Another crazy one with The Jizz and company. After some bad play (and a semi-cold deck or two), I was down $1,200 early before beginning to scrape myself off the felt. As always, there were many hands probably worthy of note. Since I don’t have the time (or memory) to blog each of them, I’ll blog a few that stand out.
NLHE – John M. makes a standard raise from the button, and I call from the small blind with Q-J. Flop comes Q-J-4, and I check to him hoping he got some of it so I can check-raise (careful what you wish for). He checks behind, and a J comes on the turn. I lead out with my boat, he raises, etc, and we get all the chips in. He turns over Q-Q – yikes! I’m reminded of Roy Scheider’s line, when he first sees the shark in Jaws: “I think we’re gonna need a bigger boat!”
NLHE – Dave raises pre-flop from the button, I call with Q-9 suited and we’re heads up. The flop comes K-Q-3. I check to Dave, who puts out a feeler bet. I almost raise to see where I’m at (Dave could have anything), but decide just to call. A Q comes on turn, and now I’m hoping he has A-K. I check, he bets $200, I raise to $500, and he immediately goes all-in! Against a mere mortal, I might think I could be in trouble. This was The Jizz, however. Half the time he makes this play, he ends up turning over some cheese like pocket sixes, or his favorite hand; J-10. I make the call, he turns up A-Q, and I’m dead to a K, 9, or 3 (none of which comes). One of the nice things about being Dave (and I can’t think of many…) is that you tend to get paid off on those rare occasions when you actually do have a hand! And again, I don’t mind paying him off now and then, since I usually get it back, with interest, by the end of the night. Nice playing, Dave!
Omaha 8 – I have K-K-7-3, and as usual, all 83 of us call the big blind and see the flop. The flop comes K-7-7 – schwing! Not only a monster boat (Scheider finally gets his wish), but I can’t be afraid of quads since I have a 7 as well. The only bad thing about it is that I probably won’t get any action since I have all the cards! Elvie leads out with a $30, bet, however, and John M. calls – nice! I debate smooth-calling, but decide to make a small raise to $80, and both call. The turn brings a 4, Elvie bets $400, and John calls for his last $280 or something! I raise Elvie all-in, he calls and turns over 7-4-4-X. The river brings a 3, which gives John’s runner-runner low half the main pot, and I scoop the side pot. I forget what else John had, but he might have made a very loose flop call with A-A and backdoored a low.
It was a night of many good second-best hands all around the table. Just about everyone got a little cold-decked at one time or another. I ended up fighting my way back to finish up almost $2K. Down early / up late has been the theme for me the past few weeks, but I guess that’s better than the alternative! Hopefully we have enough players to get a game going tonight. Until next time!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Monday, November 27, 2006
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Sunday @ PKR
Well, Eddie-Earl has been on a nice little run lately and today was no different as he and I ended up chopping the tourney funds...... When we got to heads up, he had me out-chipped 3-1 and within about 30 minutes or so we were almost even and THEN he wants to chop.... LOL.
Probably the only real hand of consequence when I flopped bottom set and when an Ace hit the turn.... the Ace made a nice aggressive bet and I popped it up about 4X and he made a nice read and laid it down.
Looking forward to the Saturday tourney getting back underway!
Back to the felt!
Probably the only real hand of consequence when I flopped bottom set and when an Ace hit the turn.... the Ace made a nice aggressive bet and I popped it up about 4X and he made a nice read and laid it down.
Looking forward to the Saturday tourney getting back underway!
Back to the felt!
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Saturday at PKR
Our quarterly series of 13 tournaments culminated in yesterday’s freeroll at PKR. For those unfamiliar with the format, points are awarded based on one’s finish during each of the 12 “regular season” tournaments. The top ten in points get a seat at the week 13 tourney. As an incentive, the player who had the best attendance of those not in the top ten also got a seat. A portion of each entry, rebuy, and add-on during the regular season creates the prize pool, which this time was $2,662.
In the regular weekly tournaments we only get $3,000 in chips to begin with. Add to this the rebuys and add-ons, and you can end up with a lot of crazy play. Yesterday we started with $8,000 in chips, and there were no rebuys or add-ons. This obviously makes the flavor of the finals much different from the weekly tourneys, and allows for some actual poker to be played. That is, at least until the blinds shoot up to the moon!
As for me, I made a nice read and dodged a bullet (um, make that two bullets) early. I think it was the second hand of the tournament (blinds $25/50), and I’m UTG and look down at K-K. Several players have already shown a willingness to “follow the limper” and since it’s early, I decide to limp, then pop in a big raise and most likely take down the $300 or so that’s sure to be in there. Ideally someone will raise behind me, and I’ll scoop that money also. At any rate, I limp, and I think there’s one other limper, and Charles raises to $250. Ed calls behind him (sweet!), but then the small blind makes a min-raise to $500. I’ve never seen this guy before (he purchased a seat from one of the regulars who couldn’t make it), but a red flag immediately goes up. I can’t pinpoint exactly why, but every instinct I have tells me this guy has aces, and I actually think for a very brief second about folding pre-flop. I’ve folded kings pre-flop several times in tournaments, but each time it was after some kind of a raise/re-raise/all-in sequence. Re-raising is now out of the question in my mind. Since the additional $450 to me is only around 6% of my chip stack, I decide to call the bet, then reevaluate after the flop, since I’ll be acting after the small blind. Charles and Ed call as well, and we have a nice little pot brewing.
The flop comes 8-7-5 with two clubs - not exactly the A-K-K flop I’m looking for (lol). The small blind kind of surprises me by betting only $500, less than 25% of the pot. Could he have something like A-K suited? Whether he has A-K or A-A, this is a strange bet to me. There are two players to act behind me, and it’s a fairly coordinated flop, the kind that might have hit one of them. Players will often just smooth-call a raise or re-raise with a middle pair or suited connectors, hoping to spike a flop and bust a big pair. My gut tells me to fold, but my mind needs more information and says I’m now getting over 5:1 on my money, and I reluctantly toss in the call.
Clearly I listened to the wrong body part, as Charles immediately pushes all-in. The rest of us all fold, as he has obviously spiked his set. He turns up 8-8, Ed shows Q-Q, and small blind shows A-A. Wow, that could have really gotten ugly if the betting had gone differently! Though I could have maybe folded to the flop bet, I lost about as little as realistically possible in the hand. I don’t know about the other guys, but I was happy with the result!
The small blind made, in my opinion, a horrible play by only re-raising the minimum and inviting three other players to see the flop cheaply. Who knows what would have happened had he popped it $1,000 or so. I was also more than a little surprised that Charles would push in after flopping a monster. If you’re fairly sure someone has an overpair (pretty obvious here), then the only reason you would play a middle pair is for the implied odds when you hit a set, and he only got paid an additional $1,000 after the flop. I believe a nice raise of $1,500-2,000 (a little more than ½ the pot) was in order here, as this would have given drawing hands improper odds to call, and may have sucked in someone with a two-outer overpair. In his defense, I think he probably got hit with a flashback montage of all the “suck-outs” bestowed upon him throughout his poker life, and decided he needed to end it right there before another one came and put him over the edge. :-) And remember, this was PKR…
Anyway, the rest of the tournament was relatively uneventful for me. I did have a minor suck-out later (well, minor for me, since I had a big stack - major for him), when the new guy was all-in for only four times the big blind with K-K, and my Ad-10d outdrew him. I ended up getting heads-up with el Senor Jefe, and since we were almost exactly even in chips, I offered him a chop, which he accepted. All in all, not a bad day - nothing in, $965 out. I look forward to starting the “new season” next week. Hopefully I can improve on this past one!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
In the regular weekly tournaments we only get $3,000 in chips to begin with. Add to this the rebuys and add-ons, and you can end up with a lot of crazy play. Yesterday we started with $8,000 in chips, and there were no rebuys or add-ons. This obviously makes the flavor of the finals much different from the weekly tourneys, and allows for some actual poker to be played. That is, at least until the blinds shoot up to the moon!
As for me, I made a nice read and dodged a bullet (um, make that two bullets) early. I think it was the second hand of the tournament (blinds $25/50), and I’m UTG and look down at K-K. Several players have already shown a willingness to “follow the limper” and since it’s early, I decide to limp, then pop in a big raise and most likely take down the $300 or so that’s sure to be in there. Ideally someone will raise behind me, and I’ll scoop that money also. At any rate, I limp, and I think there’s one other limper, and Charles raises to $250. Ed calls behind him (sweet!), but then the small blind makes a min-raise to $500. I’ve never seen this guy before (he purchased a seat from one of the regulars who couldn’t make it), but a red flag immediately goes up. I can’t pinpoint exactly why, but every instinct I have tells me this guy has aces, and I actually think for a very brief second about folding pre-flop. I’ve folded kings pre-flop several times in tournaments, but each time it was after some kind of a raise/re-raise/all-in sequence. Re-raising is now out of the question in my mind. Since the additional $450 to me is only around 6% of my chip stack, I decide to call the bet, then reevaluate after the flop, since I’ll be acting after the small blind. Charles and Ed call as well, and we have a nice little pot brewing.
The flop comes 8-7-5 with two clubs - not exactly the A-K-K flop I’m looking for (lol). The small blind kind of surprises me by betting only $500, less than 25% of the pot. Could he have something like A-K suited? Whether he has A-K or A-A, this is a strange bet to me. There are two players to act behind me, and it’s a fairly coordinated flop, the kind that might have hit one of them. Players will often just smooth-call a raise or re-raise with a middle pair or suited connectors, hoping to spike a flop and bust a big pair. My gut tells me to fold, but my mind needs more information and says I’m now getting over 5:1 on my money, and I reluctantly toss in the call.
Clearly I listened to the wrong body part, as Charles immediately pushes all-in. The rest of us all fold, as he has obviously spiked his set. He turns up 8-8, Ed shows Q-Q, and small blind shows A-A. Wow, that could have really gotten ugly if the betting had gone differently! Though I could have maybe folded to the flop bet, I lost about as little as realistically possible in the hand. I don’t know about the other guys, but I was happy with the result!
