Texas Hold'em Game Transformation

Over the past several weeks, I've been literally fighting against myself in Texas Hold'em.  My game has evolved from very tight to super loose and then back to variations in between.  For too long, my cards were see-thru.  When multiple people could call my hand, there's a serious problem.  That's what instigated my current situation.


I began changing up my game and that brought win after win after win for weeks.  But then, winning wasn't even satisfying.  My game started being about something more than just winning.  I had nights where I was in the money in all 3 games and I would drive home picking my bad moves a part.  I had one game where I ended up with every single chip on the table, but all I could think about after a while was the game I got 2nd place in.  What if I would have bet big instead of check?  How did I misplay pocket A's so bad?  Did I get bluffed on that one hand?  Why couldn't I see the bluff?  Even with an over-whelming winning percentage, something was wrong.  I still wasn't good enough (and I'm still not).


Then, a series of things recently happened that turned it all upside down.  I played a cash game at Winstar and lost $300 in a rushed effort with my wife waiting.  Then, I went to New Orleans and played 6 hours only to lose $300 more.  And last weekend, I went to Shreveport and lost $100 over several hours.  Lose, lose, lose!!!  I lost $700 in about a month's time, not to mention just barely breaking even in Friday Night Poker.  You would think this probably didn't help matters very much, but it actually changed me.


These cash poker games are very aggressive.  Sitting down with under-sized chip stacks and losing $700 over the course of about 12 hours opened my eyes to the fact that not only could I sit in there with big players, but I'm just on the cusp of being a big player myself.  I feel like I'm very close and I learned that the #1 thing I'm missing is the thing I love most about poker - poker psychology.


I'm missing most of the tells and giving off most of them back to my opponents.  I'm still an open book and my cards are still see-thru, but not for long.  I had a chance lunch meeting with at attorney who just played in the WSOP main event and he placed in the top 10%, getting him into the money.  We hit it off instantly and he recommended that I read Caro's Book of Poker Tells.  In fact, he had it delivered to my office a couple of days later and I read it for the first time that night.  Yes - I read it cover-to-cover that first night.  I couldn't believe how badly I was crippling my game by giving off and not recognizing obvious tells.


So, last night I was playing Friday Night Poker with the guys and I spent most of the evening watching for tells.  I still didn't win either game last night, but I did pick up some tells that saved me a lot of chips.  One guy was sizing up his chip stack after seeing the flop.  He had a good hand and I folded.  He had me beat.  Good fold.  Another guy saw the flop and immediately glanced down at his chips - huge tell.  Then, to add to it, he appeared to be indecisive as to whether or not to bet.  That made up my mind to fold - good fold.  He had it.  Then, my favorite one took a little friendly manipulation on my part.  I had pocket J's and the flop was all cards lower than jack, so was the turn.  I bet fairly big and was raised on the flop and the turn.  So, I said to the other guy, "I have a pretty big pocket pair, so if you're raising me, you must have an even bigger pair."  It took a few seconds before he couldn't hold in his smile.  It took even less time for me to fold my Jacks and he had pocket Kings.  I'll keep watching for tells and I'm going to read the book a couple of more times too.


Finally, tonight I sat down to play a Full Tilt Poker tournament (90 players) and for the 21st time this year, I made it to the final table and ended up in 4th place.  I was pretty happy with that outcome.  My game purpose was to get back to "basics".  I tightened back up some and primarily played a range of about 15 to 20 starting hands.  I raised about 30% of the time that I bet, made some good position bets, and put in some strategic bluffs that paid off.  I even loosened up a couple of times to suck out on the river, which I guess you have to be able to do sometimes.  Tonight, I just needed to be reminded that I could still get it done if I needed to back away from the game transformation.  But then, what am I really thinking?  Back away from the game transformation?  Now, I have a "range" of acceptable starting hands, a calculated % of raises, strategic position bets and bluffs.  My game is evolving to a mix of tight and loose, aggressive and calculated.


I have no idea where my game will go next, but I do know one thing:  I'm very competitive and there is nothing that I hate worse than losing at poker.  But poker energizes me, so I'll weather the losing until I start winning consistently again.  Hopefully a winning streak is coming.

