Winning Your Home Game No Limit Poker

We all hope for those pocket pairs each time we check our cards.  But I believe that many people play them wrong and get caught holding the worst hand after the flop.  If in a good position and a bunch of limpers in front of you, and you have 8’s and below pocket pair, a limp is a good call.  Why?  You have to think than more than one person in front of you is holding two over cards, and they most likely will make any call that you put out.  If you are out of position, a raise will eliminate many people, and that puts the percentages in your favor.  One thing I do not suggest to do is make the overbet here.  Most people are not going to play Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks or 10’s for 200+ chips when the blinds are 10-20.  With an overbet, I think it looks like you have a small pair and you do not want to see the flop.  Recently, a good player put it all in for close to 300 chips.  He wasn’t in good position and had 4-5 players behind him.  I had stumbled into pocket sevens, and was definately calling because I had put him on pocket 2’s, 3’s, or 4’s, but the player in front of me made the call.  At this point I knew that if I called we were in a race.  I put the person in front of me on two over cards, and probably AK, AQ, AJ or KQ.  I folded thinking I made the right call.  The person behind me also had a good hand, but thought over it hard and folded too.  When the cards were layed out, the raiser had pocket 2’s, and the other person had KQ.  The KQ was kinda a wild call, and the raiser let him know about it, but the flop had a king.  I mentioned that if the KQ player didn’t call, I was going to because I knew I had him beat.  The player behind me had pocket 5’s and would have bet the initial raiser also.  If he would have limped in, because he was out of position, he could have seen the flop and backed down and still been in the game.

Do you make a raise with the rockets?  Depends on where you at on the table.  In last position, a raise looks like a steal, and a couple players will call.  I personally like to make a raise with any pocket pair higher than 9’s.  I want to eliminate a couple people hopefully and hope to catch the juice on the flop, which only happens once in a blue moon.  In another game, I picked up pocket 2’s.  The pot was raised then re-raised before it got to me.  I quickly folded, and when the flop brought out the other two 2’s, my stomach hurt.  Looking back at the play, I am pretty sure I would have folded again, but then again the re-raise wasn’t that big, and I was the big blind so I should have seen a flop.  I do believe that if you can see a flop with your pocket pair, that it is a good play.  You are hoping to lightning in a bottle, and if you hit it, well then you can put the screws down and win yourself some chips.

Those pocket kings are ace magnets, and you know someone is holding Ace-rag against you.  Play it with a raise, and hope that they get unlucky and put the hammer down after the flop.  But watch the suit of the cards.  If it is rainbow, then your probably in good shape, but when they are suitted and the person checks then re-raises you bet, chances are they have two of the suitted cards and your in more of a race than you might think.  Either you go all in and hope for luck that another one doesn’t come out, but a fold here isn’t the worst thing in the world.  I hate it when people go all in with a possible flush, but I have done the same thing when the odds are in my favor.  Your going to win almost 68% of the time, but it’s that one time that hurts the most.

Good luck and hope you see aces pre-flop.

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In most cases, I personally feel that if you have a good hand you should raise the pot 3x the blinds. However, recently I have deployed the limp tactic when playing against certain people for a couple of reasons. One, to disguise my hand. Second, if I know someone is going to call anything that I put in and playing for luck with the flop, and third to set a big trap against many people.

Watching others betting patterns allows me to know when I can bluff and when I am just point blank beat. In a recent hand, I picked up pocket rockets. Since the players that are normally playing for luck had folded, and I was in position, I put out a 3x bet. I had one woman call me. This was a little shocking to me because she limped into the pot. She was also someone that folded a lot and had a tight image in my opinion. The flop came out 4,5,6 rainbow and she instantly made a nice bet of close to half the chips in the pot. With that flop I normally wouldn’t have been scared against almost anyone else at the table, but with her I knew she hit trips. With such a small bet after the flop I felt like she was trying to make sure that I would stay in with her. This time, I made a small raise, just to see where I was at and her reaction, and when she quickly called, I knew that I was beat. Turn was a queen, and she again raised quickly, like there was nothing on the board that scared her. I asked that if I fold would she show, she said yes and turned over trip 6’s. I was just unlucky. Amazing thing about this was it happened the week after, but this time I had a bunch more chips in the pot and took a bad beating.

