Not long ago I wrote about my friend Jeremy Enke's pink bunny poker auction. He actually ran the auction 3 times, and the first two times it didn't sell, even though it got a massive amount of exposure. But this time Golden Palace Casino stepped up to the plate and bought the auction. If you missed the earlier post about this, Jeremy has offered to play poker in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in 2005 dressed as a pink bunny with the auction winner's ad across his chest. Since a man in such a costume would look mighty silly and probably attract a lot of attention, this would be a great advertising opportunity.
Jeremy's most recent pink bunny poker auction (the one that sold) saw almost 15,000 visitors, and he received 49 bids before Golden Palace Casino came in at the last minute with a winning bid of $15,100. The auction prior to this one had 18,000 visitors but no bids. I don't have any pertinent statistics for his first auction, because he ended it early I think.
There were some concerns that Harrahs might not allow someone dressed as a pink bunny to play in the WSOP, but Jeremy has a solution for that too--a pink leisure suit. And protesters in front of Harrahs carrying signs saying "Let the bunny play" and "Bunnies play poker too."
This has been one of the more interesting body advertising auctions on eBay, and Jeremy Enke stands to gain an enormous amount of exposure both personally and on the web as a result of this. Hats off to you, Jeremy, and congratulations to both you and to the WSOP.
Women are like Ace something
I was thinkin' about the similarities between women and starting in Texas holdem with Ace something. Now this is all in good fun and I hope I don't offend anyone. I watch Sex in the city, haha, so if you're a 2005 gal you can just substitute what I say with "men" and then it's all gravy. In fact I'm going to talk with some of girls I know and i'll write somethin similar for guys. But, I digress, let me get to my thoughts:
Women are like Ace something. Women are all very different, but almost all of them have something interesting to them, that's where the Ace comes in. Ace high can be pretty valuable depending on the situation and is always worth a thought.
The different types of women are like the kickers that you get with your Ace. Ace/King suited is like a gorgeous girl in a dead sexy outfit, you'll take her in early poker position and your approach to her and the hand may differ. You've got a few different ways she can be good. You're always happen to see your Ace/King suited chick. Ace/King offsuit is similar except not quite as sexy.
Ace/Queen and Ace/Jack are like decent girls. Guys that aren't that picky like them anywhere, even in early poker position. I equate poker position to how often they're dating. Early position equals dating a lot and late position is like not being popular with the girls at all. So guys that are dating a lot, if they're not that picky like these girls no matter what. However, the better players, the picky ones, don't play these hands in the early position because they don't want to lower their standards.
Middle position. Middle position is similar to if you're dating but really not that often. If you're one of these guys, you're in love with Ace/King as soon as you see her and if you get a chance to hangout with Ace/Queen or Ace/Jack you're stoked. Raise, raise raise (the poker pot guys sheesh). In fact, if you're not that good of a player you're going to start hanging out with Ace rag and below. Ace rag girls are not really good but bad players mess with them even when they're dating.
Late position. Late position is like when it's getting late at a club and you're desperate. Even the best players know that they should play Ace/Queen and Ace/Jack aggressively to try and get some value out of them. They also consider playing Ace rag to steal the blinds.
In the blind: In the blind is like when you're really doing something else and a girl just runs into you out of nowhere. Almost falls into your lap. It's like a bonus. If you look down and see Ace/Jack or higher you're like "oh that's pretty cool, I just met this girl at the optometrist office, let's see where it goes". Where it goes depends on the flop. You might flop something you like or simply fold the hand quickly (she might dump you or vice versa). If you happen to run into Ace/Rag in the blind you're like "well i guess that's ok, no big deal".
Ok, that's it. And who says poker is detrimental to dating? =)
Women are like Ace something. Women are all very different, but almost all of them have something interesting to them, that's where the Ace comes in. Ace high can be pretty valuable depending on the situation and is always worth a thought.
The different types of women are like the kickers that you get with your Ace. Ace/King suited is like a gorgeous girl in a dead sexy outfit, you'll take her in early poker position and your approach to her and the hand may differ. You've got a few different ways she can be good. You're always happen to see your Ace/King suited chick. Ace/King offsuit is similar except not quite as sexy.
Ace/Queen and Ace/Jack are like decent girls. Guys that aren't that picky like them anywhere, even in early poker position. I equate poker position to how often they're dating. Early position equals dating a lot and late position is like not being popular with the girls at all. So guys that are dating a lot, if they're not that picky like these girls no matter what. However, the better players, the picky ones, don't play these hands in the early position because they don't want to lower their standards.
Middle position. Middle position is similar to if you're dating but really not that often. If you're one of these guys, you're in love with Ace/King as soon as you see her and if you get a chance to hangout with Ace/Queen or Ace/Jack you're stoked. Raise, raise raise (the poker pot guys sheesh). In fact, if you're not that good of a player you're going to start hanging out with Ace rag and below. Ace rag girls are not really good but bad players mess with them even when they're dating.
Late position. Late position is like when it's getting late at a club and you're desperate. Even the best players know that they should play Ace/Queen and Ace/Jack aggressively to try and get some value out of them. They also consider playing Ace rag to steal the blinds.
In the blind: In the blind is like when you're really doing something else and a girl just runs into you out of nowhere. Almost falls into your lap. It's like a bonus. If you look down and see Ace/Jack or higher you're like "oh that's pretty cool, I just met this girl at the optometrist office, let's see where it goes". Where it goes depends on the flop. You might flop something you like or simply fold the hand quickly (she might dump you or vice versa). If you happen to run into Ace/Rag in the blind you're like "well i guess that's ok, no big deal".
Ok, that's it. And who says poker is detrimental to dating? =)
John Vorhaus - Killer Poker Online - Poker Night
I've expressed my admiration for John Vorhaus and his books in writing here before, but I don't know if I've gone into enough detail about how much I've enjoyed his writing. Killer Poker Online and Poker Night are two of the books I keep on the shelf next to the bed to read at night before going to sleep, especially on the nights when I'm not up to the somewhat dry task of re-reading Sklansky's Theory of Poker. I frequent the message boards over at Two plus Two occasionally, and the impression I get from there is that most of them aren't big fans of John Vorhaus. I respectfully disagree.
A lot of poker players at Two plus Two are so intent on being profitable and understanding the mathematics of the game that they've forgotten that the whole purpose of a game is to have fun. John Vorhaus doesn't forget to have fun with it. He also points out that if you forget about having fun, and just start playing well and winning at poker, it becomes more fun as an end result of that process. It's an almost zen kind of thing that he points out in his books, and I think he made that point most clearly in his most recent book, Poker Night which is aimed mostly at players in home games.
Another technique I picked up from Vorhaus that helped my play was his advice on table image. He's a fan of tight, aggressive poker, which is the same advice everyone gives, but he explains it in a way that made sense to me. One complaint a lot of Sklansky fans have is that they have such a tight table image that they never see any action when they do catch a playable hand. John Vorhaus advises that you pretend that you're playing a secret game called "raise", and since you're raising every time you play a hand, confused players will think that you're a loose player even though you're actually tight and aggressive. Poor players, which are the best kind of poker players to play with if you're playing for money, confuse aggression with looseness.
Sometimes when I'm on tilt or thinking about going on tilt, I switch to Vorhaus's "blackjack attack" strategy to get myself back on track to play good tight poker again. The way the blackjack attack works is that you only play starting holdem hands that add up to 20 or 21. Face cards count as 10's. So you'd fold 99's or lower. The only suited connectors you would play would be 10J or above. This is NOT always correct play, but if it helps you tighten up your game and learn patience, then it's worthwhile. If it gets you off tilt, then it's a good move to make too.
John Vorhaus has written, in his estimation, over a million words about poker. That's a lot. You can read some of his writing on poker in the following places:
A lot of poker players at Two plus Two are so intent on being profitable and understanding the mathematics of the game that they've forgotten that the whole purpose of a game is to have fun. John Vorhaus doesn't forget to have fun with it. He also points out that if you forget about having fun, and just start playing well and winning at poker, it becomes more fun as an end result of that process. It's an almost zen kind of thing that he points out in his books, and I think he made that point most clearly in his most recent book, Poker Night which is aimed mostly at players in home games.
Another technique I picked up from Vorhaus that helped my play was his advice on table image. He's a fan of tight, aggressive poker, which is the same advice everyone gives, but he explains it in a way that made sense to me. One complaint a lot of Sklansky fans have is that they have such a tight table image that they never see any action when they do catch a playable hand. John Vorhaus advises that you pretend that you're playing a secret game called "raise", and since you're raising every time you play a hand, confused players will think that you're a loose player even though you're actually tight and aggressive. Poor players, which are the best kind of poker players to play with if you're playing for money, confuse aggression with looseness.
Sometimes when I'm on tilt or thinking about going on tilt, I switch to Vorhaus's "blackjack attack" strategy to get myself back on track to play good tight poker again. The way the blackjack attack works is that you only play starting holdem hands that add up to 20 or 21. Face cards count as 10's. So you'd fold 99's or lower. The only suited connectors you would play would be 10J or above. This is NOT always correct play, but if it helps you tighten up your game and learn patience, then it's worthwhile. If it gets you off tilt, then it's a good move to make too.
John Vorhaus has written, in his estimation, over a million words about poker. That's a lot. You can read some of his writing on poker in the following places:
- John Vorhaus - Vorza's Brain - Poker
- Poker School Online - John Vorhaus Instructor Bio
- JV's Killer Poker Articles
John's also a comic writer and a screenwriter, and if his writing there is as entertaining as his poker writing, then he's probably pretty doggone good at it. Vorhaus also writes for Ultimate Bet, which is my favorite online poker room.
Poker Details
Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I believe i'm linked up to all the new readers that linked to me but if i missed someone please let me know. I'd like to put a few thoughts into ink on a few questions I've been getting.
Slowplaying Pocket Aces under the gun:
People have asked me for a few thoughts on why I limped in here rather than raise. I love the inquiry and in fact I agree with you for the most part. In general I think you should raise with Aces up front to narrow down the field and in fact in a loose game where people are calling raises anyway you should definitely raise putting in more money and getting fewer players against you. However in a tigher game a raise here might just steal the blinds which is what i definitely didn't want to do. So I hoped for some action thru the slowplay, got some and got bitten by it.
Players not getting that much better in higher limit:
Completely agree with the comment here as well. More aggression with weaker hands. The particular game I was in was tigher and tougher than normal though.
Slowplaying Pocket Aces under the gun:
People have asked me for a few thoughts on why I limped in here rather than raise. I love the inquiry and in fact I agree with you for the most part. In general I think you should raise with Aces up front to narrow down the field and in fact in a loose game where people are calling raises anyway you should definitely raise putting in more money and getting fewer players against you. However in a tigher game a raise here might just steal the blinds which is what i definitely didn't want to do. So I hoped for some action thru the slowplay, got some and got bitten by it.
Players not getting that much better in higher limit:
Completely agree with the comment here as well. More aggression with weaker hands. The particular game I was in was tigher and tougher than normal though.
Cell Phone Poker - Maui Texas Holdem - Mobile Pioneer Inc
You can now play texas holdem on your cell phone thanks to Mobile Pioneer Inc. The game is called Maui Texas Holdem, and it's no limit holdem that you can play on your cell. Their software is available for 30 different kinds of mobile telephones, including Nokia, Samsung, and Sanyo. Maui Texas Hold 'em is a play money game and cannot be played with real money, and it seats up to 8 people at a table. In almost every other respect, the game is almost exactly like online poker.
I've always said that poker for play money was like sex without an orgasm, but if I ever get a cellular phone again, I might give Maui Texas Holdem a try. If you're interested in finding out more, you can visit Mobile Pioneer.
I've always said that poker for play money was like sex without an orgasm, but if I ever get a cellular phone again, I might give Maui Texas Holdem a try. If you're interested in finding out more, you can visit Mobile Pioneer.
Party Poker $30-60 - 2nd Hand - First Session
In my last post I got stuck in my very first hand in $30-60. Now losing $420 in one hand can be quite discouraging but after going thru countless hand iterations where you win or lose I really have become somewhat numb to the whole ordeal. It's just another hand. Learn and move on. I will say that losing can be quite annoying which is why I try and leave it to the losers. ;)
Preflop:
So a few hands later I'm under the gun (UTG) with pocket Aces. I decide to limp in, disguise the hand and hopefully get some action (hopefully 3-4 way and no more!). 2 other players limp in and the blinds are both in.
Flop: Queen, 9, 4 - with 2 diamonds
Awesome. I feel great about this flop. Most players won't have 2 pair, if somebody flopped a set then hey I'm beat but that's just life. It's also highly unlikely. If someone had queens I would expect them to raise (although I wouldn't put it past players at this level to be very tricky), perhaps 9's and I doubt 4's (I doubt many players are playing pocket 4's here. You never know but just in general).
The big blind bets and I just smooth call. Everyone else folds.
The turn: 2 of clubs:
Here's where I plan to make my raise when this player bets his queen.
He bets and I raise. To my surprise he reraises me.
I'm a little surprised at the reraise. If he 2 pair or a set in the blind, wouldn't he have tried to check raise? Would he really 3-bet a flush draw? Would he 3-bet Ace/Queen or King/Queen? Neither of these seem likely. However, the 3-bet with Ace/Queen seems most likely so I call.
The River: 8 of diamonds:
A diamond! The worst card in the deck for me. He bets and I make a crying call since the pot is so big.
He turns over 5, 3 of diamonds. He bet his diamond draw and on the turn got really aggressive with an open ended straight and the diamond flush out. He had a 15 card out, but I had the other 31.
Analysis:
I don't feel bad about how I played the hand at all. The pot got so large at the end I felt like I had to call. If I had a better read on him I might've been able to laydown but this is online poker and it's pretty tough to read that facial expression. :)
So now I've played 2 hands in the biggest limit I've ever played and I'm stuck $720. I proceed to lose even more and get stuck $1,000. Then I make a huge comeback and end up beating the game for $1,800 after putting in a total of 4 hours. Funny, I only remember a couple of hands I won. It seems that I only remember the hands I lose.
My first $30-60 session was a success. Obviously I'm not ready to say I beat that limit everyday but it's a step in the right direction.
Preflop:
So a few hands later I'm under the gun (UTG) with pocket Aces. I decide to limp in, disguise the hand and hopefully get some action (hopefully 3-4 way and no more!). 2 other players limp in and the blinds are both in.
