My friend Shamus recently did a post for Epic Poker about the history of strip poker. It's one of his series on the role of poker in American culture, a subject about which he teaches a college course and is uniquely qualified.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
"Witty and provocative"?
My friend Shamus recently did a post for Epic Poker about the history of strip poker. It's one of his series on the role of poker in American culture, a subject about which he teaches a college course and is uniquely qualified.
Posted by Rakewell at 6:39 PM 1 comments
The very picture of passivity
Posted by Rakewell at 6:21 PM 0 comments
Labels: tracker
Kings take out aces, and more aces
Posted by Rakewell at 6:19 PM 0 comments
Labels: remarkable hands
What's in a screen name? #39
Posted by Rakewell at 6:16 PM 0 comments
Labels: names
Guess the casino, #1018
To reveal the hidden answer, use your mouse to highlight the space immediately after the word "Answer" below.
Answer: Texas Station
Posted by Rakewell at 4:38 AM 0 comments
Labels: guess
Friday, October 21, 2011
Guess the casino, #1017
To reveal the hidden answer, use your mouse to highlight the space immediately after the word "Answer" below.
Answer: Sam's Town
Posted by Rakewell at 4:37 AM 0 comments
Labels: guess
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Televised bad beats
These are all worth rewatching:
Posted by Rakewell at 7:36 PM 1 comments
Labels: card player magazine, televised poker
Calling all-in first hand with AK
In my recent post about my online SNG results, I included my self-assessments of the games in which I went out unusually early. One of them was having called an open-shove with AK on the very first hand of a tournament. I assessed the loss this way: "Guy went all in 1st hand with Q-9, I called with AK. He caught a 9. Definitely right move."
Posted by Rakewell at 6:14 PM 5 comments
Labels: math, my results, strategy
Guess the casino, #1016
To reveal the hidden answer, use your mouse to highlight the space immediately after the word "Answer" below.
Answer: Palms
Posted by Rakewell at 2:33 PM 0 comments
Labels: guess
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Guess the casino, #1015
To reveal the hidden answer, use your mouse to highlight the space immediately after the word "Answer" below.
Answer: Luxor
Posted by Rakewell at 4:28 AM 0 comments
Labels: guess
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
200 SNGs
A little less than three weeks ago I reported to you about my first 100 single-table sit-and-go tournaments on Bodog. I have now completed the second 100. I mixed some $10 in, whereas the first 100 had been all $5. I also started tackling three games at a time instead of just two, and it is already more comfortable and less frenetic-feeling than it was the first time I tried it. Still, I can't pay as much attention to what individual players are doing, which bothers me. I have no idea how online specialists manage 20 or 30 tables at a time. I assume that, like most anything else, it's just a matter of gradual increases in facility of decision-making, but at this point it seems as impossible as climbing Mt. Everest would be for me.
Overplayed big pair in face of resistance, shouldn't have lost. He had flopped 2 pr.Cold deck, QQ v. KK. OK with play.Bad beat cost much of stack, then open-shoved with 10-10 with 10 bb, called by KK.Prob bad play.AI on flop with pair and flush draw vs. top pair no draw, missed 14 outs x2. OK with play.Shoved pre with JJ over 4 bet, which was QQ. Bad play.3-outer on river. Played fine.Guy went all in 1st hand with Q-9, I called with AK. He caught a 9. Definitely right move.Made every kind of bad play.Horrible 3-outer on river after all in on flop.20 bb in SB, shoved w AK over apparent blind steal from big-stack button, he had 10-10, held.Cold deck. Overpair plus straight draw plus flush draw lost to one-bigger pair.Played fine. 15 BB, shoved with JJ over table's most frequent raiser, he had AK, caught A.Tried AI semibluff w flush and str draws against a player who had been getting frisky. He had flopped a set that time.Card dead. 11 BB shoved with 99, called by KK.Check-raise shoved with pair and flush draw, guy called with just two overcards, hit.Made stupid bluff attempt.Played fine, just unlucky everywhere.Stayed with second-best hands a couple of times when I should have folded.Cold deck--KK on dry flop, but guy had hit 2 pr.TPTK, he made disguised straight on turn. Unsure whether I overplayed it or it was reasonable. Really hard to put him on that hand.Card dead. Played fine.
Posted by Rakewell at 5:39 PM 3 comments
Labels: my results, online poker
Two more ways the Mighty Deuce-Four wins
Sometimes you bet at a flop that has no connection whatsoever with your Deuce-Four, and the competition just folds. I'm not entirely sure whether they somehow sense the power and run away in fear, or they are mind-tricked into being convinced they're beat. I guess it doesn't really matter.
Posted by Rakewell at 5:34 PM 0 comments
Labels: deuce-four
Guess the casino, #1014
To reveal the hidden answer, use your mouse to highlight the space immediately after the word "Answer" below.
Answer: Aria
Posted by Rakewell at 4:26 AM 0 comments
Labels: guess
Bodog goings-on
1. Here's another way that Deuce-Four wins: It bails you out of a jam. I was the short stack and called a small raise in the big blind. When he bet at the flop, I thought it was more likely that he missed it than hit, so my lowly paired deuce might be good. I shoved. He called instantly. Oops.
But not to worry, I have the Deuce-Four on my side!
Posted by Rakewell at 3:19 AM 0 comments
Labels: deuce-four, names, online poker, remarkable hands
Monday, October 17, 2011
Another example of the "gaming" euphemism myth
Last week the Washington Post carried a story about the growth of poker's popularity among college-age males. Following the predictable route, it features both examples of extraordinary success (Eric Froehlich), and warnings of dire consequences. Blah blah blah, nothing new.
The past decade has seen an evolution of gambling to “gaming,” a triumph of euphemism amid a wave of legislation to legalize and destigmatize wagering.
Posted by Rakewell at 9:35 AM 3 comments
Guess the casino, #1013
To reveal the hidden answer, use your mouse to highlight the space immediately after the word "Answer" below.
Answer: Riviera
Posted by Rakewell at 4:24 AM 0 comments
Labels: guess
Sunday, October 16, 2011
The Man Who Folds Aces, and other stories from the MGM
Yesterday was another in the roughly twice-yearly series of tournaments sponsored by allvegaspoker.com. This time it was at the MGM Grand, so I headed over there in the afternoon to get registered early and play some cash games before the tournament. There were several things worth reporting.
Among beginning and intermediate players, this is a common method of trying to prevent a bet. The reason players want to stop you from betting is because they hold weak hands with some possibility of winning. In other words, they'd like to see both hands shown down on the table. Then maybe they can salvage the pot. Reaching for chips is intended to show strength and appear threatening. As you now know, players staring at you are less of a threat than those staring away. So here we have a classic example of a woman combining two tells that point in the same direction (looking at the bettor and reaching for her chips). She is probably holding a marginally weak hand. This gives you opportunities to bet hands you would have otherwise checked.
Posted by Rakewell at 7:06 PM 4 comments
Labels: allvegaspoker.com, caro, mgm grand, remarkable hands, tells
Poker gems, #441
Matt Lessinger, in Card Player magazine column, October 5, 2011 (vol. 24, #20), page 46.
Posted by Rakewell at 6:06 PM 0 comments
Labels: card player magazine, gems, lessinger, strategy
Guess the casino, #1012
To reveal the hidden answer, use your mouse to highlight the space immediately after the word "Answer" below.
Answer: Flamingo
Posted by Rakewell at 4:22 AM 0 comments
Labels: guess