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.