Certain players are always looking to trap you. They are the players that limp in and then make a serious bet after the flop. Is it a continuation bet or do they have the nuts? Heads-up the first one to have a pair should win, but with many people in the pot the odds increase. I believe you catch part of the flop around 21-22% of the time. This is just my number and looking back over a couple whole games. Other players like to put in an excessive raise after the flop to seem like they hit trips or better, which will usually get a decent player to call, but not someone who knows the game. I do not like the huge raise play. For one, I think that if you happen to hit trips, and several players are in, you can make more money or chips playing it slow. Just calling someones bet lets them think your on a draw. At the same time, if two over cards to your pair comes out, a serious bet makes it look like your stealing, but you will loose some players because of the size of the bet. Slowing down is in my opinion the best bet. Let them catch up and get top pair, or two pairs, your trips are going to be the best hand.

Good luck and hope you pick up aces!!

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While I enjoy playing poker, no thing that I have come to realize is that free tournaments won’t help your game. If your serious about poker, and have a good grasp of the game, you should attempt to stay away from these games. Now, I understand playing one here and there, but the every night game isn’t going to help you in the long run I believe.

Why?

Good question. When players are not playing for real money out of there pocket, then they will continuously fish. If you do catch a hand, your best option is to go all in. If you get beat with the best hand before the flop, then it’s not your kinda night.

This past weekend I played three nights in a row. The Wednesday night game went as normal, Thursday night game was with a bunch of new friends, at which I cleaned house, and Friday was a “somewhat” free tournament. The buy in went to Junior Achievement through AAA National Office. Most of the players came with their game faces, some watched way to much TV and brought headphones to look the part. (If your playing in a 2-3 hour tournament, DON’T BRING YOUR HEADPHONES OR CHIP PROTECTOR, these are tells that you stink) The blinds were scheduled to go up quickly and I won several pots within the first hour. I watched player after player “hollywood” and take their time, and others only played a couple hands, for which I attempted not to play against. I watched numerous players make continuation bets, but I like to throw out a little raise against these players to see where I am at. Most players will realize they are beat and fold. With the blinds at 400-800, second seat raised to 1200, and I picked up AK. I went all in with 4300 and was called with pocket 7’s. I lost the race and was busted out fairly quickly. I said that I wasn’t going to call but go over the top to show dominance, but the other player had the better hand. I said good luck and watched other players get called with Q6 and many other crap hands. I sat down at the wrong table, or else things would have been much different.

Anyways, because the tournament wasn’t for cash, most players were not scared to play like Jamie Gold. Any two cards are worth playing. I don’t go to that school, and attempt to play good hands, unless in the blinds, where I will defend and hope for the best.

If your learning the game, learn it correctly, but playing in free games will just make you frustrated because people will not fold. I will not play anything less than 4-8 dollars no limit at a casino. One-two allows everyone to call you, cuz what’s a buck to hit that 6% card? Nothing!

Good luck and hope you hit aces!

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This past weekend I asked the group and others to come over for dinner and poker. The normal group came over and several others joined including inspiring pro Mike, Willie, Dave and Junior. It was a big game. Several people went out and quickly bought back in, I think almost everyone expept Willie and I. Mike had some cold cards, but had some winners when playing against Willie, my Dad and Jessie, but folded when a higher card came out, but they didn’t hit them. They bluff Mike as much as possible.
When your holding top pair after the flop and a higher card comes out, it’s a good time to test the waters. If their is a group of people in the pot, then checking is all right, but when it’s only a couple, put in a minimum raise. For one is will eliminate the person holding scrub cards and only playing because they are in the blind. And second it will show you where you are at in the hand. Someone comes over the top, your drawing dead, and if someone calls you probably are too. Checking after the turn is then all right too, or if you think you can outplay the person then do your thing.

Slow playing your good cards!

I have talked about this earlier, but slow playing your cards and limping in with high pocket pair only works when there is a couple players. In the Wednesday night game I watched pocket aces get cracked by a straight on the river. The aces slow played and put in a little beat trying to keep the others in. While this strategy works sometimes, I have seen in more and more beat by the blinds. Five or more players in the hand, your done. FORGET ABOUT IT!

Back to Saturdays game.

So many people that play the game watch the pros play scrub cards and win, (those are the hands on TV, come on now they can’t show each time they loose its not good tv), more and more those cards are being played in home games. Jessie, (wednesday night gang) could easily be the best bluffer that I play against. He will bluff each hand he is in, and he uses that to his advantage. If I have to high cards, I will play to the end with him. If I have two little, I will fold and wait for the cards.

