Category Archives: poker

I have been playing an occasional sit and go (SNG) games at Poker Stars over the last couple of months. What I have found especially odd is that when playing in real money games the level of play actually seems lower than in the play money games. I am not sure if there are actually people out there who have seen Texas Hold ‘Em on T.V. and assume they know how to play, so they just jump right into the real money games or what, but the competition just seems lacking –and that isn’t because I am some sort of an expert player.

I have now played in about ten of these tournaments, all at the $10 + $1 table, and have been playing pretty well. Unfortunately my best finish is second place, as evidenced by the image below:

Second place isn’t so bad, especially considering the frequency with which I finish in that position. I have become quite proficient at being the best of the losers!

The problem that I really have when it comes to the heads up play is that I just want it to end. The tournament that I was in this morning had been going for nearly an hour and a half by the time we got to heads up play and I really had to piss. I tried to get all in on a pair of kings but the other guy folded. That is what happens in heads up (at least in my experience); you both wait until you have a good hand to start risking your chips, but when the other guy is risking his you know he has a good hand. I suppose it would eventually happen that both players have a decent hand, but I am not willing to sit around for an hour to see.

On a standard 10+1 tournament the prize awards are $45 for first, $27 for second and $18 for third. As long as I finish in second I have more than doubled my money and that is good enough for me, again noting the frequency with which I am able to do it. If I was losing ten tournaments to every one I finish in the money I would probably have a completely different opinion.

Now to the boring, technical rambling.

PokerStars keeps all kinds of stats logged for your viewing pleasure (well, probably not pleasure but they are available if you want to see them). I was looking through my statistics in the last ten tournaments that I played and noticing a trend. In the tournaments that I finished in second place I stayed in to see the flop less than 50% of the time, while in the ones I lost the number was always higher -capped by my only last place finish where I saw an amazing 87% of the flops, including every flop from either blind position. Thankfully that woefully bad play was in the first tournament I ever played and has not been repeated.

The most difficult part of adjusting to playing for real money was training myself to be able to fold from the blinds. For unknown reasons I was putting too much faith in my cards if I was in one of the blinds, most likely since I was already in the pot. It doesn’t make any sense though; that off suit 3-9 isn’t any better when you already have money on it, in fact it is probably worse. Yet I was somehow able to talk myself into believing that the flop could turn a 9,9,3, which it could, it is just extremely unlikely. The fact that one of the first hands I was ever dealt (in a real money game) was a 10-3 off suit, which I folded only to see 3,3,10 on the flop probably had a bit to do with my unrealistic expectations.

While I still have not read any books or articles on how to play the game I am getting much better at it. I know that I am still seeing entirely too many flops, but I don’t know if I will ever be able to break that habit, especially when the blinds are at 10/20. I mean it is only 20 chips to see if I can catch a full house on the flop, might as well take the chance, right? (that is actually 100% wrong if I plan to finish in the money but I can’t seem to make myself stick to it.)

The one thing that I am really lacking though is the ability to quickly assess the best possible hand. I thought I was pretty good at that, until the hand that eliminated me from a tournament last week. I had an A K of clubs, the flop brought up 3h, Ad, Kh, so the best possible hand at that point was a three of a kind Aces, I am pretty sure on that one. When the turn brought up the Ace of hearts that gave me a full house with Aces over Kings, the best possible hand. I bet big and got called by one guy, I assumed he had a pair of Kings or he would have folded. The river brought up a 3 of clubs, so there was no chance for a flush or a straight. I bet small and he called me all in, I took that action with 100% confidence. At this point I absolutely knew that he had a pair of kings and was betting on his full house Kings over Aces, which I was going to absolutely smash with my Aces, or, worst case scenario, he also had A K in which case we would split the pot. I was simply dumbfounded when his cards showed a pair of threes, thus giving him a four of a kind. I was so preoccupied with the aces and kings that the thought never occurred to me that the guy would still be in it on threes. The guy did get extremely lucky to get that three on the river for sure, but I didn’t even recognize that there was a hand that could beat me.

That is what I need to get better at. I don’t really mind losing, although I obviously would prefer to win. There have now been two occasions where I was dead sure that I had a hand won only to be beaten by a hand that I had never considered. Once I am able to at least recognize those possible hands in the limited time I have to act I will be a much better player. Maybe then I will start finishing in first instead of second.

I have been playing way more poker than I care to admit, albeit online and completely free of any sort of money. I am pretty sure that I am getting a hell of a lot better at the game. I still don’t think that I am really any good, yet, I am pretty confident in my ability to win against any of the other players, who are NOOBs every bit as much as me.

I have still not ventured back into any of the real money games, not even the nickel and dime ones I was playing before (which I did not actually lose any money in), but I am fairly confident that if and when I do venture back into them I will do a hell of a lot better than I did previously.

People seem to place way too much stock in the eyes of their opponents when playing poker. I can tell you right now that I could look you straight in the eyes, tell you that I am a princess on a pony, and not blink or shift my eyes as I do it. I am sure that there are other mannerisms that change while I am telling you that, but the eyes will remain constant, staring into yours. That is what I am finding so baffling about the online poker games; All the digital opponents have tells.

