I folded 3,4 and 10,4.
And I've been kicking myself all weekend for it.
In the first case, I played five hours of nickel, dime with some friends. I came out a winner, and yet, all I could think about was the pot that escaped me.
I had 3,4 and the flop came 2,3,4. I check-raised in the hopes that the two callers would have the straight just yet. I got raised back. The other guy insta-called. Shit.
I knew they had a straight, probably both, even though both were inexperienced players and would call with a pair at that point.
So I thought about it and folded.
And a 4 came down.
Had I given it some thought, I would have realized that I had six outs, giving me roughly 25 percent to make my hand, and the pot odds were still great, with $1 to call a pot of $7. But I didn't and I folded because I was spooked.
I would have taken down at least $25, I'm sure, with that hand.
In the second, I was on Pokerroom late at night, jumping around, when I was dealt 10,4 with the first hand. The guy raised .25 cents and I folded despite already posting my blind. Again, pot odds dictated that I call, but I didn't, and a full house came down for me. The guy went all in, and I would have taken down $75.
I believe it's harder for me to let these go than the bad beats. In fact, I lost $20 on another hand because I suffering from tilts far worse than a bad beat tilt.
You think too much about the money you could have had. It's dangerous, of course, to think that way because it encourages far too much fishing in the future.
But I can't let it go right now. Hands like that are old lovers, when we only think about what could have been, and the fact that most of the time things really suck. Like with 10,3.
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
It takes time to get better
Well, after a successful start to playing poker rings at pokerroom.com for money, I took my first hard hit last night.
I lost $20 on a single hand.
I know, I know, boo-hoo, but that's a lot of money for me.
Yes, I'm a grinder who plays low limit. The sad thing is, I should have finished ahead.
I had pocket aces, re-raised and then when the flop came down, bet hard. The guy put me all-in, and without a pause, I called.
He had flopped his set with his pocket nines.
Bad beat? Sort of. But I don't want to just dismiss it as that. It was part of a disturbing pattern.
I figured because lately I had read all these books and really started to pay attention to the TV shows and read the Internet stuff, I should be able to dominate the players at .25 cent and at play money.
In fact, for the past few weeks, my play money bankroll has stayed the same after winning at least $50,000 a week. I've really improved so much - I used to consider $500 a good day when I started playing seriously back in April - that I figured the improvement should continue at that rate.
In doing so, instead of playing aggressive, I've played reckless. I discovered this the other day, after another day of losses in play money, and I finally realized that I was assuming all these players were far inferior to me and must be idiots. That's an incredibly dangerous assumption to make in poker. Hell, even the bad players get hands every once in a while.
Instead, I finally settled down and started winning again in play money.
When I started playing real money in rings (I had been playing SnGs for some time), I of course was nervous and cautious.
And I won $75 last week. I would up being more than $100 up with the tournaments.
That, of course, made me realize that I was better than the players and shouldn't take them seriously.
So, just like before in play money, I called the all-in without thinking that something was up, that maybe the guy flopped two pair or a set (no draws were possible) and just blindly called, waiting for my pot to come to me.
Well, play money can, in fact, teach us a few things. Mostly it's taught me that playing aggressive is fine, but you still need to wait for good hands to win. You're not at the stage of development where you can consistently push people off pots and bluff big. Hell, most players, even the pros, need good hands to win, unless they're playing a bunch of mes, and what I've realized is it's not like I"m a pro and playing a bunch of idiots. There are good players in .25 cent no limit. You just have to avoid them. :)
So...the game plan is people are betting hard, and you only have a pair, the guy probably has a better hand. Play smart, solid poker, bluff a few small pots, bet when you have a hand, and don't get reckless. You will lose, but the point is to limit your losses and take the big pots when they come.
We'll see how it goes.
I lost $20 on a single hand.
I know, I know, boo-hoo, but that's a lot of money for me.
Yes, I'm a grinder who plays low limit. The sad thing is, I should have finished ahead.
I had pocket aces, re-raised and then when the flop came down, bet hard. The guy put me all-in, and without a pause, I called.
He had flopped his set with his pocket nines.
Bad beat? Sort of. But I don't want to just dismiss it as that. It was part of a disturbing pattern.
