Paying for Spring Break with poker

My friends have decided they want to go to Panama City, FL for Spring Break. That sounds cool, but being a poor college student, paying for it is going to be a bitch. I decided tonight that I'm going to try to make money between now and then, and instead of building up my BR, withdrawing earnings and putting it towards the trip. We're getting a good deal, $240 for 5 nights in a hotel, but that's still a significant sum.
So I go over to Royal Vegas. They let you withdraw as little as you want, and the site is really fishy. I jump into a .25/.50 NL HE game and realize immediatley that there is money to be made (or lost) here. There are 4 big-stack WADBs raising 8xBB and betting 5xpot with second pair.
I stay even the whole time by winning two small hands and not getting involved much. Finally, after what seems like forever, I get AKs in MP. Two EPs limp and one guy raises to $2. I call here, which may or may not be the best play.
My thinking was that I don't want the pot to get out of control. If I raise we could see some crazy stuff as people fight for the BB. I just call wanting to keep the pot small until I make something. Aim small, miss small, right?
One of the blinds and one of the limpers calls. So the pot is at a bit over $8.
The flop is a dream. 3AA rainbow. BB bets $2 and it folds to me. The board looks safe, so I call. Turn is a rag, and he bets $4. Now I'm thinking he has a sucker A, and that it's safe to raise. I go ahead and raise here, because I want to get his whole stack by the time the hand is over. A flat call won't facilitate that.
I raise to $12 and he calls. This leaves him with $18.36 The river is a J, and he bets $18. I go all-in. No reason to leave him with a BB, right? He calls.
Apparently he thought I was bluffing. His cards are revealed. Kh2h... Damn, no pair, never a draw.
I'd like to say that my awesome play got him to pump close to $40 into a pot with K hi, but he was just an idiot. That hand put me at $80, and I left. I have schoolwork to do.

Laying down the nuts

So my friend is playing in a friendly $20 buy-in home game. Two guys are in the game, DJ and D.K. I've played with them before and they are horrible.

DB lines of there's include:
"A pair and an ace kicker? You can't fold that."
and,
"I had a pocket pair. No way I was folding"
So my friend, who can play well when he wants to has decided to let these guys run over each other. After blinding down a while he picks up JJ in the SB.
There's a raise to $5 and an illegal, but uncontested re-raise to make it $8. DJ and D.K are at it again.
My friend calls the $8 as did the resident-dyke. So when the flop comes down QKT the pot is already at $32.
D.K. has KK and he bets around $4. DJ calls with AA as does my friend. The dyke also calls. The turn is an 8. And they check around. The river is a J and my friend knows he's in trouble.He bets $3 into a $48 pot and starts telling them about how he's got the nuts. He taunts them and tell them to fold. First KK folds. And then DJ holding the nuts with AA folds. (Both were drunk). The Dyke did call though, with 85o.

How often do you fold the nuts when the pot is laying you better than 16:1?
An unconventional play, but I suppose it could pay off in the long run.

Luck Trumps Skill

I got home tonight and decided I'd play a $20 SnG before calling it a night. At fist that was looking like a bad idea. But things turned around. A lot of hand histories here, but they are dandies. Give 'em a look.It all started with some honest good fortune.

feral1: posts small blind 15eminem823333: posts big blind 30
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to BurntOrnge [Td Tc]
Hustlr: foldsmolsonsue: folds
BurntOrnge: raises 60 to 90
#1ALCHEMIST: foldspyramidica: folds
feral1: calls 75
eminem823333: folds
*** FLOP *** [Jh Th 7c]
feral1: bets 60
BurntOrnge: raises 210 to 270
feral1: calls 210
*** TURN *** [Jh Th 7c] [9s]
feral1: checksBurntOrnge: bets 730 and is all-in
feral1: calls 730
*** RIVER *** [Jh Th 7c 9s] [Ts]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
feral1: shows [Jc Ad] (two pair, Jacks and Tens)
BurntOrnge: shows [Td Tc] (four of a kind, Tens)
BurntOrnge collected 2210 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2210 Rake 0Board [Jh Th 7c 9s Ts]
Seat 2: eminem823333 (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 4: Hustlr folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: molsonsue folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: BurntOrnge showed [Td Tc] and won (2210) with four of a kind, Tens
Seat 7: #1ALCHEMIST folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: pyramidica (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: feral1 (small blind) showed [Jc Ad] and lost with two pair, Jacks and Tens

Then the cards got cold and I was surviving. There was a lot of aggression, especially from eminem (who I would run into later). I wasn't getting cards to fight back with. But the cards were just in the back room getting pumped up.We've been on the bubble awhile when this hand came up. As much as didn't want to fall short of an ITM finish I was determined to take a stand here.

