Well, what a night! For my first night back in over 2 months, it was quite exciting! I have never had such great cards to not make or take down any monster pots. I flopped the top set, Kings, against Elvie and got all our money in on the turn with only two cards to the low.... 4x, 5x for him to call me with nothing but a low draw and hit the 3 on the river to scoop the $600 pot. I flopped a royal flush out of position in Omaha 8 and must have taken down a $40 pot. I flopped quads 3 times and aces full twice and never got to squeeze the monkey once. I flopped broadway and bet big twice only to have Nate call me in one of them (because he thinks that Elvie will give him the proper odds) and pair the board to make his boat -and- his smallish bet (compared to the pot) was a must call. I flopped top set, Kings against the Juice and we got all our money in on the flop with only one card to the low for him to hit runner/runner to get half the pot.... and then, poor-old, un-lucky, never-hits-any-cards, the unluckiest man I know, Rick, take down a $2500 pot against Bill T with 5, 6os. What a load of crap!
Then the Juice leaves early.... that's like going to a topless bar and finding out that there are no women working that night! What's up with that!
Oh, well..... welcome back!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Is Poker in the Cards for West Virginia Racetracks?
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Is Poker in the Cards for West Virginia Racetracks?
A bill allowing table games like poker and black jack at West Virginia state's 4 dog-and-horse tracks is expected to be introduced today. The bill would allow each tracks' host county to vote on permitting table games, would make the games part of the state's legalized lottery system, and give government a share of the profits.
The 4 racetrack counties are: Jefferson, Kanawha, and to the north: Hancock and Ohio counties.
Racetrack management says it is about survival given their clientele are principally from out of state and that new competition from nearby Pennsylvania will steal their customers.
Northern neighbor Pennsylvania has already authorized up to 61,000 machines at 14 sites and expects to see 30,000 operating by 2008, which is nearly three times the number hosted by the West Virginia tracks. Also 11 casinos are expected to be open by 2009. Three casinos are already operating.
Many opponents argue against gaming on moral grounds and for economic diversification, fearing the track companies will abandon West Virginia when they have expanded into larger population centers.
Other opponents are pushing for a state-wide vote as a tactic to kill the bill, since such a vote has less chance of success.
Some even argue that the racetracks are becoming full-blown casinos, so the state constitution must be amended to permit casinos.
If approved, the bill is expected to require county officials to schedule elections within 90 to 120 days after a racetrack applies. The racetracks are expected to bear the costs of the elections, said John Cavacini, head of the state Racing Association.
Even before introduction, the bill changed several times since drafting began. It is now expected to allow each county to reverse the approval of table games five years after the initial vote. It will also share 24 percent of gross proceeds with the state, twice the initial rate proposed by the Racing Association.
At least three of the racetracks have won allies by investing hundreds of millions of dollars to transform their facilities into tourist destinations.
Mountaineer Racetrack & Gaming Resort in Chester, owned by MTR Gaming Group Inc., features a hotel, high-end restaurants, a spa and a boxing venue.
Nearby Wheeling Island Racetrack & Gaming Center is in the middle of an $8 million expansion, furthering the $70 million of improvements made since 2003.
The Eastern Panhandle's Charles Town Races & Slots parent, Penn National Gaming Inc., is planning to build a new hotel there. It table games are approved, they have pledged that the hotel is just the beginning of a $200 million expansion project.
In the end, the issue whether table games are allowed at West Virginia's four racetracks might come down to who gets to vote on the decision.
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Is Poker in the Cards for West Virginia Racetracks?
A bill allowing table games like poker and black jack at West Virginia state's 4 dog-and-horse tracks is expected to be introduced today. The bill would allow each tracks' host county to vote on permitting table games, would make the games part of the state's legalized lottery system, and give government a share of the profits.
The 4 racetrack counties are: Jefferson, Kanawha, and to the north: Hancock and Ohio counties.
Racetrack management says it is about survival given their clientele are principally from out of state and that new competition from nearby Pennsylvania will steal their customers.
Northern neighbor Pennsylvania has already authorized up to 61,000 machines at 14 sites and expects to see 30,000 operating by 2008, which is nearly three times the number hosted by the West Virginia tracks. Also 11 casinos are expected to be open by 2009. Three casinos are already operating.
Many opponents argue against gaming on moral grounds and for economic diversification, fearing the track companies will abandon West Virginia when they have expanded into larger population centers.
Other opponents are pushing for a state-wide vote as a tactic to kill the bill, since such a vote has less chance of success.
Some even argue that the racetracks are becoming full-blown casinos, so the state constitution must be amended to permit casinos.
If approved, the bill is expected to require county officials to schedule elections within 90 to 120 days after a racetrack applies. The racetracks are expected to bear the costs of the elections, said John Cavacini, head of the state Racing Association.
Even before introduction, the bill changed several times since drafting began. It is now expected to allow each county to reverse the approval of table games five years after the initial vote. It will also share 24 percent of gross proceeds with the state, twice the initial rate proposed by the Racing Association.
At least three of the racetracks have won allies by investing hundreds of millions of dollars to transform their facilities into tourist destinations.
Mountaineer Racetrack & Gaming Resort in Chester, owned by MTR Gaming Group Inc., features a hotel, high-end restaurants, a spa and a boxing venue.
Nearby Wheeling Island Racetrack & Gaming Center is in the middle of an $8 million expansion, furthering the $70 million of improvements made since 2003.
The Eastern Panhandle's Charles Town Races & Slots parent, Penn National Gaming Inc., is planning to build a new hotel there. It table games are approved, they have pledged that the hotel is just the beginning of a $200 million expansion project.
In the end, the issue whether table games are allowed at West Virginia's four racetracks might come down to who gets to vote on the decision.
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Monday, January 29, 2007
A Very Strange Week
Poker is a funny game. Though luck plays a major factor in the short-term, it plays almost no role in the long-term. We’ve all gone through streaks where we play poorly and win money, and also when we make all the right moves at all the wrong times. Some weeks it seems like you hit every draw, and some weeks the other guy does. Normally the money follows along with the luck. You get hit by the deck, you win money. You get cold-decked, you lose money.
This past week was a very strange one for me. Overall, I had some of the worst luck I’ve ever had over the course of the week, yet I had a great week money-wise (almost $7K profit). Go figure. In our Friday Omaha 8 game I was quartered four times, twice with the high and twice with the low. Two of these pots were nice-sized, and the other two were very large. I didn’t quarter anyone.
In the Saturday tournament, I was the victim of a classic cold-deck. I call a raise with A-J, and two of us see a flop of K-J-J. We get all the chips in by the river, and my opponent eventually (yet another slow-roll, but that’s another post…) turns up K-J. That left me with almost no chips, which I threw in the very next hand with 6-6. I was trying to get out the door, but it took five minutes to get the cards turned up, as everyone was trying to separate all the side-pots from the 47 people that were all-in. Sheesh!
Tuesday and Thursday were similar to Friday. Though I caught one or two river cards for smallish pots, I just couldn’t catch a break drawing to any big pots. Most of my good hands got drawn out on, though luckily a couple times they held up in large pots. If you had told me before the week started how the luck would go, I would have thought I’d be doing well to break even.
Yep, poker is a funny game. Like most players, normally I’m happy when I win money. Instead, I went home frustrated after almost every session. Maybe I just need to take a week off from poker and lay on the beach in Aruba. I wonder if there are any casinos there…
See ya at the tables…
Rick
This past week was a very strange one for me. Overall, I had some of the worst luck I’ve ever had over the course of the week, yet I had a great week money-wise (almost $7K profit). Go figure. In our Friday Omaha 8 game I was quartered four times, twice with the high and twice with the low. Two of these pots were nice-sized, and the other two were very large. I didn’t quarter anyone.
In the Saturday tournament, I was the victim of a classic cold-deck. I call a raise with A-J, and two of us see a flop of K-J-J. We get all the chips in by the river, and my opponent eventually (yet another slow-roll, but that’s another post…) turns up K-J. That left me with almost no chips, which I threw in the very next hand with 6-6. I was trying to get out the door, but it took five minutes to get the cards turned up, as everyone was trying to separate all the side-pots from the 47 people that were all-in. Sheesh!
Tuesday and Thursday were similar to Friday. Though I caught one or two river cards for smallish pots, I just couldn’t catch a break drawing to any big pots. Most of my good hands got drawn out on, though luckily a couple times they held up in large pots. If you had told me before the week started how the luck would go, I would have thought I’d be doing well to break even.
Yep, poker is a funny game. Like most players, normally I’m happy when I win money. Instead, I went home frustrated after almost every session. Maybe I just need to take a week off from poker and lay on the beach in Aruba. I wonder if there are any casinos there…
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Charges Against Most "Cabin" Poker Players Dismissed
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Charges Against Most “Cabin” Poker Players Dismissed
Last summer, the Wake County Sheriff’s Department with the assistance of the NC Alcohol Law Enforcement obtained warrants for a well-known poker room known as “The Cabin” on Tarheel Club Road. Deputies seized poker tables, chips, televisions and other equipment and about $40,000, including cash in player’s cars or in their possession.
Vergil Allen Elliott, owner of “The Cabin,” and 14 others were issued Class 2 misdemeanor gambling citations. Elliott has since pled guilty. In December 2006 all the others, listed below, had their charges dismissed, according to an attorney involved with one of the defendants. All money seized from the defendants during the arrest was returned.
Those charged and subsequently cleared were: Susan Fowler Jones, Lee Jonathan Brewer, George Graddy Jackson Jr., Albert Thomas Clayton, John Samuel Blanton IV, Willis Edward Toudel, Ali Ihsan Ibrahim, Leamon Douglas Benson, Dennis Lee Leathers, Leon Thomas Cook, Chance Dynell Butter, Michael Lee Brown, Kevin Cedric Burroughs and Ayca Jones.
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Charges Against Most “Cabin” Poker Players Dismissed
Last summer, the Wake County Sheriff’s Department with the assistance of the NC Alcohol Law Enforcement obtained warrants for a well-known poker room known as “The Cabin” on Tarheel Club Road. Deputies seized poker tables, chips, televisions and other equipment and about $40,000, including cash in player’s cars or in their possession.
Vergil Allen Elliott, owner of “The Cabin,” and 14 others were issued Class 2 misdemeanor gambling citations. Elliott has since pled guilty. In December 2006 all the others, listed below, had their charges dismissed, according to an attorney involved with one of the defendants. All money seized from the defendants during the arrest was returned.
Those charged and subsequently cleared were: Susan Fowler Jones, Lee Jonathan Brewer, George Graddy Jackson Jr., Albert Thomas Clayton, John Samuel Blanton IV, Willis Edward Toudel, Ali Ihsan Ibrahim, Leamon Douglas Benson, Dennis Lee Leathers, Leon Thomas Cook, Chance Dynell Butter, Michael Lee Brown, Kevin Cedric Burroughs and Ayca Jones.
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Sunday, January 28, 2007
Anonymous posted.....
Anonymous posted this as a comment on New Schedule Going Up - Thanks!
I have two quick bad beats for you Charles..
First one: Average chip stacks are 200 (1/3 cash). I have 340, player to my left has 260. I am BB, and UTG decides to straddle 15. The table folds around and finds one limper, a couple more folds and I look down to pocket Kings(KsKc). I make the bet 60 to go(45 more). UTG calls quickly, and limper folds. As the flop is falling, I go all in (I did this for two reasons, to discourage action.. and to show strength). The flop comes, Qd,7h,6h.. UTG again quickly calls and shows 8c6c (only bottom pair). I flip my kings, and the turn comes.. 6s, river is a blank..
Second one: I have been playing extremely tight all night. Again 1/3 cash, and I have 270 with a full table. Action limps to me in the BB again, and I see 9s,7h (4 players to the flop). I check. Flop comes 9h,7c,Kc. I check, and someone shoots what I think is a feeler bet out.. 25 bucks (wild table). I decide to take it down immediately.. 125. Its now heads up, and my opponent goes all in, I call immediately thinking they have either KQ or AK. They flip AK and are drawing slim since someone announces "I folded an Ace". Turn is Qd, river is Qh. Counterfeited.. Par for the course...
I have two quick bad beats for you Charles..
First one: Average chip stacks are 200 (1/3 cash). I have 340, player to my left has 260. I am BB, and UTG decides to straddle 15. The table folds around and finds one limper, a couple more folds and I look down to pocket Kings(KsKc). I make the bet 60 to go(45 more). UTG calls quickly, and limper folds. As the flop is falling, I go all in (I did this for two reasons, to discourage action.. and to show strength). The flop comes, Qd,7h,6h.. UTG again quickly calls and shows 8c6c (only bottom pair). I flip my kings, and the turn comes.. 6s, river is a blank..
Second one: I have been playing extremely tight all night. Again 1/3 cash, and I have 270 with a full table. Action limps to me in the BB again, and I see 9s,7h (4 players to the flop). I check. Flop comes 9h,7c,Kc. I check, and someone shoots what I think is a feeler bet out.. 25 bucks (wild table). I decide to take it down immediately.. 125. Its now heads up, and my opponent goes all in, I call immediately thinking they have either KQ or AK. They flip AK and are drawing slim since someone announces "I folded an Ace". Turn is Qd, river is Qh. Counterfeited.. Par for the course...
Saturday, January 27, 2007
PKR Saturday Poker Tournament
Not great, I went out in sixth place today. I did catch a few good hands early that provided chips to get to the sixth place but by that time, I was very close to the short stack with only $11,000. Not very much when the blinds are $2,000/$4,000. I really think that they go up to fast after the $500/$1,000 blind.
So, just to give you a glimpse of some of my hands today.... I made a standard raise at the $25/$50 blind level when there were 4-5 limpers to $150 and all of them called when I was holding pocket Aces. The flop was Ac, 4d, 5d. I like it... Jason bets $600 and there's one caller. I push all-in with another $2300 or so and Jason calls. He was on a diamond draw and I made a boat with a 4 on the turn.
The next big hand for me came at the $100/$200 level in late position with 8s, 6s.... I limped in and there were no raises and I believe 5 other limpers. The flop was 8, 8, 6.... I like it! It checks all the way around to me and I check hoping somebody catches something! The next card is a 2x. Big Dave leads out with a $600 bet and Gabby, I believe, pushes all-in for another $2,200 or so. I am trying to look concerned. I am! I am trying to figure out what I can do to get Big Dave's chips in the pot. After a few seconds of deliberation, I just call and sure enough. Big Dave goes all-in for another $5,000 or so. I immediately call with the nuts at the time. Dave turns over an 8, 9x and the river is a meaningless Ace.
