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.
Showing posts with label Poker Hands. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poker Hands. Show all posts
Saturday, November 13, 2010
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.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Lessons From Poker Boredom
I played 2 no-money full tilt poker tournaments in the last 2 days. I got 6th place out of 90 players last night and 11th tonight. 11th sucks, but the 6th was OK. In both of these tournaments, I was completely bored and uninterested. I have no idea how I made it to the final table last night and I don't know why I lasted to #11 tonight. If someone would have just played their B game early on, I probably would been gone.
I play these free tournaments during the week just so I can get some practice and see a bunch of poker hands. In doing this, I've made 18 final tables in the last 6 or so months. I know, I know - there's no money at stake in these games. I understand the implications of playing for cash. I do that weekly too. These are just for practice.
Anyways, in the last 2 nights, I played bored and uninterested for an average finish of 8.5 out of 90 (basically the top 10%). Reading players in these free, on-line poker tournaments is pretty interesting. If you're paying just a little attention, you can figure a lot out about your opponents. Chasers are the easiest to find. 2 clubs on the board, turn card is a heart - shut down. Top pair, huge bet. Check the flop, check the turn, hit your card on the river - bet. Hit your flush on the flop (while holding 9-3 of hearts) and then check to the river. Really man? Listen, I'm not one of those jerks that's going to talk trash to you for playing your game. Believe me, plenty of others will though. You just won't be too hard to beat. That's all.
The psychology of poker is my favorite part of the game and online poker can be great for picking up a players betting habits. Play several hundred or several thousand hands just to pick up on these habits and then use that understanding when you're playing in your home game. How about that - poker boredom can be educational too.
I play these free tournaments during the week just so I can get some practice and see a bunch of poker hands. In doing this, I've made 18 final tables in the last 6 or so months. I know, I know - there's no money at stake in these games. I understand the implications of playing for cash. I do that weekly too. These are just for practice.
Anyways, in the last 2 nights, I played bored and uninterested for an average finish of 8.5 out of 90 (basically the top 10%). Reading players in these free, on-line poker tournaments is pretty interesting. If you're paying just a little attention, you can figure a lot out about your opponents. Chasers are the easiest to find. 2 clubs on the board, turn card is a heart - shut down. Top pair, huge bet. Check the flop, check the turn, hit your card on the river - bet. Hit your flush on the flop (while holding 9-3 of hearts) and then check to the river. Really man? Listen, I'm not one of those jerks that's going to talk trash to you for playing your game. Believe me, plenty of others will though. You just won't be too hard to beat. That's all.
The psychology of poker is my favorite part of the game and online poker can be great for picking up a players betting habits. Play several hundred or several thousand hands just to pick up on these habits and then use that understanding when you're playing in your home game. How about that - poker boredom can be educational too.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Texas Holdem: How to Beat a Losing Streak
A couple of months ago, I ended a 6-week losing streak in Friday Night Poker that I was more than happy to see go. Prior to that streak starting, I had built some positive momentum of winning quite a bit more than I was losing. Chronic winning and chronic losing create very different psychological game play. It is my opinion that winning streaks are built by, quite literally, a winning attitude. Conversely, losing streaks are worsened and continued by a losing attitude. Until you realize you're playing with a losing attitude, you're going to just keep losing.
What is a losing attitude in poker?
1. You're easily frustrated.
2. You get upset, or even angry, more often than usual when other players suck out on the river.
3. You've lost your momentum and you no longer play hands like you were when you were winning.
4. You don't play the people as much as you play your cards, and you mis-play those.
5. You are irritated when you folded your hand (smartly) and realize that your hand would have won.
6. Your betting doesn't make any sense.
7. You literally think about all of the losing you've been doing more than you focus on winning this hand and this game.
8. All the talk at the table has you distracted and frustrated.
What is a winning attitude in poker?
1. You play relaxed and in control.
2. You play patiently, allowing yourself to fold smartly without looking back in regret.
3. You don't get angry when players suck out on the river because you are already aware of player tendencies at the table and you adjust your game accordingly.
4. You play the people at least as much as you play your cards, watching for trends, habits, and tells.
5. Because you understand how your opponents are playing, your betting makes perfect sense. You know for example that some people just won't be raised out of their card chase, so you don't make any critical errors.
