Play Poker

Play Poker Tournaments

December 12, 2008

Now I believe you should play poker tournaments, especially in an "action" game (this is the good aspect of reading Mike's views), but to make that the only thing you focus on is silly as well as wrong, and is typical GIGO in computer-speak (Garbage In, Garbage Out). In the original Super/System Doyle Brunson talks about an early impression of Caro playing nothing and then spreading five cards with a cackle when called on the river of a draw game. Therefore the standing question regarding Caro, madman or genius? The correct answer is both, hence his nickname, "Mad Genius of Poker." My first encounter with Mike was similar. At the World Series of Poker in a satellite to an Omaha game, at Binion's downtown Las Vegas about 16 years ago, he was raising in the dark (clearly without looking at his hand, which was left as delivered, face-down in front of him) every hand, thereby throwing a wrench into the proceedings for the rest of us! We were trying to play poker, but how could we now? Exactly his point, I am sure, although if one has enough money to play this way why show your skill off in any game of poker? Bill Gates plays $3-6 hold'em in Las Vegas from time to time. That is three-dollar/six-dollar hold'em! A few years later I played next to Mike in an event in Los Angeles and offered him the story of a shark that would eat his own tail to use in one of his illustrations—now as far as I know he never did, even though such an animal does exist, and an article about this "fish" had just come out. I mean many animals chase their tails, without ever catching up to them, but only this shark (as far as I know) actually catches and bites it own tail(fin).

Another thing that Mike Caro offered the playing community was his The Book of Tells, which was true genius in offering real psychological observation at the time. It is still essential reading for any professional player, and yet in trying to review it I was full of qualifiers and adjustments to current realities. Let me flesh that comment out a bit. Tells, and books that have followed, are important information, but not to be relied on when playing against top players. When one is faced with amateurs you can often save a bet or two in limited games, or make a key check behind the blatant tell in a big-bet game, but when playing against top players you have to decide what the tell really means.

The other player (and this includes most tough amateurs) have likely read a book which gives the same information, and may change behavior accordingly. Is he acting weak because he is weak? Or does he want you to think he is weak? Or is he weak, but thinks you will think he is strong because he is acting weak and won't believe him? One can go as deep into this as you wish to, to decipher the situation and take action after making your determination. Back to reacting to the amateur, do you think that knowing how the amateur is acting is material to beating him? If so, your game likely needs an overhaul. So while this was important information until everyone had it, how important is it now? Also, it should be pointed out that when playing draw games, which usually had only two rounds of betting, it was very important to determine your opponent's strength as it was often one fourth or so of each pot and your subsequent decision was critical — but in limit hold'em it is often one fifteenth of the pot or even one fortieth of the pot, so how important is it to be right one time out of ten? You might have had negative EV (expected value) in a draw game, but easily have positive EV in a hold'em game with the same play.

Pokers to Blame

August 21, 2007

I suppose a person with an ego bigger than their brain would jump and say pokers to blame, but those who laughed at David for not accepting the bet just don't seem to understand what Sklansky has spent his entire adult life trying to teach us: Bet your money when you have the edge and you'll enjoy life by always "Getting the Best of It." The $10,350 payday was an excellent start to his large-buy-in tournament career, and he played a number of WSOP events through the 1990's, cashing a dozen times.

Another obvious choice was Doyle Brunson. "It was a mistake, thinking that work was more important than my family," Layne says about his time in Bozeman, Montana where they moved so he could run the poker room in a local poker casino. The idea worked, and today Party offers satellite tournaments to win an entry for the cruise and tournament for as little as $6. I don't know what I was doing there, but I do know why Jerome Graham was there.

None of the books included game theory or the math that is such an integral part of the poker com game. Cyndy capped the 2004 poker year by placing fifth in the World Poker Tour's Ladies Night Out tournament.

