Playing Poker Tournaments
Posted on June 18, 2008
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I’ve decided that in order to build a nice bankroll, I need to play tournaments. Building an online bankroll from just strictly ring games is too difficult. I find that I have far too many swings playing cash games. I even consider myself a decent cash game player, but I just can’t seem to stay consistent enough online to build a big enough roll. I’ve been practicing playing tournaments and have seem to fair very well. I can consistently build an above average chip stack by the late, middle stages of the tournament, but that’s when I find I seem to screw up. I need to work on that part of my game. I’ve been playing 6-7 single table sngs a day. I try not to play more than $5 – $10 sngs. It’s time to put my patience to its truest test. We’ll see if I’ve increased my bankroll noticeably in the next few months. I’ll post some of my experiences and strategies as I continue to play, so check it out!
The Expansion of Home Poker Blog!
Posted on April 30, 2008
Filed Under General, Personal | 1 Comment
Well, I’ve been out of commission for 20 days. Originally, I started this blog with intentions of making at least one post a day. So that’s 20 posts that I have to make up for 
. In better news though, I have new plans for Home Poker Blog. I plan on bringing in other bloggers to blog about home poker. So expect for this blog to really kick off. A new design will be in place as well. I apologize for my lack of posting as I just haven’t gotten around to make quality posts. Hopefully, with the addition of some help, that’ll change in the near future 
. I haven’t been playing much poker lately, but I did play in a qualifier last night and the result was not good. My first hand dealt in the SB was AA. I raised it 3x the BB and had 3 callers. The flop came 3A7, 2 spades. We all checked the flop. The turn came 4, no spade. I checked the flop again, 2 more checked, then the 3rd player bet. I raised, he re-raised, and I raised all in. He turns over A6, and sure enough, the river brought a 5, for his straight . What a way to go huh? Lol, anyhow, I’ll make a better post later on today, just wanted to let you guys know that I’m still breathing
More Poker Playing For Me!
Posted on April 10, 2008
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I just recently finished a live $1/$3 session a few nights ago and ended up more than doubling up my buy-in. The first big hand of the night I got dealt was AA in middle position. I made my standard $15 pre-flop raise and had 1 caller. The flop came 10J10 rainbow. I lead out and bet $45 and the player called. The turn brought a blank, 4c I think. Again, I lead out with $55 and got called again. Given my tight reputation at this table, I really can’t put him on a hand. I know he’s a tight player and more importantly, a player that is very observant, so I know he’s aware of my tight play. I highly doubt he’d be in there with A10, K10, J10. If he had JJ, he would have raised me on the turn most likely. I’m thinking maybe he has QQ or KK and has the same worries as me, which is why he’s calling. The river brought another blank. After taking everything I thought into consideration, I figured if he has KK or QQ, then he’ll call my all-in bet on the river. I went all-in for about $85. He didn’t take too long to call and turned over AA, lol. Figures
Another interesting hand I got involved in was with a loose, aggressive player who’d been raising pre-flop $8 all night. Anytime he thought it’d be a good time to raise, he’d make it $8. Essentially, he’s doing the same I’m doing with my $15 pre-flop raise, except with $8, which being a little lower, allows him to make the raise more often. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to decipher whether he actually has a hand when he makes this raise. There were a few physical tells that he displayed which to me helped me decide whether or not I should avoid his raises. Anyhow, he made his standard $8 raise from early position, UTG I think actually. I looked down and saw 6d7d. I forgot to mention that he’s a pretty abc, poker book player. I heard him having discussions all night about how hands should be played and him constantly criticizing everyone else’s play. His UTG $8 raise led me to believe that this was a raise that actually had meaning. Possibly QQ, AK, KK, or AA even. But because he’s also a book player, I know he’s been making basic observations at the table, including observing me. He had a big ego and prided himself in big calls or big laydowns, so with my image, I knew I could get away with almost anything given the flop. So with all that in mind, I called from the small blind and the BB called as well. The flop came 7c3d5d, a perfect flop for me. I lead out with an $18 bet. The BB called and the original loose raiser made it $35. I decided that I will take this pot no matter what it took. I was confident he didn’t flop a set, but if he did, then I still had outs to my flush. I pondered as to how I could “appear” to be slow-playing a big hand to this prideful player. I decided to just call as did the player to my left. The turn came Qc. I checked, player to my left checked, and the original raiser made it $65. This is when I decided that I would let loose the floodgates. Knowing that at this table, every time I’ve gone all-in, I had the nuts or close to it. And that’s what I did, all-in . The player to my left folded. It didn’t take too long for him to fold and once he did, all he could say was “My AA can’t hold up when he’s flopping straights or sets on me.” That’s what a tight reputation allows . I actually love players that pride themselves in their poker play. I let them talk and feel like they’re in control. In doing so, you can take advantage of such factors.
