Old Dogs, New Tricks or You can't school Old School

Owning a dog, I can appreciate the old saying about teaching old dogs new tricks.  Playing in the cash game a couple of days ago I started a "discussion" with a couple of old poker players.  They go way back, and I am sure that they have been playing many more years than I have.  But here is the deal.  I have probably played many times more hands of poker than both of them combined due to my immersion in online poker.  At one point I was playing as many as 10 tournaments a day, 7 days a week.  My play time, and the quickness of online poker enabled me to play more hands in a single day than live players can play in a week.  So, that said, I think my experience far exceeds theirs.

Now, to the discussion.  I was pointing out the error of a player's thinking on a big pot she won a few days earlier.  I explained, "Another player raised to $18, I re-raised to $38, and you called with your pocket jacks.  With a 10 high flop, and the board paired with 6's, my check raise of your bet screamed huge strength."  She replied that she felt that she had the best hand, and illustrated it by saying "you re-raised with only 10's".  That is true, however my check raise on the flop and my preflop raise could only be interpreted as a stronger hand than jacks, possible preflop and definitely after the flop.  Here is why:  If you pay the slightest attention to my play, I very seldom re-raise, and when I do it signals a very strong hand.  It is true I was going for the isolation this particular time, but what could I possible check raise with?  A/A, K/K, Q/Q , J/J , 10/10 or 6/6  is about it.  Anything else, I am looking to connect strongly with the flop.  Therefore, whatever I am holding beats jacks (unless I have  J/J, which is possible but not probable.)  A hand like A/10, K/10, Q/10, or J/10 never plays that line.

The problem with this "discussion" is that I am dealing with a level 1- 1/2 thinker.  She recognizes what she has, and sometimes thinks superficially about what I might have, but never thinks about what I think what she thinks I have.  In other words, she does not analyze the situation fully.  The line of play I am following can never include a hand she can now beat, and her draw is pitifully thin, and unfortunately for her, came in which means she gets to repeat her mistakes in the future.

The other player is a donk who bluffs too much, chases too much, and chases with super weak holdings (in this case a 10/3 suited) that he played against a small preflop raise.  I love the action, and my flopped straight was a huge favorite.  His river flush draw is never good against most of my flush draws so looking forward to playing against him in the future.

My new saying is, "I would rather be sitting on a made hand than chasing any time".  If you think about it that is how you make most of your money in poker.  You get it in when you are ahead and give them very poor odds to chase.  In the instance I mentioned, it is never profitable to chase a draw when you are heads up.  Do the math.    

Least & Most

Been thinking a lot about my least favorite hands.  I am reaching a point where I will not play certain cards, even for just $1 more in the small blind with the whole table limping in.  Here are the hands:

Any hand containing a 4, with the possible exception of 3/4, 4/5, or 4/6 suited in position or small blind.  I will play pocket 4's, but honestly have lost far more than won with them, even flopping sets.

K/8     All kings may be played if suited, in small blind or on button
K/7
K/6
K/5
K/3
K/2

Q/8
Q/7
Q/6
Q/5
Q/3
Q/2

J/8
J/7
J/6
J/5
J/3
J/2

10/6
10/5
10/3
10/2

9/5
9/3
9/2

8/3
8/2

7/3
7/2 (yes Lynn)

6/2

A/7
A/6
All other weak aces unless suited, in position with no raises.


So, now you know I am basically not playing hands that will not make the "nuts", and yes I know that a freakshow flop can make any hand quads.

That out of the way, here are the hands that I love, and will usually play even against a raise if it is not a huge one:

Obviously, the big 4 pairs
A/K
A/Q
A/J
A/10 suited
K/Q
Q/J
J/10
9/10
8/9 suited
8/7 suited
6/7 suited

All other pairs are highly dependent on who raised, how many callers, my chip stack.  I will throw everything away below pocket 8's (and usually up to and including 10's) if there is a re-raise or my whole stack is in jeopardy.

Here are the hands I like, but try not to get married to, or am able to throw away against raises pre-lop:

K/J
K/10
Q/10
J/9

That is about it.  Had a great day today.  Played the 10 a.m. tournament and chopped 3 ways for $190 each.  Played a few hours this evening for a $210 profit.  Almost $400 total after buy-ins and dealer tip.  I could get used to this!!  Took exactly zero bad beats and that is the difference from the rest of the week.  My hands held up.

Welcome to Prison

Some poker sessions leave you feeling like the young fresh faced boy's 1st week in prison with Bubba as a cellmate.  Last night was one of those nights.  I was totally owned by one player who coincidentally was the one who knocked me out of Sunday's tournament.  He was playing aggressively, raising on the button perhaps 8 out of 10 times.  This hand came up with me as a short stack of about $60:

Un-raised pot, I limped with Q/J of diamonds.  Flop was 8/9/10,  two clubs and one spade.  I bet $20 to protect my hand, my nightmare raises with 8/9, one card being a club.  I then re-raised for the rest of my chips.  He claimed to be trying to "protect" my hand.  Right!  So, the dealer proceeds to turn and river two small clubs to give him the flush.  Nice work.