6. You certainly don't think about losing, maybe not even winning because you are only thinking about this hand, building momentum, and not allowing your opponents to gain momentum.
7. You are not distracted by anything that is going on at the table. It's almost as if you have blocked that nonsense out and you're in a zone.
8. You never believe your out of it as long as you have a chip in front of you.
I love poker so much because of the psychology-factor. Sometimes it doesn't even matter which 2 cards you hold in your hand. When you've got it, you can win very often regardless of the strength of your hand. When you've lost it however, you MUST have a good hand to have a prayer for success. So, in my opinion, if you want long-term success in really anything, including poker, you need to think like a dominant champion. Believe you will win. Do everything just like you do when you're winning.
What is a losing attitude in poker?
1. You're easily frustrated.
2. You get upset, or even angry, more often than usual when other players suck out on the river.
3. You've lost your momentum and you no longer play hands like you were when you were winning.
4. You don't play the people as much as you play your cards, and you mis-play those.
5. You are irritated when you folded your hand (smartly) and realize that your hand would have won.
6. Your betting doesn't make any sense.
7. You literally think about all of the losing you've been doing more than you focus on winning this hand and this game.
8. All the talk at the table has you distracted and frustrated.
What is a winning attitude in poker?
1. You play relaxed and in control.
2. You play patiently, allowing yourself to fold smartly without looking back in regret.
3. You don't get angry when players suck out on the river because you are already aware of player tendencies at the table and you adjust your game accordingly.
4. You play the people at least as much as you play your cards, watching for trends, habits, and tells.
5. Because you understand how your opponents are playing, your betting makes perfect sense. You know for example that some people just won't be raised out of their card chase, so you don't make any critical errors.
6. You certainly don't think about losing, maybe not even winning because you are only thinking about this hand, building momentum, and not allowing your opponents to gain momentum.
7. You are not distracted by anything that is going on at the table. It's almost as if you have blocked that nonsense out and you're in a zone.
8. You never believe your out of it as long as you have a chip in front of you.
I love poker so much because of the psychology-factor. Sometimes it doesn't even matter which 2 cards you hold in your hand. When you've got it, you can win very often regardless of the strength of your hand. When you've lost it however, you MUST have a good hand to have a prayer for success. So, in my opinion, if you want long-term success in really anything, including poker, you need to think like a dominant champion. Believe you will win. Do everything just like you do when you're winning.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Lesson From Friday Night Poker: Play With Patience
Last night, I was reminded of an important lesson in Texas Hold'em, and that is to play with patience. I took last week off and upon returning last night, I lost the 1st 2 games badly. I was getting really bad cards, but that happens. The problem was that I kept playing them. Face it: folding is not fun. After folding a few hands in a row, I start thinking about how late into the game, I'm going to have a serious chip deficit if I don't win some hands. What an idiot! Instead of folding, I played bad hands and lost even more chips. So, the 1st game was a total disaster.
The 2nd game was worse. I went out in less than 5 hands and I didn't exactly lose to the best player at the table. Through those 1st 2 games, I tried bluffing. That didn't work. I chased river cards. That almost never works. I did everything but play smart. I was second-guessing myself, feeling irritated with my game, doing negative self-talk. Shoot! I was in my own head.
So, of course that bled over into the 3rd game, but by that point I was mentally beaten. The way my head was, I probably shouldn't even have played the game. As the game started, the bad play continued. I just kept donating my chips until we were down the the final 4 and I was unbelievably still in the game. I had the lowest chip stack of the remaining 4 and in fact, it was the lowest chip stack I had ever had before losing everything.
Then something clicked. I had been in that position before. I've won lots of times after having a depleted chip stack. I started talking to myself. Don't play stupid. Be patient. Fold for God's sake! I waited for my spots, picked up some decent cards and things started turning around. I made it to the final 3 and still had the lowest chip stack. The other 2 guys were really playing for 1st and 2nd. Then, each of them started chipping away at each other, and I took turns taking down pots from each of them little by little. A strategically placed all-in here and a big raise there and 3 sets of pocket 9's inside of a 10-hand stretch didn't hurt either. I completely turned it around to where I finally made a bet large enough to call BOTH of them all-in. One guy called and the other folded so he could guarantee himself 2nd place. I won, taking me from worst to first in what was turning out to be my worst night of poker in 2 months.
