Last night, I had a short and sweet session, just 12 hands. I won two of them, hands 10 and 11. On one of those two hands, I was dealt pocket rockets. Can you guess which one, given the title of this post? If you guessed hand 11, you get a gold star. The best time to get rockets is just after winning a hand. Why? It's elementary, my dear Watson; your opponents will think you're getting frisky with your winnings. It's hard for any poker player (myself included) to credit someone getting two great hands in a row. Of course, it happens, but not all that often. Imagine my delight when I discovered not one but two opponents betting into my aces! Neither of them even had a pair, and I won a pot worth $95,200 without breaking a sweat. I called it a night forthwith.
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 12 hands and saw flop:
- 2 out of 2 times while in big blind (100%)
- 1 out of 2 times while in small blind (50%)
- 4 out of 8 times in other positions (50%)
- a total of 7 out of 12 (58%)
Pots won at showdown - 2 of 3 (66%)
Pots won without showdown - 0
delta: $58,100
balance: $3,180,030
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
My favorite suit
I've mentioned before what my favorite type of hand is (a flush). I've never mentioned what my favorite suit is. One good reason for this is that I never had a favorite suit - until now. Why would I suddenly develop a favorite suit? I'm glad you asked. The answer is simple - thanks to a royal flush I hit on Friday night, I've now had three of them in my poker career, and they've all been club royal flushes. If multiple royal flushes in the same suit can't endear that suit to you, nothing can!
Looking at the odds, I realize I've had more royal flushes than I had any right to expect. But the statistical oddity of having all of them be in the same suit is the most surprising thing of all.
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 35 hands and saw flop:
- 2 out of 4 times while in big blind (50%)
- 2 out of 5 times while in small blind (40%)
- 9 out of 26 times in other positions (34%)
- a total of 13 out of 35 (37%)
Pots won at showdown - 3 of 4 (75%)
Pots won without showdown - 0
delta: $39,300
balance $3,121,930
Looking at the odds, I realize I've had more royal flushes than I had any right to expect. But the statistical oddity of having all of them be in the same suit is the most surprising thing of all.
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 35 hands and saw flop:
- 2 out of 4 times while in big blind (50%)
- 2 out of 5 times while in small blind (40%)
- 9 out of 26 times in other positions (34%)
- a total of 13 out of 35 (37%)
Pots won at showdown - 3 of 4 (75%)
Pots won without showdown - 0
delta: $39,300
balance $3,121,930
Friday, January 27, 2012
Granny smack-talk tilt
Last night, I hit the felt on hand 22 when I went on granny smack-talk tilt. Here's what I mean by that: a player whose screen name indicated she was a grandmother was being highly insulting to another player, and I couldn't refrain from telling her to stop running her mouth. Of course, that only succeeded in including me in her list of targets for verbal abuse. I hit the felt when my two pair, queens and eights was beaten by her two pair, queens and tens.
I reupped for the max, and slowly descended feltward. It was an easy decision to end my night when I finally won two nice pots in three hands to reclaim over half the chips I'd lost.
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 96 hands and saw flop:
- 7 out of 13 times while in big blind (53%)
- 9 out of 14 times while in small blind (64%)
- 43 out of 69 times in other positions (62%)
- a total of 59 out of 96 (61%)
Pots won at showdown - 8 of 17 (47%)
Pots won without showdown - 2
delta: $-19,874
balance: $3,082,630
I reupped for the max, and slowly descended feltward. It was an easy decision to end my night when I finally won two nice pots in three hands to reclaim over half the chips I'd lost.
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 96 hands and saw flop:
- 7 out of 13 times while in big blind (53%)
- 9 out of 14 times while in small blind (64%)
- 43 out of 69 times in other positions (62%)
- a total of 59 out of 96 (61%)
Pots won at showdown - 8 of 17 (47%)
Pots won without showdown - 2
delta: $-19,874
balance: $3,082,630
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Low five
On Tuesday night, my slump continued. I set a new all-time aggregate loss for five contiguous sessions: $280,000. It was another case of staying too long at the fair; I should have quit while I was ahead. On the final hand of the night, I hit the felt with an ace high flush; I lost to a flopped full house. These fatties are killing me!