A couple of other, ONLY AT PKR kind of hands.... I believe the blinds are $400/$800. Ed raises and Carl re-raises and Asbury pushes all-in. Carl and Ed call. The hands are Carl has aces, Ed has kings and Asbury has queens... you know what is going to happen right? Sure enough Asbury turns a queen to scoop the biggest pot of the tournament so far and knock out Ed and Carl, both with better hands than him pre-flop. There's another new guy playing today and he was playing just about any ace all afternoon and kept getting really lucky. He pushed all-in with A, 9os and beat A, J suited when he made a straight using only his 9.... that was huge pot!
At any rate, when I left Rene' had just flopped quads to knock out Asbury and they were down to four. Jeff, Rene', the new guy and Big Dave! Good playing guys.....
See you tomorrow!
So, just to give you a glimpse of some of my hands today.... I made a standard raise at the $25/$50 blind level when there were 4-5 limpers to $150 and all of them called when I was holding pocket Aces. The flop was Ac, 4d, 5d. I like it... Jason bets $600 and there's one caller. I push all-in with another $2300 or so and Jason calls. He was on a diamond draw and I made a boat with a 4 on the turn.
The next big hand for me came at the $100/$200 level in late position with 8s, 6s.... I limped in and there were no raises and I believe 5 other limpers. The flop was 8, 8, 6.... I like it! It checks all the way around to me and I check hoping somebody catches something! The next card is a 2x. Big Dave leads out with a $600 bet and Gabby, I believe, pushes all-in for another $2,200 or so. I am trying to look concerned. I am! I am trying to figure out what I can do to get Big Dave's chips in the pot. After a few seconds of deliberation, I just call and sure enough. Big Dave goes all-in for another $5,000 or so. I immediately call with the nuts at the time. Dave turns over an 8, 9x and the river is a meaningless Ace.
A couple of other, ONLY AT PKR kind of hands.... I believe the blinds are $400/$800. Ed raises and Carl re-raises and Asbury pushes all-in. Carl and Ed call. The hands are Carl has aces, Ed has kings and Asbury has queens... you know what is going to happen right? Sure enough Asbury turns a queen to scoop the biggest pot of the tournament so far and knock out Ed and Carl, both with better hands than him pre-flop. There's another new guy playing today and he was playing just about any ace all afternoon and kept getting really lucky. He pushed all-in with A, 9os and beat A, J suited when he made a straight using only his 9.... that was huge pot!
At any rate, when I left Rene' had just flopped quads to knock out Asbury and they were down to four. Jeff, Rene', the new guy and Big Dave! Good playing guys.....
See you tomorrow!
Friday PKR Omaha Hi or Hi-Lo
It had been a couple of weeks since I had played the Omaha game at PKR so I had forgotten some of the.... hmmm.... what's the word.... suck-outs -AND- how loose some of the players are in the game. I played about the first two hours and stayed up about 100 most of that time and as usual around 10:30 or so, this game really starts to get loose. I made a couple of questionable lay-downs which turned out to be genius at the show-down. LOL. Yep, I laid down 3rd nut low to a big bet only to have someone.... who will remain nameless, only make a call on an over-bet with 5th nut low, take the low. Maybe it was just a really good read.
I did get tangled up in a couple of medium-sized pots which made the difference in my night however.... two of them against Sai. Where we both had the wheel and I wrapped up to get a higher straight and quartered him. There was one other hand against Sai where I quartered him again with the nut low and sweet little spade flush that hit on the river.
The big hand of the night for me was against a new guy, at least for me. Everyone else seemed to know Ed though so apparently he has been playing there pretty regularly in some of the cash games. In this particular hand, I had the As, 9s, 3h 5h and the flop hits with the 2s, 6h, 10s. I'm in early position and Ed has been pretty aggressive so I decided to see if he was going to bet as I had picked up a slight tell when he had a good hand, but he checked behind me. The turn is another low spade, I think the 7. So I lead out with a pot size bet and everyone folds around to Ed who re-pots, I re-pot, he re-pots and before you know it, I am all-in with the nut flush and the nut low. The river in a very un-PKR-like manner was a brick. I think that I had $680 in front of me at the time and he turned over the Ax, 3s, 8s, Jx or something very close to that and unfortunately for Ed, he thought that he had the nut flush but got quartered with my nut low and nut flush.
I did flop a set of queens and turned quads in one hand in very early position and got no action at all. I checked the flop and the turn hoping that someone would catch something, but alas, no action. When I made a pot sized bet on the river, the only caller was Rick who I believe had a small boat.
After all the suck-outs including the monster of the night between Mike D and Joe where Mike D hit a one outer for quads on the river to beat Joe's big boat, I did cash out positive for the night.
I'm heading back today for the 40/40/40 tourney!
Back to the felt!
I did get tangled up in a couple of medium-sized pots which made the difference in my night however.... two of them against Sai. Where we both had the wheel and I wrapped up to get a higher straight and quartered him. There was one other hand against Sai where I quartered him again with the nut low and sweet little spade flush that hit on the river.
The big hand of the night for me was against a new guy, at least for me. Everyone else seemed to know Ed though so apparently he has been playing there pretty regularly in some of the cash games. In this particular hand, I had the As, 9s, 3h 5h and the flop hits with the 2s, 6h, 10s. I'm in early position and Ed has been pretty aggressive so I decided to see if he was going to bet as I had picked up a slight tell when he had a good hand, but he checked behind me. The turn is another low spade, I think the 7. So I lead out with a pot size bet and everyone folds around to Ed who re-pots, I re-pot, he re-pots and before you know it, I am all-in with the nut flush and the nut low. The river in a very un-PKR-like manner was a brick. I think that I had $680 in front of me at the time and he turned over the Ax, 3s, 8s, Jx or something very close to that and unfortunately for Ed, he thought that he had the nut flush but got quartered with my nut low and nut flush.
I did flop a set of queens and turned quads in one hand in very early position and got no action at all. I checked the flop and the turn hoping that someone would catch something, but alas, no action. When I made a pot sized bet on the river, the only caller was Rick who I believe had a small boat.
After all the suck-outs including the monster of the night between Mike D and Joe where Mike D hit a one outer for quads on the river to beat Joe's big boat, I did cash out positive for the night.
I'm heading back today for the 40/40/40 tourney!
Back to the felt!
Friday, January 26, 2007
Thursday at Dave's
Well, it was another wild and wacky one last night. During the first four hours (if my math is correct), I believe I flopped the nut straight 1,426 times in Omaha 8, and 1,426 times the turn either paired the board or brought the third flush card. 569 times I flopped the nut low, and 569 times the case ace came on the turn to counterfeit me. Also, there were 731 hands where I flopped a set or flush draw, and 731 times someone else made the nut straight on the turn.
I love this game.
After a big night Tuesday, it was looking like I was going to give some of it back. Poker is a streaky game though. After my third or fourth rebuy, I finally started to build my stack. Like Tuesday, most of the pots I won were medium-sized, with one or two exceptions. The most notable one was against Eli. I said I wasn’t going to post it, but Dave goaded me into it, so here goes…
NLHE $2/5 – there are several limpers, and when the action gets to me in the small blind, I look down to find Q-Q. I think I raise $35, and get three or four callers. The flop comes Q-6-5 rainbow – woo hoo! I lead out with a $50 bet, Dave calls, and Eli raises to $150 on the button. Though Dave can have anything, I decide to take a small chance and not re-raise. I like the flop so much that I want Dave in as well, and I’m also not quite ready to tip off the strength of my hand just yet. Of course, I’m hoping that Eli has small set that he won’t be able to get away from. I call and Dave calls as well.
The turn brings a 9 (it’s probably too much to ask for Dave to have pocket nines, but you know me…). I check, and when Dave checks I figure he’s pretty much done with the hand. Eli bets something like $125 or $150, and since I’m pretty sure he’s committed at this point, I push in the remainder ($350 maybe?). Dave folds, and Eli asks if I have queens before calling and turning over his small set. Pretty tough to lay down any set, even a small one, in a cash game when there’s no obvious straight or flush out there. My queens hold up, as we both boat up on the river.
As bad as my luck was early on, Eli’s was just as bad. He got cold-decked several times in large pots, and it seemed he got drawn out on most of the other times. As for me, the luck turned around later, when I actually had a few hands hold up (what’s the world coming to?)! What looked to be a losing night ended with me cashing out with over $3K. Unfortunately, I had to play until I had to go to work in order to get those chips, so I’m working on no sleep yet again. I need to sneak out early and get and hour or two sleep before Omaha night at PKR. With any luck I hope to make $1-2K tonight, then go win the tournament again tomorrow. Yes, I know it’s the same plan as every week, but you know what they say; if it ain’t broke…
See ya at the tables…
Rick
I love this game.
After a big night Tuesday, it was looking like I was going to give some of it back. Poker is a streaky game though. After my third or fourth rebuy, I finally started to build my stack. Like Tuesday, most of the pots I won were medium-sized, with one or two exceptions. The most notable one was against Eli. I said I wasn’t going to post it, but Dave goaded me into it, so here goes…
NLHE $2/5 – there are several limpers, and when the action gets to me in the small blind, I look down to find Q-Q. I think I raise $35, and get three or four callers. The flop comes Q-6-5 rainbow – woo hoo! I lead out with a $50 bet, Dave calls, and Eli raises to $150 on the button. Though Dave can have anything, I decide to take a small chance and not re-raise. I like the flop so much that I want Dave in as well, and I’m also not quite ready to tip off the strength of my hand just yet. Of course, I’m hoping that Eli has small set that he won’t be able to get away from. I call and Dave calls as well.
The turn brings a 9 (it’s probably too much to ask for Dave to have pocket nines, but you know me…). I check, and when Dave checks I figure he’s pretty much done with the hand. Eli bets something like $125 or $150, and since I’m pretty sure he’s committed at this point, I push in the remainder ($350 maybe?). Dave folds, and Eli asks if I have queens before calling and turning over his small set. Pretty tough to lay down any set, even a small one, in a cash game when there’s no obvious straight or flush out there. My queens hold up, as we both boat up on the river.
As bad as my luck was early on, Eli’s was just as bad. He got cold-decked several times in large pots, and it seemed he got drawn out on most of the other times. As for me, the luck turned around later, when I actually had a few hands hold up (what’s the world coming to?)! What looked to be a losing night ended with me cashing out with over $3K. Unfortunately, I had to play until I had to go to work in order to get those chips, so I’m working on no sleep yet again. I need to sneak out early and get and hour or two sleep before Omaha night at PKR. With any luck I hope to make $1-2K tonight, then go win the tournament again tomorrow. Yes, I know it’s the same plan as every week, but you know what they say; if it ain’t broke…
See ya at the tables…
Rick
World Poker Open at the Gold Strike Casino in Tunica
Bryan Sumner from Tennessee wins the WPT World Poker Open at the Gold Strike Casino in Tunica, Mississippi and pockets $913,986! Daniel Negreanu finishes second winning over $500K! Also at the final table were Kido Pham and JC Tran.
I understand that Negreanu, Pham and Tran all chartered a private jet to take them to AC for the next WPT event.
I understand that Negreanu, Pham and Tran all chartered a private jet to take them to AC for the next WPT event.
Giant Dome Going Up in Atlantic City
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90-foot-high domed spa part of $550M. Harrah's project
ATLANTIC CITY — For sheer magnificence, it may fall short of the domes of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and the Capitol in Washington, but it is spectacular in its own right.
90-foot-high domed spa part of $550M. Harrah's project
ATLANTIC CITY — For sheer magnificence, it may fall short of the domes of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and the Capitol in Washington, but it is spectacular in its own right.
There is nothing quite like it in the casino industry. Not even in Las Vegas.
Soaring 90 feet high, the huge glass-enclosed structure should help Harrah's become, well, a more dome-ineering force in the fierce competition with next door neighbor Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa for the high-end gambling market.
“It will be a tropical paradise under a glass dome,” R. Scott Barber, senior vice president and general manager of Harrah's Atlantic City, boasted Tuesday during a media tour of the new building.
This dome and the posh spa housed within it are the aesthetic centerpiece of a $550 million expansion that will transform Harrah's into a more upscale casino hotel reminiscent of the glamorous gaming palaces of Las Vegas.
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Thursday, January 25, 2007
Sunday at Benson
Another tournament at Benson can mean only one thing; another bad beat story. Of course, any poker player who’s played more than, oh, once could write a book with all of their tales of woe. For me, I’m not interested so much in the typical criteria (number of outs, etc.), as I am the situation, and what makes a bad beat unique. The beat I took last weekend makes my book because of its distinctiveness.
I was invited to play in a 20-player freeroll, with no rebuys. Each player started with 4,000 chips, so there was 80,000 in play. I think we’re down to eight players, blinds are 800/1,600 and I have 7,200 in front of me. I’m UTG in seat one, and find J-J. At this point I want to try and double up, so I raise to 4,000 (rather than push in), in an attempt to get action. Of course, the chips are going in regardless of the flop.
The action folds around to the small blind, who’s in seat nine and somewhat blinded from me by the dealer. He turns to the guy in the big blind and boldly announces he’s all-in. The big blind folds, I quickly call and turn over my hand, and the guy’s eyes get big as he announces “I didn’t know anyone else was in the hand,” and sheepishly turns over 8-7os. The flop brings 10-9-2, giving him six outs to the straight. The turn pairs the board, leaving him just the four sixes as outs. Of course, by now you know that one of them comes. Turns out he and I had exactly the same amount of chips, so instead of having 20% of the chips in play, I’m out the door and on my way home before he can finish stacking his booty.
You gotta love the luck. The guy isn’t paying attention to the action, is oblivious to the fact that someone has already raised the pot, and just tries to steal the big blind. But as so often happens in this game, he trips over his own dick, lands in a big pile of shit, and gets up smelling like a rose (of course, if you talk to Charles, he'll tell anyone that'll listen that I'm a lucky player...).
I’m off to Dave’s again tonight, where I’m sure I’ll collect enough material for yet another chapter in my ever-growing book. :-)
See ya at the tables…
Rick
I was invited to play in a 20-player freeroll, with no rebuys. Each player started with 4,000 chips, so there was 80,000 in play. I think we’re down to eight players, blinds are 800/1,600 and I have 7,200 in front of me. I’m UTG in seat one, and find J-J. At this point I want to try and double up, so I raise to 4,000 (rather than push in), in an attempt to get action. Of course, the chips are going in regardless of the flop.