God's Gift to Poker

I was playing on Full Tilt Poker tonight and there was this guy there that was criticizing the other players at the table.  Some people were making stupid bets and calls, but there was no money at stake, so what do you expect.  This guy came out swinging on the chat telling the table what bad players they were.  I looked over and I had more chips than he did and I just sat down at the table.  IDIOT! 

Anyways, it reminds me of the time I was at the Bellagio and the guy sitting to my left thought he was God's gift to poker.  Every time someone beat him, he was talking trash.  Every time he won, he was talking trash.  This guy must have thought that it was his God given right to win at poker.  I don't personally have that right so I have to work at it, but this guy was tuned in with God.  Lucky bastard!

If you're reading this, let me tell you the truth:  it is not your God given right to win every hand in poker.  I highly recommend that you play smart, play the odds, and know yourself and your opponents.  I mean seriously, do you really think you should win every hand?  The odds aren't in your favor for being a 100% winner.  Did you know that?

I love the comment, "keep playing like that and you won't win very much."  My thought is that if you keep thinking like that, neither will you.  Luck happens at a poker table.  Like it or not, you were not born to win in poker.  I know that's a big shock to you, but you should really consider your position as God's gifted poker champion.  I have news for you man:  you are going to get beat.  Then what? 

I sat next to this guy at the Bellagio and I enjoyed taking his chips from him.   Tonight at Full Tilt Poker, I felt the same, except there was no money involved.  If you're reading this, you are not God's gift to poker.  You were not born with a destiny to win every hand you play.  Sometimes you're going to lose.  My advice to you is simple and sound:  shut the hell up and keep your head in the game.   Everyone loses hands from time to time.  Stop believing your own hype.

If you're truly better than the other guys at the table, then play like it.  Understand the other players at the table.  Play accordingly.  Don't be a jerk.

Avoid Mis-Played Poker Hands

I just finished watching some of day 2 of the WSOP on ESPN.  The broadcast really highlighted Daniel Negreanu who was bleeding chips.  One thing that I love about the WSOP is that over 6,000 people pay $10,000 to play for a chance to win nearly $9 Million, and this means that lots of amateurs are playing along side serious pros.  What other game / sport does that happen in?  I'm never getting subbed in for Marion Barber and I won't soon be dishing it off to LeBron, but I could find myself sitting next to Negreanu at a poker table.  If that ever happens, as much as I like Negreanu's playing style, I hope he plays like I just saw him playing tonight.

He mis-read his opponents' hands and mis-judged at least one guy's stomach for calling his large bets.  I've said this before, but it applies here as well.  KNOW YOUR OPPONENTS.  If you can do this, you can anticipate what they MIGHT do, especially in response to your moves.  Why bet $6,000 at a pot when you have NOTHING, NOT EVEN A PAIR, when your opponent is showing a propensity to call?  Sometimes your beat, even by an amateur, but at least it can be a beat from laying down your cards and not your chips.

And when you're hemorrhaging chips, know yourself.  A little self-awareness comes in handy.  Know when you're pushing it too much.  Know when you're making bets that don't make sense.  Know when you're out of rhythm.  A lack of self-awareness will cause you to miss-play hands.

Finally, when in doubt, understand the basic odds of poker.  What are the best and worst starting hands?  What is the likelihood that someone has a bigger pair than you do?  What's the likelihood that someone has a better starting hand than you?  Flush draw?  Straight draw?  What are the odds of hitting?

So, that's the lesson.  To avoid mis-played hands:

1. Know your opponents.
2  Know yourself.
3. Understand the odds.

Poker Momentum

In Poker, momentum can be a killer - to you or to your opponents.  It's hard to explain how you get momentum or how you keep it, but losing it seems so easy.  You win a hand.  Then, you win another and another until you're almost not even playing the cards in your hand as much as you're just playing the other players and reading their bets and other playing styles.  Sure, the cards dealt to you can cause your momentum, but keeping it often is completely independent of cards.  The other players may "sense" that you just keep somehow getting cards, so they fold.  Or, they start measuring the size of their hands compared to yours, and that makes them fold.  But, then you lose it.  You get out of rhythm or you don't notice the "zone" that you're in.  Maybe someone else starts picking up hands and you don't have enough good sense to fold a few and you lose too much to ever get momentum back.  Sometimes when you lose it, you have to get really patient, hang on, and wait for a really good hand, then get it back.  Then, wait for another really good hand.  Next thing you know, you're back on a role.  A huge chip stack can do wonders for momentum.  You have more to risk than other players have in front of them all together.  You might get called a bully, but when you're winning, it's OK.