When several players busted out, and it came down to three I was in the worst shape. Being in third and really not ANY catching cards I was really lucky to be where I was. This is where things changed. In the beginning Willie was bluffing and gaining chips. No one caught his tells, something that I did almost instantly, and Willie really wanted to be in the money. When it got down to crunch time Willie stopped bluffing, and was only playing if he had top pair, and good starters. I noticed this on the second hand as well as his tell. I raised in his blind for the next 8 times. Didn’t matter what I had, but it allowed me to steal his big blind since he wasn’t a defender. 8-10 hands into three way action (that sounds terrible) I had got back into the game, still third but when blinds are 80-160 and your stealing 160 every three hands and getting back my small blind, I had playing chips. One other hand I picked up AK in the small blind. Dad folded and Willie called. The flop was a rainbow 268 unsuitted. I checked to Willie to let him bluff at me. He made a 320 raise with his tell and I went all in. He called with a4 and didn’t catch a four and I doubled up to roughly 1500-1800 chips. Next hand, Dad called and made his facial tick (another tell), I folded and willie called. Flop came out 865, Dad checked, Willie bet 320, Dad went all in. Willie called with 96, while Dad turned over pocket jacks. Turn was a q, river was a 7 to give Willie a straight. Willie had Dad covered by a couple hundred chips, but just got unlucky.

Willie and I went heads up for about 5-10 hands, in which I think I won 8 out of 10, but we had decided this chop the pot and allow people to drive home after my Turducken Dinner, which I thought was terrible.

Wednesday night game coming next.

Hope if anyone is reading these they are somewhat helping them.

This past week in the Wednesday night game, I found a super cold deck. I caught a couple hands, but never hit the flop so I went into LOCK DOWN POKER mode (LDP made popular by the Unabomber Phil Laak, and the Magician Antonio Esfendara (sp)). I had decided to sit back and wait for some cards. I picked up Kings, raised 120 chips and was called by Ace-6, and lost on the flop. In my head I was saying, please no ace, and when it came out I was a little mad. The cards were cold for me, and I needed the chips. I watched player after player attempt to bluff out players, only to be called and the other play show middle pair. It was a sick Wednesday game. I threw down my kings in frustration and went into another room and got something to drink. Came back in and picked up KJ. Normally this is a hand for which I would put in a raise, but this time I limped in. Why? I wanted the others to think that I was steaming. Four players limped in, and the flop wasn’t nice to me, and I folded.

Time after time I have watched new players take a bad beat and make a play on the next hand and play cards that shouldn’t be played. One time Phil Hellmuth, Winner of the Most Worlds Series of Poker Championships, told people to only play certain cards. I was generally a good play, however poker on TV has hurt this and more and more people think that playing the scrubs cards works and that poker is luck. I disagree with that completely, and in my limited experience have shown isn’t true. The truely good players are in at the end, time after time.

If you have taken a bad beat, and you are mad, the worst thing you can do is play the next hand. I recommend just sitting back and waiting. Letting your emotions get the best of you at the table is only going to hurt your chip stack and allow someone how is watching you gather more chips, and at your expense.

It’s been some time since I have written a post, mostly because I have been working very hard with my job and really haven’t played much poker. However, I have played twice, once this past Saturday night at my own home, and a friend who had a tournament in which I knew only one player.

The tournament was held by a new friend named Mike at his home. He has a weekly game with most of the players, but I was lucky enough to get an invitation. Mike and I have played a several times, one in which he really beat me, (first time we played), and the others I have quickly taken him down since I have figured out a couple tells on him. The tournament had 20+ players in it, mostly weekly guys that enjoy the game and have aspirations to be pro. Mike thinks that in a couple years he will be a professional poker player, and his game is generally pretty good, but he likes to fish, and I am not a “fisher” in poker. I believe that sometimes you have to fish and get lucky, but more and more people fish and loose big, and when in a game for a bunch of your chips, 75%+ of the time your going to loose, but that’s for another blog. Mike’s other major tell is he likes to slow play and limp in allowing someone to catch up with him. As stated before, most amatuers will play Ace-Scrub hoping to get lucky. So when Mike limps into the pot with queens and jacks, 4-5 other players come into the hand and mostly likely one is playing an ace or king, and the flop has one of those cards, Mike has a hard time folding and pushes a bunch of chips to someone who got lucky. Another tell, and I hope he never reads this, is he “hollywoods” and thinks about his hand. This tell couldn’t be easier to read because he is trying to make it look like he has nothing, but really he’s holding the nuts and your drawing dead. He likes to stand up and really be stressing about his hand, but when he comes over the top of you, we’ll your dead. He doesn’t do this a lot, but each time he has had the person dead, including me.