*********** # 76 **************
Seat 2: eminem823333 (5910 in chips)
Seat 4: Hustlr (2230 in chips)
Seat 6: BurntOrnge (2105 in chips)
Seat 7: #1ALCHEMIST (3255 in chips)
Hustlr: posts small blind 75
BurntOrnge: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to BurntOrnge [7h 7d]
#1ALCHEMIST: folds
eminem823333: raises 300 to 450
Hustlr: foldsBurntOrnge: calls 300
*** FLOP *** [8h 4c 5h]
BurntOrnge: bets 1655 and is all-in
eminem823333: calls 1655
*** TURN *** [8h 4c 5h] [8c]
*** RIVER *** [8h 4c 5h 8c] [6c]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
BurntOrnge: shows [7h 7d] (a straight, Four to Eight)
eminem823333: shows [Kc Kd] (two pair, Kings and Eights)
BurntOrnge collected 4285 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***Total pot 4285 Rake 0Board [8h 4c 5h 8c 6c]
Seat 2: eminem823333 (button) showed [Kc Kd] and lost with two pair, Kings and Eights
Seat 4: Hustlr (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 6: BurntOrnge (big blind) showed [7h 7d] and won (4285) with a straight, Four to Eight
Seat 7: #1ALCHEMIST folded before Flop (didn't bet)

If Kings couldn't stand up to my 7s, why should I be afraid to take them on with Ts. Especialy when my Ts come in fours.

*********** # 84 **************
Seat 2: eminem823333 (4067 in chips)
Seat 4: Hustlr (1530 in chips)
Seat 6: BurntOrnge (5035 in chips)
Seat 7: #1ALCHEMIST (2868 in chips)
Hustlr: posts small blind 100
BurntOrnge: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to BurntOrnge [Tc Ts]
#1ALCHEMIST: foldseminem823333: folds
Hustlr: raises 400 to 600BurntOrnge: calls 400
*** FLOP ***
[Jh 6s 6d]Hustlr: bets 930 and is all-inBurntOrnge: calls 930
*** TURN *** [Jh 6s 6d] [Th]
*** RIVER *** [Jh 6s 6d Th] [Td]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Hustlr: shows [Ks Kd] (two pair, Kings and Tens)
BurntOrnge: shows [Tc Ts] (four of a kind, Tens)
BurntOrnge collected 3060 from pot
eminem823333 said, "those kings"
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 3060 Rake 0Board [Jh 6s 6d Th Td]
Seat 2: eminem823333 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: Hustlr (small blind) showed [Ks Kd] and lost with two pair, Kings and Tens
Seat 6: BurntOrnge (big blind) showed [Tc Ts] and won (3060) with four of a kind, Tens
Seat 7: #1ALCHEMIST folded before Flop (didn't bet)

And the big one. Honestly, I don't think I misplayed the first two This one I suppose I did, but I was playing it like this because this guy liked to call bets and give away chips. I didn't realize he had a monster.
*********** # 95 **************
PokerStars Game #1118952204: Tournament #4826904, Hold'em No Limit - Level VI (100/200) - 2005/01/23 - 23:06:08 (ET)Table '4826904 1'
Seat #7 is the button
Seat 2: eminem823333 (4567 in chips)
Seat 6: BurntOrnge (6965 in chips)
Seat 7: #1ALCHEMIST (1968 in chips)
eminem823333: posts small blind 100
BurntOrnge: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to BurntOrnge [7c Qc]
#1ALCHEMIST: calls 200
eminem823333: folds
BurntOrnge: checks
*** FLOP *** [2d 7d 9d]
BurntOrnge: checks
#1ALCHEMIST: checks
*** TURN *** [2d 7d 9d] [2c]BurntOrnge: bets 200
#1ALCHEMIST: calls 200
*** RIVER *** [2d 7d 9d 2c] [7h]
BurntOrnge: checks
#1ALCHEMIST: bets 600
BurntOrnge: raises 2400 to 3000
#1ALCHEMIST: calls 968 and is all-in
*** SHOW DOWN ***BurntOrnge: shows [7c Qc] (a full house, Sevens full of Deuces)#1ALCHEMIST: shows [Td Jd] (a flush, Jack high)
BurntOrnge said, "nh"
BurntOrnge collected 4036 from pot
BurntOrnge said, "oh"
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 4036 Rake 0Board [2d 7d 9d 2c 7h]
Seat 2: eminem823333 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 6: BurntOrnge (big blind) showed [7c Qc] and won (4036) with a full house, Sevens full of Deuces
Seat 7: #1ALCHEMIST (button) showed [Td Jd] and lost with a flush, Jack high

Like how I said "NH"? I was in La La Land and din't realize I had a boat? So why did I raise that river?
Either A. I'm an idiot,
Or B. I knew in my subconscious what I had

Don't get me wrong. I know a boat when I see one. I just didn't see that one.