Next notable hand:

 A multi-way pot, playing 6/6.  Flop is Q/5/6, two diamonds (the 5/6).  I bet $20, my nemesis calls, another player calls, Frosty raises to $34 all in, I re-raise to $54.  Nemesis calls, the other player folds and we are heads up on the side.  Turn is a brick, I bet $20, he calls.  River, I go all-in before the card is dealt and it is an off-suit 8.  The luckbox turns over 7/9 of diamonds for the straight.  He said he stayed in for the gutshot straight flush draw.  Good luck on that one outer stuff.  Per my poker odds calculator I am 65% to win on the flop, 77% on the turn.  It pays to be rucky.  I leave, disgusted, stuck $270 and my ass hurts.  The two pots I lost to him totaled over $400.

And....another favorite song....

Some of My Favorite Music Videos

Weekend Update

Friday night was a very long poker session, about 7 hours with an $18 profit.  Not too good an hourly rate.  I lost a $260 pot on the river when I flopped a full house with pocket 10's on a 6/6/10 flop.  River was a jack which improved a player's pocket jacks to a bigger full house.  Saturday morning turned out very well at the 8:00 tournament with no bad beats, winning every race.  Chopped 1st & 2nd for a $170 win.

Sunday morning tournament was pretty bad for me.  Began early by bumping my kings into aces.  Lost about 30% of my starting chips.  Next I flopped a straight to be beaten on the river by a flush.  Next I chased a double gutter and missed.  Last hand, I flopped top pair (flop was J/10/6) with 2 clubs (I had K/J, no clubs).  The whole world was in the pot and calling an early position bettor who had 6/5 of diamonds.  That's right, he was betting into a crowd with bottom pair.  With the world calling and not enough chips to shove and get folds, I just called.  Turn was another 6, he bet big and everyone but me folded.  I re-raised a few chips and he called, of course.  Player down.  Very unusual tournament for me, 3rd player out on my table and did not win a single hand.

Proclamation

I was not aware that Gov. Jay Inslee had sent a proclamation out on this until one of the dealers at the Crazy Moose Casino showed it to me.

Are We Ever Going To Chop...Sheesh!

I thought that I was playing pretty well this weekend.  The Sunday morning tournament had about 28 players, I finished 10th (final table!), when I lost my race AK vs. opponent's 9/9.  This tournament was a warm up for me for the 5:00 final of the $5000 freeroll.  With 18 players, we whittled it down to 12 when a suggestion was made that we each take $417 on a 12 way chop.  Eleven players agreed, but one who had a healthy stack did not want to make a deal.  So, we played for a while, he lost a good chunk of his stack and it was his turn to suggest the chop.  One of the players on my table objected (he was just being an ass) because the other guy didn't want to do it and suddenly he had a bigger stack.  Jeesh!!!  Finally, he loses a big hand and now he wants to deal.  Funny how a reversal of fortunes works.  Happily, the big stack went for it and we did our chop.  Never had that happen before.  We are all pretty lucky that someone didn't get all bent out of shape and refuse any deal.  We all got better than 5th place money so I was happy.

My most amazing hand of the day:  Late position (Mundo), raises with pocket 4's, I re-raise in big blind with 5/5.  He calls.  Flop is A/5/4, set over set flop.  We could not get our chips in fast enough.  The turn card destroyed Mundo's one outer dreams, it was another 5 for my turned quads.  That double up was critical for me in the game.

R E S P E C T find out what it means to me

A friend made a comment about my game that made me think.  He said that he didn't think I "respected" players raises enough.  That may be true.  However, in the loosey goosey games at the Crazy Moose it is sometimes difficult to summon much respect.  If I know the player well, there is a good chance I will respect his raise, however some players raise so light that it is hard not to call them.  The unknown player is the tough one.  Some are very bad players who will raise from a blind with a very wide range.  In general, if a player raises from the blinds or UTG I will show respect if he plays halfway sanely.

This afternoon I was playing with someone I have never seen before.   He open raised for $7 in early position.  Miguel called, and I re-raised to $27 with K/K, the original guy re-raised to $47.  Miguel folded and I called.  The flop was queen high and he bet, I called.  The turn and river blank, he bet $20, I called for the rest of my chips.  He had A/A.  Now here is a situation where I have half my money in pre-flop, so am pot committed.  Some players will play AK or AQ that hard, as well as semi-bluffing with JJ.  So, anyway that was just a cooler.

