I love this subject because it's the math of poker. In my Friday Night Games, I started saying, "I'm just playing math." It's really maddening sometimes to know the math of poker, especially the odds of hitting draws (or really the odds of hitting any card). It's maddening because of how much fun it is to play and not fold, but smart poker relies on playing the odds.
Many of the guys I play with regularly REALLY like to have fun playing poker - I mean seriously, really like to have fun. And the trade off to fun is WINNING in the long-run because smart poker requires folding and not getting involved in many hands.
What? Folding! And then there's Friday Night Poker. I'm not risking all that much to play with my friends, so it's OK. But, like I said, this is a fun topic and I'm going to write about it anyways.
So, the odds of hitting draws on the river are really, really bad. It's the rule of 2 which says that you multiply your outs by 2 (with only the river card to go) and that gives you the percentage chance of success. So, the best possible draw you can have is an open-ended straight draw, along with a flush draw, and add that one of your hole cards is an Ace that if it hit could possibly win the hand. So, you have 4 cards to a flush already, leaving 9 other flush cards. Add to that 6 of the remaining non-flush cards that could make your straight, and the remaining 2 non-flush Aces and you've got yourself a solid 17 OUTS.
Now multiply those 17 outs by 2 and you get a whopping 34% chance of hitting a winning hand. That's basically a 1 in 3 chance of success, but a 2 in 3 chance of failure. But wait! What if you're up against another flush draw hand or another open-ended straight draw hand and that person hits too and has a higher flush or straight? Well, now you're just screwed all the way. You might think that a scenario like that is too unlikely to really happen and true, the odds of that aren't super high, but I've seen it.
Last week, I saw 2 guys hit a Jack High Straight by the turn and river, while a 3rd guy also hit his Jack High Straight on the River (seriously, this really happened). Guess what? Guy #3 actually made a Jack High Straight Flush and won the hand. The really sick thing about that, is that his odds of hitting that Jack of diamonds were about 49 to 1 against, but for some people, hitting that hand is all they need to chase cards for the rest of their poker lives.
But back to our 2 out of 3 chances of failure scenario. The only way you can make a call where 2 out of 3 times you will fail is if you get more than those same odds in the pot. So, you need to make 3 to 1 or more on your money to even consider calling river bets. And there you go playing math again.
At a game like I play on Friday nights, you have 4 to 6 guys that are generally willing to call down to the river - regardless of the odds. If you have 1 or 2 guys who do this, then you have a very profitable game in the long-run, but with 4 to 6 people doing it, you're very likely going to simply lose your mind.
Showing posts with label Lucky Poker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lucky Poker. Show all posts
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Beating the Loose-Passive Texas Hold'em Game
I played very aggressively in Friday Night Poker. When I had a strong starting hand, I raised. When the action checked to me, I raised. I fired big bets pre-flop, at the turn, and at the river, sometimes even if I knew I had the worst hand. This aggressive play worked in the first game and I came from behind once it was down to the final 3 and won the game.
As I've mentioned before, except for a couple of very strong players, this Friday night game is primarily a loose-passive game. Of the 10 regulars, we have 3 that are mostly tight-aggressive, 1 that is mostly loose-aggressive, and 6 that are mostly loose-passive. This means that we have a lot of river card chasers and a lot of checking and calling.
The key to winning the loose-passive game is understanding what your opponents are likely to do. They are going to call most small to medium sized pre-flop bets with a very wide range of starting hand combinations, but they aren't likely to continue if they don't pair on the flop or have a draw of some kind. After the flop, they will likely check, but call many bets. If they don't fold, they have a pair, a draw, or in my game, an Ace. Bluffing them is not effective because they like to call and many of them either don't understand the odds of hitting their card or they may not care about the odds because they have more fun when they're in the hand.
Playing in a loose-passive game can frustrate a stronger player because they get drawn out on fairly often. If a game has just 2 loose-passives, drawing doesn't happen as often, but with 6 players, it can just be maddening. So, how do you play in a game with so many players that make you want to run in front of traffic?
1. Loosen up some yourself and play a wider range of starting hands. 2 face cards are not necessarily needed to win these games. With so many players usually hanging in to see the flop, smaller connecting cards like 7-8, 7-9, 6-8, and even 5-7 can be strong hands. If everyone else wants to play their face cards and many of them stay in the hand, it stands to reason that your smaller cards have a greater chance of hitting.