The action folds around to the small blind, who’s in seat nine and somewhat blinded from me by the dealer. He turns to the guy in the big blind and boldly announces he’s all-in. The big blind folds, I quickly call and turn over my hand, and the guy’s eyes get big as he announces “I didn’t know anyone else was in the hand,” and sheepishly turns over 8-7os. The flop brings 10-9-2, giving him six outs to the straight. The turn pairs the board, leaving him just the four sixes as outs. Of course, by now you know that one of them comes. Turns out he and I had exactly the same amount of chips, so instead of having 20% of the chips in play, I’m out the door and on my way home before he can finish stacking his booty.
You gotta love the luck. The guy isn’t paying attention to the action, is oblivious to the fact that someone has already raised the pot, and just tries to steal the big blind. But as so often happens in this game, he trips over his own dick, lands in a big pile of shit, and gets up smelling like a rose (of course, if you talk to Charles, he'll tell anyone that'll listen that I'm a lucky player...).
I’m off to Dave’s again tonight, where I’m sure I’ll collect enough material for yet another chapter in my ever-growing book. :-)
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Tuesday at Dave's
Another Tuesday night, and by now we all know what that means: another opportunity to stuff my pockets with Dave’s cash. And as usual, he did not disappoint. Don’t get me wrong, I want everybody’s money, but for some reason it’s simply more fun taking Dave’s.
My favorite situations occur when Dave is on my left, and I check the nuts to him. Yes, I could bet, and he could raise, and I’d end up basically accomplishing the same goal, but where’s the fun in that? Dave (bless his heart!) was born with some sort of a birth defect (Donkeyitis Pigmentosa, I think it’s called) that precludes him from checking anytime there’s more than, say, $13 in any given pot, regardless of what his cards are.
At any rate, the best part about this play is that if I bet, most people will fold, knowing that I must have a hand. Nobody gives Dave any respect, since he bets every pot, and he’ll usually have half the table call him. This situation came up a couple times last night. Once was in Omaha 8, when I have A-2-2-7, and the flop comes 4-2-2, with two spades. Woo hoo! I’m first to act, and throw out a little bet of $30 or so to get the ball rolling, and Dave raises another $100. I think there are three callers, and I just call when it gets to me. I figure I’m not going to get anyone off the low draw anyway, so I want as many players in as possible. And who knows, if the right cards come, my A-7 might end up winning the low also.
Anyway, the turn brings a K, a great card for me. I glance over at our hero, who is just itching to get his chips in the middle, and who am I to stop him? I check, and he pushes all-in for $800 or so. Elvie calls for less, there’s a fold, and the action is to Bill, who deliberates for a good 4-5 minutes. In the end, despite my best efforts at telepathy (“Call Bill… Call Bill!”), he folds. I call of course, and hope for any card 9 or higher. I get my wish, as a J comes on the river and my monkey rakes a monster pot. I could have made a double-batch of Toll House Cookies™ with all the chocolate chips I scooped – thanks Dave!
Another nice hand came in NLHE, when I get A-A on the button. I raise to $35 when it gets to me, and Dave raises another $100 from the small blind. Eli is on my right, and calls Dave’s raise. Hmmm, how to play, how to play… Here Dave is not the issue, I know he’ll call an all-in bet. In fact, if it was just us, I probably would have just min-raised and allowed him to raise me all-in (I usually like to play with my fish a bit before landing him). Eli is still a pretty loose player, but has tightened up a bit, and is a much better player now than he was a year ago. Still, I don’t want to play aces against two players, and I don’t want to give him any more reason to get involved any further. I decide to push in to try and isolate Dave, and let the chips fall where they may.
Dave immediately calls for his last $500-600 or so, and now Eli has a tough decision to make. Eli and I are the two big stacks. I think he may have me covered at this point, but a loss will cripple him, and he makes the right decision and folds his Kh-2h (hey, don’t laugh, the old Eli would have never laid that down!). Boy, I was sure glad I pushed once I saw the two hearts come on the flop, then the third come on the turn! Luckily, my aces held up against Dave’s jacks, and I drag another nice pot.
As strange as it sounds, the theme for the night was “What could have been.” I laid down a marginal hand pre-flop (where I was on the fence about calling) that would have boated up and scooped a $1,900 pot. Ouch. I got screwed on the river several times to cost me all or part of a handful of big pots. Though I had a big night, I didn’t hit a single river card myself. It’s hard to have a big night playing Omaha without hitting a few river cards, but I did pretty well with the medium-sized pots.
After the sun came up and the pretenders left, John M and I played heads-up for a bit. He spanked me fair and square the last time, but this night (morning) belonged to me. I broke him, and we called it a night. After a couple losing night in a row at Dave’s (what the hell?), it was fun being back playing big-stack poker. I cashed out for over $5,400. Of course, being the greedy bastard I am, I couldn’t help but feel it should have been $8,000-9,000 or so. And to answer your question – no, it never is enough…
See ya at the tables…
Rick
My favorite situations occur when Dave is on my left, and I check the nuts to him. Yes, I could bet, and he could raise, and I’d end up basically accomplishing the same goal, but where’s the fun in that? Dave (bless his heart!) was born with some sort of a birth defect (Donkeyitis Pigmentosa, I think it’s called) that precludes him from checking anytime there’s more than, say, $13 in any given pot, regardless of what his cards are.
At any rate, the best part about this play is that if I bet, most people will fold, knowing that I must have a hand. Nobody gives Dave any respect, since he bets every pot, and he’ll usually have half the table call him. This situation came up a couple times last night. Once was in Omaha 8, when I have A-2-2-7, and the flop comes 4-2-2, with two spades. Woo hoo! I’m first to act, and throw out a little bet of $30 or so to get the ball rolling, and Dave raises another $100. I think there are three callers, and I just call when it gets to me. I figure I’m not going to get anyone off the low draw anyway, so I want as many players in as possible. And who knows, if the right cards come, my A-7 might end up winning the low also.
Anyway, the turn brings a K, a great card for me. I glance over at our hero, who is just itching to get his chips in the middle, and who am I to stop him? I check, and he pushes all-in for $800 or so. Elvie calls for less, there’s a fold, and the action is to Bill, who deliberates for a good 4-5 minutes. In the end, despite my best efforts at telepathy (“Call Bill… Call Bill!”), he folds. I call of course, and hope for any card 9 or higher. I get my wish, as a J comes on the river and my monkey rakes a monster pot. I could have made a double-batch of Toll House Cookies™ with all the chocolate chips I scooped – thanks Dave!
Another nice hand came in NLHE, when I get A-A on the button. I raise to $35 when it gets to me, and Dave raises another $100 from the small blind. Eli is on my right, and calls Dave’s raise. Hmmm, how to play, how to play… Here Dave is not the issue, I know he’ll call an all-in bet. In fact, if it was just us, I probably would have just min-raised and allowed him to raise me all-in (I usually like to play with my fish a bit before landing him). Eli is still a pretty loose player, but has tightened up a bit, and is a much better player now than he was a year ago. Still, I don’t want to play aces against two players, and I don’t want to give him any more reason to get involved any further. I decide to push in to try and isolate Dave, and let the chips fall where they may.
Dave immediately calls for his last $500-600 or so, and now Eli has a tough decision to make. Eli and I are the two big stacks. I think he may have me covered at this point, but a loss will cripple him, and he makes the right decision and folds his Kh-2h (hey, don’t laugh, the old Eli would have never laid that down!). Boy, I was sure glad I pushed once I saw the two hearts come on the flop, then the third come on the turn! Luckily, my aces held up against Dave’s jacks, and I drag another nice pot.
As strange as it sounds, the theme for the night was “What could have been.” I laid down a marginal hand pre-flop (where I was on the fence about calling) that would have boated up and scooped a $1,900 pot. Ouch. I got screwed on the river several times to cost me all or part of a handful of big pots. Though I had a big night, I didn’t hit a single river card myself. It’s hard to have a big night playing Omaha without hitting a few river cards, but I did pretty well with the medium-sized pots.
After the sun came up and the pretenders left, John M and I played heads-up for a bit. He spanked me fair and square the last time, but this night (morning) belonged to me. I broke him, and we called it a night. After a couple losing night in a row at Dave’s (what the hell?), it was fun being back playing big-stack poker. I cashed out for over $5,400. Of course, being the greedy bastard I am, I couldn’t help but feel it should have been $8,000-9,000 or so. And to answer your question – no, it never is enough…
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
New Schedule Going Up....
POKER SCHEDULE (CURRENT UNTIL FEB 1)
MMC Thursday - 1/3 NLHE 2:00pm, Tournament 40 (no-rebuy) 8:15
MMC Sunday - 2/5 NLHE 7:00pm
MMC Monday - 1/3 NLHE 8:00pm
POKER SCHEDULE (STARTING FEB 1)
MMC Thursday - 1/3 NLHE 2:00pm, Tournament 40 (no-rebuy) 8:15
MMC Saturday - Tournament 100/100 7:15pm & 1/3 NLHE 8:00pm
MMC Sunday - 2/5 NLHE 7:00pm
Let me know if you have any questions!
MMC Thursday - 1/3 NLHE 2:00pm, Tournament 40 (no-rebuy) 8:15
MMC Sunday - 2/5 NLHE 7:00pm
MMC Monday - 1/3 NLHE 8:00pm
POKER SCHEDULE (STARTING FEB 1)
MMC Thursday - 1/3 NLHE 2:00pm, Tournament 40 (no-rebuy) 8:15
MMC Saturday - Tournament 100/100 7:15pm & 1/3 NLHE 8:00pm
MMC Sunday - 2/5 NLHE 7:00pm
Let me know if you have any questions!
Monday, January 22, 2007
A Dream Come True!
A guy walked into the local welfare office, marched
straight up to the counter and said, "Hi. You know, I
just HATE drawing welfare. I'd really rather have a
job."
The social worker behind the counter said, "Your
timing is excellent. We just got a job opening from a
very wealthy old man who wants a chauffeur and
bodyguard for his beautiful 30 year old daughter.
You'll have to drive around in his Mercedes, and he'll
supply all of your clothes. Because of the long hours,
meals will be provided. You'll be expected to escort
the daughter on her overseas holiday trips and you
will have to satisfy her sexual urges.
You'll be provided a two-bedroom apartment above the
garage. The salary is $200,000 a year."
The guy, wide-eyed, said, "You're bullshitting me!"
The social worker said, "Yeah, well...you started it."
straight up to the counter and said, "Hi. You know, I
just HATE drawing welfare. I'd really rather have a
job."
The social worker behind the counter said, "Your
timing is excellent. We just got a job opening from a
very wealthy old man who wants a chauffeur and
bodyguard for his beautiful 30 year old daughter.
You'll have to drive around in his Mercedes, and he'll
supply all of your clothes. Because of the long hours,
meals will be provided. You'll be expected to escort
the daughter on her overseas holiday trips and you
will have to satisfy her sexual urges.
You'll be provided a two-bedroom apartment above the
garage. The salary is $200,000 a year."
The guy, wide-eyed, said, "You're bullshitting me!"
The social worker said, "Yeah, well...you started it."
Hey... where'd he go?
Rick and I made the jaunt over to Benson for the tournament yesterday and always, there was a great group of guys there. We didn't do very well, but its always fun to talk poker with Rick there and back. Especially since I don't get to play as much with him as I used to... at any rate, during one of our conversations he reminded me of something that I probably should have blogged immediately following the US Poker Championship back in September. We were playing in the cash game 2/5 at the Borgata and this older gentleman came to the table and sat down with a huge rack of chips, Rick was sitting closer to him than I was, but it looked like several thousand dollars in chips. He was a short, salt & pepper haired guy with a black-ish handle-bar shaped, moustache. He sort of reminded me of someone who may have been retired military. Very staunch looking, no hair out of place and everything neatly pressed.
At any rate, he sat down and posted his blind in early position. I've got the Ad, 9d and he raises it to $45 and there are a couple of callers and I call. The flop was the Kd, 8d, 4d..... the colonel bets $125 with one caller and I call. The turn was a brick. The colonel bets $250, the other guy folds and I re-raise all-in for another $400 or so and before the action gets back to him, he's out of there like a bullet. He was gone! Chips, cologne, moustache, everything.... gone!
Hey! Where'd he go?
At any rate, he sat down and posted his blind in early position. I've got the Ad, 9d and he raises it to $45 and there are a couple of callers and I call. The flop was the Kd, 8d, 4d..... the colonel bets $125 with one caller and I call. The turn was a brick. The colonel bets $250, the other guy folds and I re-raise all-in for another $400 or so and before the action gets back to him, he's out of there like a bullet. He was gone! Chips, cologne, moustache, everything.... gone!
Hey! Where'd he go?
Sunday, January 21, 2007
PKR Sunday Tournament
This tournament has always fostered a "shoot-em-up" kind of strategy. The original buy-in is 60 and the re-buys/add-ons are only 25 each. So as you would imagine, lots of donkey calls and lots of action!
Game time 2PM.
Game time 2PM.
PKR Saturday Poker Tournament
Another good turn-out at PKR yesterday. Two full tables and I was determined to get back to the winner's circle. At one point, I was down to only 1 big blind bet, but came back and got unlucky against Rick in back to back hands and he ended up taking first and I took second. I still believe that he is the luckiest guy I know. In one hand, he pushed all his chips in against with pocket 9's and ran into pocket Aces and out-drew the Aces. Nice!
The hand that did me in with Rick was Jc, 7c. He was the big blind and I limp. He raises all-in.... pretty easy to do with 5000/10000 blinds and with so few chips it was really going to be whoever ended up getting lucky the last couple of hands. I called and had an A, 6os. The flop Ax, Jx, 6x..... yep, that is Rick's life right there in a nut shell. LOL.
Good playing though!
The hand that did me in with Rick was Jc, 7c. He was the big blind and I limp. He raises all-in.... pretty easy to do with 5000/10000 blinds and with so few chips it was really going to be whoever ended up getting lucky the last couple of hands. I called and had an A, 6os. The flop Ax, Jx, 6x..... yep, that is Rick's life right there in a nut shell. LOL.
Good playing though!
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Deposit and Withdraw at Online Sites These Ways
Copied from Triangle Poker Journal
Triangle Poker Journal ™Covering Local News on America's Favorite Game
Subscribe free at www.trianglepokerjournal.com
Deposit and Withdraw at Online Sites These Ways
ePassport, Click2Pay, will do the Job NETELLER Left Empty
The end of NETELLER’s participation with customers in the U.S. may be a blow to the convenience of online poker, but there are other ways to get money in and out of online sites.
