33 players, including me, mom and bro. Mom went out in the third hand when she called an all-in from pocket jacks on a nothing flop. Her opponent had pocket kings and she failed to catch lucky. Tutored her a lot, but I think I failed to mention getting away from the second best hand when there's a runaway train on the horizon.
I relapsed into all-in fever. I put in three successful all-in bets in the first hour. One with no takers, one where I had the best hand when I went in and I was sucked out (which I'm okay with), and one where I had a draw and a pair and my caller had a smaller pair. On my fourth all-in, somebody with the nut trips was laying in wait for me, so I dug my own grave. Such is poker.
My brother survived as a small stack down to being second to last to go before two tables were consolidated down to one final table.
While waiting for him to finish, Mom and I hit the cash table. We both left in the black. Mom got 2.5 times buy in, and I finished with 3 times buy in, so I imagine the other players were sad to see us leave the table with their money, but nobody carped about it too loudly, and other people were itching to fill our seats with fresh money.
It was a crowd pleaser to see Mom take a huge cash pot by accepting an all-in wager with no trepidation. Much joyful shouting went along with that. Mom now has two victims who clearly underestimated her. Who's next?
Good tourney, good players. I'll be back as I can.
Friday, July 08, 2005
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Calculator Odds Fun - Small Pair Showdowns
AhTh vs 3c3s - 50.4% for AT
AhTh vs 3h3s - 50.% exactly
AhTs vs 3c3h - 52.3% for 33
QdJd vs 3c3s - 52.1% for QJ
QdJ3 vs 3d3s - 51.8% for QJ
AsKs vs 3s3c - 51.0% for 33
AsKd vs 3c3h - 53.8% for 33
I'm starting to get a new respect for small pairs in a showdown!
AhTh vs 3h3s - 50.% exactly
AhTs vs 3c3h - 52.3% for 33
QdJd vs 3c3s - 52.1% for QJ
QdJ3 vs 3d3s - 51.8% for QJ
AsKs vs 3s3c - 51.0% for 33
AsKd vs 3c3h - 53.8% for 33
I'm starting to get a new respect for small pairs in a showdown!
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Medieval Tourney July 6, 2005
I took along my brother and my mother to the Medieval Wednesday tourney. There was a table of 11, who mostly were on their best behavior for the senior citizen. I think the language got toned down a notch from other evenings, and nobody got sloppy drunk.
Mom was given the respect one gives an elder, and eventually, the surviving players learned to give her respect as a cardplayer too. After the first hour, anytime Mom was in a hand, the whole table seemed to proceed with caution.
The player that everybody else at the table seemed to fear and respect came just in time for the first deal. He started out swinging for the fences. In one of the first few hands I caught pocket smalls from early, and was allowed to limp over to the big swinger on Big Blind, who let me see the flop cheaply. I caught my third early, but went with caution, knowing how dangerous a set of low trips can be to one's own welfare. On the river I flopped full, and took a sizeable pot from the Big Swinger. He asked me why I didn't raise on a boat, and I responded that the boat was not made till the river, and I knew that if I re-raised, I wouldn't get to showboat.
The exact same big swinger continues to play agressively, and less than 30 minutes later he's in a hand with my Mom, and he's trying to buy the pot. Mama don't go for that, and she called him all the way down with a decent hand, and left him with about 4% of his original stack, or about 1.8 BB at that time.
The very next hand, big swinger goes all in on a marginal, but he doesn't have enough chips to scare away the big blind, and he's out in record time. He storms out, clearly pissed off at himself and the world, doesn't even finish his beer or say anything in terms of parting words.
His punishment was to be mocked by the entire table for the rest of the evening.
As I said, after that, everybody had a healthy respect for Mom's calls, and when Mom raised, only the foolhardy stayed. The best laugh of the evening was when somebody asked her why she made a particular decision, and she said 'That's what the book told me to do.' Referring to the Caro she had skimmed just before we left the house.
Mom's been playing six weeks less than I have. This was her first tournament with players who take the game seriously.