2. Don't bluff too often against the loose-passive player. They want to call because playing is more fun than folding.
3. Bet your medium to strong hands. If they don't pair or have a draw, they will fold. If they call, you'll have a pretty good idea what you're up against.
4. Check your weaker hands and they will usually check behind you to give you cheap or free turn and river cards to possibly win with.
5. If you bet and they raise, get out if you don't have a clear winner. The loose-passive only plays aggressively when they have a big hand.
6. If the loose-passive is in a position to act before you and they bet, use caution because they probably hit their card and you may be behind. Or they may be betting a draw with lots of outs. Be careful. You may not be able to bet them off of those hands.
7. Value bet more often, especially when draws clearly missed.
8. Try not to mix it up with more than 2 loose-passives at a time. It's better to isolate against a single player to reduce your odds of getting out-drawn.
9. Know when you're beaten and get out. This was my big mistake Friday night.
10. Keep a long-term perspective because the odds are going to be in your favor in the long-run. Drawing for a flush after the turn gives at best a 1:3 odds against hitting. Drawing for an open-ended straight gives at best a 1:6 odds against hitting. Hanging in for the chance to hit the 1 miracle card left in the deck that could give you the win gives an overwhelming 1:50 odds against hitting. Your tight-aggressive style will win most of the time in the long-run. So, hang in there.
As I've mentioned before, except for a couple of very strong players, this Friday night game is primarily a loose-passive game. Of the 10 regulars, we have 3 that are mostly tight-aggressive, 1 that is mostly loose-aggressive, and 6 that are mostly loose-passive. This means that we have a lot of river card chasers and a lot of checking and calling.
The key to winning the loose-passive game is understanding what your opponents are likely to do. They are going to call most small to medium sized pre-flop bets with a very wide range of starting hand combinations, but they aren't likely to continue if they don't pair on the flop or have a draw of some kind. After the flop, they will likely check, but call many bets. If they don't fold, they have a pair, a draw, or in my game, an Ace. Bluffing them is not effective because they like to call and many of them either don't understand the odds of hitting their card or they may not care about the odds because they have more fun when they're in the hand.
Playing in a loose-passive game can frustrate a stronger player because they get drawn out on fairly often. If a game has just 2 loose-passives, drawing doesn't happen as often, but with 6 players, it can just be maddening. So, how do you play in a game with so many players that make you want to run in front of traffic?
1. Loosen up some yourself and play a wider range of starting hands. 2 face cards are not necessarily needed to win these games. With so many players usually hanging in to see the flop, smaller connecting cards like 7-8, 7-9, 6-8, and even 5-7 can be strong hands. If everyone else wants to play their face cards and many of them stay in the hand, it stands to reason that your smaller cards have a greater chance of hitting.
2. Don't bluff too often against the loose-passive player. They want to call because playing is more fun than folding.
3. Bet your medium to strong hands. If they don't pair or have a draw, they will fold. If they call, you'll have a pretty good idea what you're up against.
4. Check your weaker hands and they will usually check behind you to give you cheap or free turn and river cards to possibly win with.
5. If you bet and they raise, get out if you don't have a clear winner. The loose-passive only plays aggressively when they have a big hand.
6. If the loose-passive is in a position to act before you and they bet, use caution because they probably hit their card and you may be behind. Or they may be betting a draw with lots of outs. Be careful. You may not be able to bet them off of those hands.
7. Value bet more often, especially when draws clearly missed.
8. Try not to mix it up with more than 2 loose-passives at a time. It's better to isolate against a single player to reduce your odds of getting out-drawn.
9. Know when you're beaten and get out. This was my big mistake Friday night.
10. Keep a long-term perspective because the odds are going to be in your favor in the long-run. Drawing for a flush after the turn gives at best a 1:3 odds against hitting. Drawing for an open-ended straight gives at best a 1:6 odds against hitting. Hanging in for the chance to hit the 1 miracle card left in the deck that could give you the win gives an overwhelming 1:50 odds against hitting. Your tight-aggressive style will win most of the time in the long-run. So, hang in there.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Statistical Improbabilities in Texas Hold'em
I played the $1-$2 last night at Winstar and lost my first $200 in my first 10 hands at the table. My first big loss was with the AK of hearts in the hole (the 5th best starting hand in poker). The flop was A Q 6 (2 clubs). I get heads up with a guy that I figure likely was holding KQ or maybe even a flush draw. He also could have AQ which seemed like the only hand that could beat me based on probabilities. So, he went all-in and I called. I had an Ace. The board had an Ace. He had Pocket Aces for a set on the flop. It was so improbable that he would have Pocket Aces that I never considered it as a threat.
