Poker Blog

PokerStars.com

2006-12-04T20:29:00.000-05:00

At least PokerStars is still working with U.S. based bettors!

review for DRAWING DEAD TO A GUTSHOT on PokerNews.com

2006-10-30T20:43:00.000-05:00

Visit
http://www.pokernews.com/news/2006/10/lingo-poker-drawing-dead.htm
to read a review of DRAWING DEAD TO A GUTSHOT: How to Talk Poker.

flop lag

2006-10-10T19:20:00.000-04:00

flop lag is when you get the flop you need one hand too late.
for example, you raise pre-flop with JJ. An ace and a king hit the flop and the action is capped before it gets to you.
on the next hand, a jack hits the flop.

great poker song

2006-09-26T19:31:00.000-04:00

Mr. Gold & Mr. Mudd by Townes Van Zandt -- amazing poker song. I heard it the first time on BootLiquor Radio

http://www.bootliquor.com/

aces are fun

2006-09-26T19:12:00.000-04:00

10/20 limit game; with pocket rockets in the big blind, I 3-bet after an early position player raised and another cold-called. The raiser capped the action and we took the flop 3 handed.
J, 3, 2 and I fired into the pot; the early position pre-flop raiser called, the other player folded. The turn was an ace, I fired again and he called. The river was a blank, I fired, he raised, I re-raised, and he re-raised all-in.
my opponent showed pocket jacks -- he was aggressive pre-flop, hit his hand and lost when I caught up on the turn. lucky for me to win set over set. aces are fun.

NYTimes Sports loves poker

2006-09-10T14:50:00.000-04:00

Karen Crouse, in her column on Sept 10, writes, "Mangini, who won three Super Bowl rings as an assistant under Bill Belichick in New England, brings a poker face to the table. He may like his hand, but his enthusiasm is tempered by the fact that he cannot control the cards that others are holding."

NYTimes loves to talk poker...

NYTimes loves poker

2006-09-10T14:47:00.000-04:00

When you agree to split the money, you split the money. A gambler's word is his bond.
See the story below about Gold... not good news.

September 10, 2006
After the Winning Hand
By MIREYA NAVARRO
LOS ANGELES
JAMIE GOLD should have returned to Hollywood basking in his cool celebrity.
A former talent agent and manager with a respectable list of clients to his credit, he had just embarked on a career as a television producer and was about to start casting for a reality show called “Hottest Mom in America.”
Then four weeks ago, he scored a victory that took him from behind the scenes to center stage: he beat more than 8,700 competitors in Las Vegas to win $12 million in the hottest gambling extravaganza in the country, the World Series of Poker.
But Mr. Gold, 37, did not come home strutting. In fact, he hasn’t come home at all, but has been lying low while struggling with a jackpot-size dose of scandal and the security worries that accompany such a windfall.
It all started in the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, when he took the chip lead on Day 3 of the main event in the poker World Series. Mr. Gold said he was told there had been threats made against him, though neither he nor tournament officials were able to provide much detail.
“People wanted to hurt me or put something in my food because I seemed to be the only thing in the way of other people winning,” he said.
Mr. Gold asked his sponsor, Bodog.com, a Costa Rican-based online gambling company that paid his $10,000 entry fee, to provide security, which it did, in the form of two burly 24-hour bodyguards.
And that was just the beginning of his headaches.
A British television producer, Crispin Leyser, who lives in Los Angeles and trains poker players with his wife, has filed a lawsuit claiming Mr. Gold reneged on a deal to split his winnings, leading a judge in Las Vegas temporarily to freeze half of his $12 million purse.
Then, Mr. Gold’s instant stardom made him a target of gossip blogs, where anonymous postings accused him of exaggerating his Hollywood credentials, much to his chagrin. “Why would I make up my previous life?” he fumed in a recent interview.
UPON his return to Los Angeles, Mr. Gold felt it necessary to hop from hotel to hotel under assumed names, tailed by security guards, still concerned about the murky threats. He hasn’t gone back to his Malibu home (he’s currently visiting his parents in Paramus, N.J.) because neighbors and friends alerted him to “shady characters” lurking around. Paparazzi, perhaps, but Mr. Gold isn’t taking chances.
Mr. Gold, who brought to No-Limit Texas Hold’em his aggressive, talkative style — and his befitting name — chalked it up to his new status as a poker celebrity, which is bound to grow as ESPN broadcasts replays of the tournament through Sept. 26.
“It’s sad what’s happened around me, but I still look at this as a huge accomplishment,” he said last month from his suite at the Raffles L’Ermitage hotel in Beverly Hills, one of his temporary luxury homes. But even in the world of bluffs, high stakes and stare-downs — poker, not Hollywood — Mr. Gold’s travails, and some of his behavior, have left many scratching their heads.
“People were perplexed, and that is still the reaction with the lawsuit and all the other things,” said Gary Thompson, the spokesman for the 37-year-old World Series of Poker, a property of Harrah’s Entertainment.
The security detail, for one thing, certainly raised eyebrows.
Poker players under guard are unusual. “It’s not rock-star land,” said Phil Gordon, a pro player and television analyst who did commentary for ESPN during the World Series. “We don’t travel with our posses.”
After Mr. Gold crushed the competition in the World Series’ main event, he did something even more out of character for a poker winner: he left the money at the cage. World Series officials said that among 873 players who shared in the $82.5 million overall prize, Mr. Gold was the only one to walk away without his money. Mr. Gold, who is single, said he was waiting on tax advisers to recommend the best way to handle the money, the bulk of which he says will go to the care of his father, who suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease.
As late as last week, he was cagey about revealing that he later collected the money, claiming in an interview he had not touched it, though officials at the Rio hotel said he had been wired the uncontested amount of $5,945,000 on Aug. 24.
(Mr. Gold later explained that it has been put in a trust while he deals with the tax issues.)
While marching to his own drummer, Mr. Gold easily fits in today’s poker scene, say some who follow the game. Amateurs now vastly outnumber the pros at tournaments, said Matthew Parvis, managing editor of the poker magazine Bluff, and the new breed of poker player tends to be young, brash and ego-driven.
Mr. Gold, who grew up in New York and New Jersey, said he played cards all his life. His grandfather was a gin rummy champion, but he didn’t think of becoming a serious player until seeing the 1998 movie “Rounders,” in which Matt Damon plays a reformed gambler who returns to high-stakes poker to help a friend pay off a debt.
Up to then, Mr. Gold had worked as a talent agent and manager. In the early 1990’s, he counted James Gandolfini and Jimmy Fallon among his clients, and at one point led his own talent management firms. A year ago he folded his latest firm into Buzznation, a television production company of branded entertainment, and is about to start auditions for “Hottest Mom in America,” a yet-to-be-sold reality show.
Over the last two and a half years, Mr. Gold said, he honed his poker skills at card clubs around Los Angeles, at Las Vegas hotels and in tournaments. He started devoting 30 hours a week to playing and had backers with whom he would split winnings. And he befriended Johnny Chan, who won two World Series tournaments back to back in the late 1980’s and became a mentor.
“He’s an extremely smart person,” said Mr. Chan, 49, who coached Mr. Gold in the latest World Series. “He plays more hands than normal people. He knows his opponents.”
For the World Series of Poker’s main event, Mr. Gold gobbled bowls of blueberries, which he calls his brain food, and took the chip lead early. He held on to it, sitting down at the final table with more than $26 million in chips.
“That’s a testament to his big-stack strategy,” Mr. Gordon, the pro player, said. “Jamie was very proficient on pressuring his opponents to make life-or-death decisions.”
Mr. Gold, who calls himself “an action player,” attributed his victory to the best poker he had ever played, and luck. “I was in this unbelievable zone.”
About 30 friends and family members, including his mother, Jane, 63, watched him win. From the table, Mr. Gold, an only child, made a tearful call to his immobilized father, Robert Gold, 70, a retired dentist.
But soon joy turned into mortification. After spending three days relaxing, Mr. Gold decided to forgo heading home after hearing the reports of strangers in his neighborhood.
Then some newspapers and cable shows picked up the Internet gossip accusing him of padding his résumé. He may have embellished some — for example, he lists as former clients Lucy Liu and Kristin Davis, but the women’s representatives said he was not their point agent even if he worked for their agency. But former colleagues vouch for him.
“He had a great eye for talent and he was really aggressive about developing talent,” said Mark Armstrong of Sanders Armstrong Management, who said he had worked with Mr. Gold when he represented artists like Brandy, Mr. Fallon and Mr. Gandolfini. (Mr. Armstrong now represents Mr. Gandolfini.)
The far more serious allegations, though, came in the lawsuit filed by Mr. Leyser. In his suit, he claims to have met Mr. Gold in Las Vegas in July and that Mr. Gold told him Bodog would give him a seat in the World Series main event if he secured some celebrities to wear Bodog clothing at the tournament. (Mr. Gold wore the logo for Bodog.net, Bodog’s instructional site.)
The suit said the two then agreed that Mr. Leyser would bring in the celebrities — he produced Matthew Lillard, who played Shaggy in the Scooby-Doo movies, and Dax Shepard, a comedian who appeared on MTV’s Punk’d — and that Mr. Gold and Mr. Leyser would split any winnings equally. In a statement, Bodog.com said Mr. Gold was helpful in bringing along poker-playing celebrities and that the company was unaware of any side deal he may have made in obtaining them.
ON Aug. 10, the day Mr. Gold made it to the final table, the suit alleges, Mr. Gold left a telephone message for Mr. Leyser promising “there’s no way anybody will go anywhere with your money.”
Mr. Gold, who has acknowledged that he and Mr. Leyser had been in “discussions” to resolve the dispute before the suit was filed, referred questions about it to his lawyer, Patrick Byrne. Mr. Byrne said he planned to file an answer denying “a majority of the allegations.”
“We don’t believe Mr. Leyser is entitled to any money as a matter of law,” he said.
But if Mr. Leyser prevails, Mr. Gold would be shunned by other players, the poker cognoscenti said. Deals are common among players, many of whom swap percentages of their winnings to guarantee equity even during a losing streak, and verbal agreements are considered ironclad. “It’d be unprecedented not to pay,” Mr. Gordon said of such deals.
Mr. Gold is working on his television show and plans to attend Mr. Chan’s celebrity poker tournament in the Turks and Caicos this week. Under a two-year endorsement deal with Bodog.com, he’ll participate in tournaments, make promotional appearances and work on a $1 million television production deal.
Mr. Gold, who stands to make even more money in endorsements, says he wants to share his good fortune with friends. But his focus, he said, remains in ensuring that his parents are well taken care of and starting a foundation for research on Lou Gehrig’s disease.
“At the end of this I won’t have much more money than when I started,” he said. “I may buy a car or something.”
Of course, he may be bluffing.

Wall Street Journal - Sept 9, 2006 front page casino lingo

2006-09-09T23:25:00.000-04:00

Tipping 'The Weekend Interview' which this week is with George W. Bush, the eyebrow on the front page of The Wall Street Journal reads "George Bush Doubles Down: Paul A. Gigot meets a president who's playing his strongest hand."
The article -- on page A 8, and only available to subscribers online -- says in part:
"Mr. Bush isn't changing his policy or hunkering down in the Oval Office. Instead, he's doubling down, investing whatever scarce political capital he has to frame the November contest as a choice over the economy and taxes and especially over his prosecution of the war on terror...
Mr. Bush will be blamed if Republicans lose [in the November mid-term elections] in any case, so he might as well play his strongest hand to prevent such a result."

Is Mr. Gigot trying to say that Mr. Bush holds a strong hand and is foolishly doubling down? Or that Mr. Bush has been losing but now he's increasing his bets, figuring to get even or get broke? Smart gamblers don't chase losses, so the latter scenario would mean that Mr. Bush isn't a smart gambler. And basic blackjack strategy dictates that a player double down when dealt a relatively weak hand -- one that totals 9, 10 or 11, particularly when the dealer is showing a 6 or lower. A strong hand is when the player is dealt 21, 20 or even 19, especially when the dealer is not showing a face card or an ace; players don't double down on those hands.

So, I'm not sure what Mr. Gigot is trying to say.

One thing I do know: I'd prefer not to trust either Mr. Gigot or Mr. Bush to gamble for me, as it seems that at least one of them isn't too sure how the game is played.

Sunday, Sept 10, 2006 NYTimes crossword poker lingo

2006-09-09T23:19:00.000-04:00

In the Sunday, September 10, 2006 New York Times crossword puzzle, the clue for 122 across is 'Three of a kind, in poker parlance.'
The three letter answer, SET.

NYTimes Sports using poker to talk football

2006-09-02T13:13:00.000-04:00

New York Times writer Karen Crouse equates poker to football in today's column, as she led her Saturday column with the following paragraph:
"While most of the other N.F.L. teams showed their hands, laying down the straights that are their offensive and defensive lines and the face cards that are their receivers and their defensive backs, the Jets approached the final week of the preseason as if they were holding a bad rummy hand."

Ms. Crouse must think the Jets are going to be pretty bad, as it's tough to win at poker when you're playing rummy...

playing the odds heads-up

2006-09-02T12:59:00.000-04:00

OUR HERO is the one to watch. Here, OUR HERO is the chip leader and the action is heads-up in a $55 buy-in Sit-n-Go tourny. Blinds are $300/$600, so the action is fast and furious. Comments in CAPS.

OUR HERO is the button
Total number of players : 2
Seat 6: iUpUrAcei (5474)
Seat 10: OUR HERO (14526)
OUR HERO posts small blind (300)
iUpUrAcei posts big blind (600)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to OUR HERO [ Kh, 8h ]
OUR HERO raises (1500) to 1800 -- HEADS-UP ACTION AND A SUITED KING; GOOD ENOUGH TO RAISE AND TRY TO BUY THE BLINDS, ESPECIALLY WITH POSITION. RAISING TO 1800 FORCES HIM TO CALL 1200 TO PLAY, JUST ENOUGH TO GET HIM TO FOLD MOST HANDS.
iUpUrAcei raises (4874) to 5474
iUpUrAcei is all-In. INTERESTING..... NOW HE'S PUTTING ME TO THE DECISION; IF I CALL AND LOSE, WE'LL BE ABOUT EVEN IN CHIPS; IF I CALL AND WIN, TOURNAMENT'S OVER. HE COULD HAVE ANY PAIR, ANY ACE, ANY KING OR EVEN A HAND LIKE QJ TO MAKE THIS PLAY. I MADE IT 1800, HE RAISED ANOTHER 3600, SO I AM GETTING ABOUT 2 TO 1 POT ODDS TO CALL. IF HE HAS A PAIR OF 7s OR LOWER, HE'S ABOUT A 55 TO 45 FAVORITE; IF HE HAS AN ACE, HE'S THE FAVORITE BUT NOT BY MUCH. I MAY BE AHEAD, TOO. GIVEN THAT I AM GETTING GREAT ODDS AND THAT I CAN'T LOSE THE TOURNAMENT ON THIS HAND, EASY CALL.
OUR HERO calls (3674)
Creating Main Pot with $10948 with iUpUrAcei
** Dealing Flop ** : [ 9h, Kc, 9d ]
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 4h ]
** Dealing River ** : [ 4d ]
** Summary **Main Pot: 10948
Board: [ 9h Kc 9d 4h 4d ]
iUpUrAcei balance 0, lost 5474 [ Jd Ac ] [ two pairs, nines and fours -- Ac,9h,9d,4h,4d ] -- WOW! HE HAD A BIG ACE, AND WAS THE PRE-FLOP FAVORITE. BUT, SINCE I COULD CALL, LOSE THE HAND AND STILL HAVE ABOUT 1/2 THE CHIPS IN PLAY, I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE CALLED EVEN IF I HAD KNOWN HIS CARDS. POTS ODDS WERE PRETTY SOLID. POT ODDS ARE MORE IMPORTANT IN A CASH GAME, BUT SINCE I COULDN'T GET KNOCKED OUT ON THIS HAND, I LOOKED TO THE POT ODDS TO HELP MAKE THIS DECISION.
OUR HERO balance 20000, bet 5474, collected 10948, net +5474 [ Kh 8h ] [ two pairs, kings and nines -- Kh,Kc,9h,9d,8h ]

sniffing out the bluff

2006-08-27T16:56:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, you can just tell your opponent didn't get there. This hand was fun; comments in CAPS; track OUR HERO.
This was the second hand dealt in a $55 buy-in single table tournament, blinds 20/40.
OUR HERO went on to take 1st.

Seat 4 is the button
Total number of players : 10

Seat 2: OUR HERO (2000)

ageah posts small blind (20)
msd21 posts big blind (40)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to OUR HERO [ Kh, Js ]
OUR HERO raises (120) to 120 -- EVERYONE FOLDS TO ME; I'LL MAKE A SMALL RAISE IN LATE POSITION; LET'S GET THE PARTY STARTED!
msd21 calls (80) ONLY THE BIG BLIND WANTS TO PLAY...
** Dealing Flop ** : [ 6s, Jd, 3d ]
msd21 bets (150)
OUR HERO calls (150) INTERESTING; I HIT TOP PAIR, NICE KICKER WITH MY AGGRESSIVE PRE-FLOP RAISE; LET'S SEE WHAT THE TURN BRINGS, AS THOSE DIAMONDS ARE SCARY.
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 6c ]
msd21 bets (250)
OUR HERO calls (250) SHOULD I RAISE OR LET HIM BLUFF THE RIVER?
** Dealing River ** : [ As ]
msd21 bets (600)
OUR HERO calls (600) IF HE'S BLUFFING, I WIN; IF HE ACTUALLY CAUGHT A HAND, I LOSE THE MINIMUM
** Summary **
Main Pot: 2260
Board: [ 6s Jd 3d 6c As ]

OUR HERO balance 3140, bet 1120, collected 2260, net +1140 [ Kh Js ]
[ two pairs, jacks and sixes -- As,Js,Jd,6s,6c ]
msd21 balance 880, lost 1120 [ Td Qd ] [ a pair of sixes -- As,Qd,Jd,6s,6c ] MISSED THE FLUSH AND TRIED TO BUY IT ON THE RIVER. DIDN'T WORK THIS TIME!

out-run by a 10 outer

2006-08-26T11:36:00.000-04:00

Recent $33 buy-in tournament, I was dealt 98 suited in spades on the button. The blinds were 20/40, I limped behind 3 limpers; the big blind raised to 150, and we took the flop 5 handed.
The flop came 5, 6, 7, rainbow [the 7 was a spade] -- I flopped the stone cold nuts, office hours -- a straight from 9 to 5.
The action was checked to me and I bet about 1/2 the pot - $300.
One player called and the turn was the ten of spades. I still had the nuts -- now a ten high straight, and still the best possible hand -- but I also picked up an open-ended straight flush draw. Action was checked to me and I bet about 1/2 the pot -- $600. He check-raised me for all his chips -- about another 1000 (I had him outchipped by about $600) -- and I of course called with the current nuts and the chance to catch the immortals.
He turned over 66 -- he had flopped a set.
The river paired the 10, giving him sixes full and cracking my straight.
On the turn, out of the 44 unseen cards left in the deck (the four cards on board plus my hole cards plus his hole cards is 8 known cards, leaving 44 unknown cards in a 52 card deck), he had 10 outs: any 5, 7, 10 or the case 6. He was about a 3.5 to 1 dog to make his hand, but I'm sure he thought that his set of sixes -- the mark of the beast -- was good and that he didn't need to improve his hand to win. When my hand was turned over, I bet he was pissed, and when the 10 paired, I imagine he about jumped for joy.
Poker -- it's a roller coaster. You can hold the nuts but on the turn of a card, fortunes change hands.

AQ may dominate KQ, but it doesn't always win

2006-08-22T19:11:00.000-04:00

$10/20 limit game with a 1/2 kill, this was a killed pot, so the action was $15/30.
I was in the small blind; the kill poster checked his option, everyone else folded to a middle position player who raised. A late position player called.
I peeped AQ, and felt the raiser was pushing a mediocre hand.
I three-bet, the big blind -- a loose passive player who almost never folded before the flop -- called, as did everyone else.
The flop hit A, Q, J, rainbow.
I led into the pot -- which was swelled with $225 in pre-flop calls -- with my top two pair and everyone called.
The turn was a ten, putting four parts of a straight on board.
I checked, and it was checked to the initial raiser, who bet.
It was folded to me and the big blind was holding chips to call.
I slipped my $30 in to call, knowing I need an A or Q to win the pot, and the big blind did likewise.
The river was a blank, I checked, the big blind checked and the initial pre-flop raiser bet.
I wish I was typing that I made a smart fold and saved a bet, but I called, the big blind folded, and my opponent showed KQ -- a straight.
While my AQ dominated her KQ, she still made a straight and took the pot, and I was still a donkey for paying off the river. On the turn -- getting pot odds of 330 to 30 [11 to 1], and anticipating the big blind's call, which would make the odds 360 to 30 [12 to 1] -- I was getting close to the right price to chase my four out draw [11 to 1 against].
But paying off the river -- dumb mistake.

Side note: my opponent made an aggressive play with KQ pre-flop, but not necessarily a mistake. When I re-raised, she had proper odds to call to see the flop.
On the flop, she had middle pair and a gutshot draw, so her call was smart (calling $15 with $270 in the pot and only one player -- who had only passively called to that point in the hand -- to act behind her). A gutshot is about 11 to 1 against to hit (same odds I later had on the turn when I needed an ace or a queen to make a full house), and the pot was offering odds 18 to 1.
Of course, this gets more complicated if she factors in the likelihood of my holding AK, or another hand containing a king and whether or not the big blind has a king. If either of us holds a king, it would be a split pot, changing the pot odds. If we all have a king, the pot could be split three-ways, changing the pot odds even more!

*******If any of the odds or lingo above is confusing, you need
DRAWING DEAD TO A GUTSHOT: How to Talk Poker (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1569803080/ref=sr_11_1/102-7480320-0644163?ie=UTF8)
and Poker Flash Cards for Texas Hold'Em: Learn the Odds to
(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/097650250X/sr=1-1/qid=1156289481/ref=sr_1_1/102-7480320-0644163?ie=UTF8&s=books).