Mike’s tournament went well. The table I was assigned to had several good players. A father and son team in which the father would not play a hand unless he had the nuts. When the father folded his big blind 4-5 times in a row and I watched him go from 3500 chips to 1200 and only played one hand, I knew that I shouldn’t play against him unless I had the goods. But the other players didn’t know this. At 1200 chips, the father picked up pocket kings, and moved all in. Five other players, YES 5, put in 1200 chips, and at that point I knew I was in trouble and that I would see him on the final table. He won and went back to not playing anything. I took out his son when I picked up KQ suitted, and the flop came out Kh,10s,6s. With only 400 chips in the pot, the son raised 1800 chips. I couldn’t believe this raise. I couldn’t put him on trips, but only a flush draw and was really attempting to show his strength. I asked him why such a big raise “Because I have a good hand.” “Good or Great?” I replied. “Good”. I asked if he was on a flush draw. He didn’t look at his cards. I put him on a draw, and went all in. If he wanted to see the last two cards, he was either going to double up or bust out. He folded the draw, and a couple hands later as he was steaming, I beat him for the rest of his chips.

Final table. Mike and Wednesday night player Jessie, the father and a couple other players. I was in the middle of the pack, but had Mike in front of me. I quickly took out 4 players within 20-30 minutes. The father had a nice chip stack, and one other player had a mountain of chips, and was a good player. I lost a huge pot to the chip leader when he sucked out on me with a three outter with an ace on the river that beat my kings. I won a couple more pots and got down to the final 4. The father, Mike, and the chip leader. The chip leader would stare you down like he was reading your soul. He mentioned that he had my tells, for which I said that it was all right. He and I battled quite a few times, and I was able to steal Mike’s blinds each hand, and the father sat back and watched everyone else play and blind himself out. Last hand for me I was dealt A10 offsuit. The chip leader called. He stared me down, like usual, but this time I looked back and moved my chair forward. The flop came out Ah10c3c. I checked to the leader. He stared me down again, and said, “You’ve got SHIT!” I quickly replied, “Your tell on me sucks. I’m all in.” Another stare, and talking to the others about how he’s got me beat. I went into my defensive mode, and leaned forward, breathed hard and started shaking my legs. I wanted him to call me. I think he noticed all my tells, and said the words I wanted to hear, “I call.” He turned over 3h2c. I laughed for a second and turned over top two pair. Everyone laughed, and I kept quiet and turned my face from looking at him. He stated that I was a player and it wasn’t cool that I was in the game, for which two-three players said, “Mikes trying to turn pro”. The turn card was and 8 and the river was a 3. Chip leader jumped up and pointed. I told him good game and everyone asked if I was mad. I told everyone that I had set up exactly what had happened. I raised before the flop. Checked and showed that I had nothing. I went all in with the best hand. Two pairs heads up should win a majority of the time, but I can’t predict a miracle 3 on the river. I came in third place, and won back my money. The chip leader came over later and talked about how great he was a poker. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he was just lucky. Let him have it, I will see him again, and we’ll see if he’s still lucky.

Due to a bunch of work, playing my Wednesday night poker and some other invites have had to take a back seat. This weeks Wednesday game was moved to Jessie’s house and the normal group of players were not going to be playing. Jessie and Billy were the only two regular players, and new cast of poker wanna-be’s joined our merry group. Our Wednesday night group plays more for fun, but everyone still wants to win. And occassionally someone will have a beer or two, but drinking came into play for the first time.

