TalkFlop.com Blog

Lately I’ve been playing pretty tight at the tables.  I’ve hit a pretty bad run of cards and if I’m being honest with myself have begun to play a bit scared.  Never a good feeling.  I try not to watch hands where I’ve already folded but I simply cannot do it.  I watch every hand and find myself (more often than not) saying “Man, I wish I would have stayed in for one more street.”  Here are just a couple of examples from a recent game:

Hand #1

The under the gun player folds and the next player raises to $400 early in the tournament.  I look down and see a nice looking King Ten suited and think for quite a while before throwing my hand away.  I figure that against an early position raiser I’m most certainly behind – potentially crippled.  Of course, the flop comes out with three clubs including the Ace.  I could only sit and watch as the pot was pushed to someone else after I’d laid down my nut flush pre flop.

Hand #2

The second time I had the deal I look down and see those beautiful bullets.  It’s music to my ears when the under the gun player raises.  It’s folded around to me and I make a decent size raise which he calls.  At this point I put him on a middle pair or AK.

AA on button, raise, called by one player.  The flop comes 224 and he moves all in.  I fold.  This is a pathetic play and I realize it even before he turns over QQ.  Playing scared sucks.

I’m happy to say that the next time I sat down at the table I did NOT play nearly this scared.  It’s very important to look at your game objectively.  Gotta plug those leaks whenever you can!

See you after the flop.

Tags: flopped flush, on the button, playing scared, pocket aces

Heads up for the title and I’m out chipped by about 10:1.  We’ve been playing heads up for about 20 minutes at this point and I’m hanging tight.  I’ve moved in a couple of times and he’s folded.  I’m to the point that I really can’t call a raise so he’s moving me all in when he raises (typically from the button).  I look down at 77.  I obviously can’t fold here and would probably take the pot down here with an all in (my opponent confirmed this after the game).  Instead I choose to raise and try to win a big pot.

A pretty terrible flop for my sevens but I do have an inside straight draw.  I check giving up the lead and the button makes a reasonable bet which I call.

Trips on the turn puts 4 to a straight out there but I’m backed into a corner at this point.  I move in and get called instantly by J9 for a made straight.  I fail to fill up on the river when an Ace comes and the tourney is over.

I knew when I raised preflop I could be getting myself into trouble.  In all honesty I may have been getting a bit antsy but I was really hoping to get a double up to gain some traction.  Going into heads up 10:1 or 15:1 I knew I was in for an uphill battle and figured that this hand was as good a time as any to try and make my move.

Tags: four card straight, heads up, move in or fold, straight, trips

Early in the tournament and I look down at wired tens.  I raise to 3 times the big blind and I get called by the button and we’re off to the flop.

Talk about a beautiful flop for a pair of tens.  I put in a standard continuation bet hoping he’s got something like A9 and was just calling on the button with position.

That card potentially made a straight but it’s highly unlikely that he was playing 58 to a raise (even with position).  I make another bet and he raises.  I think for a minute and then call.  I’m scared that maybe he’s got a set but it still feels like an unpaired ace.

I’ve got an overpair to the board with my pair of tens and I was raised on the turn.  This card actually scared me a bit cause after getting raised on the turn I started thinking about a possibility of being up against a set and he very likely would have called my pre flop raise with a small pair like threes.  Even with that thought going through my head, I figure that the 3 on the river didn’t help him so if I was beat before I’m still beat and if I was ahead before I’m a winner.  The raise on the turn really scared me so I decided to check and see if I couldn’t win at showdown or call a smallish bet on the end.  He made a small enough bet that I was getting pot odds to call and he rolled over pocket aces to take a nice size pot.

Looking back I’m not sure what I could have done differently.  Raising pre flop with tens is the obvious play and making a bet after flopping an over-pair is a no brainer.  I got raised on the turn but with the exception of a set I didn’t see how I was behind.  I suppose I should have started thinking about a big pair at this point but I just didn’t.  I like my check on the river here because if I’m beat I’m REALLY beat and I’m going to get raised anyhow.

See you after the flop!