I figured because lately I had read all these books and really started to pay attention to the TV shows and read the Internet stuff, I should be able to dominate the players at .25 cent and at play money.
In fact, for the past few weeks, my play money bankroll has stayed the same after winning at least $50,000 a week. I've really improved so much - I used to consider $500 a good day when I started playing seriously back in April - that I figured the improvement should continue at that rate.
In doing so, instead of playing aggressive, I've played reckless. I discovered this the other day, after another day of losses in play money, and I finally realized that I was assuming all these players were far inferior to me and must be idiots. That's an incredibly dangerous assumption to make in poker. Hell, even the bad players get hands every once in a while.
Instead, I finally settled down and started winning again in play money.
When I started playing real money in rings (I had been playing SnGs for some time), I of course was nervous and cautious.
And I won $75 last week. I would up being more than $100 up with the tournaments.
That, of course, made me realize that I was better than the players and shouldn't take them seriously.
So, just like before in play money, I called the all-in without thinking that something was up, that maybe the guy flopped two pair or a set (no draws were possible) and just blindly called, waiting for my pot to come to me.
Well, play money can, in fact, teach us a few things. Mostly it's taught me that playing aggressive is fine, but you still need to wait for good hands to win. You're not at the stage of development where you can consistently push people off pots and bluff big. Hell, most players, even the pros, need good hands to win, unless they're playing a bunch of mes, and what I've realized is it's not like I"m a pro and playing a bunch of idiots. There are good players in .25 cent no limit. You just have to avoid them. :)
So...the game plan is people are betting hard, and you only have a pair, the guy probably has a better hand. Play smart, solid poker, bluff a few small pots, bet when you have a hand, and don't get reckless. You will lose, but the point is to limit your losses and take the big pots when they come.
We'll see how it goes.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Home game hell
Once you really start to study the game of poker, you tend to play better against better players.
But you also play poorly against bad ones.
I played a home game Friday with some friends, thinking with all my new poker knowledge, I was going to clean up.
Um, no.
Now, I ran into some historically bad beats - jack-high flushes getting stomped by ace-high flushes (with a Q on the board, and with only three suits out there), straights getting beat by flushes (again, with only three out there), full houses getting beat by higher full houses, etc.
But I was the big loser of the night.
Why did I face all those bad beats? People don't know when they are supposed to fold. No, you aren't supposed to keep betting on your flush draw if I bet huge on my straight. No, you aren't supposed to stay with your two pair in the hopes you will draw a full house if I bet huge on my full house. And no, you aren't supposed to hope you hit your inside straight.
Raises? Sure, let's call with 10,5!!!
They also beat me with good hands, too, meaning it was impossible to put them on a hand. Maybe I really was playing with a bunch of Gus Hansons and I just didn't know it.
To prove it, I played on Pokerroom on Saturday night for money and totally cleaned up because they were acting more like players should play. If they raised, I could usually put them on a good hand.
Home games are fun, but they are frustrating as well.
But you also play poorly against bad ones.
I played a home game Friday with some friends, thinking with all my new poker knowledge, I was going to clean up.
Um, no.
Now, I ran into some historically bad beats - jack-high flushes getting stomped by ace-high flushes (with a Q on the board, and with only three suits out there), straights getting beat by flushes (again, with only three out there), full houses getting beat by higher full houses, etc.
But I was the big loser of the night.
Why did I face all those bad beats? People don't know when they are supposed to fold. No, you aren't supposed to keep betting on your flush draw if I bet huge on my straight. No, you aren't supposed to stay with your two pair in the hopes you will draw a full house if I bet huge on my full house. And no, you aren't supposed to hope you hit your inside straight.
Raises? Sure, let's call with 10,5!!!
They also beat me with good hands, too, meaning it was impossible to put them on a hand. Maybe I really was playing with a bunch of Gus Hansons and I just didn't know it.
To prove it, I played on Pokerroom on Saturday night for money and totally cleaned up because they were acting more like players should play. If they raised, I could usually put them on a good hand.
Home games are fun, but they are frustrating as well.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
A is for Arrrrrrrggggghhhhhhh
A recent hour session at Pokerroom.com:
K,K - raise 3xs, someone goes all in, I call.
A,7
A flops on the river.
K,K - raise 3xs, someone goes all in, I call.