Flop: Queen, 9, 4 - with 2 diamonds
Awesome. I feel great about this flop. Most players won't have 2 pair, if somebody flopped a set then hey I'm beat but that's just life. It's also highly unlikely. If someone had queens I would expect them to raise (although I wouldn't put it past players at this level to be very tricky), perhaps 9's and I doubt 4's (I doubt many players are playing pocket 4's here. You never know but just in general).
The big blind bets and I just smooth call. Everyone else folds.
The turn: 2 of clubs:
Here's where I plan to make my raise when this player bets his queen.
He bets and I raise. To my surprise he reraises me.
I'm a little surprised at the reraise. If he 2 pair or a set in the blind, wouldn't he have tried to check raise? Would he really 3-bet a flush draw? Would he 3-bet Ace/Queen or King/Queen? Neither of these seem likely. However, the 3-bet with Ace/Queen seems most likely so I call.
The River: 8 of diamonds:
A diamond! The worst card in the deck for me. He bets and I make a crying call since the pot is so big.
He turns over 5, 3 of diamonds. He bet his diamond draw and on the turn got really aggressive with an open ended straight and the diamond flush out. He had a 15 card out, but I had the other 31.
Analysis:
I don't feel bad about how I played the hand at all. The pot got so large at the end I felt like I had to call. If I had a better read on him I might've been able to laydown but this is online poker and it's pretty tough to read that facial expression. :)
So now I've played 2 hands in the biggest limit I've ever played and I'm stuck $720. I proceed to lose even more and get stuck $1,000. Then I make a huge comeback and end up beating the game for $1,800 after putting in a total of 4 hours. Funny, I only remember a couple of hands I won. It seems that I only remember the hands I lose.
My first $30-60 session was a success. Obviously I'm not ready to say I beat that limit everyday but it's a step in the right direction.
More Party Poker Sit and Go's; and a Bankroll Update
I've been playing more sit and go's at Party Poker lately. I'd gotten out of the habit, and had been playing the $25 buy-in no limit tables, but a couple of weeks ago I decided to get back into the SnG habit. I'm apparently pretty good at the $10 and $20 buy in level single table tournaments, because my bankroll at PartyPoker is showing nice improvement. If you'd like to give the SnG's a try, please use one of my bonus codes when signing up at Party: CHIPSBLOG is good for a free $25, and 100CHIPSBLOG is good for a 20% up to $100 bonus. (Forgive the obvious shilling here--we all gotta make a buck, and I'm not a good enough poker player to live on my winnings.)
Party Poker Bankroll: $427.25
I did spend some time playing at FullTilt Poker this weekend, and I had the usual disappointing swings that I see there. They're not a bad room online at all, and their bonus offer is great, but it also requires a LOT of play to get awarded the bonus. Or so it seems to me anyway.
Party Poker Bankroll: $427.25
I did spend some time playing at FullTilt Poker this weekend, and I had the usual disappointing swings that I see there. They're not a bad room online at all, and their bonus offer is great, but it also requires a LOT of play to get awarded the bonus. Or so it seems to me anyway.
Party Poker - $30-60 First Time
What a great weekend. I went in to get my eyes checked on Friday and left with a free pair of D&G sunglasses and a new girl's phone number. It gets better though...last night I finally stepped it up to the $30-6o partypoker game.
I'm the first to admit I'm cocky. There is a thin line between confident and arrogance and I tend to reside on the arrogant side of the city with occasional trips to confident. My homegirl once said I have an understated arrogance about me. =) whatever that means.
So...my confidence was immediately shaken stepping into this game. I was nervous already seeing as the biggest game I'd played in up to this point was the $20-40 at the Mirage.
My First Hand in $30-60:
So I come in after the dealer and post. I'm a big fan of coming in after the button rather than posting in the blind but I'll leave my opinions on that for another post. There's a raise in 4th position, a cold call in 7th and I look down at Ace/2 suited. Having already posted the blind, I think I'm getting appropriate pot odds to call and perhaps catch a funny flop or a flush draw (assuming the blinds call). Naturally they don't and we head to the flop with 3 way action and I'm holding a rag hand.
The Flop: A, 2, 5 with 2 hearts and 1 diamond.
Beautiful. 4th position bets, 7th cold calls, I hesitate for the appropriate amount of time and raise. 4th position immediately folds and 7th cold calls.
The Turn: King of diamonds. Now I've got 2 pair and the nut diamond draw
Although I didn't like the King, I like the diamond. It's checked to me. Now, if that king wasn't a diamond I would've checked here but seeing as I also have the nut flush draw I bet. 7th position check raises me and now things are getting tricky. Naturally I put this guy on Ace/King since he cold called a raise and didn't 3 bet. I contemplate a call which in retrospect was what I should've done. Instead I reraise hoping to slow him in his tracks and with the intention of checking the river unless I catch a 2 or a diamond. He caps the turn and now I'm sad. haha. I call.
The River: 8 of clubs.
He bets and I call. He turns over pocket kings (caught a set on the turn) and after my first hand in $30-60 I'm down $420 out of my own chips.
Analysis:
It was really irrelevant that he got lucky and caught his king on the turn. In reality the hand that I put him on was all he needed to beat me. We're playing $30-60 here and there are very few players in this game that would call a preflop raise cold and be able to cap the turn against me except for pocket aces, ace/king, or pocket kings. He could've easily had one of these hands and he did. I think since he was an unknown player that I could be a little disappointed in myself if I just called the turn when he check raised and called the end. I mean perhaps he was weak enough of a player to have Ace/Queen (which is like ace rag to me) or Ace/Jack (even better he's going on my buddy list if he's got this). My diamond draw and my aggressive attitude got me a little bit in this hand. An extra $120-180 depending on how you look at it.
Well what happened next?
What a nice welcome right? It's like welcome to the table you pigeon. We're here to show you what the game is really about and push you back to $15-30 again. Either that or wipe out a few thousand and set you back a month.
Nope, of course your boy didn't get out the game. In fact the very next hand I played was under the gun with Aces and I got those cracked for $300.
And...I still came up $753 at the end of my session. Happy ending right?! I'll post the rest tomorrow.
I'm the first to admit I'm cocky. There is a thin line between confident and arrogance and I tend to reside on the arrogant side of the city with occasional trips to confident. My homegirl once said I have an understated arrogance about me. =) whatever that means.
So...my confidence was immediately shaken stepping into this game. I was nervous already seeing as the biggest game I'd played in up to this point was the $20-40 at the Mirage.
My First Hand in $30-60:
So I come in after the dealer and post. I'm a big fan of coming in after the button rather than posting in the blind but I'll leave my opinions on that for another post. There's a raise in 4th position, a cold call in 7th and I look down at Ace/2 suited. Having already posted the blind, I think I'm getting appropriate pot odds to call and perhaps catch a funny flop or a flush draw (assuming the blinds call). Naturally they don't and we head to the flop with 3 way action and I'm holding a rag hand.
The Flop: A, 2, 5 with 2 hearts and 1 diamond.
Beautiful. 4th position bets, 7th cold calls, I hesitate for the appropriate amount of time and raise. 4th position immediately folds and 7th cold calls.
The Turn: King of diamonds. Now I've got 2 pair and the nut diamond draw
Although I didn't like the King, I like the diamond. It's checked to me. Now, if that king wasn't a diamond I would've checked here but seeing as I also have the nut flush draw I bet. 7th position check raises me and now things are getting tricky. Naturally I put this guy on Ace/King since he cold called a raise and didn't 3 bet. I contemplate a call which in retrospect was what I should've done. Instead I reraise hoping to slow him in his tracks and with the intention of checking the river unless I catch a 2 or a diamond. He caps the turn and now I'm sad. haha. I call.
The River: 8 of clubs.
He bets and I call. He turns over pocket kings (caught a set on the turn) and after my first hand in $30-60 I'm down $420 out of my own chips.
Analysis:
It was really irrelevant that he got lucky and caught his king on the turn. In reality the hand that I put him on was all he needed to beat me. We're playing $30-60 here and there are very few players in this game that would call a preflop raise cold and be able to cap the turn against me except for pocket aces, ace/king, or pocket kings. He could've easily had one of these hands and he did. I think since he was an unknown player that I could be a little disappointed in myself if I just called the turn when he check raised and called the end. I mean perhaps he was weak enough of a player to have Ace/Queen (which is like ace rag to me) or Ace/Jack (even better he's going on my buddy list if he's got this). My diamond draw and my aggressive attitude got me a little bit in this hand. An extra $120-180 depending on how you look at it.
Well what happened next?
What a nice welcome right? It's like welcome to the table you pigeon. We're here to show you what the game is really about and push you back to $15-30 again. Either that or wipe out a few thousand and set you back a month.
Nope, of course your boy didn't get out the game. In fact the very next hand I played was under the gun with Aces and I got those cracked for $300.
And...I still came up $753 at the end of my session. Happy ending right?! I'll post the rest tomorrow.
Scotch & Hustlin'
"I'm a hustla homie, you'se a customer cronie" - Jay-Z
Most of my posts seem to be about really hardcore poker strategy so today I thought I'd post a hopefully amusing story about pull tabs and the old school.
Had some excellent dim sum with my Dad today. I was a little hungover as I usually am on Saturdays, a little too much Glen Livet and not enough ice. Seems to happen on Fridays a lot. It's like the bartenders say oh shit there's Trav get out the scotch that you froze into ice cubes so we can get him extra drunk again. :) Anyhow on the way home I was talking with him about gambling and I randomly had a weird thought that I brought up.
"Hey Dad, do you think you could beat pull tabs if you waited till the tub got close to empty and picked the ones where the jackpots hadn't beat hit? Effectively letting somebody else dump their money into the machine and winning off their bad luck?" - I asked
"Trav, I used to do that all the time." - Dad said
So, old school pull tabs didn't come in the bins they come in now. They had straight stacks and you could see relatively close how many were left. He said he used to go into the casino before playing, buy out the pull tab box that he could beat. This is where I think the story gets funny and really sheds a little insight into how my Dad thinks.
"So then you'd go thru all the tabs and come out on top?" - I asked
"Hell nah. I'd pay somebody to do that and then I'd go do something else. Make $100-200 (this was not a bad little hit back in the old school days) off the box, tip the guy $20 to rip thru the tabs and pocket the sugar. I got better things to do then run thru a shitload of pull tabs." - He replied.
Turns out it'd be tougher to beat pull tabs today. Statistically speaking, pull tabs have one of the highest hold rates in casino games (30-40% hold rate) and they pull the machines now before they get too juicy. Understanding when to pull the tabs is more precise now too, since they can weight them with precise measurements down to 1-2 individual pull tab pieces.
So, if you can beat all that today...good for you. haha....let me know if this works for any of you hustlers out there. I'll stick to my poker game.
Most of my posts seem to be about really hardcore poker strategy so today I thought I'd post a hopefully amusing story about pull tabs and the old school.
Had some excellent dim sum with my Dad today. I was a little hungover as I usually am on Saturdays, a little too much Glen Livet and not enough ice. Seems to happen on Fridays a lot. It's like the bartenders say oh shit there's Trav get out the scotch that you froze into ice cubes so we can get him extra drunk again. :) Anyhow on the way home I was talking with him about gambling and I randomly had a weird thought that I brought up.
"Hey Dad, do you think you could beat pull tabs if you waited till the tub got close to empty and picked the ones where the jackpots hadn't beat hit? Effectively letting somebody else dump their money into the machine and winning off their bad luck?" - I asked
"Trav, I used to do that all the time." - Dad said
So, old school pull tabs didn't come in the bins they come in now. They had straight stacks and you could see relatively close how many were left. He said he used to go into the casino before playing, buy out the pull tab box that he could beat. This is where I think the story gets funny and really sheds a little insight into how my Dad thinks.
"So then you'd go thru all the tabs and come out on top?" - I asked
"Hell nah. I'd pay somebody to do that and then I'd go do something else. Make $100-200 (this was not a bad little hit back in the old school days) off the box, tip the guy $20 to rip thru the tabs and pocket the sugar. I got better things to do then run thru a shitload of pull tabs." - He replied.
Turns out it'd be tougher to beat pull tabs today. Statistically speaking, pull tabs have one of the highest hold rates in casino games (30-40% hold rate) and they pull the machines now before they get too juicy. Understanding when to pull the tabs is more precise now too, since they can weight them with precise measurements down to 1-2 individual pull tab pieces.
So, if you can beat all that today...good for you. haha....let me know if this works for any of you hustlers out there. I'll stick to my poker game.
Non Poker Site of the Day - Actually, the Best Site in the Universe
The Best Page in the Universe
This site is so good that it needs absolutely no commentary from me. Check it out.
This site is so good that it needs absolutely no commentary from me. Check it out.
Poker Slowplay - Ace/Six
My good friend is leaving, moving down to SF. Which by the way is a beautiful city. I would say if I were going to live anywhere besides Seattle, it'd probably be the bay or perhaps Venice, Italy which I had the pleasure to visit this past summer. Anyway, he holds a weekly poker tournament at his place, small game like 12 people, $10 buy-in. So instead of playing $15-30 like I intended to where 1 pot would be more than first place in this tournament I decided to hangout with my buddy and play in his tournament.
I made a huge mistake in this tournament and lost my chip lead. I've got 700 in chips, chip leader about 1,200 and my buddy Dave has about 180. The blinds are at 30-60, so Dave has like a round or two left unless he makes some moves and doubles up.
Here's where the magic sets in as I bust Dave out. I've got Ace/six in the small bilnd and Dave has 120 left in chips since his big blind is 60. Ace/rag is a shitty hand, we all know that. But, in heads up competition I look at it like the nuts, especially with Dave short stacked in chips. He's smart so he knows he needs to double up really soon and last time I was in the small blind I limped in, he pushed all in and I had to fold, since I had a marginal hand.
I decide to slowplay Ace/Rag and limp in knowing that he'll push all in with whatever hand he's got trying to steal my 60 chips and survive another round. Sounds funny doesn't it? Slowplay such a shitty hand. It worked though. He pushed all in with King/Jack, I immediately call and neither of us catch anything.
4 hands later I bust out, I got pushed around a little bit and by the time I made a move the villain had a good hand.
My win? $30...one big blind in the game I'll play tonight. hehe. Plus getting to hangout with my good friend, and a few kills in Halo2. Sometimes it's not all about the money. =)
I made a huge mistake in this tournament and lost my chip lead. I've got 700 in chips, chip leader about 1,200 and my buddy Dave has about 180. The blinds are at 30-60, so Dave has like a round or two left unless he makes some moves and doubles up.
