest card out is a 10. The bring-in is two to my left, and i've got 4 callers ahead of me. If you're keeping score, I've got a pot of 450 staring me in the face. Raise it up. Getting 650 to call another 150, the 10 on the board hangs around. We've got 800 in the pot, heads up. 4th street is dealt. I'm delighted to see a rag four of clubs hit his board. To make things better, I've paired my king, and I'm sitting lovely on kings up. Unfortunately, I'm not going to make any more money on this hand. With kings showing, I'm obligated to make the double bet at the pot, and he, in turn, is obligated to fold - his 10-4 board. He calls. So this hand has gone from a mundane 800 chip pickup to a slightly less mundane 1200 chip pickup. He catches a 6 of diamonds to show a 10-4-6 rainbow board. I'm showing K-K-A. Trapping would be pointless, so I bet. My opponent is still unable to lay down his monster. Obviously, this story ends badly, or I wouldn't be telling it.
Our hero ends up having a 23 in the hole, check raises his queen on 6th street, and catches the case 5 on the river to fill in his gutshot straight draw. Yep, wrong odds, bad beat, poker sucks, etc, etc. Since that, I played a few hands to get my stack back to the average size, then played a hand stupidly and knocked myself back down. Now I'm back to 2/3 average, at 38th of 55 with 32 spots playing. I've got enough to play a pot or two. If I money in this fucking thing, I never want to hear about a bad beat costing you a tournament again, got that?
I hate poker, I love poker. I know you feel the same way. If you need me, I'll be at the craps table.
SH1
Thanks to sh1 for the post :)
My door's a K, i've got QQ behind it, and the highest card out is a 10. The bring-in is two to my left, and i've got 4 callers ahead of me. If you're keeping score, I've got a pot of 450 staring me in the face. Raise it up. Getting 650 to call another 150, the 10 on the board hangs around. We've got 800 in the pot, heads up. 4th street is dealt. I'm delighted to see a rag four of clubs hit his board. To make things better, I've paired my king, and I'm sitting lovely on kings up. Unfortunately, I'm not going to make any more money on this hand. With kings showing, I'm obligated to make the double bet at the pot, and he, in turn, is obligated to fold - his 10-4 board. He calls. So this hand has gone from a mundane 800 chip pickup to a slightly less mundane 1200 chip pickup. He catches a 6 of diamonds to show a 10-4-6 rainbow board. I'm showing K-K-A. Trapping would be pointless, so I bet. My opponent is still unable to lay down his monster. Obviously, this story ends badly, or I wouldn't be telling it.
Our hero ends up having a 23 in the hole, check raises his queen on 6th street, and catches the case 5 on the river to fill in his gutshot straight draw. Yep, wrong odds, bad beat, poker sucks, etc, etc. Since that, I played a few hands to get my stack back to the average size, then played a hand stupidly and knocked myself back down. Now I'm back to 2/3 average, at 38th of 55 with 32 spots playing. I've got enough to play a pot or two. If I money in this fucking thing, I never want to hear about a bad beat costing you a tournament again, got that?
I hate poker, I love poker. I know you feel the same way. If you need me, I'll be at the craps table.
SH1
Thanks to sh1 for the post :)
Monday, June 07, 2004
We had some good posting going. Than it kinda died out again. Oh well :)
I made my 40$ on the weekend but I don't have any big hands to go over. When there is one ... I will post it.
I made my 40$ on the weekend but I don't have any big hands to go over. When there is one ... I will post it.