So to recap: I had quad 10s twice. I busted Ks with an underpair twice, and I sucked out a 97% favorite.

Moving on up?

On-line poker players often make the mistake of tying to move up in limits too quickly. I protect my BR like a mother bear her cubs, because once it's blown I'm done for awhile. The plan is to never blow it, but I'm not scared about moving up when the time is right.

Yesterday, I got to talking with a fellow DBPoker.com member, Maego, and we played a $5+.50 NL HE SnG. The deck hit me in the face the whole game and I won it pretty easily. So he asked me if I wanted to play in a $20+2. I told him that my BR wasn't strong enough for such things, and he offered to buy. Twice. Of course I failed to make the money in either of them, and I was feeling like a db, he ITM'd in both (one first was second) so he was making money.

We played a third, and this time I bought myself in. I had my ass handed to me, and quickly bluffed away half my stack. Down to 8XBB I pushed from EP with 88. It folded around. Next hand I was dealt JJ and I pushed again. This time I was called by KJ in LP. I unnecessarily, caught the case J on the river and was back in the game. Maego busted shortly afterward and went to bed as it was around 6 a.m. I ended up winning the SnG and went back to look at my BR so I could keep my records.

$454. That meant I'd made close to $100 that night by playing SnGs. Might be time to rethink my whole strategy. Maego suggest I stay a the $20 level and I do believe I will.

So most poker bloggers keep people up to date on thei bank roll. With a title and a stated mission like mine, it's odd that I haven't been. Write that off to forgetfulness. Here it is.

Royal Vegas: $268.60
Poker Stars $522.53 (just took down another $20 +2)

Live Games are Rigged

You've all heard the accustations. Suck outs only happen on-line. Big pair over big pair only happens online etc. Tonight I went over to a guy's apartment, $10 buy-in ring game.

Things started well, and I chipped up quickly. Busted a guy who was bluffing with an inside straight draw after my AK had flopped two pair. I was doing great. Then things started to change. First one of my friends bluffed all-in into a big pot with A-hi. He got called by two straights and has exactly one out. He hits the one-outer and triples up. It proved to be an omen.

Things went downhill there. I get QQ and re-raise my firend Matt, a very solid player. The WADB in MP calls and Matt pushes I fold, quickly. TMP calls with 9To; Matt has AA. The WADB rivers trip Ts and remarks on what a good play it was. Whatever dude. A few hands later, I have to fold a set of 9s on the river to an obvious straight. The WADB calls Mr. Straight (who called a pot sized bet with the draw) with a mighty pair of Ks.

So in a very short time I've folded a set and QQ pre-flop. No fun.

Next big hand, I'm shorter and I call a raise with A9o we're short handed and I think I can out play this guy. The flop comes AK8 rainbow and he bets $1 quickly. I think I know what he has... The turn is a blank and he bets another $1 quickly. Bingo. I have him. I push in and he calls with KJ. I'd been watching and this is the exact hand I had him figured for. Jack on the river and I'm down further.

But I get to lose to a two-outer before it's time to call it a night. Maybe I played this hand to passive. I don't know. I called a min. re-raise from a DB with KJ. At this point we are short-handed. I flop a K and bet $1. He calls. The turn is a blank and I bet $2. He calls. The river is a 4 and I bet 2. He raises to $6. WTF? I call, and he shows 44 for the rivered set.

So I end up leaving a very soft game down $2 after making some very nice plays.

Another funny thing. In this game I could spot the Ac facedown from a mile away. The corner was a bit creased, so I did my best to keep track of it. When I called that raise with A9 I could even tell it was the second card in the deck and would be the first to flop. So funny.

Another nice call.

Winning this hand took a combination of figuring ‘pot odds’ and paying attention to the story of the bets.
Playing .10/.20 NL HE on Royal Vegas the player on my left, the BB pushed in for $4.58 after it had gotten to him. I knew I was calling the second he pushed, because I thought he had an underpair to my TT and was desperate. One MP player called, and I called. As luck would have it an A hit the flop. I was the hand was over for me, but he checked the flop. A rag hit on the turn and he bet $7.20. Ok, rewind. He checked the flop so the A didn’t figure to hit him. Pre-flop he had limped so I can discount JJ and up. That leaves him with a pair, or face cards. I think that this looks like a pretty typical bluff, and I’m getting 3:1 on the call. So I call. The river is another blank and we both check. I take down the$15.60 side pot, and still make money after the BBs JJ take the main pot.

Additionally, I had been catching good hards and horrible luck in this game. earlier my QQ had gone down to the BBs JJ when he rivered a J after I got him all in pre-flop. I had lost another big hand with QQ, so I wasn't feeling 100%. This made making this call hard, not because I didn't think I had a good read and nice odds, but because I was afraid I could be tilting and unwilling to believe I'd been beat. But I stuck with the read, said tilt be damned and called.