Here's where the magic sets in as I bust Dave out. I've got Ace/six in the small bilnd and Dave has 120 left in chips since his big blind is 60. Ace/rag is a shitty hand, we all know that. But, in heads up competition I look at it like the nuts, especially with Dave short stacked in chips. He's smart so he knows he needs to double up really soon and last time I was in the small blind I limped in, he pushed all in and I had to fold, since I had a marginal hand.
I decide to slowplay Ace/Rag and limp in knowing that he'll push all in with whatever hand he's got trying to steal my 60 chips and survive another round. Sounds funny doesn't it? Slowplay such a shitty hand. It worked though. He pushed all in with King/Jack, I immediately call and neither of us catch anything.
4 hands later I bust out, I got pushed around a little bit and by the time I made a move the villain had a good hand.
My win? $30...one big blind in the game I'll play tonight. hehe. Plus getting to hangout with my good friend, and a few kills in Halo2. Sometimes it's not all about the money. =)
FullTiltPoker.com - FullTilt Poker - Full Tilt Poker
FullTilt Poker is the latest poker software I've downloaded and played on, and I have to admit that it's pretty impressive. The first thing you notice when you visit the Full Tilt Poker website is that it's endorsed by all kinds of famous poker players: Clonie Gowen, Erik Seidel, John Juanda, Phil Gordon, Erick Lindgren, Andy Bloch, Chris Ferguson, Phil Ivey, and Howard Lederer. The 2nd thing you notice is that the look and feel of the website is light years ahead of most other online poker rooms out there--it's really a stunning look.
Play Online Poker
Full Tilt Poker also has the single biggest new player signup bonus available online. Deposit up to $600 and you'll get a 100% deposit bonus, so you get a bonus of up to $600. THAT's what I call a signup bonus. You can used the Full Tilt Poker bonus code COWBOYS to get that bonus, or you can just sign up through one of the links on this site and you don't need a bonus code.
Currently FullTiltPoker.com is running a promotion where you can represent the Full Tilt website in the British poker room by winning one of their qualifying tournaments on Sunday nights. You also have the opportunity to win your way into the World Series of Poker through one of their qualifiers, some of which are freerolls, or into Bellagio's 5 star tournament. The online cardroom also features Howard Lederer's Poker Fantasy Camp, and their reload bonuses are almost as generous as their signup bonus. (50% up to $300).
The graphics and the software at Full Tilt Poker are nothing short of fantastic. There are features on Full Tilt that I've never seen on other sites, like being able to choose from 4 different expressions for your avatar to wear at any given time.
I recommend checking out Full Tilt Poker. Click here to visit FullTiltPoker.com.
Play Online Poker
Full Tilt Poker also has the single biggest new player signup bonus available online. Deposit up to $600 and you'll get a 100% deposit bonus, so you get a bonus of up to $600. THAT's what I call a signup bonus. You can used the Full Tilt Poker bonus code COWBOYS to get that bonus, or you can just sign up through one of the links on this site and you don't need a bonus code.
Currently FullTiltPoker.com is running a promotion where you can represent the Full Tilt website in the British poker room by winning one of their qualifying tournaments on Sunday nights. You also have the opportunity to win your way into the World Series of Poker through one of their qualifiers, some of which are freerolls, or into Bellagio's 5 star tournament. The online cardroom also features Howard Lederer's Poker Fantasy Camp, and their reload bonuses are almost as generous as their signup bonus. (50% up to $300).
The graphics and the software at Full Tilt Poker are nothing short of fantastic. There are features on Full Tilt that I've never seen on other sites, like being able to choose from 4 different expressions for your avatar to wear at any given time.
I recommend checking out Full Tilt Poker. Click here to visit FullTiltPoker.com.
Flush draw - Raise it!
In my last post I wrote about the incorrect play of calling with flush draws without the proper pot odds. At the end of that post I said that instead of folding I would probably raise. My rationale for this is as follows:
1. Naturally I am assuming that my opponent is capable of laying down a hand. If the pot is short handed and I raise I may be able to take the pot away from him right there without having to make a hand.
2. Aggression is the key. More often than not in Texas Holdem nobody has a hand. Thus I like to lead to force my opponent into calling.
3. Assume he calls my raise. Then what do I do on the turn. Well that's really going to depend on what I can get him to do. In prior hands when I bet on the turn does he fold thinking I have a big hand? Or, does he get stubborn a lot and decide to pay me off all the time.
If I've checked the turn in prior hands when I show weakness and only bet the turn when I was strong I might mix it up here and bet the turn.
If he's in the latter category I'm going to check the turn and get a free card. The card isn't really "free" in a sense because I had to raise on the flop to get it. But it's a half priced card because I didn't have to call the turn.
Ok, what happens if I get 3 bet? Well, I'm probably going to call the raise as the pot is now big (unfortunately with a lot of my money). If he bets the turn I'll probably fold depending on pot size.
Opinions?
1. Naturally I am assuming that my opponent is capable of laying down a hand. If the pot is short handed and I raise I may be able to take the pot away from him right there without having to make a hand.
2. Aggression is the key. More often than not in Texas Holdem nobody has a hand. Thus I like to lead to force my opponent into calling.
3. Assume he calls my raise. Then what do I do on the turn. Well that's really going to depend on what I can get him to do. In prior hands when I bet on the turn does he fold thinking I have a big hand? Or, does he get stubborn a lot and decide to pay me off all the time.
If I've checked the turn in prior hands when I show weakness and only bet the turn when I was strong I might mix it up here and bet the turn.
If he's in the latter category I'm going to check the turn and get a free card. The card isn't really "free" in a sense because I had to raise on the flop to get it. But it's a half priced card because I didn't have to call the turn.
Ok, what happens if I get 3 bet? Well, I'm probably going to call the raise as the pot is now big (unfortunately with a lot of my money). If he bets the turn I'll probably fold depending on pot size.
Opinions?
Flush draws are over rated.
I just wanted to say a quick thank you to Vinyl Bar & Poker Club, Aces full of eights, John-Paul Costales V2. Human Head, Razy Boy for the comments and the links. It's always welcome.
Today I was thinking about flush draws and how so many players make basic mistakes when they have them. First off, a lot of players don't know that if you hold 2 suited cards your chances of flopping 2 to a flush are only 1 in 10 and your odds of flopping a flush are only 1%. So all those guys out there playing any 2 suited cards being first or second into the pot (like J, 4 suited) well those guys are pigeons.
Most players don't have the above problem. However here is a mistake that I see even somewhat knowledgable players make and is my point of this post. If you flop 2 to a flush the odds of making a flush are about 1 in 5 to make it on the turn and 1 in 5 again to make it on the end. In aggregate turn and river , you willof you making a flush are about 36%. Let's see how these numbers play out in real life.
Suppose I'm in a $1-2 game and I have Ace, 4 of spades in the big blind. 1 player limps in and the small blind calls making the pot $3 total. Suppose the flop is J/10/2 with 2 spades. small blind bets, should I call? Well to call means that I'm putting in 33% of money into the current pot when I'm only going to win if I make my hand 20% of the time. Putting in $1 for a chance to win $3 when i'm only going to win 1 time out of 5. Simply put, calling here is not the correct play. That is of course ignoring the fact that I might win if I hit my ace or what the player to act after me will do.
So, in the above situation, what would I do? Well to be completely honest if the player was any good I would probably raise. :) I'll post my rational for why this goes against my flush draw pot odds analysis in the next post.
Today I was thinking about flush draws and how so many players make basic mistakes when they have them. First off, a lot of players don't know that if you hold 2 suited cards your chances of flopping 2 to a flush are only 1 in 10 and your odds of flopping a flush are only 1%. So all those guys out there playing any 2 suited cards being first or second into the pot (like J, 4 suited) well those guys are pigeons.
Most players don't have the above problem. However here is a mistake that I see even somewhat knowledgable players make and is my point of this post. If you flop 2 to a flush the odds of making a flush are about 1 in 5 to make it on the turn and 1 in 5 again to make it on the end. In aggregate turn and river , you willof you making a flush are about 36%. Let's see how these numbers play out in real life.
Suppose I'm in a $1-2 game and I have Ace, 4 of spades in the big blind. 1 player limps in and the small blind calls making the pot $3 total. Suppose the flop is J/10/2 with 2 spades. small blind bets, should I call? Well to call means that I'm putting in 33% of money into the current pot when I'm only going to win if I make my hand 20% of the time. Putting in $1 for a chance to win $3 when i'm only going to win 1 time out of 5. Simply put, calling here is not the correct play. That is of course ignoring the fact that I might win if I hit my ace or what the player to act after me will do.
So, in the above situation, what would I do? Well to be completely honest if the player was any good I would probably raise. :) I'll post my rational for why this goes against my flush draw pot odds analysis in the next post.
PartyPoker Bankroll Update
My current bankroll at Party Poker: $382.25
Been playing a lot of SnG's at the $10 + $1 level, and a few at the $20 + $2 level. Haven't been getting many cards, but I've been playing pretty well, although the play at the tables has changed lately. Some of the players are a lot more unpredictable, and I've been surprised at how tight some of the tables have been lately.
Also, here are my current bankrolls at Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker:
Absolute Poker $316.08
Party Poker $382.25
Ultimate Bet $149.38
So I've seen an increase in all my bankrolls since 3/7/2005 when I started tracking. Here were the numbers then:
Absolute Poker $300.68 (up $15.40)
Party Poker $161.75 (up $220.50)
Ultimate Bet $140.38 (up $9)
Total increase in the last two weeks or so: $245.90. Not enough to live on, but not bad to have a hobby that pays for itself.
Been playing a lot of SnG's at the $10 + $1 level, and a few at the $20 + $2 level. Haven't been getting many cards, but I've been playing pretty well, although the play at the tables has changed lately. Some of the players are a lot more unpredictable, and I've been surprised at how tight some of the tables have been lately.
Also, here are my current bankrolls at Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker:
Absolute Poker $316.08
Party Poker $382.25
Ultimate Bet $149.38
So I've seen an increase in all my bankrolls since 3/7/2005 when I started tracking. Here were the numbers then:
Absolute Poker $300.68 (up $15.40)
Party Poker $161.75 (up $220.50)
Ultimate Bet $140.38 (up $9)
Total increase in the last two weeks or so: $245.90. Not enough to live on, but not bad to have a hobby that pays for itself.
Jennicide - A Big Poker Stars .com Draw
Jennicide is a female poker player who plays mostly at PokerStars. I had never really heard of her until recently, when I was reading in a forum somewhere that she has a huge following of men who watch her play poker at Poker Stars. According to an article I saw on a Womens Poker Club site, she's 20 years old and in 5 months was able to win 5 multitable tournaments. Pretty doggone impressive poker playing right there. (There's no date on that article, so don't quote me on her age, cuz I'm quoting a source that I'm not entirely sure about myself.)
I also saw over at Poker-Babe's site that Jennicide's real name is Jennifer Leigh, and she's been chronicling Jennicide's Poker Stars Caribbean Adventure there. Based on the pictures there, she's certainly a lovely enough young woman. It also looks like Jennicide is at least an occasional poster at the Two Plus Two forums. Anyway, I'm amazed at how celebrities are created in the strangest of places. Who would have thought that a female poker player named Jennifer would become such a phenomenon? Hey--and more power to her.
I also saw over at Poker-Babe's site that Jennicide's real name is Jennifer Leigh, and she's been chronicling Jennicide's Poker Stars Caribbean Adventure there. Based on the pictures there, she's certainly a lovely enough young woman. It also looks like Jennicide is at least an occasional poster at the Two Plus Two forums. Anyway, I'm amazed at how celebrities are created in the strangest of places. Who would have thought that a female poker player named Jennifer would become such a phenomenon? Hey--and more power to her.
World Series of Poker Official Homepage
I was wondering what I might find on the World Series of Poker site, so I surfed on over tonight to check out their official homepage. The first thing I noticed when I visited the site was that Harrah's is definitely working to take advantage of this branding opportunity. My inkling is that "World Series of Poker" gets more searches every day than "Harrahs", but I could certainly be wrong about that. Certainly wouldn't be the first time. The 2nd thing I noticed was that the WSOP logo is one mighty fine logo. Any company would be proud to have a logo that looked that sharp.
The next feature on the World Series of Poker website is the schedule of events and qualifiers. A lot of folks forget that the WSOP is not just about the $10k NL world championship event. Almost all poker games are represented at the World Series, and there are all kinds of qualifiers and sub-qualifiers going on all the time, both online and offline. You can also read about the Tournament of Champions in this section, and there are some great photos of the players and events.
The site also sells merchandise in the WSOP store, and allows you to book your hotel reservations and pre-register for World Series of Poker events. It's a well put together site, easy to navigate and pleasant to look at.
The poker website of the day is the World Series of Poker Official Homepage.
The next feature on the World Series of Poker website is the schedule of events and qualifiers. A lot of folks forget that the WSOP is not just about the $10k NL world championship event. Almost all poker games are represented at the World Series, and there are all kinds of qualifiers and sub-qualifiers going on all the time, both online and offline. You can also read about the Tournament of Champions in this section, and there are some great photos of the players and events.
The site also sells merchandise in the WSOP store, and allows you to book your hotel reservations and pre-register for World Series of Poker events. It's a well put together site, easy to navigate and pleasant to look at.
The poker website of the day is the World Series of Poker Official Homepage.
The drive to improve my poker playing
At the end of last night's session I was up $1,257 fot the night, playing in the 6-handed $10-20. That's a great 2 hour session dollar wise and it pushed me to an all time high on my "year to date dollars won". :)
Even though the night finished a success after every session I always focus on how I can improve as a player. Last night was no exception, here are 2 hands which I believe I played poorly.
Hand 1:
I'm in 2nd position with Aces and limp in hoping to get some action. Someone in late position limps in and the small blind folds. The flop is J, 8, 3 with two diamonds. The big blind bets out, I smooth call and the late position player folds. Turn is a 7 and the big blind bets out again. I smooth call with the intention of waiting until the river to pop him. The end is a 6, he checks I bet and he folds.
Analysis:
I'm pretty sure that since he didn't even call he was on a flush draw. In retrospect I should've put the pressure on him on the turn which would force an extra big bet out of him in order to potentially make his flush. Also by just calling the mistake is that if the flush hits and he does bet thru it do I call here? I hate being a caller, particularly in short handed games where I need to be aggressive. That being said, my slow play was meant to mix my game up a little bit. I missed out on $20.
Relevant Quote: "As a poker player you hate to call off your money" - Erik Seidel after losing an old WSOP.
