Poker

Yesterday was a good day. I seem to have sorted out the Water Bill crisis to everyone's satisfaction (including mine), and then DHL delivered the two Harrington Cash NL books. God bless Pokerstars FPPS. One of the advantages of playing lots of cash is that you accumulate these points at a slow rate here there and everywhere, and eventually they come in use; as cash (IP Network, Party), or as purchases (Full Tilt, Stars).

If anyone wants me to order more, I can sell them on (Central London) at £25 the pair. Stars sent them on the 16th in Ohio and they arrived on the 18th in Lewisham.


I've only read a couple of chapters and it's the normal combination of "what the fuck is he doing here?" and "Ah. yes, he's codified very well something that I've had in mind in a vague fashion for some time". I particularly like the fact that, early on, he delivers a sample hand (a raise with QTs in mid that gets a number of differently stacked callers) that shows very well the complexity of the game in real life. If I have one criticism of Sklansky (rather than thousands) it's that his mathematics are far too "clean". Flops are rarely K82 rainbow, but they seem to crop up a lot of the time in Sklansky. And often you have a few outs that are probably good, some outs that might be either good or very bad (because you will improve but still lose) and some outs that you just aren't sure about.

A long way to go with the books, but so far I've been impressed.

++++++++++

Considering how I seem to be struggling to win any money at $100 buy in over the past 30,000 hands (I’ve had a deep look at Pokertracker on this, and most of it seems to be down to just running bad) at times I think I’ve been playing bloody well. I was pleased with these two hands.

Incidentally, because the games this morning looked so awful on Stars and on IP Network, I took the time to rewrite the macro. It should now automatically convert IP games and also change the suit colors. However, the habit of IP of terming cards “DA” etc, might mean for some odd conversions of players’ names!

Seat 1: 4Bobber ($37.60 in chips)
Seat 2: Hero ($82.50 in chips)
Seat 4: fabiobresil ($39.00 in chips)
Seat 5: ivangas74 ($57.05 in chips)
Seat 6: MRKALOU ($34.55 in chips)
Seat 7: porkyfarm ($120.40 in chips) DEALER
Seat 10: 10JORAO10 ($100.00 in chips)
10JORAO10: Post SB $0.50
4Bobber: Post BB $1.00

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [K♠ A◊;]

Hero: Raise $3.50

In an aggressive full-stacked game I might limp here, but most of the table is half-stack or less, and for some reaason I only have $82 in front of me, so I’m not worried too much by the “fear of thirteen””

fabiobresil: Fold
ivangas74: Fold
MRKALOU: Call $3.50
porkyfarm: Fold
10JORAO10: Call $3.00
4Bobber (small sample 43%/6%. Looks looseish passive): Raise to $5.00

Note Bobber’s stack size and the size of this raise. He might as well hold up a sign about his holding here. However, I can’t fold AK to a minimum raise. I might hit a straight or trip kings. With another large-stacked opponent, I’m getting decent implied odds. There’s also the possibility of getting more money off the other opponent in a sidestack.

Hero: Call $2.50
MRKALOU: Call $2.50
10JORAO10: Call $2.50

*** FLOP *** [6♠ 7◊; K♡;]
10JORAO10: Check
4Bobber: Check
Hero: Check

TPTK and a check? Am I mad? I don’t think so.

MRKALOU: Check

*** TURN *** [T♣;]
10JORAO10: Bet $10.00
4Bobber: Raise $20.00

Why am I not surprised?

Hero: Fold
MRKALOU: Fold
10JORAO10: Call $10.00

*** RIVER *** [9♠]
10JORAO10: Check

We all know what’s coming now.

4Bobber: Allin $11.60
10JORAO10: Call $11.60

*** SUMMARY ***
Dealt to 10JORAO10 [J♡; J♣;]
Dealt to 4Bobber [A♡; A♠]

Total pot $84.20 Rake $3.00
4Bobber: wins $84.20

______________________

One of the most misleading aphorisms in poker (one which, I'm sad to say, Harrington repeats early on) is that betting is better than checking “because it gives you two ways to win the pot”. Betting is often better than checking, but that isn’t a valid reason for doing it. It’s no more valid a justification than “You can maximise the number of pots you win by playing every hand”. Betting might give you two ways to win the pot compared to one (opponent might fold when you are losing, or call when you are winning), but that’s a piece of mathematical nonsense, because it implies that the amount you win will be the same. Here’s an example where betting might have given me two ways to win the pot compared with one, but I’d take the one over the two every day of the week.


Seat 1: Karassenis ($99.00 in chips)
Seat 2: Hero ($119.00 in chips)
Seat 4: SalvioJuliano ($129.85 in chips)
Seat 5: gypcasino ($119.05 in chips)
Seat 6: misterralf ($19.90 in chips)
Seat 7: ninjaa11 ($87.70 in chips)
Seat 9: Niedman ($134.50 in chips)
Seat 10: HorseradishSauce ($105.10 in chips) DEALER

Karassenis: Post SB $0.50
Hero: Post BB $1.00

*** HOLE CARDS ***

Dealt to Hero [K♣; A♡;]
SalvioJuliano: Fold
gypcasino: Call $1.00
misterralf: Call $1.00
ninjaa11 (28%/2% over sample of 100 hands): Call $1.00
Niedman: Fold
HorseradishSauce: Fold
Karassenis: Call $0.50
Hero: Raise To $8.00
gypcasino: Call $7.00
misterralf: Fold
ninjaa11: Call $7.00
Karassenis: Fold

*** FLOP *** [2♠ A◊; 8♡;]
Hero: Check

Two opponents, raggedy board, I’m prepared to risk a check-raise here.

gypcasino: Check
ninjaa11: Check

Oh well, never mind.

*** TURN *** [3♡;]
Hero: Bet $16.00
gypcasino: Fold
ninjaa11: Call $16.00

*** RIVER *** [K◊;]
Hero: Check

I don’t think opponent will put me on AK if I check here,

ninjaa11: Bet $42.00
Hero: Call $42.00

*** SUMMARY ***
Dealt to ninjaa11 [4♡; 6♡;]
Total pot $139.00 Rake $3.00
Hero: wins $139.00