The small blind made, in my opinion, a horrible play by only re-raising the minimum and inviting three other players to see the flop cheaply. Who knows what would have happened had he popped it $1,000 or so. I was also more than a little surprised that Charles would push in after flopping a monster. If you’re fairly sure someone has an overpair (pretty obvious here), then the only reason you would play a middle pair is for the implied odds when you hit a set, and he only got paid an additional $1,000 after the flop. I believe a nice raise of $1,500-2,000 (a little more than ½ the pot) was in order here, as this would have given drawing hands improper odds to call, and may have sucked in someone with a two-outer overpair. In his defense, I think he probably got hit with a flashback montage of all the “suck-outs” bestowed upon him throughout his poker life, and decided he needed to end it right there before another one came and put him over the edge. :-) And remember, this was PKR…
Anyway, the rest of the tournament was relatively uneventful for me. I did have a minor suck-out later (well, minor for me, since I had a big stack - major for him), when the new guy was all-in for only four times the big blind with K-K, and my Ad-10d outdrew him. I ended up getting heads-up with el Senor Jefe, and since we were almost exactly even in chips, I offered him a chop, which he accepted. All in all, not a bad day - nothing in, $965 out. I look forward to starting the “new season” next week. Hopefully I can improve on this past one!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
PKR Saturday Poker Tournament
I didn't do very well in today's championship event.... although there were a couple of hands that really stood out to me. The first big hand happened to be the second hand of the tournament. Blinds are 25/50 and I'm in middle to late position and there have been a couple of limpers. I raise the rocks to see pocket 8's.... play them or not? limp or raise? I elect to play and raise.... I make the 50 blind 250 to go and it folds around to the big blind who min raises to 500 and there Rick (in early position) calls and I call. The flop is 5x, 7x, 8x with two clubs. The big blind (who I don't really know, he purchased his seat from one of the other players) bets 500 and Rick smooth calls.... slow play or raise? I'm pretty certain that I have the best hand as I doubt anyone is playing 4, 6 or 6, 9 at this point especially since Jason sold his seat to someone else.... lol. So realizing Ed's dealing and this is PKR, I move all-in. (You might remember my earlier blog about getting them in with the best hand...) Ed folds pocket Queens, the big blind folded pocket Aces and Rick folded pocket Kings! Is this PartyPoker? Wow! So, in the spirit of the holidays, I flip my set of eights!
The other hand or two that were significant happened with me and SenorJefe when I had an over-pair and he flopped a set.... I did fold to his all-in, but he took about 4,000 in chips from me in that hand. The next big hand was with Akash when he was small blind and I was big blind and he slow played a flopped two pair to let me hit the biggest pair on the board on the turn.... And then finally after the break, I'm short stacked with about 3,200 remaining and in the big blind with 5, 7.... the flop 9x, 9x, 2x and all 6 of us check..... the turn is a seven and I push all-in and JoeBob calls having slow-played a 9.... as soon as he called, I knew that I was probably drawing dead, but I thought that a move there would almost double me up..... so I cashed out early and pretty simply with ZERO! Another fine showing.... but nice playing by most at the table!
Back to the felt!
The other hand or two that were significant happened with me and SenorJefe when I had an over-pair and he flopped a set.... I did fold to his all-in, but he took about 4,000 in chips from me in that hand. The next big hand was with Akash when he was small blind and I was big blind and he slow played a flopped two pair to let me hit the biggest pair on the board on the turn.... And then finally after the break, I'm short stacked with about 3,200 remaining and in the big blind with 5, 7.... the flop 9x, 9x, 2x and all 6 of us check..... the turn is a seven and I push all-in and JoeBob calls having slow-played a 9.... as soon as he called, I knew that I was probably drawing dead, but I thought that a move there would almost double me up..... so I cashed out early and pretty simply with ZERO! Another fine showing.... but nice playing by most at the table!
Back to the felt!
Omaha at PKR
Kind of a slow Friday night at PKR. With the holiday weekend and all, we only had 4-6 players most of the night (Joe, Charles, Nate, Akash, Raj and myself). The table was mostly on the tight side, and the average skill level was a bit higher than usual. This combination added up to a fairly uneventful evening. It was still Omaha, however, so we did end up with a few decent-sized pots. Blinds are $1/3, but we had a $7-8 straddle almost every hand to try and spur on some action. We even joked about just making it a $7 ante.
With this group of players, I realized fairly early that this probably wasn’t going to be a night where I won a lot of money. And since I’d be bored out of my skin if I just sat around and waited for good hands, I decided to play the night mostly for entertainment value. I figured I’d end up losing $100-200 for the evening while chasing crappy draws with marginal hands. Sure enough, that’s the way the first hour or two went. I didn’t pick up any large pots, and my dissipating chip stack reflected this.
After reloading, I started hitting a few flops and slowly building my stack up. While I scooped a few smaller pots, there is really only one hand that sticks out. I may get some particulars wrong, but I’m in the small blind with A-2-4-5, and I think the entire table sees the flop for $7. The flop comes 4-5-8 with two spades, and I like the flop so much that decide to check-raise. I check, and I think Raj pushes in his last few chips, Nate raises the pot, and Akash raises all-in. Yikes! All of a sudden, I go from thinking I may have a possible scooper to thinking I may get quartered.
I didn’t think very long, however. After a night of crappy hands, I decide if that I’m going down, then this is the hand I’m going down with. I make the call, and have everyone covered. Chuck throws up the turn and river before I can look at everyone’s hand. I definitely like the 5 on the turn, which boats me up. I don’t like the 8 on the river so much, but it turns out it doesn’t improve anyone enough to take the high away from me. Nate turns up a flush draw with no low (clearly he was as bored as me!), Akash turns over A-2 (I didn’t notice the other two), and I never saw Raj’s hand. Akash has Nate and Raj covered, so he gets ¼ of the pot with his shared nut low and I get the rest. This was by far the biggest pot of the night – around $1,300 or so.
There was one other interesting hand. I have a crappy Kd-6s-6c-3d, and the flop comes 9d-6h-2d. I like the flop, as I have middle set and second nut flush draw, but this is the kind of hand that can get real ugly if the wrong turn card comes (every card in the deck that doesn't pair the board makes a possible straight, low, or higher set). I bet the pot, and Akash is the only caller. The turn is the 9h, boating me up. I had put him on some kind of draw, and I don’t want to bet the pot and chase him off a straight of flush draw. If he’s on a low draw and it comes and I lose half the pot, then so be it. I bet $80 into a $120 or so pot. Akash thinks for a minute, folds his 7h-8h, and asks to see the river. In typical PKR fashion, Chuck turns up the 10h, which would have given him a straight flush (whew!). The interesting thing about this hand is that it really could have really been a monster for Akash if it had played out differently, as both Charles and Nate said they folded what would have been bigger boats than mine!
We played a while longer, but nobody else showed up and the game broke at around 11:30 or so. Though I began with low expectations, I ended up cashing out for a decent amount. It’s a funny game. I had crappy cards most of the night and played crappy as well, but one big hand made the difference in finishing ahead or behind. But as they say…that’s poker!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
With this group of players, I realized fairly early that this probably wasn’t going to be a night where I won a lot of money. And since I’d be bored out of my skin if I just sat around and waited for good hands, I decided to play the night mostly for entertainment value. I figured I’d end up losing $100-200 for the evening while chasing crappy draws with marginal hands. Sure enough, that’s the way the first hour or two went. I didn’t pick up any large pots, and my dissipating chip stack reflected this.
After reloading, I started hitting a few flops and slowly building my stack up. While I scooped a few smaller pots, there is really only one hand that sticks out. I may get some particulars wrong, but I’m in the small blind with A-2-4-5, and I think the entire table sees the flop for $7. The flop comes 4-5-8 with two spades, and I like the flop so much that decide to check-raise. I check, and I think Raj pushes in his last few chips, Nate raises the pot, and Akash raises all-in. Yikes! All of a sudden, I go from thinking I may have a possible scooper to thinking I may get quartered.
I didn’t think very long, however. After a night of crappy hands, I decide if that I’m going down, then this is the hand I’m going down with. I make the call, and have everyone covered. Chuck throws up the turn and river before I can look at everyone’s hand. I definitely like the 5 on the turn, which boats me up. I don’t like the 8 on the river so much, but it turns out it doesn’t improve anyone enough to take the high away from me. Nate turns up a flush draw with no low (clearly he was as bored as me!), Akash turns over A-2 (I didn’t notice the other two), and I never saw Raj’s hand. Akash has Nate and Raj covered, so he gets ¼ of the pot with his shared nut low and I get the rest. This was by far the biggest pot of the night – around $1,300 or so.
There was one other interesting hand. I have a crappy Kd-6s-6c-3d, and the flop comes 9d-6h-2d. I like the flop, as I have middle set and second nut flush draw, but this is the kind of hand that can get real ugly if the wrong turn card comes (every card in the deck that doesn't pair the board makes a possible straight, low, or higher set). I bet the pot, and Akash is the only caller. The turn is the 9h, boating me up. I had put him on some kind of draw, and I don’t want to bet the pot and chase him off a straight of flush draw. If he’s on a low draw and it comes and I lose half the pot, then so be it. I bet $80 into a $120 or so pot. Akash thinks for a minute, folds his 7h-8h, and asks to see the river. In typical PKR fashion, Chuck turns up the 10h, which would have given him a straight flush (whew!). The interesting thing about this hand is that it really could have really been a monster for Akash if it had played out differently, as both Charles and Nate said they folded what would have been bigger boats than mine!
We played a while longer, but nobody else showed up and the game broke at around 11:30 or so. Though I began with low expectations, I ended up cashing out for a decent amount. It’s a funny game. I had crappy cards most of the night and played crappy as well, but one big hand made the difference in finishing ahead or behind. But as they say…that’s poker!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Friday, November 24, 2006
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Giving Thanks
In keeping with the tradition of today’s holiday, I thought I would take a moment and reflect on what I am grateful for in my poker life. I am lucky enough to play regularly with a bunch of great guys, and I’d like to thank them. So here goes – many thanks to my opponents…
…Who call my flop or turn bets, chasing draws while getting improper odds. Of course they hit now and then, but basic math dictates that I will make money over time.
