Poker Community

What the hell did they do to the Final Table broadcast? I set my DVR for the two-hour timeslot and when two hours hit, they were still three-handed, let alone any heads up! When does heads-up air???

Does anyone know if there will be any live coverage of the Final Table? E.g. Pay per view, podcast, etc

So, I'm playing 25NL daily now (especially with the Take 2 promo at FTP) and I'm noticing one fairly common move: Open-Limping from the SB.

Is there ever a good reason to do this at these limits? I can't think type of a single player I'd want to try this on regardless of my hand. I can see some argument for trapping with AA or something if the player was super-aggressive, but even then...

Every time someone has done that while I was in the BB, I raised it to $1 and I can't think of a single time when I was called, let alone re-raised. People really are trying to limp in out of position against someone getting a free card? Even if they were to call, I'd be in an excellent spot to steal it on the flop regardless of my hand. Maybe I wouldn't do it against an 50%+ VPIP extreme calling station, but otherwise I'm trying to steal the pot.

Maybe it would be different if I had a ton of history with someone, but it's extremely unusual to be seated next to someone you've played with before at these limits (at least with the 14k hands I have at FTP so far).

So what do you think? Never open-limp in SB? Raise the limper with pretty much any two cards from the BB?

Or am I missing something important?

I humbly submit this as one of the most enjoyable poker hands in history.

(I'm not a shill and the links below are all free of referral codes.)

Full Tilt Poker is running a promo right now called Take 2. There are two parts to it, but it revolves around playing at two (or more) ring games at the same time. That is to say, regular cash games and not tournaments.

The first part is that you earn double Full Tilt Points at each table. (Points can be used for entry to some tournaments and also to buy various goodies.)

The second part is that if you do this for at least 5 days (in September), you get $5. If you do it at least 10, you get $15. 15 gets you $25 and 25 gets you $50.

I've read the rules a few times because it seemed too good to be true...but this looks like it really is easy money.

To qualify, you need to earn at least 1 Full Tilt Point at each table. How long this will take will depend on the limits at which you play. (It only takes a couple minutes to get one or more playing at the .10/.25 NL games.) You can also play during the various Happy Hours and earn points twice as fast.

Please note that if you are interested in STARTING to play at Full Tilt Poker, I'd be very happy to do a Refer-a-Friend with you, which could earn us both over $100 in cash bonus -- and you would still get to take advantage of FTP's 100% First Deposit Bonus. If interested, I need your email address. You can send it to martin - at - simaltech - dot - com. (I'm not a shill, but I'm not allergic to free money either.)

http://freepokerrealprizes.com/

< brag > Won $120 second prize in the first of these freerolls < /brag >

< beat > Prizes seem to be on some sort of accelerated depreciation schedule < /beat >

The whole thing is legit, though. I didn't need to pay an entry fee or provide any info besides my name, and when I finished second they immediately put $120 into my account and I could begin gambling with it like 1 min after the tournament finished.

I have an intriguing question that may require a bit of thought.

Would a stake from another person be considered gambling on your part?

For those that do not know what a stake is, it is a specific amount of money given to you to play poker with. If you profit from it, then the staker gets 50% of your winnings and you take 50% (or whatever the cut is decided to be). If you lose the stake, then you are out nothing other than 'cake' if the staker stakes you again. 'Cake' pretty much means that if you profit from the next stake, you pay me back what money you lost the first stake and then cut any additional profits. If the staker does not stake you again, you are out nothing.

Hope you'll come by and read my blog about me trying to make some money playing poker locally.  Maybe give me some tips...

http://straightbet.livejournal.com/


Thanks

SB

http://www.pocketfives.com/online-poker-scene/boku-turns-100-into-10-000-in-15-days-4045676

The gist of the story is that this kid (Boku87 on PokerStars) took a bet that he couldn't turn $100 into $10,000 in two weeks.

He won the bet (worth about $35k itself) by playing up to 700 sit and gos in a day. DAMN.

I can't even fathom the level of mental acuity this required.

Got this email from PokerStars today. I'm amazed by this. Haven't been able to check the amount of my credit yet, since I am at work. I'm sure it's small (since I play pretty small stakes), but still . . .

------------------

Hello,

PokerStars has become aware of two players who were working together in our Sit & Go tournaments to the detriment of other players. You were involved in at least one tournament with these players and as a result you may have been adversely affected.

The players' accounts were closed and their funds frozen pending a thorough investigation, which is now complete. Fortunately the problem was identified quickly and they had only played in a few tournaments before the accounts were closed.

