[Another old post to jump-start this blog.]
Thursday, June 9th
Arrived in Vegas around 11:30am, suitcase delayed by one flight. Therefore, I missed the 2pm Bellagio tournament. Went to the Rio at about 4pm, straight to the Pavilion and the WSOP.
Wow! That’s a hell of a lot of poker tables. The buzz in the room is incredible. Tournaments, cash games, satellites, the works. Calls for cash games in one area, satellite seating in another. At one table is Greg Raymer, Cindy Violette, John D’Agostino, Ted Forrest and some others playing a 7-card stud cash game. A small crowd watches, probably oogling the stacks of black and other colorful chips on the table as much as the play and the players.
I came armed and ready for the $2000 NLHE tournament on Friday, so I thought I’d ease into things with a satellite. $225 satellite for tournament chips, good for any WSOP tournament. 1000 starting chips, 10 players, blinds escalate every 15 or 20 minutes (I forget). Not much room to maneuver. I build the stack slowly, and we’re down to three with the blinds at 600-1200. With the three of us about equal stacks, we are each completely committed all-in if we play a hand. It becomes a complete luck-fest. I lose with A3o to Q7o. At least I got my money in with the best starting hand. High on the luck scale, low on the skill scale, I decide to move on to the cash games.
I sit at the $500 to $1500 NLHE game, $5-10 blinds. Mostly experienced players in the cash games, but also a few lose, fairly wild players at my table. One kid that was probably 21 years and a day sits down and starts raising wildly. After being down a bit, one notable hand comes up where I flop top two pair in the BB (queens and eights), and he just can’t lay it down. The whole stack goes in and now I’m up about $600 for the night, accounting for the satellite. Thanks. I’m tired; after a long days of traveling and playing.
I sign up for WSOP Event #9, and its time for bed. Phil Hellmuth signs up soon after me, and even in line he still wears the sunglasses.
Friday, WSOP Event #9
Friday is the $2000 NLHE event, with about 1400 entrants. I’m in seat 6, and the only notable player at my table is Buddy Williams in seat 8. Seat 5 is empty for about the first 10 minutes, which is then occupied by a noted pro who shall remain nameless for the purpose of my story.
He’s been to the final table at the WSOP before, and he looks every bit the part of the melancholy poker hippy, straight out of the ‘60s. Headband, ratty sweatshirt, shorts, tube socks pulled up to the knees with gym shoes. Worst of all, he smells like ass. Not a constant, overbearing ass smell, but unavoidable. Occasionally, I have to turn my head away to avoid a strong breeze of ass smell. I wonder if its really him, or just the “lucky poker clothes” that haven’t been washed for eighteen years.
After about his third hand after sitting down, Poker Hippy flops a set of tens in a raised pot on a KT8 board against what could only be AK (this other player mucked after losing). Poker Hippy doubles up, just like that. AK-guy curses, and the dealer doesn’t call the floor and assess the ten minute cursing penalty only because the poor bastard has $50 left. Now ass-smelling Poker Hippy is the instant big stack to my right and he’s not going anywhere. Fabulous.
The table is playing very tight. I get complete junk except for one notable hand of the first level. Poker Hippy raises UTG+1, and I peek down at AA. I raise, thinking we’ll move that big stack one to the left. Alas, all fold, Poker Hippy notices me for the first time, ponders for about 2 seconds, and mucks. Am I playing that tight? I win a $150 pot. Fabulous.
At the start of level 2, Poker Hippy pulls out an orange, and proceeds to peel it with his fist, sans tools, like a chimpanzee would peel a banana. He bites into it like an apple, and juice is running down his hand and dripping on his clothes. This is good, because it may counteract the ass smell.
I get junk, junk, and more junk for the remainder of level 2. I make a play here and there with junk, and by the first break build up to $2900. Nothing spectacular, but respectable for my first big tournament.
As the 15 minute break starts, nearly 1400 guys all make a rush for the 12 urinals and 6 toilet stalls in the single bathroom near the poker room. What the hell are the organizers thinking?! I set off with maybe 300 adventurous souls in search of the main casino bathrooms, which is about a 6-7 minute walk, one way.
On this journey, I find myself walking next to Tobey Maguire. I have the urge to tell him that I have been collecting comic books since I was 15, that I have thousands of Spider-Man comics, and that my all-time favorite comic book cover is Amazing Spider-Man #252, where the black costume first appears. This is the comic book, in fact, that really got me starting collecting comics. With deference to your traditional blue and red costume, Mr. Maguire, I really like the black costume better. I realize that I’m in a small minority, but I just like the black costume. Instead, I settle for something more mundane.
“How many hands you think we’ll miss?”
“Hopefully, none. I’m just heading to Starbucks, not the can,” Spiderman replies.
“Good luck.”
“You too.”
After all these years of collecting and reading Spiderman comics, Spiderman has just wished me good luck in poker. Surreal.
As round 3 starts, Poker Hippy now has a large cup of soup. The soup smells great, so now we have orange and soup odors to counteract the smell of ass. I want to ask him to spill some soup on his shorts, just for good measure. I actually consider quickly adjusting my chair in a way that would ensure some soup spills on his clothes. Just as he is finishing his soup, however, our table breaks.