5 hands later I got pocket cowboys and decided not to see a flop, so I pushed all in pre-flop with my remaining $55. I got called by another guy who was holding, of all things, pocket aces. I lost with very strong hands twice in 10 hands to pocket aces. That is a statistical improbability.
So, I re-loaded with another $100 and moved to center position at the table, directly across from the dealer. That $100 played for the next 3 hours and I was up and down throughout the night until at one point, I was sitting at just over $50 and ready for a double-up. I was dealt 9-10 and got to see a cheap flop that was 9-10-2, with 2 diamonds. So, with top 2 pair and a possible flush draw, I pushed all in. I didn't need to see the flush. Everyone folded except for one fish who liked his 2 small diamonds and didn't know about the "rule of 4". He called and the river was a diamond. He had the 6 and the 8 and the river was. . . wait for it. . . the 7 of diamonds - he hit the straight-flush on the river - the most statistically improbable hand in poker. And I was out again.
But I wasn't mad. I wasn't on tilt. Everyone suffers from bad luck from time to time. I played strong and solid all night and lost some very big hands to the most statistically unlikely hands imaginable. It was actually funny. So, what did I do? I found an ATM and a new table.
I played one more $100 stack and found the table with the largest stacks in the room. One guy had about $1,200 in front of him and a couple of others had more than $500. The table was loose and despite my bad beats, I felt like I was playing hot. So, I sat down.
Unbelievably, I mixed it up with Mr. $1,200 2 hands in a row very early on. The first time, I had AJ suited and pushed all in with a flush draw. He had pocket K's and I was in trouble until I hit my magic Ace on the river. So, I was back. THE VERY NEXT HAND, I had K 10 and a K came on the flop. The same guy had pocket K's again! Back-to-back pocket K's! Statistically improbable, and at that point, completely hilarious. He got half of my stack with that hand.
Within the next half an hour I was dealt pocket A's (about time) and the house had an "Aces Cracked" thing running where if you lose with pocket Aces, the house pays you $100. So, I slow played and ended up heads up with a guy who had KJ and a Jack on the flop. I was way ahead until the river card came and it was another Jack. I found out a few seconds later that another guy at the table folded a Jack. That means that he hit the only jack left in the deck. I lost the hand, but got the house's $100.
30 minutes later, I had $218 in front of me and had to quit (but didn't really want to). I was playing good all night long, but just taking some really bad, statistically-improbable beats. I doubled my last $100 inside of an hour and felt like I could have gone on doing that for the rest of the night against these guys. But, now I'll never know for sure.
2 weeks ago, I tripled up at these same tables. I'm still up $200 in my last 2 trips up there despite the crazy night I had last night. I guess these swings are going to happen, but if it's going to take the most statistically unlikely hands to beat me, I'll take them.
But like I said last time, "results not typical". True.
5 hands later I got pocket cowboys and decided not to see a flop, so I pushed all in pre-flop with my remaining $55. I got called by another guy who was holding, of all things, pocket aces. I lost with very strong hands twice in 10 hands to pocket aces. That is a statistical improbability.
So, I re-loaded with another $100 and moved to center position at the table, directly across from the dealer. That $100 played for the next 3 hours and I was up and down throughout the night until at one point, I was sitting at just over $50 and ready for a double-up. I was dealt 9-10 and got to see a cheap flop that was 9-10-2, with 2 diamonds. So, with top 2 pair and a possible flush draw, I pushed all in. I didn't need to see the flush. Everyone folded except for one fish who liked his 2 small diamonds and didn't know about the "rule of 4". He called and the river was a diamond. He had the 6 and the 8 and the river was. . . wait for it. . . the 7 of diamonds - he hit the straight-flush on the river - the most statistically improbable hand in poker. And I was out again.
But I wasn't mad. I wasn't on tilt. Everyone suffers from bad luck from time to time. I played strong and solid all night and lost some very big hands to the most statistically unlikely hands imaginable. It was actually funny. So, what did I do? I found an ATM and a new table.