Tournament Play: Jacks: One example of what NOT to do

2006-08-19T13:13:00.000-04:00

In a recent single table tournament, in the first round of play, three players got all the chips in pre-flop.
With blinds 20/40, an early position player raised to 250. A player in middle position re-raised all of his chips, to 1900. A third player -- chip leader before the hand began -- raised all of his chips, to 2400.
The early position player called all-in.
The hands were turned over: early position player showed AA; middle position player showed KK; late position player turned over JJ.
My thoughts:
I like raising with AA (though I mix it up a little and sometimes just call, and might have raised a smaller amount here; 250 was 6x the big blind...). With KK in middle position, I think you can raise or just call and see the flop; I prefer to raise, but definitely wouldn't raise my entire stack, given the opener's raise to 250. I would have probably raised to 750 -- enough to show you're serious, but also an amount that leaves your options open.
With JJ -- in the first round of the tournament and a player re-raising all-in against an early position raise -- this is a clear fold. At a full table of players in the first round of the tournament, there is no reason to gamble with JJ here, especially considering this hand is likely to play three-handed, not heads-up.
With potential three-way action, even if the jacks are the best hand pre-flop, your two opponents are likely to hold overcards.
A pocket pair versus two overcards will win about 55% of the time in heads-up action.
Pocket jacks look good but, at a full table and playing against a raise and a re-raise, there's no reason to risk your tournament -- especially not in the first round, and especially when you start the hand as the chip leader!!

more lingo

2006-08-17T20:26:00.000-04:00

Fido - a king with a 9 ('canine')

noodles - a pair of 9s

kibitzer - a player who talks a lot

quackers - 2s ('ducks')

read Roy Cooke, improve your limit poker

2006-08-17T20:22:00.000-04:00

If you haven't, check out Roy Cooke's columns in Cardplayer.com (www.cardplayer.com); great column, great poker insight, particularly for limit players.
Here's a link to a recent column:
http://www.cardplayer.com/magazine/article/15582

straight on the turn, but the river helped the fish

2006-08-12T14:37:00.000-04:00

First round of a $70 + 7 SNG on Party; this one didn't work out too well, though I ended up taking 3rd place. Track OUR HERO in the summary below.

Blinds 20/40.
Seat 5 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 1: Streaker2006 (1975)
Seat 2: maxbettor (1720)
Seat 3: Cottondaisy (2631)
Seat 4: OUR HERO (1860)
Seat 5: DAVY1TN (2690)
Seat 6: jozxyqkq (1400)
Seat 7: barleelegal (2100)
Seat 8: goingtowpt (1995)
Seat 9: cantab (1769)
Seat 10: ih8txhldm (1860)
jozxyqkq posts small blind (20)
barleelegal posts big blind (40)
** Dealing down cards
**Dealt to OUR HERO [ 9d, Jd ]
goingtowpt folds.
cantab calls (40)
ih8txhldm folds.
Streaker2006 folds.
maxbettor folds.
Cottondaisy calls (40)
pokergirl804 calls (40) SUITED ON THE BUTTON - FUN!
DAVY1TN calls (40)
jozxyqkq calls (20)
barleelegal checks.
** Dealing Flop ** : [ Tc, Td, Qd ]
jozxyqkq checks.
barleelegal checks.
cantab bets (140)
Cottondaisy folds.
OUR HERO calls (140) OPEN-ENDED STRAIGHT FLUSH DRAW -- very fun!!
DAVY1TN calls (140)
jozxyqkq calls (140)
barleelegal folds.
** Dealing Turn ** : [ Ks ]
jozxyqkq checks.
cantab checks.
OUR HERO bets (475) Hit my hand, might as well try to make some money!
DAVY1TN folds.
jozxyqkq calls (475)
cantab calls (475) Two callers?! Hmmm... am I drawing dead?
** Dealing River ** : [ 6c ]
jozxyqkq checks.
cantab checks.
OUR HERO checks. No sense betting and letting a better hand check-raise; my hand is strong enough to show down here, I don't need to try to maximize when I might be crushed...
** Summary **Main Pot: 2225
Board: [ Tc Td Qd Ks 6c ]

OUR HERO balance 1205, lost 655 [ 9d Jd ] [ a straight, nine to king -- Ks,Qd,Jd,Tc,9d ]
jozxyqkq balance 2970, bet 655, collected 2225, net +1570 [ 6h Th ] [ a full house, Tens full of sixes -- Th,Tc,Td,6h,6c ]. HUH! He did have the full house, but caught on the river... I probably would have called a small-to-medium sized bet, but thanks for the free showdown.

cantab balance 1114, lost 655 [ Qh Js ] [ two pairs, queens and tens -- Ks,Qh,Qd,Tc,Td ]. what were you thinking?! Paired board and three-way action, possible straights and full houses out there -- bad play, bad play.

Lots of lingo for "Jack"

2006-08-11T17:14:00.000-04:00

Dy-No-Mite - JJ from "Good Times"
Fishhook
Hector - the Jack of diamonds
Hogier - the Jack of spades
Hook
Jackal
J-Boy
John
Knave
La Hire - Jack of hearts
Lancelot - Jack of clubs
Trout Line - four jacks (four fishhooks)
Valet

An Inconvenient Truth

2006-08-06T15:59:00.000-04:00

Saw An Inconvenient Truth last night; definitely makes you think. The way things are going, the oceans will rise 20 feet, which will put the Hudson River on Canal Street. Every thing we can do to reduce carbon emmisions can make a difference, and we have to act now, before things get even worse. Last week's heat wave may be just a glimpse of what's coming if we don't get involved and protect the health of the earth.But Kermit was wrong -- it is easy being green, or at least being greener. Every little bit can help.

Visit http://www.conedsolutions.com for info on how you can make a difference by switching your power to a greener solution, see An Inconvenient Truth for more ideas and think about the consequences of inaction. We have one planet, and won't get a second chance.
Spread the word.
Save the world.

Visit www.climatecrisis.net for more information.

more lingo

2006-08-06T12:16:00.000-04:00

Hunter's Hand - pocket deuces when in the big blind ('ducks in the blind')

Play Sheriff - to call your opponents in hopes of catch a bluff.

Buy DRAWING DEAD TO A GUTSHOT: How to Talk Poker, available wherever books are sold, including Barnes & Noble!
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&isbn=1569803080&itm=1

Gorillas in the BB!

2006-08-05T15:07:00.000-04:00

Short-stacked player goes all-in with A7s, another player calls with AJ, hero PokerGirl804 re-raises all in from the BB with KK, the AJ limper calls (wow! what a bad call here!!) and Kings hold up to win a monster pot!!

Table Table 112794 (Real Money) -- Seat 8 is the button
Total number of players : 6
Seat 2: pokergirl804 (2478)
Seat 3: jafrye111 (7095)
Seat 5: Cpt_Yzrmn (3780)
Seat 6: Swedenstar (2751)
Seat 8: hunters___72 (1721)
Seat 9: AtticusAA (2175)
AtticusAA posts small blind (100)
pokergirl804 posts big blind (200)
** Dealing down cards
**Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Kh, Kc ]
jafrye111 raises (1143) to 1143
Cpt_Yzrmn folds.
Swedenstar folds.
hunters___72 raises (1721) to 1721
hunters___72 is all-In.
AtticusAA folds.
pokergirl804 raises (2278) to 2478
pokergirl804 is all-In.
jafrye111 calls (1335)
Creating Main Pot with $5263 with hunters___72
Creating Side Pot 1 with $1514 with pokergirl804
** Dealing Flop ** : [ 8d, 7d, Td ]
** Dealing Turn ** : [ Ts ]
** Dealing River ** : [ 4s ]
** Summary **
Main Pot: 5263
Side Pot 1: 1514
Board: [ 8d 7d Td Ts 4s ]
pokergirl804 balance 6777, bet 2478, collected 6777, net +4299 [ Kh Kc ]
[ two pairs, kings and tens -- Kh,Kc,Td,Ts,8d ]
jafrye111 balance 4617, lost 2478 [ Ad Js ] [ a pair of tens -- Ad,Js,Td,Ts,8d ]
hunters___72 balance 0, lost 1721 [ 7s As ] [ two pairs, tens and sevens -- As,Td,Ts,7s,7d ]

short-stacked, desperate play works

2006-08-05T15:01:00.000-04:00

getting short stacked, and felt it was time to make a move; got lucky when K7 outran an ace... PokerGirl804 is the hero...

Table Table 112794 (Real Money) -- Seat 2 is the button
Total number of players : 6
Seat 2: pokergirl804 (1189)
Seat 3: jafrye111 (7484)
Seat 5: Cpt_Yzrmn (1690)
Seat 6: Swedenstar (4541)
Seat 8: hunters___72 (2521)
Seat 9: AtticusAA (2575)
jafrye111 posts small blind (100)
Cpt_Yzrmn posts big blind (200)
** Dealing down cards
**Dealt to pokergirl804 [ 7d, Kc ]
Swedenstar folds.hunters___72 folds.
AtticusAA folds.
pokergirl804 raises (1189) to 1189 "M" is 4, and the chance to open on the button; no time like right now to try to make a move.
pokergirl804 is all-In.
jafrye111 calls (1089) oops - didn't want called!
Cpt_Yzrmn folds.
Creating Main Pot with $2578 with pokergirl804
** Dealing Flop ** : [ 6d, 5d, 3d ] Any K or diamond and this works out OK
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 4h ]
** Dealing River ** : [ Kd ] King AND Diamond - excellent!!
** Summary **Main Pot: 2578
Board: [ 6d 5d 3d 4h Kd ]
pokergirl804 balance 2578, bet 1189, collected 2578, net +1389 [ 7d Kc ] [ a flush, king high -- Kd,7d,6d,5d,3d ]
jafrye111 balance 6295, lost 1189 [ 9h Ah ] [ high card ace -- Ah,Kd,9h,6d,5d ]

99 v 22

2006-08-05T14:56:00.000-04:00

this mutt got cute with 22 and hit; he went on to take 4th, while hero Pokergirl804 snagged 3rd... karma came around!

Table Table 112794 (Real Money) -- Seat 7 is the buttonTotal number of players : 8
Seat 2: pokergirl804 (1790)
Seat 3: jafrye111 (521)
Seat 5: Cpt_Yzrmn (2250)
Seat 6: Swedenstar (3891)
Seat 7: BARNEY_2 (2490)
Seat 8: hunters___72 (4158)
Seat 9: AtticusAA (2870)
Seat 10: MadMan_22 (2030)
hunters___72 posts small blind (30)
AtticusAA posts big blind (60)
** Dealing down cards
**Dealt to pokergirl804 [ 9h, 9d ]
MadMan_22 folds.pokergirl804 raises (120) to 120
jafrye111 raises (521) to 521
jafrye111 is all-In.
Cpt_Yzrmn folds.
Swedenstar folds.
BARNEY_2 folds.
hunters___72 folds.
AtticusAA folds.
pokergirl804 calls (401)
Creating Main Pot with $1132 with jafrye111
** Dealing Flop ** : [ Td, As, 5c ]
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 4d ]
** Dealing River ** : [ 2s ]
** Summary **Main Pot: 1132
Board: [ Td As 5c 4d 2s ]
pokergirl804 balance 1269, lost 521 [ 9h 9d ] [ a pair of nines -- As,Td,9h,9d,5c ]
jafrye111 balance 1132, bet 521, collected 1132, net +611 [ 2h 2c ]
[ three of a kind, twos -- As,Td,2h,2c,2s ]

Aces are fun

2006-08-02T19:20:00.000-04:00

from a recent $33 buy-in SNG; PokerGirl804 is the hero; went on to finish 2nd.

Table Tailgate Party (Real Money)
-- Seat 9 is the button
Total number of players : 7
Seat 2: demon4203 (2849)
Seat 3: pokergirl804 (1710)
Seat 4: CTB333 (3706)
Seat 5: Blue_LabelA (1680)
Seat 7: tophat1 (901)
Seat 8: TIZLAW (3570)
Seat 9: bayballer1 (5584)
demon4203 posts small blind (50)
pokergirl804 posts big blind (100)
** Dealing down cards
**Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Ah, As ] --EXCELLENT! Bullets in the big blind!
CTB333 calls (100)
Blue_LabelA folds.
tophat1 raises (901) to 901 --Action!!
tophat1 is all-In.
TIZLAW folds.
bayballer1 folds.
demon4203 folds.
pokergirl804 calls (801) -- I HAVE HIM COVERED AND I HAVE THE BEST HAND -- HOW CAN I FOLD ?!
CTB333 folds.
Creating Main Pot with $1952 with tophat1
** Dealing Flop ** : [ Tc, Jc, 7s ]
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 2d ]
** Dealing River ** : [ 3d ]
** Summary **Main Pot: 1952 Board: [ Tc Jc 7s 2d 3d ]

pokergirl804 balance 2761, bet 901, collected 1952, net +1051 [ Ah As ] [ a pair of aces -- Ah,As,Jc,Tc,7s ]

tophat1 balance 0, lost 901 [ 9s Jd ] [ a pair of jacks -- Jd,Jc,Tc,9s,7s ] -- ALL-IN PRE-FLOP WITH JACK-9 -- MAYBE HE WAS LATE FOR AN APPOINTMENT, BECAUSE THIS WAS A DONKEY MOVE.

more lingo

2006-08-02T19:11:00.000-04:00

Get Smart - a pair of nines ('Agent 99')

Montana Banana - a nine with a 2. Bananas will grow in Montana before you'll win with nine deuce.

Railroad Bible - a deck of cards. "I always carry a Railroad Bible with me," he said as he pulled out a fresh deck of Bicycle Riderback Poker Playing Cards.
[Visit the U.S. Playing Card Company, makers of Bicycles here: http://www.usplayingcard.com/]

Visit Gambler's Book Shop at http://www.gamblersbook.com/ to pre-order a copy of DRAWING DEAD TO A GUTSHOT: How to Talk Poker now!

great poker site/blog

2006-08-02T19:05:00.000-04:00

I spend too much time at the poker tables to keep up with all my poker reading, but this is great site for poker players: www.identitytheory.com/poker.
There's lots of great content, and more than just poker stuff, too. It's a great outlet.
Check it out.

more lingo

2006-08-02T18:48:00.000-04:00

Billy Dee Williams - a five with a four ("Colt .45, works everytime" was Billy Dee's catch phrase in their popular ad campaign).

DRAWING DEAD TO A GUTSHOT: How to Talk Poker - In Bookstores Everywhere, September 2006. It's the poker lingo you need to know to talk like a pro!

fun little KK hand

2006-08-01T20:11:00.000-04:00

This is a fun little hand; PokerGirl804 is the hero with KK.
Opponent flops a set with QQ, but PokerGirl804 sucks out and catches a runner-runner flush...
History below. PokerGirl804 goes on to take 2nd place.

Sat Jul 29 14:35:35 EDT 2006
Table Table 112741 (Real Money) -- Seat 4 is the button
Total number of players : 6
Seat 2: liondore (1852)
Seat 3: rsavage (9292)
Seat 4: MarkKathy (1392)
Seat 5: LennyG55 (1132)
Seat 7: MVMJJ2 (3582)
Seat 8: pokergirl804 (2750)
LennyG55 posts small blind (100)
MVMJJ2 posts big blind (200)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Kh, Ks ]
pokergirl804 calls (200)
liondore folds.rsavage raises (500) to 500
MarkKathy folds.
LennyG55 folds.
MVMJJ2 folds.
pokergirl804 raises (1300) to 1500
rsavage raises (8792) to 9292
rsavage is all-In.pokergirl804 calls (1250)
pokergirl804 is all-In.
Creating Main Pot with $5800 with pokergirl804
Creating Side Pot 1 with $6542 with rsavage
** Dealing Flop ** : [ 2s, Qh, Jh ]
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 7h ]
** Dealing River ** : [ Ah ]
** Summary **Main Pot: 5800
Side Pot 1: 6542
Board: [ 2s Qh Jh 7h Ah ]

rsavage balance 6542, bet 9292, collected 6542, lost -2750 [ Qc Qd ]
[ three of a kind, queens -- Ah,Qc,Qd,Qh,Jh ]

pokergirl804 balance 5800, bet 2750, collected 5800, net +3050 [ Kh Ks ] [ a flush, ace high -- Ah,Kh,Qh,Jh,7h ]

more lingo

2006-08-01T20:05:00.000-04:00

Biscuit - a chip

Pass the Sherbert to Herbert - to award a player a pot.

Bullets Hold Up & Go On To Win

2006-06-03T22:21:00.000-04:00

Second hand of an SNG; picked up the Eyes of Texas, got two players all-in, and my bullets held. Tripled up and went on to take first place.

1st place - pokergirl804 - $150
2nd place - warchief - $90
3rd place - StallionDL - $60

*****40/80 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 24454152) - Sat Jun 03 12:37:17 EDT 2006T
able Table 95330 (Real Money) -- Seat 7 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 1: vqcttnhvyn (2000)
Seat 2: pokergirl804 (2000)
Seat 3: warchief (2000)
Seat 4: greena (2000)
Seat 5: bramkajka (1875)
Seat 6: smoody24 (1875)
Seat 7: quicknl69 (1980)
Seat 8: StallionDL (2270)
Seat 9: suited83 (2000)
Seat 10: fattiemaggie (2000)
StallionDL posts small blind (20)
suited83 posts big blind (40)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Ac, Ah ]
fattiemaggie calls (40)
vqcttnhvyn folds.
pokergirl804 raises (200) to 200
warchief folds.
greena raises (2000) to 2000
greena is all-In.
bramkajka folds.
smoody24 calls (1875)
smoody24 is all-In.
quicknl69 folds.
StallionDL folds.
suited83 folds.
fattiemaggie folds.
pokergirl804 calls (1800)
pokergirl804 is all-In.
Creating Main Pot with $5725 with smoody24
Creating Side Pot 1 with $250 with pokergirl804,greena
** Dealing Flop ** : [ Ad, 4s, Tc ]
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 4d ]
** Dealing River ** : [ 4c ]
** Summary **Main Pot: 5725
Side Pot 1: 250
Board: [ Ad 4s Tc 4d 4c ]
vqcttnhvyn balance 2000, didn't bet (folded)
pokergirl804 balance 5975, bet 2000, collected 5975, net +3975 [ Ac Ah ] [ a full house, Aces full of fours -- Ac,Ah,Ad,4s,4d,4c ]
warchief balance 2000, didn't bet (folded)
greena balance 0, lost 2000 [ As Kd ] [ a full house, Fours full of aces -- As,Ad,4s,4d,4c ]
bramkajka balance 1875, didn't bet (folded)
smoody24 balance 0, lost 1875 [ Qc Qh ] [ a full house, Fours full of queens -- Qc,Qh,4s,4d,4c ]quicknl69 balance 1980, didn't bet (folded)
StallionDL balance 2250, lost 20 (folded)
suited83 balance 1960, lost 40 (folded)
fattiemaggie balance 1960, lost 40 (folded)

30 + 3 SNG on Party

2006-05-30T23:28:00.000-04:00

Here's how PokerGirl played a recent 30 + 3 on Party. Comments in ALL CAPS. Sorry about formatting.
Enjoy.