Hand 2:
A passive player Under the gun (UTG) limps in, and i'm in the small blind with Ace, 8. I raise, the big blind 3 bets and UTG cold calls. I'm pretty sad now and call. Flop is 8,8,Q rainbow. I check, the big blind bets, UTG calls, and I call.
Turn is a 5 bringing a club draw. I check, the big blind bets, the UTG raises and I hesitate and cold call 2 bets. Big blind calls.
The river is checked all around.
Analysis:
I allowed myself to be intimidated by the turn raise from the UTG player. He's not so poor as to have Q/8 and he's not tricky enough to have pocket Q's. I'd bet my Lexus on that. He could have possibly had pocket 5's but I'm about 75% sure he would've raised with any pocket pair in a short handed game.
The big blind almost certainly didn't have pocket Queens because he just called the raise and is not tough enough to wait until the very end to check raise (although that would have been brilliant but he's not capable of that).
I should've reraised and probably would've trapped the big blind in for another bet as well as the UTG player. If it doesn't get capped I should've bet the end as well. That's an extra $80 I missed thru a misread.
Conclusion:
I've got a few weeks left before I leave my job and play even more seriously. While I don't think these small mistakes are enough to stop me from success they have to be corrected or I'll never become the world class player I hope to be.
Thoughts?
Even though the night finished a success after every session I always focus on how I can improve as a player. Last night was no exception, here are 2 hands which I believe I played poorly.
Hand 1:
I'm in 2nd position with Aces and limp in hoping to get some action. Someone in late position limps in and the small blind folds. The flop is J, 8, 3 with two diamonds. The big blind bets out, I smooth call and the late position player folds. Turn is a 7 and the big blind bets out again. I smooth call with the intention of waiting until the river to pop him. The end is a 6, he checks I bet and he folds.
Analysis:
I'm pretty sure that since he didn't even call he was on a flush draw. In retrospect I should've put the pressure on him on the turn which would force an extra big bet out of him in order to potentially make his flush. Also by just calling the mistake is that if the flush hits and he does bet thru it do I call here? I hate being a caller, particularly in short handed games where I need to be aggressive. That being said, my slow play was meant to mix my game up a little bit. I missed out on $20.
Relevant Quote: "As a poker player you hate to call off your money" - Erik Seidel after losing an old WSOP.
Hand 2:
A passive player Under the gun (UTG) limps in, and i'm in the small blind with Ace, 8. I raise, the big blind 3 bets and UTG cold calls. I'm pretty sad now and call. Flop is 8,8,Q rainbow. I check, the big blind bets, UTG calls, and I call.
Turn is a 5 bringing a club draw. I check, the big blind bets, the UTG raises and I hesitate and cold call 2 bets. Big blind calls.
The river is checked all around.
Analysis:
I allowed myself to be intimidated by the turn raise from the UTG player. He's not so poor as to have Q/8 and he's not tricky enough to have pocket Q's. I'd bet my Lexus on that. He could have possibly had pocket 5's but I'm about 75% sure he would've raised with any pocket pair in a short handed game.
The big blind almost certainly didn't have pocket Queens because he just called the raise and is not tough enough to wait until the very end to check raise (although that would have been brilliant but he's not capable of that).
I should've reraised and probably would've trapped the big blind in for another bet as well as the UTG player. If it doesn't get capped I should've bet the end as well. That's an extra $80 I missed thru a misread.
Conclusion:
I've got a few weeks left before I leave my job and play even more seriously. While I don't think these small mistakes are enough to stop me from success they have to be corrected or I'll never become the world class player I hope to be.
Thoughts?
Party Poker vs. Casino Poker - Less Hands
On Saturday, for the first time since Vegas on New Year's I played poker in a casino. I play almost everyday, but my game has really started to become focused online. Mostly due to one thing...the money. I do so much better playing partypoker online it's ridiculous. They just play so bad.
So I lost a little bit playing $8-16 on Saturday which actually seems like a small game now. It was good seeing a bunch of the regulars there that I haven't run into in awhile. It's almost like a strategic truce with some players as they recognize you can play, others are actually friends.
One thing that I really noticed was how much slower it is to play in a casino. I'm seeing like 30-40 hands an hour playing at a casino vs. what I would estimate is 60-70 online. I'm curious as to what others think about this, how many hands do you think you see an hour online? What about in the 6 handed game?
So I lost a little bit playing $8-16 on Saturday which actually seems like a small game now. It was good seeing a bunch of the regulars there that I haven't run into in awhile. It's almost like a strategic truce with some players as they recognize you can play, others are actually friends.
One thing that I really noticed was how much slower it is to play in a casino. I'm seeing like 30-40 hands an hour playing at a casino vs. what I would estimate is 60-70 online. I'm curious as to what others think about this, how many hands do you think you see an hour online? What about in the 6 handed game?
Janeane Garofalo, Annie Duke, NBC, and "All In" Pilot
A new poker themed comedy pilot (called "All In") for NBC will star Janeane Garofalo as a single mom of three who is a professional poker player. It's loosely based on the life of Annie Duke. I think that Janeane Garofalo is easily one of the most beautiful actresses in Hollywood, as well as one of the most interesting, and this is a show I'll definitely be tuning in for. (Annie Duke's not bad either for that matter.) I don't have any info yet on when the pilot will air, but from what I've read, it's pretty much a done deal that it's going to happen. Imagine that--a sitcom focused on a poker player. Who would have thought?
Poker Strategy with Dad
I had an interesting talk with Dad the other day. Over dinner a lot of families have talks about how work is going and my dinner table is no different. The only difference being the fact that my work talks are primarily related to different perspectives on the poker game.
So yesterday my Dad encouraged me to try mixing a few things up hold 'em and see how that works for me. Now, don't worry, I have a good deal of mix up in my game. In fact I believe being tricky is key to success. He was simply illustrating a point. To illustrate this point he used a few examples in his own career which I thought would be interesting to share here.
He tried a few things with different types of hands to see how they affected his pockets. Pops used to play 12 - 14 hours a day, everyday. He'd open and close the game. For one month he didn't play any pocket pair under 8's. He also took a different month off from playing any suited connectors besides the really big ones. I think the word "discipline" comes up short when referring to how this must have been. He found this hurt him financially and went back to playing both types.
The point he was making was do what you need to for analysis and to grow as a player. You need to really analyze your game's strengths and weaknesses and do what is necesary for improvement. I see some players make the same mistakes over and over and go broke. Nothing wrong with making mistakes but not learning from them is the real tragedy.
So yesterday my Dad encouraged me to try mixing a few things up hold 'em and see how that works for me. Now, don't worry, I have a good deal of mix up in my game. In fact I believe being tricky is key to success. He was simply illustrating a point. To illustrate this point he used a few examples in his own career which I thought would be interesting to share here.
He tried a few things with different types of hands to see how they affected his pockets. Pops used to play 12 - 14 hours a day, everyday. He'd open and close the game. For one month he didn't play any pocket pair under 8's. He also took a different month off from playing any suited connectors besides the really big ones. I think the word "discipline" comes up short when referring to how this must have been. He found this hurt him financially and went back to playing both types.
The point he was making was do what you need to for analysis and to grow as a player. You need to really analyze your game's strengths and weaknesses and do what is necesary for improvement. I see some players make the same mistakes over and over and go broke. Nothing wrong with making mistakes but not learning from them is the real tragedy.
Party Poker Interview - Vikrant Bhargava - PartyGaming
Vikrant Bhargava gave The Guardian the first proper interview regarding the upcoming PartyPoker IPO. Here are some interesting facts from the article:
- Vikrant Bhargava (33 years old) owns 15% of PartyGaming currently.
- Anurag Dikshit (32 years old) owns 40% of PartyGaming.
- Ruth Parasol owns 20% of the company.
- Russ DeLeon, her husband, also owns 20% of the company.
- Party Poker made $350 million in profit last year.
- They're on pace to make between $500 million and $600 million in profit this year.
- During peak hours, there are up to 70,000 players on Party Poker.
- Only 2 years ago, that number was only 2000.
To read the article in its entirety, click here: Vikrant Bhargava Party Poker Interview
Poker Tracking and Excel
I've been getting a few emails and posts about my excel sheet which I promise to have up on this site by the end of next week. By nature I am not much of a technical guy, more mathematical and while the 2 are related I'd just as soon compute pot odds on a thousand dollar decision instead of trying to figure out how to post an excel file up here. I'll get a buddy to help.
First off I should say thanks to MJ for sending over some traffic. Being primarily a hardcore poker player I'm new to the online community. (That was some good chinese we ate the other day buddy) .
I'm glad so far everyone is liking the site, i'm planning on updating everyday (it's going to be like a nice meditation break from my play). I don't know about you guys but playing for multiple hours online is much more taxing than normal play.
Regarding poker tracker and why I don't use that only for tracking my results. I actually created my own spreadsheet for tracking (not from 2x2) which I use in combination with Poker Tracker. Poker Tracker is great, I especially like the preflop raise percentages and the detailed statistical analysis. However, if there is a disconnection in my internet then I can't download anymore of my hand histories from a particular game until I leave. Sometimes I'm really into a groove and don't want to leave. If I choose to stay then I lose my results in pokertracker from that disconnection point on.
Also, I still play in casino games and if poker tracker can include my wins/losses there then I must admit I don't know all the functionality. Finally while poker tracker can keep my wins/losses in order it doesn't really have my win rate per hour. This is what I really need to look at. How much am I winning per hour? Is it enough to the point where I can justify to myself that I'm quitting my job at Microsoft? Since I'm gone on April 8th...the answer so far is yes.
Poker Strategy - Jack/Ten Suited
I have mixed feelings about Jack/Ten suited.
Great poker possibilities:
There is no disputing the possibilities of this hand. You can flop potential flushes, nut straights, straights, and the other obvious hands if you pair/trip/or full house up. In a hand that's got 4 or 5 people i'm actually likely to cap a pot with this hand. It has tremendous multi-way value.
Hold 'em is a game of high cards:
On the other hand it's Jack high. I don't like to cold call a raise without multi-way action with this hand and I really don't like to be first in the pot in late position with this hand. Natural questions that arise in this situation are, should i try and steal the blinds with Jack high although it does have tremendous draw potential, just limp in and see if i can hopefully get multiple people in the pot or just fold the hand pre-flop. Even though I live off the money I win these questions still arise in my mind. What's the answer? I'm honestly not sure, I try and mix it up.
My biggest pot ever:
Came from Jack, ten suited. There was an early position raise by the first person in, 3 cold callers, another raise and I'm in the big blind. I've got Jack, ten of clubsand I call 2 more bets. The pot ends up being capped and it's 6 way action before the flop.
I'm playing $15-30 online and the pot is $360 pre-flop. The flop is King, queen, nine of clubs. I couldn't believe it, i flopped the absolute nuts, a straight flush. I check, there is a bet and everyone calls, including myself. The turn is a 9 and I check again, the same guy bets, everyone calls and I raise. In retrospect I might have been better off with just a call here hoping to not lose anyone until the end. After my check raise, the early position raiser raised again and everyone except for me folded (to my dismay). Since it was heads up now I capped the pot. I figured my opponent had Kings full of nines or maybe quad 9's. It really didn't matter what he had since I had the absolute but I made sure to take my time before each of my decisions in an effort to somewhat conceal my hand.
The end was a blank, I led the betting and we capped the end. Total pot was $960 minus the $3 rake so I netted out with $957. It was beautiful.
when I look back I definitely got lucky. However, I think that if I had Kings full in this situation I wouldn't have put in so many bets. Did he really think that I would cap the turn and the end without a straight flush or quad 9's. He really had 3rd nuts. I don't think an opponent would cap both the turn and the end with queesn over 9's or king/9. If I had his hand I probaby would've just called the end.
What do you think?
Great poker possibilities:
There is no disputing the possibilities of this hand. You can flop potential flushes, nut straights, straights, and the other obvious hands if you pair/trip/or full house up. In a hand that's got 4 or 5 people i'm actually likely to cap a pot with this hand. It has tremendous multi-way value.
Hold 'em is a game of high cards:
On the other hand it's Jack high. I don't like to cold call a raise without multi-way action with this hand and I really don't like to be first in the pot in late position with this hand. Natural questions that arise in this situation are, should i try and steal the blinds with Jack high although it does have tremendous draw potential, just limp in and see if i can hopefully get multiple people in the pot or just fold the hand pre-flop. Even though I live off the money I win these questions still arise in my mind. What's the answer? I'm honestly not sure, I try and mix it up.
My biggest pot ever:
Came from Jack, ten suited. There was an early position raise by the first person in, 3 cold callers, another raise and I'm in the big blind. I've got Jack, ten of clubsand I call 2 more bets. The pot ends up being capped and it's 6 way action before the flop.
I'm playing $15-30 online and the pot is $360 pre-flop. The flop is King, queen, nine of clubs. I couldn't believe it, i flopped the absolute nuts, a straight flush. I check, there is a bet and everyone calls, including myself. The turn is a 9 and I check again, the same guy bets, everyone calls and I raise. In retrospect I might have been better off with just a call here hoping to not lose anyone until the end. After my check raise, the early position raiser raised again and everyone except for me folded (to my dismay). Since it was heads up now I capped the pot. I figured my opponent had Kings full of nines or maybe quad 9's. It really didn't matter what he had since I had the absolute but I made sure to take my time before each of my decisions in an effort to somewhat conceal my hand.
The end was a blank, I led the betting and we capped the end. Total pot was $960 minus the $3 rake so I netted out with $957. It was beautiful.
when I look back I definitely got lucky. However, I think that if I had Kings full in this situation I wouldn't have put in so many bets. Did he really think that I would cap the turn and the end without a straight flush or quad 9's. He really had 3rd nuts. I don't think an opponent would cap both the turn and the end with queesn over 9's or king/9. If I had his hand I probaby would've just called the end.
What do you think?
Cassava Enterprises IPO - Pacific Poker - Casino on Net - 888.com IPO
Pacific Poker parent company Cassava Enterprises Ltd. has hired Credit Suisse First Boston to prepare the company for an IPO. Cassava owns Pacific Poker and Casino on Net (888.com), and they're anticipating an initial market cap of about $1.6 billion. The company is owned by Ari and Aharon Shaked and Shai and Ron Ben Yitzhak. It's one of the largest online gambling and online poker companies in the world.
