Friday, May 30, 2008
Folding - Why the simplest action is often the hardest to do.
Yes, sometimes you catch your opponent on a complete bluff, and you look like a genius when it happens. Maybe you have a really good read on this player, or you know that he’s still steaming from a previous hand. But is it really worth it to call on little more than a hunch? Here’s an example of what I’m talking about.
Pre-flop: Under The Gun (UTG, means first to act) raises three times the big blind, two players fold, you look at your hole cards to find As-10h, and decide to call. Everyone else folds, until the Big Blind (BB), who also calls. Poker is a game of information, and so far you have very little information about what either player may be holding.
The BB could easily be holding any two cards at this point. Two players are in the hand for a small raise, and he has already committed 1/3 of the chips needed to call. He knows that he will be able to see the flop for this price, because he’s the last person in order to be able to call UTG’s raise.
UTG can also have a wide variety of hands. A relatively small preflop raise from an early position often suggests strength. They could easily be holding AA, KK or AK, just waiting for someone to re-raise them, in the hopes of getting all-in. Of course, as this becomes more common, it’s easy to take advantage of the situation, and raise with hands like 7-8 suited UTG.
The flop brings, Ad-7c-6c. You’ve just hit top pair, with a 10 kicker. Not a bad hand, but certainly not time to start raking in the chips. Being last to act is generally considered to be a good position, because you have the benefit of seeing what the other players do before you do anything, but it can also put a lot of pressure on you to make the right decision.
BB checks, and UTG bets, this time significantly larger than the first bet. He counts out his entire stack of chips, then pushes exactly half of them into the pot, which is 15 times the size of the first bet, sending the message that he wants to go all-in. It looks like a bluff, and everyone at the table knows it, especially the player making the bet. Everyone has about the same amount of chips, so now you have some pretty important questions to ask yourself to determine if you should fold, call or raise.
Did UTG have you dominated preflop (AA, AK, AQ, AJ), in which case you’d be praying to hit one of three 10s left in the deck. Maybe he only has KK or QQ and is trying to buy the pot, making you fold a superior hand. In which case you’re in great position, if you can make the call. But there’s still another factor left.
The BB is patiently waiting behind you, and you have no idea what he’s going to do, and no idea what type of hand he has. He checked after the flop, but that means nothing. He could have rags, but he could have a variety of hands worth calling the massive bet. Maybe he has 77 or 66 for a set, but no matter what, you likely don’t want to be playing for all your money against 3 players, especially when you have no idea how strong they are.
My advice, FOLD. It’s not easy for everyone to do in this situation, but you can’t lose what you don’t put in the pot. Maybe you did throw away the best hand, but they’re are too many hands that have you beat that UTG would likely have. Plus, there’s still a chance that BB has a strong drawing hand, putting you in even worse shape.
If this seems like a tight play, well that’s because it probably is. I’m generally considered to be a loose player, I like to play a lot of hands, and force myself to make the right reads. I’m not always successful, but the one rule I play by is to be the aggressor, not the calling-station. Force players to fold hands like the one described above, or to make a great play against me.
Incidently, the UTG player was me. I had pocket Aces, but was afraid of the flush, so I played the hand as if I was bluffing. The player with A-10 actually did fold, but the BB pushed me all-in with 77, for a lower set than mine. It was a good night of poker.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Which Player Type Are You?
THE BANKER
The Banker will play a very simple style of game, will almost never bluff, and will always bet at the flop if they think they’re ahead. These players are just trying to avoid the bad beat, content to win small pots, and not put too much at risk. Bankers tend to stay pretty quiet at the table, letting their play do the talking for them. They don’t play many hands, but when they do, it’s predictably a strong starting hand.
Bankers are often easy to bluff out of a pot. As they don’t like to put too much at risk, they will often fold the best hand, telling themselves that they now live to fight another day. They’re also not likely to do a lot of “acting” when they are holding the nuts, and you bet into them. If they call or re-raise when you try to raise them out of a pot, then it’s time to move on to the next hand.