Summary ---------- Played on : 27 April 2006 06:11 PM On Table : Out Of Control Game Type : Texas Holdem Buy-In : $30 Fee : $3 You finished in position 1 1st place - pokergirl804 - $150 2nd place - tommyh8687 - $90 3rd place - Richie33 - $60 ***** Hand History for Game 4110875340 ***** 40/80 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:11:28 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 6 is the button Total number of players : 10 Seat 1: Nat1665 (2000) Seat 2: checksplay1 (2000) Seat 3: Drow_ (2000) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (2000) Seat 5: Richie33 (2000) Seat 6: usmc7257 (2000) Seat 7: AGNESK (2000) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (2000) Seat 9: timeshark (2000) Seat 10: tomorrowday (2000) AGNESK posts small blind (20) tommyh8687 posts big blind (40) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ 5c, 8d ] timeshark folds. tomorrowday folds. Nat1665 folds. checksplay1 folds. Drow_ folds. pokergirl804 raises (80) to 80 FIRST HAND OF THE TOURNY AND EVERYONE FOLDS TO ME.... Richie33 folds. usmc7257 calls (80) AGNESK calls (60) tommyh8687 folds. ** Dealing Flop ** : [ 4d, Ks, 5s ] AGNESK checks. pokergirl804 bets (120) I GOT A PIECE, MIGHT AS WELL REPRESENT THE KING usmc7257 folds. AGNESK folds. ** Summary ** Main Pot: 400 Board: [ 4d Ks 5s ] Nat1665 balance 2000, didn't bet (folded) checksplay1 balance 2000, didn't bet (folded) Drow_ balance 2000, didn't bet (folded) pokergirl804 balance 2200, bet 200, collected 400, net +200 AND IT BEGINS!!! Richie33 balance 2000, didn't bet (folded) usmc7257 balance 1920, lost 80 (folded) AGNESK balance 1920, lost 80 (folded) tommyh8687 balance 1960, lost 40 (folded) timeshark balance 2000, didn't bet (folded) tomorrowday balance 2000, didn't bet (folded) ***** Hand History for Game 4110898247 ***** 40/80 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:14:06 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 10 is the button Total number of players : 10 Seat 1: Nat1665 (1960) Seat 2: checksplay1 (2345) Seat 3: Drow_ (2000) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (2200) Seat 5: Richie33 (2000) Seat 6: usmc7257 (1980) Seat 7: AGNESK (1920) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (1615) Seat 9: timeshark (1940) Seat 10: tomorrowday (2040) Nat1665 posts small blind (20) checksplay1 posts big blind (40) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ 4d, Ad ] Drow_ folds. pokergirl804 calls (40) SUITED ACE; I'LL LIMP Richie33 folds. usmc7257 folds. AGNESK folds. tommyh8687 folds. timeshark folds. tomorrowday raises (180) to 180 Nat1665 folds. checksplay1 folds. pokergirl804 folds. OUT OF POSITION AND HEADS-UP; I'LL JUST LAY THIS DOWN ** Summary ** Main Pot: 280 Nat1665 balance 1940, lost 20 (folded) checksplay1 balance 2305, lost 40 (folded) Drow_ balance 2000, didn't bet (folded) pokergirl804 balance 2160, lost 40 (folded) Richie33 balance 2000, didn't bet (folded) usmc7257 balance 1980, didn't bet (folded) AGNESK balance 1920, didn't bet (folded) tommyh8687 balance 1615, didn't bet (folded) timeshark balance 1940, didn't bet (folded) tomorrowday balance 2140, bet 180, collected 280, net +100 ***** Hand History for Game 4110910300 ***** 40/80 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:15:28 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 2 is the button Total number of players : 10 Seat 1: Nat1665 (1940) Seat 2: checksplay1 (2285) Seat 3: Drow_ (2100) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (2120) Seat 5: Richie33 (1960) Seat 6: usmc7257 (1980) Seat 7: AGNESK (1920) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (1615) Seat 9: timeshark (1940) Seat 10: tomorrowday (2140) Drow_ posts small blind (20) pokergirl804 posts big blind (40) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ 9c, 8c ] Richie33 folds. usmc7257 raises (120) to 120 AGNESK folds. tommyh8687 folds. timeshark folds. tomorrowday folds. Nat1665 folds. checksplay1 calls (120) Drow_ folds. pokergirl804 calls (80) THREE WAY ACTION; I'LL DEFEND MY BLIND ** Dealing Flop ** : [ Jd, 2s, Tc ] pokergirl804 bets (200) OPEN STRAIGHT DRAW; I'LL BET, SEE WHAT'S WHAT usmc7257 raises (400) to 400 INTERESTING.... checksplay1 raises (2165) to 2165 UH-OH... NOT GOOD FOR ME checksplay1 is all-In. pokergirl804 folds. usmc7257 calls (1460) usmc7257 is all-In. ** Dealing Turn ** : [ Qc ] DAMN, I WOULD HAVE MADE MY HAND! ** Dealing River ** : [ Ah ] Creating Main Pot with $4300 with usmc7257 Creating Side Pot 1 with $305 with checksplay1 ** Summary ** Main Pot: 4300 Side Pot 1: 305 Board: [ Jd 2s Tc Qc Ah ] Nat1665 balance 1940, didn't bet (folded) checksplay1 balance 2455, bet 2285, collected 2455, net +170 [ Jh As ] [ two pairs, aces and jacks -- As,Ah,Qc,Jh,Jd ] Drow_ balance 2080, lost 20 (folded) pokergirl804 balance 1800, lost 320 (folded) Richie33 balance 1960, didn't bet (folded) usmc7257 balance 2150, bet 1980, collected 2150, net +170 [ Ad Js ] [ two pairs, aces and jacks -- Ad,Ah,Qc,Js,Jd ] AGNESK balance 1920, didn't bet (folded) tommyh8687 balance 1615, didn't bet (folded) timeshark balance 1940, didn't bet (folded) tomorrowday balance 2140, didn't bet (folded) ***** Hand History for Game 4110932478 ***** 40/80 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:17:54 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 5 is the button Total number of players : 10 Seat 1: Nat1665 (1940) Seat 2: checksplay1 (2455) Seat 3: Drow_ (2080) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (1780) Seat 5: Richie33 (1900) Seat 6: usmc7257 (2110) Seat 7: AGNESK (1780) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (1615) Seat 9: timeshark (2200) Seat 10: tomorrowday (2140) usmc7257 posts small blind (20) AGNESK posts big blind (40) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Ad, Kc ] LOVE IT!! tommyh8687 folds. timeshark folds. tomorrowday raises (80) to 80 I AM THE BUTTON, AND YOU ARE RAISING... YOU FISH Nat1665 folds. checksplay1 folds. Drow_ folds. pokergirl804 raises (300) to 300 MIGHT AS WELL MAKE A STATEMENT HERE... Richie33 folds. usmc7257 calls (280) AGNESK folds. tomorrowday calls (220) ** Dealing Flop ** : [ 6d, Ks, 9h ] GREAT FLOP (I HOPE!) usmc7257 checks. tomorrowday checks. pokergirl804 bets (600) NO SENSE FOOLING AROUND; I'M BETTING usmc7257 folds. tomorrowday folds. ** Summary ** Main Pot: 1540 Board: [ 6d Ks 9h ] Nat1665 balance 1940, didn't bet (folded) checksplay1 balance 2455, didn't bet (folded) Drow_ balance 2080, didn't bet (folded) pokergirl804 balance 2420, bet 900, collected 1540, net +640 Richie33 balance 1900, didn't bet (folded) usmc7257 balance 1810, lost 300 (folded) AGNESK balance 1740, lost 40 (folded) tommyh8687 balance 1615, didn't bet (folded) timeshark balance 2200, didn't bet (folded) tomorrowday balance 1840, lost 300 (folded)

***** Hand History for Game 4110953741 ***** 40/80 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:20:11 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 8 is the button Total number of players : 10 Seat 1: Nat1665 (1940) Seat 2: checksplay1 (2455) Seat 3: Drow_ (2080) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (2420) Seat 5: Richie33 (1900) Seat 6: usmc7257 (2460) Seat 7: AGNESK (1090) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (1695) Seat 9: timeshark (2160) Seat 10: tomorrowday (1800) timeshark posts small blind (20) tomorrowday posts big blind (40) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Js, 8s ] SUITED JACK, NOT GREAT, BUT INTERESTING... Nat1665 folds. checksplay1 raises (80) to 80 NOW THAT'S A SMALL RAISE Drow_ folds. pokergirl804 calls (80) I HAVE POSITION AND WANT TO SEE A FLOP Richie33 calls (80) usmc7257 folds. AGNESK folds. tommyh8687 folds. timeshark folds. tomorrowday calls (40) ** Dealing Flop ** : [ 7s, 3c, 8c ] TOP PAIR, INTERESTING tomorrowday bets (60) checksplay1 raises (245) to 245 HMMM... OVERPAIR? pokergirl804 raises (430) to 430 I'LL RAISE HERE, SEE WHERE I'M AT Richie33 folds. tomorrowday folds. checksplay1 raises (2130) to 2375 I'M IN TROUBLE checksplay1 is all-In. pokergirl804 folds. TOO EARLY TO BUST OUT WITH A PAIR OF 8 Creating Main Pot with $3205 with checksplay1 ** Summary ** Main Pot: 3205 Board: [ 7s 3c 8c ] Nat1665 balance 1940, didn't bet (folded) checksplay1 balance 3205, bet 2455, collected 3205, net +750 Drow_ balance 2080, didn't bet (folded) pokergirl804 balance 1910, lost 510 (folded) Richie33 balance 1820, lost 80 (folded) usmc7257 balance 2460, didn't bet (folded) AGNESK balance 1090, didn't bet (folded) tommyh8687 balance 1695, didn't bet (folded) timeshark balance 2140, lost 20 (folded) tomorrowday balance 1660, lost 140 (folded) ***** Hand History for Game 4110965432 ***** 60/120 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:21:27 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 10 is the button Total number of players : 10 Seat 1: Nat1665 (1900) Seat 2: checksplay1 (3205) Seat 3: Drow_ (2080) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (1910) Seat 5: Richie33 (1820) Seat 6: usmc7257 (2460) Seat 7: AGNESK (1150) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (1695) Seat 9: timeshark (2140) Seat 10: tomorrowday (1640) Nat1665 posts small blind (30) checksplay1 posts big blind (60) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ 6d, 6s ] VERY PLAYABLE Drow_ folds. pokergirl804 calls (60) LET'S SEE A FLOP Richie33 calls (60) usmc7257 folds. AGNESK folds. tommyh8687 folds. timeshark folds. tomorrowday folds. Nat1665 calls (30) checksplay1 checks. ** Dealing Flop ** : [ 8h, 7s, 2c ] NOT GREAT, NOT BAD Nat1665 checks. checksplay1 checks. pokergirl804 checks. WOULDN'T MIND SEEING THE TURN, PICKING UP A DRAW Richie33 bets (248) Nat1665 folds. checksplay1 folds. pokergirl804 folds. TOO RICH FOR MY BLOOD ** Summary ** Main Pot: 488 Board: [ 8h 7s 2c ] Nat1665 balance 1840, lost 60 (folded) checksplay1 balance 3145, lost 60 (folded) Drow_ balance 2080, didn't bet (folded) pokergirl804 balance 1850, lost 60 (folded) Richie33 balance 2000, bet 308, collected 488, net +180 usmc7257 balance 2460, didn't bet (folded) AGNESK balance 1150, didn't bet (folded) tommyh8687 balance 1695, didn't bet (folded) timeshark balance 2140, didn't bet (folded) tomorrowday balance 1640, didn't bet (folded)

***** Hand History for Game 4110978098 ***** 60/120 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:22:48 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 2 is the button Total number of players : 10 Seat 1: Nat1665 (1840) Seat 2: checksplay1 (3115) Seat 3: Drow_ (2020) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (1850) Seat 5: Richie33 (2000) Seat 6: usmc7257 (2460) Seat 7: AGNESK (1150) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (1695) Seat 9: timeshark (2140) Seat 10: tomorrowday (1730) Drow_ posts small blind (30) pokergirl804 posts big blind (60) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Qh, Qs ] I LOVE QQ IN THE BLIND Richie33 calls (60) usmc7257 folds. AGNESK raises (120) to 120 HMMM... A MIN RAISE... tommyh8687 folds. timeshark folds. tomorrowday folds. Nat1665 folds. checksplay1 folds. Drow_ folds. pokergirl804 raises (420) to 480 I'M NOT PLAYING AROUND; QQ IS VULNERABLE AND MY POSITION SUCKS Richie33 folds. AGNESK raises (720) to 840 REALLY? I'M HAPPY FOR THE ACTION pokergirl804 raises (720) to 1200 LET'S PUT YOU ALL IN AGNESK calls (310) AGNESK is all-In. Creating Main Pot with $2390 with AGNESK ** Dealing Flop ** : [ 9c, 9s, 5d ] ** Dealing Turn ** : [ 5c ] ** Dealing River ** : [ Ks ] ** Summary ** Main Pot: 2390 Side Pot 1: 50 Board: [ 9c 9s 5d 5c Ks ] Nat1665 balance 1840, didn't bet (folded) checksplay1 balance 3115, didn't bet (folded) Drow_ balance 1990, lost 30 (folded) pokergirl804 balance 3090, bet 1200, collected 2440, net +1240 [ Qh Qs ] [ two pairs, queens and nines -- Ks,Qh,Qs,9c,9s ] Richie33 balance 1940, lost 60 (folded) usmc7257 balance 2460, didn't bet (folded) AGNESK balance 0, lost 1150 [ Th Jh ] [ two pairs, nines and fives -- Ks,9c,9s,5d,5c ] SUITED JT? YOU WENT ALL-IN -- THIS EARLY IN THE TOURNY AND AGAINST ONLY ONE OPPONENT -- WITH SUITED JT? THANKS FOR THE GIFT!! tommyh8687 balance 1695, didn't bet (folded) timeshark balance 2140, didn't bet (folded) tomorrowday balance 1730, didn't bet (folded) ***** Hand History for Game 4110986741 ***** AGNESK finished in tenth place. 60/120 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:23:45 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 3 is the button Total number of players : 9 Seat 1: Nat1665 (1840) Seat 2: checksplay1 (3115) Seat 3: Drow_ (1990) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (3090) Seat 5: Richie33 (1940) Seat 6: usmc7257 (2460) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (1695) Seat 9: timeshark (2140) Seat 10: tomorrowday (1730) pokergirl804 posts small blind (30) Richie33 posts big blind (60) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Qs, 2d ] WHAT CRAP usmc7257 folds. tommyh8687 folds. timeshark folds. tomorrowday folds. Nat1665 folds. checksplay1 folds. Drow_ folds. pokergirl804 calls (30) NO CALLERS; LET'S SEE A FLOP Richie33 checks. ** Dealing Flop ** : [ 9d, 3c, 2s ] I GOT A PIECE; I'LL BET THE MIN pokergirl804 bets (60) Richie33 folds. THANKS FOR THE POT ** Summary ** Main Pot: 180 Board: [ 9d 3c 2s ] Nat1665 balance 1840, didn't bet (folded) checksplay1 balance 3115, didn't bet (folded) Drow_ balance 1990, didn't bet (folded) pokergirl804 balance 3150, bet 120, collected 180, net +60 Richie33 balance 1880, lost 60 (folded) usmc7257 balance 2460, didn't bet (folded) tommyh8687 balance 1695, didn't bet (folded) timeshark balance 2140, didn't bet (folded) tomorrowday balance 1730, didn't bet (folded) ***** Hand History for Game 4110991757 ***** 60/120 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:24:17 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 4 is the button Total number of players : 9 Seat 1: Nat1665 (1840) Seat 2: checksplay1 (3115) Seat 3: Drow_ (1990) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (3150) Seat 5: Richie33 (1880) Seat 6: usmc7257 (2460) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (1695) Seat 9: timeshark (2140) Seat 10: tomorrowday (1730) Richie33 posts small blind (30) usmc7257 posts big blind (60) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ 8c, 5c ] SUITED ON THE BUTTON WITH NO RAISE? I'M PLAYING tommyh8687 folds. timeshark calls (60) tomorrowday folds. Nat1665 folds. checksplay1 folds. Drow_ folds. pokergirl804 calls (60) Richie33 calls (30) usmc7257 checks. ** Dealing Flop ** : [ 3h, 3c, Th ] OH WELL; THAT ONE DIDN'T WORK OUT Richie33 bets (60) usmc7257 calls (60) timeshark raises (120) to 120 pokergirl804 folds. Richie33 folds. usmc7257 calls (60) ** Dealing Turn ** : [ 6h ] usmc7257 checks. timeshark bets (60) usmc7257 raises (500) to 500 timeshark calls (440) ** Dealing River ** : [ Kc ] usmc7257 bets (800) timeshark raises (1460) to 1460 timeshark is all-In. usmc7257 calls (660) Creating Main Pot with $4460 with timeshark ** Summary ** Main Pot: 4460 Board: [ 3h 3c Th 6h Kc ] Nat1665 balance 1840, didn't bet (folded) checksplay1 balance 3115, didn't bet (folded) Drow_ balance 1990, didn't bet (folded) pokergirl804 balance 3090, lost 60 (folded) Richie33 balance 1760, lost 120 (folded) usmc7257 balance 320, lost 2140 [ 2h 8h ] [ a flush, ten high -- Th,8h,6h,3h,2h ] tommyh8687 balance 1695, didn't bet (folded) timeshark balance 4460, bet 2140, collected 4460, net +2320 [ Kd Kh ] [ a full house, Kings full of threes -- Kd,Kh,Kc,3h,3c ] tomorrowday balance 1730, didn't bet (folded)

***** Hand History for Game 4111086918 ***** tomorrowday finished in eighth place. 100/200 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:33:58 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 8 is the button Total number of players : 7 Seat 1: Nat1665 (2465) Seat 2: checksplay1 (2580) Seat 3: Drow_ (2255) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (2970) Seat 5: Richie33 (1455) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (4005) Seat 9: timeshark (4270) timeshark posts small blind (50) Nat1665 posts big blind (100) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ 5c, 7c ] NOT A GREAT HAND, BUT BLINDS ARE WORTH STEALING checksplay1 folds. Drow_ folds. pokergirl804 raises (200) to 200 MIN RAISE CAN SCARE PEOPLE... Richie33 folds. tommyh8687 folds. timeshark folds. Nat1665 calls (100) ** Dealing Flop ** : [ Kc, 6d, 9s ] Nat1665 checks. pokergirl804 bets (250) CONTINUATION BET Nat1665 folds. ** Summary ** Main Pot: 700 Board: [ Kc 6d 9s ] Nat1665 balance 2265, lost 200 (folded) checksplay1 balance 2580, didn't bet (folded) Drow_ balance 2255, didn't bet (folded) pokergirl804 balance 3220, bet 450, collected 700, net +250 Richie33 balance 1455, didn't bet (folded) tommyh8687 balance 4005, didn't bet (folded) timeshark balance 4220, lost 50 (folded)

***** Hand History for Game 4111108950 ***** 100/200 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:36:07 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 1 is the button Total number of players : 7 Seat 1: Nat1665 (4019) Seat 2: checksplay1 (2480) Seat 3: Drow_ (601) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (3220) Seat 5: Richie33 (1455) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (4005) Seat 9: timeshark (4220) checksplay1 posts small blind (50) Drow_ posts big blind (100) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ As, Ac ] NOW WE'RE TALKING! pokergirl804 calls (100) FIRST TO ACT, I WANT ACTION, EVEN THOUGH IT MIGHT COST ME Richie33 folds. tommyh8687 folds. timeshark folds. Nat1665 folds. checksplay1 calls (50) Drow_ checks. ** Dealing Flop ** : [ 5s, Kc, 3h ] checksplay1 checks. Drow_ bets (501) GOOD! MAYBE YOU HAVE A KING Drow_ is all-In. pokergirl804 calls (501) OF COURSE I CALL WITH THE ACES checksplay1 folds. ** Dealing Turn ** : [ Qd ] ** Dealing River ** : [ 5d ] Creating Main Pot with $1302 with Drow_ ** Summary ** Main Pot: 1302 Board: [ 5s Kc 3h Qd 5d ] Nat1665 balance 4019, didn't bet (folded) checksplay1 balance 2380, lost 100 (folded) Drow_ balance 0, lost 601 [ 2c 3d ] [ two pairs, fives and threes -- Kc,5s,5d,3d,3h ] WOW - YOU HAD A THREE -- YOU FISH!!! pokergirl804 balance 3921, bet 601, collected 1302, net +701 [ As Ac ] [ two pairs, aces and fives -- As,Ac,Kc,5s,5d ] Richie33 balance 1455, didn't bet (folded) tommyh8687 balance 4005, didn't bet (folded) timeshark balance 4220, didn't bet (folded) ***** Hand History for Game 4111114504 ***** Drow_ finished in seventh place. 100/200 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:36:39 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 2 is the button Total number of players : 6 Seat 1: Nat1665 (4019) Seat 2: checksplay1 (2380) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (3921) Seat 5: Richie33 (1455) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (4005) Seat 9: timeshark (4220) pokergirl804 posts big blind (100) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ 7s, 7d ] THIS IS PLAYABLE, AND I AM IN THE BIG BLIND Richie33 folds. tommyh8687 folds. timeshark folds. Nat1665 folds. checksplay1 folds. ** Summary ** Main Pot: 100 Nat1665 balance 4019, didn't bet (folded) checksplay1 balance 2380, didn't bet (folded) pokergirl804 balance 3921, bet 100, collected 100, net +0 NO ACTION; DAMN Richie33 balance 1455, didn't bet (folded) tommyh8687 balance 4005, didn't bet (folded) timeshark balance 4220, didn't bet (folded)

***** Hand History for Game 4111132049 ***** 100/200 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:38:24 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 8 is the button Total number of players : 6 Seat 1: Nat1665 (3694) Seat 2: checksplay1 (2380) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (3921) Seat 5: Richie33 (1880) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (4005) Seat 9: timeshark (4120) timeshark posts small blind (50) Nat1665 posts big blind (100) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ As, Ks ] SUITED AK IS A GREAT! checksplay1 folds. pokergirl804 raises (350) to 350 NO SENSE PLAYING AROUND Richie33 folds. tommyh8687 folds. timeshark folds. Nat1665 folds. ** Summary ** Main Pot: 500 Nat1665 balance 3594, lost 100 (folded) checksplay1 balance 2380, didn't bet (folded) pokergirl804 balance 4071, bet 350, collected 500, net +150 THERE ARE WORSE RESULTS THAN WINNING THE BLINDS Richie33 balance 1880, didn't bet (folded) tommyh8687 balance 4005, didn't bet (folded) timeshark balance 4070, lost 50 (folded)

***** Hand History for Game 4111161417 ***** 100/200 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:41:21 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 9 is the button Total number of players : 5 Seat 1: Nat1665 (3444) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (3971) Seat 5: Richie33 (1780) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (6785) Seat 9: timeshark (4020) Nat1665 posts small blind (50) pokergirl804 posts big blind (100) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Td, 8h ] NOT BAD FOR A BLIND HAND Richie33 folds. tommyh8687 folds. timeshark raises (300) to 300 I THINK YOU ARE STEALING Nat1665 folds. pokergirl804 calls (200) I WILL SEE A FLOP ** Dealing Flop ** : [ 6d, 4d, 5s ] I HAVE A GUTSHOT DRAW pokergirl804 checks. timeshark checks. INTERESTING... I THINK YOU HAVE OVERCARDS AND WANT TO FOLD ** Dealing Turn ** : [ 5c ] pokergirl804 bets (200) DO YOU WANT TO FOLD? timeshark folds. THANK YOU! ** Summary ** Main Pot: 850 Board: [ 6d 4d 5s 5c ] Nat1665 balance 3394, lost 50 (folded) pokergirl804 balance 4321, bet 500, collected 850, net +350 Richie33 balance 1780, didn't bet (folded) tommyh8687 balance 6785, didn't bet (folded) timeshark balance 3720, lost 300 (folded)