As a family, we held our own. Mom was about the fifth or sixth eliminated after 150 minutes of play, by a suck-out if I recall correctly. My brother was the fifth place survivor, and I was the fourth place survivor. My brother lost to a suck-out, and I lost to a coin flip. My opponent had AT suited against my all-in pocket 3s. According to the calculator, AT suited had a 50.4% chance to win.
And it did.
Mom was given the respect one gives an elder, and eventually, the surviving players learned to give her respect as a cardplayer too. After the first hour, anytime Mom was in a hand, the whole table seemed to proceed with caution.
The player that everybody else at the table seemed to fear and respect came just in time for the first deal. He started out swinging for the fences. In one of the first few hands I caught pocket smalls from early, and was allowed to limp over to the big swinger on Big Blind, who let me see the flop cheaply. I caught my third early, but went with caution, knowing how dangerous a set of low trips can be to one's own welfare. On the river I flopped full, and took a sizeable pot from the Big Swinger. He asked me why I didn't raise on a boat, and I responded that the boat was not made till the river, and I knew that if I re-raised, I wouldn't get to showboat.
The exact same big swinger continues to play agressively, and less than 30 minutes later he's in a hand with my Mom, and he's trying to buy the pot. Mama don't go for that, and she called him all the way down with a decent hand, and left him with about 4% of his original stack, or about 1.8 BB at that time.
The very next hand, big swinger goes all in on a marginal, but he doesn't have enough chips to scare away the big blind, and he's out in record time. He storms out, clearly pissed off at himself and the world, doesn't even finish his beer or say anything in terms of parting words.
His punishment was to be mocked by the entire table for the rest of the evening.
As I said, after that, everybody had a healthy respect for Mom's calls, and when Mom raised, only the foolhardy stayed. The best laugh of the evening was when somebody asked her why she made a particular decision, and she said 'That's what the book told me to do.' Referring to the Caro she had skimmed just before we left the house.
Mom's been playing six weeks less than I have. This was her first tournament with players who take the game seriously.
As a family, we held our own. Mom was about the fifth or sixth eliminated after 150 minutes of play, by a suck-out if I recall correctly. My brother was the fifth place survivor, and I was the fourth place survivor. My brother lost to a suck-out, and I lost to a coin flip. My opponent had AT suited against my all-in pocket 3s. According to the calculator, AT suited had a 50.4% chance to win.
And it did.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Family Tourney July 2, 2005
A family tourney can be most frustrating, because half the players are calling stations, and that means that unless you've got a monster, you'll be sucked out half the time by all the callers. The options are to play super, super tight, or see every flop like everybody else. I try to play my regular tournament style, and I'm consistently an early outer. At least the stakes are low.
My 18 year-old nephew thinks he's hot stuff at the table, and in this context I haven't been able to show him otherwise, even though I can see that he plays far too many bluffs and any tight player would eat him alive. At least he hasn't gotten it into his head to take this up as a profession.
And my sis-in-law will probably mock me eternally for losing two tourneys last night, despite knowing all the lingo and walking everybody through the betting sequences and that sort of thing. She lives in another state, so I won't have to hear it too much. I'll have to take solace by doing well in the tournaments and cash games with players who take it a little more seriously.
My 18 year-old nephew thinks he's hot stuff at the table, and in this context I haven't been able to show him otherwise, even though I can see that he plays far too many bluffs and any tight player would eat him alive. At least he hasn't gotten it into his head to take this up as a profession.
And my sis-in-law will probably mock me eternally for losing two tourneys last night, despite knowing all the lingo and walking everybody through the betting sequences and that sort of thing. She lives in another state, so I won't have to hear it too much. I'll have to take solace by doing well in the tournaments and cash games with players who take it a little more seriously.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Tourney July 1, 2005
Started out at a very tight-agressive table, with my brother. In 2 hours or more, we very infrequently see a river card. I do a yo-yo, starting with 10,000 chips, bleeding down to 6400 at my lowest, eventually climbing up to 13,600 at my peak.
We move to a new table after midnight, and the blinds and antes start getting expensive. I'm still at break-even, and a player goes all-in from UTG, and I honestly believe he's tilting from a loss the hand before, so I try to double up as the Big Blind with last option to call (nobody else called.
The showdown? He has K-J os, and I have QT clubs. The calculator says he's the 58% favorite, and I fail to suck out.