…Who don’t understand that same basic math themselves, and who make small bets into large pots to make sure they “get a little action” with their good hands. The best part is not getting proper pot odds and/or implied odds to call their bet with only a drawing hand; the best part is listening to the ensuing whining after my card comes. Pavarotti never sounded as sweet!
…Who always think I’m bluffing, and will pay off a big bet with a marginal hand.
…Who think I never bluff, and who fold the best hand when I throw a few chips in the pot.
…Who, once their draw doesn’t get there, make painfully obvious bluffs themselves. To them, I not only say thanks, but also “I call.”
…Who drink heavily before shoving their chips my way. Have one on me!
…Who move all-in with $720 into a $30 pot, with me acting behind them and yet to look at my cards. It almost feels like Christmas morning, as I eagerly anticipate waking up to a big pocket pair.
And last but most assuredly not least, many thanks to my opponents…
…Who are named Dave. Dave, don’t think for a minute you fall into the “All of the Above” category, as you are in a class all by yourself. There’s only one thing better than you losing enough to me to put my kids through college. Yes, that’s right - I don’t have any kids and I get to spend the money myself!
Yep, I truly have much to be thankful for.
See ya at the tables…
Rick
…Who call my flop or turn bets, chasing draws while getting improper odds. Of course they hit now and then, but basic math dictates that I will make money over time.
…Who don’t understand that same basic math themselves, and who make small bets into large pots to make sure they “get a little action” with their good hands. The best part is not getting proper pot odds and/or implied odds to call their bet with only a drawing hand; the best part is listening to the ensuing whining after my card comes. Pavarotti never sounded as sweet!
…Who always think I’m bluffing, and will pay off a big bet with a marginal hand.
…Who think I never bluff, and who fold the best hand when I throw a few chips in the pot.
…Who, once their draw doesn’t get there, make painfully obvious bluffs themselves. To them, I not only say thanks, but also “I call.”
…Who drink heavily before shoving their chips my way. Have one on me!
…Who move all-in with $720 into a $30 pot, with me acting behind them and yet to look at my cards. It almost feels like Christmas morning, as I eagerly anticipate waking up to a big pocket pair.
And last but most assuredly not least, many thanks to my opponents…
…Who are named Dave. Dave, don’t think for a minute you fall into the “All of the Above” category, as you are in a class all by yourself. There’s only one thing better than you losing enough to me to put my kids through college. Yes, that’s right - I don’t have any kids and I get to spend the money myself!
Yep, I truly have much to be thankful for.
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Royally flushed.....
Today was a heck of a roller coaster ride for me tonight at Eddie's $1/$2 NL game. I I started up fell way down, got back ahead, fell down a little, and forged ahead again. Much of this was caused by a bad run while holding AA and KK (Held either of those hands 7 times tonight while only winning with them once.)
The most notable of these hands involved me making my standard raise of $8 from early position with KK, ( a raise I rarely wavefred from tonight) I got 5 callers. The flop comes out Kh Qh 8d. I led $15 (another standard bet for me tonight) and Eddie immediately to my left went all-in for $120 more). Of course naturally I call and a stunned Eddie turns over Jh Th.
As luck would have it that roller coaster reached a peak at that point, and the ace of hearts that appeared on the turn sent me tumbling down to the first natural (I think this is what it's called when the player holds two of the cards in the hole.) royal flush I've ever seen in a live game. (Fortunately I had some goodwill in the bank, and was able to recover to have a decent night.)
One other note was one player whose name escapes me hittings natural quads nines twice in 30 minutes.
The most notable of these hands involved me making my standard raise of $8 from early position with KK, ( a raise I rarely wavefred from tonight) I got 5 callers. The flop comes out Kh Qh 8d. I led $15 (another standard bet for me tonight) and Eddie immediately to my left went all-in for $120 more). Of course naturally I call and a stunned Eddie turns over Jh Th.
As luck would have it that roller coaster reached a peak at that point, and the ace of hearts that appeared on the turn sent me tumbling down to the first natural (I think this is what it's called when the player holds two of the cards in the hole.) royal flush I've ever seen in a live game. (Fortunately I had some goodwill in the bank, and was able to recover to have a decent night.)
One other note was one player whose name escapes me hittings natural quads nines twice in 30 minutes.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Christmas Comes Early
Well, it was yet another big night at Dave’s. We had a table full of loose players, and Dean was there as well. Last week I doubled Dave up right away before I began amassing the giant stack. I was hoping for a bit of a different start last night, and I got my wish; I doubled Bill up right away. Again, I don’t remember the hand, but I think my top pair paid off his set.
I began collecting chips immediately after rebuying, and never slowed down until I had a monster stack. Although there were several big hands, and a few Omaha scoopers, my favorite hand of the night was against (who else?) Dave. Omaha 8 - Everyone limps, Dave raises pre-flop from the button, just about everyone else calls, and I call in late position with Qc-8h-8d-3c. This is a complete garbage hand, of course, but as I’ve said before, against Dave and a couple others it’s all about the implied odds. If the flop hits me I’m probably getting paid. There’s maybe $150 in the pot, and the flop comes Kc-Jh-8c.
Although I have nowhere near the nuts, I like the flop. I only have bottom set, but I also have the second nut flush draw. What I really like is that there is only one low card on the board. Everyone checks to me, so with only Dave yet to act, I’m fairly confident I have the best hand right now. I bet $125, hoping to chase out any straight draws and take the pot down right there. Dave calls, and everyone else folds. I now know I have the best hand, as he would have raised with J-J or K-K. One of the problems with bottom set is that (outside of the one-outer for quads, of course) you’re never quite sure what card you want. Dave could easily make that call with K-J or some goofy straight draw, but I’m actually thinking I want a club, preferably a big one that also either makes him a straight or a smaller flush, as I know he will never put me on a flush draw.
Sure enough, a small club (6, I think) comes on the turn. I try to look just a bit worried as I throw in a $150 turn bet, and Dave immediately goes all-in for an additional $550 or so. I call, asking him if he has the nuts. He says he doesn’t, but proudly turns a cute little baby flush. I must admit to always getting a bit of a sadistic rush when I see the look in his eyes after I turn up my hand and he realizes he’s drawing dead. He actually did end up with a low draw to split the pot (he needed a 3,4,5,or 7), but it didn’t come and I scooped a nice pot.
While taking Dave’s money is fun, crushing his spirit is infinitely more enjoyable. He walked around talking to himself for hours after that, and never was quite the same. When I finally left, he was curled up in the corner in a fetal position, hugging his teddy bear and sobbing uncontrollably. Dave, I have to tell you this: Buck up soldier! I’m coming back next week to take the rest of your money, and obliterate what’s left of your fragile psyche. Remember the old saying, Dave; “It’s always darkest just before it goes pitch black…”
See ya at the tables…
Rick
I began collecting chips immediately after rebuying, and never slowed down until I had a monster stack. Although there were several big hands, and a few Omaha scoopers, my favorite hand of the night was against (who else?) Dave. Omaha 8 - Everyone limps, Dave raises pre-flop from the button, just about everyone else calls, and I call in late position with Qc-8h-8d-3c. This is a complete garbage hand, of course, but as I’ve said before, against Dave and a couple others it’s all about the implied odds. If the flop hits me I’m probably getting paid. There’s maybe $150 in the pot, and the flop comes Kc-Jh-8c.
Although I have nowhere near the nuts, I like the flop. I only have bottom set, but I also have the second nut flush draw. What I really like is that there is only one low card on the board. Everyone checks to me, so with only Dave yet to act, I’m fairly confident I have the best hand right now. I bet $125, hoping to chase out any straight draws and take the pot down right there. Dave calls, and everyone else folds. I now know I have the best hand, as he would have raised with J-J or K-K. One of the problems with bottom set is that (outside of the one-outer for quads, of course) you’re never quite sure what card you want. Dave could easily make that call with K-J or some goofy straight draw, but I’m actually thinking I want a club, preferably a big one that also either makes him a straight or a smaller flush, as I know he will never put me on a flush draw.
Sure enough, a small club (6, I think) comes on the turn. I try to look just a bit worried as I throw in a $150 turn bet, and Dave immediately goes all-in for an additional $550 or so. I call, asking him if he has the nuts. He says he doesn’t, but proudly turns a cute little baby flush. I must admit to always getting a bit of a sadistic rush when I see the look in his eyes after I turn up my hand and he realizes he’s drawing dead. He actually did end up with a low draw to split the pot (he needed a 3,4,5,or 7), but it didn’t come and I scooped a nice pot.
While taking Dave’s money is fun, crushing his spirit is infinitely more enjoyable. He walked around talking to himself for hours after that, and never was quite the same. When I finally left, he was curled up in the corner in a fetal position, hugging his teddy bear and sobbing uncontrollably. Dave, I have to tell you this: Buck up soldier! I’m coming back next week to take the rest of your money, and obliterate what’s left of your fragile psyche. Remember the old saying, Dave; “It’s always darkest just before it goes pitch black…”
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Tuesday night with the JUICE!
I'm hoping that a couple of other guys are going to post their hands from last night.... Nate had a monster and so did Rick. I tried to play quality cards but the temptation is so great to call "whacky" pre-flop raises in Omaha 8 and try to hit the lottery and I did that a couple of times when I was in the right position getting the right odds, but never really connected on any of them. But the plan there is try to see the flop and if it doesn't fit, get out!
Probably the biggest hand for me for the night was Ad, 2d, X, X and the flop was 3d, 8d, Jc. I believe that I was in late position and it checked around to me and I bet $12 and there were 3 or 4 callers. The turn was the 6d and it checked to me again and I bet $40. The river was a brick.... yep, I couldn't believe it either. It checked to me and I went all-in and Elvie called and I got to say those awe-inspiring words... "double nuts!"
I did cash out ahead, but when I left Rick was way up! I am hoping he blogs the couple of big hands that he hit last night!
Back to the felt!