***** Hand History for Game 4111194985 ***** timeshark finished in fifth place. 200/400 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:44:49 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 8 is the button Total number of players : 4 OK NEXT PLAYER OUT IS BUMMING... Seat 1: Nat1665 (7664) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (4271) I HAVE THE 3RD BIGGEST STACK Seat 5: Richie33 (1580) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (6485) Nat1665 posts small blind (100) pokergirl804 posts big blind (200) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ 5s, 4s ] SUITED CONNECTORS IN THE BLIND; LOVE IT Richie33 folds. tommyh8687 folds. Nat1665 calls (100) pokergirl804 checks. ** Dealing Flop ** : [ 4c, Qh, 9c ] I HIT A PAIR AND I HAVE POSITION Nat1665 bets (200) pokergirl804 raises (600) to 600 I WILL REPRESENT THE QUEEN Nat1665 folds. THANK YOU! ** Summary ** Main Pot: 1200 Board: [ 4c Qh 9c ] Nat1665 balance 7264, lost 400 (folded) pokergirl804 balance 4671, bet 800, collected 1200, net +400 Richie33 balance 1580, didn't bet (folded) tommyh8687 balance 6485, didn't bet (folded) ***** Hand History for Game 4111199146 ***** 200/400 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:45:15 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 1 is the button Total number of players : 4 Seat 1: Nat1665 (7264) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (4671) Seat 5: Richie33 (1580) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (6485) pokergirl804 posts small blind (100) Richie33 posts big blind (200) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Kh, Qd ] I LIKE THIS HAND tommyh8687 folds. Nat1665 raises (725) to 725 I DON'T LIKE IT THAT MUCH! pokergirl804 folds. Richie33 folds. ** Summary ** Main Pot: 1025 Nat1665 balance 7564, bet 725, collected 1025, net +300 pokergirl804 balance 4571, lost 100 (folded) Richie33 balance 1380, lost 200 (folded) tommyh8687 balance 6485, didn't bet (folded) ***** Hand History for Game 4111203443 ***** 200/400 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:45:42 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 4 is the button Total number of players : 4 Seat 1: Nat1665 (7564) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (4571) Seat 5: Richie33 (1380) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (6485) Richie33 posts small blind (100) tommyh8687 posts big blind (200) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Ah, 7d ] FOUR WAY ACTION, THIS IS PLAYABLE Nat1665 folds. pokergirl804 raises (800) to 800 FIRST ONE IN THE POT, I RAISE Richie33 folds. tommyh8687 folds. ** Summary ** Main Pot: 1100 Nat1665 balance 7564, didn't bet (folded) pokergirl804 balance 4871, bet 800, collected 1100, net +300 Richie33 balance 1280, lost 100 (folded) tommyh8687 balance 6285, lost 200 (folded) ***** Hand History for Game 4111205162 ***** 200/400 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:45:53 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 5 is the button Total number of players : 4 Seat 1: Nat1665 (7564) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (4871) Seat 5: Richie33 (1280) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (6285) tommyh8687 posts small blind (100) Nat1665 posts big blind (200) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ 5d, 5c ] FOUR WAY ACTION, ANY PAIR IS PRETTY HOT pokergirl804 raises (800) to 800 BUT I'D RATHER WIN WITHOUT A FLOP Richie33 folds. tommyh8687 folds. Nat1665 folds. ** Summary ** Main Pot: 1100 Nat1665 balance 7364, lost 200 (folded) pokergirl804 balance 5171, bet 800, collected 1100, net +300 Richie33 balance 1280, didn't bet (folded) tommyh8687 balance 6185, lost 100 (folded)

***** Hand History for Game 4111209772 ***** 200/400 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:46:21 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 1 is the button Total number of players : 4 Seat 1: Nat1665 (7564) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (4971) Seat 5: Richie33 (1280) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (6185) pokergirl804 posts small blind (100) Richie33 posts big blind (200) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Td, Kd ] SUITED BROADWAY CARDS ARE FUN (THOUGH DANGEROUS) tommyh8687 folds. Nat1665 raises (625) to 625 BUTTON RAISE; I THINK YOU HAVE A NAKED ACE AND ARE STEALING pokergirl804 calls (525) Richie33 folds. ** Dealing Flop ** : [ 3d, Jc, 8d ] NO ACE ON THE FLOP AND I HAVE A FLUSH DRAW, I BET pokergirl804 bets (500) Nat1665 folds. GREAT RESULT; AND, I WILL CALL YOUR PRE-FLOP RAISES IN THE FUTURE AND BET THE FLOP B/C NOW I KNOW YOU WILL FOLD ** Summary ** Main Pot: 1950 Board: [ 3d Jc 8d ] Nat1665 balance 6939, lost 625 (folded) pokergirl804 balance 5796, bet 1125, collected 1950, net +825 Richie33 balance 1080, lost 200 (folded) tommyh8687 balance 6185, didn't bet (folded)

***** Hand History for Game 4111234930 ***** 200/400 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:49:02 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 5 is the button Total number of players : 4 Seat 1: Nat1665 (4649) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (5296) Seat 5: Richie33 (5345) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (4710) tommyh8687 posts small blind (100) Nat1665 posts big blind (200) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Ad, 5d ] FOUR WAY ACTION, ANY ACE IS PRETTY STRONG pokergirl804 raises (800) to 800 Richie33 folds. tommyh8687 folds. Nat1665 folds. ** Summary ** Main Pot: 1100 Nat1665 balance 4449, lost 200 (folded) pokergirl804 balance 5596, bet 800, collected 1100, net +300 Richie33 balance 5345, didn't bet (folded) tommyh8687 balance 4610, lost 100 (folded) ***** Hand History for Game 4111237339 ***** 200/400 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:49:17 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 8 is the button Total number of players : 4 Seat 1: Nat1665 (4449) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (5596) Seat 5: Richie33 (5345) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (4610) Nat1665 posts small blind (100) pokergirl804 posts big blind (200) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Ac, Js ] FOUR WAY ACTION, AJ IS VERY STRONG Richie33 folds. tommyh8687 folds. Nat1665 raises (725) to 825 YOU'VE PULLED THIS CRAP BEFORE, I THINK YOU HAVE VERY LITTLE pokergirl804 raises (2300) to 2500 LET'S TEST YOU Nat1665 folds. GOOD READ ** Summary ** Main Pot: 3325 Nat1665 balance 3624, lost 825 (folded) pokergirl804 balance 6421, bet 2500, collected 3325, net +825 Richie33 balance 5345, didn't bet (folded) tommyh8687 balance 4610, didn't bet (folded) ***** Hand History for Game 4111241435 ***** 200/400 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:49:43 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 1 is the button Total number of players : 4 Seat 1: Nat1665 (3624) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (6421) Seat 5: Richie33 (5345) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (4610) pokergirl804 posts small blind (100) Richie33 posts big blind (200) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Ks, Js ] SUITED KJ - I LIKE IT tommyh8687 folds. Nat1665 raises (625) to 625 I HAVE A READ ON YOU; I WILL DEFINITELY PLAY pokergirl804 calls (525) Richie33 folds. ** Dealing Flop ** : [ Qc, 7h, Ts ] I FLOPPED THE OPEN-STRAIGHT DRAW pokergirl804 bets (500) Nat1665 folds. THIS IS A PATTERN THAT I LIKE... ** Summary ** Main Pot: 1950 Board: [ Qc 7h Ts ] Nat1665 balance 2999, lost 625 (folded) pokergirl804 balance 7246, bet 1125, collected 1950, net +825 Richie33 balance 5145, lost 200 (folded) tommyh8687 balance 4610, didn't bet (folded)

***** Hand History for Game 4111263042 ***** 200/400 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:52:02 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 4 is the button Total number of players : 4 Seat 1: Nat1665 (3299) Seat 4: pokergirl804 (6312) Seat 5: Richie33 (4295) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (6094) Richie33 posts small blind (100) tommyh8687 posts big blind (200) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Kc, 4c ] Nat1665 folds. pokergirl804 raises (800) to 800 FOUR WAY ACTION WITH A SUITED KING ON THE BUTTON AND ONE PLAYER FOLDED; THIS IS A RAISING HAND NOW Richie33 folds. tommyh8687 folds. ** Summary ** Main Pot: 1100 Nat1665 balance 3299, didn't bet (folded) pokergirl804 balance 6612, bet 800, collected 1100, net +300 Richie33 balance 4195, lost 100 (folded) tommyh8687 balance 5894, lost 200 (folded)

***** Hand History for Game 4111272751 ***** Nat1665 finished in fourth place. OK --- I MADE THE MONEY 200/400 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:53:05 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 8 is the button Total number of players : 3

***** Hand History for Game 4111296625 ***** 400/800 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:55:34 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 8 is the button Total number of players : 3 Seat 4: pokergirl804 (4612) Seat 5: Richie33 (5795) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (9593) pokergirl804 posts small blind (200) Richie33 posts big blind (400) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Td, Qh ] tommyh8687 folds. pokergirl804 raises (600) to 800 BLINDS ARE BIG AND MY STACK IS GETTING SMALL; CAN'T JUST SIT AND WAIT Richie33 raises (800) to 1200 UH-OH pokergirl804 calls (400) ** Dealing Flop ** : [ 5c, 3d, 5d ] pokergirl804 checks. Richie33 checks. INTERESTING ** Dealing Turn ** : [ 6c ] pokergirl804 bets (1600) CAN I STEAL THIS? Richie33 folds. ** Summary ** Main Pot: 4000 Board: [ 5c 3d 5d 6c ] pokergirl804 balance 5812, bet 2800, collected 4000, net +1200 Richie33 balance 4595, lost 1200 (folded) tommyh8687 balance 9593, didn't bet (folded)

***** Hand History for Game 4111304469 ***** 400/800 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:56:25 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 5 is the button Total number of players : 3 Seat 4: pokergirl804 (5812) Seat 5: Richie33 (4395) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (9793) tommyh8687 posts small blind (200) pokergirl804 posts big blind (400) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ 4d, Ah ] Richie33 folds. tommyh8687 folds. ** Summary ** Main Pot: 600 pokergirl804 balance 6012, bet 400, collected 600, net +200 Richie33 balance 4395, didn't bet (folded) tommyh8687 balance 9593, lost 200 (folded) ***** Hand History for Game 4111305702 ***** 400/800 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:56:33 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 8 is the button Total number of players : 3 Seat 4: pokergirl804 (6012) Seat 5: Richie33 (4395) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (9593) pokergirl804 posts small blind (200) Richie33 posts big blind (400) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ 8s, Kc ] THREE WAY ACTION; NOT A BAD HAND tommyh8687 folds. pokergirl804 raises (1400) to 1600 BUTTON FOLDS, WE'RE HEADS-UP, MAYBE I CAN BUY THE BLINDS Richie33 raises (3995) to 4395 SHIT. Richie33 is all-In. pokergirl804 calls (2795) THIS IS A BAD CALL, THE WORST DECISION I'VE MADE THIS TOURNY, BUT IF I LOSE, I STILL HAVE CHIPS Creating Main Pot with $8790 with Richie33 ** Dealing Flop ** : [ Th, Qd, Ks ] YES! TOP PAIR ** Dealing Turn ** : [ 6h ] ** Dealing River ** : [ 9d ] ** Summary ** Main Pot: 8790 Board: [ Th Qd Ks 6h 9d ] pokergirl804 balance 10407, bet 4395, collected 8790, net +4395 [ 8s Kc ] [ a pair of kings -- Kc,Ks,Qd,Th,9d ] Richie33 balance 0, lost 4395 [ Ad 5d ] [ high card ace -- Ad,Ks,Qd,Th,9d ] OK THAT WAS LUCKY, BUT YOU HAVE TO GET LUCKY ONCE tommyh8687 balance 9593, didn't bet (folded) ***** Hand History for Game 4111309138 ***** Richie33 finished in third place and won $60. 400/800 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:56:56 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 4 is the button Total number of players : 2 Seat 4: pokergirl804 (10407) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (9593) pokergirl804 posts small blind (200) tommyh8687 posts big blind (400) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Jc, 8s ] pokergirl804 calls (200) tommyh8687 checks. ** Dealing Flop ** : [ Js, Ac, 7h ] MIDDLE PAIR tommyh8687: gj tommyh8687: gl tommyh8687 checks. pokergirl804: ty pokergirl804 bets (800) tommyh8687 calls (800) INTERESTING... ** Dealing Turn ** : [ 9c ] tommyh8687 checks. pokergirl804 checks. ** Dealing River ** : [ Th ] tommyh8687 bets (1625) HMMM... I HAVE A STRAIGHT, I THINK IT'S GOOD pokergirl804 raises (3250) to 3250 HOW MUCH CAN I GET FROM YOU? tommyh8687 calls (1625) ** Summary ** Main Pot: 8900 Board: [ Js Ac 7h 9c Th ] pokergirl804 balance 14857, bet 4450, collected 8900, net +4450 [ Jc 8s ] [ a straight, seven to jack -- Jc,Th,9c,8s,7h ] tommyh8687 balance 5143, lost 4450 [ 9s Ts ] [ two pairs, tens and nines -- Ac,Ts,Th,9s,9c ]
et 1125, collected 1525, net +400

***** Hand History for Game 4111317998 ***** 400/800 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:57:52 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 4 is the button Total number of players : 2 Seat 4: pokergirl804 (14457) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (5543) pokergirl804 posts small blind (200) tommyh8687 posts big blind (400) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Ac, Kd ] EXCELLENT! pokergirl804 calls (200) I WILL JUST CALL; I WANT YOU TO RAISE B/C I AM SHOWING WEAKNESS tommyh8687 raises (5143) to 5543 WOW! YOU BET ALL-IN tommyh8687 is all-In. pokergirl804 calls (5143) Creating Main Pot with $11086 with tommyh8687 ** Dealing Flop ** : [ 2h, 2s, 8d ] ** Dealing Turn ** : [ 7d ] ** Dealing River ** : [ 9s ] ** Summary ** Main Pot: 11086 Board: [ 2h 2s 8d 7d 9s ] pokergirl804 balance 14457, bet 5543, collected 5543, net +0 [ Ac Kd ] [ a pair of twos -- Ac,Kd,9s,2h,2s ] tommyh8687 balance 5543, bet 5543, collected 5543, net +0 [ Ad Kc ] [ a pair of twos -- Ad,Kc,9s,2h,2s ] OH - WE HAVE THE SAME HAND

***** Hand History for Game 4111325504 ***** 400/800 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:58:38 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 8 is the button Total number of players : 2 Seat 4: pokergirl804 (13857) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (6143) tommyh8687 posts small blind (200) pokergirl804 posts big blind (400) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ 9s, Ts ] tommyh8687 calls (200) pokergirl804 raises (1200) to 1600 I WILL RAISE B/C I HAVE MORE CHIPS AND YOU ARE SHOWING WEAKNESS tommyh8687 folds. ** Summary ** Main Pot: 2000 pokergirl804 balance 14257, bet 1600, collected 2000, net +400 tommyh8687 balance 5743, lost 400 (folded)

***** Hand History for Game 4111330710 ***** 400/800 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 18:59:08 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 4 is the button Total number of players : 2 Seat 4: pokergirl804 (14257) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (5743) pokergirl804 posts small blind (200) tommyh8687 posts big blind (400) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Jh, Tc ] THIS COULD BE INTERESTING pokergirl804 calls (200) tommyh8687 checks. ** Dealing Flop ** : [ 9s, Th, Qh ] MIDDLE PAIR AND AN OPEN DRAW tommyh8687 checks. pokergirl804 bets (800) tommyh8687 raises (5343) to 5343 I HAVE A 3 TO 1 CHIP LEAD, AND POSSIBLY THE BEST HAND, I CAN'T FOLD tommyh8687 is all-In. pokergirl804 calls (4543) ** Dealing Turn ** : [ Jd ] ** Dealing River ** : [ 8d ] Creating Main Pot with $11486 with tommyh8687 ** Summary ** Main Pot: 11486 Board: [ 9s Th Qh Jd 8d ] pokergirl804 balance 14257, bet 5743, collected 5743, net +0 [ Jh Tc ] [ a straight, eight to queen -- Qh,Jh,Tc,9s,8d ] tommyh8687 balance 5743, bet 5743, collected 5743, net +0 [ 9h Js ] [ a straight, eight to queen -- Qh,Js,Th,9h,8d ] OH - WE HAVE THE SAME HAND -- AGAIN!!

***** Hand History for Game 4111343168 ***** 400/800 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 19:00:18 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 4 is the button Total number of players : 2 Seat 4: pokergirl804 (13257) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (6743) pokergirl804 posts small blind (200) tommyh8687 posts big blind (400) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Td, 8d ] SUITED... I LIKE IT AND I AM A CHIP BULLY pokergirl804 raises (1400) to 1600 tommyh8687 folds. ** Summary ** Main Pot: 2000 pokergirl804 balance 13657, bet 1600, collected 2000, net +400 tommyh8687 balance 6343, lost 400 (folded)

***** Hand History for Game 4111350770 ***** 400/800 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 19:00:57 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 8 is the button Total number of players : 2 Seat 4: pokergirl804 (13657) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (6343) tommyh8687 posts small blind (200) pokergirl804 posts big blind (400) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Qc, Ac ] DEFINITELY A MONSTER HEADS-UP tommyh8687 raises (6143) to 6343 REALLY??!! tommyh8687 is all-In. pokergirl804 calls (5943) LET'S GAMBLE!! Creating Main Pot with $12686 with tommyh8687 ** Dealing Flop ** : [ 5h, Th, 8d ] ** Dealing Turn ** : [ Jd ] ** Dealing River ** : [ Qh ] ** Summary ** Main Pot: 12686 Board: [ 5h Th 8d Jd Qh ] pokergirl804 balance 7314, lost 6343 [ Qc Ac ] [ a pair of queens -- Ac,Qc,Qh,Jd,Th ] tommyh8687 balance 12686, bet 6343, collected 12686, net +6343 [ Ad Kd ] [ a straight, ten to ace -- Ad,Kd,Qh,Jd,Th ] SHIT -- HE HAD AK -- OF COURSE.

***** Hand History for Game 4111359756 ***** 400/800 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 19:01:43 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 4 is the button Total number of players : 2 Seat 4: pokergirl804 (6914) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (13086) pokergirl804 posts small blind (200) tommyh8687 posts big blind (400) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ 8d, 7d ] HAVE TO BE AGGRESSIVE AND GET SOME CHIPS pokergirl804 raises (1400) to 1600 tommyh8687 folds. ** Summary ** Main Pot: 2000 pokergirl804 balance 7314, bet 1600, collected 2000, net +400 tommyh8687 balance 12686, lost 400 (folded) ***** Hand History for Game 4111361877 ***** 400/800 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 19:01:54 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 8 is the button Total number of players : 2 Seat 4: pokergirl804 (7314) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (12686) tommyh8687 posts small blind (200) pokergirl804 posts big blind (400) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ 3d, Ks ] tommyh8687 calls (200) pokergirl804 raises (6914) to 7314 ALL-IN PUTS A LOT OF PRESSURE ON HIM, AND K3 IS A 50.5% FAVORITE TO WIN VERSUS A RANDOM HAND; I'LL TAKE THAT SMALL EDGE RIGHT NOW. pokergirl804 is all-In. tommyh8687 folds. Creating Main Pot with $7714 with pokergirl804 ** Summary ** Main Pot: 7714 pokergirl804 balance 7714, bet 7314, collected 7714, net +400 tommyh8687 balance 12286, lost 400 (folded) ***** Hand History for Game 4111364029 ***** 400/800 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 19:02:05 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 4 is the button Total number of players : 2 Seat 4: pokergirl804 (7714) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (12286) pokergirl804 posts small blind (200) tommyh8687 posts big blind (400) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Ts, Qs ] SUITED BROADWAY CARDS; FUN. pokergirl804 raises (1400) to 1600 LET'S GAMBLE! tommyh8687 calls (1200) ** Dealing Flop ** : [ 9c, 4h, Ac ] tommyh8687 checks. pokergirl804 bets (3000) GIVEN THAT I RAISED, CAN YOU BELIEVE I HAVE AN ACE? tommyh8687 folds. ** Summary ** Main Pot: 6200 Board: [ 9c 4h Ac ] pokergirl804 balance 9314, bet 4600, collected 6200, net +1600 PULLING MY STACK CLOSER TO EVEN tommyh8687 balance 10686, lost 1600 (folded) ***** Hand History for Game 4111367731 ***** 400/800 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 19:02:24 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 8 is the button Total number of players : 2 Seat 4: pokergirl804 (9314) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (10686) tommyh8687 posts small blind (200) pokergirl804 posts big blind (400) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Js, Qs ] SUITED AGAIN tommyh8687 calls (200) pokergirl804 raises (8914) to 9314 PUTTING ON THE PRESSURE pokergirl804 is all-In. tommyh8687 folds. Creating Main Pot with $9714 with pokergirl804 ** Summary ** Main Pot: 9714 pokergirl804 balance 9714, bet 9314, collected 9714, net +400 tommyh8687 balance 10286, lost 400 (folded) ***** Hand History for Game 4111370515 ***** 400/800 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 19:02:38 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 4 is the button Total number of players : 2 Seat 4: pokergirl804 (9714) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (10286) pokergirl804 posts small blind (200) tommyh8687 posts big blind (400) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ 3s, Qc ] LET'S SEE A FLOP pokergirl804 calls (200) tommyh8687 checks. ** Dealing Flop ** : [ Qs, 6h, 7h ] TOP PAIR tommyh8687 checks. pokergirl804 bets (400) MIN BET, KEEP YOU IN IT tommyh8687 calls (400) ** Dealing Turn ** : [ 7d ] UH-OH. DO YOU HAVE A 7? tommyh8687 checks. pokergirl804 bets (400) IF YOU RAISE, I PROBABLY FOLD tommyh8687 calls (400) ** Dealing River ** : [ 3c ] tommyh8687 checks. pokergirl804 bets (400) WELL, GUESS MY HAND IS GOOD; CAN I MAKE A LITTLE MORE MONEY? tommyh8687 folds. ** Summary ** Main Pot: 2800 Board: [ Qs 6h 7h 7d 3c ] pokergirl804 balance 10914, bet 1600, collected 2800, net +1200 tommyh8687 balance 9086, lost 1200 (folded) ***** Hand History for Game 4111374492 ***** 400/800 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 19:02:59 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 8 is the button Total number of players : 2 Seat 4: pokergirl804 (10914) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (9086) tommyh8687 posts small blind (200) pokergirl804 posts big blind (400) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ 3s, 7s ] AT LEAST IT'S SUITED tommyh8687 calls (200) pokergirl804 checks. I LOVE A FREE FLOP ** Dealing Flop ** : [ 8c, 4s, As ] pokergirl804 bets (400) FLUSH DRAW.... tommyh8687 folds. ** Summary ** Main Pot: 1200 Board: [ 8c 4s As ] pokergirl804 balance 11314, bet 800, collected 1200, net +400 tommyh8687 balance 8686, lost 400 (folded) ***** Hand History for Game 4111377229 ***** 400/800 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 19:03:13 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 4 is the button Total number of players : 2 Seat 4: pokergirl804 (11314) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (8686) pokergirl804 posts small blind (200) tommyh8687 posts big blind (400) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ Kh, Js ] DEFINITELY BIG ENOUGH TO RAISE pokergirl804 raises (1400) to 1600 tommyh8687 folds. ** Summary ** Main Pot: 2000 pokergirl804 balance 11714, bet 1600, collected 2000, net +400 tommyh8687 balance 8286, lost 400 (folded)