Cassava Enterprises is headquartered in Gibraltar, and does not allow wagers from Israeli gamblers because of potential legal issues in that country. (The laws regarding online gambling there are uncertain.) Between Pacific Poker, and Casino on Net, the company generates an annural profit of between $200 million and $300 million. Cassava was founded 7 years ago when the four owners (Ari and Aharon Shaked and Shai and Ron Ben Yitzhak) bought an online gaming license from Antigua for $100,000.
Casino on Net and Pacific Poker are both powered by Random Logic Software, which is also owned by the four partners.
This news comes soon after the January rumors that Party Gaming will be taking Party Poker public in an IPO . I'll post more info on both IPO's as it becomes available.
Cassava Enterprises is headquartered in Gibraltar, and does not allow wagers from Israeli gamblers because of potential legal issues in that country. (The laws regarding online gambling there are uncertain.) Between Pacific Poker, and Casino on Net, the company generates an annural profit of between $200 million and $300 million. Cassava was founded 7 years ago when the four owners (Ari and Aharon Shaked and Shai and Ron Ben Yitzhak) bought an online gaming license from Antigua for $100,000.
Casino on Net and Pacific Poker are both powered by Random Logic Software, which is also owned by the four partners.
This news comes soon after the January rumors that Party Gaming will be taking Party Poker public in an IPO . I'll post more info on both IPO's as it becomes available.
Macintosh Poker Online - Mac Compatible Poker Sites
Mac users want to play poker online too! At least that's what one person emailed me when he was asking about his free copy of Super System 2. He's a Macintosh user and said he couldn't use any of the poker rooms that were available with my special offer for that reason, and he wanted to know if there were some other way to get a free copy of the book. So I did some research, and here's what I found out.
IF you have VirtualPC for your Mac, then you should be able to play at Ultimate Bet, which is a rocking good poker room. I've heard that Party Poker MIGHT work on a Macintosh computer, but that it was buggy and unreliable, so I don't recommend it.
If you don't have VirtualPC and don't want to get it, as was the case with my correspondent today, my recommendation is Poker Room. You want to use the "light" version, which runs on java right there in your browser and couldn't be easier. So if you're a Mac user, and you want to get in on the online poker craze, Poker Room is your solution.
IF you have VirtualPC for your Mac, then you should be able to play at Ultimate Bet, which is a rocking good poker room. I've heard that Party Poker MIGHT work on a Macintosh computer, but that it was buggy and unreliable, so I don't recommend it.
If you don't have VirtualPC and don't want to get it, as was the case with my correspondent today, my recommendation is Poker Room. You want to use the "light" version, which runs on java right there in your browser and couldn't be easier. So if you're a Mac user, and you want to get in on the online poker craze, Poker Room is your solution.
WPT Enterprises Inc - World Poker Tour
WPT Enterprises is the recently public company who promotes the World Poker Tour. They have three divisions: WPT Studios, which is their television development division, WPT Consumer Products, which is their branded consumer products division (imagine that, considering the name, heh), and WPT Corporate Alliances, which is the division that sponsors corporate events. Lyle Berman is the CEO, and Steven Lipscomb is the President & Director. Other execs include Timothy Cope, Interim CFO and Director, Audrey Kania, Executive VP, and Robyn Moder, Executive VP.
I'm writing about WPT Enterprises because someone on their message board on Yahoo used a link to an article I wrote about the potential Party Poker IPO in one of their posts. Before that, I didn't know that WPT Enterprises was a publicly traded company. I guess they went public last August, and it looks like their stock opened at $8.10/share. As of today, they're selling for $18.30/share. That would have been a nice one to get in on at $8/share.
Anyway, I'm starting to get interested in some of these poker stocks. Maybe there are more public companies centered around poker, and I should put together a portfolio?
Here's some additional corporate data for WPT Enterprises for anyone who might be interested:
WPT Enterprises Inc.
1041 North Formosa Avenue
West Hollywood, CA 90046
(323)850-2888
wpt@worldpokertour.com
http://www.worldpokertour.com
I'm writing about WPT Enterprises because someone on their message board on Yahoo used a link to an article I wrote about the potential Party Poker IPO in one of their posts. Before that, I didn't know that WPT Enterprises was a publicly traded company. I guess they went public last August, and it looks like their stock opened at $8.10/share. As of today, they're selling for $18.30/share. That would have been a nice one to get in on at $8/share.
Anyway, I'm starting to get interested in some of these poker stocks. Maybe there are more public companies centered around poker, and I should put together a portfolio?
Here's some additional corporate data for WPT Enterprises for anyone who might be interested:
WPT Enterprises Inc.
1041 North Formosa Avenue
West Hollywood, CA 90046
(323)850-2888
wpt@worldpokertour.com
http://www.worldpokertour.com
Poker Theory - Can't beat the game?
The other day I was thinking about how blessed I feel to be able to consistently beat the poker game. It wasn't always so! It brought back memories of over a year ago when I was so frustrated with the game I nearly quit. I had been playing for about 1 year and was stuck overall for $3,000. (Note: I keep very detailed records in Excel so let me know if you'd like the tracking template and I'll send it over).
Anyhow so I was starting to feel like I had a gambling problem and I talked with my Dad (who played for a living for many years). My Dad and I have a great relationship where I can pretty much tell him anything. During the time that he played for a living he saw many people make a ton of money and others lose everything they had because they had a gambling problem. In fact he said he busted so many people he personally felt responsible for sending them to Gamblers Anonymous. A cold fact of life when you're a poker player. Based on all this I felt my Dad certainly had the experience where he would be able to tell me to quit if he thought it was getting to be too much.
Instead of telling me to quit, he told me that I was still learning. He harshly critiqued my game. He advised me to take a short break, think about what I was doing that didn't work and revise that and read a few poker books. Finally he told me to play in a higher limit game since I had the money to play in it comfortably. "A bigger game? How can I play in a bigger game when I can't beat $4-8?" I said in a frustrated tone. He then explained to me that the rake plus tip to the dealer is a higher percentage of each pot in comparison to a bigger limit game which makes it harder to beat.
So...instead of giving the game up I bought more chips and played for higher limits. Funny huh? I'll post part 2 soon.
Anyhow so I was starting to feel like I had a gambling problem and I talked with my Dad (who played for a living for many years). My Dad and I have a great relationship where I can pretty much tell him anything. During the time that he played for a living he saw many people make a ton of money and others lose everything they had because they had a gambling problem. In fact he said he busted so many people he personally felt responsible for sending them to Gamblers Anonymous. A cold fact of life when you're a poker player. Based on all this I felt my Dad certainly had the experience where he would be able to tell me to quit if he thought it was getting to be too much.
Instead of telling me to quit, he told me that I was still learning. He harshly critiqued my game. He advised me to take a short break, think about what I was doing that didn't work and revise that and read a few poker books. Finally he told me to play in a higher limit game since I had the money to play in it comfortably. "A bigger game? How can I play in a bigger game when I can't beat $4-8?" I said in a frustrated tone. He then explained to me that the rake plus tip to the dealer is a higher percentage of each pot in comparison to a bigger limit game which makes it harder to beat.
So...instead of giving the game up I bought more chips and played for higher limits. Funny huh? I'll post part 2 soon.
Old School
I was watching Tilt yesterday (which by the way I think is an excellent TV show) and I love when the Matador said, "When I first started playing cards you had to be as tough outside of the cardroom as you were in the game. All these young players with degrees at home playing online poker wouldn't have lasted a day back then." That's so old school and from what I hear (I wasn't around to actually experience it) that's exactly how it was.
I feel like a really big mix of old and new school. 9 months ago I was a complete old school player. When I think of old school style I think of the type of player who would check the nuts into you and let you make the mistake of betting. Eventually punishing you on the end with a check raise. The downfall of this strategy is that it puts you in the position of needing to catch a hand.
Nowadays I'm definitely in the new breed of players. Constantly pushing. It seems like new school is to push hard on the pots and let your opponent decide whether or not to call. The downfall of this strategy is that if you're over aggressive you're going to lose a lot of chips.
So what's better? What's the optimal strategy? I think you have to mix it up. Aggression is the key but it must be tempered with reading and an ability to trick your opponents. But I digress, I don't want to get into all of that now I just wanted to put a few thoughts down on the different schools of thought.
I feel like a really big mix of old and new school. 9 months ago I was a complete old school player. When I think of old school style I think of the type of player who would check the nuts into you and let you make the mistake of betting. Eventually punishing you on the end with a check raise. The downfall of this strategy is that it puts you in the position of needing to catch a hand.
Nowadays I'm definitely in the new breed of players. Constantly pushing. It seems like new school is to push hard on the pots and let your opponent decide whether or not to call. The downfall of this strategy is that if you're over aggressive you're going to lose a lot of chips.
So what's better? What's the optimal strategy? I think you have to mix it up. Aggression is the key but it must be tempered with reading and an ability to trick your opponents. But I digress, I don't want to get into all of that now I just wanted to put a few thoughts down on the different schools of thought.
ESPN - Tilt - Poker Television
ESPN has a new drama is called Tilt, and it's about poker, yes. The show's been on since mid-January, and it's another example of how popular poker has become. I haven't yet actually seen Tilt, but I know that it stars Michael Madsen, who is generally really good in anything he does, even sub-standard movie type stuff, so I'm sure he's good on this show too. ESPN's really making a lot of money on poker, and I'm not sure if they've ever actually launched a traditional drama before or not.
The storyline has something to do with 3 professional gamblers who are trying to team up and take down the reigning king of poker, some colorful character named "The Matador" (played by Michael Madsen). Tilt was created by the same writing team who brought the movie Rounders into the world, Brian Koppelman and David Levien. Apparently the two writers did a bit of research in the "dangerous" world of underground cardrooms. (That's what it says on the official ESPN Tilt website anyway.)
Other cast members besides Michael Madsen include: Eddie Cibrian, Kristin Lehman, Todd Williams, Chris Bauer, Amelia Cooke, and Don McManus.
The season finale of ESPN's Tilt is on this Sunday night. Anyone who's actually watched the whole season and would like to talk about it here is encouraged to post a comment.
The storyline has something to do with 3 professional gamblers who are trying to team up and take down the reigning king of poker, some colorful character named "The Matador" (played by Michael Madsen). Tilt was created by the same writing team who brought the movie Rounders into the world, Brian Koppelman and David Levien. Apparently the two writers did a bit of research in the "dangerous" world of underground cardrooms. (That's what it says on the official ESPN Tilt website anyway.)
Other cast members besides Michael Madsen include: Eddie Cibrian, Kristin Lehman, Todd Williams, Chris Bauer, Amelia Cooke, and Don McManus.
The season finale of ESPN's Tilt is on this Sunday night. Anyone who's actually watched the whole season and would like to talk about it here is encouraged to post a comment.
Today's Sites of the Day - Cardplayer.com
Poker Site of the Day
Cardplayer is THE poker magazine, and their website is just as cool as the magazine. On their website, you can subscribe to Cardplayer magazine, see schedules and and rankings for poker tournaments, including the World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker. If you need poker rules, or poker calculators, they have that too. And many of their magazine articles are also published on their site.
Non-poker site of the day
Threadwatch.org has a tagline that read "Less Noise, More Signal". It's a constantly updated weblog for webmasters who no longer have the time to wade through all the irrelevant and time-wasting posts on all the webmaster and search engine optimitzation boards. I'm a big fan of Threadwatch, and I have been since the site launched. It's a great approach. Someone should, and probably could, do a Threadwatch type site for a lot of different subjects which are popular topics for forums--poker-threadwatch.org maybe?
Cardplayer is THE poker magazine, and their website is just as cool as the magazine. On their website, you can subscribe to Cardplayer magazine, see schedules and and rankings for poker tournaments, including the World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker. If you need poker rules, or poker calculators, they have that too. And many of their magazine articles are also published on their site.
Non-poker site of the day
Threadwatch.org has a tagline that read "Less Noise, More Signal". It's a constantly updated weblog for webmasters who no longer have the time to wade through all the irrelevant and time-wasting posts on all the webmaster and search engine optimitzation boards. I'm a big fan of Threadwatch, and I have been since the site launched. It's a great approach. Someone should, and probably could, do a Threadwatch type site for a lot of different subjects which are popular topics for forums--poker-threadwatch.org maybe?
NASCAR's Kenny Wallace Wins Mobil High-Endurance Poker Challenge
Kenny Wallace won the Mobil High-Endurance Poker Challenge this week at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas. He won a total of $50,000, which he is donating to the Autism Society of America. Congratulations to Kenny Wallace, and kudos for donating that money to such a good cause.
Party Poker Bankroll Updated
$279.75
I played in a couple of SnG's at $40 each and didn't catch ANY cards at all. None. I'll play more today and update my bankroll again tonight.
I played in a couple of SnG's at $40 each and didn't catch ANY cards at all. None. I'll play more today and update my bankroll again tonight.
Strategy - Mistakes happen
I played the 6 handed $10-2o yesterday and lost $200. I think it's funny that I expect to win every time I sit down and play but that's probably the attitude you have to have. After each session I always think about how I could've played differently to win. Yesterday was a prime example.
I'm under the gun with Kings and I limp in, seat 2 raises, the button reraises, both blinds call, I call, and seat 2 caps. So we've got 5 way action capped preflop for a $200 pot. The flop is Q, J, 3 and I come out betting hoping to narrow down the field since the pot is already pretty big. Seat 2 raises, the button calls 2 bets cold, and I call. I put the button on a queen and seat 2 on Aces/Kings/ maybe ace queen, or Jacks. I only beat 1 of these hands.
The turn is another queen, I check, seat 2 bets, the button calls, and I call getting a little stubborn. At this point the only hand I really can beat is A/J or smaller pairs. I'm pretty much going to check call the end.
An ace comes on the end. This is the worst card in the deck for me since there's really not that much I can beat. I check, seat 2 bets and when the button calls I just feel like I can't overcall and win. I fold the hand, seat 2 shows pocket 10's, and the button shows pocket 9s. Almost the only hands I can beat that would be played that way.
I couldn't believe it. I lost a $300 pot because I didn't call $20. In retrospect I think I should've played the hand more aggressively by reraising the flop and taking control.
I made a mistake and paid for it. I made a few more mistakes and had to take myself out of the game. I'd rather lose $200 one day than go on tilt and blow a grand. When you take the game seriously you have to manage your emotions and your bankroll or your brilliant plays will be offset by a few tilt sessions.