In a case such as this it is our policy to confiscate the colluders' winnings or balances and to distribute them to the players affected by their actions in as fair a way as possible. To confirm your credit, log onto your PokerStars account, go to the 'Cashier' screen and click the 'History' button. Your share will be shown "Credit Purchase", followed by the amount of the credit.

I regret that we will be unable to answer questions as to how your specific credit amount was calculated. Likewise, we are not at liberty to identify the specific games or players in question. Suffice to say that they have been barred from the site and you will not encounter them again.

The integrity of the games at PokerStars is of paramount importance to us and we will not abide cheating or collusion in our games. We work hard to police our games and prevent such instances. In the rare cases where collusion has actually occurred, we make sure that any players affected are compensated appropriately.

Thank you for your continued play here on PokerStars. Please do not hesitate to let us know any time we can be of help.

Best Regards,


MarkW
PokerStars Collusion Investigation Team

Hi, everyone. I know this community hasn't been busy of late, but hope you're still here:

I apparently missed the start of Season 5 of High Stakes Poker the last two Sundays. My listings show airings at 6pm, 7pm, 8pm and 9pm this coming Sunday; but the synopses are all vague and I have no idea if these will be the previous two episodes, leading up to the latest, or if these are going to be old reruns?

Does anybody know?

(I realize some of you might be tempted to advise me to pull them from online, YouTube, etc., but none of those are an option for me, I need to get the episodes from a real TV. Thanks.)

Howdy,

I'm playing a little bit of 0.50/1 NLHE on PokerStars. From time to time, I wonder if I'm leaving money on the table. For instance:

PokerStars Game #24000857198: Hold'em No Limit ($0.50/$1.00) - 2009/01/17 16:17:43 ET
Table 'Mentor IV' 9-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: Desti10 ($22.50 in chips)
Seat 2: amazinmets73 ($54.60 in chips)
Seat 3: leroyownsyou ($100 in chips)
Seat 4: Dak9885 ($20.60 in chips)
Seat 5: villian ($108.95 in chips)
Seat 6: hero ($76.60 in chips)
Seat 7: zackpot420 ($62.55 in chips)
Seat 8: bambam500599 ($19.50 in chips)
Seat 9: wjmitchell ($95 in chips)
villian: posts small blind $0.50
hero: posts big blind $1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to hero [2d 2c]
zackpot420: folds
bambam500599: folds
wjmitchell: folds
Desti10: folds
amazinmets73: folds
leroyownsyou: folds
Dak9885: folds
villian: raises $3 to $4
hero: calls $3
*** FLOP *** [Qc 2s 6d]
villian: checks
hero: bets $4
villian: calls $4
*** TURN *** [Qc 2s 6d] [5c]
villian: checks
hero: bets $10
villian: calls $10
*** RIVER *** [Qc 2s 6d 5c] [5s]
villian: bets $32
hero: calls $32
*** SHOW DOWN ***
villian: shows [5d 4d] (three of a kind, Fives)
hero: shows [2d 2c] (a full house, Deuces full of Fives)
hero collected $97 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $100 | Rake $3
Board [Qc 2s 6d 5c 5s]
Seat 1: Desti10 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: amazinmets73 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: leroyownsyou folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: Dak9885 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: villian (small blind) showed [5d 4d] and lost with three of a kind, Fives
Seat 6: hero (big blind) showed [2d 2c] and won ($97) with a full house, Deuces full of Fives
Seat 7: zackpot420 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: bambam500599 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: wjmitchell folded before Flop (didn't bet)

Should I have lumped in the remaining $25 or so with a raise on the river?

(Edited last sentence for grammar.)

Anyone care to give me some feedback on my play? I'm still in micro-limits, but after being a limit player for a long time now, I want to try my hand at NL. So far it's going well, but the sample size is way too small to make any assumptions, and I definitely could use some feedback. Here's a hand that I wonder about my play from preflop to river.

( $0.01/$0.02 NL, $3-$5 buyin )

Early in a small stakes live tournament.  Blinds are at 25/50.  I was second to act at a full table (10).  UTG folds.  I got pocket 10s.  I made it 250 to go.  Everyone folds to the BB.  He calls.

I have played with this guy before and he is pretty loose and I have seen him go to showdown with an under pair to the board.