As I stated above, their were several new players to the game. Most “claimed” to be beginners, but one (seat 4) acknowledged that he was a serious player, and that he would win for sure. Seat four quickly won some amazing pots. Since I didn’t know how he played, I took a “lock down” approach. He seemed to either be catching some serious cards, or else he was bluffing quite a bit. After raising and laying down several great starting hands, seeing the flop and making a continuation bet and didn’t hit anything, seat four stayed with me. I folded several hands and got myself into chip trouble. Several people were out, many re-bought back in and seat four was stacking a “great wall of china” chip stack. With only 80 chips left I was dealt AQ offsuit and pushed all in. Seat four, who wasn’t in the blinds called with 83 suitted. I doubled up, luckily, but realized that seat four was playing any two cards. I watched him drink numerous beers, and he started talking loudly, but he still wasn’t really bad. He wanted to win and I wasn’t going to allow him to throw me off my game. A couple hands later I was dealt KJ clubs. I limped into the pot, since the blinds were 20-40. My new favorite player came in too. At this point in time, seat 4 was playing EVERY HAND, something no one else noticed because they didn’t want to play against the chip leader, but I didn’t care. The flop came out 8c,6h,2d. I had been watching seat four for anything that could tell me what he had or how he played. I knew that he had to be bluffing a lot, but since no one would go through until the end, and watching him slow play quad-5’s against Billy, I just couldn’t put him on a hand. That’s when I noticed the eye-roll. When the flop came out, he checked his cards, and did a small eye-roll. At first I noticed it earlier when he sucked out on me. And then replaying the quad-5’s hand in my memory, I didn’t remember the “roll”. I figured either I had found a tell, or else all the beer was getting to him. I checked to him and he put me all in. I literally went through almost every hand that I could remember. Did he do an eye roll or not? After 30+ seconds, and asking him a couple questions, hoping to get some sort of answer, he said exactly what I needed to hear. “Lay it down, I’ve got you beat.” I have picked up that most people that tell you this are lying, and do not have ANYTHING. It’s a tell that I have watched on TV and seen in live real games. If your playing for real money, you want the person to call and take their money or chips. I really suggest not talking at all while playing against someone one on one.  I pushed the rest of my chips into the pot, and seat four turned over 103 offsuitted.  Turn was a king, and I doubled up again.  Seat 4 asked for another beer, and not only at this time did he have a couple to many, but his drinking allowed his tell to come out in full force.  A couple hands later he sucked out on seat two to take him outta the game, and it was heads up against me.  He quickly asked if I wanted to split, and normally I do this instantly.  This time however I really didn’t think I could be beat.  I was winning every hand I played against him and had 1/6 of the chips in play.  I told him, “lets play heads up and have some fun”, and he replied, “it’s your funeral.”  For 10 minutes we played heads up, and in this time he drank two more beers, and lost every hand but one.  That hand I was dealt K10 offsuit, and raised 200 chips.  I should tell you that I limped into each hand we played just so I could see his reaction after the flop.  If I saw the eye-roll, and had a good hand, I would push 3-4 times the pot.  When I raised, he went all in and had me covered.  I think I made the correct call by folding, because he had pocket pair of 2’s, and by folding it allowed him to have another beer!  After 10 minutes I had him utterly beat!  He had enough for a couple blinds at 80-160 and I offered the split to him.

On the way home I was happy with my play.  But realized that seat fours drinking didn’t help our little game.  Billy was unhappy with a comment that was made to him, and during the game I told him I had a tell on him that was really helping my game, especially since I played blind one hand and won it as I was joking around. He didn’t like that I had a tell, but I told him I would tell him his tell later, but that didn’t happen.  Things were a little loud there at the end, but it is always fun playing with our Wednesday night group.

I would not suggest drinking if you really want to win.  If your playing for fun with your buddies then that is a different story.  I think when you drink to much it allows for more tells on yourself because you do not have control.  I personally do not drink at all because I do not like the taste, but more importantly I don’t drink because I know that I am an idiot when I do.  So why would I want to be more of an idiot when I am trying to win back my money?

Two wins this week!  One at my house when I hit the miracle 4 aces against a full house!!!!  And I laid down pocket twos, and the flop came out the other two 2’s. That happens I guess.  I was in late position and watch 7 other players limp in, and was playing my odds that another two wouldn’t come out.  Lucky/unlucky flop I think.  Oh well.

Being prepared and ready to play your tournament/local game is very important.  If your playing later in the evening and your tired, attempt to get in a quick nap, or make sure that you have a good meal.  Just tonight during my Wednesday night game, I went in very tired and not willing to have the great dinner that dad had made.  We started playing poker and I was winning my share of pots, and took out a couple people, but I wasn’t into the game because I wanted to go to sleep.  The blinds were 50/100 and everyone folded to me and I was in the small blind.  I went all in, hoping that the big blind wouldn’t have a hand, but when I looked down, I couldn’t have swore that I had pocket 9s, but I actually had 36 off suit.  The big blind called with AQ off suit, and the big blind won with two pairs.  When I looked down and thought about it, I mentioned that I wasn’t into the game, and should not have played.  Things might have been different if I had dinner, but I was more worried about chilling out before everyone sat down and played.