I'm under the gun with Kings and I limp in, seat 2 raises, the button reraises, both blinds call, I call, and seat 2 caps. So we've got 5 way action capped preflop for a $200 pot. The flop is Q, J, 3 and I come out betting hoping to narrow down the field since the pot is already pretty big. Seat 2 raises, the button calls 2 bets cold, and I call. I put the button on a queen and seat 2 on Aces/Kings/ maybe ace queen, or Jacks. I only beat 1 of these hands.
The turn is another queen, I check, seat 2 bets, the button calls, and I call getting a little stubborn. At this point the only hand I really can beat is A/J or smaller pairs. I'm pretty much going to check call the end.
An ace comes on the end. This is the worst card in the deck for me since there's really not that much I can beat. I check, seat 2 bets and when the button calls I just feel like I can't overcall and win. I fold the hand, seat 2 shows pocket 10's, and the button shows pocket 9s. Almost the only hands I can beat that would be played that way.
I couldn't believe it. I lost a $300 pot because I didn't call $20. In retrospect I think I should've played the hand more aggressively by reraising the flop and taking control.
I made a mistake and paid for it. I made a few more mistakes and had to take myself out of the game. I'd rather lose $200 one day than go on tilt and blow a grand. When you take the game seriously you have to manage your emotions and your bankroll or your brilliant plays will be offset by a few tilt sessions.
Non Poker Site for Today
I'm a fan of a game called Morrowind, which is available both on the X-Box and on the PC. I'm also a big fan of the Stormbringer novels by Michael Moorcock, and even had a character named Elric at one time in the game. There's now a website featuring mods for the game that actually allow you to play Elric of Melnibone in Morrowind, and it's a very cool site indeed. Not at all poker related, but I need some non-poker stuff to keep me grounded in reality. (Which is of course why I posted a link to a fantasy role playing site.)
United Poker Forum - Poker Site of the Day
The United Poker Forum is one of the biggest and best poker forums online right now. As of this writing, they have over 5300 members and over 25,000 posts. (I thought my gambling forum was doing well at 400 members--sheesh.) Their forum sections include topics like: Strategy and Psychology, Money and Bankroll, Odds and Statistics, Tournament Poker, Books, Videos, and Learning Tools, and more. I'm pretty sure that Mike Caro, the mad genius of poker, is somehow involved with the site, based on its heavy presence on Caro's site Poker1.com. Anyway, it's a forum worth checking out.
Poker Books and Other Stuff I'm Reading Right Now
Here are the poker books I'm currently reading or skimming or scanning:
Super/System 2 - First impressions are good so far. I understand that the section on no limit is virtually identical to the original, but the rest of the book looks darn good. One interesting distinction that I picked up, and something I hadn't really thought about before, was that I should be working on getting good at multiple games instead of specializing in just one game. (This was in the Steve Zolotow section of the book.) Basically he recommends that people who know several strategies for success are better off than people who only know one. (Foxes and hedgehogs.) Makes sense when you read it.
Pot-Limit and No-Limit Poker by Stewart Reuben and Bob Ciaffone - This one I picked up in Vegas, and it's interesting, although not particularly well written. (Which is okay with me if the content is good and helps me win more money.) I haven't gotten very far, but I did think it was interesting that pot-limit and no-limit poker are much bigger in the UK than here, and that most UK players don't even know how to play limit poker. Amazing. Anyway, I'm not far into it, so I don't have much to report.
And some poker books that I have and that I have read include:
Holdem Poker by David Sklansky
Holdem Poker for Advanced Players by David Sklansky
Play Poker Like the Pros by Phil Hellmuth
The Psychology of Poker by Alan Schoonmaker
Zen and the Art of Poker by Larry Phillips
That's just a sample of some of the books that I really liked. Hell, eventually I might write a review of each of them and post it here.
Super/System 2 - First impressions are good so far. I understand that the section on no limit is virtually identical to the original, but the rest of the book looks darn good. One interesting distinction that I picked up, and something I hadn't really thought about before, was that I should be working on getting good at multiple games instead of specializing in just one game. (This was in the Steve Zolotow section of the book.) Basically he recommends that people who know several strategies for success are better off than people who only know one. (Foxes and hedgehogs.) Makes sense when you read it.
Pot-Limit and No-Limit Poker by Stewart Reuben and Bob Ciaffone - This one I picked up in Vegas, and it's interesting, although not particularly well written. (Which is okay with me if the content is good and helps me win more money.) I haven't gotten very far, but I did think it was interesting that pot-limit and no-limit poker are much bigger in the UK than here, and that most UK players don't even know how to play limit poker. Amazing. Anyway, I'm not far into it, so I don't have much to report.
And some poker books that I have and that I have read include:
Holdem Poker by David Sklansky
Holdem Poker for Advanced Players by David Sklansky
Play Poker Like the Pros by Phil Hellmuth
The Psychology of Poker by Alan Schoonmaker
Zen and the Art of Poker by Larry Phillips
That's just a sample of some of the books that I really liked. Hell, eventually I might write a review of each of them and post it here.
Rounders Movie Fan Site - Poker Site of the Day
This is actually a really cool site: Rounders Movie Fan Site. The guy's a real fan of the movie, and even has a discussion board with some interesting discussion of the movie. There are also pictures, and apparently there are rumors of a Rounders sequel (Rounders 2, I guess), but there's nothing to confirm that those rumors are true necessarily. Although I'd be happy to watch any movie about poker, even a sequel to Rounders, which was a good movie, but not great. It's hard to get a bad performance out of Matt Damon or Ed Norton, and of course, John Malkovich as Teddy KGB is just plain brilliant, as always.
Another Party Poker Bankroll Update Today
$297.75
I did play a couple of $20 + $2 SnG's today in addition to several $10 + $1 tourneys. I'm on my way though. Not sure how many tourneys I played today though...I'm not feeling great. Got a respiratory infection and pinkeye, so it's not even easy to type, but I'm going to do so anyway.
I did play a couple of $20 + $2 SnG's today in addition to several $10 + $1 tourneys. I'm on my way though. Not sure how many tourneys I played today though...I'm not feeling great. Got a respiratory infection and pinkeye, so it's not even easy to type, but I'm going to do so anyway.
Non Poker Website of the Day
Disaster Online
Today's site bills itself as the only comprehensive site devoted to the disaster movie genre on the web. At the time of this writing, they have 284 films posted on their site, in alphabetical order, so they're easy to find. They also have disaster movies organized by genre and a whole section of air disaster movies.
Colby, the site owner, has written reviews and plot summaries for the movies on the site. If you like disaster movies, then check it out.
Today's site bills itself as the only comprehensive site devoted to the disaster movie genre on the web. At the time of this writing, they have 284 films posted on their site, in alphabetical order, so they're easy to find. They also have disaster movies organized by genre and a whole section of air disaster movies.
Colby, the site owner, has written reviews and plot summaries for the movies on the site. If you like disaster movies, then check it out.
Party Poker Bankroll Update
I played in 4 $10 + $1 buy in SnG's tonight at Party Poker. I took 1st place in 2 of them, 2nd place in 1 of them, and didn't place in the 4th one. 75% ITM% tonight. (If you do decide to sign up for a new account with Party, then be sure to check out my special offer on the Doyle Brunson book.)
PartyPoker Bankroll is now $247.75. When I get the bankroll back up to $300, I'm going to jump back up to the $20 + $2 buy-ins. I think the bankroll recommendation is 15 times the buy in, although I might be wrong about that. I might be 25 times the buy in, I'm not sure. But MY plan is to move back up to the $20 SnG's when I hit $300.
I didn't play at any of the other rooms tonight, although I tried to play at Interpoker. They sent me an email saying that since they hadn't seen any account activity in 3 months, they were going to label my account "dormant" and charge me $2 a month til my funds were drained. So I tried to buy into a $10 + $1 tourney there. (I have $88 in my account at Interpoker right now.) And I tried 2 or 3 times. Every time I tried, I got a text message on my screen that said I didn't have enough funds. I sent them a quick complaint email, so maybe they'll get it straightened out soon for me.
PartyPoker Bankroll is now $247.75. When I get the bankroll back up to $300, I'm going to jump back up to the $20 + $2 buy-ins. I think the bankroll recommendation is 15 times the buy in, although I might be wrong about that. I might be 25 times the buy in, I'm not sure. But MY plan is to move back up to the $20 SnG's when I hit $300.
I didn't play at any of the other rooms tonight, although I tried to play at Interpoker. They sent me an email saying that since they hadn't seen any account activity in 3 months, they were going to label my account "dormant" and charge me $2 a month til my funds were drained. So I tried to buy into a $10 + $1 tourney there. (I have $88 in my account at Interpoker right now.) And I tried 2 or 3 times. Every time I tried, I got a text message on my screen that said I didn't have enough funds. I sent them a quick complaint email, so maybe they'll get it straightened out soon for me.
Phil Hellmuth Win Yesterday (National Heads Up Poker Championship)
I forgot to mention it yesterday, but Phil Hellmuth won the National Heads Up Poker Championship. Great job, Phil--I'm a big fan, no matter how much Iggy or anyone else hates you.
If you want to play poker with Phil Helmuth online, then be sure to sign up for an account with Ultimate Bet.
If you want to play poker with Phil Helmuth online, then be sure to sign up for an account with Ultimate Bet.
Sites of the Day
Poker Site of the Day
Today I'm featuring the most famous and most wonderful poker blog on the planet -- Guinness and Poker by Iggy. This has been one of the most influential and widely read blogs about poker ever, and I've seen Iggy referred to as the poker "blogfather". Deservedly so. Interesting long posts, lots of cool links, and good advice make Iggy's little corner of the web a cool place to be, and I recommend adding it to your list of sites to read. (He actually does really well in the search engine rankings for things like "poker blog" and "party poker", so I'm sure he has a lot more readers than I could even imagine.) Anyway, I wanna be like Iggy.
Non Poker Site of the Day
The Onion - America's Finest News Source is a site that never fails to please and delight. Today's headline about Bush's exit strategy for Iraq (we'll just go through Iran) is pure genius. Whenever I'm stressed out or need a laugh, the Onion is the place where I turn. Always funny--like Letterman on steroids online.
Absolute Poker Increases Bonus to $350 - AbsolutePoker
Absolute Poker announced today that they were increasing the max bonus on their 35% initial deposit bonus from $210 to $350! That's the biggest poker bonus available online, and I highly recommend that you take advantage of it. (I got in when the max bonus was still $210--wonder if they'll offer me the difference if I deposit the difference.) Seriously though, this is a HUGE bonus. Big time dollars. Lots of moolah. Major money.
Take advantage of it, and be sure that when you sign up for AbsolutePoker, you sign up here: AbsolutePoker.com.
I've been playing at Absolute now for several weeks, and I really love the software, and the action has been plenty good. Every Sunday they have a WSOP qualifier that you can enter for $100 + $8, or you can win your way into that Sunday night tournament through a sub-qualifier. This is truly one of the best poker sites online. I loved Ultimate Bet (and still do), and I love Party, but Absolute is definitely the third leg on my poker stool.
Take advantage of it, and be sure that when you sign up for AbsolutePoker, you sign up here: AbsolutePoker.com.
I've been playing at Absolute now for several weeks, and I really love the software, and the action has been plenty good. Every Sunday they have a WSOP qualifier that you can enter for $100 + $8, or you can win your way into that Sunday night tournament through a sub-qualifier. This is truly one of the best poker sites online. I loved Ultimate Bet (and still do), and I love Party, but Absolute is definitely the third leg on my poker stool.
Strategy - Heads up Play
Lately I've been playing a lot of 6 handed $10-20 on party poker.
I would say that this is a great game if you're in an action kind of mood. In my humble opinion I think the key is actually not to play a ton of more hands. Obviously the hand values change since the blinds come around much more quickly and those A/J pigeon hands become quite valuable in a short handed game. I think you have to loosen up but don't go overboard.
A key that I've found to success is actually to play the hands you do play more aggressively for the small bets (preflop and flop) as stealing pots is a more essential part of your play.I almost always raise coming into a pot preflop if I'm first in to potentially steal the blinds and the hand right there. Occasionally, I might limp in with Aces or Kings hoping to get some action behind me or maybe a J/10 suited hoping to get multi-way action .
I think mixing up your play is also a key to success in this game. I find that my opponents quickly become tired of me raising preflop all the time and betting a lot of flops if they do call my preflop raise. They often loosen up their play considerably and this is the perfect time for my mix-up.
Here's an example, if I've been pre-flop raising for awhile and I raise with Ace rag in middle position. Let's say someone in the middle cold calls and the flop doesn't hit me at all. I might bet this flop and if called, check and fold the turn if he bets. Next time around, the same play might occur and let's say this time I hit my hand with A/K and the flop is safe with an Ace. I might play the flop the exact same way but check raise the turn. I find that I've gotten paid off when I play a hand in this manner by funny hands such as bottom pair or something else silly.
I think my opponents are just getting tired of me pushing them around all the time and want to figure out what I'm doing. The bad news for them is that I got them for 2 preflop bets, 1 small flop bet, 2 turn bets and potentially a bet on the end as well. That's 4 1/2 big bets. Think about how many hands that takes to get even with me.
Differing or agreeing opinions? Any other cool thoughts?
I would say that this is a great game if you're in an action kind of mood. In my humble opinion I think the key is actually not to play a ton of more hands. Obviously the hand values change since the blinds come around much more quickly and those A/J pigeon hands become quite valuable in a short handed game. I think you have to loosen up but don't go overboard.
A key that I've found to success is actually to play the hands you do play more aggressively for the small bets (preflop and flop) as stealing pots is a more essential part of your play.I almost always raise coming into a pot preflop if I'm first in to potentially steal the blinds and the hand right there. Occasionally, I might limp in with Aces or Kings hoping to get some action behind me or maybe a J/10 suited hoping to get multi-way action .
I think mixing up your play is also a key to success in this game. I find that my opponents quickly become tired of me raising preflop all the time and betting a lot of flops if they do call my preflop raise. They often loosen up their play considerably and this is the perfect time for my mix-up.
Here's an example, if I've been pre-flop raising for awhile and I raise with Ace rag in middle position. Let's say someone in the middle cold calls and the flop doesn't hit me at all. I might bet this flop and if called, check and fold the turn if he bets. Next time around, the same play might occur and let's say this time I hit my hand with A/K and the flop is safe with an Ace. I might play the flop the exact same way but check raise the turn. I find that I've gotten paid off when I play a hand in this manner by funny hands such as bottom pair or something else silly.
I think my opponents are just getting tired of me pushing them around all the time and want to figure out what I'm doing. The bad news for them is that I got them for 2 preflop bets, 1 small flop bet, 2 turn bets and potentially a bet on the end as well. That's 4 1/2 big bets. Think about how many hands that takes to get even with me.