For players who depended on NETELLER, and who use sites that also offer ePassporte, they can get their money into their bank accounts by first setting up an account with ePassporte, making a deposit at their preferred site to activate it, and then withdraw.
People who have money in their NETELLER accounts can withdraw their money to their bank accounts.
Here’s a list of four of the most popular sites and the ways they still accept deposits and withdraws from Americans in America:
PokerStars
PokerStars accepts ePassporte, Visa, MasterCard, Western Union and players can actually send checks to the site.
ePassporte is a company that issues virtual Visa cards that can be used at sites everywhere, but its processing fees are a little obnoxious. Each deposit of $100 costs $5 and it costs at least $2 to make an EFT. But to make the service more convenient, players may want to order an actual Visa card from ePassporte for an additional $35, which gives players direct access to their funds at retail locations everywhere and can be used to withdraw money from ATM machines.
As of the middle of January, ePassporte is the only option American players have at PokerStars to electronically withdraw their winnings.
Players can use their Visa and MasterCards to deposit at PokerStars, but can’t withdraw to them. PokerStars also accepts Western Union, and players can mail checks to the site.
Many players will be making friends with the mailman this year, because PokerStars can mail checks to their players. This takes 10 to 14 business days.
Click here to take advantage of a deposit bonus offered through CardPlayer.com.
Full Tilt
Full Tilt also accepts ePassporte, but they have another alternative in Click2Pay.
Click2Pay charges a 3 percent processing fee if players deposit with their credit card, but if players set up direct deposit with their bank accounts, it’s free of charge. Same goes for withdrawing, and the site claims that a bank transfer takes up to three business days. Click2Pay’s customer service may be lacking, though. We tried to get a hold of them over the phone for an entire day, but the call never went through.
Doyle’s Room
ePassporte is the only service that players can use to both deposit and withdraw money at the site. Players can deposit using Visa and MasterCard, but can’t withdraw with them. Doyle’s Room will be happy to cut and mail a check.
Ultimate Bet
Ultimate Bet accepts ePassporte, Visa, MasterCard and ATMOnline. ATMOnline is another “eWallet” that players can connect top their bank accounts to make withdraws and deposits. While still servicing U.S. customers, it warns that it will probably change its policy after the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act goes into effect later this year.
Setup is free at ATMOnline. Deposit is free if using a bank account and it charges 7 percent if a credit card is used. Withdraws from sites to the ATMOnline account costs $15, but withdraws to bank accounts is free. The company charges $10 to mail checks.
Triangle Poker Journal ™Covering Local News on America's Favorite Game
Subscribe free at www.trianglepokerjournal.com
Deposit and Withdraw at Online Sites These Ways
ePassport, Click2Pay, will do the Job NETELLER Left Empty
The end of NETELLER’s participation with customers in the U.S. may be a blow to the convenience of online poker, but there are other ways to get money in and out of online sites.
For players who depended on NETELLER, and who use sites that also offer ePassporte, they can get their money into their bank accounts by first setting up an account with ePassporte, making a deposit at their preferred site to activate it, and then withdraw.
People who have money in their NETELLER accounts can withdraw their money to their bank accounts.
Here’s a list of four of the most popular sites and the ways they still accept deposits and withdraws from Americans in America:
PokerStars
PokerStars accepts ePassporte, Visa, MasterCard, Western Union and players can actually send checks to the site.
ePassporte is a company that issues virtual Visa cards that can be used at sites everywhere, but its processing fees are a little obnoxious. Each deposit of $100 costs $5 and it costs at least $2 to make an EFT. But to make the service more convenient, players may want to order an actual Visa card from ePassporte for an additional $35, which gives players direct access to their funds at retail locations everywhere and can be used to withdraw money from ATM machines.
As of the middle of January, ePassporte is the only option American players have at PokerStars to electronically withdraw their winnings.
Players can use their Visa and MasterCards to deposit at PokerStars, but can’t withdraw to them. PokerStars also accepts Western Union, and players can mail checks to the site.
Many players will be making friends with the mailman this year, because PokerStars can mail checks to their players. This takes 10 to 14 business days.
Click here to take advantage of a deposit bonus offered through CardPlayer.com.
Full Tilt
Full Tilt also accepts ePassporte, but they have another alternative in Click2Pay.
Click2Pay charges a 3 percent processing fee if players deposit with their credit card, but if players set up direct deposit with their bank accounts, it’s free of charge. Same goes for withdrawing, and the site claims that a bank transfer takes up to three business days. Click2Pay’s customer service may be lacking, though. We tried to get a hold of them over the phone for an entire day, but the call never went through.
Doyle’s Room
ePassporte is the only service that players can use to both deposit and withdraw money at the site. Players can deposit using Visa and MasterCard, but can’t withdraw with them. Doyle’s Room will be happy to cut and mail a check.
Ultimate Bet
Ultimate Bet accepts ePassporte, Visa, MasterCard and ATMOnline. ATMOnline is another “eWallet” that players can connect top their bank accounts to make withdraws and deposits. While still servicing U.S. customers, it warns that it will probably change its policy after the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act goes into effect later this year.
Setup is free at ATMOnline. Deposit is free if using a bank account and it charges 7 percent if a credit card is used. Withdraws from sites to the ATMOnline account costs $15, but withdraws to bank accounts is free. The company charges $10 to mail checks.
Friday, January 19, 2007
It's Been Raised... what now?
This was posted originally back in August and there have been several guys over the past few weeks who have told me they couldn't find it. So I thought a re-post might be in order....
This is where most people really blow it. How do you make the decision on making a call for half your chips ..... or all of your chips? Too many times this decision is based solely on emotion and not on math. I certainly have done it! And I have hit the one outer... haven't I Jeff? Without getting into pot odds and implied odds, probably the easiest to use and the best method of calculating the likelihood of getting your cards is the 2/4 Rule. The 2/4 rule gives you an answer that is within a percent or 2 of the actual number without having to be a math genius.
Here's how it works. First, you need to count your outs. Outs in a hold'em hand are the cards necessary that CAN come to complete your hand. For instance, if you have 4 to the flush on the flop, there are 9 cards left in the deck that can complete your flush (13 of each suit in the deck minus the 4 to the flush that are in your hand and on the board). Next you multiply your outs by either 2 or 4 depending on whether you plan on seeing 1 or 2 cards (either the turn or the river -or- the turn and the river). That number is percentage chance that your draw will hit. So for the flush draw to hit on either the turn or river, I multiply my 9 outs by 4 equalling 36. That means there is a 36% chance of my flush getting there if I plan on staying in and seeing both the turn and the river. If I were to only see the turn OR the river card, I would only multiply my outs by 2 -- which gives me an 18% chance of making my hand. There are a lot of other things that can and should be considered, but if you're looking for a quick and dirty way to help determine how likely it is for your card to come, this is a great method to use.
Here's another example... just for Dave... let's say that you have the Jc, 10c and flop a gut shot straight flush draw...... LOL. The 9c, 7c hit the board with a 2d. That means there is ONE card in the deck to complete your straight flush, but the same non-club 8 will give you a straight, the nut straight. Let's also assume that you believe that any club will make your hand (no other player has a higher flush draw.... {I know, only Dave would be doing all this assuming}), that means that there are 4 eights that will make your hand and 8 other clubs that would make your hand. It may also be safe to assume that any 10 or Jack might give you the best pair although depending on pre-flop bets/raises, the 10 or Jack may complete someone else's open ended straight draw. So, confused? Good! At any rate, there are 4 eights and 8 other clubs which means that you have 12 outs. So if you plan on seeing both the turn and the river, you've got a 48% chance of making your hand.Now let's muddy the water... let's say that a 3c hits the turn. Now you have a Jack high flush with a straight flush draw. OK. Dave will bet $50 and let's say Rick re-raises all-in for $800 more. So, now you know that your flush is no good without the 8c.... or at least most know that it is no good..... But good old Dave cannot get away from it. He has one out with one card to come. The math should be pretty easy to do. 1 out X 2 = 2% chance that his card will hit. He, of course, calls and loses all his chips.
Now let's run the same scenario with Dave, but with Charles holding the nut flush. Everything is the same EXCEPT that Dave gets the 8c on the river and takes all Charles' chips.
Back to the felt!
This is where most people really blow it. How do you make the decision on making a call for half your chips ..... or all of your chips? Too many times this decision is based solely on emotion and not on math. I certainly have done it! And I have hit the one outer... haven't I Jeff? Without getting into pot odds and implied odds, probably the easiest to use and the best method of calculating the likelihood of getting your cards is the 2/4 Rule. The 2/4 rule gives you an answer that is within a percent or 2 of the actual number without having to be a math genius.
Here's how it works. First, you need to count your outs. Outs in a hold'em hand are the cards necessary that CAN come to complete your hand. For instance, if you have 4 to the flush on the flop, there are 9 cards left in the deck that can complete your flush (13 of each suit in the deck minus the 4 to the flush that are in your hand and on the board). Next you multiply your outs by either 2 or 4 depending on whether you plan on seeing 1 or 2 cards (either the turn or the river -or- the turn and the river). That number is percentage chance that your draw will hit. So for the flush draw to hit on either the turn or river, I multiply my 9 outs by 4 equalling 36. That means there is a 36% chance of my flush getting there if I plan on staying in and seeing both the turn and the river. If I were to only see the turn OR the river card, I would only multiply my outs by 2 -- which gives me an 18% chance of making my hand. There are a lot of other things that can and should be considered, but if you're looking for a quick and dirty way to help determine how likely it is for your card to come, this is a great method to use.
Here's another example... just for Dave... let's say that you have the Jc, 10c and flop a gut shot straight flush draw...... LOL. The 9c, 7c hit the board with a 2d. That means there is ONE card in the deck to complete your straight flush, but the same non-club 8 will give you a straight, the nut straight. Let's also assume that you believe that any club will make your hand (no other player has a higher flush draw.... {I know, only Dave would be doing all this assuming}), that means that there are 4 eights that will make your hand and 8 other clubs that would make your hand. It may also be safe to assume that any 10 or Jack might give you the best pair although depending on pre-flop bets/raises, the 10 or Jack may complete someone else's open ended straight draw. So, confused? Good! At any rate, there are 4 eights and 8 other clubs which means that you have 12 outs. So if you plan on seeing both the turn and the river, you've got a 48% chance of making your hand.Now let's muddy the water... let's say that a 3c hits the turn. Now you have a Jack high flush with a straight flush draw. OK. Dave will bet $50 and let's say Rick re-raises all-in for $800 more. So, now you know that your flush is no good without the 8c.... or at least most know that it is no good..... But good old Dave cannot get away from it. He has one out with one card to come. The math should be pretty easy to do. 1 out X 2 = 2% chance that his card will hit. He, of course, calls and loses all his chips.
Now let's run the same scenario with Dave, but with Charles holding the nut flush. Everything is the same EXCEPT that Dave gets the 8c on the river and takes all Charles' chips.
Back to the felt!
Citadel Leaves US Market, Another Poker e-Wallet in Neteller's Wake
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Citadel Leaves US Market, Another Poker e-Wallet in Neteller's Wake
by PokerPages.com Fri, Jan 19th, 2007 @ 12:00am
Canadian-based Citadel Commerce, another popular e-Wallet payment processor used by poker players to fund their online accounts, announced Wednesday that effective immediately they "will no longer offer financial processing to non-domestic Internet Gaming merchants for USA consumers."
This comes shortly after NETELLER announced they will no longer take online gambling transactions from US customers, following the arrest by the US of their founders Stephen Lawrence and John Lefebvre on January 15.
Referring to the NETELLER arrests, Citadel's parent group, ESI Entertainment Systems Inc, stated that "....this decision was made by the ESI Board of Directors in the light of recent US Department of Justice enforcement actions against financial processors executives."
ESI also noted that the closure to the US Market "will have a material impact on the financial condition of the Company as a substantial part of its revenues was derived from non-domestic Internet Gaming merchants for USA consumers."
Triangle Poker Journal ™Covering Local News on America's Favorite Game
Subscribe free at www.trianglepokerjournal.com
Citadel Leaves US Market, Another Poker e-Wallet in Neteller's Wake
by PokerPages.com Fri, Jan 19th, 2007 @ 12:00am
Canadian-based Citadel Commerce, another popular e-Wallet payment processor used by poker players to fund their online accounts, announced Wednesday that effective immediately they "will no longer offer financial processing to non-domestic Internet Gaming merchants for USA consumers."
This comes shortly after NETELLER announced they will no longer take online gambling transactions from US customers, following the arrest by the US of their founders Stephen Lawrence and John Lefebvre on January 15.
Referring to the NETELLER arrests, Citadel's parent group, ESI Entertainment Systems Inc, stated that "....this decision was made by the ESI Board of Directors in the light of recent US Department of Justice enforcement actions against financial processors executives."
ESI also noted that the closure to the US Market "will have a material impact on the financial condition of the Company as a substantial part of its revenues was derived from non-domestic Internet Gaming merchants for USA consumers."
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Poker Schedule
I have added a new column to the blog... POKER SCHEDULE! If you would like to have some information about your game(s) posted here, please let me know and I'll be happy to post for you!
UK Jury Rules on Nature of Poker
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UK Jury Rules on Nature of Poker
Jan. 16 (Bloomberg) -- The manager of a 23,000-member private card club in London was convicted today of violating Britain's gambling laws after a jury decided poker is a game of chance, not pure skill.
Derek Kelly argued that he didn't need a gambling license to take a share of profits from players at his club because the U.K.'s Gaming Act 1968 covers games like roulette, not skill- based games like poker or chess. The jury disagreed, and convicted Kelly of illegally taking profits of as much as 10 percent from players on two occasions at the Gutshot club.
A not guilty verdict ``could have caused enormous problems for the gaming industry because then you have the green light in some people's eyes for unregulated poker,'' Justice Simon Wilkinson said in court.
Prosecutor Graham Trembath QC had argued that shuffling a deck of cards was enough to make poker both a game of significant chance and significant skill, which falls under the U.K. government's interpretation of ``chance.''
Kelly, who the judge said is unlikely to get a prison sentence, faces a fine at a Feb. 16 hearing. He said he is considering an appeal.
``It is important that we take time, take stock, and go down to Gutshot to rearrange what we do, but we are not closing,'' Kelly said in an interview after the decision.