I am moved to seat #4 at a table right next to the area where ESPN is filming the final table of the $1000 NLHE rebuy tournament. This area is abuzz with excitement. The main ESPN TV screen is immediately adjacent to my table, and people are crowded by the ropes to watch the action. Miami John Cernuto is in seat #1 at my table, and both he and seat #3 have what may be the biggest stacks in the tournament at this point. I’m at about $3000, and these two may have more than $10,000.
Seat #5, to my immediately left, busts out soon after I arrive. Within 3 minutes, Spiderman appears and plops his chips at the empty seat next to me. Seat #3 nudges me, whispering: “You know who that is, right?”
“Yeah, we’ve met.” My brush with greatness continues.
For the next hour and a half, I get absolute crap for cards. I’ve played long enough to know when the cards are running good, when they’re running average, and when they’re running bad. This was really bad. This table is more aggressive than my first, and Miami John is raising liberally, and calling raises just as liberally.
Its clearly a raise or fold table. Limping is openly mocked and snapped off with aggressive raises. I put in a few opening raises, just to stay in the game, with premium hands like J9s and Q8o, but with a few callers and nothing on the flop each time, I just can’t afford to put more chips in harms way.
I’m playing weak tight, and I hate it, but I simply have no cards or openings to make a play. I haven’t shown a hand at this table because I haven’t played to a showdown. I have that bad feeling set in as my stack dwindles and others grow.
At the second 15 minutes break, after level 4, I have $2850. Yuck. I resolve to make it through the next two levels and to the dinner break.
More crap. The antes are now grinding my stack into dust. I raise with 44 in MP1, the best hand I’ve seen since the AA. The flop misses, I bet, get re-raised, and have to fold.
Near the start of level 6, with 150/300 blinds and 25 ante, I am down to about 1000 and go all-in UTG with K7o. Time to get lucky or say goodbye. Tobey calls, and the BB raises. Crap. Tobey calls the raise, and shows AQ. The BB shows AK. Tobey hits the queen and busts us both. I stand up and see that the big screen says 435 players remaining, so I guess I went out in 435th. Now I can tell everyone that I did decent for my first big tournament, and got busted by Spiderman.
Saturday, MGM Grand
Arrive at about 11am on Saturday, and sit down at the $200 NLHE game, waiting for the $500 NLHE game. In the 200 game, it’s a therapy session for a twenty-something kid to my right who’s been playing all night, and is now crying to the table about the girlfriend who just dumped him (the mother of his only child). He’s drinking Heineken and Scotch, raising if either of his two starting cards are an ace or face card. I’m generally a nice guy, but I’m just waiting for the right moment to help him slide his stack over to me. Does that make me a bad guy? Nah. No cards, and I move after 20 minutes to the bigger game.
Play at the $500 NL (2-5 blinds) game is fairly standard, not much bluffing, and I am down a few hundred in seat 1 playing uninspired poker with mediocre starting cards for a couple of hours. The action heats up when a small, quiet man arrives in seat 9 and starts raising and re-raising. He’s far too well dressed for the lunch hour at the MGM, and everyone senses that the action is going to pick up.
My runs starts with a hand while I’m in the BB. I’ve been adding to keep my stack at or near $500, just in case I actually catch some cards or see an opening to be the bully. I have named the player in Seat 7 ‘The Big Jell-O’ because he has the unfortunate tell of trembling when he has a big hand. He’s a big-boned, blubbery sort of guy who is apparently a regular, because the dealers all know him. On one prior hand, he started trembling as he raised PF and got a call from the BB. The flop was JT6, the BB led out, and as The Big Jell-O raised his trembling turned into a quivering, full-body jiggle. He might as well have shouted, “I have a Monster here!!” BB folded and he turned over pocket kings. What a horribly unfortunate tell for him.
Back to my hand in the BB. The Big Jell-O raised pre-flop to $25 and he’s shaking, so he’s got something. I peek down at AdAh. Sweet. How can we get all the money in the pot? I raise to $75. The Big Jell-O quickly raises to $150. I pause, think, think, sending out brain waves of “ace-king, ace-king.” I’m quietly praying he has KK and not AA. I finally raise to $300. He is now a shambling, jiggling mess as he somehow manages to shove his stack forward, bulldozer-style. Neatly stacked chips crash into a pile. I saw that he had me covered by about $30 or so, so we don’t have to re-assemble the wreckage and count it out until after the hand is over.
I call. He turns over kings, I turn over the goods, and he yelps something that’s not any language. My aces hold up.
This hand starts my card rush. My spoils are still in an unstacked pile as I get AsQs in the SB on the next hand. I raise after four limpers, and all call, including the BB. Flop comes two spades. I lead out with about a third of the pot, one raise, two callers, and I call. Fourth card is a spade, with no straight-flush draw. I check, and manage to milk some more out of one player, winning at the show-down.
I win three or four more hands in the next two orbits, then get to limp in with 6c4s in the BB with 4 other players. Flop comes 4h-4d-6h. I lead for $15, which shouldn’t raise any eyebrows. A young baby-face guy raises to $75. The wildish, well-dressed man calls. I just call.