My online tournament play hasn’t been working out too well. I do a great job in the early and middle stages of the tournament. I can accumulate chips and I pick great spots to be super-aggressive. However, when it comes to the late middle stages and early final stages of the tournament, I just can’t seem to hold on to my chip stack. I seem to donk it off very easily, lol. I guess I just need more practice.
Anyhow, I plan to add a few more bloggers to this site. These blogger will have experience in running their own game as well. It’ll be interesting to hear perspectives from others that run their own home game. Stay tuned!
Slow-playing or More Aggression?
Posted on April 7, 2008
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I took a break from playing live for about a week. My friend called me middle of yesterday asking me if I wanted to come deal at his $1/$3 game. I made plans and agreed. It’s been awhile since I’ve dealt cards and oh how I miss it. There’s something about flicking cards and shoving mountains of chips to players that I love, lol. Every game has their own rake system and it took me a few minutes to get used to my friend’s.
After dealing for about an hour and a half, I started playing. The first big hand I got involved with sucked. I’m sitting with about $210 and I limp in UTG with 99. Another player limps in behind me and then the button raises to $15. He’d been playing pretty tight and every hand he showed down earlier in the night was usually the best hand or the nuts. I pondered for a second figuring he has AQ or AK so I decided to call, hoping that I could take the pot down should no face cards come on the flop. The other limper called as well. The flop came 783 rainbow. I checked, the other checked, and the original raiser bet $15. It felt like another continuation, position bet to me, so I flat called to represent to him either a draw or the impression that “hey, I hit the flop, and I don’t believe you.” The other player folded so it was just me and the original raiser heads up. The turn came a 9 which worked out very well. I checked the turn, and to my surprise he checked as well. I would have figured for him to make another bet to see where he was at, if this card hit me. He actually seemed more confused, not having any idea what I have. The river brought a J. I lead out with $50 into about an $80 pot. He flat called and turned over JJ. Damn, set over set, lol. So that set me back quite a bit.
As the night progressed, I eventually would make my chips back. I took down a decent sized pot with AQ and doubled up with AK. There’s another interesting hand I’d like to discuss. I’m a little upset as how I played it as I felt that I should have taken all of this player’s chips. Perhaps your input might help .
At this point, I have a pretty tight, solid image at the table. Every hand I’ve shown has been premium hands or the best hand, which is the image I want. I took down a few small pots to pay for my blind money using this image to make some pure, garbage bluffs. Anyhow, I’m in middle position with 55 and I contemplate raising for a second. But because I had to go soon, and I already made enough money to pay back my 2 debts plus a decent profit, I decided to play it safe. The button and small blind limp in and BB checks. The flop is 663. The SB checks and the BB bets $10 into a $12 pot. I have a good feeling that he has a 6 because I highly doubt he’d be betting with a 3. He only has about $90 behind him, which is short-stacked compared to the rest of the table. I think if he had a pocket pair, he probably would have raised pre-flop, so I’m not worried about that. Half of me thinks there’s a good chance he has a 6 and the other half doesn’t quite believe him. But I also take into consideration a few things:
1.) If he does have a 6, it only costs me $10 to see the turn and potentially hit a 5, which will really pay off and I’ll most likely take the rest of his chips.
2.) Again, it only cost me $10, so if I miss on the turn, depending on his bet size, I can get away from this hand or continue to the river.
3.) There is a potential straight draw, so if the turn or river brings a potential scare card completing a straight, I can take the pot from him that way as well.
4.) He could just have a 3, 44, or 22, or a straight draw himself, in which case, I’m also good.
