StretchJones

Lets All Die Raising

2004-11-26T22:44:00.000+01:00

The worst readers are those who behave like plundering troops: they take away a few things they can use, dirty and confound the remainder, and revile the whole. (Mixed Opinions and Maxims, §137.) Nietzsche.

I don't always agree with philosophers - but then again I dont often think it all through as well as they have.

I have been reading a lot this month and playing seldom. Tomorrow night I will be out on the town in Holland chasing Dutch girls. To date they have typically been quick enough to get away. Especially the ones with bikes. Perhaps my luck will change or perhaps I need to lower my starting requirements.

Poker-wise I played a Caribbean qualifier a week or two ago (cryptologic) and had a great time finishing third (bust with A9 on button called by 88 in BB stacks 20k:40k:20k blinds 1k/2k). It was rather a strange thing to do to play the qualifier as I had no particular desire to play the real-life tournament and would have had to quit my job had I won and decided to go .... you can stick your "immovable" deadlines where it hurts .... [it was overlaid though .... never one to miss a bargain ... and I think I just wanted to see if my boss would 'fold' or "call" when I told him I was quitting] .... anyways played two hands in two hours to double-through twice and to get to the final table ... stole unashamedly as needed and was within a whisker of being 50:50 for an $8500 prize. I got a ton of abuse for raising all-in too much at the end. I may be wrong but I see no reason to raise x3 when you can only raise x9 all-in ? (and raising x9 when you want a fold and x3 when you dont is just too transparent for my taste).

I would rather die raising with A9 than calling with 88.

I have in mind to write an extensive article on internet sit-and-go play. This will take thought, effort and organisation - so please don't get too excited. Due to software and budget issues Summer 2006 is the anticpated delivery date*). How to play SNG's seems to be a 'gap' in the poker-literature-market. After all who is qualified other than an internet player with extensive sit-and-go experience ? - which 'big-name' player would you really want small-time SNG advice from ??

My 'apprentice' played lovely poker for a week (and indeed almost a fortnight). He has been playing longer than I have but makes no effort. I gave him a simple-but-solid 'formula' for raising [and then discovered (to my horror) that he wasnt sure what 'being in position' was.] For a while he stopped calling, but bad habits die hard. Aggression continues to make him uncomfortable and he is slipping back into his old bad habits.

On the subject of Bad Habits ... it's also the name of a bar in Leiden where I can be found from time to time.

N.

October

2004-11-10T19:53:00.000+01:00

".... Si nous ne trouvons pas des choses agréables, nous trouverons du moins des choses nouvelles. - Allons, dit Candide, recommandons-nous à la Providence. "

Candide. (Voltaire)

Aspiring and/or jaded poker players should read Voltaire.

They should probably also read Nietzsche.

Leaving Sklansky on the shelf is the best idea of all, especially if they play at low limits.

IMHO.

October was a strange month poker-wise. A blistering start and a reasonable finish saw a net profit of 297GBP excluding bonus dollars. Would have been a blinder of a month except for three days in the middle where I dropped over 1k. These things happen. Decided to try a few 100GBP and 200GBP sit-and-go tourneys .... five to be precise .... and then played some larger multi-tables ..... whoosh +800 to -300 in ten hours .... not sustainable.

Certainly playing my best poker ever and thanks to Iggy (link in my first post) still learning which is a large part of the pleasure of the game. I used to search out my own poker literature .... now I have someone doing it for me !

What were the highlights of the month ?
(1) taught myself limit Omaha and in so doing had a 'road-to-Damascus' moment
(2) got KK bust four times in two days .... all-in each time ... high value games (3 times by AA once by AQ)
(3) found a local off-licence that sells draught guinness in tins (joy of joys ... a taste of 'home' for an Englishman abroad)
(4) persuaded 'my apprentice' to raise ocasionally instead of calling himself to death

The low-light:
(1) woke up one morning and the fourth thing I thought about was poker (it kind of went .... are my balls still there ... yes/good .... what day is it... Wednesday or Thursday .... do I have to go to work .... shit/yes/I'm supposed to ..... how soon can I play poker ??)

Took it VERY steady after that.

And that was October.

The Early Days

2004-10-16T15:24:00.000+02:00

So how did it all start ....

Well I was sat at home one day ... Spring 2004 .... (resting between jobs ... quite a long rest actually but thats a whole different story) and watched Jimmy White bust Phil Hellmuth and thought to myself why dont I give it a try ? I had some basic knowledge from watching enough TV poker to think it couldnt be that hard ! off to a shocking UK-based poker site that I won't mention by name and straight into a 306 player $1 tournament. Played tight enough and must have hit a few flops because I won the whole bloody thing and only had my last chip committed once (at the final table). Hooked ! Oh to go back to those days when I didnt know a thing about pot odds or implied odds and poker was an easy game played with instinct and intuition.

A couple of months later and I won a $5000 freeroll on Bet365. (This runs every Saturday and remains a weak and largely undersubscribed tournament. Recommended for beginners and experts alike [Link: BET365 .]) By this stage I was pretty solid in big-tournament low-standard play without really understanding why or how. In essence it was a case of pretty fearless selective aggression. I am not sure how "really" solid my play at that time was and the hand histories are no longer available but I reckon I was playing a nice blend of stuff especially middle-late stage in the tournament.

And then I discovered Sklansky and everything got harder. A lot harder. And that was five long months ago.

Inspired by Iggy

2004-10-16T13:56:00.000+02:00

Guinness, poker and Cheltenham in March. The Holy Trinity. If you want the best you need to go here Iggy's and stop reading this junk.

This is my first post and what is to follow is unclear at present I'm not sure I can add much that isnt already out there - perhaps a beginners perspective, perhaps a little humour, perhaps some flawed theory. Who can say ?

I know I'll get one reader (who's too lazy to do his own poker study) and that is enough. Any more would be a bonus.