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 140 hands and saw flop:
- 19 out of 27 times while in big blind (70%)
- 14 out of 27 times while in small blind (51%)
- 57 out of 86 times in other positions (66%)
- a total of 90 out of 140 (64%)
Pots won at showdown - 7 of 14 (50%)
Pots won without showdown - 10
delta: $-40,000
balance: $3,102,504
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 140 hands and saw flop:
- 19 out of 27 times while in big blind (70%)
- 14 out of 27 times while in small blind (51%)
- 57 out of 86 times in other positions (66%)
- a total of 90 out of 140 (64%)
Pots won at showdown - 7 of 14 (50%)
Pots won without showdown - 10
delta: $-40,000
balance: $3,102,504
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Gravitational pull
Poker stacks, like celestial bodies, possess gravitational pull. The larger a poker stack is, the more it attracts additional chips to itself (provided its owner plays correctly). The reason is simple - owners of big stacks can win pots with substandard cards. All the big stack has to do with a mediocre holding is bet big enough to make it not worthwhile for most of his opponents to call. Let's say the big stack has 10 times the number of chips of the average opponent; for just a tenth of his stack, he can force opponents to make all in decisions. For just a twentieth of his stack, he can make life very uncomfortable for the other players.
My first mistake last night was choosing a table that had a bunch of big stacks. Here were the stack sizes at the table just after I joined:
Seat 1: (182070 in chips)
Seat 4: (38300 in chips)
Seat 5: (71000 in chips)
Seat 6: (123200 in chips)
Seat 7: (74450 in chips)
Seat 8: (37400 in chips)
Seat 9: neostreet (40000 in chips)
Seat 1 was playing very well, and built his stack up to over $470,000 during the course of the session. He really knew how to work a big stack. I hit the felt twice, the second time to him. Like a fool, I was on a draw. You should basically never go on a draw against a big stack, since they'll generally put you all in and you'll usually lose. My last four sessions have been very eventful; I've lost $240,000 in them, which comes in second on my all-time list of worst 4 session aggregate loss amounts. Tonight, I'll make sure to join a table where no one has more than $70,000!
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 61 hands and saw flop:
- 3 out of 9 times while in big blind (33%)
- 4 out of 7 times while in small blind (57%)
- 18 out of 45 times in other positions (40%)
- a total of 25 out of 61 (40%)
Pots won at showdown - 2 of 7 (28%)
Pots won without showdown - 2
delta: $-80,000
balance: $3,142,504
My first mistake last night was choosing a table that had a bunch of big stacks. Here were the stack sizes at the table just after I joined:
Seat 1: (182070 in chips)
Seat 4: (38300 in chips)
Seat 5: (71000 in chips)
Seat 6: (123200 in chips)
Seat 7: (74450 in chips)
Seat 8: (37400 in chips)
Seat 9: neostreet (40000 in chips)
Seat 1 was playing very well, and built his stack up to over $470,000 during the course of the session. He really knew how to work a big stack. I hit the felt twice, the second time to him. Like a fool, I was on a draw. You should basically never go on a draw against a big stack, since they'll generally put you all in and you'll usually lose. My last four sessions have been very eventful; I've lost $240,000 in them, which comes in second on my all-time list of worst 4 session aggregate loss amounts. Tonight, I'll make sure to join a table where no one has more than $70,000!
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 61 hands and saw flop:
- 3 out of 9 times while in big blind (33%)
- 4 out of 7 times while in small blind (57%)
- 18 out of 45 times in other positions (40%)
- a total of 25 out of 61 (40%)
Pots won at showdown - 2 of 7 (28%)
Pots won without showdown - 2
delta: $-80,000
balance: $3,142,504
Monday, January 23, 2012
Listening too much to the board
To be a great poker player, you need to be a great listener, and you need to act based on what you hear. The trouble is, there's more than one thing to listen to. My recent play has forced me to realize that I'm much better at listening to what the board is telling me than I am at listening to what my opponents are telling me. I listen to the board too much, and sometimes its mighty voice drowns out the voices of my opponents.