THE POLITICIAN
The Politician loves to take chances. They will call pre-flop raises with less than desirable starting hands, hoping to catch a flop where they can bluff you off a stronger hand. They are also very talkative, trying to play subtle mind games with you during the hand. For example he’s just bet out at the flop, and while you’re deciding what to do, he’ll turn to another player at the table and say, “I had to bet, I hit top pair, but have a weak kicker”. They would play every hand if they could get away with it, and often make pre flop raises with bad hands, causing strange results when the cards are revealed.
The play of a politician will likely have more influence on the entire table than any other style of player. Often in a tournament, this player will be either double up or be eliminated (or both) before the end of the first blind level. They came to gamble, which you can use to your benefit if you are able to slow-play a strong hand. Let them do all the work, betting in to you, then start raking in the chips.
THE PROFESSOR
The Professor is the guy who knows all the rules, and has read at least a dozen different poker books. They may even contribute to an on–line forum or blog (or even write a monthly poker column), anything to show that they have more knowledge about poker than you. This type of player will calculate pot-odds, even when not in the hand, and is always quick to point out where other players went wrong in any given hand. If they’re not playing a premium hand, it’s almost always suited, or connected, or both.
Only talkative while observing the hand, the Professor is capable of playing loose or tight, but is prone to making bad plays trying to look like a genius. He will also be the first to point out any breach of etiquette that has occurred.
THE CEO
Just like in the business word, the CEO is at the top of their game. They’re able to play a variety of styles of poker, just like the professor, with one major difference. When they change their style of play, it’s a result of knowing whom they are playing against. The CEO will play a variety of hands, but generally stick to the stronger ones. They don’t like to bluff often but they know a Banker can be bluffed off a hand and they know the Politician will try to play and win every pot. The CEO is playing you as much as he is playing his own hand.
To become a CEO, you have to first realize who you are right now. Take advantage of your reputation by changing your style of play for a while. If necessary, show your hand on the river, even if you don’t have to, to get your point across. If you’re a Banker, show everyone that you bluffed, if you’re a Politician, show your big hand. Let them know you’re capable of mixing your game up, then when you do revert to a more familiar style of play, you will be less predictable.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Playing Poker in your Underwear
spending time with friends and family, taking vacations or just trying to soak up a bit of sun. It seems that their priorities are on anything but poker. To me, this is just wrong.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Poker Tells
What is a tell? In poker terms, a tell is an an unconscious action made by one player that can give another player some insight into the quality of their hand. So how can you get information from your opponents? What should you be looking for the next time you decide to put your mortgage on the line to call a big bet? In this case, you should be looking for an exit, because you likely have a gambling addiction. For everyone else, here’s a good starting point for reading your opponents, specifically for No Limit Texas hold’em.
To start with, poker is a game of deception. This means that if someone is playing a hand like they don’t have very much, and seem reluctant to call a bet early in the hand, they likely have a very strong hand. Conversely, if they are acting like their hand is very powerful, often slamming the chips into the pot when they bet as if to say “I dare you to call”, there’s a good chance it’s a bluff. Strength means weakness/weakness means strength.
Body language can also play a strong role in acquiring more information about your opponent. Players who like to bluff will often assume confrontational physical gestures such as crossing their arms, or aggressively leaning on the table staring at their opponent. The idea behind these unconscious actions is to portray strength. Police officers often position themselves to appear intimidating, therefore reducing the chance of actual conflict. The bluffer is doing the same thing.
More information can be gathered by watching how your opponent reacts in various situation, especially in relation to their hole cards and poker chips. For example, watch your opponents when they first look at their hole cards. Did they take longer than normal to look? Did they take a second look? Often this is a sign of a very strong hand. A hand so good, they wanted to make extra sure of what they saw. Once they finished looking at their cards, where did they look next? A player that immediately looks at their chips is often trying to size up exactly how much to bet, again, another sign of strength, but not necessarily a sign of a good hand.
Another common tell occurs after the flop. 3 spades have just shown up, and your opponent is thinking “Hmm, I know I have A-J, I think one of them was a spade” and they peek at their hole cards to see which one was a spade. If they’d had 2 spades, they would have remembered so they probably wouldn’t need to look. Now the turn card brings another spade, they peek at their hole cards again, and bet big. They’ve probably hit their flush, so unless you have a flush that might have them beat, you should probably fold.