So taking into account all these factors, I decide to call the $10 . The turn brings a 5 (wooohoo!!) and now I’m set . He bet out $20 on the turn which case I’m very confident he has a 6 now. I’m not sure whether I should just raise or call. Considering my tight image at the table, I’m afraid that if I raise, I’ll scare him into folding because the 5 does complete a straight or he either thinks I have a stronger 6. I decide I’m just going to try to represent a “I don’t believe you hand” or being on a draw, so I flat call. The river brings a 7, so there’s a 1 card to a straight. He checks in a manner which I can tell he’s very afraid of me, which isn’t good because th chances of taking the rest of his chips now may be difficult. I decide to bet $60. He sits and ponders saying “well I have a 6 and I think you know that, but I really don’t think it’s good.” He eventually folds, and I’m like damn! I think I should have done one of the following 3 things differently:
1.) I should have raised on the turn, I think at that point, he wasn’t quite sure of what I had. Perhaps by raising on the turn, I could have made the extra money from him calling my raise. I really don’t think he would have folded to a re-raise on the turn with a 6.
2.) I should have went all-in on the river, perhaps by betting large here, I can represent to him that “I really want this pot with my mediocre hand, and I think my tight image will fool you into folding.” Over-strength here I think might would have enticed a call.
3.) I should have made a cheap bet on the river to either entice him to come over the top or just make extra money. A small value bet here would have been very unlike the image and betting patterns I’d been representing. Just about all of my bets had been very strong bets, so I think making a value bet would have been different to him and enticed a call.
Any thoughts or opinions?
How to Pay Back a Poker Loan – 5 Things to Consider
Posted on April 1, 2008
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This is an issue that I’m sure many home poker players can relate to. I’ve been on both sides of the coin, on the house side where you really don’t want to give out a loan unless you have to, and on the player side where you just busted because you got drawn out on and really want a chance to win your money back. Regardless, if you’re going to take out a loan on the house, make sure you consider the following before you do:
1.) Can you afford to take out the loan? You should be considerate of the house before asking for a loan. Don’t ask to borrow $200 knowing that you can’t afford to pay it back within a reasonable amount of time. This really makes your credit look bad and decreases the likelihood that you’ll be able to borrow again from the house.
2.) Make sure you’ve earned the respect and trust of the house before you ask. It can be very embarrassing for the house to reject you because they don’t trust you. If it’s your first time asking for the loan, ask for the credibility of another player that knows you to vouch for you.
3.) Once you borrow the money, don’t play foolishly. I know the whole once you agree to lend someone money, it’s their money saying. But just think, if you’re the house, and you’re spotting this guy $100 for the third time and he keeps calling every pre-flop raise and pushing on every draw hoping to get lucky, it can be very frustrating to support that player’s gambling habits. The house is more prone to loan a player money that will more than likely be able to pay it back by the end of the night. Play well with borrowed money, it’ll increase your chances for future loan approvals.
4.) Pay back the loan as soon as you can. The sooner you pay it back, the better it is for the house and the better it makes your borrowing credibility look. I’m more prone to loan someone $100 that’ll most likely stop by the next day to bring it back should they bust.
5.) If you can’t pay back the loan, do NOT dodge the house’s attempts to contact you or ask about it. That’s the worst thing you can do is ignore someone you owe money. It’s disrespectful and a terrible way to take advantage of someone kind enough to loan you some money. If you can’t pay back the money, then don’t be a stranger, let them know. I felt much better about those who informed me of their financial situation and made it a point that they were still aware that they owed me money. If you can’t pay back the loan, make sure you tell them your situation, they’ll be much more sympathetic than if you didn’t tell them at all.
The next time you’re about to ask for a loan from the house, take into consideration those 5 factors. Doing so will increase our credit line and credit with the house and other players.
Top 10 Beverages Every Home Poker Game Should Have
Posted on March 28, 2008
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I pretty much bounce around between 2-3 of the home poker games in my local area. And after running my own game for awhile, I find that there are just some drinks every home poker game should have.
1.) Water - Everyone needs some water at the poker table. We live in an age of health-consciousness. A 24-pack of water is only $4.50 – $6.00. And don’t get the cheap, grocery store brand. Water drinkers can certainly distinguish the difference between cheap and name brand water.
2.) Bud Light – Everyone loves Bud Light beer. I never had anyone complain about Bud Light and there’s plenty of it at all the games I go to.