***** Hand History for Game 4111382894 ***** 600/1200 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 19:03:42 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 4 is the button Total number of players : 2 Seat 4: pokergirl804 (11314) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (8686) pokergirl804 posts small blind (300) tommyh8687 posts big blind (600) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ 4c, 6s ] NOT GREAT BUT LET'S SEE A FLOP pokergirl804 calls (300) tommyh8687 checks. ** Dealing Flop ** : [ 6c, 5d, 4d ] EXCELLENT! tommyh8687 checks. pokergirl804 bets (600) tommyh8687 folds. ** Summary ** Main Pot: 1800 Board: [ 6c 5d 4d ] pokergirl804 balance 11914, bet 1200, collected 1800, net +600 tommyh8687 balance 8086, lost 600 (folded) ***** Hand History for Game 4111385779 ***** 600/1200 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 22736988) - Thu Apr 27 19:03:58 EDT 2006 Table Out Of Control (Real Money) -- Seat 8 is the button Total number of players : 2 Seat 4: pokergirl804 (11914) Seat 8: tommyh8687 (8086) tommyh8687 posts small blind (300) pokergirl804 posts big blind (600) ** Dealing down cards ** Dealt to pokergirl804 [ 6d, 5c ] NOT GREAT tommyh8687 calls (300) pokergirl804 checks. I'LL TAKE A FREE FLOP ** Dealing Flop ** : [ 3c, Qc, 9h ] pokergirl804 checks. I AIN'T GOT CRAP tommyh8687 checks. ** Dealing Turn ** : [ 6h ] OH - A FREE CARD; I'LL BET THE MIN, SEE WHAT HAPPENS pokergirl804 bets (600) tommyh8687 calls (600) DIDN'T EXPECT A CALL; WHAT DO YOU HAVE? ** Dealing River ** : [ 5s ] pokergirl804 bets (600) NOW I LUCKED INTO TWO PAIR tommyh8687 raises (1600) to 1600 REALLY, YOU ARE RAISING? pokergirl804 raises (10114) to 10714 I THINK TWO PAIR IS GOOD; I'M PUTTING YOU ALL IN pokergirl804 is all-In. tommyh8687 calls (5286) tommyh8687 is all-In. Creating Main Pot with $16172 with tommyh8687 Creating Side Pot 1 with $3828 with pokergirl804 ** Summary ** Main Pot: 16172 Side Pot 1: 3828 Board: [ 3c Qc 9h 6h 5s ] pokergirl804 balance 20000, bet 11914, collected 20000, net +8086 [ 6d 5c ] [ two pairs, sixes and fives -- Qc,6d,6h,5c,5s ] tommyh8687 balance 0, lost 8086 [ Kh Qs ] [ a pair of queens -- Kh,Qs,Qc,9h,6h ] DUMBASS -- YOU SLOWPLAYED YOUR PAIR OF QUEENS; A MIN BET ON THE FLOP AND YOU WOULD HAVE WON THE HAND; WHEN I RAISED ON THE RIVER, DID YOU REALLY THINK ONE PAIR COULD POSSIBLY BE GOOD?????

2nd place

2006-02-19T10:03:00.000-05:00

took 2nd place, paid $90; final hand: heads-up, he had me outchipped by about 1 K;, I went all-in with A9o; he called with QT and spiked the Q.

Kenny Rogers' "Tulsa Turnaround"

2006-02-19T09:44:00.000-05:00

"If a man's gonna eat fried chicken he's gonna get greasy."
-"Tulsa Turnaround"

that just applies to so many things. but, more importantly, BootLiquor.com on iTunes radio cracks me up when I'm playing online poker.

kings in the cutoff

2006-02-19T09:43:00.000-05:00

I open raised the minimum to 200 (double the BB), everyone folded.

99s middle position

2006-02-19T09:39:00.000-05:00

blinds 30/60, early MP player raised to 250, I coldcalled, everyone else folded. Flop was A, K, 8, rainbow. He bet 60 (minimum), I raised to 300, he folded.
The 60 felt like a feeler bet, risking the min for info. I figured a raise takes it down and I was right. If he had raised, I could have folded without losing too many chips; if he called my raise, I'd re-evaluate on the turn.

first play: betting 2nd pair from the BB

2006-02-19T09:31:00.000-05:00

BB, I got a free flop with JTo, three way action (cutoff, SB); flop was K, T, 8. checked around; turn was a 3; I bet 2/3 of the pot, everyone folded.

Speed SNGs on Party

2006-02-19T09:30:00.000-05:00

Logged into two speed NLs on PP (33 each). See how it goes.

SNG

2006-02-19T09:26:00.000-05:00

With 66, I'm all-in for my last 2K. Big stack called, turned over AJ; the board was mush until the river put the 4th spade up, making his flush and knocking me out 4th.

sng big stack play

2006-02-19T09:23:00.000-05:00

so I'm in an SNG right now; big stack with 10K in chips went all-in 6 hands in a row (blinds, 200/400; four players left), just daring us to call him.
key hand: UTG raised to 800; I folded AJs; SB (chip leader) went all-in; BB folded; UTG called all-in for his last 2K. UTG with KQo, SB with 33.
The flop didn't help anyone; turn was a blank; King on the river.
Chip leader down to 8K, he's slowed down since!

new partypoker.com site

2006-02-19T09:17:00.000-05:00

does anyone like the 'new' partypoker.com?

Tiling and cascading are both nice, but I was crushing the old version of SNGs. 800 chips, blinds go up every ten hands; it was a sweet system. It's going to take adjustment for 2000 chips, ten minute (or 5 on a speed) & rounds.

pair v. pair

2006-02-12T17:21:00.000-05:00

Pre-flop, pair versus pair, the higher pair is a 4 to 1 favorite to win.
Not counting suits, the lower pair has a better chance the further in rank it is from the higher pair (because of increased straight possibilities).
But, next time your big pocket pair gets outrun by a smaller pair, keep in mind that a 4 to 1 favorite loses about 18% of the time.

Harrington's Law of Bluffing

2006-01-31T09:42:00.000-05:00

In HARRINGTON ON HOLD 'EM Volume 1, he provides his Law of Bluffing:
The probability that your opponent is bluffing when he shoves a big bet in the pot is always at least 10 percent.

Great thing to keep in mind. AT LEAST 10%.

limit poket - pocket 10s - what's the right play?

2006-01-20T14:14:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure what the best play is here, so I'm putting this out there as food for thought.

You're in late-middle position in a ten-handed limit Hold 'Em game. The first three players limp, the next two players fold, and it's on you. You have pocket 10s. What's the best play?

Let's assume that you know your opponents pretty well, and in general, they all tend to be loose-passive players who are rarely bluffed out of the pot, often chase, and play a wide range of hands from all positions. They will almost always raise their best starting hands, and always call a late-position raise if they have limped into the pot.

My friend argues that always raising the pocket 10s is the right play -- he figures you have the best hand and want to represent strength.

I wonder if calling and waiting for a favorable flop isn't a better play. For one, you can get out cheap if there are overcards on the flop. Two, if you flop a set, your opponents will have no idea of your holding and give you a lot of action Three, by manipulating the size of the pot and opting to keep the size of the pot small, your post-flop bets and raises have a better chance to thinning the field and putting your opponents in a position to make mistakes.

If you raise and the flop comes 8, 5, 2, and everyone checks to you and you bet, your opponents will be getting proper odds to draw to overcards and gut-shot draws. If you simply call pre-flop, keeping the pot smaller, you cut down their odds.

I think that with a larger pair like Aces or Kings, raising makes more sense. For one, you'll be able to bet or raise the flop in most situations (unlike with the tens, where any jack, queen, king or ace will make you pause); and, post-flop, if you flop an overpair, which is likely, opponents won't have overcard outs to your big pair.

I'm going to keep thinking about this, but it seems that automatically raising limpers in position with queens, jacks and tens might not be the best play, especially in limit poker.

straights lose all the time

2006-01-12T16:40:00.000-05:00

Two stories of flopped straights in the blind.
With seven five offsuit, I got a free play in the blind and got the perfect flop: 4, 6, 8. I checked, there was a bet and a call and I raised; the initial better re-raised, the caller folded and I went all-in and he called (I had him covered). He turned over AA -- a pre-flop raise would have gotten me to lay down my hand, so I figured he was kicking himself. An ace on the turn and a 6 on the river bailed him out for his horrible play and he took the pot with a full house.

With eight six offsuit, again in the big blind, I got a free play and was delighted by a flop of 5, 7, 9. I was in 2nd chip position with four players left in a 10 player SNG that paid three places. The player under the gun had 115 chips left; the blinds were 100/200, so he would be all in the next hand in the blind.
I checked and my opponent -- the chip leader -- bet the minimum. I raised the minimum and he called. The turn was a ten, I bet the pot and he raised; I re-raised all in and he called, turning over T,7o. The river was a seven, giving him runner-runner full house to crush my flopped straight and knock me out of the tournament in 4th place, letting my short-stacked opponent slip into the money.

implied threat

2006-01-07T12:01:00.000-05:00

In THE BOOK OF BLUFFS, Matt Lessinger defines "the implied threat" as:
"When attempting a bluff before the river, your opponent understands that he must not only consider your current bet, but the possibility of future bets as well. While he might consider calling your current bet, it's the implied threat of future bets that might discourage him from calling."

This is an important concept, and Lessinger states it well and explains it more fully in his book. If you hold a medium strength hand or a vulnerable hand, ask yourself, how much will it cost me to get to the showdown. While the pot odds might be correct for you to call on the flop, if you factor in the turn and river bets, you might be best served by folding early.

pocket pairs v. overcards

2005-12-21T12:43:00.000-05:00

The classic battle: when you hold a pocket pair and your opponent holds overcards.

In the middle stages of a SNG, I was getting short-stacked when I was dealt 77. The blinds were 25/50, and I had just over 500 chips.

An early position player raised to 150 and the next player raised to 300. I'd seen both these players in just enough hands to have a read on their play, and felt strongly that the first raiser held an ace and that the second raiser held a bigger ace and was trying to isolate. If my read was right and they each held an ace, my chances of winning the hand and tripling my stack improved. I opted to raise all-in. My odds of winning would improve if one of them folded, and felt good about my read.

The first player re-raised all-in (he had me covered by a few hundred chips) and the next called all-in. The hands were turned over and I liked my chances after seeing the first player's AT and the second player's AQ.

A queen on the flop made me the dog, but a K on the turn followed by a jack on the river made AT the winner. The worst hand won. I was happy with my read, but probably didn't need to gamble in this spot with 77. Not counting straights and flushes (both my opponents were unsuited), that they had duplicate cards increased my chances of tripling up in this spot -- especially if I could have gotten heads-up. Oh well.

poker chick's blog

2005-12-10T18:47:00.000-05:00

Smart stuff about poker from a smart chick who knows how to handle herself at the table. This is a blog worth checking out.

the fold tell spotted at Borgata

2005-12-09T15:24:00.000-05:00

When you first sit in a game, watch the hands and cards of the players to your left. See if they look at the cards before they have to act, or if they handle cards or chips differently when they limp, raise or fold.
I sat in a 10/20 limit hold 'em game at Borgata in Atlantic City, and immediately noticed that the player on my immediate left would look at his cards as soon as they arrived. He would then either wait until it was his turn to fold, or pick up chips. He picked up the exact number to raise or fold each time he picked up chips.
I put this useful information to work, looking to steal blinds more often when I could tell he was going to fold. I also reconsidered raising when I saw he was going to be in the hand.
When I was dealt aces and saw he was going to raise, I limped and then re-raised pre-flop.
It is hard to determine the value of most tells, this one clearly can make you a lot of money.
Oh, and if you're looking at your hands before it is your turn to act, you might be giving off this expensive tell.

the three books I am reading right now

2005-12-03T13:13:00.000-05:00

I am currently reading three books, and love each of them.

They are:
Phil Gordon's Little Green Book: Lessons and Teachings in No Limit Hold 'Em. Following on thei successful THE REAL DEAL, this is a terrific strategy guide for players of all levels.

When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi. I was born after Lombardi died, so I grew up in the shadow of his reputation without experiencing it directly. David Maraniss's book is a concise, fascinating portrait of a man who played a pivotal role in shaping the culture of the United States.

Fantasyland by Sam Walker. I've been playing fantasy baseball for three seasons now and am in first season playing fantasy football. This book is terrific. Walker is a Wall Street Journal writer who, in his first season playing rotosserie baseball tried to win Tout Wars, the most competitive fantasy league in the world. Enlisting statisticians and scouts, and drawing on his amazing connections to meet with the actual ballplayers on his fantasy team and glean information from GMs and baseball insiders, Walker's book is a must-read for all fantasy players and those who want to understand the appeal of fantasy sports.

just one mistake an hour...

2005-11-30T18:16:00.000-05:00

About once an hour I get tempted to play a hand to 'mix it up.' Truth is, I'm probably bored, and just want to see another flop. Usually, it's a hand like J9s or 98s in early or middle position. I'm hoping to flop a big hand, but I might be setting myself up for disaster. The cost for these kinds of mistakes can be huge.
In limit, one extra 'speculative hand' per hour could cost you anywhere from 0.5 big bets per hour to twelve big bets per hour. Unless you're lucky enough to take down the pot, that's a huge swing!
If you can eliminate one 'speculative hand' per hour from your game, you'll be on your way to playing winning poker.
If you're making mistakes calculating odds, and making the same mistake a few times each hour, you could be costing yourself twenty big bets an hour! Make sure you've got the odds down cold for every situation that arises in Texas Hold 'Em with Poker Flash Cards for Texas Hold 'Em (www.pokerflashcards.com).

Double Down by F. & S. Barthelme

2005-11-28T09:01:00.000-05:00

Double Down by Frederick & Steven Barthelme chronicles two brothers' acceptance of the fever grip of gambling. While they were intoxicated by the blackjack tables and not the green felt of the poker room, they perfectly capture the rush of both in this excellently written book.

"When you're sitting at the blackjack table with some guy with a Boston accent... listening to him tell transcendently stupid snail jokes, it's a battle to believe that life is a dreary chore, designed that way by the Good Lord for some inexplicable reason. In fact, at that moment the world looks like a place of great tenderness and beauty....

In this way we understood other gamblers too. They hoped as we hoped, they knew what we knew. They were always talking about what their husbands or wives were going to do to them (a wiry little drunk checks his watch at six a.m. and says, 'She's a'ready thrown my clothes in the yard, but tha's a'right. I can change in the yard. I got to be at work at eight, and it's only a two-hour drive from here')....

A community of vice makes hypocrisy unnecessary."

The Hustler

2005-11-22T11:14:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's about pool, but it's really about gambling. It's a great movie. And it's an even better book.

Written by Walter Tevis in 1959, it has a lot to say about gambling, and will resonate with anyone who plays poker, as well as with anyone who plays pool.

"There was the rule -- possibly the only real rule... Win... Maybe that was what Bert meant by character -- the need for winning. To love the game itself is a fine thing; it is loving the art you live by. There are many things to love in the art -- the excitement of it, the difficulty, the use of skill -- but to work it at only for those would be to be [a loser]."
-- from THE HUSTLER by Walter Tevis

Mike Caro's Fundamental Secrets of Winning Poker

2005-11-13T20:12:00.000-05:00

This is a slight book that covers a lot of topics. I think the most useful advice addresses limit hold 'em. Caro cautions:
"Abandon many straight draws against a bet if two suited cards flop. You often need a pair AND a straight draw to call."

Simple yet powerful. A player holding four parts to a flush will make his hand more often than a player holding four parts to a straight. And, if two cards of the same suit flop, you may only have 6 clean outs. And, you may make your hand on the turn, and bet and raise appropriately, only to get out-drawn on the river.

It's tempting to always call with a straight draw, especially in limit action, but finding a spot to save a few bets is what separates the winners from the losers.

Education of a Poker Player by Yardley

2005-11-05T08:56:00.000-05:00

"Keep them guessing. And when you think you have them beat, play the hand hard. You don't need a lock to win at poker. It's the law of averages that will win for you.... Set your man up with a bluff. Then knock him down with the winning hand."
-- from THE EDUCATION OF A POKER PLAYER by Herbert O. Yardley

short-handed and aggressive play

2005-10-27T19:10:00.000-04:00

In a short-handed 10/20 game (6 players), I was dealt AKo in the big blind.
It was folded to the small blind, who had already announced that he would chop with 7 players, but would not with 6.
He raised, I re-raised, he called.
The flop was 9, 4, 4.
He bet, I raised (with only overcards, but thinking AK was a favorite over any legit raising hand).
He re-raised, and I called.
The turn was a Queen; he bet, I called. The river was a Jack; he checked, I checked.
I checked the river because I felt that my AK had showdown value. I also felt that given the size of the pot, he would call with any piece of the board.
My opponent turned over 9,2, off-suit. Not exactly a premium hand, but good enough to win the pot with a pair of 9s.
Given the pot size, I would have been likely to call with AK on the river, so he cost himself a big bet by checking, but this hand show the value of being aggressive in short-handed play.
Often, if the game is short-handed, the more aggressive player in the pot will take down the money, especially if that player has position.
If I had raised the turn and then bet the river, my opponent would have had a tough decision to make. If you can keep forcing your opponents to make tough decisions, you'll win a lot of money, as they are bound to make the wrong decision at least some of the time.

chip leader calls

2005-10-24T13:54:00.000-04:00

When you're the chip leader in the final stages of a tournament, you have to make a lot of bad calls. But, it's the right decision. Whenever you have the chance to knock out your opponent -- and you're down to the final few players -- you have to go for it.
But, I only make these plays when I am the chip leader, the action will be heads-up, and I have already locked up prize money. I don't gamble unless all of these things are true.

With A4s in the big blind (400), I called an all-in from the button after the small blind folded. The button raised another 500; I had more than 3000 chips and was chip leader. The button had KK, but a 4 on the flop and river sent him packing. Holding a suited ace actually made this a harder play to make, since I could easily have been dominated.

With 73o in the big blind, I called a raise that was just under the size of the big blind. The raiser showed 44, but a 7 on the flop sent him home.

A4s and 73o are not powerhouse hands. But, the adage that the more chips you hold, the less valuable each one becomes holds true. If your stack will be relatively unchanged whether or not you call the raise, but you have a chance to knock someone out and move up in prize money, you have to make the play and gamble a bit.

ALL IN by Grotenstein & Reback

2005-10-19T13:10:00.000-04:00

I received an early copy of ALL IN: The Almost Entirely True Story of the World Series of Poker by Jonathan Grotenstein and Storms Reback, with a foreword by T.J. Cloutier.
The book is an in-depth look at the main of event of the World Series of Poker, providing the most complete history of this storied event I've encountered. I knew many of the stories already, but they are presented in a fresh way, and I didn't know all the stories, so I found this book to be a lot of fun.
A pure narrative with no strategy, ALL IN is an entertaining read, a comprehensive history of The Big One. Most poker players will really enjoy it.

How NOT to win a SNG

2005-10-04T09:02:00.000-04:00

In a $30 +3 SNG, we were down to four players; three players would make the money.
Everyone had started with 800 chips.
Blinds were 50/100, and I was under the gun with 280 chips.
The big blind was the chip leader with 2,800; the other two players each had more than 1500.

Some people call an 8 with a 6 'Eubie.' The saying goes, if you play 8,6, you be broke.
I was dealt 8,6s in clubs. With the blinds at 50/100, and only 280 in chips, I was desperate.
I went all in.
The button folded.
The small blind folded.
The big blind waited. And waited. And waited. And folded!

Rather than call an additional 180 chips, he opted to fold, giving me life. This may have been one of the worst plays I've ever seen in a sit-and-go tournament, particularly since we were down to 4 players, and he had a comfortable chip lead. At that stage, 180 additional chips were meaningless; also, with 430 chips in the pot, he would be getting more than 2 to 1 odds on his call.

Even if I held seven, deuce off-suit, I would have called in his position. No matter his holding, as we all have experienced, the worst hand can get lucky, hit a flop, and outrun a superior hand.

His error proved fatal. I raked the 430 chip pot, and went on a rush.

On the next hand, I was the big blind, and everyone folded to me (an incredibly weak play; once the blinds are meaningful, and especially once play gets short-handed, never let the short-stack see a free flop from the big blind and never let him win the blind money uncontested). My stack grew to 480.
On the next hand, the button went all-in and I defended from the small blind with AK. A king flopped and I doubled up. My stack was now 960.
On the next hand, I was dealt JJ on the button. Everyone limped, I went all-in, only the chip leader called. My jacks held up against his KQ, and now, my stack was 2120 (doubling up plus the money from the limpers).
On the next hand, I was dealt pocket 9s under-the-gun. The blinds had increased to 75/150; I raised to 450 and everyone folded. My stack was 2345 and I was the chip leader.

I went on to take first place in the tournament.

When you're the big stack, and you get to the end stages, you have to be willing to gamble a little bit. In this scenario, my opponent had already posted the big blind. The small blind had folded, creating a 430 chip pot. It would only cost him 180 chips to call -- about 5 % of his stack.
If he calls and I win, neither of our positions changes much; I am still badly short-stacked and he is still the chip leader by 1,000 chips over his closest opponent.
If he calls and I lose, not only has he locked at least 3rd place (an 'in the money' finish), he is one step closer to winning the tournament.
This isn't even 'gambling' since the scenario is so clear-cut.

