The Expansion of Home Poker Blog!
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!
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?
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?
Playing Live Poker Continues
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!
Playing Live Poker Continues!
I’ve been playing a few $0.50/$1 games the past few nights. Mostly young adults and college students that play at these games, but I enjoy playing with that type of crowd. Here are a few reasons why I prefer such a playing environment:
1.) I believe I can outsmart and outplay these type of players. I know this sounds a little arrogant, but I think it’s very important when deciding who to enter a hand with. I feel that a lot of these guys have read poker books and etc.., though I’ve never read any book, I’ve read articles online and talked to people about hands, so I’m not entirely uneducated. Nonetheless, I think I have a good, general idea of what this guy is trying to do in particular situations. Most of the guys I play with are college students looking to make some money. With that overall goal in mind, sometimes I can break down and analyze their logic in each hand. If I think he’s out to make money, I can expect a betting manner to lure me into calling or bigger bets when he’s trying to steal a pot from me. If I believe I know what he’s feeling and thinking about a hand, I’ll act accordingly. It’s true when they say poker is about playing the player.
2.) You have a lot of the extremes at these type of games. What I mean by this is that, on one extreme, there are the overly tight players who are afraid to lose money. They typically try to play pretty “abc” book poker. Sometimes I get a good idea of when they’re trying to use their tight image to make a move or when they really have it. On the other extreme, you have the gamblers, you have the guys who love to try to draw out, who will call any pre-flop raise hoping to get lucky on the flop. Obviously you’ll make most of your money off these players. Rarely at these games, will there be players that can successfully mix it up at these games (or at least I haven’t ran into many).
3.) It’s entertaining. Time goes by faster as you’re waiting for a hand if you’re being entertained. Poker is much funner if you’re laughing and smiling. Most of these games have a lot of guys that are there to have a good time, and I find it more relaxing and easier to have patience and play. Although most of the time I’m rather quiet at the table, I am well aware of the conversations people are having. Often you’ll see me crack a smile because some of the things these kids say are hilarious, lol.
Anyhow, continuing on, I’m starting to get back into the groove of playing. I feel like I’m more mature in my gameplay, and feeling really confident about how I’ve been playing. Past two nights have been positive cashes, so hopefully I can keep it up. I think the key to winning cash games is timing. Your timing must be as best as possible. Be well aware of who at the table can pay you, and who it’ll be difficult to acquire money from. Home games are usually just a bunch of gamblers and a few super tight guys (at least from my experience).
I might deposit some money on UltimateBet and play online a few hours a week as well. We’ll see how my live playing goes. So far, I’m a little under break even for 4 nights of play. So we’ll see how this upcoming week goes!
Playing Live Poker
I went out last night and decided to get back to playing cards a few times a week. I was a little nervous and rusty at first, but it didn’t take me long to settle in. I didn’t catch very many cards, but I was extremely patient. It was an extremely loose $1/$3 game where the average pre-flop raise was $20 – $25. I really don’t like that because I always raise the same pre-flop, and I like to keep my pre-flop raises on the lower end, so I don’t over-commit myself to a hand. However, if I wanted some isolation, I had to raise it up a bit more than I usually do, so I made my standard pre-flop raise $15. My first big hand was KK in middle position, in which everyone had limped to me, and I decided to make it $10 to go. I had 4 callers, so I was already a little nervous going to the flop, lol. The flop came 10J10. A player before me who had about $400 behind him made it $35. I made it $75 and he quickly puts me all-in. Back in my old days, I probably would have instant-called this. However, I made sure I took everything into consideration. What else would he limp, call my raise pre-flop, and then so confidently come over top and raise me all-in. I could tell by the look on his face and his demeanor that he was not at all concerned with what I had. After about 2-3 minutes of pondering, I laid down the hand. I was sure hat he had a 10 in his hand. Anyhow, I won a much bigger hand later with QQ, but then lost another big hand later to gut-shot straight draw against my two-pair. So the end result was a 9 hour session which resulted me down a little bit from my buy in. But it was due to hands that were behind catching up. If I’m ahead, I’ll always put my money in. Nonetheless, I was proud of my play, and I know I can beat that game.
I also played a little bit tonight, I never won a huge pot, just took down a few multi-way pots. I pretty much floated around what I bought in for. Though it’s only been two nights of playing, I’m feeling confident about my poker game. I’m playing less hands than I used to and picking my spots very carefully. Anyhow, we’ll see what the rest of this week and month bring .
Out of Commission
Sorry I’ve been out for a few days, been much more busier than anticipated. I had hoped to add quite a few posts this past weekend, but
that didn’t happen, lol. Nonetheless, the next post is a very common issue among home poker games: loans. Enjoy!
Bad Call
I decided to go play at friend’s game the other night. The stakes were pretty low, .50/$1. Anyhow, I’d been playing pretty tight all night. Been getting shitty cards too, but finally, in late position, I see a decent hand, AQo and get somewhat excited. This loose player (we’ll call him Player 1) raises to $4 preflop. He’s a pretty loose player and is just one of those players that plays the game to get lucky. Any face card is good, any potential draw is good, one of those type players. With that in mind, I decided to just call, pretty confident that he’s holding some K9o, A9o, something along those lines. The player (another extremely loose player that we’ll call Player 2) to my left calls. The flop comes QJ9 rainbow. With these 2 players in the hand, I’m pretty confident my hand is the best hand and am hoping to double up on this hand. Player 1 goes all in for $17 and I call. Player 2 raises to $50. So now I’m sitting and thinking, hmmm…. twice so far, I’ve seen this guy make a huge raise on a draw. I start to think about potential hands he could have, KQ? Q10? J10? Then it crosses my mind that he could potentially have 108. Then I think, “wait, there’s no way he has 108. He didn’t flop a straight.” So I go all in for $5 more and turn over my AQ. And of course, he turns over 108. What’s worst is that Player 1 turns over Q10 and hits his straight on the turn.
Oh well, what can you do? “That’s poker baby!”