The verdict issued after more than two hours of deliberations has been watched by London's 26 poker clubs, tens of thousands of players and online poker operators worldwide that generate revenue ``in excess of $100 million a day,'' according to Kelly.
PokerStars, an Isle-of-Man based Internet site that has dealt 6 billion hands, said in October it would keep taking bets from American players because a U.S. federal law passed last year doesn't apply to skill-based games like poker.
For the last week, Kelly's competitors, reporters and men in pinstripe suits who described themselves only as ``interested parties'' jockeyed for a seat at Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London to hear expert players discuss the skills needed to play poker games like ``Texas Holdem.''
Triangle Poker Journal™Covering Local News on America's Favorite Game
Subscribe free at www.trianglepokerjournal.com
UK Jury Rules on Nature of Poker
Jan. 16 (Bloomberg) -- The manager of a 23,000-member private card club in London was convicted today of violating Britain's gambling laws after a jury decided poker is a game of chance, not pure skill.
Derek Kelly argued that he didn't need a gambling license to take a share of profits from players at his club because the U.K.'s Gaming Act 1968 covers games like roulette, not skill- based games like poker or chess. The jury disagreed, and convicted Kelly of illegally taking profits of as much as 10 percent from players on two occasions at the Gutshot club.
A not guilty verdict ``could have caused enormous problems for the gaming industry because then you have the green light in some people's eyes for unregulated poker,'' Justice Simon Wilkinson said in court.
Prosecutor Graham Trembath QC had argued that shuffling a deck of cards was enough to make poker both a game of significant chance and significant skill, which falls under the U.K. government's interpretation of ``chance.''
Kelly, who the judge said is unlikely to get a prison sentence, faces a fine at a Feb. 16 hearing. He said he is considering an appeal.
``It is important that we take time, take stock, and go down to Gutshot to rearrange what we do, but we are not closing,'' Kelly said in an interview after the decision.
The verdict issued after more than two hours of deliberations has been watched by London's 26 poker clubs, tens of thousands of players and online poker operators worldwide that generate revenue ``in excess of $100 million a day,'' according to Kelly.
PokerStars, an Isle-of-Man based Internet site that has dealt 6 billion hands, said in October it would keep taking bets from American players because a U.S. federal law passed last year doesn't apply to skill-based games like poker.
For the last week, Kelly's competitors, reporters and men in pinstripe suits who described themselves only as ``interested parties'' jockeyed for a seat at Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London to hear expert players discuss the skills needed to play poker games like ``Texas Holdem.''
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
UK Poker Cheaters Caught
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Triangle Poker Journal™Covering Local News on America's Favorite Game
Subscribe free at www.trianglepokerjournal.com
UK Poker Cheaters Caught
Two men and a woman cheated casinos in Britain out of nearly half a million dollars in a high-tech poker scam using hidden miniature cameras and earpieces, police said last Tuesday.
Detectives said they thought at least six casinos in the London area were targeted over a period of several months by the sting, which involved two of the gang playing poker while their accomplice sat in a van parked on a nearby street.
Using a tiny camera, hidden up the sleeve of one of the players, cards would be filmed as the croupier dealt them.
This footage was beamed live to the van via a transmitter where it was then viewed in slow motion, showing what the cards had been.
The two poker players were then told via earpieces how to bet.
"These three people executed a sophisticated system that allowed them to cheat at least one casino out of a significant amount of money," Detective Inspector Darren Warner of the Metropolitan Police's Gaming Unit said.
On the night the cheats were caught, they had netted nearly US$7,000 in 50 minutes.
The scam was rumbled when casino staff became suspicious about the success of one of the gang and wondered why the same white van kept turning up outside.
Yau Yiu Lam, 45 was jailed for nine months, while Fan Leung Tsang, 41, and Bit Chai Wong, 39, were given nine-month suspended sentences and 150 hours community service. All were banned from casinos.
Triangle Poker Journal™Covering Local News on America's Favorite Game
Subscribe free at www.trianglepokerjournal.com
UK Poker Cheaters Caught
Two men and a woman cheated casinos in Britain out of nearly half a million dollars in a high-tech poker scam using hidden miniature cameras and earpieces, police said last Tuesday.
Detectives said they thought at least six casinos in the London area were targeted over a period of several months by the sting, which involved two of the gang playing poker while their accomplice sat in a van parked on a nearby street.
Using a tiny camera, hidden up the sleeve of one of the players, cards would be filmed as the croupier dealt them.
This footage was beamed live to the van via a transmitter where it was then viewed in slow motion, showing what the cards had been.
The two poker players were then told via earpieces how to bet.
"These three people executed a sophisticated system that allowed them to cheat at least one casino out of a significant amount of money," Detective Inspector Darren Warner of the Metropolitan Police's Gaming Unit said.
On the night the cheats were caught, they had netted nearly US$7,000 in 50 minutes.
The scam was rumbled when casino staff became suspicious about the success of one of the gang and wondered why the same white van kept turning up outside.
Yau Yiu Lam, 45 was jailed for nine months, while Fan Leung Tsang, 41, and Bit Chai Wong, 39, were given nine-month suspended sentences and 150 hours community service. All were banned from casinos.
Florida Poker Game Robbed
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Triangle Poker Journal™Covering Local News on America's Favorite Game
Subscribe free at www.trianglepokerjournal.com
Florida Poker Game Robbed
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A southside man was arrested Saturday for running an illegal poker room out of his home.
James Lyons, 25, called police about a robbery that happened at his apartment. He told them three to six men, dressed in tactical gear and armed with rifles, busted down the door and took $8,000 and a $25,000 diamond ring. When police got to his apartment, they found his high-stakes poker room.
Lyons admitted to police he was running the poker room inside his apartment at the Reserve of Deerwood Apartment complex off Southside Boulevard. He said he made enough money in the games that he could pay his rent, his car payment, his insurance and his utility bills.
His neighbors said they knew something was going on, but they had no idea it was an illegal poker room.
"When I come in some nights, I couldn't park," said Melanie Parks, who lived in Lyons' complex. "Mainly on Tuesdays and Fridays, there was a lot of cars out here, blocking everyone's spots."
Another neighbor said he saw all kinds of people entering and leaving the apartment.
"You had people of different ages and different backgrounds," Jason Trevett said. "It looked a little strange."
Lyons told police he's been operating the poker room for about four months.
Triangle Poker Journal™Covering Local News on America's Favorite Game
Subscribe free at www.trianglepokerjournal.com
Florida Poker Game Robbed
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A southside man was arrested Saturday for running an illegal poker room out of his home.
James Lyons, 25, called police about a robbery that happened at his apartment. He told them three to six men, dressed in tactical gear and armed with rifles, busted down the door and took $8,000 and a $25,000 diamond ring. When police got to his apartment, they found his high-stakes poker room.
Lyons admitted to police he was running the poker room inside his apartment at the Reserve of Deerwood Apartment complex off Southside Boulevard. He said he made enough money in the games that he could pay his rent, his car payment, his insurance and his utility bills.
His neighbors said they knew something was going on, but they had no idea it was an illegal poker room.
"When I come in some nights, I couldn't park," said Melanie Parks, who lived in Lyons' complex. "Mainly on Tuesdays and Fridays, there was a lot of cars out here, blocking everyone's spots."
Another neighbor said he saw all kinds of people entering and leaving the apartment.
"You had people of different ages and different backgrounds," Jason Trevett said. "It looked a little strange."
Lyons told police he's been operating the poker room for about four months.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
PKR Sunday Tournament
Another excellent tournament at PKR.... I got out played in my last hand... I had just lost a big pot to Ed when I flopped a Jack high flush and pushed all-in on the turn and he calls all of his chips and hits a fourth diamond on the board on the river to win with his lone Ace of diamonds....
A couple hands later.... I raised the $200 blind to $1000 in late position with the Jd, Ad and everyone folds except Carl in the big blind. The flop is Ah, 7h, 5s. Carl checks and I, truly thinking that I am just being nice, check. The turn is a Queen of clubs... now I like my Ace even better. Carl bets $3000 and since Ed's suck-out, I only had about $5300 total. I call thinking that he might be trying to push me out with a busted heart draw. The river is a 9x and he pushes me all-in. I'm still on tilt from Ed's suck-out so I call and he turns over pocket sevens. He flopped a set and knocked me out of the tournament. In all likelihood, had any been anyone else but Carl, I probably would have pushed in after the flop so there you go.
Cold decked again! Nice hand Carl...... you were ahead the whole way..... I thought that I may have coined a new phrase on my drive home while replaying the last few hands in my head. You know how many times, we all want to say, "I got my money in the pot with the best hand!" Well, not me, not this time, Carl outplayed me. At any rate, tell me what you think of the new phrase, er, excuse, er.... whiney response... "If he weren't ahead, I probably would have been!" Well, think about it, although possible for us to tie on the flop or the turn, the odds are against us having the identical hand.
Oh well, back to the felt!
A couple hands later.... I raised the $200 blind to $1000 in late position with the Jd, Ad and everyone folds except Carl in the big blind. The flop is Ah, 7h, 5s. Carl checks and I, truly thinking that I am just being nice, check. The turn is a Queen of clubs... now I like my Ace even better. Carl bets $3000 and since Ed's suck-out, I only had about $5300 total. I call thinking that he might be trying to push me out with a busted heart draw. The river is a 9x and he pushes me all-in. I'm still on tilt from Ed's suck-out so I call and he turns over pocket sevens. He flopped a set and knocked me out of the tournament. In all likelihood, had any been anyone else but Carl, I probably would have pushed in after the flop so there you go.
Cold decked again! Nice hand Carl...... you were ahead the whole way..... I thought that I may have coined a new phrase on my drive home while replaying the last few hands in my head. You know how many times, we all want to say, "I got my money in the pot with the best hand!" Well, not me, not this time, Carl outplayed me. At any rate, tell me what you think of the new phrase, er, excuse, er.... whiney response... "If he weren't ahead, I probably would have been!" Well, think about it, although possible for us to tie on the flop or the turn, the odds are against us having the identical hand.
Oh well, back to the felt!
Purity At The Poker Tables by Paul McGuire
Source = www.pokermagazine.com/
http://www.pokermagazine.com/Poker-Rules/roberts_rules_of_poker_purist.html
Purity At The Poker Tables
Paul McGuireThu, 11 Aug 2005
"The rules of poker were designed to minimize the number of people that had to be shot at the table." ...Purists for the game of poker don't seem to be wild about the changing boundaries and attitudes. Read on.
Am I a poker purist? I consider myself an old school kind of guy despite the fact that I’m a poster child for Generation X. When I first started playing poker in casinos, I was the youngest person at the table. I was in my early 20s and most of the fellows and gals I played with were retired. The game of choice back then was Seven Card Stud. The other players were all three times my age. I basically learned how to conduct myself in a poker room and a casino from their examples. The elders of poker have taught me well and over the last decade I have adopted their professional attitude at the table. Does that make me a poker purist by default?
What exactly is a poker purist? That’s a difficult term to define. Most purists are knowledgeable of poker etiquette, act in a respectful manner towards other players, and adhere to the general rules of poker. Robert Ciaffone published Robert’s Rules of Poker” which is the definitive guide for all poker games including tournaments. Most card rooms utilize "Robert’s Rules of Poker." If you are looking to start a home game or run a tournament, you need to have a list of his rules nearby to help settle disputes and rules clarifications.
Most poker purists are reluctant to worship a new player. They base a player’s skill over the long haul and are not quick to extol them based on a few tournament wins. Poker purists often prefer quiet and silent types of players like Dan Harrington and Johnny Chan compared to the loud and abrasive personalities of the latest TV poker stars like Jean Robert Bellande and Tony G. Most purists frown upon the attention that celebrity poker players draw while some of the best players in the world, like Chip Reese and Chau Giang, are overlooked due to lack of exposure.
Poker purists scoff at anyone who wears sunglasses to a poker table. They also are not keen on players listening to music or talking on cell phones. Lastly and more importantly, poker purists prefer the simple game of poker and never, under any circumstances, would they want to play a game with a “wild card.”
Most beginners and younger players are being exposed to poker through television. Some of the programs are pushing forth the “in-your-face” attitude that a lot of professional sports have undertaken. Most sports purists argue that a network like ESPN has ruined the entire sports culture by focusing on sensationalism and aberrant behavior. That means that new players are being brainwashed into thinking that acting like an idiot at the poker table is cool and socially acceptable. Sure, certain players are more volatile and that makes the programs more interesting. However, the antics of Phil Hellmuth or Mike “The Mouth” Matusow are bad enough for poker. Unfortunately for all those purists out there, poker programs and networks are exploiting those antics, which sends the wrong message to new players.
Phil Ivey and Howard Lederer are two of my favorite players. They are true professionals. They both have a calm demeanor at the table and no matter whether they win or lose a pot, they have the same expression on their faces. When Howard Lederer won a World Poker Tour Event, he treated it like it was another day at the office. He politely shook hands with his opponent. That’s why he’s a class act at the poker table. He could have been overly jubilant, but held back. After Phil Ivey won a bracelet at the World Series of Poker this past year, the photographers were doing everything they could to get him to smile and laugh, to show any sort of emotion during the post-victory press conference. Phil Ivey is another classy guy. He wasn’t chest bumping with railbirds when he won a pot, or berating other players for making bad calls. He shrugged off bad beats and quietly stacked up his chips after he won pots.
Whenever I play, I can tolerate a decent amount of smack talking and even accept a few breaches of poker etiquette. A friend of mine from New York City, Charles Star, is a stickler for poker etiquette. He is a stand-up comedian but playing with him in our regular home game is no laughing matter. He’s willing to accept mistakes from new players: However, he’s strict about the rules of poker. He frowns upon betting out of turn, splashing the pot, string bets, slow rolling, and discussing the hand while the hand is being played.
“'Poker etiquette' is a misnomer; it brings up visions of pinkies in the air and salad forks,” explains Charles. “The rules of poker were designed to minimize the number of people that had to be shot at the table. When a rule is broken, the game suffers. If the host doesn't want to punish recidivist behavior, I have no problem being the asshole -- though I prefer the term 'sergeant-at-arms.'”
Although I’m slightly more flexible than Charles, I have to side with him on every one of those instances. I can also tolerate mistakes from newbies in home games or casinos, but nothing is worse than seeing a veteran of the game breach etiquette out of laziness or in an attempt to angle shoot. I find that players who are betting out of turn or acting out of turn extremely annoying. They are not paying attention to the game. Sure, you can pick up on some tells, but most of the time, their behavior is disruptive.
