Wow, do you still play poker?

Yes, I do! But I haven't played at the casino in a very long time. Truth be told, I haven't played seriously for 5ish years... I entered graduate school in Aug 2009 and haven't seen the inside of a poker room since. Sad, I know. I am reduced to a hodgepodge of low-stakes homegames. For me right now, though, its fine.

Anyway, so I just finished a homegame, and was part of a very interesting hand. It's a $0.25/$0.50 NLH ring game with a $40 table limit. I had ~$80-90 in my stack, and came up as UTG against the Button (villain), who had a comparable stack. The game allowed for straddles UTG.

CO ($80.26)

Villain (Button) ($85.87)

SB ($15.62)

BB ($11.20)

Hero (UTG) ($89.15)

UTG+1 ($40.09)

MP1 ($25.47)

MP2 ($130.38)

MP3 ($34.68)



Preflop: Hero is UTG with 10, 10

Hero straddles $1, 2 folds, MP2 raises to $3, 2 folds, Villain calls $3, 2 folds, Hero raises to $6, MP2 calls $3, Villain calls $3



Flop: ($18.75) 6, 3, 7 (3 players)

Hero bets $15, 1 fold, Villain calls $15



Turn: ($48.75) 7 (2 players)

Hero bets $15, Villain raises to $34.75

Pot odds were a favorable 4.99 to 1, but I just couldn't put the villain on a hand.

So I thought: What could beat me? AA-JJ, 7X, 66, and 33. AA and KK seemed unreasonable because I would expect a player on the button to re-raise. Due to the tightish nature of the villain, 7X seems unlikely, unless it is 77 or A7 suited diamonds. However, I don't think those hands can call my re-raise. 66 seems less likely (because of the re-raise) and 33 seems impossible. So really, I'm expecting QQ or JJ, as they both fit into the betting profile. If that is the case, then I'm only 5% to win.

What could I beat? Lots of things, right? I beat 99,88, 55, 44, 22, AX (save 7s), etc. These hands are still drawing and didn't seem it could stick around amidst all the action. I couldn't see any of these hands playing to the flop, then pushing the turn.

I fold, and Villain shows 99.

Now, I can't help but wonder if I missed something.

Poker; An Interesting Perspective

Wow, I really haven't written since the beginning of the fall Series, eh? Well, just to recap, the only real noteworthy play was when Caesars spread the $5-10 HORSE table. It was a great experience, and I really held my own with the cream-of-the-crop poker players at the boat. I was even in Holdem, I beat Omaha HiLo, got crushed in Razz, but rallied in the Studs. Awesome game; and I hope to play it again soon.

In other news, the "Prodigy" has been doing well lately. It seems that he's come into a bad run lately, but his smallball is getting better, and he's really starting to find his style.

Finally, after playing in so many different situations over the years, I realized one thing this evening during an impromptu; there is nothing like social poker during the holidays! Its full of laughs and good times. Bad beats are funny, not frustrating. It's much more about having a good time then it is winning money. So, my advice to you over the holidays is to take a break from the stresses of competitive poker and play with friends and family!

Thanks to all of you for reading my blog this year! I hope you've had a good run this year; I hope you're up; and I hope that the tables treat you well in the future. See you all next year!

May your rivers be full of boats!

Day 1 2008 WSOP Circuit @ Horseshoe: Walk of Shame

Yesterday (10/3) was the first day of the fall WSOP event at the Horseshoe. All of the conditions were set for a great day at the tables. They opened a new $1-2NLH table and I was one of the first to sit. I was full stacked. There were multiple people sitting at the table with small stacks and white chips. Everything was seemingly perfect... except the cards that were dealt.

Under the gun, I was dealt KsQs. I chose not to raise since the table was new and we had only played a few hands with each other. 2 limp behind me to this guy named "Max," who raises to $10. The guy (herein, cowboy), sitting to the left of Max calls, BB calls, and I call. All others fold to Max. $50 in the pot. Flop comes with a disjoint 3 spades (at the time, I couldn't make out the cards... stupid contacts). I check. Max bets $30. Cowboy re-raises to $60. Quick thinking, I put one of them on a naked As, and the other on a set. I call and Max calls. Turn comes red. I check again. Max bets. Cowboy pushes all-in. I have him covered with the 2nd nut flush, so I call. Max goes into the tank. Once he goes into the tank, everything seems to fall into place. Max has the set and is wondering whether he should draw to the boat. I now begin to think cowboy has a made nut flush, but it's too late. Max folds, and cowboy shows As2s. This, dear friends, is when I go on tilt.

Many of you who I play with know that I don't tilt like the stereotypical "tilter." I don't yell or scream, or call people names. Instead, I focus on you and try to beat you, and you alone. Bad idea. In poker, I've learned that many *perfect storm* situations come up, and you just have to hope that you're on the winning end of the storm. Sometimes you are, sometimes you're not. But, when you're on the bad end of the perfect storm, it's not the fault of the person playing you, nor is it your fault. Instead, it's just the way the cards land. That's it and that's all.