Last night, I was watching the opening WSOP event of 2010 and it came down to 2 final players:  a Russian named Vladimir Shchemelev, who said in an interview that he never loses in poker and that Russians can win at anything if they just want to take it seriously, and an American named Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi.  It started out really bad for Mizrachi.  He badly lost his momentum, one hand after another.  He just kept betting and raising and calling - with the worst hands, until finally he got a huge hand  (Ace high flush) and the Russian over-played his momentum right into an all-in bet that crippled his chip stack.  It was beautiful!  From there, "The Grinder" chipped away at his opponent until he won over $1 Million for first place.

Momentum was on display in a big way last night.  Mizrachi lost it.  The Russian over-played it.  Mizrachi got it back and finished with it. Momentum can be awesome, but it can be a killer.  Use it or lose it (or until you lose it).

My Son Aaron - Future WSOP Winner

I'm sitting here watching a re-run of the 2009 World Series of Poker final table with my 9 year-old son Aaron.  He's talking strategy and rooting for his favorite player, Phil Ivey.  It makes me think about how much my son likes poker and how good he is and how much better he's going to be. 

I walked into my living room a few months ago and he was at the coffee table with some poker chips and a deck of cards.  He was playing 8 hands of Texas Holdem by himself.  He was the dealer and all of the players, and he knew which hands were winning and which hands were folding.

I set him up to play online at one of the major online poker sites where he can play poker for fun (and for free).  You're supposed to be 18 to play on those sites, but I'm over 18 and I'm letting him play.  Usually, he gets on there, starts with $1,000 and ends with anywhere from $11,000 to over $30,000.  He's playing against adults and he's handing them their butts and making them say thank you.

One day, he was home sick from school and I stayed home with him. I just got finished watching the movie, "21" a couple of days earlier and I thought I would learn how to count cards in Blackjack.  I eventually figured it out, then I decided to teach Aaron to do it.  He has a huge brain and I wasn't surprised that he learned how to count cards in Blackjack in about 30 minutes.  After I taught him, he counted a whole deck of cards 5 times with zero errors.

Anyways, with all of that said, here we are watching the 2009 World Series of Poker and I asked him how much money he was going to win in Poker when he grows up.  His answer was, "$10 Million".  I believe him.

Top 10 Starting Hands in Texas Holdem

I researched this topic using Google and found 10 web sites with articles about the 10 Best Starting Hands in Texas Holdem.  You would think that the mathematical odds to this topic would determine what the 10 best hands are, but then you'd be wrong.

Everyone agrees on the best 3 starting hands:  AA, KK, QQ.  But that's about it.  Here's my breakdown of hands 4 thru 10.

4th Best Hand - 6 people said AK suited.  4 said JJ.

5th Best Hand - 4 said AQ suited.  4 AK suited.  2 JJ.

6th Best Hand - 4 said JJ.  3 10-10.  3 AQ suited.

7th Best Hand - 6 said KQ suited.  3 AQ suited.  1 said 10-10.

8th Best Hand - 8 said AJ suited.  2 said AK off suit.

HERE'S WHERE IT GETS REALLY GOOD.

9th Best Hand - 4 said AK off suit.  2 AJ suited.  3 KJ suited.  1 KQ suited.

10th Best Hand - 3 said AK off suit.  3 said 10-10, 1 said 9-9, 2 KQ suited.  1 A-10 suited.

So, with all of that, here is my Top 10 Starting Hands in Texas Holdem.

1.  AA
2.  KK
3.  QQ
4.  AK Suited
5.  JJ
6.  AQ Suited
7.  KQ Suited
8.  10-10
9.  AK Off Suit
10. AJ Suited

I also like:  KJ suited, A-10 suited, 9-9, but this is a Top 10 List.

