Something I've said during both of my past week's most frustrating (losing) sessions. Both times vs opponents who know how to play tight enough to not be horrible losing players, but don't really have much talent with the game. They have little idea of where I stand in relation to their monster hand, and/or have no idea how much to try and raise for value so they just blast their entire stack in. Meanwhile I'm dumbfounded by how little sense their bet makes when I fucking know better. It's been quite some time now, but I've been that idiot, I've made that bet, and I've spotted people doing it before and avoided it.
"Hero folds aren't profitable in this city." is a fantastic piece of advice a friend of mine gave me years back. I've always been decent at implementing good advice from people I know are experienced, I need to do a better job of learning from my own mistakes without having to repeat them ad nauseam. It's pretty straight forward, start making good folds vs terrible calls.
I'm awesome, and being happy is a choice. The first half of that statement isn't true if I don't live the other half even when it doesn't come easy. I once read a poker pro say that he's not living a grind, he's living a dream. That's a beautiful perspective, and I look forward to sharing it.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Thursday, February 12, 2015
I don't opt out to screw everyone else...
DF 1-2, 10-11pm-ish
My $5 button straddle, a younger euro player I've got a small bit of history with (ruined his day in a tournament calling him down for his stack over three streets with AK/Nut-Nothing, it was good) in SB opens to $20, folds around to me, I've got pocket 2's so I call to see what the flop brings.
AAA
He checks, I monkey bet I'm not even sure how much but it felt like $40-$45(if I had thought about it I'd have either checked or bet $30). He calls pretty snappy, D'oh I'm 100% dead (80% Quads / 20% a Full House I can't ever beat). As the turn is coming out, I pick up my "No Bad Beat" button (which he's been fiddling with no less than 3 different times when we're not in the hand) and show/wiggle it at him to send a message to him. We come to an understanding that he sees me trying to convey this "You see this thing? Yeah this sure must mean something relevant to the present situation.", evidently something was lost in translation.
AAAQ, check, check. AAAQ9
He bets $75... I fold. He shows an A and doesn't reveal his kicker, claiming it to be AK (which would be a very believable story from what I had observed of him). Now I'm very opposed to criticizing poor play at a table, however sometimes I will try and give just the slightest bit of suggestion to see if I can't nudge someone up so that they're a little easier to navigate. This is something I should be more selective with, but I also find that it's frequently a window into unhinging someone's game when they realize they may have really fucked something up and it's not until someone else puts a spotlight on it that they clue in.
So I inquire what his goal of betting $75 was? He says something to the effect of having me fold so that he won't have to show. This poker room has a "High Hand" promotion, where his AAAAK could have won him $200 at the time, clearly he doesn't understand this. He then says if I had a full house then I would call. I tell him that I did have a full house but I still folded since it was a pretty transparent read that I can't win. I point out my "No Bad Beat" button and remind him that the signal that I gave him clearly wasn't for deception since he's (allegedly) holding Nut-Kicker Quads. So you're risking losing out on $5,000 to try and win... $75?
The wheels are clearly starting to fall off his mental wagon at this point, and I don't believe it to be a language barrier issue so much as I don't think he has any remotely firm grip on how Bad Beat's work. The conversation clearly wasn't going to pay any immediate dividends so we gave it a rest at this point, he departed shortly thereafter.
Had the scenario where I was holding pocket 10's or better for the other half of the eligibility requirements if there was an idiot betting out $75 and I was confidant that a Bad Beat were live, I would pony up the $75 to get the players on my table the jackpot even though I wouldn't be able to get the $10,000. I hadn't really thought about being in a spot where I'd actually need to consider a decision in that spot, since anyone who understands the details is just going to check to get to showdown, or if they are betting it it's definitely not live anymore and they're betting that I'm a sucker. I'm opting-out as a decision for myself, not so I can fuck over everyone else at the table. Easily a positive scene-reputation decision.