I was on tilt. Learn from my mistake; don't change your gameplan. You still need to play opposites, and play situational poker. Win money regardless of who or where it came from. Cowboy was an aggressive, and instead of playing him tight, I tried to out-aggressive him (is out-aggressive even a viable English phrase?). He was a decent enough player that he knew how to put me to the test. He made the right moves to make me fold the best hand (AK high v. 777), and put all my money in when I had the worst of it (donkey straight v. QQ77). Am I mad at him? No. I'm frustrated that I let one hand throw my game off. I went against a lot of the things that I've wrote about in the past. And, I went into the game knowing that I hadn't played in weeks. My skills are rusty to say the least, and I let myself get away from good, fundamental situational play.

What's the remedy? Well, I think it's twofold. First and foremost, if I want to get back to the level I was at 2 years ago, I need to play more hands. I need to play 3-4 times per week. Maybe I should start going to the freerolls again. Second, I need to get back to fundamental play. Play patiently. Know the situation and play the situation. Play the player. I think my fundamental poker is good, but rusty. If you look at the last sentence in the first paragraph, you'll see my problem. "...except the cards that were dealt..." The cards that are dealt are meaningless. You know that, I know that, and I preach that. Unfortunately for me and my ever-shrinking bankroll, I've reverted to Level 1 Poker. That's ok, though. Now that I know where I am, I can start rebuilding.

A couple of side notes. First, congrats to my new poker friend, "Stone." He has been working on his game for the past 6-7 weeks, and is now starting to reap the benefits. He was out last evening playing $4-8LH and beat the game for about $120. Nicely done!

Also, it seems that the state of KY is attempting to ban online poker. The PPA has sent the following email to all PPA members:

As you know, Kentucky is attempting to seize the domain names of 141 Internet poker and Internet gambling websites. This seizure could result in the state blocking your access to your favorite poker sites! The PPA has been engaged in the fight against this action from the start, and now others are joining the effort.

On Monday, the non-partisan Bluegrass Institute is hosting an "Emergency Summit" in Frankfort to discuss the dangerous and far-reaching implications of the state's action. The PPA and others groups, including the Internet Commerce Association and Americans for Tax Reform, will participate in this important meeting. It is open to the public, so I hope you will attend to show your support for poker and to learn how you will be affected if the state is successful in its action.

When: Monday, October 6th at 1:00 pm

Where: Capital Plaza Hotel – Frankfort
405 Wilkinson Blvd, Frankfort, KY 40601

Who: Bluegrass Institute
The Poker Players Alliance
Internet Commerce Association
Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Assoc.
Americans for Tax Reform

Others expected to participate but not yet confirmed.

RSVP by email: kysummit |at| pokerplayersalliance dot org

The PPA also invites you to attend the court hearing on Tuesday. Several PPA members attended the previous hearing on Sept. 26th, and their presence had a big impact. The hearing is open to the public, so let’s fill the courtroom with poker supporters!

When: Tuesday, October 7th at 9:30am

Where: The Franklin County Courthouse
218 St. Clair Street
Frankfort, KY 40601


I know you are busy, but your attendance at both of these events is important to show Kentucky that we care about our rights. I hope you will join the PPA at these events next week.

For all the latest news and updates, check out this special PPA page: http://pokerplayersalliance.org/special/kentucky-poker

That's all for today. Good luck at the tables!

Poker v. GMAT study

Unfortunately, for now, poker will have to take a backseat to GMAT study. Yes, it's sad, but true. I'm hoping to still average 5 small tournaments per week and focus on HORSE and Kansas City. The real goal is to finish all of my grad school applications by mid October, but play enough online (and select weekends) to be ready for the Fall WSOP at the Horseshoe. We'll see.

As far as *interesting* hands or situations go, I can't remember anything that just sticks out in my head. I broke down and played $2-4-4-8 this past week with my auntie, we'll call her AC. She did well pre-dinner break, but donked off most of her stack post-dinner break. To me, it looked like she got caught up in her cards and not on what others could have which, at the $2-4-4-8, could have been anything. The rest of the regulars were playing $1-2, and one of my buddies had moved up to the $5-10, and I don't think he's good enough to play there, but whatever.

So, for the near future, good luck to everyone on the tables!

FullTilt, PokerStars, PokerTracker and $2-4-4-8

Due to rising gas prices (and the cumbersome antennae on my car), I have been playing almost exclusively online poker this past month. I've been playing mostly SNGs with the occasional MTT (I'm loving that FT $3 + $0.30 Double Stack Turbo Knockout) and cash games (mostly HORSE, O, R, S, E, PLO and a little NLH).

