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.

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!

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.

Beware! Negreanu-esque blog

(continued from a tweet on 7/6/2008). Actually, I think I'm just tired of hold'em in general. BTW, I know it's been almost a year since my last post, and I had fallen off the wagon a bit poker-wise, but I have been playing. In the past year I've noticed that hold 'em has become more like bingo, especially at the lower limits. There's often no strategy employed at these limits because the people who sit across from you have NO concept of correct play.

I went to the boat on 9/15/07 and found myself at a very juicy $1-2NLH table. People would call with absolutely ridiculous cards, and I was just waiting to bust them. I actually employed a little Hellmuth strategy: PRF with a good hand, C-Bet, when people come over the top, fold to show that you'll fold to a bet. I've seen Hellmuth talk about this technique all of the time; portraying weakness as a set up for a big trap later. Well, I did pulled it off. Doubled through a few people like that at the tables, and in the 2 single table satellites I sat in. Strict conservative poker would have had me lose money, but employing smallball techniques, I didn't have to invest much to pull it off. I am still amazed at the number of donkeys that think they know what they're doing at the tables. I had a guy sit yesterday and tell us about all the "fish" at his other table... and he was only up like $150. Wow. Lots of fish there!

I remember playing the $1-3 NL Hold'em game at Argosy sometime in February '08 (before flying out for my MBA interview at Cornell) while waiting for a spot on a $2-5 NLH table. I was playing very tight to conserve my stack for the big game. I don't remember the exact hand, but I remember making a 10-15xBB PFR with a high suited connector in position (maybe KQ or KJ). One person called. Flop came and I flopped top pair (the other 2 were like a 5-8 or something), rainbow. She checks, I bet 2/3 pot and she calls without hesitation, so I start to think she has 2 pair, middle pair, or a medium pocket par. Turn gives me 2 pair. I fire again (1/2 pot), and she calls. River comes 7, only 2 cards to a flush. I'm not sure where I'm at, so I make a probe bet; like BBx2, only to get reraised. I called because I feel my 2 pair was good because I was only afraid of a set of 5s or 8s. I beat everything else, or so I thought. Apparently, the flop gave the girl a gutshot straight draw, which she caught on the river. Yeah. That's poker, right? The thing that bugs me the most is that she had the gall to say "yeah, I knew he had top pair at least, but sometimes I like to try to hit those." Yes, yes, I know that you want people to do that to you all day long, but it just bugs me that, afterward, she tried to justify her bad play to me. Consequently, I flopped a straight on her only for her to catch a flush at the end. Again, that's poker; I get it. Just save me the soliloquy.

Lately, though, hold 'em feels very much like the same ol' same ol'. I wish that Caesars (which is soon to be the Horseshoe) would spread other games, like an affordable Stud/Stud Hilo game, or more Omaha games. Tonight's session at Caesars was no exception to the usual donk poker at low limits. Nothing noteworthy hand-wise, but just a general reiteration of the wreckless nature of the low limit poker players, be it in limit or no-limit games.

I've been playing a lot of mixed games online such as HORSE/HOSE/HA, and I've recently revived my PokerStars account to try to learn Kansas City (2-7) Lowball Triple Draw. I'm becoming a big fan of 2-7, but I'm still having trouble figuring out the odds and the hand selection. Most recently, I've began to do the Chris Ferguson challenge. The challenge is: build up $10K from scratch by winning freerolls etc. I am now up to an astounding $4.68, mostly by playing mixed games or Omaha freerolls. I'll keep everyone posted as to the results.

Ok, that's all for now!

Card Dead, but Good Laydowns

First, AA, this question is directed to you: WHY THE HELL DO WE PLAY POKER?!?!?!? :)

For you sports fans who don't get it, AA and I have been absolutely card DEAD in hold'em for the past 6 months. What's worse is that my good hands would get beat. For example, I'd get KK early with one caller; flop comes AQX. I bet and get re-raised. Grrrrr. Showed the kings before I folded, and he flashed his ace. I did get AKd and AJs, preflop raised, and everyone folded, so I'd win an amazing $15.

Here's the best laydown of the night. $1-$2NLH - 8 handed, I'm 3rd to act and get dealt JJ. The guy under the gun raises $10. Action to me, I re-raise to $30. All fold to this one guy, who goes all-in for his last $120. The guy next to him, who is the big stack, calls. All fold to UTG, who also calls (and has roughly $45 left). Action to me again. I go into the tank for a minute, and fold. Eventually, UTG goes all in for his last $45. The big stack calls. The first all in-er and the big stack both had AK unsuited, and UTG had QQ. I was dominated. The river came with an A, so the two split the pot. Easy laydown, but good laydown nonetheless.

I sat on 2 tables last night, and play was SUPER tight. Most of you may know that I'm a pretty tight aggressive player, so being at a tight table wasn't helping my game (especially when getting rags). I need to remember that the best way to play a table is to play the opposite of your players, take more chances, etc. There is this new straddle strategy I need to try sometime soon, though it's pretty expensive.

So, even though I donked off a couple hundred, I feel that I reinforced my confidence in being able to read situations properly. This is the beginning of the comeback, so keep posted for updates!