Lessons From Friday Night Poker

I've learned over the last couple of years that poker is a marathon, not a sprint.  When you play on Full Tilt Poker, hundreds (if not thousands) of people are going all-in every second (because they're playing for free).  However, when you add money into a game, you have to leave that mind-set behind.  I can't imagine going all-in on the first hand when my money's up for grabs.  Of course, that happened 2 weeks-in-a-row just a few months ago.  One week, I got a full house and a friend of mine got a smaller full house and I knocked him out ON THE FIRST HAND.  We both thought we had the best hand, but I was lucky.  THE VERY NEXT WEEK, I had an Ace high flush and got beat by a full house.  I was all-in ON THE FIRST HAND!  What goes around comes around I guess.

So, I've learned to play steady and in control.  Minimize stupid moves.  Recognize when I'm probably beat.  Understand my opponents.  Make smart plays.  I'm usually good for 1 or 2 really dumb moves each Friday night, but an overall steady approach is paying off big for me. 

Five Fridays ago, I left my house and my poker box had just $30 left in it (I took $45 with me).  I knew that if I didn't break my 6-week losing streak, I would only have enough money for one more poker night before having to hit the ATM again.  I hadn't been back to the ATM since December (I withdrew $20).  After that, I went on a hellacious winning streak. 

That streak went cold for 6 weeks though and I was on the verge of busting.  So, now back to 5 weeks ago.  In the last 5 weeks, I have gotten 1st or 2nd place 12 out of 15 games.  The cold streak has been over and I'm on fire.  My secret in all of this is steady, controlled poker.  I fold a lot, never go down with sunken chips, and wait for my spots.  Result:  My $30 money box now has $400 in it.

I play with some really good and interesting men.  When I win, it's not just from showing up and taking down pots.  These guys have been playing for 10+ years in most cases.  One of them is 85 years old.  He's been playing for over 50 years.  The man is good.  Another guy (also named Chris) is the model I use for how to play poker.  He's the smartest poker player I know.  He keeps me and everyone else on their toes.  There's a funny story to each of the other guys at that table, but they all play poker well.  Winning against them requires a steady, controlled approach to the game.  Then, add about 20% luck.

Poker Lesson #1:  Slow and Controlled
Poker Lesson #2:  Never Go Down with Sunken Chips

10 Worst Texas Holdem Starting Hands - Don't Play Them!

Like I've said, I've only been playing for a little over 2 years consistently.  In that time, I've stupidly played many of the hands that I'm about to tell you not to play.  It's funny looking back on it because the other experienced players I played with must have been over-come with anxious anticipation to play against me and take my money.  Now - I know exactly how they felt.  Here's the Top 10 List of Starting Hands that you should avoid (note that all of these hand combinations are off-suit meaning they are of 2 different suits).

1.  2-7 - This is the WORST starting hand in poker.  (I actually got this 6 times last Friday night, but still managed to win the game.)  Don't play stupid is the lesson here.

2.  2-8 - Not a whole lot better obviously.

3.  3-8 & 3-7 - They both basically are equally terrible.

4.  2-6 - You could MAYBE make a straight with these, but the odds aren't great and it would be easy for someone else to make a bigger straight.  Fold.

5.  2-9, 3-9, 4-9 - The 9 is a better-than-average card, but the kicker sucks.  Fold it.

6.  2-10 - Poker Legend Doyle Brunson won a couple of WSOP's with this, but you're not a legend.  Fold it.

7.  5-9 - I was just telling a friend, "I sometimes still almost get sucked into playing hands with catchy names like Dolly Parton".  You know. . . 9 to 5.  Don't do that.  It's just silly.  Fold.

8.  4-7, 4-8, 5-8, 3-6 - All of the high cards are low and all of the kickers are worthless.  All you can do with these hands is lose unless you want to depend solely on luck.  If that's the case, I play every Friday night and you're invited.

9.  K,Q,J + 2,3,4 - So many people get drawn in by the face card, but then someone else has the same one you have or bigger, along with a real kicker.  Then, you donate.  Instead, why don't you fold?