So, first things first: I almost had to reload on FT trying that Chris Ferguson "Challenge" as I call it. Fortunately, the 1-Table SNGs brought me back to respectability.

In other news, I've recently put money on PokerStars. I'm not a fan of their layout selection as compared to FullTilt. Otherwise, it's good. I like the selection of games, especially that 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw... which I'm having an interesting time figuring out. I'm not sure if I rate the players better or worse. They seem more likely to call than fold at the limits I play, which means it's harder to bluff, but easier to trap.

I did see some very interesting play on a PS $5 + $0.50 I recently played. The player in question never preflop raised. NEVER. The player always called preflop, but would bet out on the following streets. I found it hard to play this person because I would have to constantly bet to see where my hand stood. Ultimately, this person busted out, but it was very noteworthy play. IMHO, though, it's bad play because you'd never know where your opponent stood if it was a limp pot and you had a premium hand. Nonetheless, I tried to stay away from that player as much as possible.

I have also acquired a license for the PokerTracker software. I find this software very useful, not so much in playing against other players, but more so for evaluating my own play. Over a sample of several thousand hands in the past month, I've been able to quantify, in real dollars, where the strengths and weaknesses of my game lie. It's great! I only wish that they would come out with a Mac version sooner rather than later. I'd definitely recommend it for your online play.

Lastly, limit hold'em. Ugh. On a recent trip to the new poker room at the Horseshoe, AA convinced me to only play $2-4-4-8 limit hold'em for the evening. If you follow my blog, you'll know about my profound love for limit poker *rolls eyes.* AA, however, was very persuasive, and the $600+ he made the previous evening helped sway my decision. His argument was, that, at the NLH tables, you have to play poker against people of your skill level. You have to make moves, read, evaluate, etc. If however, you play the lowest limit poker, you will, more than likely, be the most skilled player at the table.

So, I decided to try this theory. I got to the poker room and put my name on 2 lists, $1-2 PLO, and the $2-4-4-8. Fortunately, seats always seem to be open on the $2-4-4-8, so I got a table immediately. When I sat down, I kept telling myself what AA's mantra was: "Don't get creative, don't make moves. Just read them and play accordingly." I was actually taken aback by the straight-forwardness of the play. I always knew where I was in the hand when no one else bothered to pay attention. Unfortunately for me, variance took over and I was on the losing end of 1-outers and 4-outers all night long. I left being down a few dollars. In summary, it's a good gameplan if the cards are rolling well for you, though I missed having the ability to charge someone for bad play. It was also hard to keep paying attention to the game because you really couldn't bluff; either you had it or you didn't, and you weren't going to push someone out of the hand for another $8. Conclusion: I'd try it again, especially if I didn't have the time to get *into* a game properly.

First Play at the Horseshoe Southern Indiana

This past weekend was the Caesars/Horseshoe changeover (technically, the Horseshoe's grand opening). The new digs are actually pretty nice; everything is very upscale and has more of a casino-y feel, if that makes sense. After watching a free Barenaked Ladies concert (put on by Horseshoe), AA and I decended to the newly renovated poker floor. Not much changed except the high stakes area "cage" was replaced by a 1/4 wall. Also, at the high stakes tables, there are nicer chairs. On the regular floor, everything else was the same; same tables (33 now, and no blackjack tables), same WSOP chairs, cupholders, quasi-old chips (the Horseshoe chips replaced the Caesars chips some time before the grand opening), and, yes, same donkey players.

With AA and JA (AA's wife) playing slots/roulette the money we received for attending the free concert ($5 each), I sat for 2 dealers at the $1-2 NLH table. The only interesting hand I remember was:

$1-2 NHL
SB - $155
BB - $85
UTG - $500
UTG + 1 - $575
UTG + 2 (Villain) - $350
UTG + 3 - $110
UTG + 4 - $300
UTG + 5 - $700 (maybe 800)
UTG + 6 - $300
CO (Hero) - $200

Hero is dealt QcQs

Blinds post. UTG - UTG + 6 limp for $2. Pot is $17. Hero raises to $15. All fold to Villain, who calls $15. Pot is $47.

Flop - Jc2c9s

Villain checks. Hero bets $30. Villain calls. Pot is $107.

Turn - Ts

Villain checks. Hero bets $70. Villain thinks, then calls. Pot is $247.

River - 8c

Villain pushes all in. Hero folds.

I folded on the river because I came to 2 conclusions: either the villain caught his flush, or he realized the situation, and executed the proper theatrics to bluff properly. I've played against this particular player a few months earlier and I remembered him being fairly weak, so, I ruled out the"making a move" option. Everything else seemed to point to hands that beat me. No sets because I would have expected him to repop the turn, and/or check the river (notice I'm really not giving this guy credit for being able to make moves). JT-J8 were all likely holdings, and they all beat me. All I could really beat was AX - JQ. I think, despite ignoring the pot odds at the end, I made the correct lay-down. I really didn't think he was a sophisticated player, and, he proved it a few times by continuing hands when he knew he was beat, and being caught in errant bluffs (that were not similarly played as compared to this hand).