The turn is Qh -- “Excellent!” (in the voice of Monty Burns) I bet $75, baby-face raises all-in for about $225 total, small quiet guy raises to $450! Most likely one has the flush, one has a four, and I can tell no one has pocket 44 or 66 by their betting. My only hesitation is that Well-Dressed Man limped with a high pocket pair, and might beat me with a lucky card on the river. I raise $300 more, and he goes away. When I turn up the sneaky full house, there’s groans all around the table, and I rake another healthy pot.
Things cool down for me after that, and I’m done when my wife and other family arrive for dinner around 4:30, up nearly $1000. MGM has a very nice room, and I will definitely play there again. The bar right next door plays thumping-loud music, which doesn’t bother me but seems to irritate some of the players.
Sunday, Bellagio
I arrive about 1:15pm for the 2pm $500 buy-in NLHE tournament. The Bellagio has upgraded and expended the poker room, and its very nice. There’s a main floor, four tables on an upper level high-stakes area enclosed by frosted glass, and the large ultra-plush single-table high-stakes room. They have pictures of high-rollers and WPT winners on the walls, which adds a very unique touch. This may very well be the center of the poker universe, now that the WSOP has all but abandoned the downtown Horseshoe.
My tournament starts in seat 5 at a 10-handed table with players ranging from seasoned to fairly inexperienced, and a couple of stodgy old regulars. The old guys let everyone know they play here a lot by calling out to the staff and talking loudly about how they faired yesterday. We start with $2000 and 25/25 blinds, going up every 40 minutes. Overall, everyone is friendly, and play is tight from the start. I ease into tight mode, either raising or folding pre-flop. I slowly build my stack with hands that end before the showdown.
During the second level, seat 9 busts out, and Michael “The Grinder, I’m a Machine” Mizrachi plops down in his place. Everyone instantly recognizes him. The guy in seat 3 has apparently met him before, and acts like he’s The Grinder’s life-long buddy. Its painful to watch a 50 year-old man kiss the ass of a 25 year-old uber-successful player.
Mizrachi is immediately the center of attention, raising PF and entering a lot of pots. He’s betting aggressively, and many yielding to his aggression. He plays with a lot of ego, and clearly likes to run the table. The way he counts chips and bets just screams confidence. Its an interesting contrast to everyone I’ve played with so far in Vegas, and he’s clearly the most bold player I’ve ever seen in person. On one particular hand, Mizrachi raises pre-flop, a stodgy old-guy in seat 1 calls, and Mizrachi leads the betting on every street with the old guy calling the flop and turn. On the river, Mizrachi bets enough to put the old guy all-in, and he folds. Mizrachi flips T7o into the middle, which has connected with absolutely nothing on the board. Someone comments about “firing all three barrels,” and its even more clear that Mizrachi is playing at a level a few notches above this table. I was convinced he had the goods.
After the first 15 minute break, during level 4, Mizrachi pulls a trick on a newbie to my left. Newbie goes all-in on a smallish stack, and everyone folds around to Mizrachi in the BB. Mizrachi collects a stack of chips in his left hand, and in one single motion stomps the chips in the pot with his left hand, yelling “Call!” while flipping his cards with his right hand under the chips (as they are moving forward) and into the muck. In this single motion, he has actually folded, while trying to trick the newbie that he has called. Newbie falls for it and flips over pocket eights. Mizrachi pauses and looks around the table, then raises his hands in the air showing no cards, waiting for everyone to notice this trick. Laughter ensues.
He’s clearly just goofing around, not trying to shoot any angles, yet at the same time I can tell that a few eyebrows are raised at the table. A few orbits later he tries the same trick against me.
I’m 99% certain he folded, but its such a quick motion that I want to make sure. I ask “You have cards?” I would hate to muck and he actually does have cards.
He laughs and pulls the chips back. “Nah.”
After he tries this trick for a third time, several players at the table, and the dealer, are clearly getting annoyed at his shenanigans. He’s a bold, brash player, and now he’s starting to show his age. Unfortunately, no matter how many millions he’s made at poker thus far, this is exactly how an immature player would act at the table. This might be funny in a home game, and this $500 buy-in tourney may be chump-change to him, but he’s no longer funny to the table.
My first interesting hand happens during level 4, with the blinds at 100-200 and my stack at around 6000. I’ve been folding a lot, so when its folded around to me with As7c on the button, I raise to 600. SB joined just before the break. He has been talking a lot with Mizrachi, and has the full Young Asian Hipster look going. Shades are mirrored, expensive shirt, gold necklaces, rings, spikey hair, the works. He asks how much I’ve got left. I raise my arm and let him figure it out, without counting for him or saying a word. He eyeballs my stack and raises to 1200. I’ve got the vibe that he was just trying to put a scare in me and steal back, so I call. He’s been liberally calling and raising, and has me covered by maybe 500.
The flop comes Qs-8s-3s. SB quickly shoves his stack in. My first thought is fold, it mostly missed me, and I was on a steal anyway. As I’m pondering, SB leans forward to look around the dealer, and is checking me out. I glance over, and he’s staring. He leans in closer, and is now invading the dealer’s personal space. The dealer leans back to get out of his way, probably fearing Spike might try to plant a wet one on him.