Royal Vegas Poker

This place has been beating me up lately. During the current session I've had QQ go down to JJ with all the betting done pre-flop. QQ went down to 9To. I misplayed it pre-flop but after the flop I bet it right and he still drew out. Next hand I got JJ and ended up HU after the flop. I played it as if I was tilting. Maybe I was, but with a 9-hi flop against the same opponent, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

So now I'm sitting with $38 at the $20 max .10/.20 table, but that just means I'm down $2 still.

Heads UP

I spend a lot of my time at the table in Heads Up matches. I don't like the risk/reward found in single matches where you can win half of them and still lose money due to the Poker room's take. So I play in 4-man shootouts. If you win just over one in four you'll make money, and I fell I should be able to win about half of the $5+.25 games I play. Maybe I'm overestimating myself. Regardless, for me, this is a sure money-maker in the long run.

There are a few things I like about playing HU. I like playing flops. When the blinds are low I'll complete the SB with any two cards and call min raises with any two cards. I hate min raises. My thinking is that I can outplay you on the flop. Usually, as the game proceeds, this feeling grows. That is the other thing I like about HU.

The psychological battle going on is fascinating, and it's usually easy to get a read HU. If I find out I'm up against a guy who's betting on almost every flop, I'll let him do it when I miss. He bets I fold. This goes on, and I lose a blind each time, but I'm learning. I save my bluffs for the bigger pots. Watch, learn, then pop them with a raise, or better yet, call the flop, let them fire again on the turn and then raise.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, I remain constantly aware of what their 'read' on me should be. My last match was beautiful. My opponent won several small pots. I won every big pot. I gave myself a passive image because he was so aggressive. Pre-flop, he would fold to almost all of my raises which was nice, because I didn't have to face his aggression in many big pots. But I did bluff at probably 3/4s of the raised pots I missed and he folded to each one. During one stretch I had raised 3 hands in a row, and he called the third when I was holding AKs. The flop had a Q and a T and he checked to me. I probably could have taken it down then, but I decided to see the next card. K on the turn. He bets, I call. Let him fire again on the river. He does and I min. raise for value. He calls and I take down a nice bet. This hand accomplished several things. It was the first showdown for a while in a raised pot and he saw that I had the goods. So, he wasn't going to get jiggy against my pre-flop raises. Plus it made me look passive with a made hand and a likely winner. Especially the small river raise. If he wanted to know how I played TPTK there it was, he thought.

I whittled him down to 15xBB when he raised the min. to 200. I was in the BB and considered re-raising but he hadn't raised much so I decided to see a flop. I call and the flop is Q-high. Perfect. I check it to him and het bets 200 into the 400 pot. Based on my read he was weak, but how was I going to get more out of this hand? I had to use the 'read' I gave him against him. I put him all-in, for around 1200. This was unlike any hand I'd played and the intent was to make him make a mistake, because he thought he knew something he didn't know. He called and showed 55, bingo. Two blanks later I take it down.

That's HU in a nutshell. Make the other player make the big mistake before you do. To do well you need to be constantly thinking. You can't play the cards half as much as you play the player. Against uber-aggressive types this is easy, but annoying. If they keep pushing from the SB and you call holding KQ when they have A2, you just made the mistake. Patience is key. In a match like this I think ytou sometimes have to bluff the bluffer when you aren't picking up hands. It's true that if you push with JTo from the blinds and he calls with QQ, you screwed up but that's better than letting yourself be whittled down. Another annoying thing about the uber-aggressives is that you can play them perfect, spring the trap perfect and they still suck out.

For example, this guy had pushed over 10 times when this occurred.

Seat 1: cardel (1550 in chips)
Seat 2: BurntOrnge (1450 in chips)
BurntOrnge: posts small blind 75
cardel: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to BurntOrnge [Ac Kc]
BurntOrnge: calls 75
cardel: checks
*** FLOP ***
[2h 2s Ad]
cardel: bets 1400 and is all-in
BurntOrnge: calls 1300 and is all-in
*** TURN *** [2h 2s Ad] [9h]
*** RIVER *** [2h 2s Ad 9h] [5s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***cardel: shows [3h 4d] (a straight, Ace to Five)
BurntOrnge: shows [Ac Kc] (two pair, Aces and Deuces)
cardel collected 2900 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2900 Rake 0Board [2h 2s Ad 9h 5s]
Seat 1: cardel (big blind) showed [3h 4d] and won (2900) with a straight, Ace to Five
Seat 2: BurntOrnge (button) (small blind) showed [Ac Kc] and lost with two pair, Aces and Deuces


Doh, nothing you can do.