Now back to some ideas to help you win your game, and continuation betting.

Continuation betting is in a sense, betting after the flop when you do not hit anything.  If you have raised pre-flop, and it is your turn, putting in a bet will many times allow you to win the hand.  I like to put in a bet of roughly 70% of the pot.  If someone makes the call or raises allows you to learn who has something, or someone who is going to bluff you too.  Most times this continuation bet will eliminate anyone who doesn’t have top pair or better, only because you are the first person to act. You’ll get that person here and there that will stay in with bottom pair or an ace, but you still must put in another bet after the turn.  This is the hardest thing to do, especially when you are bluffing and could be loosing a lot, but it’s a must.  You have to be confident and not make or do something that shows your weakness.  Talking at this point in the hand about your cards is stupid, and shows that you do not have anything. Sit on your hands, look down and sit back like your comfortable.  Don’t give off any signs!

Local tournament games with small buy-ins are great ways in improve your game, and with the correct tactics you can put yourself onto the final table and better. Talking, learning, reading and playing your opponents will help you gain chips and better yourself for your final run at winning your local game.

Many times local tournament games you will find my distinct games plans and players. From your beginner, who needs to know what beats what, to the more advanced player, to the slop player. (One high card and one slop card.) It’s a good time when you sit down to find out about the other players and watch how they tell you how long they have played and what they do for a living. If you have a beginner, you can guarantee that he/she is going to play any pair that they hit on the flop, and betting a large amount when you hit top pair sometimes backfires when they get lucky and hit two pairs on the river. I have found that beginners will also stick with their ace-slop until the end, and will get lucky here and there. You might have the best hand until that ace shows up, so I will most of the time just throw in a small raise, or check to see if I still have the best hand before they get lucky. Another quick thing that I like to do it is to find out who doesn’t really care about the small buy-in. This helps you realize who might have no problem going all in with not the best hand, and these people usually play loosely, and will play the high card-slop card more than normal. You should be able to take advantage of these people too. They will stay with their king and queens until the end hoping to get lucky, and these people will normally play every starting hand. These types of players want to see a flop, so a continuation bet will show you where you are in the hand, even when you have not hit anything. Watch these players for quick raises where nothing on the board scares them. This is usually a huge sign that the player has trips.

Just last night I played in a $10 buy-in at DeBary Golf and Country Club. Each table had six people and everyone was given 2500 chips, and you had the option to purchase another buy-in immediately. When I sat down, 4 out of 6 people had made the extra purchase. Since we had some time, I did my normal talk and found out that the player in seat 4 was a seasoned pro and was playing tournaments 6 nights a week, but he said that he wasn’t targeting the people with the double chips but was going to come after me. I found this odd, especially since I did not tell him that I knew a little about the game. The other players were there for fun, but all played regularly and at least once a week. Since I wanted to find out more about seat 4, when he was in the big and small blinds, I raised 4 times the blind to see if he was a defender. When he gave up his blinds so easy, I made it a regular thing, and the other players defended a little more often. Player 4 also made a couple other mistakes while playing heads-up against me by talking about how big his hand was. This is usually an automatic tell that his hand isn’t big at all. He also took some time on a few hands and rocked back and forth as to make it seem like he had a huge decision on making the call or not. When he would do this, and then raise, I knew that I was beat, especially when I only had a few chips to make the call and see his cards. I just had to trust my gut and wait my time out. After taking a huge loss in chips when I hit trips and another player showed higher trips, I went back to stealing blinds from the wanna-be pro. By the time of the first break, no one on our table had been lost, while the other 12+ tables had 2-3 each. We chipped out and moved around everyone but our table stayed and then caught pocket aces in early position. I raised 3x the blinds and everyone came in with me. The flop came out AQ8 rainbow. I quickly checked, and the player next to me moved all in. The wanna-be pro check, double checked, and triple checked his cards, did his hollywood, and called. The others folded and I pushed all in and had the wanna be covered. He instantly knew that he was beat, but still called. The player next to me showed 83clubs, and the wanna-be was on a draw with k10 and needing a jack. Turn card out another queen, and I had tripled up. From there we moved to a different table, and when it was all said and done I finished in the money with a third place finish, only to have my pocket kings beat by A3 with a river ace. That’s poker!