The chips leader had nothing to lose by calling. If he had, I am sure he would have knocked me out of the tournament. As it turned out, I owe him a thank you for the $150 first place prize money.

Ace on the River - Greenstein

2005-10-02T16:34:00.000-04:00

I'll deliver a full review once I'm able to finish reading the entire book.
But, first, a warning:
Barry Greenstein, in his book ACE ON THE RIVER, includes a chapter entitled "Poker and Your Sexuality."
It's a four page chapter, and may the most ridiculous chapter in any poker book.
Regardless of what you think of Greenstein's ability at the poker table, you likely aren't seeking his advice on sex. The book is billed as 'An Advanced Poker Guide.'
And, after reading, "If you have sex before you go to sleep, you probably will be more rested and less distracted when you play" (page 125), I know why this is an ADVANCED guide.
Thanks, Barry, for this important nugget of wisdom.

poker lingo

2005-09-24T09:21:00.000-04:00

More lingo heard 'round the table:

German Virgins - a pair of nines ('nein, nein')

Anna Kournikova - an ace with a king; 'looks good, rarely wins'

Dolly Parton - a nine with a 5 (from the movie, '9 to 5');' also the four of diamonds with the two of diamonds ('42 DD')

The language of poker is growing and evolving, thanks to the influx of new players and internet play. I'll include more lingo in a future post.

Fast Company by Bradshaw

2005-09-14T18:06:00.000-04:00

Jon Bradshaw's FAST COMPANY is a classic look at six 'master' gamblers and hot they defy the odds.
Puggy Pearon is one of the gamblers profiled. Bradshaw quotes him at length, including this bit that every gambler should read:

"It's a funny thing -- gamblin'. It's like running a grocery store. You buy and you sell. You pay the going rate for cards and you try and sell 'em for more than you paid. A gambler's ace is his ability to think clearly under stress. That's very important, because, you see, fear is the basis of all mankind. In cards, you psych 'em out, you shark 'em, you put the fear of God in 'em. That's life. Everything's mental in life. The butt was made to lug the mind around. The most important thing in gamblin' is knowing the sixty-forty end of the proposition and knowing the human element. Some folks may know one of 'em, but ain't many know 'em both. I believe in logics. Cut and dried. Two plus two ain't nothin' in this world but four. But them suckers always think it's something different. Makes you think, don't it? I play percentages in everything. Now, knowing the percentages perfectly, the kind of numbers you read in them books, is all right, but the hidden percentages are more important. The real thing to know is that folks will stand to lose more than they will to win. That's the most important percentage there is. I mean, if they lose, they're willing to lose everything. If they win, they're usually satisfied to win enough to pay for dinner and a show. The best gamblers know that."

Couldn't have said it better myself, Puggy. You want to play against folks who try to protect their win when they are ahead, even leaving a juicy game to book a win, and who chase their losses on the bad nights, returning time and time again to the ATM.

From FAST COMPANY by Jon Bradshaw, copyright Jon Bradshaw, 1975. Published by High Stakes [London]: 2003, reprinted 2005. Available wherever books are sold.

AA - did I play it right?

2005-09-06T22:32:00.000-04:00

In a 10/20 bricks-and-mortar game, I had AA under the gun.
The table was aggressive, so I opted to limp, hoping to limp-raise pre-flop.
The field didn't disappoint, as a weak player bumped it; the big blind called, and I three-bet the pot.
They both called.
The flop was K, K, 3.
The big blind checked, I bet for information, and they both called.
The turn was 5, the big blind checked.
Thinking the pre-flop opener was likely to hold AK, I checked. To my surprise, she checked behind me.
The river was a King, and the big blind checked.
I bet, the late position player called, and the big blind raised. Thinking I could beat a lot of holdings, I called, as did the late position player (she had 77).
The big blind turned over KQ.
Four of a kind beats kings full of aces. Kings full of aces doesn't even qualify for most bad beat jackpots.
I could have bet the turn; I could have checked the river; I could have folded after being check-raised on the river; I could have open-raised with my aces. Poker is filled with 'could haves.' Rather than shut out the field and win the blinds, I tried to trap my opponents; it didn't work out. That doesn't make it a bad play, it makes it a bad result. The goal is to win the most money, not to take down the blinds or win the most pots. And, I love the chance to play in a limit game for three bets when I hold Aces and my opponents hold 77 and KQo!

we all played it bad

2005-08-30T14:12:00.000-04:00

In a $20+2 SNG, I was dealt AJo in early position.
I had about 1,000 chips; the blinds were 50/100, and there were 7 players (including me) remaining.
I hadn't played a hand in more than two laps, and the three maniacs who had started at our table had busted out. I was in about 3rd chip position, and the chip leader -- with about 1600 -- was in the small blind.
I open-raised all-in, figuring to take down the blinds. Given my position, chip stack, and that I hadn't played a hand in a while, I figured I would win the blinds uncontested.
Bad figuring.
A short stack called all-in with just under 600 chips, and the small blind went all-in.
The big blind folded, and the hands were turned up.
JJ for the small blind, ATo for the short stack. I was in trouble needing one of the two remaining aces to win.
As it turned out, an ace hit the flop and I took down the pot, knocking out the short stack, crippling the chip leader and becoming the chip leader in the process. I went on to take first in the tourny.
But, in thinking about this hand, I don't like any of it.
First, open-raising all-in with AJo is a bad play. Given my position, it was likely AQ, AK or a pocket pair could have been left to act, putting me in a bad spot. I could have limped, then folded if there was a big raise, or open-raised a smaller amount. Also, given the blinds and my stack, I could have simply folded the hand. AJo is tempting to play, and it will win its share of pots, but it's no powerhouse, esp out of position. I overplayed it and got very lucky.
The short stack calling all-in with ATo was a horrible play. He still had a couple of hands before he would be the big blind, and given that I hadn't played a hand in a while, it was too likely that my hand dominated his (which it did).
Also, he wasn't the smallest stack at the table, and had plenty of chips to cover his big and small blinds when it was his turn, and still have chips left over with which to pick his spots.
Calling all-in with ATo against an early position raiser in a game that is not shorthanded is just bad poker.
I also don't like the small blind getting involved here with JJ. While JJ can be powerful in shorthanded play or with position, this was a questionable spot. By folding, he loses his small blind, and lets two smaller stacks tangle. At the end of the hand, either one player is eliminated, or a stack that can hurt him has been diminished. He called against one of the few stacks that could hurt him, and after another player had already called.
You could argue that given the pre-flop raise and call, it was more likely that the Jacks were facing two players holding aces, making the jacks more of a favorite, but it could have been as likely that the Jacks were facing AQ in one spot and KK in another (or some other lethal combination).
Regardless, while Jacks are a strong hand, the chip leader didn't need to get involved, esp since there were still 7 players in the tournament.
Note that there is a huge difference in betting all-in with JJ and calling two players who are already all-in with JJ.
I think few players would fold JJ in this spot, hoping to take down a big pot, knock out two players and be in a strong position to win the tournament. And, the jacks were the favorite hand to win this pot, though pushing small edges isn't the best way to get into the money. Given that even if he lost, he would still have about 600 chips, he might have decided to gamble. But, in order to take first place in a tournament, you don't need to knock out every player, just the last one. Folding here allows two smaller stacks to tangle, possibly eliminating one, and putting you one step closer to the money. And that's a strong play.

riding out the bad streaks

2005-08-16T07:39:00.000-04:00

I went to Foxwoods to play in the morning tournament.
I was going to kill time playing in the 10/20 game, but there were none going, so I decided to sit 4/8 while I waited for the tournament to start.
Bad streaks happen, and one happened to me.
I sat down at 7 AM.
When they called for the tournament start, I was stuck $100 and hadn't won a pot. Since I wasn't feeling that the cards were running for me yet, I stayed put.
An hour later, they called the 10/20, and I was stuck 200, and still hadn't dragged a pot.
I was getting nothing playable, and the one time I had hit a hand (a flopped straight from the big blind holding 7,3o, I had been outdrawn on the river).
I decided to stay put, and make sure I was in the right frame of mind before moving up to 10/20. Roy West wrote, Play happy or don't play. And, while I wasn't unhappy, I wasn't jumping up and down feeling good.
And hour later, I finally dragged a pot. An hour after that, the cards had turned a bit for me, and I cashed out of the 4/8 game, stuck a little, but feeling confident about my play.
Then I went to the 10/20, and cleaned up. I was in the right frame of mind to play winning poker, and booked a few hundred dollar win.
When the cards aren't running, don't force it. Take a break, or play down a limit and figure out if it's just a streak of dead cards, a leak in your game, or what. But don't get bouncing your head off the wall when you're running bad, and don't move up to the bigger game, thinking it will be easier to beat for some reason. Your bankroll will thank you for it.

pocket 4s in the blind

2005-08-07T10:05:00.000-04:00

in a $10 buy-in tournament on Party (1st: $1400), I had 44 in the BB. No one raised, and 5 of us saw the flop of A, 9, 4, with two hearts.
On a rainbow board, I'd be inclined to check, looking to check-raise an ace, but with the two hearts, I didn't want to risk a free card, so I bet the pot.
One player called.
The turn was the duece of hearts.
I bet the same amount I had bet on the flop; he flat-called again.
The river was an ace; I bet 80% of the pot.
He thought for a long while; I figured he had an ace, and that he was very worried about the flush.
He called, and fours full were good.

I made a small bet on the turn for information. If raised, I would have had a tough decision, depending on the size of the raise. I felt that a check would have put larceny in his heart, giving him a chance to bet me out of the pot. A small bet, I hoped, would either just be called or he'd fold, fearing flush. If he had a flush, he might just call, figuring I would fire again on the river and he could raise me there.

He didn't show his cards, so I can only guess at his hand. I figure he held an ace, and hit the one card that would compel him to pay me off in case I was bluffing without the flush; little did he know I was full.

risking your tournament on a draw

2005-08-04T08:37:00.000-04:00

It happens a lot, especially in a Sit-N-Go.
A player flops four cards to a flush or an open-ended straight, and decides to call all-in, risking his tournament.
Note that this is different from betting all-in, especially if the bet is substantial enough to cause others to fold, thereby creating two ways to win (everyone folds to your bet or they call and you hit your draw).

Everyone folded to the button who raised to 180 (three times the BB); the small blind mucked, and the BB called.
The flop came K, Q, 7. BB checked, pre-flop raiser bet 250 at the 390 pot. The BB called.
The turn was J, and the BB bet all-in his last 340 chips.

Button called, showed AK (top pair, top kicker, and a draw for Broadway if a ten hit). BB turned over TT for an open-ended straight draw.

While I like this all-in bet better than an all-in call, there's no chance that the pre-flop raiser is going to lay down his hand, which means that the bettor has 8 outs or his tournament is over (in this case, the two remaining tens in the deck make the pre-flop raiser a straight).

I hate the flop call; pocket tens are clearly in trouble, even if the pre-flop raiser was on a steal, since both a King and a Queen hit the board. While the Jack does give the BB an open straight draw, it also is another over-card on the board (if the pre-flop raiser had AJ...), meaning he has to make the straight to win (given the board, one would have to assume that either pocket tens were beat or that the pre-flop raiser had an ace, reducing the chances that a ten will win the pot).

Given the player's short stack, and his clear desire to gamble, re-raising pre-flop is not a bad play.

End result -- a 9 hit the river, giving the BB the pot. But, in tournament play, the goal is to win. You can't win if you get busted out. Risking your tournament on draws is a great way to make sure you don't make the money. Obviously, there are times when you have to play your draws strongly, but if you can avoid getting your money in the pot with drawing hands -- especially with one-way draws [if you have both a straight and a flush draw, you have a lot more outs], you'll make more final tables.

a non-poker post: wedding crashers

2005-07-30T13:58:00.000-04:00

If you know what "ear muffs," "beautiful babies" or "You're so money" mean, go see Wedding Crashers.
Fans of Old School and Swingers will be happy to see Vince Vaugn back in Double Down Trent mode.
This is a funny, funny movie, especially for the first hour or so. It does lose steam towards the end, but there are still some good payoffs in the final scenes, and the first part is so funny it more than makes up for any shortfall later.
There is some nudity, and a lot of juvenile, crude sex gags and jokes. That's part of what makes it so funny. I saw it with my wife and her best friend, and both of them were cracking up, so most of the content won't offend your average woman. It is a 'guy movie' in the best sense (though the second part veers dangerously close to chick-flick with the romance of Owen Wilson's character), but one that most women will also really enjoy.

In order to tie this post into poker in some way, at one point Vaugn's character uses the expression, "I'm going to put my cards on the table."
This phrase has entered the vernacular to mean, I'm going to be completely honest.
Of course, the origin is from poker, meaning, 'show my hand' or reveal what I'm holding.

flushed!

2005-07-28T13:20:00.000-04:00

In two recent SNGs, I've been flushed out when the 4th card of the suit hits the board.
It's never pretty, but it's part of poker.

With pocket 9s on the button, the blinds were 10/20. I called a raiser who made it 60 to go, then the pot was re-raised by the small blind who made it 200. The inital raiser called, as did I.

The flop was A, 9, 3, all diamonds, giving me middle set on an ugly board. The small blind made a small bet, the limper called, as did I. The turn was a 6, not a diamond; the action was checked to me, and I bet the pot. The small blind re-raised (putting me all in), and the middle position player called, as did I.

I was worried about slow-played diamonds, but felt the only hand the small blind could have to play that way would have been AK suited in diamonds, and the ace was on the board. I felt that if he had a set of aces, he would have been more aggressive on the flop and also bet out the turn to deny any player with a rogue diamond a free draw. Even if my hand wasn't the best, I figured I had 10 outs for a full house to win. As it turned out, my read was perfect, but the poker gods didn't cooperate.

The hands were turned up; the small blind held QQ, with the Q of diamonds; the other player had 55. So, unless a diamond or queen hit, I would take down a monster pot and be in a great chip position to win the tournament.

Of course, diamond on the river, and I busted out in 8th place (I was ahead of the other player in chips prior to the start of the hand).

In another SNG, I had AK in the small blind. A middle position player made it 80 to go (blinds were 10/20), and I called the raise; we were heads-up.
The flop came K, rag, rag, with two spades. I checked, he bet, and I raised the pot. He called. The turn was a spade. I checked, he made a bet about 1/2 the size of the pot; I re-raised him all-in -- about another 600 chips (he had about 50 chips more than me). He called, showed AK, but with the ace of spades, setting up a monster re-draw, which of course, hit the river, knocking me out.

In the second instance, I definitely overplayed my AK, but I hate my opponent's call on both the turn and the river; the chances that he's facing a set or two pair are too great to make calling a good play. But that's poker.

JJ v. AQs

2005-07-25T20:47:00.000-04:00

In a $20 SNG on Paradise, on the first hand of heads-up action, I was dealt JJ.
My opponent raised, I put him all-in and he called.
The cards were turned up and he showed AQ, suited in hearts.
So, I was the favorite, but it was a coin-flip.
I had him covered in chips, so it wouldn't end my tournament.
Of course, the flop came with both an ace and a queen; a queen hit the turn, and then an ace hit the river, just to put a little extra salt in the wound.
On the next hand, I was dealt A7o, and with a very short stack, went all-in.
He called, showed pocket 6s, I didn't improve, and I took home the 2nd place prize money.
I've been running pretty hot in the SNGs lately (less hot in the larger field tournaments), so it's tough to complain, but since the first place money is double the profit* of the second place money, it stinks to lose with JJ when you're heads-up!

* In a $20+2, the prize pool is:
1st: $100 (net $78)
2nd: $60 (net $38)
3rd: $40 (net $18)

So it's actually more than twice as good to win 1st over 2nd and 2nd over 3rd.

poker lingo

2005-07-23T13:33:00.000-04:00

I love some of the lingo associated with poker. Here are a few heard round the table recently:

Devil got VD: a full house, sixes ('mark of the beast') full of threes ('crabs')

Ace Magnets: pocket kings (since an ace seems to flop whenever you hold cowboys)

Berry Patch: a very soft game.

Huey, Dewey & Louis: a set of twos ('three ducks')

Pickleman's Hand: a seven with a five ('57' as in Heinz 57 Varieties)

Thiry Miles of Railroad: three tens

I'll post some more in a future post.

aces aces aces

2005-07-19T21:53:00.000-04:00

in a $30 buy-in SNG, it was down to three of us, and I found AA in the big blind.
I was the short-stack with about 2,000; the chip leader was sitting on 5K in chips.
Both players called, I went all-in, and only the limper -- and chip leader -- called.
He flipped up AJ, suited in clubs.
The flop came 3, 5, J, and I was celebrating, until a 4 and a deuce came on the turn and river, splitting the pot.
I went on to take 3rd. That was the pivotal hand in the tournament.
Oh well. I'll take aces anytime.

ouch! first two hands of a tourny

2005-07-14T12:28:00.000-04:00

I love playing SNGs, and have been making nice money playing them.
But I also like the larger tournaments and the big potential payouts.

I logged into a $5 tournament on Paradise.
First hand, I was thrilled to see JJ on the button. 3 players limped for 20, I raised to 85. The blinds folded, as did one limper and three of us took the flop, Q, 7, 2, with two hearts. Action checked to me, I bet 1/2 the pot, and one player called. I did not hold the jack of hearts.
There was now 600 in the pot.
The turn was a heart; he bet 150. I made a crying (probably bad) call.
The river was a blank, he bet 200, I called (not a great call, that's for sure), and he showed J9, suited in hearts for the flush.

Next hand, I am the cutoff. I still have just over 900 chips from my starting stack of 1500, and am dealt Kings. Two limpers, and I raise to 85. The big blind re-raises to 170 (doubling my bet), everyone folds, and the action is on me. I go all-in. My thinking: I wouldn't mind picking up this pot right now, and if he calls, I am a huge favorite over any hand but pocket rockets.
He called and showed 33.
The flop was J, 6, 4.
The turn was a 7.
He rivered a 5 to make a straight and knock me out.

It's poker. I was dealt two great starting hands -- on the first two hands of the tournament -- and lost them both. Both were huge pre-flop favorites. The first hand I could have played better after the flop; the second, well, it happens. Oh well.

can't lose for winning

2005-07-11T11:33:00.000-04:00

I don't recommend trying this. But, I thought it was funny.
I logged into a $20 sit-n-go. I had about 90 minutes to play, which is usually more than enough.
I barely paid attention during the 5/10 round, but the game was moving a little more slowly than usual.
Then, in the 10/20 round, one player's connection got very bad. He was using the full time allotment on every hand. EVERY hand, whether he was raising, folding, or calling.
I got involved in a couple of pots, and got my stack up to 1250 (from 1000). One player busted out.
But, the game was moving at a snail's pace. So I clicked 'post & fold' just before posting my 15/30 blinds and took my dog for a walk, hoping the slow player would bust or get a better connection. No luck. When I returned, we were still in the 30/60 round, and only one additional player had busted. And, the slow guy was still in.

Everyone was letting him know that he was making the game un-fun, but to no avail.

But, I had a time constraint (a real issue for a SNG). Usually, 90 minutes is more than enough, but it had been over an hour, and we weren't past 30/60 blinds yet. This was going to take forever. And I had to go.

So, on my first hand back from walking the dog, under-the-gun for the 50/100 blinds, I went all-in. Since I had been away (and auto-folding the past 10 or so hands), no one called.

The next hand, in the big blind, I again went all-in, after one player limped and another completed from the small blind. They both folded.

The next hand, with JT, I went all-in in the small blind after 2 limpers called; they folded, as did the big blind. Three all-ins, three uncontested pots.

One of the other players asked, 'Getting frisky?' To which I replied: "I have to go; it's all in time."

The next hand, on the button, I was all-in again after one player limped; both blinds folded, the limper called, and was busted out when my ace-high (A6o) beat his suited KJ.

The next hand, I was all-in again, though was unable to outrun my opponents ace, ten, knocking me back to about 600 in chips.

Next hand, all-in again, and my pocket 7s held up, doubling me up.

Next hand, all-in again, and ace-high held up, knocking out another player.

So, I went all-in seven times in a row, winning all but one, and knocking out two players.

But, I wasn't done, since 'slow connection' guy was still in the game, still making it move unbearably slow when he was in a hand. And, I still had someplace I needed to be.

So, with 9,2 offsuit, I was all-in on the button, and 'slow connection' called me with A,7 offsuit.

I spiked a 9 on the flop, the turn was a blank, and a 9 hit the river, knocking him out.

WAIT! Time to re-adjust. Now, I was the overwhelming chip leader with close to 4,000 in chips, slow guy was busted out, and there were only 4 of us left. So, I readjusted, started playing with some discretion, and took first place.

From trying to lose to winning the first place money - that's a turnaround!

I guess the moral of the story, if there has to be a moral, is that you should always make sure to budget enough time to finish any tournament you enter. But, it was fun!

good advice is never outdated

2005-07-06T08:16:00.000-04:00

A friend tipped me to REMINICENCES OF A STOCK OPERATOR, originally published in 1923. He told me that everything in the book related to the poker table as well as to the stock market.
I have to agree with him, and highly recommend checking this one out if you get a chance.

Wise words are never outdated, like this from page 134:
"It is the way a man looks at things that makes or loses money for him in he speculative markets [poker tables].... The professional concerns himself with doing the right thing rather than with making money, knowing that profit takes care of itself if the other things are attended to.... It gets to be an instinct to play for position."

In other words, make the right play, and don't worry about short term results, and the profit will follow.

One turn of phrase that I particularly enjoyed in the book is this (page 272):
"His name was as familiar to the readers of the metropolitan press as though he had been sued for breach of promise by a sixteen-year-old manicurist possessing a five-thousand-dollar mink coat and one hundred and thirty-two letters from the defendant."

If you get a chance to pick up REMINISCENCES OF A STOCK OPERATOR by Edwin Lefevre, it's worth the time.