Probably the biggest hand for me for the night was Ad, 2d, X, X and the flop was 3d, 8d, Jc. I believe that I was in late position and it checked around to me and I bet $12 and there were 3 or 4 callers. The turn was the 6d and it checked to me again and I bet $40. The river was a brick.... yep, I couldn't believe it either. It checked to me and I went all-in and Elvie called and I got to say those awe-inspiring words... "double nuts!"
I did cash out ahead, but when I left Rick was way up! I am hoping he blogs the couple of big hands that he hit last night!
Back to the felt!
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Daniel vs Matusow
I think that Jeffrey originally posted this one, but it was before I had figured out the formatting problems.... so here you go! Enjoy!
Monday, November 20, 2006
NEW 12 WEEK TOURNAMENT BEGINS DECEMBER 2
This coming Saturday, November 25 will be the 12-week Championship Tournament at PKR.... as always, surrounding every major tournament event, there's controversy. This time, one of the tournament players is accused of dumping chips to one of the other players to give him an edge... Oh, come on now.... you don't really believe that do you?
At any rate, I'll get the list of the TOP 10 who qualified from the field of over 50 or so players PLUS the one WILD CARD seat... the guy who played the most weekly tournaments but DIDN'T make the TOP 10. Actually this time I think there was a tie for the 10th spot and one of the tied contestants happened to be the Wild Card qualifier! LOL. So there you go....
Looking forward to the event, there's still a $50 buy-in, but it's a freeze-out... no re-buys, no add-ons and there have already been a couple of the players who sold their seats to the Championship for $200 plus/minus.
If you're not in, you might still be able to buy a seat from one of the qualifiers, but you need to act quickly and then jump into the weekly events beginning December 2nd and let's see how you do....
Back to the felt!
At any rate, I'll get the list of the TOP 10 who qualified from the field of over 50 or so players PLUS the one WILD CARD seat... the guy who played the most weekly tournaments but DIDN'T make the TOP 10. Actually this time I think there was a tie for the 10th spot and one of the tied contestants happened to be the Wild Card qualifier! LOL. So there you go....
Looking forward to the event, there's still a $50 buy-in, but it's a freeze-out... no re-buys, no add-ons and there have already been a couple of the players who sold their seats to the Championship for $200 plus/minus.
If you're not in, you might still be able to buy a seat from one of the qualifiers, but you need to act quickly and then jump into the weekly events beginning December 2nd and let's see how you do....
Back to the felt!
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Let the Suck Outs Begin!
Hey.... so that's what it feels like to get your money in with the worst hand and then suck out! I think I like it!
Nothing great, but getting short stacked in Sunday's PKR Tournament and I wake up with Kh, Qh and push all -in and run into As, Ks.... yep.... the deck just started throwing up hearts! By the turn, Scott was drawing dead!
This donkey-poker isn't that bad!
Nothing great, but getting short stacked in Sunday's PKR Tournament and I wake up with Kh, Qh and push all -in and run into As, Ks.... yep.... the deck just started throwing up hearts! By the turn, Scott was drawing dead!
This donkey-poker isn't that bad!
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Set him up perfectly and he sucks out!
I guess.... I hope... all poker players go through a period like this... I went in today 4 different times with monster hands and got sucked out on every time! I'll just tell you the last one since it is very fresh in my mind!
I believe that we're 7 handed and blinds have just gone up to 500/1000. Rick is on my left and playing the button. There's one limper in early position, Carl folds, Ed folds and I look at my first card and it is an black Ace, the second is the other black Ace.... I think for a moment about limping and then decide since I am one of the short stacks that if I make a move, everyone is going to put me on an Ace of some sort and I've only got 5,500 so I push all-in. Rick immediately calls and the limper calls. Now there's 18,000 in the pot and I'm not happy about playing my Aces against 2 players but its sort of out of my hands. I think that Rick has a big pair of some sort.... the flop is 3 rags... 9, 8 and 3 or something like it. The limper checks and Rick makes a bet and the limper folded. I turn over my Aces and say that that couldn't have worked out any better..... Rick shows his Jacks and says "Nice hand" and then Ed throws the turn, a Jack!
I was pissed, but not at Rick.... he stepped right where I wanted him to step! He not only called my all-in with 2 outs, but then bet out a guy that could have been on a straight draw or a flush draw. Nope, not mad at Rick. Just can't believe my luck! You set the trap and get someone right where you want them drawing so thin that if it were ice, you couldn't walk on it! And then..... BANG! Now, I'm looking at worst outs than he had because I'm sure the limper had some kind of Ace.... the river is a brick and I'm out!
Maybe I should take some sort of hiatus! Maybe I should try to hook-up with Anonymous' sister with no left foot!
I believe that we're 7 handed and blinds have just gone up to 500/1000. Rick is on my left and playing the button. There's one limper in early position, Carl folds, Ed folds and I look at my first card and it is an black Ace, the second is the other black Ace.... I think for a moment about limping and then decide since I am one of the short stacks that if I make a move, everyone is going to put me on an Ace of some sort and I've only got 5,500 so I push all-in. Rick immediately calls and the limper calls. Now there's 18,000 in the pot and I'm not happy about playing my Aces against 2 players but its sort of out of my hands. I think that Rick has a big pair of some sort.... the flop is 3 rags... 9, 8 and 3 or something like it. The limper checks and Rick makes a bet and the limper folded. I turn over my Aces and say that that couldn't have worked out any better..... Rick shows his Jacks and says "Nice hand" and then Ed throws the turn, a Jack!
I was pissed, but not at Rick.... he stepped right where I wanted him to step! He not only called my all-in with 2 outs, but then bet out a guy that could have been on a straight draw or a flush draw. Nope, not mad at Rick. Just can't believe my luck! You set the trap and get someone right where you want them drawing so thin that if it were ice, you couldn't walk on it! And then..... BANG! Now, I'm looking at worst outs than he had because I'm sure the limper had some kind of Ace.... the river is a brick and I'm out!
Maybe I should take some sort of hiatus! Maybe I should try to hook-up with Anonymous' sister with no left foot!
Dancing with two left feet...
That's what it feels like playing poker right now.... for about two weeks, I 've called and been sucked out on -or- in Omaha 8, called and the card didn't come -or- I've folded and made the nuts! When I think back on the hands, based on my chip stack, position, cards, and number of outs, I believe that I made the right moves at the time, but DAMN!
Last night at PKR, Omaha High/Low or Omaha High, probably the largest pot that I was tied up in, I folded on the turn with 2, 5 for the low with an A, 4, 9 board and the river brought the 3 - the guy that bet me out, Akash, had the 2, 3 and Rick scooped the pot with a flush!
I know its just luck and for the most part, I do think that I'm making the right plays, but DAMN... it's frustrating! LOL.
It's funny and you don't expect to hear this when the game is Omaha 8, but the only reasonable sized pots that I won last night, I bluffed! LOL.
Oh well.... back to the felt!
Last night at PKR, Omaha High/Low or Omaha High, probably the largest pot that I was tied up in, I folded on the turn with 2, 5 for the low with an A, 4, 9 board and the river brought the 3 - the guy that bet me out, Akash, had the 2, 3 and Rick scooped the pot with a flush!
I know its just luck and for the most part, I do think that I'm making the right plays, but DAMN... it's frustrating! LOL.
It's funny and you don't expect to hear this when the game is Omaha 8, but the only reasonable sized pots that I won last night, I bluffed! LOL.
Oh well.... back to the felt!
Friday, November 17, 2006
Tuesday at Dave's - A New Game!
Well, I didn’t think it could get much more crazy or exciting at Dave’s, but I stand corrected. 60-70% of the time we already play a game that’s not for the faint of heart; Omaha 8 (Hi/Low) No-Limit. This is a game you will not find many places during your travels, but it can result in some intense action and very large multi-way pots.
For Dave (the original adrenaline junkie) this game is apparently becoming too mundane, as he has invented a new off-shoot. His new game is called “Omaha 8 (Hi/Low) No-Limit Raise $100 Blind Pre-Flop When It Gets To Me.” I must admit, it, um, spiced things up a bit. Our hero was on my left Tuesday night, and he had a few fellow crazies (Bill, Elvie, Michael, etc) acting behind him. Like clockwork, Dave would carelessly toss in a chocolate chip, and by the time it got back around to me, the middle of the table looked like a fat kid’s bedroom floor on Halloween night. I’d look down at some garbage like K-J-4-2, but by then I’m usually getting 7:1 pot odds and almost incalculable implied odds, so I’d toss one in as well.
I tell you what; you’ve never seen a table full of card players more interested in the flop! Everyone was hoping to flop to their hand and cash in their lottery ticket. It definitely beats the heck out of the North Carolina State Lottery (where the payout is $1 a year for a million years). Dave got back to his “normal” self after a while, then we got to see some flops for *only* $20-25. While it was a bit of a letdown, trying to get excited about a pot that had less than $2K in it, we all did our best to at least pretend interested.
As for the big hands, I gave Dave $400 pretty quickly. I forget the specifics, but I think I flopped top pair in NLHE and paid off his overpair. I told him at the time that it was just a very short-term loan with an extremely high interest rate. Sure enough, a few hands later he gave me $800 or so when he has 8-8, I have 9-9, and the flop comes 9-8-3. Not much he could have done there, but I raked his chips and never looked back.
I had a few nice scoops in Omaha 8. Dave even paid off my monkey when the board shows 9-9-9, and he has A-A. I check the river, he bets $300 into a $500 or so pot, and I min-raise to $600. He calls immediately, and says he would’ve called an all-in. With Dave (like Roseanne Roseannadanna’s father) you never know, but I was happy to take the extra $300 “sure thing.”
Tuesday also marked the return of Eli, one of my favorite people to play with. He’s an action player, but more importantly, he’s a quality individual, and all-around good guy. He’s still learning Omaha (and making a few mistakes along the way like all of us did at first), but he’ll soon grow to love it like the rest of us have. I’m convinced that Omaha 8 is the best game around for an action guy.