10. A + Any Low Card - "But I had an Ace. . ."  And - you lost.  Don't play stupid.  An Ace high with a low card can get beat by a pair of 2's if you don't pair your cards.  Also, someone else might be playing their Ace with a real card.  Why would you want to put yourself thru that?  Just fold.

I play on Full Tilt Poker a lot and the people on that site love their Aces, but I get all of their chips.  When you play these starting hands, the odds are heavily against you.  It's better to fold and wait patiently for a real hand.  ***The only exception to any of this is if you're in the big blind and nobody raises you out of the hand.  In that case - CHECK.  You might be able to make a ridiculous raise that nobody else calls - maybe.  Or, someone might just be holding pocket K's and you just stepped right off into it.

Game Over.

Texas Hold'em: The New 4th Sport

I watch a lot of sports on TV and I follow very closely to what's happening in the sports world.  It's nothing for me to get in 20+ hours of college and professional football (especially Notre Dame and the Dallas Cowboys) on the weekends during football season and I keep up with all 82 games of the NBA season.  I follow baseball closely too as I attend as many Rangers games as I can with my sons at the ballpark.  It's pretty clear that these are the "Big 3" sports (football, basketball, and baseball).

So, who's #4?  Hockey wants to be, but when your games are primarily televised on local networks and ESPN 2, that's a pretty clear sign that you're not getting it done.  I would say that with the very rapidly rising popularity of UFC fighting and other mixed martial arts, that there's a race for 4th place, but Poker is winning in a squeaker. 

UFC's popularity is evident in the high number of pay-per-viewers.  No longer is it grouped in with professional wrestling.  I'd like to see the top pro wrestler take on the top MMA fighter.  Now, I'd pay for that!  Even boxing can't keep up with MMA, but that's another story.

So, you have poker, and more specifically - Texas Hold'em.  You want to watch Texas Hold'em on TV?  No problem.  You have head's up poker being nationally televised on NBC.  You can turn on all-night poker every week to 2 weeks on ESPN.  FSN regularly plays the World Poker Tour (WPT) final tables and who can miss re-runs of the World Series of Poker (WSOP).  They're on all the time.  The 2010 WSOP is right around the corner too.  And finally, we have GSN - the Game Show Network, to play High Stakes Poker with all of our favorite poker pros.

As poker fans, we don't have to wait for our game to be in-season (sorry hockey).  And we don't need to pay for expensive pay per view tournaments (although if you're like me, many of you would).  Poker's in season all year long and available to everyone who has a working TV.

Football, Basketball, and Baseball:  You're on notice.  How long before we're watching a WPT final table with Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, and Gus Hansen instead of whatever you have to offer?

Poker Hand Nicknames

I've only been playing poker for a little over 2 years and it took most of that time for me to figure out what all of those poker hands were called.  As I've learned these, it's made the game more enjoyable because I feel like I can speak the language like the rest of my friends who play.  These lists are everything that I've learned and remembered so far. 

Starting Hands / Hole Cards

AA - Pocket Rockets / Bullets
KK - Cowboys
QQ - Ladies
JJ - Hooks
AK - Big Slick
AQ - Little Slick
AJ - Ajax (2 black cards are called blackjack)
KJ - Kojak
JA - Jack Ass
K9 - Canine
J5 - Motown / Jackson Five
10-2 - Doyle Brunson
9-8 - Oldsmobile
9-5 - Dolly Parton
8-8 - Snowmen
7-7 - Walking Sticks
6-6 - Route 66
6-9 - The Dirty
5-5 - Speed Limit
5-7 - Heinz
4-4 - Colt 44
4-9 - 49ers
2-2 - Ducks
2-3 - Jordan
9-9 - Gretzky
3-3 - Treys

And here are yet some others. . .

A K Q J 10 - Broadway
A 2 3 4 5 - The Wheel
K K K - 3 Wise Men
4 of a Kind - Quads
3 of a Kind - Trips or a Set
Full House - Boat

And finally. . .

"The Nuts" - This is an unbeatable hand.

If you "Flopped the Nuts", you made an unbeatable hand with your 2 hole cards plus the 1st 3 cards on "the flop".

Which reminds me - The "Flop" is the 1st 3 cards the dealer turns over.  The "Turn" is the 4th card and the "River" is the 5th and final card.