Last thing about HU. Against typical, passive types, be aggressive. Raise with any two cards that appeal to you. J9s on the button? That's a raising hand. Ax in any position is a raising hand. QJo is a raising hand.
It's all about keeping the pressure on, whittling away. You build the pot with pretty cards, then outplay your opponent on the flop. Simple.
Keep your bets and raises consistent for the most part. If you change the size of your bet, have a reason and know what effect it will have on your adversary. If you flop a pair, bet. Chances are, that they didn't.
Every showdown is going to affect your opposition's perception of you and ho you play. You need to know how, and adjust. Adjust constantly. If he picks up that you're betting with all of your pairs, try check-raising or even check-calling with top pair and then throwing in a bet or raise on the turn.

HU is as simple as figuring out your opponent and catching a few cards. Sometimes it's a cake-walk and sometimes it feels close to impossible. But if you can beat it regularly, it's a great way to make money.

The Bets Tell a Story

Usually you aren't blessed enough to hold the nuts. In the uncomfortable position where several possible card combinations would beat yours, it is important to concentrate on the bets of your opponents and the stories they tell. If the story doesn't make sense, you often either have the best hand or you can bluff your opponent off his hand.

NOTE: In low stakes ring games, some players are simply not bluffable. Be careful with this.


The hand I'll use to illustrate my point came up today at a .25/.50 NL HE table at Royal Vegas.com.

Royal Vegas doen't provide hand histories, so bear with me. I limp from UTG with ATs. This table is passive enough to get away with this. One MP player limps, and the SB folds. The flop comes down QT7 rainbow. I decide to play it aggressively and I bet $1.50. MP thinks for a bit and makes it $3. The BB calls and it's $1.50 for me to call with a $9ish pot. I'm not convinced that MP has the Q and I'm going to be very wary of the BB, but since the price is nice, I call. The turn bring another Q. Here I'll be able to find out what I'm up against, I figure. The BB checks and I check. It's on the MP player, and I figure that if he just caught this third Q he'll check to induce the bluff on the river. He thinks awhile and finally bets $5 into the $10ish pot. BB folds and I keep replaying the hand in my mind. I don't think it's adding up. He only has $5 left behind him which is another reason I don't think he has it. A short player is more likely to risk giving a free card with trips, because he'd like to double up. He doesn't want to scare everyone out when his hand just improved on 4th. So I raise him all in. He thinks awhile, and I know my read was right. Eventually he calls with KJo. The river is a blank and I take down a $27 pot with second pair.

Luck + stupid opponents = money

Remember that. You find a fishy game, don't complain. Let the big hands pay you off. Sometimes they come quick and the DBs are still lining up to be whacked. This here is a 5 hand session. My must successful session on Pokerstars to dat, and it lasted 5 hands.

Don't rag on me too much I haven't been playing Stars ring games much.

First hand. I always post the BB whenever I sit, because you never know. I don't mind if it makes me look fishy.

Seat 1: liquidxnine ($7.30 in chips)
Seat 3: BurntOrnge ($25 in chips)
Seat 4: AmyMarie ($35.10 in chips)
Seat 5: anthony123 ($15.90 in chips)
Seat 6: Ifish2much ($11.55 in chips)
Seat 7: O_Rawk ($8.70 in chips)
Seat 9: Pantherfan1 ($15.05 in chips)
anthony123: posts small blind $0.10
Ifish2much: posts big blind $0.25
BurntOrnge: posts big blind $0.25
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to BurntOrnge [Ad Kd]
O_Rawk: folds
Pantherfan1: folds
liquidxnine: raises $1.75 to $2
bluffinUall joins the table at seat #2
BurntOrnge: raises $2 to $4

Agressive? Yes. If he's good, 'big pair' alarms hsould be going off. If he has a big pair and he pushes i can afford to call it. If he pushes with an under pair, or even a diminated hand I'm not in a bad spot. Plus, this should get us heads up and give me position.

AmyMarie: folds
anthony123: folds
Ifish2much: folds
liquidxnine: raises $3.30 to $7.30 and is all-in
BurntOrnge: calls $3.30

I'm getting close to 3:1 on my money pre-flop with AKs That's rarely bad.

*** FLOP *** [2s Tc 2h]
cheasle joins the table at seat #8
*** TURN *** [2s Tc 2h] [5d]
*** RIVER *** [2s Tc 2h 5d] [Ks]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
liquidxnine: shows [As Jd] (a pair of Deuces)
BurntOrnge: shows [Ad Kd] (two pair, Kings and Deuces)
BurntOrnge collected $14.25 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***Total pot $14.95 Rake $0.70Board [2s Tc 2h 5d Ks]
Seat 1: liquidxnine showed [As Jd] and lost with a pair of Deuces
Seat 3: BurntOrnge showed [Ad Kd] and won ($14.25) with two pair, Kings and Deuces

Next hand I fold pre-flop. Then I pick up TT. I like this aggressive image, and I like the idea of building a pot pre-flop at a fishy table with a nice hand.