On a positive note, placed in the top 3 on my table for the freeroll.  18 of us will play tomorrow for the $5000 total prizes.  They are paying top 6 only, so will need to run good.  Today I got super lucky on one hand that would have eliminated me.  Raised with AJ and ran into AK.  Spiked a jack on the turn and made a key double up.  You really have to get lucky in these things to win.  Speaking of luck, the last hand on our table, the chip leader raised with KJ on the button, the short stacked small blind re-raised all-in with QQ.  The flop was A/Q/10, all diamonds.  So, flopped straight vs. flopped set.  Turn was K of diamonds, giving the big stack a royal flush with his jack of diamonds.  Unreal.

Thoughts For Friday

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Source: en.webfail.net via Linda on Pinterest

Noisy

Last night at the Moose there was a promotion going on.  People got tickets for a drawing when they won on Spanish 21 matches....the best odds going....for the casino!  The tables were all packed.  I could not find a seat to cash in my $15 free play, it was that crowded.  They were constantly talking on the microphone which was super loud, even in the poker room.  Jeff Hendler even got up and left he was so annoyed with it.

They were also doing drawings for cash prizes for all players, including poker.  Everyone around me was winning.  Literally.  The guy to my left won $300, and the player to my right won $500.  The next table also had a winner and they kept getting Monte Carlos all night.  Not one was dealt to the main game.

I got stuck for $300, rebought after visiting my friend, Adam (ATM).  Had some pretty bad beats, including a flopped full house that got beat on the river by a bigger full house (I was playing 6/6, he had 9/4 if that gives you any clue to the beat).  Flop was 6/9/9.  At no point did I bet or raise.  All the betting was being done for me.  If you think I could have gotten a fold at any point with a raise, you are dead wrong.  But generally, just got really bad cards and lots of 2nd bests and river beats.  To make matters worse, Thuy was on my left most of the night and straddled every hand.  I got to leaving my big blind for 2 hands and coming in after the button.  Love that trick.

After rebuying for my last time I finally starting catching some cards.  My best was calling a $5 raise from a new player (he had aces) with my 2/2.  The flop was queen high with a 2.  I bet all the way, with him raising on the river when a king hit.  Nice pot.

Left after 7 hours of play down about $125 which was a great recovery.

My Minimum Wage Job (or Why Do The Worst Poker Players Win?)

I have adapted a new attitude about my dealing job at the American Legion Tournament.  It is like a minimum wage job, but a little better because there are no taxes withheld, but it requires a donation equal to the amount you are paid.  Yesterday I had the honor of dealing table 1, the final table, which meant I was in for 4 hours of dealing whether or not I was eliminated early.  With 4 tables of play, that meant a split of 40% of total tips to me, 30% to 2nd table, 20% to 3rd, and 10% to 4th.  More later on the tips.

I performed some feats of derring-do for the appreciation of the audience, including twice putting an underpair as the door card on all-ins, with the additional trick of putting the overpair's card as the 3rd card on the flop.   Set over set twice....sweet.  I was also able to rescue several short stacks with miracle runners, and chip up lucky players time after time.  It is good to be me some days.

Eliminated a few hands short of the final table got the treat of having several of the other dealers watching my every move, correcting one error in pushing a pot (two pair counterfeited), and also having them incorrectly awarding the pot, which I gleefully pointed out their error.

The final table consisted of nearly every calling station on earth, including a massive stack who was playing her first ever tournament.  I was involved in one hand with her, which took about a fourth of my stack....she called my 3x big blind bet (she was the BB) with her J3 sooooted (I had AJ), a 3 flopped and I was wise enough...due to observing her call to the river with any pair....to check it down and only lose my initial bet.  Probably the best player at my table lost a huge chunk of chips to her trying to bluff 3-barrel.  This is a guy who plays in the WSOP, so that brings me to my original title.  Why do the worst players win?  The answer is simple.  Poker is a game of skill with a luck factor.  Less skillful players do not possess the skill, therefore they must rely on luck.  They do not realize that an under the gun raise signifies huge strength (most of the time...when it does not it signifies either colossal ignorance or colossal skill).  Therefore, they see no harm calling raises with hands that do not warrant a limp.  Anywho, the final table consisted of lucky bluffers and calling stations with a couple of good players.  The best player won, so there is some justice (he chipped up with an all-in that caught a case 10, or he was gone..kudos to me).

Back to the dealing job.  So, the bubble boy left with his buy-in.  O.k.  Then the 6th place left with a $27 profit....no tip to dealer, still o.k. with me, but I would have left....something!  5th place leaves with a $57 profit and leaves $10...very generous...thank you.  4th place (the rookie gal), just leaves with her $100 or so......no tip.....excusable being a rookie and all.  Total tip package was $99.  Easy to figure the split.  I was generous and gave table 4 the extra $1, and I got $39, one dollar short of my buy-in.  Minimum wage, no taxes, but had to pay $1 for the privelege.