At the point, in game 3, when I had a sick little stack of chips, I could have just thrown in the towel and made one last stupid bet to put myself out of my misery, but instead I got out of my own head and started playing with patience. It isn't over until all of your chips are gone. When you're down, even almost out - you're still not out yet. Play your game. Play with patience. Don't beat yourself. Give yourself a chance to come back and win it all.
The 2nd game was worse. I went out in less than 5 hands and I didn't exactly lose to the best player at the table. Through those 1st 2 games, I tried bluffing. That didn't work. I chased river cards. That almost never works. I did everything but play smart. I was second-guessing myself, feeling irritated with my game, doing negative self-talk. Shoot! I was in my own head.
So, of course that bled over into the 3rd game, but by that point I was mentally beaten. The way my head was, I probably shouldn't even have played the game. As the game started, the bad play continued. I just kept donating my chips until we were down the the final 4 and I was unbelievably still in the game. I had the lowest chip stack of the remaining 4 and in fact, it was the lowest chip stack I had ever had before losing everything.
Then something clicked. I had been in that position before. I've won lots of times after having a depleted chip stack. I started talking to myself. Don't play stupid. Be patient. Fold for God's sake! I waited for my spots, picked up some decent cards and things started turning around. I made it to the final 3 and still had the lowest chip stack. The other 2 guys were really playing for 1st and 2nd. Then, each of them started chipping away at each other, and I took turns taking down pots from each of them little by little. A strategically placed all-in here and a big raise there and 3 sets of pocket 9's inside of a 10-hand stretch didn't hurt either. I completely turned it around to where I finally made a bet large enough to call BOTH of them all-in. One guy called and the other folded so he could guarantee himself 2nd place. I won, taking me from worst to first in what was turning out to be my worst night of poker in 2 months.
At the point, in game 3, when I had a sick little stack of chips, I could have just thrown in the towel and made one last stupid bet to put myself out of my misery, but instead I got out of my own head and started playing with patience. It isn't over until all of your chips are gone. When you're down, even almost out - you're still not out yet. Play your game. Play with patience. Don't beat yourself. Give yourself a chance to come back and win it all.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Bad Hand? Get Over It!
In a typical poker tournament, players will see hundreds of hands (or thousands if they make it deep into the tournament). In your home game, you can easily see hundreds of hands. In my weekly Friday Night Poker games, we always see the turn and river cards, even if everyone folds after the flop. If you've already folded, but others are still in the hand, you're always going to see the next cards. Very often, you made a smart fold and then cards that would have improved your hand will come on the turn or the river. Does that make you mad? Get over it. What about when you think you should have won a hand, but then someone chased the river card and sucked out a win? Does that make you mad? Get over it.
When stuff like this happens, you really do just have to get over it. You need a terrible memory. Forget the last hand. That hand is over. The next hand is coming. If you're still angry over the previous hand, how do you think you're going to feel after this hand? You're going to make "pissed off" bets. You'll go down with "sunken chips". You'll make a stupid bet or a bad raise and you'll get called. Then, you're sitting around waiting for the next game to start.
If you feel yourself getting upset over hands, stand up and walk away from the table. Lose your blinds, but don't lose your mind. Just get over it.
When stuff like this happens, you really do just have to get over it. You need a terrible memory. Forget the last hand. That hand is over. The next hand is coming. If you're still angry over the previous hand, how do you think you're going to feel after this hand? You're going to make "pissed off" bets. You'll go down with "sunken chips". You'll make a stupid bet or a bad raise and you'll get called. Then, you're sitting around waiting for the next game to start.
If you feel yourself getting upset over hands, stand up and walk away from the table. Lose your blinds, but don't lose your mind. Just get over it.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Friday Night Poker - Quads, Quads, Quads
I play poker with 8 to 12 other guys every Friday night. We play tournament style poker with low stakes of $10 per game, plus a $5 knockout. I've never heard of a game that has gotten as many 4-of-a-kinds as ours has. It seems to happen a couple of times each Friday. This past Friday, Prescott got quad 3's and I got quad A's. In fact, I've actually gotten quads lots of times. I've had:
Quad A's 2 times
Quad J's once
Quad 8's (on the flop!)