Tags: overpair, pocket aces, pocket tens

This past weekend we had the championship game for Season V of the Cleveland Poker League.  For a variety of reasons it had been quite a long time since the final game of the regular season and due to some real life considerations I hadn’t played one single hand in the time between those two games (over two months).  If I’m being honest I was really pretty worried heading into this game as I was sure that my game would be rusty.  Luckily after a couple of hands I was feeling very comfortable at the table and things were back to “normal”.  Unfortunately, “normal” for me this past season has meant me playing pretty well and coming up on the short end of some luck.

I didn’t have any “never seen that before” hands but I did have a couple of noteworthy ones.

Hand #1

I make a raise from early position and get a call out of the big blind.  Flop comes out beautifully.

At this point I’m pretty positive that I’m in good shape against a blind hand.  Obviously I have to bet enough to make someone pay to draw to their flush and that’s what I do.  The turn comes a non diamond and I do the same thing making it expensive for the flush to get there.  As fate would have it, a diamond fell on the river.  I checked and made a crying call only to see what I already knew.  Personally I thought I’d done enough to keep the draw from getting there but obviously I didn’t.

Hand #2

Button makes a raise and I reraise out of the big blind with my kings.  He calls and we’re off to the flop which doesn’t look all that dangerous.

There’s really only a couple of hands here that scare me but I really don’t have him on JJ, or 88.  KJ and AJ cross my mind as good button hands and I’m actually hoping he’s got AJ as I’ll win a nice pot.  I suppose button raises with 55 is possible but it really doesn’t concern me.  A second Jack falls on the river and I’m forced once again to show down the second best hand which was best going into that last card.

Hand #3

Love seeing them those rockets!  Love even more when someone moves all in before I’ve got a chance to act.  I had the all in player out chipped by just a few so when my aces held up it was nearly a double up for me.  This put me back above chip average and I propelled me for another hour or so.

Final Hand

I’ve got 66 on the button and the player to my right makes a minimum raise.  I call and the flop comes out:

I didn’t put him on a J and he’d already had trip 5’s two or three times already tonight… how many times can one guy have the same hand???  You guessed it… one more time.  I wasn’t able to catch my 6 and my day was done.  On to next season for me – hope it will be better to me than the current season.

See you after the flop!

Tags: aces hold up, bad river, Cleveland Poker League, nice flop

I had a Cleveland Poker League game this past weekend (the last of the season) and as I’m sure you can tell by the title of this post it didn’t go well.  On a positive note I really do think I was playing pretty well (good reads, some good folds, etc.)  For what seemed like the 4th or 5th tourney in a row I felt like I was getting nothing to play with.  At one point about an hour in or so I’d see a grand total of 6 face cards… that’s not good.  But I’m not here to bitch about the cards I was getting cause we all know it’s about what you DO with those cards that makes the poker player.

Hand #1

I’m in the small blind and I look down to find a pair of Sevens.  We’re playing 6 handed and there were two callers so I decide just to call and see a flop.

Hmm… talk about a bad flop for a pair of Sevens.  Believe it or not the table checks around and we go to the turn which brings another J.  At this point (with 4 overcards) I’m forced to fold.  I retrospect a bet on the flop might have taken it down but I just couldn’t pull the trigger betting into a flop with 3 overcards on it.

Hand #2

I’m on the button and look down to see one of my favorites:

I’d been playing pretty tight (primarily cause I was getting a whole bunch of nothing) but I decided that this was too good to pass on so I bumped it to 3 times the big blind.  The small blind called and we were off to the flop.

Not a bad flop at all.  I’d have preferred to hit a pair to go along with my 4 flush but this was definitely good enough to call when the small blind put out a bet.  The turn and river came and I ended going to the river with nothing but a pair of 8’s.  Not good enough to take down the pot once the small blind showed wired Queens.  Unfortunately nothing higher than a Queen was on the board or I may have been able to buy the pot with a big bet.

Final Hand

Just before the second break and I’m under the gun and look down to see AQ.  It’s folded around to the big blind who calls and we’re off to the flop:

All right!  Finally something I can play with.  My opponent bets $400 and I call.  The flop comes out another beautiful Ace.  She bets out again and I move all in for the rest of my dwindling stack.  She (of course) flips over an A9 for a full house leaving me drawing to three outs which don’t come.