Then I'm short stacked and the small blind, and my brother to the left of me is short stacked and big. We both announce our intention to go all in prior to getting our cards.(neither of us has 1.5 BB, and we're ready to go home.)
One player calls us with A-7os. I look, AJos, he looks, AK os. A7 sucks out by matching his 7 and niether of us catches. (A K on the river would have given me a straight....) (20.6 percent chance for that suck out, with big slick the 56% favorite.)
We left at 1 AM, and the remainder went on to the final table.
An enjoyable evening.
We move to a new table after midnight, and the blinds and antes start getting expensive. I'm still at break-even, and a player goes all-in from UTG, and I honestly believe he's tilting from a loss the hand before, so I try to double up as the Big Blind with last option to call (nobody else called.
The showdown? He has K-J os, and I have QT clubs. The calculator says he's the 58% favorite, and I fail to suck out.
Then I'm short stacked and the small blind, and my brother to the left of me is short stacked and big. We both announce our intention to go all in prior to getting our cards.(neither of us has 1.5 BB, and we're ready to go home.)
One player calls us with A-7os. I look, AJos, he looks, AK os. A7 sucks out by matching his 7 and niether of us catches. (A K on the river would have given me a straight....) (20.6 percent chance for that suck out, with big slick the 56% favorite.)
We left at 1 AM, and the remainder went on to the final table.
An enjoyable evening.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Free roll at the Bar
I had a very enjoyable time this evening at the pub, with the social group freeroll. Lost early in the first tourney to a chaser who kept catching and catching, regardless of what statistics and probability might have to say. Chaser made it to the final table, so lady luck was shining brightly for that one.
Second tourney I make it to final table, and losing patience I go all in against the big stack with A2 os. Big Stack considers, and takes the offer, with KQos.
According to the calculator, I was 57% to win going in. Of course, if I won, biggie was still the biggie, and if I was out, that was one less player to get in bigge's hair.
Good times. I'll try to come back again.
Second tourney I make it to final table, and losing patience I go all in against the big stack with A2 os. Big Stack considers, and takes the offer, with KQos.
According to the calculator, I was 57% to win going in. Of course, if I won, biggie was still the biggie, and if I was out, that was one less player to get in bigge's hair.
Good times. I'll try to come back again.
Monday, June 27, 2005
Pot Odds and Tournament Play
June 25. I was at my third table for the evening, mostly with players I hadn't gotten to know yet. The blinds were starting to speed up to the point where I had enough in my stack for maybe 8 trips around the world. I get a visual that I'm clearly the shorty at the table.
And yet, I'm playing too many hands, hands that the biggies have no problems accelerating. Granted, I'm holding out for class 4 or better, but I'm catching a lot of playables, and going to town with them. It isn't killing me, but I'm not increasing my stack.
On the last hand I'm in, The pre-flop is accelerated, but I stay in. The flop comes, and I'm on an open-ended straight draw with two bigger stacks in the pot, and I pay dearly to see the next card, but I don't catch. They go nuts on the betting, and one of them is all-in.
My choices:
a) Fold to see another hand, with enough chips for maybe 3-4 trips around a 7 player table.
b) Throw in the last of my chips for 8 outs on one card. If I catch, I will be a big stack at the table. (It was confirmed at the showdown that a straight would have won it.)
I think I made the right choice. I went out, and then had a relaxed time at the cash table with some really nice folks. I got to play a lot of hands because we were only five or less at the table at any given moment. There was even one young man who was astonishingly good for his age. Not that I have anything against whippersnappers, but I was boggled by the good judgement he showed. He not only knew when to bet, he also knew when to walk away, which is a much harder thing to learn.
For the record, I will take chips on the table from anybody. Drunks, callings stations, people who don't show good judgment, tilters. No exceptions: If you're at the table offering free money, I consider it a moral obligation to relieve you of your burden!
In the case of the brash young man, we had an interesting situation. He kept throwing all-in bets at the short-handed cash table, and others would take his bet and lose, so he had mutliplied his starting cash by a factor of six. He offered me all-ins twice when I had KK, and his respective A6 and AQ failed to come up with the appropriate board for his victory. I liked his attitude though, win or lose, he was right back in the next hand with the optimism only the very young seem capable of displaying.