3.) Dark Beers – Poker players appreciate a game with a little bit nicer taste of beer. Even though I don’t like dark beers, I received many compliments for carrying Ying Ling. A case would usually suffice for the night (sometimes I’d get the bottles just to mix it up, the players seemed to get a big kick out of drinking from a bottle)
4.) Sunkist / Orange Soda - Sunkist or orange sodas for some reason were a huge favorite at my game. I would go through a 12 pack of Sunkist in one night fairly quickly.
5.) Mountain Dew Code Red – Poker players for some reason love this stuff. I flew through 12 packs of these as well.
6.) Mellow Yellow – You always have to have those “green” sodas are what I like to call them. Mellow Yellow were my players favorite, but Mountain Dew would suffice too.
7.) Hawaiian Fruit Punch – For the players that didn’t like soda, but didn’t like the bland taste of water, this was the very happy medium for them. A 12 pack of these would be gone within the first few hours.
8.) Energy Drinks – Energy drinks are great especially for the bigger games where players are there for the long haul. It’ll keep them energized and focused on playing. Vault energy drinks worked great and usually can find six-packs of these for $2-$3.
9.) Margaritas – One of my friends that hosts a game used to be a bartender, and he would regularly make these at the players’ requests. Not a bad idea either. It’d loosen up the players, create bigger pots, and that equates to more money for the house .
10.) Rum and Coke – I tried this one night, and another friend of mine experimented with this one night at his game. The results: I went through two fifths of rum in two hours. 3 players had re-bought twice during those two hours.
There you have it. No poker game should be without at least a few of these beverages. I wouldn’t allow my drink expenses to total more than $20 – $30 each night. Try to keep an eye out for coupons or discounts grocery stores are offering. Every so often, my local grocery store would offer four 12 pack sodas for $9.99 which was a great deal. I made sure I stocked up when I saw this offer. Investing in a BJ’s or Costco account wouldn’t be bad idea. Shop once a month and just stock up. Don’t be afraid to invest more money for the name brand stuff, players will appreciate it, and you’ll make all your money back plus much more in the long run .
Playing Live Poker Continues
Posted on March 28, 2008
Filed Under Personal, Tips and Advice | Leave a Comment
Well, I just busted for the first time in a week and a half tonight at my friend’s game. Such a bad feeling too, I was on a pretty steady win streak until tonight. I played one hand terrible and lost my entire stack on it.
I had Q8s at the cutoff. My friend who’s a rather loose-aggressive player makes his standard pre-flop raise. I called and the flop came Q103 rainbow. I bet out $6.50 and he re-raised $10 on top (blinds are .50/$1). I’ve seen him make this move several times so I felt that a re-raise would make him fold. So I raised $20 more. He thought for a long while. I rarely re-raise a raise on a bluff or marginal hand, so with my image, I was confident I could pull it off. He proceeded to go all-in, and at this point, I was pretty much pot-committed. He turns over AA and it holds up. I hate blowing my stack on just top pair, it’s something I always try to advise others, including myself NOT to do.
I don’t think I would have normally played that hand had I not been up and down all night. I was playing strong for the first hour or so until I made a good call, but the weaker hand ended up sucking out. That kind of ruined my mood for the night and made me play off my typical game. I think next time I get frustrated, I’m just going to get up and take a break.
So the lessons to be learned:
1.) Don’t blow your stack with just top pair. Top pair is only a pair. It’s not a hand you want to win a big pot with. You win big pots with your sets, boats, flushes and straights. Unless you’re sure your top pair is good, don’t get too involved with it.
2.) If you lose a big pot, get up and take a 5-10 min break. Take your mind off it. You might find yourself trying to play differently or more hands to try to make up for th money you just lost. You can’t change your game because you just lost a big pot. You’ll find yourself playing more hands or too scared and tight. Take a break if you have to.
Well, I need to get off here and get some sleep. Good night!
Patrick Antonius vs. Jennifer Tilly
Posted on March 26, 2008
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Here is a video showing how much of a fluke Jennifer Tilly is.
She is absolutely horrible. Just as the announcer said, “Jennifer Tilly just gave Patrick Antonius an unbelievable amount of credit.”
Yeah, she really did, lol.