They could also realize that this is a good time to try and steal the pot, because they know that if you don’t have a spade, you’re probably not going to call their bet. Poker is as much about playing your position and your opponents as it is about playing your cards.
Finally, you’ll eventually have to figure out what type of player you’re dealing with? Do they play a lot of different hands, or are they very conservative, sticking to strong starting hands. Do they like to bluff, or are they prone to fishing, meaning they will pay a high price to see the next card, hoping to catch an unlikely card to make a monster hand?
The more information you know about a player, the better your chances are of success. Poker is a game of skill and luck, but despite how much you know about a player, no matter how sure you are about how you’ve read them during the course of a hand, there’s always the chance you’re wrong, and even when you’re right, it can turn out wrong. That’s why I love this game.
Here are a few books with more information on the subject of poker tells.
Monday, May 26, 2008
The Slumpbuster
"Slump-Buster" is a term I first heard about from an interview on the Jim Rome Show with baseball star Mark Grace (pictured here while playing for the Cubs). Now retired. Mark Grace describes the type of woman who he believes helped him overcome on-field struggles.
When Grace (who’s name now appears to bring new meaning to the term “irony”) would find himself in a hitting slump he would seek out "the gnarliest, ugliest chick" he could find and attempt to "lay the wood to her". If he was successful, the next day he was sure to break out of his slump, hence the phrase.
Now, I’m not recommending that you do anything of this sort, but instead I’m offering a fresh idea. An offering so great, that the Poker Gods will most assuredly look down upon you, and grant you favour and good fortune at the poker table. The next time you find yourself in this type of a slump, and you peek at your hole cards to find pockets Aces, fold them. If possible, show everyone at the table what you’re doing. You’ve just made poker’s ultimate sacrifice.
Does it sounds crazy and superstitious? Of course it does, there’s no such thing as Poker Gods, and it’s idiotic to lay down the best hand possible. On the other hand, it’s worked for me...twice, and I won’t hesitate to do it again if I feel I need to.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Hole Card Nicknames
Pocket Pair
AA - Bullets, American Airlines, Pocket Rockets
KK - Cowboys, King Kong
QQ - Ladies, Sigfried & Roy
JJ - Fish Hooks, Princes
TT - Binary
99 - Gretzky, the German Virgin
88 - Snowmen
77 - Hockey Sticks, Saturn
66 - Route 66
55 - Speed Limit, Presto
44 - Sailboats, Colt 44
33 - Crabs
22 - Ducks
Other Big Hands
AK - Big Slick, Anna Kournakova (Looks good but never wins)
AQ - Big Chick, Little Slick
AJ - Black Jack, Ajax
KQ - Royal Couple
KJ - Kojak
Other Notables
K9 - Canine
Q7- Computer Hand
Q3 - San Fransisco Busboy
J5 - Motown
T4 - Roger That
T2 - Texas Dolly
95 - Dolly Parton
69 - Big Lick
5T - Five and Dime
57 - Heinz
45 - Jesse James
31 - Baskins Robbins
What is the Double Nut Flush Draw?
I (to the best of my knowledge) came up with the nickname of The Double Nut Flush Draw for pocket Aces. I just blurted it out during a tournament I was playing in, when I called an all-in with Aces vs my opponents Kings pre-flop. In this case, I'm better than a 4 to 1 favorite to win the hand, but as I have a history of taking bad beats, it felt more like a coin flip as my opponent grinned, as if he knew he was going to suck out here.
Sure enough, a King mockingly appeared on the flop, and I let out a now signature sigh, accepting the fates the poker gods had dealt me. But wait.... the turn card brought a 3rd diamond on board, and guess what? I had the Ace of diamonds in my hand. The beautiful river card was a 4th diamond (and not one that paired the board to give my opponent a full-house, been there, done that), and my flush won the pot, much to my delight.
My opponent, now standing up to walk away from the table, was visibly upset, and said to me "Wow, you're one lucky S.O.B.", and shook his head in disbelief. I quickly retorted "Hey, you never had a chance, I had the Double Nut Flush Draw". I resisted the urge to remind him I was more than a 4 to 1 favorite when we got all our money in the middle, content to rake in his chips, and let him think about his "bad beat" for a while.