Looking back I’m not sure I could have gotten away from this.  Once I hit my third ace just about the only hand I was worried about was AK.  I honestly didn’t think she’d call with A9 in that spot (AK, AQ, AJ or AT was about the range of Aces that I had her on).  Guess I missed that “that much”.  As they say… that’s poker!

See you after the flop!

Tags: Cleveland Poker League, dead man's hand, face cards, good fold, good read, no cards, overcards, small pairs

I hear people complain all the time about how online poker is “rigged”.  My standard response to this is “If you think you’re being cheated – don’t play.”  This happens to be my stance for a live game as well.  I’m a firm believer that online sites simply CANNOT allow their players to be cheated or before they know it they will no longer have players.  Personally I think that people complain about these bad beats cause they’re seeing so many more hands per hour.  Those kind of hands WILL happen if you play long enough… they just have a tendency to come more frequently online (cause you’re playing more hands).

I’m certainly not prone to these online bad beats – here are a couple from my latest session.

Hand #1
I’m on the button with A7 of diamonds.  When it comes to me it’s unraised so I put in a standard “3 times the big blind” raise.  I get called by the big blind and we’re off to the flop.

BEAUTIFUL!  With the exception of my opponent holding AA in the big blind I’ve just flopped the nuts.  He makes a standard bet which I raise and puts him into the tank.  He uses just about all of his time before he puts me all in.  Hmm.  At this point I’m putting him on one of three hands – a 7 with a bad kicker, a big ace or a flush draw.  Based on the way he’d played up till this point in the tourney I don’t have him on aces.  I call and he shows a pair of twos.  Yep… you read that right, twos.  Not sure what he was thinking other than maybe he was putting me on a flush draw or a bluff of my own.

As I’m sure you can tell from the title of this post, this hand did not turn out well for me.  Of course the turn and river came like this:

I sat there in stunned silence as I got the pop up telling me my tournament was over.  I don’t even want to begin to think about what the odds of that beat are.

Hand #2
In another tournament I’m once again on the button and this time getting low on chips.  I’ve been trying to play but the cards just haven’t been coming my way.  I find myself with KQ of clubs on the button and make a standard raise.  This leaves me with just over 3 big blinds.  I’m raised by the big blind and I figure he’s making a play at the short stack so I decide to put the rest of my stack in jeopardy.  I’m happy to see that I’ve made the right play when he turns over KJ off suit (with the Jack of diamonds).

The board came out and once again I was left speechless.

Sure I had an Ace high flush but he was holding the Jack and once again I was done.  This is less of a bad beat than the first hand but they came in back to back tournaments and I had had enough for the evening.  As I said in my last post, “The best you can do is get your money in good and pray to the poker gods.”  I did just that and came out on the short end of the flop both times but as they say – that’s poker!

See you after the flop!

Tags: 3 times the big blind, bad beat, flopped full house, flush on the board, online poker, quad deuces, rigged

Luck and skill.  You’ve got to have both to be successful at the poker table.  You can play your cards “perfectly” and have no success.  You can play your cards poorly and win every pot you’re in.  The best you can do is get your money in good and pray to the poker gods.  In the long run you’ll be a winner.

I’ve had more than my fair share of luck.  I get my money in with a coin flip and win.  I suck out on an open-ended straight draw against top two pair.  If you play cards it’s GOING to happen to you.  Hopefully you get a couple of those hands to go your way.  I like to think that it’s because I study the game.  I study my opponents (especially when I’ve played more than once against them) and try to make plays that will work against specific people in specific situations.

But what about superstition?  I try not to worry about stuff like this but I’ve always got it in the back of my mind.  What am I wearing?  What am I using as a card protector?  Music vs. no music?  Do any of these things come into play at the table?  I highly doubt it but for what it’s worth I decided to outline my superstitions here.  I’m thinking maybe if I get them out into the open they can no longer harm my game