My biggest peeve is players discussing the hand in progress. All of a sudden, everyone thinks he is an expert and color commentator. Recently, in a No Limit holdem game at the MGM in Las Vegas, I got into a situation with another player. I had K-K and raised preflop only to get six callers. I bet the pot on the all-rags flop and two other players remained; an old lady and a young guy. On the turn, I moved all in.
There were two flush cards out there, so I wanted to make anyone who was chasing a flush to pay. The old lady angrily folded and the young guy thought for a few minutes about the call. I sensed weakness and he was about to fold. However, the old lady was attempting to convince him to call my bet. I quickly snapped at her and said something to the dealer, who gave her a warning, “Only one player per hand. Do not discuss the hand in progress.”
I began to boil on the inside. If he called me and hit a river suckout all because of her goading, I was considering punching her. He eventually called, and I was livid. He was originally intent on folding yet called because the old lady talked him into it. I ended up winning a $700 pot because he missed his flush. As the pot was being pushed to me I told her, “What you did was not cool. You were out of line.”
I stood up and racked up my chips. She wanted me to stay so she could win her money back. I told her, “I don’t want to play with someone like you.”
I left in a bad mood. I should have been happy to win a monster pot, but I found myself angered that her words affected the outcome of the hand.
The most disturbing trend that I have seen at the poker tables has been the constant flow of abuse directed at other players. I’ve seen people cry and be ridiculed so badly that they had to get up from the table. Sure, there are times I want to yell at other players for making bad calls, but in the end you want them to keep doing that. I take a deep breath or get up and walk away from the table for a few minutes. More players should exhibit self-control.
In the end, more players should act a lot more like Howard Lederer and a lot less like Phil Hellmuth. Treat others like you would like to be treated. Have enough respect for the other players and for the rules of the game to adhere to basic poker etiquette. You can still have plenty of fun at the poker tables without being a jerk. And if you want to be an idiot while you play poker, then I suggest you stay at home and play online. I guess after some self-examination, I’m a poker purist after all.~~
http://www.pokermagazine.com/Poker-Rules/roberts_rules_of_poker_purist.html
Purity At The Poker Tables
Paul McGuireThu, 11 Aug 2005
"The rules of poker were designed to minimize the number of people that had to be shot at the table." ...Purists for the game of poker don't seem to be wild about the changing boundaries and attitudes. Read on.
Am I a poker purist? I consider myself an old school kind of guy despite the fact that I’m a poster child for Generation X. When I first started playing poker in casinos, I was the youngest person at the table. I was in my early 20s and most of the fellows and gals I played with were retired. The game of choice back then was Seven Card Stud. The other players were all three times my age. I basically learned how to conduct myself in a poker room and a casino from their examples. The elders of poker have taught me well and over the last decade I have adopted their professional attitude at the table. Does that make me a poker purist by default?
What exactly is a poker purist? That’s a difficult term to define. Most purists are knowledgeable of poker etiquette, act in a respectful manner towards other players, and adhere to the general rules of poker. Robert Ciaffone published Robert’s Rules of Poker” which is the definitive guide for all poker games including tournaments. Most card rooms utilize "Robert’s Rules of Poker." If you are looking to start a home game or run a tournament, you need to have a list of his rules nearby to help settle disputes and rules clarifications.
Most poker purists are reluctant to worship a new player. They base a player’s skill over the long haul and are not quick to extol them based on a few tournament wins. Poker purists often prefer quiet and silent types of players like Dan Harrington and Johnny Chan compared to the loud and abrasive personalities of the latest TV poker stars like Jean Robert Bellande and Tony G. Most purists frown upon the attention that celebrity poker players draw while some of the best players in the world, like Chip Reese and Chau Giang, are overlooked due to lack of exposure.
Poker purists scoff at anyone who wears sunglasses to a poker table. They also are not keen on players listening to music or talking on cell phones. Lastly and more importantly, poker purists prefer the simple game of poker and never, under any circumstances, would they want to play a game with a “wild card.”
Most beginners and younger players are being exposed to poker through television. Some of the programs are pushing forth the “in-your-face” attitude that a lot of professional sports have undertaken. Most sports purists argue that a network like ESPN has ruined the entire sports culture by focusing on sensationalism and aberrant behavior. That means that new players are being brainwashed into thinking that acting like an idiot at the poker table is cool and socially acceptable. Sure, certain players are more volatile and that makes the programs more interesting. However, the antics of Phil Hellmuth or Mike “The Mouth” Matusow are bad enough for poker. Unfortunately for all those purists out there, poker programs and networks are exploiting those antics, which sends the wrong message to new players.
Phil Ivey and Howard Lederer are two of my favorite players. They are true professionals. They both have a calm demeanor at the table and no matter whether they win or lose a pot, they have the same expression on their faces. When Howard Lederer won a World Poker Tour Event, he treated it like it was another day at the office. He politely shook hands with his opponent. That’s why he’s a class act at the poker table. He could have been overly jubilant, but held back. After Phil Ivey won a bracelet at the World Series of Poker this past year, the photographers were doing everything they could to get him to smile and laugh, to show any sort of emotion during the post-victory press conference. Phil Ivey is another classy guy. He wasn’t chest bumping with railbirds when he won a pot, or berating other players for making bad calls. He shrugged off bad beats and quietly stacked up his chips after he won pots.
Whenever I play, I can tolerate a decent amount of smack talking and even accept a few breaches of poker etiquette. A friend of mine from New York City, Charles Star, is a stickler for poker etiquette. He is a stand-up comedian but playing with him in our regular home game is no laughing matter. He’s willing to accept mistakes from new players: However, he’s strict about the rules of poker. He frowns upon betting out of turn, splashing the pot, string bets, slow rolling, and discussing the hand while the hand is being played.
“'Poker etiquette' is a misnomer; it brings up visions of pinkies in the air and salad forks,” explains Charles. “The rules of poker were designed to minimize the number of people that had to be shot at the table. When a rule is broken, the game suffers. If the host doesn't want to punish recidivist behavior, I have no problem being the asshole -- though I prefer the term 'sergeant-at-arms.'”
Although I’m slightly more flexible than Charles, I have to side with him on every one of those instances. I can also tolerate mistakes from newbies in home games or casinos, but nothing is worse than seeing a veteran of the game breach etiquette out of laziness or in an attempt to angle shoot. I find that players who are betting out of turn or acting out of turn extremely annoying. They are not paying attention to the game. Sure, you can pick up on some tells, but most of the time, their behavior is disruptive.
My biggest peeve is players discussing the hand in progress. All of a sudden, everyone thinks he is an expert and color commentator. Recently, in a No Limit holdem game at the MGM in Las Vegas, I got into a situation with another player. I had K-K and raised preflop only to get six callers. I bet the pot on the all-rags flop and two other players remained; an old lady and a young guy. On the turn, I moved all in.
There were two flush cards out there, so I wanted to make anyone who was chasing a flush to pay. The old lady angrily folded and the young guy thought for a few minutes about the call. I sensed weakness and he was about to fold. However, the old lady was attempting to convince him to call my bet. I quickly snapped at her and said something to the dealer, who gave her a warning, “Only one player per hand. Do not discuss the hand in progress.”
I began to boil on the inside. If he called me and hit a river suckout all because of her goading, I was considering punching her. He eventually called, and I was livid. He was originally intent on folding yet called because the old lady talked him into it. I ended up winning a $700 pot because he missed his flush. As the pot was being pushed to me I told her, “What you did was not cool. You were out of line.”
I stood up and racked up my chips. She wanted me to stay so she could win her money back. I told her, “I don’t want to play with someone like you.”
I left in a bad mood. I should have been happy to win a monster pot, but I found myself angered that her words affected the outcome of the hand.
The most disturbing trend that I have seen at the poker tables has been the constant flow of abuse directed at other players. I’ve seen people cry and be ridiculed so badly that they had to get up from the table. Sure, there are times I want to yell at other players for making bad calls, but in the end you want them to keep doing that. I take a deep breath or get up and walk away from the table for a few minutes. More players should exhibit self-control.
In the end, more players should act a lot more like Howard Lederer and a lot less like Phil Hellmuth. Treat others like you would like to be treated. Have enough respect for the other players and for the rules of the game to adhere to basic poker etiquette. You can still have plenty of fun at the poker tables without being a jerk. And if you want to be an idiot while you play poker, then I suggest you stay at home and play online. I guess after some self-examination, I’m a poker purist after all.~~
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Card Dead!
Another card dead poker tournament for me! I guarantee you that most people would have quit by now.... it doesn't matter the draw, the number of outs... no matter how few there are for my opponents, over the past few weeks, they have come! But then, that's poker! The good, the bad and the Dave! LOL.
Sorry, I couldn't resist it... There were a couple of interesting hands today. My first of any consequence was against Jason... I limp in from late position with the Qh, 10s.... I really like that hand... At any rate, the flop comes Qc, 7s, 5s... Jason, in early position bets $700 with the blinds at about $100/$200 and I believe there were four of us in the hand. Everyone folds to me and push all-in with another $900 or so... he immediately calls and turns over Qs, 6s... the turn I believe gives Jason an open ended straight draw to go along with the flush draw... and of course, the river is a spade. Nice!
Another typical hand, Big Dave is in the small blind with pocket 3's... there are several limpers including Raj who's been going all-in about every other hand. The flop comes A, 7, 6 and Dave checks.... Raj moves all-in and everyone folds to Dave who makes a crying call.... thinking... hoping that his 3's might be good! Raj turns over his A, shitty kicker. The turn is a 5. You know, Dave has to hit a 3 for a set and now any 4 will give him a straight. You got it! Four on the river! Oh well....
Let the suck-outs begin!
Sorry, I couldn't resist it... There were a couple of interesting hands today. My first of any consequence was against Jason... I limp in from late position with the Qh, 10s.... I really like that hand... At any rate, the flop comes Qc, 7s, 5s... Jason, in early position bets $700 with the blinds at about $100/$200 and I believe there were four of us in the hand. Everyone folds to me and push all-in with another $900 or so... he immediately calls and turns over Qs, 6s... the turn I believe gives Jason an open ended straight draw to go along with the flush draw... and of course, the river is a spade. Nice!
Another typical hand, Big Dave is in the small blind with pocket 3's... there are several limpers including Raj who's been going all-in about every other hand. The flop comes A, 7, 6 and Dave checks.... Raj moves all-in and everyone folds to Dave who makes a crying call.... thinking... hoping that his 3's might be good! Raj turns over his A, shitty kicker. The turn is a 5. You know, Dave has to hit a 3 for a set and now any 4 will give him a straight. You got it! Four on the river! Oh well....
Let the suck-outs begin!
PKR Saturday Poker Tournament
A series of 12 tournaments!
The 12 season tournaments let's participants earn points each week based performance to determine the seasons TOP 10 point-getters PLUS 1 WILD CARD.
The weekly tournament is a 40/40/40 re-buy/add-on tournament.
40 Buy-in - 3000 chips
40 Re-buy - 2000 chips
40 Add-on - 5000 chips
Rebuys are permitted through the first few blind levels any time your chip count falls below 2000. At the end of the re-buy period, you may purchase ONE add-on. This is a great format and participation has been excellent!
See you there! Game time 2PM!
The 12 season tournaments let's participants earn points each week based performance to determine the seasons TOP 10 point-getters PLUS 1 WILD CARD.
The weekly tournament is a 40/40/40 re-buy/add-on tournament.
40 Buy-in - 3000 chips
40 Re-buy - 2000 chips
40 Add-on - 5000 chips
Rebuys are permitted through the first few blind levels any time your chip count falls below 2000. At the end of the re-buy period, you may purchase ONE add-on. This is a great format and participation has been excellent!
See you there! Game time 2PM!
PKR Pot Limit Omaha Hi or Hi/Lo - Friday night!
An interesting night at PKR.... the usual suspects MINUS Rick.... what's up with that? At any rate, I tried to play appropriately but it is difficult when there's a table full of folks who don't know when to bet and when to fold in Omaha. It is an exciting game with a lot more action than Hold'em, but you find a lot of hold'em players trying to make the transition with no real clue about how to play and what hands to play. I feel like one of them most of the time... LOL.
My basic strategy with O8 is only play two-way hands.... hands that give you a shot at scooping the pot. And you are correct, with four cards in your hand, any hand COULD be a scooper, but most aren't likely to be....
There was an interesting hand with Frank tonight and yes, he sucked out on me. I had Ah, Qd, Qc, 2s.... the flop was Kc, Js, 10s. NUTS! I'm in late position and bet the pot... $40. John is between me and Frank and folds. Frank calls and it folds back to me.... The turn is a 4d. Frank checks and I bet the pot.... $120. Frank calls and the river is the 9s. Frank bets the pot and I only have about $25 remaining and of course call. He turns over the As, Ks and two bricks.... Nice! The other interesting thing about this one is that Akash folded 2 spades and as he was asking around as sometimes happens during a game in Wake County.... he discovered that 2 other people folded 2 spades (I know, its almost impossible to believe) that means with the 2 on the board + Frank's + the aforementioned that's 11 accounted for.... ye olde 2 outer!
I won a nice pot later though hitting the nut flush on the river against him and Mike D though... although I did have a nice low draw as well which ended up being counterfeited. Hey.... crap happens....
I ended up taking down a nice pot once when I flopped Quad Fours and the nut low.... by the time we got to the river though everyone ran away.....
The last hand of the night I ran into Joe.... I flopped sixes full of sevens and he flopped Quad Sevens.... No Monkey in Cary though....
It had been a few weeks since I could get out on Friday night so it was good to see the guys again! And now, on to Saturday's tournament!
See ya!
My basic strategy with O8 is only play two-way hands.... hands that give you a shot at scooping the pot. And you are correct, with four cards in your hand, any hand COULD be a scooper, but most aren't likely to be....
There was an interesting hand with Frank tonight and yes, he sucked out on me. I had Ah, Qd, Qc, 2s.... the flop was Kc, Js, 10s. NUTS! I'm in late position and bet the pot... $40. John is between me and Frank and folds. Frank calls and it folds back to me.... The turn is a 4d. Frank checks and I bet the pot.... $120. Frank calls and the river is the 9s. Frank bets the pot and I only have about $25 remaining and of course call. He turns over the As, Ks and two bricks.... Nice! The other interesting thing about this one is that Akash folded 2 spades and as he was asking around as sometimes happens during a game in Wake County.... he discovered that 2 other people folded 2 spades (I know, its almost impossible to believe) that means with the 2 on the board + Frank's + the aforementioned that's 11 accounted for.... ye olde 2 outer!