I played one more $100 stack and found the table with the largest stacks in the room. One guy had about $1,200 in front of him and a couple of others had more than $500. The table was loose and despite my bad beats, I felt like I was playing hot. So, I sat down.
Unbelievably, I mixed it up with Mr. $1,200 2 hands in a row very early on. The first time, I had AJ suited and pushed all in with a flush draw. He had pocket K's and I was in trouble until I hit my magic Ace on the river. So, I was back. THE VERY NEXT HAND, I had K 10 and a K came on the flop. The same guy had pocket K's again! Back-to-back pocket K's! Statistically improbable, and at that point, completely hilarious. He got half of my stack with that hand.
Within the next half an hour I was dealt pocket A's (about time) and the house had an "Aces Cracked" thing running where if you lose with pocket Aces, the house pays you $100. So, I slow played and ended up heads up with a guy who had KJ and a Jack on the flop. I was way ahead until the river card came and it was another Jack. I found out a few seconds later that another guy at the table folded a Jack. That means that he hit the only jack left in the deck. I lost the hand, but got the house's $100.
30 minutes later, I had $218 in front of me and had to quit (but didn't really want to). I was playing good all night long, but just taking some really bad, statistically-improbable beats. I doubled my last $100 inside of an hour and felt like I could have gone on doing that for the rest of the night against these guys. But, now I'll never know for sure.
2 weeks ago, I tripled up at these same tables. I'm still up $200 in my last 2 trips up there despite the crazy night I had last night. I guess these swings are going to happen, but if it's going to take the most statistically unlikely hands to beat me, I'll take them.
But like I said last time, "results not typical". True.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Full Tilt Poker: 50 to 1 Odds Against
I had the day off of work due to ice on the roads. So, earlier today I jumped on Full Tilt Poker to play a 90-player free money no-limit Texas Hold'em tournament. I didn't just decide to play - I decided to sit down and win.
Just like usual, I hung around the top 10 for most of the entire tournament. I moved between 1st and 6th place for most of the time. The decisions all seemed so clear and easy. Odds were fairly easy to calculate and my mind-set was to make positive expected value moves 100% of the time, play the +EV odds, and win.
Let's skip ahead to the final table. When it was down to the final 3 (me and 2 others), I felt that I had pretty good control over the action. In spite of that, I found myself in 3rd place, with a queen high flush (clubs) on the turn, against 2nd place and his made flush at the flop, with 4-6 of clubs. The clubs on the board were K, 3, 7, and 10. The only card left in the deck that could beat me was the 5 of clubs which would give my opponent a straight-flush. And, what are the odds of that?
Well, it's good that you asked because the odds were 2% to hit the 5 of clubs and 98% to miss. In other words, he had a 50 to 1 odds against hitting his card. I had the best of it and I went all-in after the turn gave me a flush. It was kind of funny because before I saw his cards, I knew that I only needed to avoid one card (the Ace of clubs). It turned out that the Ace wouldn't have helped my opponent at all. He needed the 5.
He got the 5. The board was all clubs (and what are the odds of that too?). So anyways, I ended my winning session in 3rd place with a 50:1 miracle for my opponent. The math says that if that hand was played out 100 times, I would win 98 times. If that was a real money tournament, I'm pretty sure that knowledge wouldn't make me feel better.
As it is, that makes 26 final tables in the last 52 weeks. These are free-money practice tournaments, but that's 1 final table every other week against 90 other (relatively wreckless) people each time. Also, my average final table ending position was 3.7 over that time.
But 50 to 1 in my favor? That's one time I don't want to be #1.
Just like usual, I hung around the top 10 for most of the entire tournament. I moved between 1st and 6th place for most of the time. The decisions all seemed so clear and easy. Odds were fairly easy to calculate and my mind-set was to make positive expected value moves 100% of the time, play the +EV odds, and win.
Let's skip ahead to the final table. When it was down to the final 3 (me and 2 others), I felt that I had pretty good control over the action. In spite of that, I found myself in 3rd place, with a queen high flush (clubs) on the turn, against 2nd place and his made flush at the flop, with 4-6 of clubs. The clubs on the board were K, 3, 7, and 10. The only card left in the deck that could beat me was the 5 of clubs which would give my opponent a straight-flush. And, what are the odds of that?
Well, it's good that you asked because the odds were 2% to hit the 5 of clubs and 98% to miss. In other words, he had a 50 to 1 odds against hitting his card. I had the best of it and I went all-in after the turn gave me a flush. It was kind of funny because before I saw his cards, I knew that I only needed to avoid one card (the Ace of clubs). It turned out that the Ace wouldn't have helped my opponent at all. He needed the 5.