At this point I’m thinking that he’s overtly trying to stare me out of the hand, and I’m sensing weakness. Now I’m actually running through the math. 9 outs to the nut flush. Three aces are probably good outs. If he hasn’t even paired, three 7s may also be good outs, and I would already have the best hand with ace high. I may have as many as 14 outs, which would put me over 50% to improve to a better, or nut, hand by the river.
After I run through this, he still staring, hovering over the dealer. Doesn’t he know that I’ve read Caro’s book, too? Strong means weak. I call.
He slumps back in his chair and says the two words I love to hear, “Good call.” He turns over Ts7d. Wow, its even better than I thought -- he’s dead to three tens. Two non-spade blanks on the turn and river, and I’m the new table captain. I feel like telling him not to be so obvious next time, but he’ll just have to figure that out himself.
I continue to play tight and aggressive, only folding, open raising or re-raising. This works well, and by the second 15 break I’m at $12,975 and we are down to 17 players.
Soon are down to 12 players and I’m about average with around $14,000. The blinds are 500-1000, 50 ante. The older guy who was previously kissing Mizrachi’s ass raises UTG to $3100. I have KsQs in the SB, and call another $2600, mainly because we’re short handed and I’m guessing I probably have the best hand or overcards.
The flop comes Qd-7d-2d. I consider the range of hands that he might have -- any pocket pair, AK down to maybe A8, and possibly some lower hands like JTs. I estimate that I’m only beat here by AQ, KK, AA or a lucky flush or set, and I’m way ahead of many other hands he might have. I go all-in. He calls, and I immediately think that I’m cooked. He flips 6s6c -- , no diamond! I double up, he’s crippled. What a strange call, and so close to the money. My best guess is that he thought I was moving in with AK.
Soon we are down to the final table of 9, with 8 places paid. We make a save for 9th place, who will get $800. I am in 2nd or 3rd in chips, depending on stack fluctuations from hand-to-hand.
When the blinds hit 800-1600/100 ante, with 8 players left, someone starts talk of a deal. The guy in 1st has about $46,000 in chips, and he’s solid, not making any mistakes. I have $22,100 in chips, and am in 2nd or 3rd place. Even so, a meaningful open raise of $4,000 approaches 20% of my stack. One mistake hand and its nearly all-in or fold for me. For most of the table, its already all-in or fold. We won’t see post-flop play until we loose 3 or 4 players.
The prize pool is just over $40,000 total, after the $800 paid to 9th. The prizes are roughly:
1st -- $15,000
2nd -- $10,000
3rd -- $5300
4th -- $2800.
The proposed deal is just to chop the pot 8 even ways, with the justification being that luck will decide the final 4 or 3 players and we are all so close in chips. The guy in 1st place voices his objection, so the deal changes to $6000 for him, and the other 7 players chop the remainder evenly, which would be just under $5000 per player. I give this deal the thumbs up, knowing that I may be giving up a few hundred dollars of equity based on my current chip count in exchange for a guaranteed payment that’s nearly 3rd place money..
One old guy objects to the deal and holds out, because he’s convinced that he has nearly $40,000 in chips, too. He has huge stacks of black $100s, whereas I and several others have lots of pink $500s and some yellow $1000s. We can all see that he is miscounting his $100s, and actually has about half of what he believes he has. After some heated discussion about the size of his stack, its resolved by this exchange:
“If you have over $40,000 in chips, I’ll pay you $1000 cash right now!” says the guy to my left.
“OK, smart guy, I take that bet!” replies the old fart. “Count my stack!”
Its counted out at around $18,000. This abruptly ends the discussion, and we have a deal. It’s a wonder this old fart lasted so long in the tournament.
I have to wait for about an hour to get paid, and all awards are paid in chips. Final payout is $4,845 After I receive my chips, I have to take a break and admire them for a moment, being a chip collector. I wonder if I am the first person at the Bellagio to take pictures of chips in the sports book.
As I’m leaving the poker room, the exclusive single-table private room is now populated by Jennifer Harman, Phil Ivey, David Benyamine, David Oppenheim and Eli Elezra. How in the world do these predators play with each other and make money? Maybe they’re waiting for a big fish to arrive… or maybe one of them is the big fish…
I report the results to my wife, who is eating dinner with other family. Later, after I’ve turned chips into cash (I was somewhat tempted to keep the chips for the collection), we convene out by the dancing waters for one show, then head to Noodles for my late dinner.
I’m definitely playing at the Bellagio next time.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Monday, May 29, 2006
Math & Poker
[Another previous ChipTalk post that I really like.]
Regardless of how a player characterizes himself, he must make mathematically correct decisions in the long run to be successful in poker.
One way to put this in play:
1. Introduction to poker -- learn the basics of the game.
2. Learn the math of the game, so you can calculate pot odds, etc. at the table (actually running calculations in your head).
3. Practice, practice, practice so the math elements become second-nature in your play on the fly. You should be constantly calculating the price that you are getting on each and every bet. Thousands of on-line hands are excellent for this practice.