Seat 1: liquidxnine ($14.75 in chips)
Seat 2: bluffinUall ($4.75 in chips)
Seat 3: BurntOrnge ($31.95 in chips)
Seat 4: AmyMarie ($34.85 in chips)
Seat 5: anthony123 ($15.55 in chips)
Seat 6: Ifish2much ($10.55 in chips)
Seat 7: O_Rawk ($7.95 in chips)
Seat 8: cheasle ($13.50 in chips)
Seat 9: Pantherfan1 ($14.80 in chips)
O_Rawk: posts small blind $0.10
cheasle: posts big blind $0.25
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to BurntOrnge [Th Td]
Pantherfan1: folds
liquidxnine: calls $0.25
bluffinUall: folds
BurntOrnge: raises $0.75 to $1
AmyMarie: folds
anthony123: calls $1
Ifish2much: calls $1
O_Rawk: folds
cheasle: calls $0.75
liquidxnine: calls $0.75
*** FLOP *** [8c Js 7c]
cheasle: checks
liquidxnine: checks
BurntOrnge: checks
anthony123: checks
Ifish2much: checks
*** TURN *** [8c Js 7c] [9h]

Yep, that's a straight.

cheasle: checks
liquidxnine: checks
BurntOrnge: bets $3
anthony123: calls $3
Ifish2much: foldscheasle: folds
liquidxnine: calls $3
*** RIVER *** [8c Js 7c 9h] [8d]
liquidxnine: checks
BurntOrnge: bets $5
anthony123: folds
liquidxnine: folds
BurntOrnge collected $13.45 from pot
BurntOrnge: doesn't show hand
*** SUMMARY ***Total pot $14.10 Rake $0.65Board [8c Js 7c 9h 8d]
Seat 1: liquidxnine folded on the River
Seat 2: bluffinUall folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: BurntOrnge collected ($13.45)
Seat 4: AmyMarie folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: anthony123 folded on the River
Seat 6: Ifish2much (button) folded on the Turn
Seat 7: O_Rawk (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 8: cheasle (big blind) folded on the Turn
Seat 9: Pantherfan1 folded before Flop (didn't bet)

Next hand I fold. Then I find AJ in EP. I'm not excited about that, so I limp.

Seat 1: liquidxnine ($9.75 in chips)
Seat 2: bluffinUall ($4.75 in chips)
Seat 3: BurntOrnge ($41.40 in chips)
Seat 4: AmyMarie ($34.85 in chips)
Seat 5: anthony123 ($11.55 in chips)
Seat 6: Ifish2much ($6.55 in chips)
Seat 7: O_Rawk ($7.85 in chips)
Seat 8: cheasle ($9.50 in chips)
Seat 9: Pantherfan1 ($21.35 in chips)
Pantherfan1: posts small blind $0.10
liquidxnine: posts big blind $0.25
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to BurntOrnge [Ac Jh]
bluffinUall: folds
BurntOrnge: calls $0.25
AmyMarie: folds
anthony123: folds
fish2much: calls $0.25
O_Rawk: folds
cheasle: raises $0.25 to $0.50

I'm not worried but I know I won't be over playing a pair of aces. Just not worth it in these games.

Pantherfan1: folds
liquidxnine: folds
BurntOrnge: calls $0.25
Ifish2much: calls $0.25
*** FLOP *** [Ad Js Qs]
BurntOrnge: bets $2

This flop figured to hit that raiser. I'll just hope it didn't hit him hard than it hit me.

Ifish2much: foldscheasle: calls $2

Ax, AK?

*** TURN ***
[Ad Js Qs] [8c]
BurntOrnge: bets $4
cheasle: calls $4
*** RIVER *** [Ad Js Qs 8c] [Kd]
BurntOrnge: bets $3

Yes, I bet on the river with that very scary board. AK, AQ, and any T beat me. But he only has $3 behind him. The reason I usually don't like betting the river into scary boards is because I don't want to be raised. I don't have to worry about that here.

cheasle: calls $3 and is all-in
*** SHOW DOWN ***
BurntOrnge: shows [Ac Jh] (two pair, Aces and Jacks)
cheasle: shows [8h Kc] (two pair, Kings and Eights)
BurntOrnge collected $18.90 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***Total pot $19.85 Rake $0.95Board [Ad Js Qs 8c Kd]
Seat 1: liquidxnine (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 2: bluffinUall folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: BurntOrnge showed [Ac Jh] and won ($18.90) with two pair, Aces and Jacks
Seat 4: AmyMarie folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: anthony123 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: Ifish2much folded on the Flop
Seat 7: O_Rawk folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: cheasle (button) showed [8h Kc] and lost with two pair, Kings and EightsSeat 9: Pantherfan1 (small blind) folded before Flop

So that guy turned out to be a total WADB, luckily for me. No one in their right mind would call my flop bet with thse cards. Guys like him are hilarious.