Once daylight came and the smoke cleared, I was lucky enough to have held on to most of my chips, and cashed out for a very nice amount. As usual, Dave had a lot of money invested, but he made some nice plays, scooped a couple monster pots, and (I believe) ended up ahead. All in all, it was a very interesting and exciting night of poker with The Jizz. I’m looking forward to next Tuesday! Until then…
See ya at the tables…
Rick
For Dave (the original adrenaline junkie) this game is apparently becoming too mundane, as he has invented a new off-shoot. His new game is called “Omaha 8 (Hi/Low) No-Limit Raise $100 Blind Pre-Flop When It Gets To Me.” I must admit, it, um, spiced things up a bit. Our hero was on my left Tuesday night, and he had a few fellow crazies (Bill, Elvie, Michael, etc) acting behind him. Like clockwork, Dave would carelessly toss in a chocolate chip, and by the time it got back around to me, the middle of the table looked like a fat kid’s bedroom floor on Halloween night. I’d look down at some garbage like K-J-4-2, but by then I’m usually getting 7:1 pot odds and almost incalculable implied odds, so I’d toss one in as well.
I tell you what; you’ve never seen a table full of card players more interested in the flop! Everyone was hoping to flop to their hand and cash in their lottery ticket. It definitely beats the heck out of the North Carolina State Lottery (where the payout is $1 a year for a million years). Dave got back to his “normal” self after a while, then we got to see some flops for *only* $20-25. While it was a bit of a letdown, trying to get excited about a pot that had less than $2K in it, we all did our best to at least pretend interested.
As for the big hands, I gave Dave $400 pretty quickly. I forget the specifics, but I think I flopped top pair in NLHE and paid off his overpair. I told him at the time that it was just a very short-term loan with an extremely high interest rate. Sure enough, a few hands later he gave me $800 or so when he has 8-8, I have 9-9, and the flop comes 9-8-3. Not much he could have done there, but I raked his chips and never looked back.
I had a few nice scoops in Omaha 8. Dave even paid off my monkey when the board shows 9-9-9, and he has A-A. I check the river, he bets $300 into a $500 or so pot, and I min-raise to $600. He calls immediately, and says he would’ve called an all-in. With Dave (like Roseanne Roseannadanna’s father) you never know, but I was happy to take the extra $300 “sure thing.”
Tuesday also marked the return of Eli, one of my favorite people to play with. He’s an action player, but more importantly, he’s a quality individual, and all-around good guy. He’s still learning Omaha (and making a few mistakes along the way like all of us did at first), but he’ll soon grow to love it like the rest of us have. I’m convinced that Omaha 8 is the best game around for an action guy.
Once daylight came and the smoke cleared, I was lucky enough to have held on to most of my chips, and cashed out for a very nice amount. As usual, Dave had a lot of money invested, but he made some nice plays, scooped a couple monster pots, and (I believe) ended up ahead. All in all, it was a very interesting and exciting night of poker with The Jizz. I’m looking forward to next Tuesday! Until then…
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Where to play?
Now there is the question of the day.... I haven't played that many different places in the area, but I have played quite a few as you can probably tell from the blog. I play enough and I know that if I ever quit playing poker, there'll be quite a few of you turkeys that will have to get real jobs! LOL.
I know from time to time people post on this blog about their poker-location-playing-preferences. I've tried not to edit those other than the ones that give specific address information and I think you probably know why.... LOL. I do have a few favorites. At the top of the list is probably the two that I frequent and write about most often... PKR and the Juice! It probably wouldn't hurt for you to understand a little about my poker background to understand why I frequent these two spots.... I have been playing poker regularly since 1980 or so.... it really kicked up a notch when I moved to Raleigh back in 1987. Me and a bunch of guys from my office and their college buddies began playing once a week at my house or some other poor unfortunate souls house. We eventually moved that to my office and until about 2000 that is just the way it was..... our game of choice.... there wasn't one. It was dealers choice and we played anything from Indian to Acey-Ducey to Drop. We actually had a list of games so that the person making the selection wouldn't have to stress their memory to come up with something quickly.... just for shits and giggles, I'll include the list. It wasn't until some time after 2000 when Jeffrey began frequenting our poker games that we started playing Texas Hold'em and we didn't really play it a lot then because although everyone loves it today, you really need to be playing every hand or close to it for you get into the rhythm. Once every 15 hands, it sucks! Then when Moneymaker won the WSOP... it sort of took over. I think that it was right around this time that another friend of mine.... Sonny, introduced me to Joe. I never knew what a rake was until I met Joe! LOL. I had to been to Las Vegas a few times and thought that I was a gambler, but I didn't even know the card tables existed. I played blackjack, 3-Card-Poker, etc., and never even ventured into the poker rooms. Now, I don't play any casino games, only poker! At any rate, I couldn't believe that I was so lucky to find PKR! I played there all the time! It was mostly limit games in the beginning until I finally realized that low-limit hold'em should really be called.... let's meet at the River and see who has the best hand!
Over the past several years, Joe has become a very good friend and I still thoroughly enjoy playing at PKR. But I still haven't been able to get him to start blogging! You hear me and some of the other guys that write hear frequently give them crap but I still believe that it is probably the best poker room in Raleigh. The crap that we give them can probably best be summed up with "that's poker!" 99% of the crap has to do with how we, I am a poker god and I can't believe that some arse would be crazy, stupid enough to call my bet with such crap and then actually suck-out on me.... yep, you know, "that's poker!" LOL. At PKR, I have met some other folks who will probably be friends for life unless I can figure out some way to rub them out.... I met the Juice there. I now frequent his game weekly. I think that I've gained 15 pounds since I've been playing at his place. If he weren't in the construction business, he would probably have a great restaurant some where.... the man has skills! I met Rick prior to PKR through Jonathan and led him over to PKR one night and I think he has a cot over there now. There's lots of other and probably way too many to name.
At any rate, where to play? First of all, I don't think that you can go to any place one night and make a decision on how good the facility and management is and whether or not you should go back. I've been to PKR 5-6 times in one week and it basically be a different type group at the table every night. It's tight once in a while, but if you happen to go over on the wrong night, you'd better strap yourself in because it'll get crazy.
There are other places that I have been to and played and only one or two of them really, really sucked, but I like the places where I play because I feel that the environment is right for me to play poker in those places. Generally speaking it is because the rake is fair and the other people who frequent that place, I enjoy being around. So I know there are a lot of other factors, but for now, I'm happy and I would highly recommend giving them a try if you get the opportunity!
Games we played.....
727
2's & 4's
5 Card Stud
6 in the Neighborhood
7 Card Stud
Acey Ducey
Baseball
Black Jack
Blind Baseball
BooRay!
Bundles
Dirty Queen
Do Ya?
DROP
DROPSIE!
Follow the Bitch
Indian
Jacks or Better/Trips to Win
Kings & Little Ones
Omaha 8 (High Low Split)
Pass the Trash
Pyramid
Queen & What Follows
Screw Your Neighbor
SPIT
Texas Hold'em
TONK (TUNK)
TurboGut
Up the River/Down the River
Whiskey
I know from time to time people post on this blog about their poker-location-playing-preferences. I've tried not to edit those other than the ones that give specific address information and I think you probably know why.... LOL. I do have a few favorites. At the top of the list is probably the two that I frequent and write about most often... PKR and the Juice! It probably wouldn't hurt for you to understand a little about my poker background to understand why I frequent these two spots.... I have been playing poker regularly since 1980 or so.... it really kicked up a notch when I moved to Raleigh back in 1987. Me and a bunch of guys from my office and their college buddies began playing once a week at my house or some other poor unfortunate souls house. We eventually moved that to my office and until about 2000 that is just the way it was..... our game of choice.... there wasn't one. It was dealers choice and we played anything from Indian to Acey-Ducey to Drop. We actually had a list of games so that the person making the selection wouldn't have to stress their memory to come up with something quickly.... just for shits and giggles, I'll include the list. It wasn't until some time after 2000 when Jeffrey began frequenting our poker games that we started playing Texas Hold'em and we didn't really play it a lot then because although everyone loves it today, you really need to be playing every hand or close to it for you get into the rhythm. Once every 15 hands, it sucks! Then when Moneymaker won the WSOP... it sort of took over. I think that it was right around this time that another friend of mine.... Sonny, introduced me to Joe. I never knew what a rake was until I met Joe! LOL. I had to been to Las Vegas a few times and thought that I was a gambler, but I didn't even know the card tables existed. I played blackjack, 3-Card-Poker, etc., and never even ventured into the poker rooms. Now, I don't play any casino games, only poker! At any rate, I couldn't believe that I was so lucky to find PKR! I played there all the time! It was mostly limit games in the beginning until I finally realized that low-limit hold'em should really be called.... let's meet at the River and see who has the best hand!
Over the past several years, Joe has become a very good friend and I still thoroughly enjoy playing at PKR. But I still haven't been able to get him to start blogging! You hear me and some of the other guys that write hear frequently give them crap but I still believe that it is probably the best poker room in Raleigh. The crap that we give them can probably best be summed up with "that's poker!" 99% of the crap has to do with how we, I am a poker god and I can't believe that some arse would be crazy, stupid enough to call my bet with such crap and then actually suck-out on me.... yep, you know, "that's poker!" LOL. At PKR, I have met some other folks who will probably be friends for life unless I can figure out some way to rub them out.... I met the Juice there. I now frequent his game weekly. I think that I've gained 15 pounds since I've been playing at his place. If he weren't in the construction business, he would probably have a great restaurant some where.... the man has skills! I met Rick prior to PKR through Jonathan and led him over to PKR one night and I think he has a cot over there now. There's lots of other and probably way too many to name.
At any rate, where to play? First of all, I don't think that you can go to any place one night and make a decision on how good the facility and management is and whether or not you should go back. I've been to PKR 5-6 times in one week and it basically be a different type group at the table every night. It's tight once in a while, but if you happen to go over on the wrong night, you'd better strap yourself in because it'll get crazy.
There are other places that I have been to and played and only one or two of them really, really sucked, but I like the places where I play because I feel that the environment is right for me to play poker in those places. Generally speaking it is because the rake is fair and the other people who frequent that place, I enjoy being around. So I know there are a lot of other factors, but for now, I'm happy and I would highly recommend giving them a try if you get the opportunity!