4. Learn to read other players in live play. You're already routinely doing the math in your head, so you can focus more on your reads of players.
5. Become an expert, where the math and the people-reading are second nature, and you're naturally into the flow of the game based on math and reads and making decisions based on instinct.
I'm somewhere at #4. Where are you?
The successful pros that (truthfully) claim they didn't read the books to learn the math were actually doing #2-4 at the same time, and a lot of these same players also admit that they took a pounding until they figured out "how to play the game " (i.e. make correct math decisions).
A lot of internet players are making a successful jump to live tournaments and cash play because they've spent a massive amount of time on #2-3, and also realize that they are good at reading other players in live play.
Some hard-core math wonks fail at #5, and will never make it to the top levels of poker because they will never read other players very well.
Regardless of how a player characterizes himself, he must make mathematically correct decisions in the long run to be successful in poker.
One way to put this in play:
1. Introduction to poker -- learn the basics of the game.
2. Learn the math of the game, so you can calculate pot odds, etc. at the table (actually running calculations in your head).
3. Practice, practice, practice so the math elements become second-nature in your play on the fly. You should be constantly calculating the price that you are getting on each and every bet. Thousands of on-line hands are excellent for this practice.
4. Learn to read other players in live play. You're already routinely doing the math in your head, so you can focus more on your reads of players.
5. Become an expert, where the math and the people-reading are second nature, and you're naturally into the flow of the game based on math and reads and making decisions based on instinct.
I'm somewhere at #4. Where are you?
The successful pros that (truthfully) claim they didn't read the books to learn the math were actually doing #2-4 at the same time, and a lot of these same players also admit that they took a pounding until they figured out "how to play the game " (i.e. make correct math decisions).
A lot of internet players are making a successful jump to live tournaments and cash play because they've spent a massive amount of time on #2-3, and also realize that they are good at reading other players in live play.
Some hard-core math wonks fail at #5, and will never make it to the top levels of poker because they will never read other players very well.
A Poker Horror Story
[I originally posted this on ChipTalk in January 2006. Seems like a good addition to my new blog.]
This is not a bad beat story. Its much worse.
Several family members were in town over a weekend in late August to celebrate my daughter’s sixth birthday. My daughter also started kindergarten that week, so it was exciting times.
I have taught my family how to play poker over the last several years. When we gather, poker is now the game of choice in the evening. They helped break in the new Pharaoh [poker chip] set with long sessions on Friday and Saturday night. All had fun.
On Sunday afternoon, my Mom asked if she could play on a play money table at one of the internet poker sites. I said sure, and set her up on a play table at PokerStars through my account. My nephew picked up where she left off on the play tables, and they promptly blew through 1000 starting play chips and two 1000-play-chip reloads. Apparently, only two play-chip reloads is allowed every 24 hours, so they were done.
In the evening, while I was tending to kids baths and book reading, my niece wanted to play on an internet play table. My niece asked my Mom for help and, without my knowledge or permission, my niece started playing on PokerStars.
Can you guess where this story is going?
About 8:30pm, I went downstairs and saw my niece playing on PokerStars. I saw that she was at the $5/$10 no-limit hold ‘em table, playing with real money. She had about $44 on the table.
I froze in horror.
“You know you’re playing in my real money account, right?” I asked.
“No, I’m not. This is a play table,” she replied.
“No, see that dollar sign in front of the number? That means real money.”
“No, this is a play table. Grandma [my Mom] set it up for me.”
“No, that’s my real money. Move and let me show you.”
I sat down and closed the table, then opened the Cashier window. It said $44. I reviewed my records. The total damage:
$1,653 lost.
Aaaaaaaaaaa!!!!
Learn from my mistake -- DO NOT let friends or family play on your account, even if its play money. I set only let my Mom and nephew play on a play table, and the whole debacle happened without my knowledge. My Mom thought she knew what she was doing when she helped my niece open the site and play, but she was horribly wrong.
Christmas Epilogue
To put this disaster in perspective, I made a single $200 deposit in early 2003, and have built up my entire on-line bankroll from that one deposit. The pain of the episode was partially the money lost, but more that I had carefully built up my entire on-line bankroll through careful, methodical, tight-aggressive play in ring games, tournaments and SNGs from that one deposit.
Luckily, I have my on-line bankroll spread around on several sites, and less than half was in my PokerStars account. So, I transferred some from FullTilt to PStars, and continued playing. My new goal was simply to win back what she had lost.
By the end of the year, I had recovered everything that she lost, and a good bit more. In the long run, it won’t matter – but I will always know that my on-line bankroll is short by over $1,600.
There was no one to really blame for this crime. My niece thought that she was on a play table. My Mom thought that she opened things up the same way I did. I didn't know they were doing it, while I was spending time with the kids.
In an effort to repay me, my niece sent me two checks in approximately the total amount of the loss. I declined her attempt at repayment. Instead, as a Christmas gift, I bought her “Zen and the Art of Poker.” I took the two checks, wrote “VOID” on the face of each, laminated them together (back-to-back), and slipped that in the book as a bookmark.