Quad 2's once
And, that's all that I can remember, but at our table, there have probably been others. As I mentioned in a previous post, I also got a Royal Flush (of clubs) twice in a single month. Has that ever happened before to anyone else? But, that's a little off-point.
On Friday, I had trip 6's and I knew I was up against a probable Ace high flush. In a moment that I like to call "my stupid move of the night", I went all-in and got called by 2 players. Honestly, I was blinded by the possibility of getting quads again (I said it was a stupid move). On the outside, I knew I still had a chance at pairing another card on the board to get the "boat". And you know what? It happened. I ended up with 6's and K's - a full house. It was so freakin' lucky that I was actually embarrassed to have won the pot. I knocked 2 guys out (including the Ace high flush - what a bad beat for him!) and won 2 $5 knockouts on my way to a decided game 2 victory. My chip stack was so high that I was ashamed to keep winning. . . .
But at that point, it would have been an embarrassment to lose, so I won anyways.
Quad A's 2 times
Quad J's once
Quad 8's (on the flop!)
Quad 2's once
And, that's all that I can remember, but at our table, there have probably been others. As I mentioned in a previous post, I also got a Royal Flush (of clubs) twice in a single month. Has that ever happened before to anyone else? But, that's a little off-point.
On Friday, I had trip 6's and I knew I was up against a probable Ace high flush. In a moment that I like to call "my stupid move of the night", I went all-in and got called by 2 players. Honestly, I was blinded by the possibility of getting quads again (I said it was a stupid move). On the outside, I knew I still had a chance at pairing another card on the board to get the "boat". And you know what? It happened. I ended up with 6's and K's - a full house. It was so freakin' lucky that I was actually embarrassed to have won the pot. I knocked 2 guys out (including the Ace high flush - what a bad beat for him!) and won 2 $5 knockouts on my way to a decided game 2 victory. My chip stack was so high that I was ashamed to keep winning. . . .
But at that point, it would have been an embarrassment to lose, so I won anyways.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
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).
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).
Saturday, July 24, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, July 19, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
WPT Hole Card Outcomes
I watched the final table of a recently televised World Poker Tour tournament that consisted of 6 final players. I wanted to see how often the best starting hand won the pot. The result was some fairly interesting outcomes.
I watched 38 hands in just under 2 hours.
There were 17 All-Ins in 38 hands. That's 45%, showing a very aggressive final table.
Out of 17 All-Ins, the player going all-in won 11 times (65% success rate).
8 of the all-ins (72%) were by the same player who incidentally made it to the final-2 and lost on his final all-in bet.
At least 2 players saw the flop 79% of the time. 21% of the time the winner was decided before the flop. In other words the hand was decided pre-flop 1 out of every 5 hands.
Out of the 30 hands that saw the flop, the players remaining (who hadn't folded yet) with the best starting hole cards won the pot 17 times (57% of the time).
And finally. . . .
Most interesting to me - I ranked all of the winning hole cards to find out the average winning hole cards. To do this, I ranked the cards from 1 to 13 (2=1, A=13). The average winning hole cards were. . . . .
J 8
How many times would a J 8 hold up in your home game?
I watched 38 hands in just under 2 hours.
There were 17 All-Ins in 38 hands. That's 45%, showing a very aggressive final table.
Out of 17 All-Ins, the player going all-in won 11 times (65% success rate).
8 of the all-ins (72%) were by the same player who incidentally made it to the final-2 and lost on his final all-in bet.
At least 2 players saw the flop 79% of the time. 21% of the time the winner was decided before the flop. In other words the hand was decided pre-flop 1 out of every 5 hands.
Out of the 30 hands that saw the flop, the players remaining (who hadn't folded yet) with the best starting hole cards won the pot 17 times (57% of the time).
And finally. . . .
Most interesting to me - I ranked all of the winning hole cards to find out the average winning hole cards. To do this, I ranked the cards from 1 to 13 (2=1, A=13). The average winning hole cards were. . . . .
J 8
How many times would a J 8 hold up in your home game?
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
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.
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.
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