Games we played.....
727
2's & 4's
5 Card Stud
6 in the Neighborhood
7 Card Stud
Acey Ducey
Baseball
Black Jack
Blind Baseball
BooRay!
Bundles
Dirty Queen
Do Ya?
DROP
DROPSIE!
Follow the Bitch
Indian
Jacks or Better/Trips to Win
Kings & Little Ones
Omaha 8 (High Low Split)
Pass the Trash
Pyramid
Queen & What Follows
Screw Your Neighbor
SPIT
Texas Hold'em
TONK (TUNK)
TurboGut
Up the River/Down the River
Whiskey
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
You think our decks are screwed up!
I copied this one from another blog.... keep up with the Ace count!
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REBUYS SUCK
SO i am real deep into a 3$ rebuy at stars about 50 people left i am chip leader with 1100000 chips and i get AA i raise 4x big blin get 1 caller a guy with 600000 in chips calls my bet. THe flop comes A44. I check he checks. turn 8. i bet 23k. he raises all in. I call he flipss over A4. and river is an ace. This beat cost me about 1000$ atleast.
killersaces
11-11-2006, 4:37 AM
ChuckTs
What site is this that has 5 aces in a deck??
Legally or illegally, I'll be rich at one point or another in my life"I'm sure that we can handle this situation maturely, just like the responsible adults that we are. Isn't that right, Mister…Poopy Pants?"
**********************************************************
REBUYS SUCK
SO i am real deep into a 3$ rebuy at stars about 50 people left i am chip leader with 1100000 chips and i get AA i raise 4x big blin get 1 caller a guy with 600000 in chips calls my bet. THe flop comes A44. I check he checks. turn 8. i bet 23k. he raises all in. I call he flipss over A4. and river is an ace. This beat cost me about 1000$ atleast.
killersaces
11-11-2006, 4:37 AM
ChuckTs
What site is this that has 5 aces in a deck??
Legally or illegally, I'll be rich at one point or another in my life"I'm sure that we can handle this situation maturely, just like the responsible adults that we are. Isn't that right, Mister…Poopy Pants?"
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Weekly Update
Well, it’s been a crazy time at work and I’ve been neglecting my posting duties, but I’ll finally take a few minutes to recap the action from the previous week.
Dave’s Tuesday
A slow start, but it ended up being a very good night. I showed up late after a business dinner (and drinks!) at Angus Barn. After a couple small rebuys early, I fought my way back to cash out for (I think) around $2,100. The night (morning!) ended with Charles and I playing $5/10 NLHE heads-up for a couple hours. I always enjoy playing 2-3 handed, especially against a good friend, and I got lucky and caught a few nice hands at the right time. Although I won this battle, our matches can go either way.
PKR PL Omaha8 Friday
This has quickly turned into my second-favorite game of the week. It’s a great group of guys, and the action is normally fast and loose. The was a crazy night; there were monkeys flying around everywhere! Again I had a slow start, but ended up cashing out for around $2,400. I got rivered to lose half of a few huge pots, or it could have been closer to $5K. Knowing Omaha, I guess I should feel lucky I won half those pots!
There were a couple hands of note. In one of the aforementioned, I was in position with 2d-3c-5c-Qd, and the flop comes Ad-Jc-8d, giving me the nut low draw and second-nut flush draw. Though I obviously have nothing now, I’m happy with the hand, since I have a nice draw to potentially win both sides. Elvie is first to act and bets the pot, and Eli repots! It’s around $190 for me to call, and both Eli and I have huge stacks, so I know I will get pay-ed if my card comes. Elvie just has a little more than enough to cover the raise, so I don’t have to worry about a huge re-raise, and I decide to call. Elvie pushes in for another $30-40 or so, and we both call.
Of course, I’m thinking “low diamond, low diamond…” and POW - here comes the 7d on the turn! Eli checks to me, and since there’s a dry side pot, I don’t want to bet the pot and possibly lose my fish. I not only want a call now, but I want the second-best hand to pay me off on the river as well. I decide on a bet of $400, and get the call. I figure any card that doesn’t pair the board gives me at least ¾ of the pot, and most likely a scoop. Of course, one good turn deserves a river, so here comes an 8, pairing the board. Crap. Eli immediately pushes in for $900 or so, and I call with my nut low.
Eli turns over A-A, for aces full, and we chop the side pot. Now I’m hoping not to get quartered by Elvie, who was all-in on the flop, but he hollers for the monkey and turns over 8-8 for his one-outer quads! Wow, turns out there weren’t many cards that could’ve paired the board after all, but at PKR, like the PGA Tour, anything’s possible. Neither of them had a low hand, by the way…
There was another huge Omaha hand that I wasn’t involved in (thank God), but it involved Akash and Eli. Eli has A-6 in his hand, Akash has J-J, and the flop comes J-6-6. Let the fireworks begin. I think Eli bets the pot, Akash repots, and Eli calls. Of course, we are at PKR, so the case 6 comes on the turn. Eli checks, and (to his credit) Akash checks behind. If the case J on the river surprises you, then you’re not paying attention. PKR is basically Party Poker without the eye strain and carpal tunnel. They get all the chips in, and Akash doubles up through Eli. One-outer quads on the turn, followed by one-outer quads on the river. Talk about a cold deck! You’ve gotta feel for Eli, he has quads and aces full in two hands, and loses a bunch of money in both.
PKR NLHE Tourney Saturday
Not too much exciting to tell here, especially after Friday night. I didn’t catch many cards until we were short-handed, but won a couple races to propel me to a second place finish. The game’s all about timing. Three-handed, I got A-A, K-K, and Q-Q all in the space of about 10 hands, but didn’t get any action with them. I was going to try slow-playing, but I figured someone would get tired of me doing all the raising and push back. Oh well, no such luck. I got a little bored, impatient and hungry once we got to heads-up, and re-raised all-in with A-7. I was immediately called with Q-Q, and for once (unfortunately for me!) the best hand held up.
PKR NLHE Tourney Sunday
With the $60 buy-in and $25 rebuys, PKR turns into a veritable farm house. You can actually smell the donkey crap! But (being a poker player) I have a masochistic side that needs to be sated, so I usually follow my nose over there on Sunday afternoons. Most players seem to have a three-part strategy they use for this tournament: 1) Wait for a face card. 2) Go all-in. 3) Rebuy, and wait for another face card. If that strategy isn’t working, most will abandon step 1.
I got knocked out when I raise in position pre-flop with Kh-Qh and got heads-up with another player. Flop comes J-9-4 rainbow, and Other Dude thinks for a second and leads out with a very small bet. I’ve played with this guy 2-3 weeks now, and am reasonably convinced he doesn’t have a strong hand. I’ve got two overs and a gutshot, and even though we’re both relatively short-stacked, figure I can raise him off the pot. I immediately push in, and he goes into the tank for a couple minutes before finally calling. He turns over 10-8 for the open-end draw, and the 7 comes on the turn. Turns out I was ahead when the chips went in, and that was my downfall. Never, ever, get your money in good at PKR (even by mistake!). The motto there is: “If you hit your card on the river, you can’t get sucked out on!”
Off to Dave’s tonight. Tonight the plan is to finish strong like last week, but without the slow start!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Dave’s Tuesday
A slow start, but it ended up being a very good night. I showed up late after a business dinner (and drinks!) at Angus Barn. After a couple small rebuys early, I fought my way back to cash out for (I think) around $2,100. The night (morning!) ended with Charles and I playing $5/10 NLHE heads-up for a couple hours. I always enjoy playing 2-3 handed, especially against a good friend, and I got lucky and caught a few nice hands at the right time. Although I won this battle, our matches can go either way.
PKR PL Omaha8 Friday
This has quickly turned into my second-favorite game of the week. It’s a great group of guys, and the action is normally fast and loose. The was a crazy night; there were monkeys flying around everywhere! Again I had a slow start, but ended up cashing out for around $2,400. I got rivered to lose half of a few huge pots, or it could have been closer to $5K. Knowing Omaha, I guess I should feel lucky I won half those pots!
There were a couple hands of note. In one of the aforementioned, I was in position with 2d-3c-5c-Qd, and the flop comes Ad-Jc-8d, giving me the nut low draw and second-nut flush draw. Though I obviously have nothing now, I’m happy with the hand, since I have a nice draw to potentially win both sides. Elvie is first to act and bets the pot, and Eli repots! It’s around $190 for me to call, and both Eli and I have huge stacks, so I know I will get pay-ed if my card comes. Elvie just has a little more than enough to cover the raise, so I don’t have to worry about a huge re-raise, and I decide to call. Elvie pushes in for another $30-40 or so, and we both call.
Of course, I’m thinking “low diamond, low diamond…” and POW - here comes the 7d on the turn! Eli checks to me, and since there’s a dry side pot, I don’t want to bet the pot and possibly lose my fish. I not only want a call now, but I want the second-best hand to pay me off on the river as well. I decide on a bet of $400, and get the call. I figure any card that doesn’t pair the board gives me at least ¾ of the pot, and most likely a scoop. Of course, one good turn deserves a river, so here comes an 8, pairing the board. Crap. Eli immediately pushes in for $900 or so, and I call with my nut low.
Eli turns over A-A, for aces full, and we chop the side pot. Now I’m hoping not to get quartered by Elvie, who was all-in on the flop, but he hollers for the monkey and turns over 8-8 for his one-outer quads! Wow, turns out there weren’t many cards that could’ve paired the board after all, but at PKR, like the PGA Tour, anything’s possible. Neither of them had a low hand, by the way…
There was another huge Omaha hand that I wasn’t involved in (thank God), but it involved Akash and Eli. Eli has A-6 in his hand, Akash has J-J, and the flop comes J-6-6. Let the fireworks begin. I think Eli bets the pot, Akash repots, and Eli calls. Of course, we are at PKR, so the case 6 comes on the turn. Eli checks, and (to his credit) Akash checks behind. If the case J on the river surprises you, then you’re not paying attention. PKR is basically Party Poker without the eye strain and carpal tunnel. They get all the chips in, and Akash doubles up through Eli. One-outer quads on the turn, followed by one-outer quads on the river. Talk about a cold deck! You’ve gotta feel for Eli, he has quads and aces full in two hands, and loses a bunch of money in both.