Oh - Also for the record, the guy who won the big pot I went out on went on to to position three in the tournament. Nice job Renegade; I'm glad to see my chips went to a worthy cause ;-)
And yet, I'm playing too many hands, hands that the biggies have no problems accelerating. Granted, I'm holding out for class 4 or better, but I'm catching a lot of playables, and going to town with them. It isn't killing me, but I'm not increasing my stack.
On the last hand I'm in, The pre-flop is accelerated, but I stay in. The flop comes, and I'm on an open-ended straight draw with two bigger stacks in the pot, and I pay dearly to see the next card, but I don't catch. They go nuts on the betting, and one of them is all-in.
My choices:
a) Fold to see another hand, with enough chips for maybe 3-4 trips around a 7 player table.
b) Throw in the last of my chips for 8 outs on one card. If I catch, I will be a big stack at the table. (It was confirmed at the showdown that a straight would have won it.)
I think I made the right choice. I went out, and then had a relaxed time at the cash table with some really nice folks. I got to play a lot of hands because we were only five or less at the table at any given moment. There was even one young man who was astonishingly good for his age. Not that I have anything against whippersnappers, but I was boggled by the good judgement he showed. He not only knew when to bet, he also knew when to walk away, which is a much harder thing to learn.
For the record, I will take chips on the table from anybody. Drunks, callings stations, people who don't show good judgment, tilters. No exceptions: If you're at the table offering free money, I consider it a moral obligation to relieve you of your burden!
In the case of the brash young man, we had an interesting situation. He kept throwing all-in bets at the short-handed cash table, and others would take his bet and lose, so he had mutliplied his starting cash by a factor of six. He offered me all-ins twice when I had KK, and his respective A6 and AQ failed to come up with the appropriate board for his victory. I liked his attitude though, win or lose, he was right back in the next hand with the optimism only the very young seem capable of displaying.
Oh - Also for the record, the guy who won the big pot I went out on went on to to position three in the tournament. Nice job Renegade; I'm glad to see my chips went to a worthy cause ;-)
Sunday, June 26, 2005
What's with the Notebook?
It's a live version of the poker tracker software that the on-line kids use. I'm trying to keep track of how many hands I see the flop, turn and river, as well as my overall chip position. How do you improve your game?
It's a good thing I'm not an accountant anymore. My notebook was off by 3000 chips when I did a count at the break. I was probably too excited about finishing a hot hand and didn't write one down.
It's a good thing I'm not an accountant anymore. My notebook was off by 3000 chips when I did a count at the break. I was probably too excited about finishing a hot hand and didn't write one down.
On the Idiot End of the Straight
Limping in with A5, I find I've got an inside draw at the flop, and the bet into me is not huge, so I go for one more card. I catch lucky, and thin the field, but one guy stays. The river brings a six and there's a six high straight on the board, invalidating my claim to best hand, and the opposition goes all in.
He was kind enough to show me what I folded to. Sure enough, he had the seven.
He was kind enough to show me what I folded to. Sure enough, he had the seven.
Frustrating Winning Hand
I'm allowed to limp in with 37os (Okay, it's Sklansky class 9, what's your point?) and I flop a straight to a rainbow board. Naturally, nobody bets, and I know that if I bet, nobody will stay.
Turn - Blank. No bets, and I check again.
River - King! I manage to get one taker on a medium sized bet.
It's a drag when there isn't a possible second-best hand, isn't it?
Turn - Blank. No bets, and I check again.
River - King! I manage to get one taker on a medium sized bet.
It's a drag when there isn't a possible second-best hand, isn't it?
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Vacation Recommendation for Social Group
If any member of the social group makes it to Eastern Europe this summer, I strongly recommend making it to the tables I played at around 4 AM, after you've had a solid nap. You'll find lots of high rollers with cloudy judgement who have been at the table since possibly 8 PM the night before. Drop me a line for the casino name, and if I know you, I'll share the wealth.
If you can keep your head together (see prior post), you may be able to bring home a decent stack. Make sure you start out slow and size everybody up, because there are a few rocks who do this for a living, or a nice supplemental income, and if you tangle with them (see prior post), you may end up in the red for the session.