Pot Odds

The math of this game is one of my weakest areas. But I'm a work in progress. Pot odds are crucial in cash games. Adhere to them and you will make money over the long run.

The term Pot Odds is often used loosely after someone make a bad call and sucks out. It's the excuse of the WADB, the Wild-Ass Douche Bag. How they can say they had pot odd after calling a pot-sized bet with a 9-hi flush draw on the turn is beyond me. They did not have pot odds.

Another time the term is often used is when someone is wondering if they should draw to the straight or flush. If one flops a 4-flush the chance that they will make a flush is about one in three. If their opponent bets the 1/3rd of the pot, they will have pot odds to call. If their opponent bets the pot, they need a 50% chance of winning to make the call. With only a 30% chance holding the 4-flush the correct play is usually the fold. If you call, you are not getting pot odds to call. If you make a habit out of this, you will lose money in the long run. That's just math.

The term pot odds is used least often when discussing calling bets with the chance that your hand is already ahead. In my opinion, this is one of the most important applications of pot odds. If you get to the river holding second pair and a strong kicker and an opponent bets the pot, you should call if you think you have a 50% chance of winning the hand. Why? Ok, say you have $5 in the pot, and your opponent bets another $5. Now there is $10 out there that you have to risk only $5 to win. If you can win in this situation half the time, you will break even. It's simple.
So as you can see, pot odds determine when you should call with unmade hands as well as drawing hands.

All of this brings me to the following hand. I'm playing .10/.25 NL HE on Poker Stars. I have a very aggressive image, only because I've been getting some nice hands and I have had some luck from the blinds.

I’ve raised several hands recently at this point, so I know I’m going to get skeptical callers when I raise 6xBB from the SB. I raised this large because there was so many limpers and because I had done it previously.

*********** # 1 **************
PokerStars Game #1099737778:
Hold'em No Limit ($0.10/$0.25) - 2005/01/19 - 18:17:05 (ET)
BurntOrnge: posts small blind $0.10
fedex32: posts big blind $0.25
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to BurntOrnge [As Kd]
spike_lee_99: folds
SleepySnoozy: folds
swooshdog4: folds
RIDE4LIFE: calls $0.25
gvouel: calls $0.25
okcjim: calls $0.25
jonah514: calls $0.25
BurntOrnge: raises $1.25 to $1.50
fedex32: folds
RIDE4LIFE: calls $1.25
gvouel: calls $1.25
okcjim: folds
jonah514: folds
*** FLOP *** [9s 6s 2d]
BurntOrnge: checks
RIDE4LIFE: checks
gvouel: bets $0.25

Ok, here the pot is sitting at $5.75, and gvouel bets a whole quarter. Let’s see, .25 for me to call, $5.75 in the pot, of course I call.

BurntOrnge: calls $0.25
RIDE4LIFE: calls $0.25
*** TURN *** [9s 6s 2d] [9h]
BurntOrnge: checks
RIDE4LIFE: checksgvouel: bets $0.75

He gets braver but It’s still only .75 for me to call, and there is now $6.50 in the pot. Don’t have to win this very often for it to be a good call.

BurntOrnge: calls $0.75
RIDE4LIFE: folds
*** RIVER *** [9s 6s 2d 9h] [3c]
BurntOrnge is disconnected
BurntOrnge is connected
BurntOrnge: checks
gvouel: bets $1.75

There is now $8 in the pot and he bets $1.75. I’m really thinking pocket pair, and I’m thinking I should save the money and fold. But ‘pot odds’ keeps echoing in my head. Speaking in gambler’s terms, I’m getting about 5:1 on my money if I call. If I think there’s a 1/5 chance I’ll win the hand (18% percent in this case [if I did the math right] I should call. Well, I thought I had about a 1 in five chance of winning the hand. So I clicked call.

Then I did something funny that should hammer home what I’m talking about. I immediately clicked over to a different window. I did care what happened, but that wasn’t the point. I thought I had a one in five chance of winning, so I called.

BurntOrnge: calls $1.75
*** SHOW DOWN ***
gvouel: shows [Kc Qs] (a pair of Nines)
BurntOrnge: shows [As Kd] (a pair of Nines - Ace kicker)
BurntOrnge collected $10.50 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***Total pot $11 Rake $0.50Board [9s 6s 2d 9h 3c]
Seat 1: BurntOrnge (small blind) showed [As Kd] and won ($10.50) with a pair of Nines
Seat 2: fedex32 (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 3: spike_lee_99 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: SleepySnoozy folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: swooshdog4 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: RIDE4LIFE folded on the Turn
Seat 7: gvouel showed [Kc Qs] and lost with a pair of Nines
Seat 8: okcjim folded before Flop
Seat 9: jonah514 (button) folded before Flop

I’ll admit I was surprised I won the hand. But if I was 80% sure I was beat it’s still ok for me to call. The pot odds being offered are simply too good for me to fold what might be a winner.