Exploiting them became a game as well as a steady source of income. A lot has been written about how to play AK, and yet I see players misplay this holding more than any other hand, even more than AA. Well, that's not entirely true. Is it just the TV exposure? There are no successful poker net tournament players that don't turn-up the pressure at the right time. This point of view is also taken by David Sklansky, who also postulated something important to the world (or at least to the poker world). Greenstein, most things simply aren't what they appear.

I headed back to Reno and the friendly hold'em games at Harrah's, and I got married for the second time. Brad knew the Ungar women and recommended that Joe, now retired and a freelance consultant, come aboard as a non-compensated resource to the fledgling charity. Paulle said, "When she goes on one of her patented rushes, the sun dims in the sky and she becomes a force of nature," and as she closed in on first place, Mike added, "Barbara Enright was catching everything but malaria."

To make matters worse, Dave insisted on buying-in for as little as possible. To go with those amazing feats, Berry has five gold bracelets, including wins in limit poker hold'em, limit Omaha, and Razz. It's been 19 years now; I'm still waiting. In fact, he is 10th all-time - ahead of players like Dewey Tomko, Howard Lederer and Johnny Chan. By 1861 his lawman career had placed him in Nebraska.

Playing Poker Ever Since

June 28, 2007

His introduction to poker came about six ago when he stumbled onto an announcement about a free on-line poker tournament (WRGPT). Only no one died in this poker room at 10:00 p.m. For example, playing poker ever since I was 5, in one game recently where I knew the game had a tough lineup, I was actually winning slightly greater than my normal.8 hands per orbit. I tell him the Majestic Bar is my home. Players think there has been a poor decision made by the floorperson calling the poker game. I have seen him diffuse more volatile situations than you can imagine.

In most normal no limit cash games though, you'll usually want to play poker for fun with top pairs. (You're a pot pusher?) Players were giving me nasty looks and making snide remarks, probably for being slow, or for making stringy bets, or just for being so naive. Sonny is all smiles again, So good to see you both. The thrill of wrapping my hands around someone's neck and ever-so-slowly strangling them.

Did you think that you were fooling me by hesitating? Nothing stays constant in this business. Secondly, I don't mean to suggest that most of the tournaments we play in will lead to the kind of frustration that I am referring to. In tournament poker, there is no Santa Claus. It's great to have something or someplace that you love, being discovered by a whole new group of people.

Money started changing hands. I know what you're thinking: 'Did he fire six shots, or only five?' Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I've kinda lost track myself. I was running pretty good at the time and had several thousand dollars in front of me. It was clear that the money would go to whoever adapted best to what each knew of the other. I just wanted to know what significance the term sit-and-go had.

But then what? With three hearts on the flop, two of them being 9-10, he bet all-in with a Q-J of diamond. If I can continue with this level of consistency, then this will really help my bankroll go a long way in poker casino and restaurants tournaments. I must say that despite the big name professionals at this year's event, this tournament is getting a lot of high finishes from amateurs like myself. It was just another practical joke.

Play Partypoker

May 23, 2007

But if the two objects play partypoker by your hands are different, somebody wins. Mandalay Group Executives and Shareholders - Never mind nearly 90,000 workers, the casino industry, middle management types, millions of consumers, and the overall landscape of Las Vegas - all that seems to matter here is what's in for the executives and shareholders.

It also has been unlucky for me when I have chosen a seat that is next to a poker homesteader. I'm sure that you all know about homesteaders. It bounces to the right, toward the inside. Moe bet the river and Jerry called. It's that simple, as Hellmuth's results confirm. The ones that work, in my mind, are winner-take-all in which the table champion gets immediate compensation and advances to the next winner-take-all table. We had a pot-limit Omaha game with $25-50 blinds, which was a big poker game, Collins said. Maybe it's best as a private matter. What time did he collapse, Mil? I ask.

I told him I was ex-floor and we talked shop a little. By the way, what I just told you is not true for games that have no set size on what you can bet. And that the dominant representative of the animal kingdom is the banana slug?

This place might be okay after all. But over the years I've discovered there are rewards for being a poker Peeping Tom. You can only cost somebody money. One hour later he was up to $800. One of the troubles with getting old is that you lose your patience.

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