I showed 1.1 to 1 preflop, 1.6 to 1 on the flop, and 1.5 to 1 on the turn. So, really, unless he had pocket aces preflop, he made mistakes on every street, which is exactly what you hope players do; make mistakes. So long as I keep playing those hands the same way, I'll make money in the long run... or I *hope* to make money in the long run.

In other news, I've picked up the Harrington on Cash Games (HOCG) Vol. 1 & 2. Hopefully, they'll be as good as the HOH series.

Finally, I squandered my Fulltilt winnings and have reloaded. Maybe this time, I'll be able to catch a "Ferguson" run to $10K.

EDIT: PS: 2 new goals. First, earn at least one Fulltilt Iron Man medal by December. Second: Due to the recent success of David Dao (old family friend from childhood days), I'd like to be listed as a ranked player in the player database on Poker Pages.

Hand Analysis Ex Post Facto of Last Evening's Crowbar

Ok, now that I'm not tilting and am fully awake without headache, here is a hand analysis of my bust out last evening.

I sat at the table when it opened. Table limit is $300.

$1-$2 NLH Live Game

Button - $300
SB - $500
BB - $350
UTG - $275
Villain - $192
Hero - $250

Hero is dealt TT

Blinds post. Live straddle from the button for $7. SB, BB, UTG and Villain call $7. Pot is $28. Hero raises to $27. All fold to Villain, who calls. Pot is $75

Flop: 3 9 2, rainbow.

Villain checks, Hero bets $30, Villain calls. Pot is $135

Turn: 7

Villain bets $40. Hero raises to $100. Villain calls. Pot is $335

River: 8

Villain goes all in for $65 more. Hero calls. Villain shows 98os and wins with two pair.

Ok, so first, let's run the numbers. Villain calls a bet with 2-1 pot odds. He is a 2-1 dog to most raise-able drawing hands (AK-AT,KQ-KT,QT-QJ,JT) suited or unsuited, and a 5-1 dog to most raise-able pocket pairs (AA-TT). According to CardPlayer's Poker Odds Calculator, I was 84.87% to win versus his 14.75% with 0.37% tie rating, or a 5.8 - 1 favorite. So, I made my opponent call as a 5.8 - 1 dog, with only 2-1 pot odds; good move for me, bad move for him.

The flop comes and improves his odds. He's now 18.38% to win the hand, so he's improved to be a 4.4-1 dog instead of a 5.8-1 dog. Now, I bet $30 into a $75 pot, $105 total, giving him 3.5 - 1 pot odds. Still a mistake for him to call theoretically, but it's close. Marginal play on my part for letting him in so cheap.

Turn comes 7. The odds are now 7.8-1 for me to win the hand. He bets $40 into $135 pot, $175 total, and showing me 4.3-1 pot odds. A call would also be correct since I'm 7.8-1, but I reraise to $100. This makes the pot $275, and he has to call an extra $60, which is 4.6-1 pot odds. Mistake #2 for Villain.

River, he pushes the rest of his stack, $65, making the pot $400, and showing me 6.1-1 pot odds. As bad as I hated it, I had to call. The pot odds were just too good. No straight or flush possible. I couldn't put him on an overpair, or he would have raised preflop. There was the possibility of a set, but I think he would have fired earlier on the set, as I didn't give him credit for being able to slow play for so long.

So basically, he had 5 wins left in the deck, and he caught one of them. Bad luck for me, but I still think that the pot odds could not be denied. Pros would make this call all day long (I think). The math was correct the whole way. After hitting bingo on me, he totally fell apart, got too aggressive and lost what he took away from me. Maybe I should have reloaded, but I'm trying to save up for some other non-poker events coming up soon. :)

Aside from the numbers, in trying to recall the hand, I realized that I could not remember the flop properly, as in I don't remember the suits nor the third card on the flop. It seem that, contrary to what I have been preaching about "play the player," I need to be able to settle down a bit and focus on the cards again. I feel like I played the player well, but I also need to be able to remember the situation so that I may learn from it. I used to be able to remember every hand I played, along with every street, and every bet. Need to get back there.

Lastly, it was good to see some familiar faces at the tables. One guy, who used to be one of my partners in crime down there had moved back from NY, was there. Also, a couple of the more friendly high stakes players were there (thanks again BB for the candy). It was good to see that they are still rolling well, and were up more than down these days. Man, sometimes I wish I was still living that life. Maybe I will again some day, but nights like last night bring back memories of the stress that came with playing poker for a primary source of income.