Borgata

2005-06-27T11:43:00.000-04:00

The poker room at the Borgata has replaced the Taj for me. Everything about the room is better, except the Taj is bigger.
But, with nicer tables, drinks served in glassware rather than plastic, decent coffee, and a nicer staff, the Borgata makes the Taj look run down and cheap. They've also recently lifted their ban on using headphones during play.
Last weekend, I was sitting in the 20/40 game when the following hand came up.
I was under the gun with ATs, and limped. The game was fairly tight, with the exception of a new player who had just sat down and was pretty loose and aggressive.
The new player called, as did another player and both blinds.
The flop came A, T, 6, with two spades. Not wanting to give any free cards, I bet after both blinds checked. The loose aggressive player raised, I re-raised, and he called. I put him on either spades or an ace, but felt confident about my two pair.
The turn was an 8, not a spade, and I fired and he called.
The river was 9, not a spade and I checked. I hated the card. I felt that since I had only limped pre-flop, he could be playing any two spades, which would make it possible for him to have a straight. He checked behind me and showed Q,7, suited in spades. He made the runner-runner straight, but was sticking around with his flush draw.
I was a little puzzled by his check on the river, but glad that I didn't have to pay off a bet. It was nice of him to save me $40 after he hit his hand.
If I had raised pre-flop, he likely would not have called to see the flop, but you never know; loose players love suited cards. I like how I played the hand, though would have rather raked the pot.

two blind plays

2005-06-20T11:46:00.000-04:00

I was in the big blind in a 10/20 game with JTo, and got a free flop after 6 players including the small blind limped in.
The flop was 9,8,6, rainbow.
I bet, and everyone called.
The turn paired the 6; I checked, under-the-gun bet, and we all called.
The river was a jack, a potentially scary card.
I checked, the turn bettor fired, one player called, and I had a tough decision.
I didn't feel the bettor had a 6, and figured the other player would have raised with trips or a straight. I made a crying call (there was 70 in the pot pre-flop, another 70 went in on the flop, 60 on the turn, and two more bets on the river, making the pot $240, with no chance of a raise behind me).
My jacks up took down the pot, as the bettor showed pocket 7s and the caller had Ace, 9.

The next hand, a middle position player raised a limper and two players cold called before it got to me. I looked down at K9, suited in spades. I was instantly reminded of TJ Cloutier's words ("I don't play K9 even in a limit game!"), but chose to disregard them. I called the extra $15, the big blind called, as did the limper.

The flop came J, T, 8, with one spade. I liked my hand OK, but decided to check. It was checked to the pre-flop aggressor, who fired. We all called.
The turn was the 7 of spades, making my straight and giving me a back-door flush draw. I checked, curious about where I was in this hand. It was checked around to a late-position player, who bet. Not wanting to blow out the field behind me (and, not in love with my "1 card straight" since it was far from the nuts), I called. As hoped, I got 3 over-calls behind me.
The river paired the Ten; the action again checked around to the turn bettor who fired, and I called. The pre-flop raiser also called.
They both groaned when I turned over my hand and revealed the straight, and I stacked the chips.

The positional disadvantage of playing from the blinds can be tough to overcome, though it does add some variance to your game, since you'll play some random holdings for big wins. The more I play, the more inclined I am to not defend my blinds or to complete the small blind with random holdings. It's just too costly. K9s might be as weak as I can call a raise with from the small blind. And that might be too loose, but it felt good to stack those chips.

review: Diary of a Mad Poker Player

2005-06-08T17:37:00.000-04:00

Diary of a Mad Poker Player by Richard Sparks is a surprise.
The package and design of the book have the look of a self-published work, and I wouldn't be surprised if 'Russel Enterprises, Inc' was a vanity press.
But, nonetheless, you can't always judge a book by its cover.
If you start to read this book and find the author annoying, you will hate the book. It is very much personality-driven. At first, I didn't like him. The writing style was at times boring, at times over the top.
But, then I warmed to him.
I started to empathize with his quest to win his way into the World Series of Poker.
And, ultimately, he doesn't get there, making this book a much needed reality check.
He plays a lot on-line, and details his play there. This will be especially of interest to online newbies (online regulars might be bored).
He also interviews a bunch of interesting people in the poker business, and this is the best part of the book.
In interviews with Nelson Rose (authority on gambling and legal issues), the folks at PartyPoker.com and other sites, and Mike Sexton, author Sparks delivers some some great insights into the game today, and also, how far poker has come in a short time.
Diary of a Mad Poker Player is a particular book, and it's not for everyone. It's a narrative, not a strategy book, so that will limit the appeal for many. It's also just a regular guy's story, which may further limit the appeal.
If, like me, you feel compelled to read every poker book you can find, you could do much worse. I was pretty entertained by the book, and thought it well worth the money. But if you're looking to, as the subtitle says, 'journey to the world series of poker' this might not be the book for you.

A Tale of Two 6s

2005-06-06T12:34:00.000-04:00

$20 buy-in SNG. The blinds were 50/100, and I had 1900 in chips in middle position.
There were 6 of us left, and I was in 2nd chip position. The chip leader had about 2300.
I was dealt pocket tens, and the under-the-gun player went all-in for 1100.
Everyone folded to me (including the chip leader), and I felt that this decision would determine my tournament. If he had overcards, I was ahead, but barely; if he had a bigger pocket pair, I was in trouble; if he had a smaller pocket pair, I was way ahead.
My opponent had been very aggressive the entire game; I figured he had a pocket pair smaller than 10s or overcards, so I called. Then I kicked myself for calling! While the rest of the field folded, I convinced myself that my opponent had an overpair.
Everyone else folded, and the cards were turned up -- he showed 66!
He didn't improve and I knocked him out and became the overwhelming chip leader.
By the time I was the big blind, blinds had increased to 100/200.
A middle position player -- with 1100 in chips -- opened for 400, and everyone folded to me. I had 66!
I figured I had the best hand, but rather than re-raise pre-flop, wanted to see if I could get the rest of his chips (we were down to 5 players at this point). So, rather than re-raise, I just called.
The flop was an amazing 6, 2, 2! I flopped a big -- and deceptive -- full house.
I checked, he bet 200, I mulled it over and called.
Turn was a blank (but put 2 clubs on board), I checked, he went all in, I happily called. He didn't have anything, the river blanked off (though, no card could help him), and I raked in the pot.
I had more than 4,000 in chips at that point (everyone started with 1,000, so I had 40% of the chips), and I went on to win the $100 first place money.

a true bad beat

2005-06-03T11:09:00.000-04:00

Now, most times, I don't consider a loss a bad beat. It's just poker.
But this one... wow!
I was just glad I wasn't in the hand.

The small blind made it $10 to go after 6 players limped in a 1/2 no limit game. Everyone called.

The flop came J, 6, 4, all clubs. The small blind bet $60.
Everyone folded to a middle position player, who raised to $125.
Everyone folded to the small blind.
He re-raised to $250.
The middle position player re-re-raised all-in (another $300).

Both players turned their cards up.

The small blind held A,J -- top pair, top kicker, without a club.
The middle position player held 44 -- flopped a set.

Then the final two cards were burned and turned: running 6s.

The winner: A,J makes 6s full of Jacks, while the flopped set of 4s -- which turned into 4s full of 6s on the turn -- ended up as 6s full of 4s. A loser.

OUCH!!

As one of the other spectators observed, "AJ wasn't just behind. He was behind two zip codes!"

1/2 no limit game, nut flush

2005-06-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

In a baby no limit game (1/2 blinds), I was the big blind with A,4 suited in hearts.
Three players limited, the next player made it $10, two players cold-called, the small blind folded, and it was on me.
I opted to call the raise and see the flop. I knew if an ace fell, I'd be in trouble, but liked the idea of taking this hand against a large field (even out of position). The odds against flopping a four flush are 6 to 1 against, so as long as no one re-raised, I was getting the right price to call along. Factor in the chance that I might flop two pair or that two 4s might come on the flop, and it was an easy call. If the action was re-raised, it's also an easy hand to release in that spot.
The limpers all called, and seven of us took the flop ($70 in the pot).
The flop came King high, with two hearts. I checked to the field, and it checked around. I was prepared to call a reasonable bet with my nut flush draw and overpair, but was happy to take the free card.
The turn was the seven of hearts, making my flush (no straight flush possible).
I checked, the next player bet $50, and everyone folded to me.
I raised $50, and he called.
The river was the queen of diamonds, I bet $100, he called, and I took down the pot.
Nothing spectacular. I made the nut flush and got paid off. I'm a little surprised he called the river (I tried to 'sell' my hand for maximum value, but given the way I played the hand, I figured he made me for the nut flush).
I could have bet the flop or bet out on the turn; I could have smooth-called the turn and check-raised the river.
But, all in all, I like how this worked out. A bet on the flop would have created a bigger pot to win, which would have been nice, but getting a free card while drawing is pretty nice, too.
So a little gamble with big result: I invested $10 pre-flop, got a free card on the flop, and raked in a $470 pot (for a $260 profit).

NYC's Vice Squad

2005-06-02T11:36:00.000-04:00

New York City cracked down last week and shuttered two of the more popular card rooms, 72nd Street and PlayStation.
Links to the story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/28/nyregion/28poker.html?
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/nyc-poke0528,0,4152415.story?coll=nyc-homepage-breaking2
Players were not arrested, but IDs were checked.
I played at PlayStation, though I wasn't there when the bust happened.

PlayStation was a fun, safe environment in which to play cards. Players were treated fairly and with respect; there was security; the games were on the level; and the fees were appropriate (time charge of $5 per 1/2 hour for 10/20 limit, which is exactly what you pay in Atlantic City).
In addition, no alcohol was allowed. Men and women of all ages (all over 21, at least to my eye) and races played there, and I never witnessed any physical confrontation. All in all, it was a very nice place to play cards, with free soda and cookies, and a waitress who would order food for you if you were hungry.

Closing these rooms is more than silly. Not only were these rooms incorporated (tax-paying) businesses -- with employees who are now out of work -- they were also a positive social outlet for hundreds of people.

I've already found a new poker club in which to play. I'm sure others have as well. And, many folks will now play more online poker. Oh, online poker does not benefit the city or state of New York at all. No taxes are paid, no jobs filled. I play online, and I like it, but I prefer the card room experience. Now, to get that, more folks will have to go to Atlantic City and Foxwoods (in New Jersey and Connecticut).

Good job, New York. You put some people out of work, you've cost yourself income from taxes on incorporated businesses (businesses that were also paying rent, payroll, and more), and you've driven your citizens to go online or out of state to play poker, a game of skill.

It is not illegal in New York to play poker. The time has come for legal poker rooms in New York City. Not only would such a room generate revenue in taxes collected, it also creates jobs.

In this day and age --- isn't it ridiculous to NOT have legal card rooms in Manhattan?

Review: Making of a Poker Player by Matros

2005-05-25T11:31:00.000-04:00

I just finished Matt Matros's MAKING OF A POKER PLAYER.

If you're like me, you pretty much read everything that comes out, with mixed results.

This book is actually pretty good. His credentials - he made the final table of a WPT event, winning $700 K - don't compare to Hellmuth's or Chan's, but his perspective - a young student entering the poker world and climbing the ranks - sets him apart.

The first 5 chapters are very basic, and will be a little boring for regular players. But, for those who are new to poker, and who are still determining what game is right for them, which limits to play, online versus casino -- this is a good place to start.

Matros sprinkles tips throughout the narrative, using his own beats (and wins) to tell the story, and gives solid advice to players looking to build a strong playing foundation. The best tip is to find someone else who loves to talk poker and analyze hands, and talk about poker with that person constantly. This is espeically helpful if that person has a different style than you.

One of the final chapters suggests further reading, and this was the part that I found most lacking. He recommends Gary Carson's COMPLETE HOLD'EM without reservation (I think following Carson's strategy will actually cost most good players money), as well as Ken Warren's book as a good beginner book (Warren's book is terrific -- but it's terrific for me if you've read it and follow the advice, since much of the book isn't very good). Matros cautions that there are a lot of books out there, some good, some bad, and some poorly written. This is true. But, even bad books can have one tip that will improve your game (you, the reader, have to discern what aspects of a text you should disregard).

One book that doesn't make his suggested reading list is Hellmuth's PLAY POKER LIKE THE PROS. Personally, I don't think Hellmuth's book is a very good book. He does give some solid advice, but even Phil Hellmuth can't teach a person to play like Phil Hellmuth, and for the most part, I think that there are better books out there. But, you have to acknowledge that his book has sold a lot of copies. For that reason alone, you have to read it. You might not follow his advice, but you want to be able to recognize when your opponent IS following his advice and adapt your play accordingly.

But, overall, Matros's book is an enjoyable read. If you've been playing for a while, you may want to skip it, but if you're fairly new to the game, you should find plenty within to make it worth the time.

I'd make this play 100 times, results be damned

2005-05-24T12:13:00.000-04:00

No limit tournament, everyone started with 6,000 in chips, and we were still in the first round with blinds 100/200.
I raised to 600 with Ace spades, queen of hearts.
The small blind called, the big blind folded.
The flop came Q, J, 8, all spades.
The small blind bet $500, making the pot $1900.
I had $5,300 in chips.
I decided my best play was to go all-in. With top pair, top kicker, I could beat a lot of hands he might be in this spot, and with the nut-flush re-draw, I had outs if he had flopped the flush.
He called -- almost instantly -- and turned up K,9, suited in spades.
"Spade, spade," I called. The turn was a spade! But, it was the 10, making an ace-high flush for me and a straight flush for my opponent, knocking me out of the tournament.
But, even though I got busted out on this hand, I don't think I could have played it any different. I think I made the right play. If my opponent is bluffing on the flop, I shut him down and win a decent pot. If he has a hand better than top pair, top kicker, I have outs to beat him.
If I smooth-call the flop, I don't know where I'm at in the hand, and might give him outs to draw to beat me (two pair or a straight). And, as it turned out, when the spade hit on the turn, my chips would have gone in the pot with the ace high flush anyway.
Right play, wrong result, but sometimes, that's poker.

review: One of a Kind: the Stu Ungar book

2005-05-23T11:10:00.000-04:00

I received an early copy of ONE OF A KIND from an associate at Simon & Schuster, and tore through it.
Any poker player who hasn't heard of "The Kid" needs to read this book, and most players will want to check it out just to get the most complete version of his life available.
The basics: Ungar showed an early talent for gin, and won tons of money in heads-up play at an early age. He also won several gin tournaments. But, he was so good -- and beat the opposition so completely -- that he couldn't get games.
So, he moved 0n to poker, where he showed tremendous skill.
He's the only player to win the main event at the World Series of Poker 3 times, which is reason enough to read the book.
Originally conceived as a memoir, Ungar was working with Nolan Dalla prior to his death. When Stuey died, Dalla reconfigured the book - with the help of Peter Alson - as a biography.
The book is a great read, and well-researched. Because Dalla had interviewed Ungar for the project, the authors let him 'speak' in several sections, which adds to the experience.
Ungar's constant need to be 'in action' was his greatest strength and a big downfall. He could destroy a poker game or win hundreds of thousands in a poker tournament, only to lose it on the golf course, at the track or betting on sports.
But, the biggest problem is that Ungar couldn't keep away from drugs, and that addiction ultimately killed him.
This is a frustrating book to read, because every poker player dreams of achieving what Ungar achieved, and yet you have to read about his undoing as well.
A cautionary tale that has appeal beyond the green felt, ONE OF A KIND is a book that will be read and talked about by most serious poker players.

straight forward play usually makes the most $

2005-05-17T18:08:00.000-04:00

Mike Caro calls it "FPS" - Fancy Play Syndrome. It's when you opt for the fancy play rather than the most straight-forward one. Sometimes FPS costs you a pot you would have otherwise won; sometimes, it just costs you money.
The game was 10/20 with a 1/2 kill, and the kill was on, making it 15/30.
I was in early position with 22, and limped behind two callers. The player behind me and the button called.
The flop came 9, 3, 2 rainbow. One player led, I smooth-called* and the player behind me raised. The big blind called, as did the initial raiser. I called**.
The turn paired the 3. It was checked to me, and I checked***, looking to check-raise the field. The flop-raiser checked.
The river was a Jack, it was checked to me and everyone folded to the initial flop bettor, who reluctantly called with Ace, 9.

* I could have immediately raised on the flop; I might have shut out the field behind me, or they may have come along for the ride. I like the call here, and am hoping someone raises.
** I could have made it three bets here, which, in retrospect, would have been the right play. I would have trapped them for an additional small bet, and then, would bet (or raise) the turn.
*** Going for the check-raise after the board pairs is a dangerous move; I was confident that my full house was good, and wanted maximize the money. But, given the action, I was not confident that my opponent would oblige with a bet. I should have bet the turn.

In this instance, FPS cost me at least $90 (both players would have called my flop raise; one of them may have re-raised; both players also would have called my turn bet). Both players had a 9, one with an ace kicker, so they would have given me action.

Single Table Tourny fun

2005-05-09T12:28:00.000-04:00

I was killing time before dinner in a Sit-n-Go when my opponent basically threw the tourny. We were heads-up, the blinds were 400/800, I had $8,000 in chips to his $7,000.

He raised to 1600 pre-flop, a very small raise. I had JTo. I felt that he had an ace or king, and was trying to steal the blinds. I called, thinking I could out-play him if rags flopped, or get lucky and out-flop him.

The flop came A, K, rag. I checked, and he bet 1600.

Since I put him on an Ace or King, I figured I needed to hit a queen to win the pot. But, I also figured that if I did hit, I'd take him out. After he bet, there was 4,800 in the pot, and it cost me 1600 to call, pot odds of 3 to 1. I wasn't getting near the 11 to 1 odds needed to go for the gut-shot, except I was sure that I could put him all-in and drawing dead if the miracle card hit. I called.

My implied odds weren't great, but the chance to win it all right there made it attactive (the amount in the pot plus the amount in his stack totalled 8600, so my implied odds were 8600 to 1600, or about 5 to 1).

The turn was the Queen. I checked, he went all-in, and I called, winning the tournament. He had Ace, 6 for top pair, weak kicker.

After the flop, the pot was big enough to merit just taking it down. By making a small, weak bet, my opponent made it easy for me to call. If he had bet the pot (or more), I would have folded, and we might still be heads-up.

when opponents don't understand your play

2005-05-04T13:14:00.000-04:00

I was in the big blind. The game was fired up.
A very loose and aggressive player raised a limper from middle position and the field folded to me.
I have very little respect for this particular player's moves; he raises from the blinds fairly often with suspect hands, and will open raise with on a whim, sometimes with as little as A,xs -- or worse.
I looked down and found pocket 9s. Wanting to knock out the limper -- who, in my opinion is also a bad player -- I three-bet the pot.
They both called, and the flop came QQ5.
I bet, the limper folded, the pre-flop raiser called.
The turn was an ace, definitely not the card I wanted to see. But, I grit my teeth and bet, determined to fold if he raised. He called.
The river was a deuce. I bet, he called, I turned over my 9s, and won the pot (he had pocket 8s).
This is not an exceptional hand; I got a little lucky that my opponent had the exact hand he held, but having played with him many times, I wasn't surprised to take down the pot.
After I showed my hand, the limper expressed shock (maybe outrage?) at my holding.
"You three-bet with 9s? How could you three-bet with 9s?"
Well, I felt that I had the best hand pre-flop, but that it was a vulnerable holding; any overcard would be dangerous, even if he held a suspect hand like J,8 (the kind of hand he is often willing to play). By forcing him to cold-call two bets, I was hoping to drive him out and play the pot heads-up. He foiled my plan by calling, but then he got in line and folded on the flop.
But, telling him all this would have been a waste of breath.
So I told him, "I'm just looking for action, looking to lose my money as fast as possible, having fun and raising it up."
I like how I played the hand. I evaluated my opponents and my holding and maximized my win while minimizing my potential loss (I can get away from pocket 9s pretty easily if I feel that I am beat). If my opponent doesn't understand all my plays, then I must be in the right game.

another full house tale

2005-04-28T11:40:00.000-04:00

I limped with KJo in late position.
The big blind raised, and four of us saw the flop.
KKT, with 2 diamonds.
The big blind bet and it was folded to me.
The player in the big blind is a fish; I've played with him a lot. His pre-flop raises -- even from the blind -- are highly suspect. So I didn't put him on much of a hand. I smooth-called, planning to raise the turn.
The turn was Ace of diamonds, putting three diamonds on the board. He checked, I bet, he called.
River was Jack of diamonds, putting four parts to a straight flush on board.
He bet.
I made my full house, but with such a scary board (Queen of diamonds makes a straight flush), didn't feel like I could raise (if he had checked, I would have been likely to check it back). But, knowing the opponent, there was no way I could lay down a full house.
I called, he showed KQo - he flopped trips, and made the straight on the river.
I got lucky to win the hand.

Here's what I don't like about how he played the hand:
1) raising KQo from the big blind with 3 limpers is a bad play.
2) checking the turn is a bad play, unless you are sure your 1 opponent will bet and you plan to check-raise
3) smooth calling the turn is a bad play. If you believe you have the best hand, you have to raise; if you're beat, you have to fold.
4) betting the river with four parts to a straight flush on board -- holding a straight -- is dumb; the only hands that can call you either tie or beat you. A better play would be to check. A straight may be strong enough as a 'bluff catcher' on this board, though, with four diamonds on the board, it's too easy to lose to a flush. And, the highly coordinated nature of the board makes it likely that a full house is out there. Or even a straight flush.

playing one last hand before you go

2005-04-28T09:07:00.000-04:00

I was crusing the 10/20 game, but had an appointment, so had to leave.
I had just paid my blinds, and was on the button when the new dealer tapped in. So, this would be my last hand (I don't like to pay time unless I am going to play most of the 1/2 hour).
I was dealt Q5, suited in clubs.
Not a great hand, but I was ahead $500 in less than 2 hours, and catching like crazy, and if you're going to play a speculative hand, the button is the right position.
So I limped after 2 limpers and we took the flop 5 way.
The flop came 5 high with a club and two diamonds. There was bet to me and I raised (top pair, good kicker, backdoor draw, and a very vulnerable hand that might want a free card).
Three of us saw the turn, which was the 6 of clubs, putting 4 parts to a straight on board. Everyone checked to me.
My hand had improved -- picking up a flush draw -- but I felt it likely that one of my opponents had the straight and was looking to check raise, so I took the free card.
The river was a club, and there was a bet to me. I raised, he reluctantly called -- he had made the straight on the turn, and also had two diamonds -- and I took the pot.