He got the 5. The board was all clubs (and what are the odds of that too?). So anyways, I ended my winning session in 3rd place with a 50:1 miracle for my opponent. The math says that if that hand was played out 100 times, I would win 98 times. If that was a real money tournament, I'm pretty sure that knowledge wouldn't make me feel better.
As it is, that makes 26 final tables in the last 52 weeks. These are free-money practice tournaments, but that's 1 final table every other week against 90 other (relatively wreckless) people each time. Also, my average final table ending position was 3.7 over that time.
But 50 to 1 in my favor? That's one time I don't want to be #1.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Texas Hold'em: It Helps to Hit Good Cards
OK, so I said I was going to leave stupid at home last night when I went to play poker, and I did. Looking back on the night, I can't remember one stupid move (on my part). I was back to making calculated plays, at times even reminding myself not to play stupid. There were 9 people there last night, whereas usually we have 8. So, the card "rotation" was changed slightly. We also used 2 new decks. I'm not necessarily saying that these 2 factors had anything significant to do with the outcome of the games because we had winners in all 3 games. I'm just pointing out that we had some (minor) changes last night.
What I am saying is that sometimes even if you avoid playing stupid, you still need to get good cards at least some of the time. You need good cards in your hand with matching good cards on the board (at least sometimes). Last night, I got junk hole cards in what seemed like 80% of my hands. In statistics there is a term called "mode". This is the thing that happens most frequently - not an average - just the thing that happens more often that anything else. Well unbelievably, my "mode" cards were 2-7 off. I got that ugly combination 4 times in the 2nd game and 3 times in the 1st game. I also got 2-7 suited twice. Ordinarily that wouldn't necessarily be such a big deal because that kind of stuff happens. However, on top of getting 2 7 nine times, I also got just about every junk card combination you can think of. 8-2, 9-2, 9-3, 8-3, 6-3, and on and on and on.
An undisciplined player might get tired of folding and just start playing those cards. Believe me, it was tempting, but then what? Those are the worst statistical starting hands in poker. You could get lucky from time to time, but more often than not, you're just going to lose. I played patiently, folding one hand after another. And, I played frustrated, which like I've said before, is part of the formula to losing. I would occasionally get some decent starting hands: Q-J off, J-J, 9-10 suited, A-7 suited. Those never worked out for me though. It just wasn't my night. In Texas Hold'em, even the best players (and I am not one of those guys yet) need to get cards to at least build some momentum.
So, I got off the short-lived losing streak in game 3 with a win, but it wasn't very significant to me. Only 5 of us stayed for the final game, so I only had to deal with 4 other players instead of 8. I started hitting cards with a smaller card rotation and 1 of the guys had more than a few beers in games 1 and 2, so getting his chips wasn't the hardest thing I've ever had to do. It was a win, but it wasn't a good win.
What I am saying is that sometimes even if you avoid playing stupid, you still need to get good cards at least some of the time. You need good cards in your hand with matching good cards on the board (at least sometimes). Last night, I got junk hole cards in what seemed like 80% of my hands. In statistics there is a term called "mode". This is the thing that happens most frequently - not an average - just the thing that happens more often that anything else. Well unbelievably, my "mode" cards were 2-7 off. I got that ugly combination 4 times in the 2nd game and 3 times in the 1st game. I also got 2-7 suited twice. Ordinarily that wouldn't necessarily be such a big deal because that kind of stuff happens. However, on top of getting 2 7 nine times, I also got just about every junk card combination you can think of. 8-2, 9-2, 9-3, 8-3, 6-3, and on and on and on.
An undisciplined player might get tired of folding and just start playing those cards. Believe me, it was tempting, but then what? Those are the worst statistical starting hands in poker. You could get lucky from time to time, but more often than not, you're just going to lose. I played patiently, folding one hand after another. And, I played frustrated, which like I've said before, is part of the formula to losing. I would occasionally get some decent starting hands: Q-J off, J-J, 9-10 suited, A-7 suited. Those never worked out for me though. It just wasn't my night. In Texas Hold'em, even the best players (and I am not one of those guys yet) need to get cards to at least build some momentum.