Last Friday night, I hit the felt on hand 7 due to this failing. I'd been dealt 6d 8h, and the flop came 8c 8s Ad. I got into a short raising war with one opponent, who went all in after my second raise. I knew I had a good hand, but his all in should have given me pause. I should have realized he either had my hand beat or was stone bluffing. Instead, all I listened to was the board telling me that statistically I had a hand which was very likely the best. I told myself my hand was the best, and called his all in without really even considering what holding might justify him betting the way he had. He turned over rockets for a full house, aces full of eights. My home-grown "percent at flop" calculator informs me that my hand was a 93% favorite, and could only lose to 5% of the other possible hands with that flop. That 93% is what I was listening to. Had I listened correctly, I would have known that my opponent's all in bet very likely meant that his hand was in the 5% that could beat me. Live and learn!
I reupped for the max at the same table, and played even poker for the rest of the night.
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 114 hands and saw flop:
- 10 out of 13 times while in big blind (76%)
- 7 out of 15 times while in small blind (46%)
- 52 out of 86 times in other positions (60%)
- a total of 69 out of 114 (60%)
Pots won at showdown - 10 of 16 (62%)
Pots won without showdown - 5
delta: $-40,000
balance: $3,222,504
Last Friday night, I hit the felt on hand 7 due to this failing. I'd been dealt 6d 8h, and the flop came 8c 8s Ad. I got into a short raising war with one opponent, who went all in after my second raise. I knew I had a good hand, but his all in should have given me pause. I should have realized he either had my hand beat or was stone bluffing. Instead, all I listened to was the board telling me that statistically I had a hand which was very likely the best. I told myself my hand was the best, and called his all in without really even considering what holding might justify him betting the way he had. He turned over rockets for a full house, aces full of eights. My home-grown "percent at flop" calculator informs me that my hand was a 93% favorite, and could only lose to 5% of the other possible hands with that flop. That 93% is what I was listening to. Had I listened correctly, I would have known that my opponent's all in bet very likely meant that his hand was in the 5% that could beat me. Live and learn!
I reupped for the max at the same table, and played even poker for the rest of the night.
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 114 hands and saw flop:
- 10 out of 13 times while in big blind (76%)
- 7 out of 15 times while in small blind (46%)
- 52 out of 86 times in other positions (60%)
- a total of 69 out of 114 (60%)
Pots won at showdown - 10 of 16 (62%)
Pots won without showdown - 5
delta: $-40,000
balance: $3,222,504
Friday, January 20, 2012
Lady Luck's fangs
Last night, Lady Luck smiled on me; at least, I thought she was smiling. Actually, she was only moving her lips to get them out of the way of the fangs she was about to sink into my neck! On a hand where I was actually drawing dead after the flop, she gave me false hope on the river; I made a straight, and there were no flush draws on the board. Unfortunately for me, my opponent had flopped a fatty (my nickname for a full house), and had slow-played it masterfully. In other words, he boiled a frog on this hand (the frog being me). My brain was simply incapable of conceiving the possibility of there being a fatty out there, and I called my opponent's all-in reraise of my river raise. Only the fact that I started the hand with more chips than he did prevented me from hitting the felt. As it was, after losing $38,000 on the hand, I was essentially crippled. I soon got into Lazarus territory, and that was all she wrote.
I feel the need to reassure you that this kind of night doesn't get me down. In fact, looked at in the right way, you can see that Lady Luck was actually paying me more attention, cruel though it may have been, than she was paying the other players. She likes me, but she also likes to make me suffer. She still wants to teach me, and I still want to learn!
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 73 hands and saw flop:
- 6 out of 10 times while in big blind (60%)
- 6 out of 12 times while in small blind (50%)
- 28 out of 51 times in other positions (54%)
- a total of 40 out of 73 (54%)
Pots won at showdown - 4 of 7 (57%)
Pots won without showdown - 1
delta: $-40,000
balance: $3,262,504
I feel the need to reassure you that this kind of night doesn't get me down. In fact, looked at in the right way, you can see that Lady Luck was actually paying me more attention, cruel though it may have been, than she was paying the other players. She likes me, but she also likes to make me suffer. She still wants to teach me, and I still want to learn!
During current Hold'em session you were dealt 73 hands and saw flop:
- 6 out of 10 times while in big blind (60%)
- 6 out of 12 times while in small blind (50%)
- 28 out of 51 times in other positions (54%)
- a total of 40 out of 73 (54%)
Pots won at showdown - 4 of 7 (57%)
Pots won without showdown - 1
delta: $-40,000
balance: $3,262,504
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