This hand plays to a few concepts.
1) when you're running well, play a few more hands. I was catching a lot of flops, but I was winning nice pots because I was 'seeing' the game well. My opponents were a little afraid of me, and I was calling, raising and folding at the right times. Because I was playing good poker, I could play a more speculative hand, knowing I could throw away a second best holding without a thought.
2) be more liberal on the button. position is everything.
3) if you have somewhere to go, be there. it's hard enough to win at poker when you're not distracted.
4) don't count on someone to bet your hand for you. my opponent checked the turn, hoping to check-raise. If he bets, I will call with my club draw, even though I am a 5 to 1 dog to hit [if there is a bet on the turn, I know my pair of 5s is no good, and that hitting a 5 or a queen for two pair or trips won't be likely to win the pot]. But, given the board, and the one-card straight draw, I am happy to get a free card. If you're not positive your opponent will bet, don't try to check-raise. On the turn, my opponent had the best hand, and I was a 5 to 1 dog to make my hand; clearly, I'll call (there was 110 in the pot; if he bets the turn, there would be 130 in the pot, and it would cost me 20 to call, a clear overlay). But, if I miss my draw, I won't give him more action. If I hit my draw, I win. So, betting the best hand on the turn is key.

you made a full house - should you bet?

2005-04-25T15:33:00.000-04:00

Usually, when you make a full house, you want to be betting and raising until the cows come home.
But, not always.

In a 10/20 game at the Borgata in Atlantic City, I picked up 55 on the button, and limped behind 4 other players. Both blinds came.
The flop was K, 7, 5, with two spades.
The big blind bet, and was raised by a middle position player. Having played with her before, I knew she had a King, but also knew it was doubtful that she held K7, unless it was suited. I re-raised, looking to charge anyone on a spade draw the max.
The big blind and raiser both called.
The turn was a king, giving me a full house. The big blind checked, she bet, and I raised. I put her on KJ or KT, maybe K9. Having played with her before, I knew she would have been likely to raise pre-flop with AK or KQ.
They both called.
The river was a 5, giving me quads, and making a full house for anyone with a king.
The big blind again checked, she again bet, and I raised. The big blind folded, and she called.
I scooped a nice pot.
Given the action, there's little reason for her to bet on the end. If I have a King, we'll split the pot (and, I won't fold). If I have pocket 7s, I'm clearly beat, and shouldn't call (though, I do understand that most players would call with 7s full in this spot; if the action on the flop and turn had been different, calling with 7s full might be right, but given the action, she was clearly holding a King, making it an easy fold with 7s full).
So, her bet on the end: either I fold (and she makes no more money); I call (and we split the pot, and she makes no more money); or I raise, either with the same hand or a better one (meaning she either doesn't win anymore money or loses more money).
In most cases, if you make your full house, you should be betting, raising, check-raising --- whatever it takes to build the pot and win more money.
You'll rarely be up against quads, but sometimes you'll be against a better full house; be aware of this possibility can save you a lot of money over your career.

learning to lay it down

2005-04-20T15:49:00.000-04:00

I think making smart laydowns on the river is an over-rated concept, especially in a heads-up pot. Usually, if there has been any action, the money in the pot merits calling with almost any hand that has a legit shot to win.
But, making smart laydowns on the turn - that's a different story. First, the pot is smaller. Second, in order to show down your hand, you'll have to also call a river bet.

Here are two spots where this concept came up recently; I think I played one well, and the other poorly.

10/20 limit game, I held AKo in the small blind. An early position player opened with a raise, and a few players called; hoping to disguise my hand and possibly have a greater edge on a later street, I just called. The only player I figured to knock out of the hand with a raise was the big blind (in this game, in for a penny, in for a pound, so I knew my show of strength wouldn't get anyone to fold). With a slightly stronger hand (AA, KK, QQ, or AKs), I would be more inclined to raise. Another thought was that if I re-raised with AK, and hit the flop, a lot of hands would be getting the right odds to draw against me, whereas if I called, the pot would be smaller, perhaps making it easier to protect a potentially fragile holding (top pair, top kicker, etc).

The flop came A, rag, rag, with two spades. I checked, the big blind bet, and everyone called. I considered check-raising, but opted to wait until the turn. I was confident that the big blind had an ace, and would bet the turn, making it possible to check-raise on the more expensive street; I knew that a player must be on a flush draw, so I wanted to wait in order to reduce the odds that player would be getting; and I didn't have a spade.

A spade hit the board. I checked, the big blind checked, and a middle position player fired. Since I didn't have a spade (which would have set up re-draws on the river), I folded my top pair, top kicker hand. The big blind called, then check-called the river, and nodded, "Nice hand" when the player showed a queen-high flush. The big blind had an ace, with a worse kicker.

I was happy with my laydown.

A few hands later, holding 8,7o on the button, I limped behind 4 players. The big blind raised, and we all called.

The flop came 7, 6, 3. It was checked to me, I bet, and three players called. The turn brought a 3, and it was again checked to me. Thinking the 3 helped my hand, I bet, only to be check-raised! I called, then called the river, and my opponent showed 3,2s.

While I was a bit incredulous (he limped with 3,2s in middle position! he called the flop with bottom pair, no kicker!), paying him off was a mistake. I didn't want to believe that he was that bad a player that he could have a three, so I paid him off when he check-raised the turn (and I know that a check-raise on the turn means 'big hand').

I think I am giving away a lot of my profit by paying off hands when I feel I am beat. I think players pay off to feed their ego -- the attitude being, "I'm not going to get bluffed." That's an attitude that just costs money.

if you hate bad beat stories, skip this one

2005-04-18T15:31:00.000-04:00

If you always won with pocket Aces, the game wouldn't be nearly so much fun.
Though, when you seem to keep losing with them, the game can be very painful.
In early position, I opened the action with a raise with A,K (holding the king of clubs).
A middle position player cold-called, and we took the flop heads-up.
The flop came Ace of clubs, a red jack, 8 of clubs.
I bet, he raised, I three bet. He called.
The turn was the four of clubs, I bet, he called.
The river was the 10 of spades. I bet, he raised!
With more then $200 in the pot, I was getting more than 10 to 1 on my call, making it the right play to throw in the bet.
He showed Ace, ten. He made two pair on the river.
I had feared that he may have flopped two pair, which was one reason why I three-bet the flop. I wanted him to define his hand early if that was the case.
When the third club hit on the turn, I picked up the nut flush draw to go with top pair, top kicker.
My opponent cold-called pre-flop with Ace, ten (suited, of course). He had been at the same table with me for an hour, and this was the first hand I had raised pre-flop, from any position, which should have set off some warning bells.

He raised the flop and called a re-raise on the flop with a dominated kicker (I can understand the raise, if he put me on KK; calling a re-raise in such a situation is questionable).
On the turn, with three clubs on the board, he called my bet, even though he held red cards.
On the river, he caught one of only two outs that made him a winner (the ten of clubs would make me the flush).

I hate his pre-flop call. Ace, ten suited is the kind of hand you'd like to play in late position, with a big field, and for one bet. It's not a strong hand to play in a raised, heads-up pot.

I like the raise on the flop; find out where you are on the cheap street. When you get re-raised, you know you're beat. You can call the bet, planning to fold the turn if you don't improve.

I hate the call on turn. It's clear you're beat, and that your outs may be tainted (as was the case here, if the ten of clubs hits). While most players would blindly call with top pair, ten kicker, this is a pretty clear fold. Also, even if Ace, ten is leading, there are 3 clubs on the board, and you don't have a club. Even if your opponent is bluffing, if he has a club, you're very vulnerable.

The raise on the river is a good value move; since he's called along this far, raising after hitting his card makes sense. However, a pre-flop raiser could have held KQ, suited in clubs for a flush, or unsuited for a straight, or JJ or AA for a flopped set, making this a risk.

I've sucked out on opponents. And this won't be the last time someone sucks out on me. I was a little annoyed that he was proud of himself for his good play, but pretty confident that such false pride would help the chips find their way back into my bankroll before long.

In retrospect, I should have checked the river. If a total blank had come, betting out makes more sense. If I put a pre-flop cold-caller on a range of hands, I would include: AQ; AJ; AT; Axs; KQ; pocket pairs. AQ would call on the end, while every other hand would either beat me or fold.

finding the outs

2005-04-13T16:09:00.000-04:00

I didn't play this hand, but found it interesting.

In a 3/6 game at the Mirage, the player in the big blind held A,8, suited in hearts. Six players limped, and she raised (a questionable play, but not the crux of the story). Everyone called, and they took the flop seven handed.

The flop came 8,8,2, rainbow, and she bet. One player called, the button raised, and everyone else folded. She re-raised, the limper cold-called, and the button raised again (cap). Everyone called.

The turn was a queen, putting four suits on board, and the big blind bet out. The middle player called, and the button raised. The big blind, feeling good about three-of-a-kind with top kicker, re-raised (VERY questionable raise), the middle player again cold-called, and the button again capped the action.

The river was an ace, and she bet, the middle player again called, the button again raised, she re-raised, the middle player called, the button capped, and everyone called.

The button -- of course -- held 2,2, and had flopped a full-house.

The middle player, one can assume from the action, held the case 8.

The loser of the pot, in telling me how bad the winner played, almost screamed, 'She only had 3 outs! 3 outs!'

Well, no. And, while her reckless raising ended up costing him a lot of money, it would be impossible to expect that any player in a limit game is going to fold three-of-a-kind with top kicker.

On the flop, she had 4 outs (the case 8 and any ace). On the turn, she picked up three more outs (any queen that pairs the board gives her eights full of queens, which beats twos full of eights), for a total of 7 outs. Even if she was positive that the button held pocket twos, she would have been right to call him down. If the button would be aggressive with an eight or an over-pair, she has to call.

14 small bets went in pre-flop. Another 15 small bets went in on the flop. That's 14.5 big bets.
On the turn, with 7 outs, the odds against improving are better than 6 to 1, making it an easy call. Actually, raising is OK, especially if there's any chance trips with top kicker is good. The big blind bet, the limper called, the button raised. Now, there's 18.5 big bets, and she's 6 to 1 against making her hand. She's getting 18.5 to 1 on a call, or better than 9 to 1 on a raise, a clear overlay. If she checks, the pot would be laying 15.5 to 1 on a call, or almost 8 to 1 on a raise, still a clear overlay.

Finding 'hidden' outs is a key concept. Given the excessive flop action, it's reasonable to assume that no one had a queen, so when the queen hit the turn, it created an additional three outs, making it clearly correct to continue with the hand.

no free cards!

2005-04-12T11:17:00.000-04:00

Many players love the check-raise, and it hurts their game.
It hurts the most when it backfires and gives your opponents a free card because no one bets.

A great example came in a recent 15/30 game. I was the big blind with 66. A late position player raised, and we saw the flop 6 handed.

The flop came K, K, J, a horrible flop for 66. I checked, and it checked around. If someone had breathed on the pot, my hand was going in the muck, but I love a free card.

The turn was a beautiful 6, which happened to put two hearts on the board. I felt confident that one of my opponents was slowplaying a King, and was a little afraid that someone might be slowplaying a big full house, but, not wanting to check my full house, I bet. I was called in two spots.

The river was the 9 of hearts. I bet, got called, then the other player raised! Knowing my full house was far from boss, I called, as did the player in the middle.

The raiser showed A,6 of hearts for the nut flush - he was drawing dead and got there. My other opponent tossed his hand in the muck when he saw my full house, shaking his head, knowing that if he had bet his king on the flop, he would have won a small pot instead of losing a big one.

overestimating opponents at the Mirage in Vegas

2005-04-11T14:16:00.000-04:00

At the Mirage in Vegas, I raised under-the-gun with JJ. everyone folded to the little blind, who called. The big blind folded.
The flop came J, 9, 2, rainbow, giving me top set. After raising preflop, I figured a check would be suspicious, so I fired after she checked; she called.
The turn brought a queen. She bet.
I put her on a queen, and raised.
She re-raised! I re-evaluated, and figured she must have flopped a small set, and waited until the turn to raise. So, figuring my trip jacks were good, I raised again.
She raised me!
Now, I had to re-evaluate. I figured that if she had pocket queens, she might have re-raised pre-flop, or might have bet or check-raised the flop. But, she was a little tricky, so I thought there was some chance she had a set of queens.
I called.
The turn was a blank, she fired, and I called, and she turned over K,T. She called my pre-flop under-the-gun raise from the small blind in a pot likely to be heads-up (the big blind was tight) with a hand that was very likely to be dominated.
Then, she called the flop with a gut-shot straight draw and one overcard in a heads-up pot.
Because I thought she was a better player, I put her on a tricky set, and raised and re-raised the action on the turn.
If I had realize what a fish she was, I would have just called her down and saved 4 bets.
Oh well.
Of course, if the board had paired on the river, this would be a different post...

playing JJ UTG

2005-03-29T09:59:00.000-05:00

10/20 game with a 1/2 kill, I was under the gun and the kill was on, in late position.

I raised with JJ. The next two players called, the kill poster called, the next two players called, and the big blind did, too.

Wow! Tight game, and a lot of respect for an under the gun raise! Seven players to the flop for 2 bets.

The flop came J, 6, 6. What a flop! With this many opponents, I elected to play it fast, so I bet. One player called, and the next said raise! Everyone else folded to me. I re-raised, and they both called.

Turn was a blank, and I fired. The first player folded, and the other raised again! I re-raised, and he called. My ony worry was if he had 6,6 and had flopped quads, but considering that too remote a possibility, I felt a re-raise was clearly in order. If he had popped it again on the turn, I might have to slow down.

The river was an ace, and I fired. He paid me off, and I raked a monster pot. He didn't show, but based on the action, he put me on an overpair (of AJ, though I'd been playing pretty tight, and he is a fairly observant opponent) and he had a 6. Considering the board texture, I thought it was unlikely I could make more money slowplaying the hand and trying to let other people in.

My opponent played this pretty well. I might have played an overpair in much the same way (though, I wouldn't have re-raised the turn or bet out the river). Though, once I did re-raise the turn, it was going to cost him another $60 to see the river. When I re-raised the turn, that put $495 in the pot, so if he figured that it would cost him another $60 to get to the showdown, he was getting more than 8 to 1 to just call it down. If he thought that there was any chance I was on a bluff or an overpair, those odds could be worse (he also had been crushing the game, so had a mountain of chips in front of him).

The final size of the pot was $585.

T,7s in the blind

2005-03-28T16:01:00.000-05:00

I was in the small blind with T,7 suited in spades.
There were 3 limpers, including the button, and I called. The big blind checked, and we took the flop 5 handed.
The flop came great for my hand: K, 9, 6, with two spades - I flopped a gutshot straight draw and a flush draw - 12 outs.
I checked, hoping to have a big field see the turn with me. It checked to the button, who bet. I called, and everyone folded behind me.
The turn was a blank - offsuit trey.

Check or bet?! I checked, the button bet. Check-raise, fold or call? I called.

The river was another blank - offsuit deuce. I checked, the button bet, I folded.

A pretty uninteresting hand. With position, I may have been able to take this pot, even without hitting my hand. I checked the flop because I didn't want a raise to shut out the field. If the big blind had bet and everyone called, I might have raised to build a big pot.

Since it folded to the button, I smooth-called, hoping for overcalls.

I could have led or check-raised on the turn. I'm confident that if I hit the straight or flush, my hand is good. I might also win by catching a 10. But, I check-called.

I think I played this hand weakly and meekly. My opponent was very loose and somewhat aggressive, especially with position. I did nothing to give him a chance to fold, and since I didn't catch, he took down the pot. The only benefit to my play is that I probably could have check-raised the river.

Of course, if I check-raise the turn and miss, and then bet, he'll likely call with any pair. If I bet out the turn, he might fold. If he calls, I can re-evaluate on the river. If I am raised on the turn, I can play back at him, or call with lots of outs.

Preflop: I think calling for 1/2 a bet from the small blind with T,7s is a good play.
Flop: Checking into a big field after a king flops (and with a coordinated board) is a decent play. A strong argument could be made for betting here, too.
Turn: After the field folded to the flop bet, I should have bet the turn. This is a much better play than check-calling, as it gives me another way to win: my opponent might fold. Betting the turn might also help me to get paid off if I do catch my draws on the river (opponent might be less likely to think I'd bet on the come).
River: Check-folding the river isn't a bad play here. My opponent wasn't going to lay down any pair, and with a Ten high, I had little chance of taking the pot.

Comments welcome.

KTs - rethinking the play

2005-03-21T11:23:00.000-05:00

The player UTG limped, and I limped behind him with KTs in clubs.
It was folded to a middle position player who raised, two players called behind, as did both blinds and the UTG limped.
I considered re-raising, but opted to just call.
If I raise, I create a big pot, one that I'd be correct in chasing with almost any piece of the flop. If the flop missed me completely, I could easily let it go; if I flopped a draw of any sort, it would likely be to the nuts.
If my holding was KQs, I like the re-raise. With a two-gap suited connector, it's borderline at best, and, preferring a lower variance play, I smooth called, closing the action.

The flop came A, 9, 3, with the Ace and 3 both clubs. It was checked to me, and I bet. The pre-flop raiser pumped it, and only the UTG player called.

In thinking about this hand later, I think a check-raise is the better play. I have the nut-flush draw, and want to build a big pot with my big draw. By betting and giving the pre-flop raiser a chance to raise, I shut out the field, many of whom would have been drawing thin or dead. They might call one bet, but are less likely to call 2. I put the pre-flop raiser on an Ace, and so thought it highly likely he would bet. In retrospect, on this hand, I think I should have gone for the check-raise. On the flop, with the nut flush draw, I am a 2 to 1 dog to make my hand, so even with only 2 opponents, I am basically even money on a check-raise here (or, can re-evaluate situation and simply call).

I do like to play my draws aggressively, but in early position, and with the raiser to my immediate left, I was perhaps hasty.

The turn was a Jack, giving me a gut shot straight to go with my nut flush draw, increasing my outs from 9 to 12. I was confident that the pre-flop raiser had an Ace, so I had to hit to win, but if I did make my hand, it was going to be the nuts.

UTG checked, I checked, pre-flop raiser bet. UTG and I both called.

I considered a check-raise, since my hand had improved, but didn't think that there was any chance a semi-bluff would get my opponent to lay his hand down. With 12 outs, I was about a 3 to 1 dog to make the hand, meaning I'd rake the pot about 25% of the time. I didn't think I could improve that number with a raise, but the pot was laying me enough to make a call correct, so I did.

The river was no help, UTG checked, I checked, and the pre-flop raiser showed his hand, perhaps fearing one of us was slow-playing two pair. He held ATs, and took the pot.

This hand speaks to many concepts, and I think I could have played it better. By betting and allowing my opponent to raise on the flop, I shut out the field, which was probably a mistake.

If I had held an overcard to the board, different story, as I would be happy to improve my chances of winning by hitting the overcard.

But, with the nut flush draw and no overcard, I want as many callers as possible. I can then decide to check-raise my big draw or simply call.

I do like to check-raise nut flush draws on the flop; it confuses opponents, and as long as I have trapped enough players, it shows a big profit. I can then choose to lead the turn or check, depending on what hits. If I make the flush, I'd be inclined to bet; if I miss, I might get a free card. But, it's unlikely that I would make the flush and then be able to check-raise the turn after check-raising the flop.

I've been running bad recently. The game has been very loose and aggressive, and my big starting hands aren't holding up. AK losing to Ax when my opponent makes a dirty two pair on the river. Or, flopping the nut draw and not getting there. Short term, these results can be painful, but by examining my hands played, I can continue to learn and improve.

Here's hoping you always get raised when you're holding the nuts.

I cost myself money

2005-03-15T17:55:00.000-05:00

Playing 10/20 hold 'em with a 1/2 kill, I was sitting in the small blind. I had won the previous pot (holding AQ in the big blind, I flopped top pair, and took down a big pot without a showdown on the river).

Three players limped, and I looked down to find AQ, suited in diamonds. Since I had already posted the $15 kill, I could knuckle and take the flop, but I felt my hand was more than strong enough to raise against the big blind and three limpers, even with my poor position, so I popped it.

Everyone called, and the flop came K, J, 3, all diamonds.

What a flop! My first thought was, how do I make the most money? I basically owned the deck, holding both the Ace and Queen, with the King on the flop. But, it would be suspicious to check.

So, I bet. The big blind folded, and the next player raised. One player called and it was back to me.

I put her as reading me for AK, maybe with a diamond, and I put her on two pair. I figured she would bet the turn, and I could trap the middle caller with a check-raise. So I called.

The turn was a Jack. Now, I was unsure if my opponent -- an "auto-bettor" -- made a full house. I was pretty sure my flush was good; in fact, if she bet, I might still check-raise (she loves to bet and loves to bluff, so her checks are actually more scary than her calls). But, I stuck to plan and checked, half hoping she'd bet, half hoping she wouldn't. She checked, as did the third player.

The river was a blank, I fired, she called, the other player folded, and my Ace high flush was good (she had flopped two pair, King Crab, kings and threes).

I kicked myself as I raked in the pot. Given the action, checking the turn when the Jack paired made sense. If there was action, I couldn't be sure that my flush was good, yet the pot was big enough that folding would be incorrect.

My big mistake was not three-betting the flop. I bet, she raised, and the third player cold called. I should have raised, hoping she'd pump it again and building a pot. The Jack on the turn is a horrible card, giving my opponents a possible full-house (if she flopped Kings and Jacks or if he flopped a set).

As it turned out, my hand was good, and I raked a nice pot -- $300. But it could have been bigger.

I was victim of what Mike Caro calls "Fancy Play Syndrome." And cost myself at least another couple of bets.

But, it's tough to kick yourself too hard when you're raking the pot.