A $1,600 bookmark – my most expensive Christmas gift ever.
This is not a bad beat story. Its much worse.
Several family members were in town over a weekend in late August to celebrate my daughter’s sixth birthday. My daughter also started kindergarten that week, so it was exciting times.
I have taught my family how to play poker over the last several years. When we gather, poker is now the game of choice in the evening. They helped break in the new Pharaoh [poker chip] set with long sessions on Friday and Saturday night. All had fun.
On Sunday afternoon, my Mom asked if she could play on a play money table at one of the internet poker sites. I said sure, and set her up on a play table at PokerStars through my account. My nephew picked up where she left off on the play tables, and they promptly blew through 1000 starting play chips and two 1000-play-chip reloads. Apparently, only two play-chip reloads is allowed every 24 hours, so they were done.
In the evening, while I was tending to kids baths and book reading, my niece wanted to play on an internet play table. My niece asked my Mom for help and, without my knowledge or permission, my niece started playing on PokerStars.
Can you guess where this story is going?
About 8:30pm, I went downstairs and saw my niece playing on PokerStars. I saw that she was at the $5/$10 no-limit hold ‘em table, playing with real money. She had about $44 on the table.
I froze in horror.
“You know you’re playing in my real money account, right?” I asked.
“No, I’m not. This is a play table,” she replied.
“No, see that dollar sign in front of the number? That means real money.”
“No, this is a play table. Grandma [my Mom] set it up for me.”
“No, that’s my real money. Move and let me show you.”
I sat down and closed the table, then opened the Cashier window. It said $44. I reviewed my records. The total damage:
$1,653 lost.
Aaaaaaaaaaa!!!!
Learn from my mistake -- DO NOT let friends or family play on your account, even if its play money. I set only let my Mom and nephew play on a play table, and the whole debacle happened without my knowledge. My Mom thought she knew what she was doing when she helped my niece open the site and play, but she was horribly wrong.
Christmas Epilogue
To put this disaster in perspective, I made a single $200 deposit in early 2003, and have built up my entire on-line bankroll from that one deposit. The pain of the episode was partially the money lost, but more that I had carefully built up my entire on-line bankroll through careful, methodical, tight-aggressive play in ring games, tournaments and SNGs from that one deposit.
Luckily, I have my on-line bankroll spread around on several sites, and less than half was in my PokerStars account. So, I transferred some from FullTilt to PStars, and continued playing. My new goal was simply to win back what she had lost.
By the end of the year, I had recovered everything that she lost, and a good bit more. In the long run, it won’t matter – but I will always know that my on-line bankroll is short by over $1,600.
There was no one to really blame for this crime. My niece thought that she was on a play table. My Mom thought that she opened things up the same way I did. I didn't know they were doing it, while I was spending time with the kids.
In an effort to repay me, my niece sent me two checks in approximately the total amount of the loss. I declined her attempt at repayment. Instead, as a Christmas gift, I bought her “Zen and the Art of Poker.” I took the two checks, wrote “VOID” on the face of each, laminated them together (back-to-back), and slipped that in the book as a bookmark.
A $1,600 bookmark – my most expensive Christmas gift ever.
Simple Math -- Your Set vs. Apparent Flush
Situation:
Hero has $200. Hero has 8-8. Six players call a mini-raise to $4. Flop:
2c 8c 3c
Hero bets $20. Table folds around to CO who has about $300. CO pushes. Hero's play?
Analysis
If you think there is around a 70% chance that he's already got the flush, this is still a CALL.
First, calculate your pot odds. Assuming that you sat down with the $200 max, the pot is:
$24 PF betting
+$20 your flop bet
+$20 his call
+$176 his raise (what you've got left)
=$240 pot
It costs you $176 to call, so you're getting 1.36 to 1 on your call to win a $240 pot.
Let's calculate for two scenarios, which are very likely the case in this hand:
1. He's already got the flush, with something like Ac 7c.
Your probability of winning this hand is 34% (verified by PokerStove). So, your EV of this hand:
34% x $240 = $81
66% x -$176 = -$116
81 + -116 = -35
Total EV if you call and he already has the made flush is -$35.
2. He's got the Ace-high flush draw, with somethinh like Ac7d.
Your probability of winning this hand is 71% (verified by PokerStove). So, your EV of this hand:
71% x $240 = $170
29% x -$176 = -$49
-116 + 81 = $121
Total EV if you call and he's on the flush draw is $121.
Now, the critical question -- what do you think the probability is that he already has the made flush?
First, let's say that you think there's a 60% chance he has the made flush, and 40% chance he's on the flush draw. The total EV of this situation is:
60% x -$35 = -$21
40% x $121 = $48
Total EV = $25 ----> CALL!
Now lets say that you think there's a 70% chance he has the made flush:
70% x -$35 = -$24
30% x $121 = $36
Total EV = $12 ----> CALL!
What's the break-even point? At about 77% chance he has the made flush, then its a coin-flip in terms of EV:
78% x -$35 = -$27
22% x $121 = $26
Total EV = -$1 ----> Fold.