A,3
A flops on the turn
K,K - barely raise at all, someone goes all in, I call
A,J
A flops on the river.
Q,Q - raise 3xs, someone goes all in, I call.
A,5
A flops on the turn. BUT a Q flops on the river.
OK, so one out of 4 is pretty bad.
Thank GOD this was play money, even if I was playing at the highest tables.
Why is it that every time I need an A lately I don't get one, but when I don't need one, it appears like a little elf? No, I'm not whining, and I know you aren't guarenteed a win just because you have pocket pairs, but really, who goes all in with any of those hands? Even A,J is marginal, and they get rewarded for it because of the stupid A.
I hate aces.
K,K - raise 3xs, someone goes all in, I call.
A,7
A flops on the river.
K,K - raise 3xs, someone goes all in, I call.
A,3
A flops on the turn
K,K - barely raise at all, someone goes all in, I call
A,J
A flops on the river.
Q,Q - raise 3xs, someone goes all in, I call.
A,5
A flops on the turn. BUT a Q flops on the river.
OK, so one out of 4 is pretty bad.
Thank GOD this was play money, even if I was playing at the highest tables.
Why is it that every time I need an A lately I don't get one, but when I don't need one, it appears like a little elf? No, I'm not whining, and I know you aren't guarenteed a win just because you have pocket pairs, but really, who goes all in with any of those hands? Even A,J is marginal, and they get rewarded for it because of the stupid A.
I hate aces.
Monday, October 24, 2005
How do you play bad players?
OK, so this guy is on an obvious flush draw in a $5 sit n go shorthanded at pokerroom.com, and I've got A,Q with a big, fat A on the board. He needs one more spade. He doesn't deserve the spade, so I make him pay for it. I bet the pot, about $275. He calls.
A junk card falls. He still doesn't deserve the spade, so I make him pay yet again. I bet $500.
Now, his odds aren't great here, 2 to 1 at the most, so he'll surely fold here, right?
Nope.
He calls.
And the third spade falls.
When he checks, I check, knowing I've been beaten, and he shows the King high spade. Oh, and he had K,3. Did I mention I raised the pot 4xs when I began the hand? I guess I didn't mention that.
Of course I"m on tilt, but I recover and try to make a move when the guys just to my left raises my blind AGAIN, so I re-raise him with 10,6.
On a medium stack, he calls with K,3.
Two threes flop, a 10 falls so I bet hard, and he calls.
End of game.
You know, I've found more and more that you have to either be bad and play ultra-conservative, or you have to play extremely well, better than me, I guess, to beat all these donkeys. The stragety of "just hang around until they knock each other out" works, except that it leaves you with a pretty short stack at the end, and that, my friends, not only sucks but just isn't much fun.
You really just have no idea what these people have. And while that is good for you, in a way, it also makes it pretty tough out there.
Maybe I should play some $1 sngs at pokerroom over Halloween weekend and let the party start!!!
A junk card falls. He still doesn't deserve the spade, so I make him pay yet again. I bet $500.
Now, his odds aren't great here, 2 to 1 at the most, so he'll surely fold here, right?
Nope.
He calls.
And the third spade falls.
When he checks, I check, knowing I've been beaten, and he shows the King high spade. Oh, and he had K,3. Did I mention I raised the pot 4xs when I began the hand? I guess I didn't mention that.
Of course I"m on tilt, but I recover and try to make a move when the guys just to my left raises my blind AGAIN, so I re-raise him with 10,6.
On a medium stack, he calls with K,3.
Two threes flop, a 10 falls so I bet hard, and he calls.
End of game.
You know, I've found more and more that you have to either be bad and play ultra-conservative, or you have to play extremely well, better than me, I guess, to beat all these donkeys. The stragety of "just hang around until they knock each other out" works, except that it leaves you with a pretty short stack at the end, and that, my friends, not only sucks but just isn't much fun.
You really just have no idea what these people have. And while that is good for you, in a way, it also makes it pretty tough out there.
Maybe I should play some $1 sngs at pokerroom over Halloween weekend and let the party start!!!
Thursday, October 20, 2005
When women play poker, it isn't a cat fight
I always hesitate to write the stories like I did today in the Outdoors section of the Tribune.
I call these the Look! FILL IN THE BLANK can FILL IN THE BLANK stories.