Differing or agreeing opinions? Any other cool thoughts?
Article - Fortune Mag
It's amazing how big online poker is. I'm from Seattle and the players online are so much weaker that it really blows my mind. I'm really curious as to how players from other cities view their hometown vs. online. Thoughts?
Here's the fortune article. It's booming baby! :)
http://www.fortune.com/fortune/articles/0,15114,1026777,00.html?promoid=cnn?cnn=yes
Intro
Welcome to my thoughts regarding Texas Hold ‘em Poker. Since this is my first entry I should give you a little background as to who I am. I’ve been playing poker for most of my 26 year old life but only seriously for the last 2 years. It all started one day when my friend wanted to go play poker at a casino. I suggested my Dad’s casino (my Dad is a part owner in a mini casino here in Seattle) and off we went. To my surprise my Dad was actually sitting in the $4-8 hold em game and we sat down and played.
I then spent the next 1.5 years losing money and almost gave the game up. A serious talk with my Dad got me back in the game and then suddenly everything clicked. Now i'm a serious winning player.
I'll go into more detail regarding my story as I continue to post. I write here in hopes that you can be entertained and laugh at my writings, learn from my agony, and hopefully enjoy my success. Good luck to you and I hope you like the posts.
I then spent the next 1.5 years losing money and almost gave the game up. A serious talk with my Dad got me back in the game and then suddenly everything clicked. Now i'm a serious winning player.
I'll go into more detail regarding my story as I continue to post. I write here in hopes that you can be entertained and laugh at my writings, learn from my agony, and hopefully enjoy my success. Good luck to you and I hope you like the posts.
ESPN Poker Club Launches - Free Online Poker Games
On March 2, ESPN launched its own free online poker room called the ESPN Poker Club. They're going to promote this play money poker game at ESPN.com, ESPN Wireless, ESPN books, and ESPN Enterprises. The site is offering ring games and single table and multi table tournament functionality. They do not offer play for real money games, only play for fun versions.
Apparently they signed up over 2500 players within hours of launching. What I wouldn't give to have that many people sign up with my poker links!
Their software platform is powered my Micropower, which is similar to the software powering the most popular online real money poker rooms, but it's unique in ways too. All the usual poker games are available--holdem, omaha, stud, hi-lo versions, etc. The site is also offering tournaments where the winner can win a free seat at the World Series of Poker this year, but they're only giving away 1 seat.
I don't know, but to me, poker without money wagered is kinda like beer without alcohol, coffee without caffeine, or sex without orgasm; it doesn't make much sense.
My suggestion is to get a real money account with Absolute Poker today--there you can play for real money, and you can get up to $350 in bonus money too.
Apparently they signed up over 2500 players within hours of launching. What I wouldn't give to have that many people sign up with my poker links!
Their software platform is powered my Micropower, which is similar to the software powering the most popular online real money poker rooms, but it's unique in ways too. All the usual poker games are available--holdem, omaha, stud, hi-lo versions, etc. The site is also offering tournaments where the winner can win a free seat at the World Series of Poker this year, but they're only giving away 1 seat.
I don't know, but to me, poker without money wagered is kinda like beer without alcohol, coffee without caffeine, or sex without orgasm; it doesn't make much sense.
My suggestion is to get a real money account with Absolute Poker today--there you can play for real money, and you can get up to $350 in bonus money too.
Kathy Liebert Joins PartyPoker.com as Spokeswoman
Kathy Liebert wins the poker "battle of the sexes" and then goes out and becomes a spokeswoman for PartyPoker.com, the world's largest poker site. This was a GSN show, and she apparently won $100. Tom Leykis was one of the co-hosts of the show, if I heard the commercials correctly on the radio, which should have made for interesting watching, even though I didn't get to see it myself. (Leykis is one of my favorite radio personalities.)
Liebert is signing up as spokeswoman just in time for the Party Poker Million IV, which is going to be a grand cruise that I'm very sorry I'm not attending personally. She'll be playing with about 750 other players on the cruise as part of the World Poker Tour, and we'll be able to see that on tv soon too.
Kathy Liebert was a high powered executive with Dunn and Bradstreet before she decided to leave the business world and enter the world of cards.
All I can say is, good for Kathy!
Liebert is signing up as spokeswoman just in time for the Party Poker Million IV, which is going to be a grand cruise that I'm very sorry I'm not attending personally. She'll be playing with about 750 other players on the cruise as part of the World Poker Tour, and we'll be able to see that on tv soon too.
Kathy Liebert was a high powered executive with Dunn and Bradstreet before she decided to leave the business world and enter the world of cards.
All I can say is, good for Kathy!
Greg "Fossilman" Raymer Supports North Dakota Poker Bill
There's a bill in North Dakota that will specifically legalize online poker in the state. This coule be a really big deal and a really good thing for online poker players throughout the United States. Today, Greg "Fossilman" Raymer came out in favor of the bill and is lobbying for it. (eCogra is also supporting the bill, although I suspect they have little lobbying power with the North Dakota legislature.
Raymer's the winner of the 2004 WSOP, and a regular poster at the forums at 2+2. Seems like one helluva nice guy, funny glasses and all, and I hope that his support of this bill will make a difference. Raymer spoke at a news conference organized by Rep. Jim Kasper, R-Fargo, who is sponsoring legislation to authorize state licensing and regulation of internet poker sites.
Frank Catania, an attorney and former New Jersey gambling regulator, and Patrick O'Brien, a lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and former U.S. customs agent, disputed U.S. Justice Department statements that Internet gambling is illegal.
"It's very easy (for the Justice Department) to write a letter, but it's something else to get into court and defend that letter," O'Brien said.
Speaking of which, whatever happened to the idea of a free country anyway? Hell, the American Revolution was paid for with money made by lotteries. Gambling is as American as apple pie and baseball, and nothing is more American than poker.
(The italicized portions of this post were originally in the article; I think I've used little enough of the article, and in proper context, to qualify for fair use.
Raymer's the winner of the 2004 WSOP, and a regular poster at the forums at 2+2. Seems like one helluva nice guy, funny glasses and all, and I hope that his support of this bill will make a difference. Raymer spoke at a news conference organized by Rep. Jim Kasper, R-Fargo, who is sponsoring legislation to authorize state licensing and regulation of internet poker sites.
Frank Catania, an attorney and former New Jersey gambling regulator, and Patrick O'Brien, a lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and former U.S. customs agent, disputed U.S. Justice Department statements that Internet gambling is illegal.
"It's very easy (for the Justice Department) to write a letter, but it's something else to get into court and defend that letter," O'Brien said.
Speaking of which, whatever happened to the idea of a free country anyway? Hell, the American Revolution was paid for with money made by lotteries. Gambling is as American as apple pie and baseball, and nothing is more American than poker.
(The italicized portions of this post were originally in the article; I think I've used little enough of the article, and in proper context, to qualify for fair use.
Poker Bankrolls
Here's the current state of my bankrolls at Party Poker, Absolute Poker, and Ultimate Bet:
Party Poker $161.75
Absolute Poker $300.68
Ultimate Bet $140.38
Total Online Bankroll: $602 (more or less, I added that up in my head after drinking a bit of whiskey.)
Party Poker $161.75
Absolute Poker $300.68
Ultimate Bet $140.38
Total Online Bankroll: $602 (more or less, I added that up in my head after drinking a bit of whiskey.)
Cool Site of the Day (That's not poker related)
Today's non poker related cool site of the day is Things I Hate About My Flatmate. It's a daily journal of things this particular person's flatmate does to piss her off. Absolutely hysterical, and a great concept for a blog. I love blogging, and this is blogging in its purest form, and it's so totally narrow in focus that it's almost too cool to believe. Be sure to hop on over there and check it out. You'll laugh, especially if you've ever had roommate issues. (And some of my former roommates consider me legendary.)
Cool Poker Site of the Day
The cool poker site of the day for today is Play Winning Poker. This is Steve Badger's website, and it is chock full of good poker reading from someone who really knows what the hell he's talking about. (Badger's considered one of, if not THE, best Omaha player in the world.) And not only does he know what he's talking about, but he tells it to you straight. If you don't like brutal honesty, then stay away from Badger, because he's as brutal as he is honest.
One of the things I enjoy about Steve's site is that he doesn't spend a whole lot of time telling you how to play, he spends his time telling you how to think for yourself and how to learn how to play. His contention seems to be, and he's expressed it multiple times, that the correct play is so situational that most beginners' guidelines are about as useful as training wheels once you've already learned how to ride a bike. Hell, anyone who encourages original thinking in this day and age deserves kudos.
Steve Badger is also a pretty literary guy, and he usually includes some clever quotes and stuff to keep things interesting over at his site. I particularly liked the quote from the Chronicles of Amber that he used in one article called "Come Find Out", which I think was also the title of the article. Great stuff, and I'll let you go find it for yourself and read it to see how great it is. He's also a fan of classic movies, and if you do a bit of looking, you can find links to some of his classic movie sites there too.
One of the things I enjoy about Steve's site is that he doesn't spend a whole lot of time telling you how to play, he spends his time telling you how to think for yourself and how to learn how to play. His contention seems to be, and he's expressed it multiple times, that the correct play is so situational that most beginners' guidelines are about as useful as training wheels once you've already learned how to ride a bike. Hell, anyone who encourages original thinking in this day and age deserves kudos.
Steve Badger is also a pretty literary guy, and he usually includes some clever quotes and stuff to keep things interesting over at his site. I particularly liked the quote from the Chronicles of Amber that he used in one article called "Come Find Out", which I think was also the title of the article. Great stuff, and I'll let you go find it for yourself and read it to see how great it is. He's also a fan of classic movies, and if you do a bit of looking, you can find links to some of his classic movie sites there too.
$30 + $3 SnG's at Party Poker
Been playing a bunch of $30 + $3 SnG's at Party Poker. Took 1st place in one, but lost like 4 more immediately afterward, so I scaled back to the $20 + $2 tables. I'm going to add a couple of features to the old poker blog today: a log of my poker games and bankroll, and a poker site of the day for you to check out. There are a helluva lot of poker websites out there, and I've been to damn near all of them, and I'm going to start posting links to the ones I think are the best, along with some of my brilliant commentary.
For that matter, I think I'll add a daily link to a cool site that's NOT about poker every day too.
I'm actually writing this while I'm playing in the $20 + $2, so forgive me if my posts are a little bit disjointed today.
For that matter, I think I'll add a daily link to a cool site that's NOT about poker every day too.
I'm actually writing this while I'm playing in the $20 + $2, so forgive me if my posts are a little bit disjointed today.
Super System 2 - Doyle Brunson - SuperSystem For FREE
I'm such a big fan of Doyle Brunson and Supersystem 2 that I'm going to give away 99 copies of the book for free when someone signs up for one of my affiliate poker sites with me. The clock's ticking on this offer, because I am ONLY giving away 99 copies. No more, no less. To qualify for your free copy of Super System 2, all you have to do is the following:
Doyle Brunson's Super System 2 for free!! As seen on Choice Gambling and on Gamblers Reviews!
- Sign up for a real money account with one of the online poker rooms in the list below.
- Make a real money deposit of at least $100 at the room.
- Email me with the confirmation from the online poker room that you signed up and deposited.
- Give me time (24 to 48 hours) to confirm with the poker room that you signed up with MY link.
Here's how it works. I get paid a referral fee for anyone I refer to these online poker rooms. I'm willing to give some of that back in the form of a free copy of Brunson's new Super System 2. But I have to confirm that you've actually signed up with me and been credited to my account. Here are a few other terms and conditions:
- If you already have an account at the poker room, you're not eligible to get one of the books.
- If you sign up through someone else's link, or use anyone else's bonus code, then you're not eligible to get one of the books. (In fact, it's not a bad idea to clear out all your cookies before signing up and depositing.)
- The books might take a little while to ship. Please be patient and allow time to deliver. You're going to have my email address and a way to get in touch with me if you have any problems.
Finally, here are the poker rooms you can sign up with. Remember--you have to use MY links and MY bonus codes to receive your free copy of the most heavily anticipated poker book of all time, Super System 2.
- Party Poker (Use bonus code CHIPSBLOG for a $25 bonus, or 100CHIPSBLOG for a bonus of up to $100--it's a 20% deposit bonus.)
- Paradise Poker
- Ultimate Bet
- Absolute Poker
I have 99 copies of Super System 2 to give away and that's it. After they're gone, they're gone for good, and I won't be running this special offer again.
Ultimate Bet - the best online poker software out there, and the online home of Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke.
Absolute Poker - Home of the biggest 1st time deposit bonus on the internet, and also home to WSOP qualifiers EVERY Sunday night.
Doyle Brunson's Super System 2 for free!! As seen on Choice Gambling and on Gamblers Reviews!
Online Poker All Weekend Long
I've been playing poker both online and offline all weekend, but mostly online. My wife and kids are in San Antonio for the weekend, which left the entire house to me. So I've done nothing but drink Crown Royal, listen to music, and play, play, and play some more. And I've realized a couple of things about game, both because I've been losing a lot, and losing often, and because I've been reading Iggy's Poker Blog in depth. I'm losing because I'm playing low limits and I'm playing way too loose.
First of all, about reading Iggy's blog: I decided to read his blog in its entirety. Not sure why, but wanted to see how the blogfather of poker did it, and see how he did it from day one. (So I guess I am sure why. Fuzzy thinking=fuzzy writing.) So far I've finished reading all of his posts from 2003, and I'll start reading the rest of it tomorrow or maybe later this afternoon. Maybe I can work my way through reading through a month's worth of posts every night. But I am taking the easy way out--I'm not following any of the links or reading any of the stuff he's referring me to. I figure I can do that after I finish reading the blog.
Thought #2--I'm playing WAY too loose and aggressive for my bankroll. Maybe not too aggressive, but definitely too loose. I'm trying to steal too many pots, and I'm letting way too many people figure out that I'm going to take a stab at every pot in a $25 NL game regardless of the flop or my hole cards if no one bets before I do. Usually when they raise my bet, I fold, unless I've got a good hand. And that's not a pattern that takes most people long to figure out. It's an exciting way to play, and if you're lucky, you can be very profitable short term playing that way, but in the long term, it will tear you up. (It's tore up my poker bankroll, that's for sure.)
I have other subjects to talk about, but I'm going to talk about them in other posts.