What this means in practical terms --
Let's say that you are in this exact situation 100 more times, and there's exactly a 70% chance he already has the made flush. If you call each of those 100 times, you will win about $1200 total.
Hero has $200. Hero has 8-8. Six players call a mini-raise to $4. Flop:
2c 8c 3c
Hero bets $20. Table folds around to CO who has about $300. CO pushes. Hero's play?
Analysis
If you think there is around a 70% chance that he's already got the flush, this is still a CALL.
First, calculate your pot odds. Assuming that you sat down with the $200 max, the pot is:
$24 PF betting
+$20 your flop bet
+$20 his call
+$176 his raise (what you've got left)
=$240 pot
It costs you $176 to call, so you're getting 1.36 to 1 on your call to win a $240 pot.
Let's calculate for two scenarios, which are very likely the case in this hand:
1. He's already got the flush, with something like Ac 7c.
Your probability of winning this hand is 34% (verified by PokerStove). So, your EV of this hand:
34% x $240 = $81
66% x -$176 = -$116
81 + -116 = -35
Total EV if you call and he already has the made flush is -$35.
2. He's got the Ace-high flush draw, with somethinh like Ac7d.
Your probability of winning this hand is 71% (verified by PokerStove). So, your EV of this hand:
71% x $240 = $170
29% x -$176 = -$49
-116 + 81 = $121
Total EV if you call and he's on the flush draw is $121.
Now, the critical question -- what do you think the probability is that he already has the made flush?
First, let's say that you think there's a 60% chance he has the made flush, and 40% chance he's on the flush draw. The total EV of this situation is:
60% x -$35 = -$21
40% x $121 = $48
Total EV = $25 ----> CALL!
Now lets say that you think there's a 70% chance he has the made flush:
70% x -$35 = -$24
30% x $121 = $36
Total EV = $12 ----> CALL!
What's the break-even point? At about 77% chance he has the made flush, then its a coin-flip in terms of EV:
78% x -$35 = -$27
22% x $121 = $26
Total EV = -$1 ----> Fold.
What this means in practical terms --
Let's say that you are in this exact situation 100 more times, and there's exactly a 70% chance he already has the made flush. If you call each of those 100 times, you will win about $1200 total.
Basic Aggression
An early attempt to convince myself to play aggressive. Simple, basic poker concept. I am posting this only to see what my new blog looks like. I'm assuming that I'll be the only one reading this (at least for a while).
There are two key components to poker – cards and chips. Most poker players focus on their cards. By playing more aggressive, you put your chips to work for you, and the cards become less important.
Poker Lesson 101 (which we all forget from time to time): There are two ways to win at poker –
1. You have the best hand at the showdown.
2. You make your opponent fold before the showdown.
The only way to make you opponent fold before the showdown is to play aggressive.
Aggression doesn’t mean playing loose, playing a lot of hands, or playing like a maniac. Playing aggressive means taking the lead in betting when you play a hand. You don’t have to play a lot of hands, but you should be aggressive when you do play a hand. You can take the lead in betting by simply betting if you are the first to act, or raising if someone has bet in front of you. This is the essence of aggression, plain and simple.
Your goal with aggression is to make your opponent respond to your actions. If you find yourself facing lots of difficult decisions, this means that your opponent is betting and making you respond her actions. You want your opponent to make lots of difficult decisions, and you can do this only with betting first, or raising after she bets.
So, this sounds simple enough. But how can you actually make your play more aggressive? Initially, there are three very simple rules to follow. This can be incorporated into your play each time you sit at the table, which has the overall effect of raising your aggression level:
When in doubt about whether to check or bet – bet.
When in doubt about whether to call or raise – raise.
When in doubt about whether to call or fold – fold.
A key part of each rule is “when in doubt.” There will be certain situations that warrant a call, and other situations that warrant a check. When you are confident that the correct action is a check or a call, do it. But when you are in doubt about the best action (which happens frequently) err on the side of aggression. For example, in a no-limit hold ‘em cash game, you raise in middle position with pocket jacks, the button calls and everyone else folds. The flop is Ks-7s-3h. As you expected, there’s one over-card to your jacks, but at least its not an ace. Where do you stand in the hand? Since you are in doubt, make a bet and find out, rather than checking and then calling her bet or folding. If she calls your bet, you have some information about her hand. If she folds, then you win, and basic aggression pays off.
Another simple way to raise your aggression is to limp less and raise more pre-flop. You’ve heard this before, but do you really practice it? Early in tournaments, the tendency is to limp along with everyone else and see a cheap flop. Many NLHE cash games take on this texture, also. If you play along by limping, you fail to take the lead in the hand. By raising pre-flop, you have announced that you have a hand that is at least stronger than a limping hand (even if it actually is not), and you make the other players respond to your action. Then on the flop, this allows you to again take the lead in betting and continue to make opponents respond. If you happen to hit your hand, you are in great shape. If you didn’t hit your hand, you still have the chance of winning the pot by making your opponent fold the best hand.
And, since you raised pre-flop, many players will expect you to make a bet on the flop, since you took the lead in betting pre-flop. They will anticipate your aggression, and will be thinking that they should be responding to your action rather than making you respond. This is where the game gets more interesting, and allows players to set traps, slow-play, and other tricky stuff. But, the point is that by taking the lead pre-flop, other players naturally have the mind-set that you started with the best hand and will therefore be responding to your action.