I ended up seeing the euro kid later that night when I rolled into work. While dealing to him he was telling me that "if you had a full house you would call" / "if you folded a full house there you would show". Telling him "You're mistaken" on both counts, and "Look you really don't want to have this conversation with me while you're playing at a poker table" didn't really seem to register very well. I think when he brings it up to me again, I'll just try and coach him that no matter how much you're annoyed with how someone played a hand poorly, never berate a player into leaving a game (especially not when they have $1100 they got on a bad play that ran out fortunately). That's probably an easier lesson that can be a greater benefit to my bottom line!
My $5 button straddle, a younger euro player I've got a small bit of history with (ruined his day in a tournament calling him down for his stack over three streets with AK/Nut-Nothing, it was good) in SB opens to $20, folds around to me, I've got pocket 2's so I call to see what the flop brings.
AAA
He checks, I monkey bet I'm not even sure how much but it felt like $40-$45(if I had thought about it I'd have either checked or bet $30). He calls pretty snappy, D'oh I'm 100% dead (80% Quads / 20% a Full House I can't ever beat). As the turn is coming out, I pick up my "No Bad Beat" button (which he's been fiddling with no less than 3 different times when we're not in the hand) and show/wiggle it at him to send a message to him. We come to an understanding that he sees me trying to convey this "You see this thing? Yeah this sure must mean something relevant to the present situation.", evidently something was lost in translation.
AAAQ, check, check. AAAQ9
He bets $75... I fold. He shows an A and doesn't reveal his kicker, claiming it to be AK (which would be a very believable story from what I had observed of him). Now I'm very opposed to criticizing poor play at a table, however sometimes I will try and give just the slightest bit of suggestion to see if I can't nudge someone up so that they're a little easier to navigate. This is something I should be more selective with, but I also find that it's frequently a window into unhinging someone's game when they realize they may have really fucked something up and it's not until someone else puts a spotlight on it that they clue in.
So I inquire what his goal of betting $75 was? He says something to the effect of having me fold so that he won't have to show. This poker room has a "High Hand" promotion, where his AAAAK could have won him $200 at the time, clearly he doesn't understand this. He then says if I had a full house then I would call. I tell him that I did have a full house but I still folded since it was a pretty transparent read that I can't win. I point out my "No Bad Beat" button and remind him that the signal that I gave him clearly wasn't for deception since he's (allegedly) holding Nut-Kicker Quads. So you're risking losing out on $5,000 to try and win... $75?
The wheels are clearly starting to fall off his mental wagon at this point, and I don't believe it to be a language barrier issue so much as I don't think he has any remotely firm grip on how Bad Beat's work. The conversation clearly wasn't going to pay any immediate dividends so we gave it a rest at this point, he departed shortly thereafter.
Had the scenario where I was holding pocket 10's or better for the other half of the eligibility requirements if there was an idiot betting out $75 and I was confidant that a Bad Beat were live, I would pony up the $75 to get the players on my table the jackpot even though I wouldn't be able to get the $10,000. I hadn't really thought about being in a spot where I'd actually need to consider a decision in that spot, since anyone who understands the details is just going to check to get to showdown, or if they are betting it it's definitely not live anymore and they're betting that I'm a sucker. I'm opting-out as a decision for myself, not so I can fuck over everyone else at the table. Easily a positive scene-reputation decision.
I ended up seeing the euro kid later that night when I rolled into work. While dealing to him he was telling me that "if you had a full house you would call" / "if you folded a full house there you would show". Telling him "You're mistaken" on both counts, and "Look you really don't want to have this conversation with me while you're playing at a poker table" didn't really seem to register very well. I think when he brings it up to me again, I'll just try and coach him that no matter how much you're annoyed with how someone played a hand poorly, never berate a player into leaving a game (especially not when they have $1100 they got on a bad play that ran out fortunately). That's probably an easier lesson that can be a greater benefit to my bottom line!
Tournament Series Trends
So DF has been running their winter series over the last two weeks and I've always found the adjustments in players choices in destination interesting. As a rule of thumb if there's a series or any significant draw for poker players to one room vs the others, I always default my selection to that location. I'm hardly alone in this perspective, but there are a few noteworthy deviations.
The 2-5 game has seemed to be on hiatus at least during late night. Most of the 2-5 Regs have been favoring GE's "2-5 with a 1-2 title" since a $500 max buy is generally more exploitable to try and leverage their bankroll and aggression advantages.