PKR NLHE Tourney Saturday
Not too much exciting to tell here, especially after Friday night. I didn’t catch many cards until we were short-handed, but won a couple races to propel me to a second place finish. The game’s all about timing. Three-handed, I got A-A, K-K, and Q-Q all in the space of about 10 hands, but didn’t get any action with them. I was going to try slow-playing, but I figured someone would get tired of me doing all the raising and push back. Oh well, no such luck. I got a little bored, impatient and hungry once we got to heads-up, and re-raised all-in with A-7. I was immediately called with Q-Q, and for once (unfortunately for me!) the best hand held up.
PKR NLHE Tourney Sunday
With the $60 buy-in and $25 rebuys, PKR turns into a veritable farm house. You can actually smell the donkey crap! But (being a poker player) I have a masochistic side that needs to be sated, so I usually follow my nose over there on Sunday afternoons. Most players seem to have a three-part strategy they use for this tournament: 1) Wait for a face card. 2) Go all-in. 3) Rebuy, and wait for another face card. If that strategy isn’t working, most will abandon step 1.
I got knocked out when I raise in position pre-flop with Kh-Qh and got heads-up with another player. Flop comes J-9-4 rainbow, and Other Dude thinks for a second and leads out with a very small bet. I’ve played with this guy 2-3 weeks now, and am reasonably convinced he doesn’t have a strong hand. I’ve got two overs and a gutshot, and even though we’re both relatively short-stacked, figure I can raise him off the pot. I immediately push in, and he goes into the tank for a couple minutes before finally calling. He turns over 10-8 for the open-end draw, and the 7 comes on the turn. Turns out I was ahead when the chips went in, and that was my downfall. Never, ever, get your money in good at PKR (even by mistake!). The motto there is: “If you hit your card on the river, you can’t get sucked out on!”
Off to Dave’s tonight. Tonight the plan is to finish strong like last week, but without the slow start!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
High Stakes Poker
Except for the high stakes, great atmosphere, professional dealer and great play.... this is just like playing at Dave's!
Monday, November 13, 2006
Hiding his poker face
Charles at his best!!! This is truly how the man plays Aces!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf2WMVgM-HE
The Juice!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf2WMVgM-HE
The Juice!
Hellmuth/Negreanu Hand on High Stakes Poker
This is the hand that put Phil in orbit in the earlier post.....
Monday night @ PKR...
Tonight is 1/2 night at PKR. I think that I'll try to make it tonight... I haven't played in a cash game down there in several weeks.
See you tonight!
See you tonight!
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Sunday @ PKR
I went out on the bubble for the 60/25/25 tournament on Sunday when I ran into the cooler. I'm in the big blind with Q8os and the flop is 5, 6, 9 rainbow. Everyone checks and the turn is the 7 giving me the second nut straight. The small blind checks and I bet 3,000 about 30% of my stack and everyone folds to the small blind who pushes all-in for 100 more than I have and I call and he turns over the 8, 10.... sweet!
Nice playing guys!
Nice playing guys!
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Saturday Tournament @ PKR
He slow played me perfectly.... I went out 3rd in the 40/40/40 and Rick slow-played me perfectly.... again! I've got 4h, 5h in the big blind and Rick limps in. The flop was 10, 5, 3. Rick checks and I lead out with a bet and he pushed me all-in. I put him on a flush draw and called. He turns over the top set and I've got to hit runner-runner for a straight or runner-runner for quads, but not with my luck recently. The turn is a 5 so our money would have definitely been all in the middle at that point regardless.... but the river is a meaningless brick.
Nice playing Rick!
Nice playing Rick!
Friday, November 10, 2006
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Poker Dictionary
As every poker player knows (especially anyone who's tried to tell a poker story to a non-player) poker has a language all its own. Many terms can appear to be perplexing shorthand for the complex concepts of a complex game. Learning the language isn't always easy, but it’s required if you want to truly understand the contents of poker magazines and books, or just the table-talk at your weekly home game. If the language itself isn’t confusing enough, many phrases take on whole new meanings when used in the vernacular of certain regions of the country, or even specific games.
For those few competitors of mine that can read (Dave, I’ll try to add pictures later), I decided to post a dictionary of common poker terms. The more common definition is listed first, followed by the meaning from our local dialect.
Back Door
- A hand that’s made using both of the last two cards.
- John’s (yes, either one) preferred method of entry.
Belly Buster
- Another name for an inside straight draw.
- A second helping of Dave’s prime rib.
Double Belly Buster
- A hand with two inside straight draws.
- A third helping of Dave’s prime rib.
Crying Call
- A call by someone who is virtually certain they will not win the pot.
- Jarod phoning his ex from the bar at
Family Pot
- When everyone at the table decides to see the flop.
- Entertainment at the Medvetz Christmas party.
Flat Call
- A way of saying call that emphasizes the fact that the player didn’t raise.
- The result of Charles attempting to hum, sing or whistle (see also: Bad Beat).
Full House
- A hand consisting of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank.
- Corey’s double-wide on Father’s Day.
Good Position
- Last to act after the flop.
- For Bill: Prone.
Off-Suit
- Not of the same suit, especially in reference to hole cards.
- Dean’s request of the boys during the NAMBLA swim meet.
Hold’Em
- Poker game in which each player gets two pocket cards, while five community cards are dealt face-up on the table.
- Dean’s request of the boys in the locker room after the NAMBLA swim meet.
Open-Ender
- A straight draw that consists of four consecutive cards (none of them an ace).
- Jim, after drinking half a wine cooler.
Pot Odds
- The ratio of the amount of money in the pot to the amount of money it will cost you to call a bet.
- The chances of Nate having marijuana on him at any given time.
Second Pair
- What you have when one of your hole cards matches the second-highest rank on the board.
- An additional waitress at Hooter’s™.
Short Stack
- A chip stack that’s too small to cover the likely betting in a hand.
- Jamie’s pet nickname for Dave.
Spread Limit
- Structure in which there is a fixed minimum and maximum bet for each betting round.
- Elvie’s… - nah, too easy…
Suck Out
- To win a hand by virtue of hitting a very weak draw, often with poor pot odds.
- When Elvie… - nah, still too easy…
String Bet
- Betting, and then reaching back for more chips without announcing your intentions.
- The time Jeff went all-in, throwing his tampon on the table during a game of strip poker (for future reference Jeff, this is considered bad etiquette, and is frowned upon in most circles).
Underdog
- When two hands face off, the one that’s less likely to win than the other.
- Michael’s favorite position (and one he’s usually in after raising with K-9).
Hopefully these definitions will help you out when, in your Hold’Em game, an underdog flat calls a string bet in good position with second pair and good pot odds, then back doors a full house to suck out on you, making you the short stack.
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Monday, November 06, 2006
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Get Your Money in with the best hand...
well, there's not a lot to be said for that if you don't win. It sounds good, but if you play all day and go out on the bubble when you "get your money in with the best hand" it really doesn't mean much.... you get paid the same as the guy who went out first. There are times when you don't have a lot of choice.... today in donkey-dom at the 60/25/25 Tournament at PKR. I've played well most of the day and had only been all-in a couple of times and they had held up. I won twice by getting all-in pre-flop with pocket Queens and amazing as it may sound, they held up. My last hand of the day.... I'm the big blind (1000/2000) with four players remaining and Jason, under the gun, raises another 4,000 on top. The table folds to me and I have pocket Queens again! At this point, it's going to cost me 4,000 to call and my total chip stack is 18,000. Jason has 15,000 remaining so if I push all-in and he calls and loses, he'll have 1 chip remaining. So I figured that he could even lay down big slick to my all-in raise.... W-R-O-N-G! He mumbles for about 3-4 minutes and makes the call with Kd, 10d.... Yep... the flop is Kh, Js, 10h.... the turn another 10 and the river a meaningless 9.... I would love to know what he thought I would have made that push with..... did he think he had two overs? did he think I had slick? was he tired of playing and ready to go? We'll never know.... I know that I could have laid down the Kd, 10d with an all-in raise for practically all of my chips.
He apologized for the bad beat and I gave him my usual.... "you tried to give me all your chips but the poker gods just wouldn't let you!"
So.... I got my money in with the best hand, but missed getting paid by one spot when I ran into someone, who in spite of the poor pot odds and likelihood that he might be completely dominated... calls and sucks out on me.
I guess that I could have just smooth called the 4,000 raise pre-flop and when the King hit the flop gotten away from it. I did that math and deduced that my all-in S-H-O-U-L-D have been enough for any mere mortal to have mucked and moved on to the next hand! Maybe someday I'll run into the guy that makes the correct lay-down there, but for now..... I didn't win any money, but..... I did get my money in with the best hand! Somehow.... that doesn't make me feel any better!
While writing I was wondering how Jason will take reading this post? I'm not trying to fire him up and I am not certain that I ever want him to NOT make that call.... because under normal circumstances, I win! But not in donkey-dom!
Back to the felt!
He apologized for the bad beat and I gave him my usual.... "you tried to give me all your chips but the poker gods just wouldn't let you!"
So.... I got my money in with the best hand, but missed getting paid by one spot when I ran into someone, who in spite of the poor pot odds and likelihood that he might be completely dominated... calls and sucks out on me.
I guess that I could have just smooth called the 4,000 raise pre-flop and when the King hit the flop gotten away from it. I did that math and deduced that my all-in S-H-O-U-L-D have been enough for any mere mortal to have mucked and moved on to the next hand! Maybe someday I'll run into the guy that makes the correct lay-down there, but for now..... I didn't win any money, but..... I did get my money in with the best hand! Somehow.... that doesn't make me feel any better!
While writing I was wondering how Jason will take reading this post? I'm not trying to fire him up and I am not certain that I ever want him to NOT make that call.... because under normal circumstances, I win! But not in donkey-dom!
Back to the felt!
PKR Tourney Today @ 2:PM
I'm back! Whee! Dead money has arrived!
