Has anyone started planning the WPBT Summer 2008 edition? I really hope to make it out to Las Vegas this year for lots of poker and good times, and so I want to start planning early!

Posted by Jaxia as Travel, WPBT at 4:21 PM PST

1 Comment »

I played an interesting hand at Foxwoods on Sunday worth recounting.

The important bit comes at the end, so I’ll keep the hand description brief. With about $120 in the pot, I was faced with a $60 bet on the river on a board of 3-4-3-2-8. I had pocket 6s and considered it unlikely that the 8 had helped my opponent, but his betting pattern suggested a straight or a slow-played boat. Regardless, I made a crying call and prepared to toss my cards in the muck. My opponent triumphantly announced, “Full house!” and tabled his cards. He was holding 2-4 suited. See the problem?

I tabled my hand, said, “That’s two pair. I have a higher two pair,” and left it at that.

This guy was not angle shooting, believe me. He honestly thought he had a boat. He just misread his cards in the heat of the moment, and it cost him at least $60–if not more.

There are two obvious lessons here, but they bear highlighting: don’t toss your cards until you’re absolutely sure your opponent is holding the winning hand, and for the love of God, know what cards you’re actually holding.

Posted by Beck as Poker at 11:55 PM PST

1 Comment »

I lost $200 or so in Las Vegas when I was there, but it didn’t make me want to torch the place:

Reuters/Yahoo!/ImageShack

For a more complete wrapup of my mini-vacation, I’ve posted about it here. Two quick caveats: one, the first part of the thread is basically the same as the post I made here about where to play and what else to do while I was there. The second warning is that the trip report is written in 2+2ese, which is like a bizarre blend of English, pokerese, and geek.

Posted by Mike as Brick & Mortar, Travel at 1:03 AM PST

No Comments »

Last week, in an online 1/2 NLHE game, I cracked aces with the 6 and 8 of spades. The fellow holding aces had three chances to prevent crackination, and messed up all three. See if you can spot them:

I started the hand with $184, and the big blind started with $185, so we were almost evently stacked.

UTG limps. UTG +1 limps. I limp with 6 8 suited. That’s pretty loose for me in such early position, but the table was playing passively, and with two others already in the pot, I decided to take a stab. Surprisingly, after that it folded around to the small blind, leaving me with position throught the remainder of the hand. The small blind called, and the big blind raised to $8. UTG called, UTG +1 timed out and folded, I called, and the small blind called.

Pot: $32 [after the rake] Flop: 3c Ts 2s

Small blind checks. Big Blind bets $25 into the $32 pot. UTG folds. I decide that this is a great spot to semi-bluff. The big blind was a reasonably tight pre-flop raiser, so he most likely had a big ace. If he had a big pair, I would find out shortly, but if he didn’t, he would have to fold (unless he happened to hold two big cards suited in clubs). I raised to $75. The small blind folded. Then the big blind surprised me by re-raising the minimum amount, to $125. I called.

Pot: $282 Turn: 6h

The big blind pushed all in for his last $52, and I called all-in with my final $51. All I had at that point was a pair of sixes, but I had 14 outs to a winner.

Pot: $383 River: 8h

Not how I expected things to end when I was semi-bluff raising the flop, but a win is a win.

Spot the mistakes?

The first mistake is arguable, but against 4 other players–three of them in early position–you really need to raise by more than just 4X the big blind. The first player to be faced with the decision to call has to put $6 into a $16 pot, so you start off offering 2.5:1 pot odds. Once he’s called, every subsequent players’ odds only improve. While you do want some action with aces, you want to force your opponents to make a mistake by calling. Offering relatively good odds doesn’t accomplish that.

The flop bet was good. After I raised him, he seriously needed to consider whether I had flopped a set or not, but otherwise could safely assume that I had an inferior hand. If he decides that he’s prepared to go broke to a set, and he had obviously made that decision based on his later action, then he needs to consider bet sizes from here on out. With my raise to $75 and his matching $75, the pot is at roughly $180, with each of us holding roughly $100 behind. If I have a flush draw or straight draw, then an all-in push now would be incorrect for me to call (I’d be getting 2.8:1 pot odds). If he would like to just call and see if the turn is a danger card, he can do that, then push on the turn, again forcing me to either fold or make an incorrect call. Instead, he re-raised the minimum, which gives me about 4.6:1 pot odds. Since he clearly planned on pushing on the turn regardless (the 6 constitutes a scare card of sorts, as it completes the straight for anyone holding 4 5), his turn push will offer me an irresistable 6.6:1 pot odds. Pricing me in was his second mistake. Not leaving enough behind to force me to make a mistake on the turn (or on the flop if he wanted to just push then) was the third mistake.

So remember: scale your pre-flop raises appropriately to the size of the pot and the amount of action you want. Always be aware of the pot odds your bets and raises will offer your opponents. And always keep in mind how much money your opponent has left, so you can apply constant pressure through the major decision points of the hand.

Update: Fixed the suits of the flop.

Posted by Beck as Poker, Poker Strategy at 12:32 AM PST

4 Comments »

Just look at this picture, and you will understand.

He called my flop bet with an OESD. He called my turn bet with a full house draw. He called my river bet playing the board. That’s right. He had pocket 7s.

And yes, that’s also right: having turned a straight flush, I bet right into my opponent.

So the next time you’re at a table with me, call my bets. I dare you.

Posted by Beck as Poker at 4:25 PM PST

2 Comments »

I’ve been pondering writing a post for a while on the subject of live-game etiquette at the table. Then Iggy went and essentially did that very thing, only in a vastly more amusing form than I ever would have chosen. So go read it all ready.

Posted by Beck as Poker at 2:54 PM PST

No Comments »