I spent about two hours today playing in a fake money room on PokerStars. I started with 500 tokens and left with 8,437. I know that I personally knocked out at least a dozen players (three of them on a single hand), and it feels good to know that I am getting better. Still, without the benefit of being able to look at someone as they are making a decision you can’t really tell what they are thinking/holding, can you? Turns out you can.

When I entered the room that I played in there was one guy that had over 3,000, everyone else had under 1,000. I had exactly 500. The guy who had over 3,000 had a really weird tell: When he actually had a good hand he would bet an amount that would leave his chip count at an even number if he were to lose it (betting 137 when he had 3,137, for example. Perhaps he was thinking that others would view this as rounding out his winnings before he left?), yet when he was bluffing/unsure he would just bet in increments of 10. That was a simple pattern to figure out and the guy went out quickly.

There was another guy in the room that told his hand by checking/betting the minimum when he had a good hand, then betting 30, exactly 30, when he didn’t have a good hand. That guy would fold if anyone checked his 30, but would raise if the little bet made it all the way back to him: He would bet 30 on a shit hand, but bet the minimum on a good hand hoping he could raise it. He went out pretty quickly as well.

Most of the other players just put way too much stock into their own cards (me for instance). The hand where I busted out three people was when I was holding a lowly 6-9 diamonds. The flop brought an ace of diamonds, seven of clubs and eight of hearts. The two people facing me both had the ace (which I found out only after the hand), but I had an open-ended straight. If the betting would have been a bit more aggressive I would surely have folded. When the turn gave me a ten (don’t remember the suit), I checked, so did everyone else. The river came up an ace. Both of the ace holders thought they had the hand all but won, what are the odds that someone is still in the game with a 6 and 9 at this point. The third guy mucked his cards so I don’t know what he was holding. I went all in. All three of the active players called me. Quick double-up. It must really suck to lose with 3 aces though.

Sadly, the trend continued. One guy would get a pair of aces and assume that he was invincible. Only to lose to a low level straight or flush. I logged into that game with 500 tokens, logged out with almost 9,000, and never made a really stupid call. I did catch a flush on the river once, but that was the only reason I was still in the hand at all. I made solid decisions based on the best possible hand, took a couple of risks (which totally paid off), and am now confident that I can parlay the fake money game talent into a real game. Whether I actually do that or not is probably going to be up in the air though.

PokerStars.net sponsors Greg Raymer, Chris Moneymaker, and many other people I would not want to get into a showdown with. When you are just cutting your teeth at a game you certainly don’t want to play against the best ever (at least I don’t). Yet, I hope I could hold my own if I did. Luck is as important as skill in this game, I have luck in droves. Unfortunately my luck is all bad.

I’m relatively sure that this post is going to bore the hell out of any potential readers (not that I am sure I have any potential readers, mind you), but I am going to post it anyway.

I have been playing Texas Hold ’em for several months now, with limited success. I have tried to avoid reading any strategy guides for the game since learning it myself, with no preconceived notions, seems so much more enjoyable than it would be if I was thinking back on what someone else told me I should do in a given situation. It is probably a really bad idea to play the game with no instruction, however I have limited my gaming to (mostly) games that are just for fun, as opposed to the games where you use real money (though I have played a few of those as well and I am still in the positive -of course the only money I have wagered on the game so far has been change).

I have learned a great deal about the game while playing with fake money. Honestly, I think I have learned a lot more about myself than the game, but I think that is the biggest part of getting better. It took me a hell of a long time to figure out that some of my decisions were just plain foolish. I am still making some pretty foolish decisions which, more often than not, lead to me losing the hand and smacking myself on the forehead. However, some of the bad decisions work out in my favor and make me think that if I make the same bad decision later it will work out for me again. It never does.

Do you remember that old Kenny Rogers song The Gambler? I approached Texas Hold ’em with that song in mind (poker training through sappy country songs, it is a marvel that it didn’t work out, eh?). That mantra might work for five card draw, but it certainly doesn’t work in Hold ’em. Hold ’em gives you only two cards, while there are another five that belong to everyone at the table. That is a completely different animal. The song was partially right, but, it turns out that in Texas Hold ’em, you don’t need to “know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away and know when to run.” All you really need to know is when to fold ’em. Which is most of the time.

It took me a damn long time to wrap my mind around Hold ’em. I was used to playing the five card draw games where I knew that whatever I had no one else did. If you get dealt a pair of aces in draw poker there is no way that anyone else can have three (if they aren’t cheating). If you get dealt the pair of aces in Hold ’em it is entirely possible (however unlikely) that someone else as the same hand. Once I finally got my mind wrapped around that, I started playing a hell of a lot better.