According to my cardplayer.com analyst, I came out ahead $250 for all my sessions there. (If not for the clouded judgement of the prior post, it would have been $550.) I'm not an especially skilled player, either! The buy in is $250 by the way. I blew most of my winnings on duty free.
i'LL See a bunch of you tonight!
If you can keep your head together (see prior post), you may be able to bring home a decent stack. Make sure you start out slow and size everybody up, because there are a few rocks who do this for a living, or a nice supplemental income, and if you tangle with them (see prior post), you may end up in the red for the session.
According to my cardplayer.com analyst, I came out ahead $250 for all my sessions there. (If not for the clouded judgement of the prior post, it would have been $550.) I'm not an especially skilled player, either! The buy in is $250 by the way. I blew most of my winnings on duty free.
i'LL See a bunch of you tonight!
$300 Pastry Anyone?
I'm back home, and quite happy about it.
My final morning in Budapest, I decided to try my early AM luck at the table again, so I get there at 4:30 AM, and I have to leave for the airport at 5:30 AM. I leave my bags with a porter and do my buy in. There are only three other players, one is almost senselessly agressive, one is a calling station who is still asking newbie questions about how the rules work, and there's a gruff-looking older guy who I can't get a bead on, other than that he is big stacked.
At 5:25 I am up by $150, having taken the calling station all the way to the river, doubling the bet each time with my pair of pocket aces. I'm not sure what the CS was thinking, but maybe he had a small pair or something. He didn't show his cards.
At 5:31 I've neatly stacked my chips to cash out, and I don't cash out immediately, because I've still got one pastry left to enjoy before I go. I am dealt AQ suited-spades, and I'm still a little high mentally from taking all the cash from the CS. The maniac raises to 4BB total, big stack calls, and the CS calls, I am last to act. I call 'POT!' and raise the hand to about 16B, a bet of $80.
Maniac folds. Big Stack calls. Calling Station folds.
Flop. K, blank, blank two diamons on the board.
Big Stack Bets large. If I had been in my right mind, I should have licked my wounds and gotten the hell out, but I had seen so many bluffers that this table, I decide to pay $100 for another card.
Queen! Big stack bets large again. I call, since a pair of queens with an Ace kicker is usually enough to win in this crowd.
Big Stack bets large again to put me all in. I look at the board again. It's a queen of DIAMONDS, so there are now three diamonds on the the board. I think for about a minute, realize that I!m high on playing, and fold.
At that point, I probably should have gone all in just to see what he had, but I would put it at 3 to 1 odds that he had something better than a pair of queens.
IIKTWIKN: When maniac raised and got two callers, there was no reason for me to try to buy the pot, since all three of them clearly liked their hands at least that much. Granted, Maniac raised for no reason a lot, but Big Stack clearly liked his. I could have called the raise, and if I didn't catch the flop, it only cost me 20$. As it was, I only chased out the calling station.
IIKTWIKN: The corollary to 'All-In Fever' is 'Pot Fever'. It is a pure charge of adrenaline to say that word. Beware the expensive shot of adrenaline!
IIKTWIKN: Do the words 'Quite while you're ahead' ring a bell, Frank???
My final morning in Budapest, I decided to try my early AM luck at the table again, so I get there at 4:30 AM, and I have to leave for the airport at 5:30 AM. I leave my bags with a porter and do my buy in. There are only three other players, one is almost senselessly agressive, one is a calling station who is still asking newbie questions about how the rules work, and there's a gruff-looking older guy who I can't get a bead on, other than that he is big stacked.
At 5:25 I am up by $150, having taken the calling station all the way to the river, doubling the bet each time with my pair of pocket aces. I'm not sure what the CS was thinking, but maybe he had a small pair or something. He didn't show his cards.
At 5:31 I've neatly stacked my chips to cash out, and I don't cash out immediately, because I've still got one pastry left to enjoy before I go. I am dealt AQ suited-spades, and I'm still a little high mentally from taking all the cash from the CS. The maniac raises to 4BB total, big stack calls, and the CS calls, I am last to act. I call 'POT!' and raise the hand to about 16B, a bet of $80.