I won a nice pot later though hitting the nut flush on the river against him and Mike D though... although I did have a nice low draw as well which ended up being counterfeited. Hey.... crap happens....
I ended up taking down a nice pot once when I flopped Quad Fours and the nut low.... by the time we got to the river though everyone ran away.....
The last hand of the night I ran into Joe.... I flopped sixes full of sevens and he flopped Quad Sevens.... No Monkey in Cary though....
It had been a few weeks since I could get out on Friday night so it was good to see the guys again! And now, on to Saturday's tournament!
See ya!
Wyoming Senate Committee Supporting Bill To Allow Social Poker Games in Bars
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Triangle Poker Journal™Covering Local News on America's Favorite Game
Subscribe free at www.trianglepokerjournal.com
Wyoming Senate Committee Supporting Bill To Allow Social Poker Games in Bars
CHEYENNE (AP) - The Senate travel committee is supporting a bill that would allow social poker games to occur in bars again.
Groups of friends can currently gather to play games such as cribbage in Wyoming bars and restaurants but poker is outlawed.
A 2004 opinion from Attorney General Pat Crank says that poker games occurring in bars violate the state's gambling laws. Crank believes those games are illegal because a business could indirectly profit from them. The opinion says even profit solely from derived from selling more beers or coffee violates Wyoming law.
Senate travel committee members unanimously support redefining the state policy to allow poker games between friends in public establishments. The committee says the law will NOT permit establishments to sponsor tournaments between strangers.
Triangle Poker Journal™Covering Local News on America's Favorite Game
Subscribe free at www.trianglepokerjournal.com
Wyoming Senate Committee Supporting Bill To Allow Social Poker Games in Bars
CHEYENNE (AP) - The Senate travel committee is supporting a bill that would allow social poker games to occur in bars again.
Groups of friends can currently gather to play games such as cribbage in Wyoming bars and restaurants but poker is outlawed.
A 2004 opinion from Attorney General Pat Crank says that poker games occurring in bars violate the state's gambling laws. Crank believes those games are illegal because a business could indirectly profit from them. The opinion says even profit solely from derived from selling more beers or coffee violates Wyoming law.
Senate travel committee members unanimously support redefining the state policy to allow poker games between friends in public establishments. The committee says the law will NOT permit establishments to sponsor tournaments between strangers.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
UK Jury to Rule on Nature of Poker
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UK Jury To Rule on Nature of Poker
A jury has been asked to consider whether poker is a game of skill, chance, or a combination of both.
Club owner Derek Kelly, 46, is accused of running unlicensed poker games at the Gutshot Private Members' Club in Clerkenwell, central London.
But he has argued that poker is a game of skill and he therefore does not require a licence. Prosecutors say that merely shuffling the cards introduces an element of chance into the game. Mr Kelly denies two counts of contravening the 1968 Gaming Act by organising poker games at his club in January 2005.
Poker tuition
The act says a licence is needed to host games of chance such as blackjack and roulette but not games of skill, like chess and quiz machines. Prosecutor Graham Trembath QC told the jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court it would learn all about poker during the trial. He said poker was a game of "mixed skill and chance", and if the jury agreed with him, then they should find Mr Kelly guilty. He argued that before any game of poker started, the cards were shuffled.
"We would submit that once these cards are shuffled then you have introduced an element, a significant element of chance," he said. The trial continues. Derek Kelly says poker is a game of skill.
Triangle Poker Journal™Covering Local News on America's Favorite Game
Subscribe free at www.trianglepokerjournal.com Got a comment, local update, or story idea?
UK Jury To Rule on Nature of Poker
A jury has been asked to consider whether poker is a game of skill, chance, or a combination of both.
Club owner Derek Kelly, 46, is accused of running unlicensed poker games at the Gutshot Private Members' Club in Clerkenwell, central London.
But he has argued that poker is a game of skill and he therefore does not require a licence. Prosecutors say that merely shuffling the cards introduces an element of chance into the game. Mr Kelly denies two counts of contravening the 1968 Gaming Act by organising poker games at his club in January 2005.
Poker tuition
The act says a licence is needed to host games of chance such as blackjack and roulette but not games of skill, like chess and quiz machines. Prosecutor Graham Trembath QC told the jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court it would learn all about poker during the trial. He said poker was a game of "mixed skill and chance", and if the jury agreed with him, then they should find Mr Kelly guilty. He argued that before any game of poker started, the cards were shuffled.
"We would submit that once these cards are shuffled then you have introduced an element, a significant element of chance," he said. The trial continues. Derek Kelly says poker is a game of skill.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Aggression
You hear every one of the top pros and the tv analysts say it.... BE AGGRESSIVE! But when I think back to all of the BIG melt-downs that I've seen on the WSOP and WPT events that are televised, they were mostly caused by too much aggression. I do believe that aggression is necessary and should be a part of our arsenal, but perhaps tempered a little.
Just within the past two weeks, I've played very aggressively several times and in every case but one... that I can remember, when we turned the cards over, I had the best hand, but in several of the critical hands.... the best hand didn't hold up. Critical meaning that I'm either in a NO RE-BUY tournament or the RE-BUY period is over. Two weeks ago in a tournament and I was in the big blind with 8, 6os and there were a couple of limpers. The flop was 10, 8, 6. Jason and I ended up getting all our chips in the pot, he had Q, 10os against my two pair! The percentages on the tv screen under the representation of our hands would have had me as huge favorite BUT the turn was 5 and the river another 5... so his two pair beat my two pair. Also against Jason, I pushed all-in at a short-handed table with pocket 3's and he calls with A, Qos and flops two pair... I believe that there are times that I am too aggressive at least with the size of my bet. I have trained myself to act quickly in those circumstances to represent strength, but had I taken another minute or two, rather than the huge over-bet or all-in, I could have accomplished the same goal with a smaller bet and not put a huge portion of my chips or all of my chips at risk. When I played in the US Poker Championship, I experienced this specific problem, I knew that I was ahead when I put my chips in the pot but also knew that while I was ahead, I didn't have the stone cold nuts. Sure enough, the aggressive maniac in the hand with me had flopped bottom pair with a flush draw against my top-pair, top-kicker and ended up rivering trips which knocked me out of the tournament. Had I won that hand, I would have been near the chip lead with about 40 players remaining. I won't lay that down.
I was given a Daily Desk Calendar "Phil Gordon's Little Green Book" for Christmas and just yesterday, January 8th was a very familiar theme on the page per day calendar. It was under the heading of Poker Truths and it stated.... "All I can do is get my money in the pot with the best hand. No matter how hard I try, I can't control the cards after the money is in the pot. All I can do is get my money---as much money as possible---into the pot when I have the best hand."
I have been doing quite a bit of reading of Phil Gordon material recently and I like much of what he says.... one thing is that he believes is that poker is not about winning money, it is about making the right decision at the time. I absolutely agree and work every day to learn so that I make the right decision at the right time! If I make better decisions more often than the players who I am playing against, I will win. Yes, they will suck-out occasionally, if they didn't, they wouldn't come back, but over the long-term, I will win, and win consistently.
Oh well.... Let the suck-outs begin!
Just within the past two weeks, I've played very aggressively several times and in every case but one... that I can remember, when we turned the cards over, I had the best hand, but in several of the critical hands.... the best hand didn't hold up. Critical meaning that I'm either in a NO RE-BUY tournament or the RE-BUY period is over. Two weeks ago in a tournament and I was in the big blind with 8, 6os and there were a couple of limpers. The flop was 10, 8, 6. Jason and I ended up getting all our chips in the pot, he had Q, 10os against my two pair! The percentages on the tv screen under the representation of our hands would have had me as huge favorite BUT the turn was 5 and the river another 5... so his two pair beat my two pair. Also against Jason, I pushed all-in at a short-handed table with pocket 3's and he calls with A, Qos and flops two pair... I believe that there are times that I am too aggressive at least with the size of my bet. I have trained myself to act quickly in those circumstances to represent strength, but had I taken another minute or two, rather than the huge over-bet or all-in, I could have accomplished the same goal with a smaller bet and not put a huge portion of my chips or all of my chips at risk. When I played in the US Poker Championship, I experienced this specific problem, I knew that I was ahead when I put my chips in the pot but also knew that while I was ahead, I didn't have the stone cold nuts. Sure enough, the aggressive maniac in the hand with me had flopped bottom pair with a flush draw against my top-pair, top-kicker and ended up rivering trips which knocked me out of the tournament. Had I won that hand, I would have been near the chip lead with about 40 players remaining. I won't lay that down.
I was given a Daily Desk Calendar "Phil Gordon's Little Green Book" for Christmas and just yesterday, January 8th was a very familiar theme on the page per day calendar. It was under the heading of Poker Truths and it stated.... "All I can do is get my money in the pot with the best hand. No matter how hard I try, I can't control the cards after the money is in the pot. All I can do is get my money---as much money as possible---into the pot when I have the best hand."
I have been doing quite a bit of reading of Phil Gordon material recently and I like much of what he says.... one thing is that he believes is that poker is not about winning money, it is about making the right decision at the time. I absolutely agree and work every day to learn so that I make the right decision at the right time! If I make better decisions more often than the players who I am playing against, I will win. Yes, they will suck-out occasionally, if they didn't, they wouldn't come back, but over the long-term, I will win, and win consistently.
Oh well.... Let the suck-outs begin!
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Update on 2006 SC Poker Player Arrests
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Update on 2006 SC Poker Player Arrests
January 7, 2007, from the Associated Press
A longtime ban on poker playing in the state of South Carolina will soon be under the legislative microscope if state Representative Wallace Scarborough of Charleston has his way. The state lawmaker wants to revamp South Carolina's gambling laws to legalise in-house poker games, and is busy drafting legislation to permit the games as long as they are done under the heading of "recreational activity." The bill, still in the early stages of development, would be part of an overall effort to update the state's 200-year-old gaming laws, which some say technically prohibits card and dice games and even some common board games like Monopoly. Scarborough called the restrictions "ridiculous, considering we live in a modern era."
Last year 22 poker players were arrested in Mt. Pleasant SC for gambling in a home game.
"The law was basically set in place way back in 1802 because of the morality of the times," said Robert Chimento, one of the players. According to the Associated Press, the law as written, he said, makes even the child's game “Chutes and Ladders” illegal. "Times have changed ... and this law needs to be changed.”
Eighteen of 22 people arrested in April 2006 during a police raid on a poker game have asked for a jury trial. The remaining four defendants pleaded guilty before Municipal Judge David Michel and were ordered to pay fines of $100 each. Two of those were from out of town.
The players say the game was a friendly get-together, but authorities contend the house operated a “high-stakes” poker parlor that advertised games on the Internet. Police said players paid a $20 buy-in to play with a percentage of proceeds going to the house. $6000 in cash was seized during the arrest. Over $1900 of this amount was taken from the game’s 28-year-old host Nathan (Nate) Starling.
Even a little old lady was nabbed. "It is really ridiculous because there are much larger games going on," said 78-year-old Amelia "Midge" Cheseborough. She was playing when the cops came in.
Paul Thurman is the attorney for Nathan Starling who has since vacated the home and moved. Starling pled guilty to operating a gambling establishment Friday, January 5 in a deal that cost him $747 in fines and court costs but lets him avoid jail time.
Frank Cornely of Charleston and David Wolf of Charleston represent the 17 remaining defendants. They and the town are trying to settle the case rather than go to trial.
For the town of Mt. Pleasant, Ira Grossman is handling the prosecution. None of the defendant’s attorneys or Ira Grossman would return calls to TPJ to confirm or deny a settlement.
Some SC players formed an organization in response to the arrests, SCOPE. Website: http://scopeonline.org/. Since the arrests, Charleston had what is claimed by SCOPE organizer John Ridgeway to be the first successful legal poker tournament in SC. On June 24, 2006, at the North Charleston Convention Center, SCOPE members organized a $20 buy in with donated prizes in the form of plaques donated for top 6. None of proceeds were used to buy any of prizes. There were no cash prizes.
The West Virginia Legislature also has gaming on its agenda, and will be considering whether or not to have a statewide vote to legalize table games at racetracks. The current bill under consideration only requires the four counties that have racetracks to vote, but others want to make it a statewide issue.
Triangle Poker Journal™Covering Local News on America's Favorite Game
Subscribe free at www.trianglepokerjournal.com
Update on 2006 SC Poker Player Arrests
January 7, 2007, from the Associated Press
A longtime ban on poker playing in the state of South Carolina will soon be under the legislative microscope if state Representative Wallace Scarborough of Charleston has his way. The state lawmaker wants to revamp South Carolina's gambling laws to legalise in-house poker games, and is busy drafting legislation to permit the games as long as they are done under the heading of "recreational activity." The bill, still in the early stages of development, would be part of an overall effort to update the state's 200-year-old gaming laws, which some say technically prohibits card and dice games and even some common board games like Monopoly. Scarborough called the restrictions "ridiculous, considering we live in a modern era."
Last year 22 poker players were arrested in Mt. Pleasant SC for gambling in a home game.
"The law was basically set in place way back in 1802 because of the morality of the times," said Robert Chimento, one of the players. According to the Associated Press, the law as written, he said, makes even the child's game “Chutes and Ladders” illegal. "Times have changed ... and this law needs to be changed.”
Eighteen of 22 people arrested in April 2006 during a police raid on a poker game have asked for a jury trial. The remaining four defendants pleaded guilty before Municipal Judge David Michel and were ordered to pay fines of $100 each. Two of those were from out of town.
The players say the game was a friendly get-together, but authorities contend the house operated a “high-stakes” poker parlor that advertised games on the Internet. Police said players paid a $20 buy-in to play with a percentage of proceeds going to the house. $6000 in cash was seized during the arrest. Over $1900 of this amount was taken from the game’s 28-year-old host Nathan (Nate) Starling.
Even a little old lady was nabbed. "It is really ridiculous because there are much larger games going on," said 78-year-old Amelia "Midge" Cheseborough. She was playing when the cops came in.
Paul Thurman is the attorney for Nathan Starling who has since vacated the home and moved. Starling pled guilty to operating a gambling establishment Friday, January 5 in a deal that cost him $747 in fines and court costs but lets him avoid jail time.