The final table to 8 people was exactly what I could have imagined.  Three players played every hand they were dealt and I almost doubled up on the first hand by checking on the flop and turn, then going all in on the river when a king hit, but I didn’t have anything higher than an eight and bluff my way into a huge pot.

It was a lot of fun, and I will play again for sure.

Great card and a slop card! It’s a common mistake amoung beginners that is very easy to take advantage of. When in first position and with a full table, A2, A3, A4, A5, K2, K3, K4 and many others are not good cards to play. As I have seen TO MANY TIMES, a player in beginning position will limp in with K4 or something. (Side note: many times when someone starts out the limping, other players follow with bad hands hoping to hit the flop and get lucky, and a strong player will slow play his monster hand disguising his pocket pair or AK, AQ and many other good starting hands.) If the player with K4 gets lucky and hits his king, this player will follow through to the end only to find out that another player has his 4 beat as a kicker. These types of hands are ones that you should really think about folding, unless your really feeling like gambling and possibly raising in early position.

At the beginning of the year I took a 7-day cruise I told my then girlfriend, now wife, that I would attempt not to go down and play poker in the 5-10 table with a minimum $100 dollar buy-in. We had passed through the casino a couple times, and she insisted that I sign up for the No Hold-Em Tournament on the last day of the cruise, since it was a travel day. While signing up, the banker told me that they had a game going on, and I asked if I could watch the players. My girlfriend said yes and that she wanted to get a massage and that if I wanted to play while she was doing her thing, I could do my thing. I quickly went over and put my name down to play as they only had one table and I sat back and watched the players play. After 20-30 minutes I realized that almost everyone was playing great card-slop card. All of the players were new to the game, and had watched the pro’s, who have ice in their veins play this same way and were able to bluff and win with these hands. Of course, these are the same hands that they show on TV, and if the pros can win with these, so can they. My instant strategy was to play only good starters, hope to catch a good flop and stay with the other players and not bet them out of the pot. If I had AK, I would raise to eliminate a couple players, hope that an AK came out on the flop and let them do the betting for me. When we would turn over our hands, they would show K3 and I would have them out kicked. I played that day for 3 hours, and almost paid for my cruise in one sitting. I picked up a bunch of tells on the players before the game, as one lady would bet $20 on the turn each time she made 2 pairs, so if I couldn’t beat it, I folded only to watch some other person call with top pair and nothing for a kicker.

Raising pre-flop.

There are many times that you want to limp in the pot. One time you do not want to limp in is when your dealt AA, KK, QQ, JJ, 1010, and you are in late position and you have a bunch of players in front of you that have also limped in. If you are in the first position, you are better off making a small 2-3 sized the blind raise to eliminate some of the players with crap cards. If by chance you catch a high pocket pair and you unfortunate to have 5 or more players in the hand with you, your chances of winning that hand drastically decreased. Just last night in the weekly Wednesday night game, Mike, who was in first position saw his pocket aces busted because he slow played them and allowed 7 people to get into the hand. I was in the big blind with 89 suitted, and hit a straight only to have it beat by a higher straight on the flop. Mike slow played the aces, stayed with it, even though there was a possible straight on the board, and stuck it out to have 2 out of the final 3 players in the hand, having his pocket aces crushed. He took an early beating that made his night a very quick one.

Since position is such a huge thing in poker, I tend to raise with good starters about 3 times the blind. I like to make sure that I stick to this trend to not allow others to pick up on anything that might give away my hand. If your are raising 3x the blind and everyone else is folding, I will raise this same way with slop, ONLY when in late position or the small blind. Usually when someone does it in the big blind, they either have the nuts, or nothing. If you continue to show good hands, and have raised pre-flop your opponets will many times fold, so your able to steal blinds here and there. But try not to do it so often that your image goes away for playing only good hands.

The pre-flop raise is meant to get rid of the slop players, but many times the players in the blinds will still add the chips to see the flop and hope to get lucky. If they check to you, you must raise to see where you are at, even if you do not hit anything on the flop.

Continuation betting and others to come next, as well as some comments about the poker on TV and the players. Hope this helps and that you enjoy this, sorry if its rough as I am not a writer.