Maniac folds. Big Stack calls. Calling Station folds.
Flop. K, blank, blank two diamons on the board.
Big Stack Bets large. If I had been in my right mind, I should have licked my wounds and gotten the hell out, but I had seen so many bluffers that this table, I decide to pay $100 for another card.
Queen! Big stack bets large again. I call, since a pair of queens with an Ace kicker is usually enough to win in this crowd.
Big Stack bets large again to put me all in. I look at the board again. It's a queen of DIAMONDS, so there are now three diamonds on the the board. I think for about a minute, realize that I!m high on playing, and fold.
At that point, I probably should have gone all in just to see what he had, but I would put it at 3 to 1 odds that he had something better than a pair of queens.
IIKTWIKN: When maniac raised and got two callers, there was no reason for me to try to buy the pot, since all three of them clearly liked their hands at least that much. Granted, Maniac raised for no reason a lot, but Big Stack clearly liked his. I could have called the raise, and if I didn't catch the flop, it only cost me 20$. As it was, I only chased out the calling station.
IIKTWIKN: The corollary to 'All-In Fever' is 'Pot Fever'. It is a pure charge of adrenaline to say that word. Beware the expensive shot of adrenaline!
IIKTWIKN: Do the words 'Quite while you're ahead' ring a bell, Frank???
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Dude I'm tired and Ready to Go Home
Work sucks, but at least I'm getting on a plane at 7:10 AM and getting out of dodge.
I tried for two consecutive nights to get a seat between 10 PM and midnight at the only table in the joint, and nothing doing. This morning I wake up at 4:30, as I've been told they play until 8 in the morning. Good to catch these guys after they've been playing all through the night, as they tend to make some bad judgements, and stick their necks out when they shouldn't. And I was catching cards like crazy during my two hours at the table.
So far I had seen loose-weak, and then tight-agressive, and this morning might be best described as loose-weak pre-flop, and very agressive post-flop. I gave a little action pre-flop (I was down close to 20,000 huf before I caught a rhythm) in order to get a lot of action post-flop. (Honest to god, I left at 6:55 AM with a little more than double my buy in, or a profit of about 52,700 HUF.)
My best hand? Nobody raises me as BB, and when I look 74os crap. The flop? 10, 7, 4! Oh life is good! Theres 6000 HUF in the pot, so I say 'POT!' and everybody scrams except for this guy who loves to bluff way more than he ought to. He simply calls. Turn blank, and I bet 6000 more. Calls. River blank, and I bet another 6000 for good measure. Folds. Smart move sonny boy. There were several other big pots like this, but I think the two pairs of cheese from BB was my fave, even if the other hands had more drama, it turned the tide on my bleeding, and it felt so good to say 'POT' just like it feels good to say 'ALL IN'.
I walked away from one hand, thinking that there was no way that THREE PLAYERS WERE BLUFFING. They were, and I would have rivered the nut flush with only the Ace in my hand (None of these bums were suited, but all of them bet like they were.) Of course, that was when I was down 20,000 huf, and I would have had to go all in to prove they were all bluffing. I'll divide and conquer, thank you very much.
I feel like I owe some shout outs to the people who helped me get better....
Oh yeah - If you're a tilter, or not good in re-buys, please don't consider playing a pot limit ring casino game. It's designed to keep you re-buying long after you're on full tilt. I saw more than a few players doing exactly this.
I tried for two consecutive nights to get a seat between 10 PM and midnight at the only table in the joint, and nothing doing. This morning I wake up at 4:30, as I've been told they play until 8 in the morning. Good to catch these guys after they've been playing all through the night, as they tend to make some bad judgements, and stick their necks out when they shouldn't. And I was catching cards like crazy during my two hours at the table.
So far I had seen loose-weak, and then tight-agressive, and this morning might be best described as loose-weak pre-flop, and very agressive post-flop. I gave a little action pre-flop (I was down close to 20,000 huf before I caught a rhythm) in order to get a lot of action post-flop. (Honest to god, I left at 6:55 AM with a little more than double my buy in, or a profit of about 52,700 HUF.)