Frank Cornely of Charleston and David Wolf of Charleston represent the 17 remaining defendants. They and the town are trying to settle the case rather than go to trial.
For the town of Mt. Pleasant, Ira Grossman is handling the prosecution. None of the defendant’s attorneys or Ira Grossman would return calls to TPJ to confirm or deny a settlement.
Some SC players formed an organization in response to the arrests, SCOPE. Website: http://scopeonline.org/. Since the arrests, Charleston had what is claimed by SCOPE organizer John Ridgeway to be the first successful legal poker tournament in SC. On June 24, 2006, at the North Charleston Convention Center, SCOPE members organized a $20 buy in with donated prizes in the form of plaques donated for top 6. None of proceeds were used to buy any of prizes. There were no cash prizes.
The West Virginia Legislature also has gaming on its agenda, and will be considering whether or not to have a statewide vote to legalize table games at racetracks. The current bill under consideration only requires the four counties that have racetracks to vote, but others want to make it a statewide issue.
PKR Weekend Tourneys!
We had another great turn-out for the weekend tournaments at PKR.... Saturday over two tables and almost a full table for Sunday....
It was a card dead weekend for me although I made the money on Saturday. No real hands of mine stand-out as again... I was card dead the entire weekend. I made a few nice stabs at the pot and got away with them and missed a re-raise at least once that I believe would have won me the pot. But that's poker....
The hand that I think you should hear about is one of Rick's.... I won't steal his thunder!
Looking forward to next weekend! Good playing guys!
It was a card dead weekend for me although I made the money on Saturday. No real hands of mine stand-out as again... I was card dead the entire weekend. I made a few nice stabs at the pot and got away with them and missed a re-raise at least once that I believe would have won me the pot. But that's poker....
The hand that I think you should hear about is one of Rick's.... I won't steal his thunder!
Looking forward to next weekend! Good playing guys!
Saturday, January 06, 2007
PKR Saturday Poker Tournament
A series of 12 tournaments! The 12 season tournaments let's participants earn points each week based performance to determine the seasons TOP 10 point-getters PLUS 1 WILD CARD. The weekly tournament is a 40/40/40 re-buy/add-on tournament.
40 Buy-in - 3000 chips
40 Re-buy - 2000 chips
40 Add-on - 5000 chips
Rebuys are permitted through the first few blind levels any time your chip count falls below 2000. At the end of the re-buy period, you may purchase ONE add-on. This is a great format and participation has been excellent!
See you there!
40 Buy-in - 3000 chips
40 Re-buy - 2000 chips
40 Add-on - 5000 chips
Rebuys are permitted through the first few blind levels any time your chip count falls below 2000. At the end of the re-buy period, you may purchase ONE add-on. This is a great format and participation has been excellent!
See you there!
Friday, January 05, 2007
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Get the Monkey!
I had been wondering where that term originated and what it meant. After my first trip to Daves game I was soon to find out what the monkey was and what it meant.
Let me start by saying I have been to just about every game in the area at least once and they all pale in comparison to the set up Dave has at his game. Does the term gold standard mean anything to anyone? Everything is first rate; the food, the environment, the beverages, the setting, and most important the players. Everyone was fun to play with. The table banter was hillarious and not knowing everyone at the table I had to feel my way through the night not wanting to step on any toes.
The action was like anything I had seen before and I was told I came on a slow night. Wow! The Omaha H/L was the action game of the night for sure. As for the monkey, I got to meet him playing Omaha. Flopping Quads not once but twice was nice. One hand I split and the other hand I had the high with Dave and another player splitting the low so I can out ahead on that one. NL Holdem seemed boring compared to the Omaha game.
The dealer was great as he kept the game moving and didn't allow for any prolonged thinking about what to do. I must say I was a bit distracted by the Euro Porn Dave brought in for the evening. Nothing like sub titles on the porn on the two plasmas in the room to distract you.
I was up double my buy in when I tried to leave only to be told oh no...you can't leave yet. I played the fool and stuck around another hour to piss away some of my profits. Wound up leaving up about $100. Better than losing and most important I had a good time and enjoyed seeing some friendly faces I had not seen in a long time.
I see a return visit in the not to distant future. Maybe Dave will be serving Lobster Tail and Kobe Steaks next time I visit....it would not surprise me. What a host!
Let me start by saying I have been to just about every game in the area at least once and they all pale in comparison to the set up Dave has at his game. Does the term gold standard mean anything to anyone? Everything is first rate; the food, the environment, the beverages, the setting, and most important the players. Everyone was fun to play with. The table banter was hillarious and not knowing everyone at the table I had to feel my way through the night not wanting to step on any toes.
The action was like anything I had seen before and I was told I came on a slow night. Wow! The Omaha H/L was the action game of the night for sure. As for the monkey, I got to meet him playing Omaha. Flopping Quads not once but twice was nice. One hand I split and the other hand I had the high with Dave and another player splitting the low so I can out ahead on that one. NL Holdem seemed boring compared to the Omaha game.
The dealer was great as he kept the game moving and didn't allow for any prolonged thinking about what to do. I must say I was a bit distracted by the Euro Porn Dave brought in for the evening. Nothing like sub titles on the porn on the two plasmas in the room to distract you.
I was up double my buy in when I tried to leave only to be told oh no...you can't leave yet. I played the fool and stuck around another hour to piss away some of my profits. Wound up leaving up about $100. Better than losing and most important I had a good time and enjoyed seeing some friendly faces I had not seen in a long time.
I see a return visit in the not to distant future. Maybe Dave will be serving Lobster Tail and Kobe Steaks next time I visit....it would not surprise me. What a host!
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Sharing is Fun!
That is, as long as I get the largest share. Another crazy Tuesday with The Jizz & Company. This night the name of the game was “Who’s Going to Beat Dave This Hand?” Although a large percentage of the time the answer was “Yours Truly,” Dave, like the good host he is, made sure there was plenty to go around for everyone. I stopped counting his rebuys around 11pm, and I believe it was 74 at that point. Out of the goodness of our hearts, the entire table gladly waived the $400 rebuy limit to let Dave rebuy for $800 as many times as he liked. Apparently we were all still in the Christmas spirit!
While I won all or part of many large pots, most of my hands were not really worthy of blogging. We’ll make one notable exception, just for Davey Boy. $5/10 NLHE – I believe we’re down to five-handed, as several wimps have left for the night. I pick up A-Jos in the big blind, and it’s limped around to John M in the small blind, who raises to $40 or so. John has been very aggressive, raising with ATC (Any Two Cards), and though I suspect my A-J is the best hand right now, I decide not to re-raise and hopefully try to hit a flop and trap him in a big pot. I call and Dave calls on the button.
Flop comes A-K-9, and I’m liking the flop. John leads out with a $100 bet, so I suspect he has a crappy ace. I smooth-call and Dave calls behind. Dave, of course, could have anything. Hell, for all we know, he may think he’s playing Omaha, and he’s calling with 2-4 hoping to hit runner-runner low. For the uninitiated, it’s usually best not to try and put Dave on a hand – it just makes your head hurt. The best strategy is to treat him like the dead money he is, and then occasionally pay him off when he accidentally plays good cards. My first thought here was that he had some kind of gutshot, like his favorite hand, J-10.
The turn is another A, and now I’m praying that John doesn’t slow down. He doesn’t, and comes out firing with a $200 bet. I’m 98% certain I have the best hand, and decide to take a bit of a chance and not raise, hoping for a call from Dave and a brick on the river. I give my best subtle “slightly concerned” look then call, and Dave calls behind. The river pairs the board again with a K, and although I now have the nut boat, I’m a little disappointed, as I assume John and I will now be chopping the pot. John immediately pushes in, and I call. Dave starts running around pulling his hair out, and doing his best “Whiny Charles” impersonation. It all makes sense when we discover that he has 9-9! He flops a set, turns a boat, and then gets bent over royally on the river. Oh well, at least it’s a position he’s familiar with!
As I suspected, John turns over A-8, but all of a sudden I don’t mind so much “only” winning half the pot. Of course, being the greedy bastard I am, I immediately start thinking that if I had popped in a big raise on the flop, John probably folds, Dave and I most likely get all the chips in on the turn, and I win a monster pot with a sweet little river card! Dave was mumbling about that hand the rest of the night (in-between sobs, that is).
As for the rest of the night, I played fairly tight (relatively speaking, after all, we were at Dave’s…) and didn’t get involved in too many crazy make-or-break pots. I pretty much just steadily built my stack until finally cashing out for a profit of around $3,400. Another night of food, drink, laughter, suckouts, and a wheelbarrow full of money. Once I get some sleep tonight, I’ll be ready to do it all again Thursday. Let’s try to break a couple records, Dave. You try to break your own record for number of rebuys, and I’ll try to break my own record for largest cash out. Good luck to both of us!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
While I won all or part of many large pots, most of my hands were not really worthy of blogging. We’ll make one notable exception, just for Davey Boy. $5/10 NLHE – I believe we’re down to five-handed, as several wimps have left for the night. I pick up A-Jos in the big blind, and it’s limped around to John M in the small blind, who raises to $40 or so. John has been very aggressive, raising with ATC (Any Two Cards), and though I suspect my A-J is the best hand right now, I decide not to re-raise and hopefully try to hit a flop and trap him in a big pot. I call and Dave calls on the button.
Flop comes A-K-9, and I’m liking the flop. John leads out with a $100 bet, so I suspect he has a crappy ace. I smooth-call and Dave calls behind. Dave, of course, could have anything. Hell, for all we know, he may think he’s playing Omaha, and he’s calling with 2-4 hoping to hit runner-runner low. For the uninitiated, it’s usually best not to try and put Dave on a hand – it just makes your head hurt. The best strategy is to treat him like the dead money he is, and then occasionally pay him off when he accidentally plays good cards. My first thought here was that he had some kind of gutshot, like his favorite hand, J-10.
The turn is another A, and now I’m praying that John doesn’t slow down. He doesn’t, and comes out firing with a $200 bet. I’m 98% certain I have the best hand, and decide to take a bit of a chance and not raise, hoping for a call from Dave and a brick on the river. I give my best subtle “slightly concerned” look then call, and Dave calls behind. The river pairs the board again with a K, and although I now have the nut boat, I’m a little disappointed, as I assume John and I will now be chopping the pot. John immediately pushes in, and I call. Dave starts running around pulling his hair out, and doing his best “Whiny Charles” impersonation. It all makes sense when we discover that he has 9-9! He flops a set, turns a boat, and then gets bent over royally on the river. Oh well, at least it’s a position he’s familiar with!
As I suspected, John turns over A-8, but all of a sudden I don’t mind so much “only” winning half the pot. Of course, being the greedy bastard I am, I immediately start thinking that if I had popped in a big raise on the flop, John probably folds, Dave and I most likely get all the chips in on the turn, and I win a monster pot with a sweet little river card! Dave was mumbling about that hand the rest of the night (in-between sobs, that is).
As for the rest of the night, I played fairly tight (relatively speaking, after all, we were at Dave’s…) and didn’t get involved in too many crazy make-or-break pots. I pretty much just steadily built my stack until finally cashing out for a profit of around $3,400. Another night of food, drink, laughter, suckouts, and a wheelbarrow full of money. Once I get some sleep tonight, I’ll be ready to do it all again Thursday. Let’s try to break a couple records, Dave. You try to break your own record for number of rebuys, and I’ll try to break my own record for largest cash out. Good luck to both of us!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Thanks Grandma-ma!
Thanks to the birthday card from my Nana, I was able to buy in for $10 more than the $39 that I usually buy in for. And lose it quicker in a 3- or 4-way all in preflop O8 round. Trying to isolate and got too many callers with QQ24 double-suited. I'd take it any day and twice on Sunday isolated against Juice. And the same with the KK-low-low that I got it all in with the second time (who scored the flush with J229). Only... those pesky 3rd and 4th and sometimes 5th people that get all their chips in with us screw everything up.
So for my 3rd trick, I rebuy $400, work that up to 500 or 600, and then the hand of the night... AA39, with 2 spades. Buncha limps, and Juice makes it like 20 to go. 4 or 5 callers, so I'll take $100 right there, and not mind at all if Juice makes the call. I gotta hit one of these, right? So Frank calls between us, and Juice calls too. Great. Might as well pack it in. Rick even contemplates calling, probably with something like 2229. He'd probably hit. But... low and behold... Flop comes 2 spades and two low cards... turn brings a spade, and river brings a deuce. Scooper! Insta-$1500.
That's it... nothing else stands out except John getting caught with his pants not just around his knees, but in the next county. I had A3 and call a $20 preflop raise. Frank calls, and flop is ATx or AKx. Frank bets $25, and John raises to $75. I smell something so foul I think Juice must have let his worms decompose right there in his shorts. Only, I'm worried about Frank having a bigger Ace (which he did) so I fold. I had made up my mind that I was way ahead. Turn Jack, river Jack. John bet ~$250 and then ~$450. I had made up my mind that he was full of it, and would have called him down. Evidently Frank smelled it too, and called. Nice read.
So for my 3rd trick, I rebuy $400, work that up to 500 or 600, and then the hand of the night... AA39, with 2 spades. Buncha limps, and Juice makes it like 20 to go. 4 or 5 callers, so I'll take $100 right there, and not mind at all if Juice makes the call. I gotta hit one of these, right? So Frank calls between us, and Juice calls too. Great. Might as well pack it in. Rick even contemplates calling, probably with something like 2229. He'd probably hit. But... low and behold... Flop comes 2 spades and two low cards... turn brings a spade, and river brings a deuce. Scooper! Insta-$1500.
That's it... nothing else stands out except John getting caught with his pants not just around his knees, but in the next county. I had A3 and call a $20 preflop raise. Frank calls, and flop is ATx or AKx. Frank bets $25, and John raises to $75. I smell something so foul I think Juice must have let his worms decompose right there in his shorts. Only, I'm worried about Frank having a bigger Ace (which he did) so I fold. I had made up my mind that I was way ahead. Turn Jack, river Jack. John bet ~$250 and then ~$450. I had made up my mind that he was full of it, and would have called him down. Evidently Frank smelled it too, and called. Nice read.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Famous Poker Quotes...
"I like Bing Wang as much as the next guy"
-------------- Norman Chad, when he sees Andrew Black is crying because the table will not slow down play to accomodate Bing Wang, who is away from the table.
-------------- Norman Chad, when he sees Andrew Black is crying because the table will not slow down play to accomodate Bing Wang, who is away from the table.
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