If you incorporate these suggestions in to your overall game and raise your aggression, other players will learn that you are aggressive and that they will have to respond to your actions. If you play with a regular group of opponents, they will learn your aggressive tendencies over time. If you just sat down at an on-line table with a bunch of anonymous players, they will also observe that you regularly take the lead in betting and will have to respond to your aggression. In either case, your opponents will anticipate that when you are involved in a pot, they will have to respond to your actions.
This will give you the lead in any game. If a player acts before you, you want them to be thinking: “If I limp in and she gets involved in this pot, then I’m going to have to call her raise, because she’s always raising the limpers.” If you act first and open for a raise, you want any opponent acting after you to think: “If I call her raise, I’m going to face another bet on the flop because she’s aggressive.” You want your opponents to be constantly concerned about your aggression when you are involved in a pot. This enhances your chances to win by method #2 – win the pot before the showdown.
Couple your enhanced aggression with tighter pre-flop hand selection, and you’ve got a winning style.
There are two key components to poker – cards and chips. Most poker players focus on their cards. By playing more aggressive, you put your chips to work for you, and the cards become less important.
Poker Lesson 101 (which we all forget from time to time): There are two ways to win at poker –
1. You have the best hand at the showdown.
2. You make your opponent fold before the showdown.
The only way to make you opponent fold before the showdown is to play aggressive.
Aggression doesn’t mean playing loose, playing a lot of hands, or playing like a maniac. Playing aggressive means taking the lead in betting when you play a hand. You don’t have to play a lot of hands, but you should be aggressive when you do play a hand. You can take the lead in betting by simply betting if you are the first to act, or raising if someone has bet in front of you. This is the essence of aggression, plain and simple.
Your goal with aggression is to make your opponent respond to your actions. If you find yourself facing lots of difficult decisions, this means that your opponent is betting and making you respond her actions. You want your opponent to make lots of difficult decisions, and you can do this only with betting first, or raising after she bets.
So, this sounds simple enough. But how can you actually make your play more aggressive? Initially, there are three very simple rules to follow. This can be incorporated into your play each time you sit at the table, which has the overall effect of raising your aggression level:
When in doubt about whether to check or bet – bet.
When in doubt about whether to call or raise – raise.
When in doubt about whether to call or fold – fold.
A key part of each rule is “when in doubt.” There will be certain situations that warrant a call, and other situations that warrant a check. When you are confident that the correct action is a check or a call, do it. But when you are in doubt about the best action (which happens frequently) err on the side of aggression. For example, in a no-limit hold ‘em cash game, you raise in middle position with pocket jacks, the button calls and everyone else folds. The flop is Ks-7s-3h. As you expected, there’s one over-card to your jacks, but at least its not an ace. Where do you stand in the hand? Since you are in doubt, make a bet and find out, rather than checking and then calling her bet or folding. If she calls your bet, you have some information about her hand. If she folds, then you win, and basic aggression pays off.
Another simple way to raise your aggression is to limp less and raise more pre-flop. You’ve heard this before, but do you really practice it? Early in tournaments, the tendency is to limp along with everyone else and see a cheap flop. Many NLHE cash games take on this texture, also. If you play along by limping, you fail to take the lead in the hand. By raising pre-flop, you have announced that you have a hand that is at least stronger than a limping hand (even if it actually is not), and you make the other players respond to your action. Then on the flop, this allows you to again take the lead in betting and continue to make opponents respond. If you happen to hit your hand, you are in great shape. If you didn’t hit your hand, you still have the chance of winning the pot by making your opponent fold the best hand.
And, since you raised pre-flop, many players will expect you to make a bet on the flop, since you took the lead in betting pre-flop. They will anticipate your aggression, and will be thinking that they should be responding to your action rather than making you respond. This is where the game gets more interesting, and allows players to set traps, slow-play, and other tricky stuff. But, the point is that by taking the lead pre-flop, other players naturally have the mind-set that you started with the best hand and will therefore be responding to your action.
If you incorporate these suggestions in to your overall game and raise your aggression, other players will learn that you are aggressive and that they will have to respond to your actions. If you play with a regular group of opponents, they will learn your aggressive tendencies over time. If you just sat down at an on-line table with a bunch of anonymous players, they will also observe that you regularly take the lead in betting and will have to respond to your aggression. In either case, your opponents will anticipate that when you are involved in a pot, they will have to respond to your actions.
This will give you the lead in any game. If a player acts before you, you want them to be thinking: “If I limp in and she gets involved in this pot, then I’m going to have to call her raise, because she’s always raising the limpers.” If you act first and open for a raise, you want any opponent acting after you to think: “If I call her raise, I’m going to face another bet on the flop because she’s aggressive.” You want your opponents to be constantly concerned about your aggression when you are involved in a pot. This enhances your chances to win by method #2 – win the pot before the showdown.
Couple your enhanced aggression with tighter pre-flop hand selection, and you’ve got a winning style.
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