As in, "Look! Men can shop for clothes too!" (A whole reality show was built around this, and you know the name. Hint: It rhymes).
My story was, "Look! Women can do outdoor activites too!"
Now, I tried my best to show the struggles women face in getting involved in the outdoors, struggles that have nothing to do with the fact that they don't like to get their nails dirty or other nonsense like that.
If those stories are done well, they can, indeed, be great ones, like "Murderball," the movie about wheelchair rugby. Other times, by playing up a person who has beaten the sterotypes, they actually play up the stereotype and give them even more validity.
One reason I'm writing this is last night I watched the World Poker Tour and its repeat performance of Ladies Night.
As I was falling in love with the winner, a French Canadian (ha ha, honey, not really...hmmmm), I was enjoying the good poker being played, and I forgot they were all women (except for the French one) and just respected them as poker players.
One of the announcers, however, Vince Van Patten, who reminds me of a cross between a fraternity president, a 40-year-old with a mid-life crisis, and a pack mule (or another word for it), made it hard to forget there were women out there.
"Ooooo, we've got a catfight out here!"
"Oooo, what a play, hairspray right between the eyes."
I don't need to go on, do I?
The show tried so hard to present women as real poker players, even interviewing many of the pioneers, and yet, by offering a pittance of a payout ($25,000 went to the winner, while first place usually approaches $650,000 or more) and by allowing Van Patten to go off, it played up to the stereotypes more than shattered them.
Episode III premieres Saturday. Let's try harder this time.
I call these the Look! FILL IN THE BLANK can FILL IN THE BLANK stories.
As in, "Look! Men can shop for clothes too!" (A whole reality show was built around this, and you know the name. Hint: It rhymes).
My story was, "Look! Women can do outdoor activites too!"
Now, I tried my best to show the struggles women face in getting involved in the outdoors, struggles that have nothing to do with the fact that they don't like to get their nails dirty or other nonsense like that.
If those stories are done well, they can, indeed, be great ones, like "Murderball," the movie about wheelchair rugby. Other times, by playing up a person who has beaten the sterotypes, they actually play up the stereotype and give them even more validity.
One reason I'm writing this is last night I watched the World Poker Tour and its repeat performance of Ladies Night.
As I was falling in love with the winner, a French Canadian (ha ha, honey, not really...hmmmm), I was enjoying the good poker being played, and I forgot they were all women (except for the French one) and just respected them as poker players.
One of the announcers, however, Vince Van Patten, who reminds me of a cross between a fraternity president, a 40-year-old with a mid-life crisis, and a pack mule (or another word for it), made it hard to forget there were women out there.
"Ooooo, we've got a catfight out here!"
"Oooo, what a play, hairspray right between the eyes."
I don't need to go on, do I?
The show tried so hard to present women as real poker players, even interviewing many of the pioneers, and yet, by offering a pittance of a payout ($25,000 went to the winner, while first place usually approaches $650,000 or more) and by allowing Van Patten to go off, it played up to the stereotypes more than shattered them.
Episode III premieres Saturday. Let's try harder this time.
Monday, October 17, 2005
Ain't nothing like the real thing
I played my first live game since my son was born June 25, and it made me realize how much I missed it. I love Internet poker, but playing with friends, reading players and seeing the real cards come down is a blast.
I learned a few things too:
• No, poker Web sites are not rigged for action. I was playing heads-up with a friend after I busted everyone else out, and took the following two bad beats in a row:
Had 10,3 os. Flop 10,3,2. Bet hard the whole way. 6 on the turn. Friend keeps calling. Q comes on the river, He bets hard.
He shows Q,6.
Had A,9 suited. Flopped an A. Bet hard. 9 falls. Bet even harder. 10 on the river.
He shows A,10.
Now, fairly rough anyway, but heads up? Ouch.
I eventually won my money back when I had A,A and he had a flush draw and gambled. The lesson here is bad beats happen all the time, in life as in the Internet. Deal with it.
• It's good to practice a good poker face, even when you are playing online. My friend said he couldn't pick up a tell from me, and he's played with me for months and could "read' me in the past. Sweet.
Or maybe I'm just tired from the baby.