One regular grinder who in my observation would normally be playing in DF has been in my room steady whenever I've been at work. I asked him why actively avoid a surge in players in what his normal environment would be and said he isn't a big fan of tournament players.
I suppose I shouldn't find that especially surprising. I'd normally expect that pretty much any winning player to enjoy having a boost in activity where they'd normally play. At further inspection pretty conservative winning players that don't enjoy adjusting their play aren't that likely to be the players capitalizing the most from the busier room.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
A few thoughts to reflect on...
Feeling like my "pickup an edge and push the pressure" game has mostly been as sharp as I've ever had it. Though I have been earning relatively steadily, I'm only ahead a bit due to some large hands shaking down unfavorably. Keep it going, those 3:1 & 4:1 favored spots are going to be sweet as fuck when they eventually do hold.
I've been gaining a little bit of weight. I mean I'm still under 20% body fat (although it's probably getting to be a small margin of error at this point), although I have to change something up or I think I'm probably going to continue slowly fattening up... Unacceptable. Keep making little changes in cleaning up the daily diet, and knock off the sippy cup workouts. Lifting for single sets and then allowing distractions to take over is stupid.
It's been over 15 months since I've had a sustained change of scenery when it comes to poker. "Deer hunting" is about the closest change of environment I've had in the last year, but that's basically just one day at a time here and there. Their insanity is beautiful, but I don't feel like I'm learning from that experience like I have when I've had a week or even a weekend to really grind out a completely new city's room(s).
The time's not right for Vegas, although I will make that happen before the end of 2015. I'd like to include either a week working trip to either Arizona or back to Vancouver, but until I make serious bankroll progress that's not a intelligent decision to make.
A few days ago I was reflecting on some of the parallels of how I see playing poker presently, and my experiences online (video) gaming in years past. I really succeeded in the social networking element of knowing "the who's who" in my gaming environment, and currently I'd say I've been quite successful at building a similar network of individuals in the greater Calgary poker scene without having put a lot of energy into thinking about doing that. It's time to consciously put effort into expanding that network, as well as do a better job of having some of those players let me know when there's a game I have to get into.
I've been gaining a little bit of weight. I mean I'm still under 20% body fat (although it's probably getting to be a small margin of error at this point), although I have to change something up or I think I'm probably going to continue slowly fattening up... Unacceptable. Keep making little changes in cleaning up the daily diet, and knock off the sippy cup workouts. Lifting for single sets and then allowing distractions to take over is stupid.
It's been over 15 months since I've had a sustained change of scenery when it comes to poker. "Deer hunting" is about the closest change of environment I've had in the last year, but that's basically just one day at a time here and there. Their insanity is beautiful, but I don't feel like I'm learning from that experience like I have when I've had a week or even a weekend to really grind out a completely new city's room(s).
The time's not right for Vegas, although I will make that happen before the end of 2015. I'd like to include either a week working trip to either Arizona or back to Vancouver, but until I make serious bankroll progress that's not a intelligent decision to make.
A few days ago I was reflecting on some of the parallels of how I see playing poker presently, and my experiences online (video) gaming in years past. I really succeeded in the social networking element of knowing "the who's who" in my gaming environment, and currently I'd say I've been quite successful at building a similar network of individuals in the greater Calgary poker scene without having put a lot of energy into thinking about doing that. It's time to consciously put effort into expanding that network, as well as do a better job of having some of those players let me know when there's a game I have to get into.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Weird switch...
So I had been playing on the main game at Deerfoot for a few hours, I was up a lot since I had been hitting all my big hands and I hadn't been getting put in any really tough spots by the other players.
So I'm about wrap up since I'll have to go to work and I pick up 77 UTG on the final hand I'm going to play. Button straddle is on (seat ten), a friend of mine limps in the SB, and before I act the player in seat five limps (I'm in seat three). He then realizes he's acted prematurely then I raise to $40... And without much further thought he calls my raise. I immediately call him out for such a suspect line of just calling my oddly large 8x raise after already trying to limp, he acknowledges my dialogue though he doesn't reply. My friend also calls and we're three ways to the flop...