Flop comes AJ7 rainbow. He checks and I bet 500 (pot size bet - 525).  He contemplates it and almost folds.  He calls.  Turn is a queen.  He checks.  Although I have never seen him trap, this set off a slight warning.  I check.  I though, after I checked that he had a jack.  River is a 10.  He pushes all in.  At this point I put him in a middle pair (I'd seen him do this before) or per haps a jack or even a jack - ten.  I call and he shows 98 off suit.

He chased the gut shot.  I think now if I would have bet the turn he may have folded.  But as he is one that chases, maybe not.

Thoughts

Dear Poker community,

I am new to livejournal and this community. I've been playing poker for about 2 years now and actively online since August 2008 with a few breaks in between because of moving from my old apartment to my current one :). I'm going to start documenting my progress at online poker in the form of analyzing tactical game through postings of hands, graphs and so on but also sharing my thoughts and my views on the game in general and my play.
I've written an introduction of me as a person and one about me in terms of my online poker activity. Currently I only play the micro limits but im hoping that I can share my experiences and thoughts on the game with others productively on my journal page and in this community.

If you are interested any further please check out my journal and add me as a friend.

Thank you for reading,
good luck to you all :)

So who all is playing in this? I've seen a few LJ'er names here and there.

Activity has been pretty light in the community lately.  That's too bad.  I've always enjoyed reading questions and comments and stories here.

I was in Vegas this weekend, not entirely of my own volition, but as long as I was there I was going to play some 1-2 NL at the Stratosphere.  It was every solid player's wet dream.  8 out of 10 players with holes in their game you could drive a truck through.  And I did drive my tiny stack through most of them.

Except, of course, 'Big Daddy'

Big Daddy liked to play a straddle both in the 3rd seat AND on the button, something the Stratosphere allows.

Big Daddy liked to raise up with terrible hands something like 6X to 10X BB from his straddle.

I cought a mediocre suited ace against one of Big Daddy's Donk raises from the 3rd seat after straddling.  So I called.

The flop came A 8 6 with two spades, so of course, having my pair of aces, I put him on some rediculous draw and tap him tight, to the tune of $300 (into a $40-$60 pot).  He calls with QJ flush draw and hits his draw, of course.  My $600 pot gone.

This is not just some sob story about having an opponent hit some 2-1 draw or worse for a ton of chips.  Oh no.  It's what happened next that was the most hillarious and memorable poker experience of my entire poker life.

"Who's you daddy!  I'm you daddy, little boy.  Time to go to sleep now, bye bye!"  Big Daddy just went crazy talking shit like I've never heard before!  Hence the name, bid Daddy.

Psychologically, that game was the biggest victory of my entire life.  Because I absolutely, positively was not flustered a single bit.  I don't care what you say about plaing a mediocre hand that could have been dominated by a better ace.  I had a line on Big Daddy, 100%, and I knew exactly where he was at at all times, and I patiently waited and got it all in when I had the best of it, and lost.  So I just smiled and said, ok, next hand.

I played on for hours and hours more, continuing to exploit the supreme softness of this game at the Stratosphere.  I mean, this game was Jello.  It was lemon merengue pie.  I have never met so many people willing to put money on a poker table without even a clue in my entire life.  It really was magical.

And Big Daddy?  He continued to play cheese one hand after another, and against this field, he was losing a ton of money most of the time but winning even more when he hit his hands.  He really thought he was the Big Poker Daddy of the universe.  He even went through exactly the same shit talking routine after hitting a flush against another guy for a huge pot!

So, if you ever meet a mid-sized, stocky, middle-eastern looking gentelman in sweatpants and a t-shirt asking "who's your daddy?" after showing down some rediculous cheese he just caught a hand with, tell him I said hi, and ask him if he's enjoying my money. =)

I'd been thinking of asking you guys about this for a while now, and the previous post prompted me to do so.

First, a little background. I've been running bad for about two years now. Just the general feeling of "if an opponent has outs, he'll hit them".

So I go to Las Vegas last month for the World Deaf Poker Tournament, an annual event that I'd attended the previous three years, cashing once. It's a $300 buy-in ($200 prize pool, $40 house fee, $60 charity donation).

The first sign of trouble: After having 160-180 players the first three years, there are only 92 players this year. The second sign: 15 minute blind levels. I'm thinking "Turbo Donkament" but play it out anyway.

I'm literally catching no cards at all, but a few well-timed bluffs had increased my 5000 starting stack to 5900 about an hour in when this hand occurs:

Blinds are 150-300 and I pick up 3-3 in the cutoff. Two limpers call and I go along for the ride to see if I can flop a set. SB calls and BB checks for a 1500 pot.