My best hand? Nobody raises me as BB, and when I look 74os crap. The flop? 10, 7, 4! Oh life is good! Theres 6000 HUF in the pot, so I say 'POT!' and everybody scrams except for this guy who loves to bluff way more than he ought to. He simply calls. Turn blank, and I bet 6000 more. Calls. River blank, and I bet another 6000 for good measure. Folds. Smart move sonny boy. There were several other big pots like this, but I think the two pairs of cheese from BB was my fave, even if the other hands had more drama, it turned the tide on my bleeding, and it felt so good to say 'POT' just like it feels good to say 'ALL IN'.
I walked away from one hand, thinking that there was no way that THREE PLAYERS WERE BLUFFING. They were, and I would have rivered the nut flush with only the Ace in my hand (None of these bums were suited, but all of them bet like they were.) Of course, that was when I was down 20,000 huf, and I would have had to go all in to prove they were all bluffing. I'll divide and conquer, thank you very much.
I feel like I owe some shout outs to the people who helped me get better....
Oh yeah - If you're a tilter, or not good in re-buys, please don't consider playing a pot limit ring casino game. It's designed to keep you re-buying long after you're on full tilt. I saw more than a few players doing exactly this.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Cute Urinal Billboard
As you take care of business, you see the add. Its a model, and shes looking in a downward direction with a disappointed look. You notice shes wearing cartoony devil horns, and in her hand shes holding a measuring tape with a very short measurement.
The caption?
A méret
igenis számit!
I had a hunch and asked a colleague. If you see me at a table, I'll tell you the translation if you remember to ask.
Well, I'm on the waiting list at the table, so I'm going to see what kind of trouble I can get into, with only one gruelling day ahead of me.
The caption?
A méret
igenis számit!
I had a hunch and asked a colleague. If you see me at a table, I'll tell you the translation if you remember to ask.
Well, I'm on the waiting list at the table, so I'm going to see what kind of trouble I can get into, with only one gruelling day ahead of me.
P*ssing Contests at the Gaming Table, Budapest
Last night I couldn't resist (I hate killing time in hotel rooms) so I went back to the casino. There was a waiting list (only one table there, open for two months now) so I enjoyed the free food and watched the action.
3 of the 4 sharks were back, and 4 clear fish. One fish in particular seemed to hold a grudge against one young man who had put him on tilt. The old fish kept bluffing astronomical sums in the pot limit game to scare the kid, who kept calling him. Hand after hand, the old man kept losing hundreds of dollars at a throw. It was almost painful to watch, but very informative.
I assume the money meant nothing to the tilting fool. Not my problem.
If you're a big tilter, don't play pot limit cash games!
3 of the 4 sharks were back, and 4 clear fish. One fish in particular seemed to hold a grudge against one young man who had put him on tilt. The old fish kept bluffing astronomical sums in the pot limit game to scare the kid, who kept calling him. Hand after hand, the old man kept losing hundreds of dollars at a throw. It was almost painful to watch, but very informative.
I assume the money meant nothing to the tilting fool. Not my problem.
If you're a big tilter, don't play pot limit cash games!
Frenchie's Kind of Town
Strong recommendation for Frenchie to come check out his ancestral homeland, although he may need to wear a muzzle to keep his jaw from dropping, given the local talent seen almost everywhere.
I literally saw a lovely young thing 'stop traffic' on the way to this internet shop. I was walking up to the cross walk, she was ahead of me, dressed in the usual budapest not-a-supermodel-yet finery and coiffure (sp), and she was certainly worth of attention. She was engaged in conversation with her similarly charming friend, and oblivious to the light, chatting at the curb. They looked up just in time to get the don't walk signal, and the green light for the cars.
I was besides them, waiting for the two cars at the light to go so that I could jay walk. I noticed the forward driver was looking in my direction oblivious to the traffic light until the car behind him honked. In a flash of brilliance, I understood what he had been staring at. Probably Frenchie's third or fourth cousin, if I had to guess by the gene pool.
And this young lady was just one of many, Frenchie!
PS: If you read this in time, be sure to kick some arse in your WSOP event!