• Real poker can make you better, or it can make you worse. You tend to call everything in a tiny ring game, making it much more difficult to read players and also you tend to just play cards instead of call crap. While this can sharpen your reading skills and make you look for tells more, it can also make you softer.
I need to get out to the bars and play some tournament poker.
I'm also reading lots of books right now. Sklansky, Harrington, etc. They are really helping.
I learned a few things too:
• No, poker Web sites are not rigged for action. I was playing heads-up with a friend after I busted everyone else out, and took the following two bad beats in a row:
Had 10,3 os. Flop 10,3,2. Bet hard the whole way. 6 on the turn. Friend keeps calling. Q comes on the river, He bets hard.
He shows Q,6.
Had A,9 suited. Flopped an A. Bet hard. 9 falls. Bet even harder. 10 on the river.
He shows A,10.
Now, fairly rough anyway, but heads up? Ouch.
I eventually won my money back when I had A,A and he had a flush draw and gambled. The lesson here is bad beats happen all the time, in life as in the Internet. Deal with it.
• It's good to practice a good poker face, even when you are playing online. My friend said he couldn't pick up a tell from me, and he's played with me for months and could "read' me in the past. Sweet.
Or maybe I'm just tired from the baby.
• Real poker can make you better, or it can make you worse. You tend to call everything in a tiny ring game, making it much more difficult to read players and also you tend to just play cards instead of call crap. While this can sharpen your reading skills and make you look for tells more, it can also make you softer.
I need to get out to the bars and play some tournament poker.
I'm also reading lots of books right now. Sklansky, Harrington, etc. They are really helping.
My name
I need to explain my name, I think, lest you think I'm a pervert. I climb mountains. I've just climbed all 54 14ers in Colorado, which is a pretty big deal, if you live in Colorado (if you live anywhere else, you probably don't give a shit). And my friends call playing poker "poking." I'm not sure why.
So...I'm not a pervert.
That is all.
So...I'm not a pervert.
That is all.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Am I the only one who enjoys play money?
OK, I am not rich, I have a newborn, and I'm still trying to learn how to play at an advanced level, so despite winning or cashing many $5 + .50 SnG shorthandeds, I have to take a month off so I can put another $25 in next month.
In the meantime, I'm working on building my play money bankroll on Pokerroom.com.
So am I just lame for playing play money and taking it seriously, or as seriously as I can? The only difference between my play is I call more all-ins, and with weaker hands, than I would in a real-money tournament.
I believe, for the most part, play money play is fairly strong, especially at the highest level table, where I play. But here are some questions:
• Does playing for play money actually hurt your game, given that others may not take it seriously and are willing to call huge bets with much weaker hands?
• Are there almost as many idiots playing for low level real money than there are people playing for playing at the highest tables? (I would say yes to this question, but I'm curious what others say).
• Can you learn playing play money, and what can you learn? You can't learn how to bluff, for instance, because most people won't fold with play money. And you can't learn how to bet someone off, for the same problem. But aren't these problems with inexperienced players and not necessarily play money? I seem to have the same problems in my weekly ring game with friends of all different levels.
Anyway, regardless of what people say, I love my play money bankroll and I'm looking forward to the day I hit $1 million. I'm at $750,000 right now and have been a member since late April. And see you at the suckouts.
In the meantime, I'm working on building my play money bankroll on Pokerroom.com.
So am I just lame for playing play money and taking it seriously, or as seriously as I can? The only difference between my play is I call more all-ins, and with weaker hands, than I would in a real-money tournament.
I believe, for the most part, play money play is fairly strong, especially at the highest level table, where I play. But here are some questions:
• Does playing for play money actually hurt your game, given that others may not take it seriously and are willing to call huge bets with much weaker hands?
• Are there almost as many idiots playing for low level real money than there are people playing for playing at the highest tables? (I would say yes to this question, but I'm curious what others say).
• Can you learn playing play money, and what can you learn? You can't learn how to bluff, for instance, because most people won't fold with play money. And you can't learn how to bet someone off, for the same problem. But aren't these problems with inexperienced players and not necessarily play money? I seem to have the same problems in my weekly ring game with friends of all different levels.
Anyway, regardless of what people say, I love my play money bankroll and I'm looking forward to the day I hit $1 million. I'm at $750,000 right now and have been a member since late April. And see you at the suckouts.
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