The unfortunate part of Hold ’em, at least for me, is that it requires a hell of a lot of patience. I have had times where I folded before the flop more than ten consecutive times; I even folded from the big blind when I had a shit hand (3-8 off suit) when someone raised. I would guess that I have to fold 80% or more of the time because the cards just aren’t likely to fall my way. Even when I have something that could be good, however unlikely, I usually end up folding it. The 2 and 5 of hearts could be a straight flush, maybe a full house, maybe a three of a kind, maybe a flush, maybe a straight, maybe two pair, maybe one pair, but someone else may have a pair of aces and flop the four of a kind (I must confess that I have yet to actually fold before the flop on any hand where I could possibly get a straight flush. Though I usually do fold immediately after the flop, since it has never gone my way.). It gets tedious and boring at times.

Folding on damn near every hand has its advantages though. When I am in a game and fold five or six consecutive hands, people seem to take notice. So when I get a decent hand and call the bet I am taken more seriously than the guy who tries to bluff every hand (not that he is bluffing per se, just that he figures his 2-7 off suit can turn into a full house with the flop). Usually by time I actually get into a hand there will be a couple of good players with most of the chips, while there will be a couple with virtually no chips. I will have very near what I started with, since I am playing to not lose most of the time, playing to win only when I have a really good hand. The other players at the table seem to figure out that if I am in, while not a blind, I have something. Which is basically the only way that you can bluff in this game.

Now the reason I wrote the post:

So it was that I was dealt The Hammer (2-7), after a half a dozen pre-flop folds, and I decided I would try to bluff. I bet 3x the big blind, expecting no takers, but there were two who called. Shit, it was game over. But, and miraculously, the flop brought up 7,7,2. A betting war ensued. I had the boat, albeit a low boat, I figured the hand was mine. Tons of chips later, we were on to the turn. The turn was a Queen, the betting war continued; I went all in. One of the others walked away ran folded. The other buy called. By this point I was a bit nervous, what did the other guy have?

I will tell you what he had. He had a pair of Queens. Thus, he got two pair from the flop. He also got the boat from the turn, but his boat was way better than mine. While it is not possible to see the other player’s cards (at least on the service I use, even on all in), I figured I was still in good shape. I had my 7-2 boat going for ages now, what could he possibly have? Queens, that is what he could, and did, have. I didn’t realize how close I came to losing until well after the river dropped the final seven. My four of a kind beat his full house. But I came dangerously close to losing that hand.

That was when I decided that I really needed to tighten up a bit and assume that whatever the best possible hand was, someone other than me actually had it, and I was betting against him/her. I end up folding the majority of the time, but I don’t lose nearly as much when I fold as I do when I play through with a really shitty hand.

It was a lesson learned.

With the popularity of the World Series of Poker on television, not to mention my insatiable desire to know everything, and be better at it than everyone else, right now, dammit. I was forced to learn how to play Texas Hold ‘Em Poker. The game is pretty simple, actually it is much easier than any other poker game that comes to mind. There are certain hands that are good, certain hands that are bad, and certain hands that you wish were never dealt to you.

If you are not familiar with the game I will break it down for you, in a nutshell; to win you have to have the best 5card poker hand, based on two cards that are your own and five that are common. The highest possible hand is calculated based on your cards (and your opponents as well), whoever has the best hand wins. Really a simple game.

The problem with the game comes into play when you are doing your initial bet, after you have been dealt two cards you have to bet. If you have a pair of aces you should be guaranteed of the victory, right? Nope. If someone else has a pair of threes and another three gets dealt during the game your coveted aces will lose to a three of a kind, of threes no less.

I know that I am over simplifying the concept of the game but, there are 300+ page books written about it, odds and all, and that is not the purpose of this post. Without getting into a lot of strategy, I will simply say that a pair, even in aces, is not the best possible scenario. If you have two aces that means that there are only two more in the deck, odds of someone else having one are pretty good. If, however, you have a King and a Jack, you are in pretty good shape for making a straight that is either king or ace high. There is the possibility that you have the pair of aces and will get dealt an ace, but that is unlikely. Most winning hands in Texas Hold ‘Em are won by a pair or two pair. The three-of-a-kind is rare, as are all hands above it.

I spent some time learning how to play the game at pokerstars.net, but quickly found that to be either boring or requiring money, depending on the room (I did actually pocket a robust 34 cents for my curiosity while playing with real money though).

The most humorous thing happened when I logged into POGO and played for tokens though. I said to the room, after I had been dealt a King of diamonds and three of spades, “Beware my off suit 3 king”. Which got a couple of LOLs from the room, but that was what I actually had. The flop turned a king, seven, nine so I stayed in it. The turn was a 7 of diamonds, but I stayed in it (possible four-of-a-kind at that point ((in sevens, not for me))). When the river came up a King, I told everyone to just fold since I had the hand, they didn’t believe me and a raising war happened. I won almost 20,000 on that single hand…even after I told the room what I had at the beginning.

Also it is hard to bluff when playing on the pc. If you take too long they boot you, sunglasses don’t mask a damn thing, and for the most part the money isn’t real. If you do play for real money however, the bets are more realistic and the bluffs not as often, at least in my meager experience.