First of all, about reading Iggy's blog: I decided to read his blog in its entirety. Not sure why, but wanted to see how the blogfather of poker did it, and see how he did it from day one. (So I guess I am sure why. Fuzzy thinking=fuzzy writing.) So far I've finished reading all of his posts from 2003, and I'll start reading the rest of it tomorrow or maybe later this afternoon. Maybe I can work my way through reading through a month's worth of posts every night. But I am taking the easy way out--I'm not following any of the links or reading any of the stuff he's referring me to. I figure I can do that after I finish reading the blog.
Thought #2--I'm playing WAY too loose and aggressive for my bankroll. Maybe not too aggressive, but definitely too loose. I'm trying to steal too many pots, and I'm letting way too many people figure out that I'm going to take a stab at every pot in a $25 NL game regardless of the flop or my hole cards if no one bets before I do. Usually when they raise my bet, I fold, unless I've got a good hand. And that's not a pattern that takes most people long to figure out. It's an exciting way to play, and if you're lucky, you can be very profitable short term playing that way, but in the long term, it will tear you up. (It's tore up my poker bankroll, that's for sure.)
I have other subjects to talk about, but I'm going to talk about them in other posts.
CrazyPoker.com - Crazy Poker - Crazy Vegas Poker
Crazy Poker is currently offering a free $10 no deposit required bonus when you sign up for their online poker room software. You can also get an additional 40% bonus on your first deposit of $100, so your total bonus chips available there are $50, which ain't bad on a $100 bonus requirement. Crazy Poker is part of Microgaming's PrimaPoker network, and they've been in business since 1994, making them one of the dinosaurs of the industry. It also makes them very trustworthy and stable. They have WSOP and WPT promotions all the time at their entire network of sites.
Poker games available at Crazy Vegas Poker include omaha, texas holdem, seven card stud, and five card stud. (The Prima Poker network is one of the only online poker rooms I know of who actually offer five card stud, which is one of my favorite games.) I like playing there. They haven't gotten quite as popular as Party, Ultimate, or Absolute, but they're picking up their cardroom gradually, and they're a good place to play.
Click here to visit Crazy Poker now.
Financial Times Article on PartyPoker IPO
Financial Times Article on PartyPoker IPO
They're estimating that Party Poker might be valued as highly as British Airways! That's some amazing and interesting stuff as far as I'm concerned.
This is one IPO I might actually try to get in on.
They're estimating that Party Poker might be valued as highly as British Airways! That's some amazing and interesting stuff as far as I'm concerned.
This is one IPO I might actually try to get in on.
Absolute Poker About to Deal Its 100 Millionth Hand
Absolute Poker is about to deal its 100 millionth hand, and they're celebrating by offering prizes to players who are online and playing when that 100 millionth hand is dealt.
“100 million hands is truly a phenomenal achievement when you stop to think about it,” said Gian Perroni, Absolute Poker’s Cardroom Manager. “Our players have been extremely loyal. The prize schedule for the day will offer various cash in hand prizes when the 100 millionth hand is dealt, plus prizes leading up to and after the 100 millionth hand. We’ll also be randomly selecting one lucky player to join Team Absolute at the WSOP in Las Vegas.”
Absolute Poker has been around since 2003, and I only recently started playing there. (The bonus money was too good to pass up.) But so far I love the cardroom and I'm enjoying the other players. I think I still prefer the Ultimate Bet software, and Party Poker's still got some of the softest games around, but Absolute Poker really does rock as far as I'm concerned.
“100 million hands is truly a phenomenal achievement when you stop to think about it,” said Gian Perroni, Absolute Poker’s Cardroom Manager. “Our players have been extremely loyal. The prize schedule for the day will offer various cash in hand prizes when the 100 millionth hand is dealt, plus prizes leading up to and after the 100 millionth hand. We’ll also be randomly selecting one lucky player to join Team Absolute at the WSOP in Las Vegas.”
Absolute Poker has been around since 2003, and I only recently started playing there. (The bonus money was too good to pass up.) But so far I love the cardroom and I'm enjoying the other players. I think I still prefer the Ultimate Bet software, and Party Poker's still got some of the softest games around, but Absolute Poker really does rock as far as I'm concerned.
UltimateBet's Aruba Classic World Poker Tour Event
I'm thinking about trying to win my way into the Aruba Classic. It's an official World Poker Tour event sponsored by Ultimate Bet. It's a weeklong event starting on September 26, 2005, and ending on October 1, 2005. It's called the Ultimate Poker Classic Tournament, or at least that's the official name for the event. There are continuous single table satellites running at Ultimate Bet right now, and winning one of the single table satellites wins tournament entry chips which can be used to buy your way into the $100 + $9 entry fee Aruba Super Satellite, which is where you get your chance to win your way to Aruba.
They're also having multi table events with buy-ins as low as $3. Some of this stuff is definitely within my meager bankroll these days. Anyway, the prize package is worth over $9000 with these satellites, so they're worth taking a shot at anyway, even though I'd probably be more likely to put $9000 to good use than a trip to Aruba to play poker. (Wait a minute. Aruba. Poker. What the hell would be a better use for $9000 than that? What's gotten into me?)
They're also having multi table events with buy-ins as low as $3. Some of this stuff is definitely within my meager bankroll these days. Anyway, the prize package is worth over $9000 with these satellites, so they're worth taking a shot at anyway, even though I'd probably be more likely to put $9000 to good use than a trip to Aruba to play poker. (Wait a minute. Aruba. Poker. What the hell would be a better use for $9000 than that? What's gotten into me?)
Ultimate Bet's Tournament Ambassador Wins 4th at Harrah's
Ultimate Bet has a "tournament ambassador" named James Worth, who's also known as "KrazyKanuck" online, and he just won 4th place in the World Series Ciruit at Harrah's in San Diego. Prize money was $158,850. There were over 200 other players in the event, including Chris "Jesus" Ferguson.
From what I've read, the Krazy Kanuck has been playing poker for over ten years but only started playing seriously a couple of years ago, and he sold his successful coffee company to do so. He lives in Toronto, and he finished 2nd to TJ Cloutier in the pot limit event (Festa al Lago Poker Tournament) at the Bellagio in 2003.
Guess there's no need to add him to my buddy list, huh?
From what I've read, the Krazy Kanuck has been playing poker for over ten years but only started playing seriously a couple of years ago, and he sold his successful coffee company to do so. He lives in Toronto, and he finished 2nd to TJ Cloutier in the pot limit event (Festa al Lago Poker Tournament) at the Bellagio in 2003.
Guess there's no need to add him to my buddy list, huh?
Poker Tracker Guide
Fellow blogger Iggy has put together an ebook about how to get more use out of the Poker Tracker software. You can find the ebook at Poker Tracker Guide. I haven't read it yet, and don't know how useful it is or isn't, but judging from Iggy's poker blog, it's probably pretty good stuff. Cuz I haven't read too much poker writing by other people the compares with the enormous amount of content he manages to spew forth on a semi regular basis. In fact, he's sort of a hero to me as a poker blogger, especially since he ranks in the top ten on Google for "party poker", which is one of the most impressive and difficult feats imaginable.
Anyway, I'm going to pick up this Poker Tracker Guide ebook and give it a read-through, probably tomorrow, because I'm 90% sure I'm not using Poker Tracker to its fullest potential. In fact, I hardly use it at all, and I need to start. John Vorhaus said one time that to be a serious poker player, you have to keep records of your play. That's it. Once you start keeping books on it, you're automatically upgraded to "serious player".
Anyway, I'm going to pick up this Poker Tracker Guide ebook and give it a read-through, probably tomorrow, because I'm 90% sure I'm not using Poker Tracker to its fullest potential. In fact, I hardly use it at all, and I need to start. John Vorhaus said one time that to be a serious poker player, you have to keep records of your play. That's it. Once you start keeping books on it, you're automatically upgraded to "serious player".
Sherlock Holmes Quotes and Poker
Steve Badger has written a new article full of Sherlock Holmes quotes and how they relate to poker. I've been a fan of Sherlock Holmes since I was a young child, so I thought that this was a particularly good article. The distinction between facts and data is something I hadn't given much thought before, either. Anyway, I recommend running over there and reading that article, and as many other articles by Steve as you can. He's one of the most honest and original voices writing about poker on the web today, and on top of that, he's a really cool guy.
I've always enjoyed dealing with straight shooters, and I don't know too many people who "tell it like it is" like Steve Badger does.
I've always enjoyed dealing with straight shooters, and I don't know too many people who "tell it like it is" like Steve Badger does.
Making Money as a Poker Affiliate
There's a post over at Casino Affiliate Programs about making a living as a poker affiliate. There's some interesting data in that post about what kind of money you can expect to make with certain poker affiliate programs based on how many depositing players you send over. It's a recommended thread if you're interested in doing more than just playing poker online.
Making money as a poker affiliate is a tough gig right now. Poker's popularity has exploded, and the competition for almost any poker-related keyword phrase you can think of is so amazingly competitive that it will blow your mind. But the financial rewards have been well worth it for me so far, and I have no intentions of dropping out of the biz at all yet.
Making money as a poker affiliate is a tough gig right now. Poker's popularity has exploded, and the competition for almost any poker-related keyword phrase you can think of is so amazingly competitive that it will blow your mind. But the financial rewards have been well worth it for me so far, and I have no intentions of dropping out of the biz at all yet.
Pink Bunny Poker Auction
The pink bunny poker auction was the brainchild of an acquaintance of mine named Jeremy who is the author of a book about how to make money as an affiliate of Party Poker called Party Riches. I think this auction was one of the best and most interesting PR type campaigns I've seen. Unless I'm mistaken, the auction itself received over 5000 visitors, and the news article on Yahoo probably got at least as many visitors. All of which was great exposure for Jeremy and his website, and all of which probably cost him very little.
Jeremy has my congratulations. I'm hoping to come up with some clever marketing plan soon, but for now I'm going to spend a little time just updating my blog and trying to get something up here that people want to read. Right now I average 30 or so visitors a day, and I'd sure like to get that number over 50, then 100, then 200, and so on and so on. Heck--maybe I should auction something off on eBay myself.
Also--the Party Riches ebook and the discussion forum over at the website are both rock-solid if you're interested in making money promoting online poker. The only caveat I have is that the online poker industry is INCREDIBLY competitive and hard to monetize right now.
Jeremy has my congratulations. I'm hoping to come up with some clever marketing plan soon, but for now I'm going to spend a little time just updating my blog and trying to get something up here that people want to read. Right now I average 30 or so visitors a day, and I'd sure like to get that number over 50, then 100, then 200, and so on and so on. Heck--maybe I should auction something off on eBay myself.
Also--the Party Riches ebook and the discussion forum over at the website are both rock-solid if you're interested in making money promoting online poker. The only caveat I have is that the online poker industry is INCREDIBLY competitive and hard to monetize right now.
WSOP Qualifier at Absolute Poker
On a brighter note, I did well in the WSOP qualifier last Sunday night at Absolute Poker, placing 10th out of 166 people. Not even close to good enough to win a seat at the series, but I played well, didn't make any major mistakes and only made 1 minor mistake, and overall just felt really good about it. My friend Shane was over for a visit that evening and sat there and watched me play for almost 4 hours while we listened to music on Napster and sang along.
I don't know if I'm going to play in any more WSOP qualifiers at Absolute for a while. My bankroll there is down to less than half what I deposited, and I haven't been running good at Party Poker lately either, especially since they changed the blind structure on the lower buy in no limit tables. I need to start rebuilding my poker bankroll, and I need to do so soon.
But not tonight. I'm still depressed and probably on tilt because of my experience at the Mckinney poker club tonight.
I don't know if I'm going to play in any more WSOP qualifiers at Absolute for a while. My bankroll there is down to less than half what I deposited, and I haven't been running good at Party Poker lately either, especially since they changed the blind structure on the lower buy in no limit tables. I need to start rebuilding my poker bankroll, and I need to do so soon.
But not tonight. I'm still depressed and probably on tilt because of my experience at the Mckinney poker club tonight.
McKinney, Texas Poker
So I played in McKinney, Texas tonight. For those of you who don't know, McKinney is just north of Dallas, about 30 miles. It was a nice big poker room with a really friendly host and a bunch of great friendly people. There was an $80 buy in no limit holdem tournament that I played in and did okay in. (I placed 17th or so out of about 41, so not in the money, but nothing embarassing.)
Then I sat down and bought in for $300 in the cash game. That was the beginning of the end. And the end came quickly tonight. It was $1/$2 pot limit, and I got confused and thought someone had called before me when he'd actually bet the pot. I had AQ suited. So I wound up putting a lot more money in the pot than I'd anticipated. Drove one guy out, but the guy who stayed in re-raised. Then, like a goddamned fool who didn't know what the hell he was doing, I went all-in. Naturally he had a pair of kings. I busted out and slunk away ashamed and depressed.
BUT...the host was such a cool guy that he followed me out to the parking lot, told me how much he enjoyed having me there, and asked me to make sure I came back again soon. I guess I could have tried going to an ATM and getting some more cash, but I was so mad at myself at my bad play that I just couldn't bring myself to play anymore. It also occurred to me that I hadn't updated my blog in a month, and I definitely have something to write about now.
Damn I was embarassed at that bad play when I left. I normally play pretty well too. I'll definitely be heading back out to McKinney to play there again though. All the dealers were lovely, healthy country girls, and sweet as pie. And there were plenty of people there. Probably could have made some money tonight if I hadn't played so damn stupid.
Then I sat down and bought in for $300 in the cash game. That was the beginning of the end. And the end came quickly tonight. It was $1/$2 pot limit, and I got confused and thought someone had called before me when he'd actually bet the pot. I had AQ suited. So I wound up putting a lot more money in the pot than I'd anticipated. Drove one guy out, but the guy who stayed in re-raised. Then, like a goddamned fool who didn't know what the hell he was doing, I went all-in. Naturally he had a pair of kings. I busted out and slunk away ashamed and depressed.
BUT...the host was such a cool guy that he followed me out to the parking lot, told me how much he enjoyed having me there, and asked me to make sure I came back again soon. I guess I could have tried going to an ATM and getting some more cash, but I was so mad at myself at my bad play that I just couldn't bring myself to play anymore. It also occurred to me that I hadn't updated my blog in a month, and I definitely have something to write about now.
Damn I was embarassed at that bad play when I left. I normally play pretty well too. I'll definitely be heading back out to McKinney to play there again though. All the dealers were lovely, healthy country girls, and sweet as pie. And there were plenty of people there. Probably could have made some money tonight if I hadn't played so damn stupid.
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