443hh
Check-check to Mr pre-limp/re-limp and he bets $40 which seems like about the most peculiar bet I can think of considering I think the vast majority of the time he's trying to set-mine. SB folds, I run things over again my head and rule out all the really premium pairs and suited AK/AQ because everything I've seen from him over the last few hours would have him wait his turn and raise, not just pre-limp/re-limp. I'd measure this guy as a slightly winning player, and I've not seen him really get out of line at all so 22 and 55 through 99 are really the only hands he's got here on the regular... But if he believes he's winning WTF is with the 1/3rd pot bet? My conclusion is that he's information betting, so I want to give him a reason to fold. I raise to $160 total. I'm expecting him to fold almost all the time here, and to ship his stack in the rest of the time... And he just calls!?
4433hhcc
This hand is super weird. $450~ in the pot and he's got just under $300 in his stack (vs my $1150). I figure he believes himself committed at this point so I need to just shut down and swallow the $200 investment I've put into this one. I check so that it's up to him to not screw up the hand. He then bets $100... There's no way he's dumb enough to bet a full house or quads in position on the flop and then again on the turn, but how is he just being so small again?
"Do you want to play show one?"
"Maybe if you fold."
"That's not playing show one."
I give it another few seconds and then muck my cards. He says something I don't precisely recall regarding showing and I respond "show both or don't show either, I don't really care either way the hand is yours". He shows Q10hh, then says something about if he's wrong he just takes his $160 and goes home, and only playing poker a few times a year. As far as I can tell a switch in his head must have just gotten flipped when I raised his pre-limp "fuck it, this hand I'm going to beat the pro".
My friend says that with the same line if I ship out right away on the turn he can't call (though I'm guessing he would have anyhow just to gamble), but she had only been at the table for an orbit or two and wasn't giving him the credit I was for as of yet never having gotten out of line.
So I'm about wrap up since I'll have to go to work and I pick up 77 UTG on the final hand I'm going to play. Button straddle is on (seat ten), a friend of mine limps in the SB, and before I act the player in seat five limps (I'm in seat three). He then realizes he's acted prematurely then I raise to $40... And without much further thought he calls my raise. I immediately call him out for such a suspect line of just calling my oddly large 8x raise after already trying to limp, he acknowledges my dialogue though he doesn't reply. My friend also calls and we're three ways to the flop...
443hh
Check-check to Mr pre-limp/re-limp and he bets $40 which seems like about the most peculiar bet I can think of considering I think the vast majority of the time he's trying to set-mine. SB folds, I run things over again my head and rule out all the really premium pairs and suited AK/AQ because everything I've seen from him over the last few hours would have him wait his turn and raise, not just pre-limp/re-limp. I'd measure this guy as a slightly winning player, and I've not seen him really get out of line at all so 22 and 55 through 99 are really the only hands he's got here on the regular... But if he believes he's winning WTF is with the 1/3rd pot bet? My conclusion is that he's information betting, so I want to give him a reason to fold. I raise to $160 total. I'm expecting him to fold almost all the time here, and to ship his stack in the rest of the time... And he just calls!?
4433hhcc
This hand is super weird. $450~ in the pot and he's got just under $300 in his stack (vs my $1150). I figure he believes himself committed at this point so I need to just shut down and swallow the $200 investment I've put into this one. I check so that it's up to him to not screw up the hand. He then bets $100... There's no way he's dumb enough to bet a full house or quads in position on the flop and then again on the turn, but how is he just being so small again?
"Do you want to play show one?"
"Maybe if you fold."
"That's not playing show one."
I give it another few seconds and then muck my cards. He says something I don't precisely recall regarding showing and I respond "show both or don't show either, I don't really care either way the hand is yours". He shows Q10hh, then says something about if he's wrong he just takes his $160 and goes home, and only playing poker a few times a year. As far as I can tell a switch in his head must have just gotten flipped when I raised his pre-limp "fuck it, this hand I'm going to beat the pro".
My friend says that with the same line if I ship out right away on the turn he can't call (though I'm guessing he would have anyhow just to gamble), but she had only been at the table for an orbit or two and wasn't giving him the credit I was for as of yet never having gotten out of line.
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