2 o'clock tourney today at PKR - 60/25/25 - Excited to get back in the groove.... There is a ring game starting there at 7pm as well, 1-2 NL. Hope to see you guys today!
2 o'clock tourney today at PKR - 60/25/25 - Excited to get back in the groove.... There is a ring game starting there at 7pm as well, 1-2 NL. Hope to see you guys today!
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Big Tourney Today
Who is going to Matt McCoys big tourney today? $100 with rebuys at 7 pm, and the big one $500 no rebuys starting around 8:00. Should be a good crowd from what I am hearing.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Stayed a little too long....
Last night I went over to Eddie's house for just the third time to play in his $1/$2 $200 buy-in NL game. The last time I was there I played two hours and won about $450 and I started off last night up $730 after two hours. I was aided in this by hitting a straight on the river against Karam's AK with my A5. (Flop of A 8 7 turn 6 and river 4.);flopping a nut straight (with flush draw) against Amelia's set, then getting AA to hold up against Elvie and Rommie (I think the both had a pair with straight draw.). So with $930 in front of me I was feeling a little power drunk at the table. So I started playing a bit wrecklessly and slowly donked away about $150 of that money.
Then I raised with Q 9 off suit and got three callers. The flop came out A J 10 with two hearts. Tommy bet $30 into a $40 pot. Jake called. And then, I foolishly called $30 on my open ended draw. (It's extremely rare for me to call that much on just a draw without some legitimate bluffing reason in mind.) Then a K came out on the turn. Tommy checked, Jake bet $60 and I moved all-in. Jake called for another $98 with a matching Q9 but only with hearts. Lo and Behold a heart came on the river giving me the punishment I deserved for goofing off... I walked away up $330, but kinda felt like I lost $400.
Then I raised with Q 9 off suit and got three callers. The flop came out A J 10 with two hearts. Tommy bet $30 into a $40 pot. Jake called. And then, I foolishly called $30 on my open ended draw. (It's extremely rare for me to call that much on just a draw without some legitimate bluffing reason in mind.) Then a K came out on the turn. Tommy checked, Jake bet $60 and I moved all-in. Jake called for another $98 with a matching Q9 but only with hearts. Lo and Behold a heart came on the river giving me the punishment I deserved for goofing off... I walked away up $330, but kinda felt like I lost $400.
Poker Dos & Don'ts
Nothing can put a damper on a great poker game more than players who display poor etiquette. With these ethically-challenged individuals in mind, I came up with a list of helpful hints to assist them on their lifelong quest of making others miserable.
Do – Wait until the very last moment to turn over the best hand. Ideally this will be after the player with the second-best hand has already begun stacking his presumed winnings from the pot. Also, make sure to give the obligatory “I wasn’t sure it was good” explanation.
Don’t – Turn over the winning hand immediately. Nobody likes a show off.
Do – Take the maximum amount of time to act on every hand. This shows that you are a patient, cunning individual; a true thinker. Be sure to stare at your cards for at least 45 seconds, because as we all know, it’s against the rules for you to actually go back and look at them again.
Don’t – Act quickly once it’s your turn. Chances are you’re a loser, and playing more hands in a session just means you will lose more money in the long run.
Do – Splash the pot. Nothing shows what a tough hombre you are more than carelessly tossing a pile of chips into the middle of the pot. When you do this, your opponents will know that you mean business! What, don’t they trust you? It’s how they do it in the movies, so it should be good enough for them. Besides, if they have to know “exactly” how much the bet is, they probably can’t afford it anyway.
Don’t – Place your chips in front of you, and by all means don’t announce the amount of the bet or raise if it’s not obvious. This is a clear sign of weakness, and speeds the game up (which we’ve already established is probably bad for you).
Do – Act out of turn. Nothing says “I am the Alpha Male” more than trying to place a big bet before it’s your turn to act. Everyone else better g-g-g-get out now!
Don’t – Wait until it’s on you to act. This is another sign of weakness. Sheesh, it’s as bad as asking for permission to go to the bathroom.
Do – Talk about what cards you folded while others are in a hand. Poker is a social game, and it’s bad form to just sit quietly and watch the action, especially if it’s a big pot. All televised sports have a good color commentator to help create excitement, and you should do your part as well.
Don’t – Wait until after the hand to announce that you would’ve “flopped a boat.” It’s considered rude to let others play out the hand without all of the information available.
Do – Offer to check down the hand every chance you get, especially in multi-way pots. Other players may look at you and see “PUSSY” tattooed across your forehead, but those people clearly don’t understand poker.
Don’t – Play the hand down to the river. After all, there’s a chance you might actually have to, ya know, play poker.
Do – Loudly complain about getting “sucked out on” every time you lose a race. Also remember to remind the other player to “keep calling me with that crap” when his A-Q outdraws your J-J.
Don’t – Smile and say “nice hand.” Good God, you might as well be wearing a polka-dot dress! Also, don’t recall the times when you were the one who outdrew the other guy. That was simply partial (but not full) vindication for all the other suckouts bestowed upon you by crooked dealers and vengeful poker gods.
Do – Blame the dealer (especially J-Rod) for every pot you lose. It’s clear that he must be involved in some kind of conspiracy. Otherwise you, being the great player you are, would win every pot.
Don’t – Forget to blame the dealer (especially J-Rod) for every pot you lose. Because it really is that rat-bastard’s fault…
Well, hopefully this article has been some help to you. Remember, just reading the information will do no good, you need to put it to use. By following these tips, you should see a dramatic improvement in the slowness of your home game, as well as a noticeable increase in animosity among you and your opponents. Good luck!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Do – Wait until the very last moment to turn over the best hand. Ideally this will be after the player with the second-best hand has already begun stacking his presumed winnings from the pot. Also, make sure to give the obligatory “I wasn’t sure it was good” explanation.
Don’t – Turn over the winning hand immediately. Nobody likes a show off.
Do – Take the maximum amount of time to act on every hand. This shows that you are a patient, cunning individual; a true thinker. Be sure to stare at your cards for at least 45 seconds, because as we all know, it’s against the rules for you to actually go back and look at them again.
Don’t – Act quickly once it’s your turn. Chances are you’re a loser, and playing more hands in a session just means you will lose more money in the long run.
Do – Splash the pot. Nothing shows what a tough hombre you are more than carelessly tossing a pile of chips into the middle of the pot. When you do this, your opponents will know that you mean business! What, don’t they trust you? It’s how they do it in the movies, so it should be good enough for them. Besides, if they have to know “exactly” how much the bet is, they probably can’t afford it anyway.
Don’t – Place your chips in front of you, and by all means don’t announce the amount of the bet or raise if it’s not obvious. This is a clear sign of weakness, and speeds the game up (which we’ve already established is probably bad for you).
Do – Act out of turn. Nothing says “I am the Alpha Male” more than trying to place a big bet before it’s your turn to act. Everyone else better g-g-g-get out now!
Don’t – Wait until it’s on you to act. This is another sign of weakness. Sheesh, it’s as bad as asking for permission to go to the bathroom.
Do – Talk about what cards you folded while others are in a hand. Poker is a social game, and it’s bad form to just sit quietly and watch the action, especially if it’s a big pot. All televised sports have a good color commentator to help create excitement, and you should do your part as well.
Don’t – Wait until after the hand to announce that you would’ve “flopped a boat.” It’s considered rude to let others play out the hand without all of the information available.
Do – Offer to check down the hand every chance you get, especially in multi-way pots. Other players may look at you and see “PUSSY” tattooed across your forehead, but those people clearly don’t understand poker.
Don’t – Play the hand down to the river. After all, there’s a chance you might actually have to, ya know, play poker.
Do – Loudly complain about getting “sucked out on” every time you lose a race. Also remember to remind the other player to “keep calling me with that crap” when his A-Q outdraws your J-J.
Don’t – Smile and say “nice hand.” Good God, you might as well be wearing a polka-dot dress! Also, don’t recall the times when you were the one who outdrew the other guy. That was simply partial (but not full) vindication for all the other suckouts bestowed upon you by crooked dealers and vengeful poker gods.
Do – Blame the dealer (especially J-Rod) for every pot you lose. It’s clear that he must be involved in some kind of conspiracy. Otherwise you, being the great player you are, would win every pot.
Don’t – Forget to blame the dealer (especially J-Rod) for every pot you lose. Because it really is that rat-bastard’s fault…
Well, hopefully this article has been some help to you. Remember, just reading the information will do no good, you need to put it to use. By following these tips, you should see a dramatic improvement in the slowness of your home game, as well as a noticeable increase in animosity among you and your opponents. Good luck!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Halloween!
Well, Halloween finally arrived - one of my favorite nights of the year! I look forward to it months in advance, and spend countless hours attempting to come up with the perfect get-up. After much thought, this year I decided to go trick-or-treating as a poker player! One nice thing about it is that I didn’t have to shell out big bucks for a costume. With the ever-growing popularity of poker, I just knew that people would “get it.”
With much anticipation, I started out on my quest to gather all things sweet. When people answered the door, I just gazed into their eyes with a blank, expressionless stare. Surprisingly, house after house, it didn't go over too well. I didn't get any candy, and I had the police called on me several times. I swear, some people just have no sense of humor.
Not to worry, I’ve got the perfect idea for next year - a bank robber. I'll wear gloves and a ski mask, and when people answer the door, I'll pull out a gun and say "Put all your money in the bag, Asshole!" Man, I can’t wait...
See ya at the tables (um, not tonight though, my bail hearing isn't until tomorrow)...
Rick
With much anticipation, I started out on my quest to gather all things sweet. When people answered the door, I just gazed into their eyes with a blank, expressionless stare. Surprisingly, house after house, it didn't go over too well. I didn't get any candy, and I had the police called on me several times. I swear, some people just have no sense of humor.
Not to worry, I’ve got the perfect idea for next year - a bank robber. I'll wear gloves and a ski mask, and when people answer the door, I'll pull out a gun and say "Put all your money in the bag, Asshole!" Man, I can’t wait...
See ya at the tables (um, not tonight though, my bail hearing isn't until tomorrow)...
Rick
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