Flop: 8-5-3 Rainbow.

It's checked around to me, and I lead out for 800. Both blinds fold and the first limper (a bit of a LAGgy) check-raises to 2000. The other limper folds and I go into the tank for a minute. I decide that either he has a big pair or a draw. So I shove, and I'd he has a higher set, so be it.

He insta-calls and shows A-A. I have him covered by a little, so close to a double up, I think.

Turn: 4

And the way I've been running, I have X-ray vision right from the dealer's hand...

River: 2

So the opponent takes a bunch of congratulations and saying "I had to call!"

I'm crippled (down to 1450, then a chip race knocked me down to 1400 with 200-400 blinds and I lost a race).

So here's my question: Could I have gotten away from my set when I got check-raised? Every fiber of my being says I played it right, and got supremely unlucky. But definitely want to see other perspectives.

I tried, but I can't sleep. This same hand from today keeps replaying in my head over and over again. I need help breaking it down. If you could give me your thoughts, it would be much obliged.

I had been playing at this table for a good few hours. It was a nice tight-aggressive table with a good few fishies feeding it. I am sitting in seat 9, next to the dealer. I had recently folded a good hand to what I saw to be a dominating hand (my queen-king with an outside straight draw against one person already all-in and the other pushing a heavy stack all-in with pocket kings.). My mindset was still in good poker-playing mode, but a little looser than I would usually play for the simple fact of hitting the nine on the turn after folding to the all-in. Anyway...

It is a $2-$2 no limit live game table. I looked down at 10-9 of diamonds in good position. I raised to $10, which is a pretty standard raise for this game if you don't want every single person who receives a hand to call you. Seat three in the big blind re-raises my $10 to $25 total. Considering how he has been playing past hands, I immediately put him on K-K, but of course, it is still only a pair. It is $15 to call and I am in for $10 already. If I hit better than K-K, I'm sure this guy will be pushing on me the whole way. I make the call. Flop comes Jack of diamonds, Queen of clubs, King of diamonds. A perfect flop. He is first to act and it is heads-up. He bets $20. I do my best acting job knowing I just flopped a straight and putting him easily on a set. I grumble and "think" and run numbers through my head. I very "unwillingly" smooth-called him saying, "Alright, one-time". Turn card Ace of hearts. He pushes all-in for about $70-$80 and I call as soon as his chips cross the betting line. No need to act anymore. I show the nuts and he shows, sure enough, trip kings. River card Jack for the boat.

In my eyes, it was a horrendous suckout on an amazingly played hand. I knew what he had the entire time, and had I not hit two pair or better vs his kings I would have easily folded. With the implied odds of how much was in his stack, knowing he would push it no matter what came, and knowing exactly what he had do you think I played it right? If not, what did I do wrong and how can I make sure not to make that same mistake again?

I talked to a few players and they said I played it fantastically, but they didn't like the call of the re-raise preflop. I was already in for $10, it was only $15 more to call for implied odds of another $80-$100 or so if I hit. Suited connectors take down pairs all day long. But knowing what I knew, do you still think I made the right play every step of the way? How would you have played it different? He pretty much called me a donkey for the way I played it, but I wasn't the one pushing with four cards to a straight with only trips. Was I the donkey or was he? All responses welcome. Thanks for your input.

Copied from another blog, but I haven't seen it mentioned and if you play online or value your freedom to this is important:

The Bush Administration is hastily finalizing a number of “midnight rules” before they leave office, and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) is on the list. Just like UIGEA was snuck into legislation in the dark of night in 2006, anti-poker extremists are again trying an 11th hour sneak job. We need you to help us expose and stop this reckless rulemaking.

Please call the U.S. Federal Reserve and tell them not to approve the UIGEA regulations — Consumer Complaints, 888-851-1920 or Public Affairs, 202-452-2955.

Tell them:

The federal agencies responsible for our nation’s economy should not be focused on Internet poker regulations.
Finalization of the UIGEA rules will add additional burdens on our already crippled financial systems.
Internet poker is a game of skill and form of recreation for millions of Americans; it should be exempted from the UIGEA.
Please do not finalize the UIGEA regulations until their impact on our banking systems and average Americans has been fully studied.
Your call will make a huge difference and will add the public’s voice to these last minute policy decisions our government is poised to make. We can’t stand idly by while they make decisions that will impact our right to play America’s card game. PLEASE CALL TODAY!

DOW JONES NEWSWIRE