Notes on this hand: I didn’t play it great. If I thought I was leading I should have raised somewhere and made him fold. Complicating caveat to that, I never necessarily thought I was leading, I thought I had odds to make calls. And there I lose myself…

Rule: Be careful betting the river

As best I can tell there are two basic kinds of bets on the river. Value bets, and bluffs. Chris Ferguson calls betting on the river with a weak hand the worst play in poker. The more poker I play, the more I’m inclined to agree.

This is especially true in low-limit NL games where players will check their rivered straights or flushes to you expecting you to throw out yet another bet. Know your opponent before betting with even TPTK on the river. It’ll save you money. Now, if you know their playing Ax, go ahead make more money, but if you have them on a draw or aren’t sure, check it down.

Dealt to BurntOrnge [Js Ac]
rainyjr68: folds
gvouel: folds
Quijebo: calls $0.25
jonah514: calls $0.25
rainyjr68 leaves the table
BurntOrnge: calls $0.25
fedex32: folds
SleepySnoozy: calls $0.15
bonchkid: checks
*** FLOP *** [Ad Ts 8h]
SleepySnoozy: checks
bonchkid: checks
Quijebo: checks
jonah514: checks
BurntOrnge: bets $1
SleepySnoozy: folds
bonchkid: folds
Quijebo: calls $1
jonah514: folds
*** TURN ***
[Ad Ts 8h] [3d]
Quijebo: checks
BurntOrnge: bets $2.80
Quijebo: calls $2.80
*** RIVER *** [Ad Ts 8h 3d] [9c]
Quijebo: checks
BurntOrnge: checks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Quijebo: shows [Qh Jh] (a straight, Eight to Queen)
BurntOrnge: mucks hand
Quijebo collected $8.45 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $8.85 Rake $0.40Board [Ad Ts 8h 3d 9c]
BurntOrnge mucked [Js Ac]
Quijebo [Qh Jh] won ($8.45) with a straight, Eight to Queen

Rule: Don't min raise in a low stake NL game pre-flop

The next three hands all came from the same session. I was playing well, but got unfortunate breaks a few times, so I was staying about even.

This hand is the least interesting of the three, but it teaches a simple lesson. In low stakes games a minimum pre-flop raise accomplishes nothing in a NL game.

jonah514: posts small blind $0.10BurntOrnge: posts big blind $0.25
*** HOLE CARDS ***Dealt to BurntOrnge [6d Ts]fedex32: folds
SleepySnoozy: raises $0.25 to $0.50

Well, if he gets a few callers I know I’m in.
bonchkid: folds
rainyjr68: foldsgvouel: calls $0.50
Quijebo: calls $0.50
jonah514: folds
BurntOrnge: calls $0.25
*** FLOP *** [6s Ks 4s]

I flop a pair and a ratty flush draw on a scary board. Most hands that would raise pre-flop aren’t loving this board and if they do have a big spade, I’m sure I can figure it out.
BurntOrnge: checks
SleepySnoozy: bets $0.75
gvouel: folds
Quijebo: folds
BurntOrnge: calls $0.75
*** TURN *** [6s Ks 4s] [8s]
BurntOrnge:checks
SleepySnoozy: checks
*** RIVER *** [6s Ks 4s 8s] [8d]
BurntOrnge: checks
SleepySnoozy: checks
*** SHOW DOWN ***BurntOrnge: shows [6d Ts] (a flush, King high)
SleepySnoozy: shows [Kc Ac] (two pair, Kings and Eights)
BurntOrnge collected $3.45 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***Total pot $3.60 Rake $0.15Board [6s Ks 4s 8s 8d]
Seat 1: BurntOrnge (big blind) showed [6d Ts] and won ($3.45) with a flush, King high
Seat 2: fedex32 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: SleepySnoozy showed [Kc Ac] and lost with two pair, Kings and Eights
Seat 5: bonchkid folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: rainyjr68 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: gvouel folded on the Flop
Seat 8: Quijebo (button) folded on the Flop
Seat 9: jonah514 (small blind) folded before Flop

And in case you're interested, I had about a 51% chance to win the hand after this flop.

The Giant Freeroll

I started playing poker in the Fall '04 semester after taking advantage of Royal Vegas' $10 free offer. I've run it up to just under $600 since then without using any of my own money. So my whole on-line career is a freeroll. It's nice.

The purpose of this blog is to dissect hands, and analyze the game in general. Maybe I'll learn something writing it. Maybe someone will learn something reading it. That said, there are a lot of people with similar blogs and approximately 100% of them are better players than me.

This blog, should I update it regularly, should document a journey of sorts. My quest is to get better at poker, accumualte a larger bankroll, and eventually buy a car with my poker winnings.

Should be easy.