So, I got off the short-lived losing streak in game 3 with a win, but it wasn't very significant to me. Only 5 of us stayed for the final game, so I only had to deal with 4 other players instead of 8. I started hitting cards with a smaller card rotation and 1 of the guys had more than a few beers in games 1 and 2, so getting his chips wasn't the hardest thing I've ever had to do. It was a win, but it wasn't a good win.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Texas Holdem: Sick Winning Streak
In the last few months, I've been winning - period. I'm winnng on-line. I'm winning in Friday Night Poker. I'm winning when I'm not interested in the game. I'm winning when I'm badly distracted. I'm winning when I get bad to medium hands. And last night, I won when I couldn't miss. I got 2nd, 1st, 1st last night. My hands last night were so lucky that I was embarrarssed to keep winning. I even folded what would have turned out to be great hands, including a full house. The thing about getting cards though is that you have to play them right. I wrote a while back about not mis-playing hands: http://floppedtheboat.blogspot.com/2010/08/avoid-mis-played-poker-hands.html.
Well, I can only think of maybe 1 or 2 hands that I mis-played last night. Most of my moves last night were on purpose, meaning that even when I made questionable calls, it was for a reason. For example, I played a couple of hands all the way to the river and made small raises and straight calls and lost the hands because I didn't even have a pair. That was sort of my way of mixing up so the other guys don't "figure me out" like they used to all the time. There's a guy that I play with that I swear sometimes he can see my cards before I do. In recognition of this, I have to try to keep him guessing.
I had a couple of other winning hands that I might have folded in the past. In one of them, I hit the straight on the river. I wasn't chasing the river. The bets made just weren't big enough to get me off my hand and I hit. The river card was the 3rd club on the board and my opponent made a big bet THAT I DIDN'T BELIEVE. So, I went with my gut and made the successful call. In another hand, I had A J suited and the board paired 7's and some other small cards. It was checks on the flop and checks on the turn (keeping me in the hand) and then my opponent bet the river. I quickly calculated the odds of what I thought he had and found that the odds were against him, so I made the call and won. He also had an Ace in his hand with a smaller kicker.
I know the way I've been winning lately has to be frustrating for the guys I play with. I would be frustrated if I was them. Then again, frustration is a weakness in poker because it brings a loss of focus, but it's hard to avoid sometimes. Right now, I'm questioning my poker ability because this kind of winning makes me wonder how much of my success is pure luck. I'm happy to have it on my side for as long as possible, but in the bigger picture, luck isn't why I want to win. I'm going to be re-evaluating my actual skills over the next week. Some of the guys I play with are too good for me to hope for luck each time I set down. I want to be good enough to play with anyone. I'm not there yet and that's going to be my focus.
This has been a sick streak though.
Well, I can only think of maybe 1 or 2 hands that I mis-played last night. Most of my moves last night were on purpose, meaning that even when I made questionable calls, it was for a reason. For example, I played a couple of hands all the way to the river and made small raises and straight calls and lost the hands because I didn't even have a pair. That was sort of my way of mixing up so the other guys don't "figure me out" like they used to all the time. There's a guy that I play with that I swear sometimes he can see my cards before I do. In recognition of this, I have to try to keep him guessing.
I had a couple of other winning hands that I might have folded in the past. In one of them, I hit the straight on the river. I wasn't chasing the river. The bets made just weren't big enough to get me off my hand and I hit. The river card was the 3rd club on the board and my opponent made a big bet THAT I DIDN'T BELIEVE. So, I went with my gut and made the successful call. In another hand, I had A J suited and the board paired 7's and some other small cards. It was checks on the flop and checks on the turn (keeping me in the hand) and then my opponent bet the river. I quickly calculated the odds of what I thought he had and found that the odds were against him, so I made the call and won. He also had an Ace in his hand with a smaller kicker.
I know the way I've been winning lately has to be frustrating for the guys I play with. I would be frustrated if I was them. Then again, frustration is a weakness in poker because it brings a loss of focus, but it's hard to avoid sometimes. Right now, I'm questioning my poker ability because this kind of winning makes me wonder how much of my success is pure luck. I'm happy to have it on my side for as long as possible, but in the bigger picture, luck isn't why I want to win. I'm going to be re-evaluating my actual skills over the next week. Some of the guys I play with are too good for me to hope for luck each time I set down. I want to be good enough to play with anyone. I'm not there yet and that's going to be my focus.
This has been a sick streak though.
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