I literally saw a lovely young thing 'stop traffic' on the way to this internet shop. I was walking up to the cross walk, she was ahead of me, dressed in the usual budapest not-a-supermodel-yet finery and coiffure (sp), and she was certainly worth of attention. She was engaged in conversation with her similarly charming friend, and oblivious to the light, chatting at the curb. They looked up just in time to get the don't walk signal, and the green light for the cars.
I was besides them, waiting for the two cars at the light to go so that I could jay walk. I noticed the forward driver was looking in my direction oblivious to the traffic light until the car behind him honked. In a flash of brilliance, I understood what he had been staring at. Probably Frenchie's third or fourth cousin, if I had to guess by the gene pool.
And this young lady was just one of many, Frenchie!
PS: If you read this in time, be sure to kick some arse in your WSOP event!
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Back in Black
Just updated my cardplayer.com stats from the last two nights, and I'm officially in the black as a cardplayer, for the first time since April 8th (my first experience and my first win, in the losers tourney). Whoo-hoo!
As Mr. T would aptly say, I pity the fool who doesn't track their stats!
As Mr. T would aptly say, I pity the fool who doesn't track their stats!
Sharks on the Danube River
So I go back to the place that was weak loose, and I see one familiar face, and four locals. I watch one hand, and it's clear that the unfamiliar players are tight, tight tight.
I hit the free snacks/meals (mediocre but the price is right) and chat up one of the guys who followed me there. Turns out he's one of those internet money makers, and all four of them are regulars here.
I join the table, with the same buy/in as the night before of 250. In the first 15 minutes I catch Big Slick and buy a pot, and then big slick suited, and I win a small pot against a very friendly shark, who is clearly sizing me up but not pushing or feeding me too much. For the first 30 minutes I'm up 50 bucks USD. Then I catch the QQ hand in the prior blog, and I'm just a little below break/even.
I spent the next two hours or so paying rent on my seat in the form of cheap blinds. I could see that this pot limit stuff was just as dangerous as a no/limit cash game, and so I was holding out for Sklansky class 1 hands. I didn't see anything better than class four for two hours, so I didn't even try to limp. I missed one set of trips that would have won a pot, and one set of king trips that would have lost me a fortune if I had chased a boat, so I'm very happy with my play.
I picked the sharks brains, there were two especially talkative ones. More later on that.
Back to work....
I hit the free snacks/meals (mediocre but the price is right) and chat up one of the guys who followed me there. Turns out he's one of those internet money makers, and all four of them are regulars here.
I join the table, with the same buy/in as the night before of 250. In the first 15 minutes I catch Big Slick and buy a pot, and then big slick suited, and I win a small pot against a very friendly shark, who is clearly sizing me up but not pushing or feeding me too much. For the first 30 minutes I'm up 50 bucks USD. Then I catch the QQ hand in the prior blog, and I'm just a little below break/even.
I spent the next two hours or so paying rent on my seat in the form of cheap blinds. I could see that this pot limit stuff was just as dangerous as a no/limit cash game, and so I was holding out for Sklansky class 1 hands. I didn't see anything better than class four for two hours, so I didn't even try to limp. I missed one set of trips that would have won a pot, and one set of king trips that would have lost me a fortune if I had chased a boat, so I'm very happy with my play.
I picked the sharks brains, there were two especially talkative ones. More later on that.
Back to work....
How NOT to play this hand (I was wrong, right?)
Ring Game last night
My hand QsQc and I am the button.
Blind is 1000, I raise to 3BB total. Two players stay.
Flop: A,K,J Red
Player 1 bets 3BB, player 2 drops.
Any sensible player would have folded at this point??? This was a sharp operator I was facing, so he presumably already put me on a hand at that point.
I call. Blank.
Player 1 checks, I check. Blank.
Player 1 bets. I fold.
I could have saved 3 BB and broken even for the evening. Such is life.
My hand QsQc and I am the button.
Blind is 1000, I raise to 3BB total. Two players stay.
Flop: A,K,J Red
Player 1 bets 3BB, player 2 drops.
Any sensible player would have folded at this point??? This was a sharp operator I was facing, so he presumably already put me on a hand at that point.
I call. Blank.
Player 1 checks, I check. Blank.
Player 1 bets. I fold.
I could have saved 3 BB and broken even for the evening. Such is life.
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