1. The first hand of the night – I try hard not to play the first hand.  It’s not so much of a superstition as it is me not being ready to play.  When I’m playing a Cleveland Poker League I’m normally running around trying to get everyone situated, get pictures taken, etc.  The last thing I want to do is get into a big pot right away when I’m not “ready” to play.Even when it’s NOT a CPL event, I try to stay out of the way – especially when I’m playing a tourney online.  I’ve found over the years that you can almost always find some donkey that’s going to put his chips in (regardless of what he’s holding) on the first hand of the tourney.  Even if I’m holding Aces I’ll generally play it VERY tightly.  I recognize that this is a terrible play but in my mind it’s just too silly to be outdrawn on the first hand of the night.
2. My card protector – When I use a card protector (which is not often these days) I’ll use my KillTheCan.org Hall of Fame coin.  It’s precious to me and if there’s something to be on the table that’s it.  That said, it’s not often that I use one anymore.  I’ll typically just put one of my chips (or a stack) on my cards.  I don’t know which poker pro said it, but if you’re using one of your chips then you’ll always have a protector – as long as you’re still in the tourney.
3. Headphones? – I’m typically a pretty talkative player at the table when I’m playing with friends.  Poker is a social game and aside from picking up tells on your opponents I genuinely enjoy talking with my friends at the table.  If I’m playing in a tourney where I don’t know anyone then I’ll throw on the headphones and have some tunes going.   NOTE: PLEASE people… if you’re going to wear headphones PLEASE pay attention.  It’s a pain in the ass to have to tell you it’s your turn… AGAIN. As for the type of music it’s all across the board.  I’ll just put the iPod on shuffle and let it play.
4. Seat – This one is only relevant in the online world where you can pick where you sit (or at least where your icon appears to sit).  I always “sit” in the lower right hand corner of the table when playing on Full Tilt.  I think it’s more of a habit then it is a superstition, but I thought I’d point it out.
5. Sunglasses/Hat – I always wear a hat when I play and rarely do I wear sunglasses.  I like wearing a hat for two reasons: (1) I never get to wear one on a normal day and (2) It allows me to just look down and hide my eyes when I’m in a hand.  Sure, sunglasses do the same thing but I’ve just never been comfortable sitting in a $20 or $100 tournament with my Ray Bans on.  If I was playing in a WPT or World Series even with the bright lights, this may be a different story.
6. Shirt – This one bothers me and it really shouldn’t.  When I play in a Cleveland Poker League event I almost always wear a Star Wars shirt that says “Thank you George” on it.  Not sure how this came to be my default poker shirt but it did.  Well of course I’ve been having a down season so I decided to change it up a bit and wear another shirt – naturally I played worse than I had all season and was the third one out.  This only leads me to believe that this superstition holds weight, which of course it doesn’t.  (Or does it???)

So there you go – my superstitions at the table.  I’d love to hear some of yours.

See you after the flop!

Tags: card protector, Cleveland Poker League, coin flip, first hand, Full Tilt, hat, headphones, luck, poker gods, shirt, skill, sunglasses, superstition, where to sit

I got back to the tables this weekend with our monthly Cleveland Poker League game.  With it being Memorial Day weekend we had a smaller game (11 players) but the action was no less intense.  We always have a final table of 8 so we started the afternoon with a table of 6 and a table of 5.  The plan was to lose 3 players and then combine for the final table… unfortunately for me, I didn’t make it to the final 8.

When playing short handed (as I was my entire tournament) you HAVE to loosen up your starting hand requirements.  If you don’t you’ll simply be blinded out.  The fact that it’s early in the tournament should have no bearing on when to play and when no to… the number of players at your table should be the deciding factor.  As I sat there throwing away hand after hand I KNEW I should be playing more hands but I just couldn’t do it.  In the end this was my demise.  That said, I do have a couple of hands worth reporting on:

Hand #1
Playing small pairs can be really difficult.  Sure they look nice but unless you flop yourself a set or a great draw you can get into big trouble.  And even with a small set you can always get in trouble with an bigger set, flush or full house.  With all of this in mind, I looked down to see:

I called with my small pair hoping to hit my set.  I was very happy to see that I’d done just that.

So I’m pretty sure that I’m in good shape as I’m guessing someone with pocket Kings would have raised and I didn’t get an “I’ve got middle set” read from anyone.”  I made a sizable bet and got two callers.  Hmm… not good.  Perhaps that middle set is out there after all.  At this point I’m guessing there’s a couple of Kings out there or at least a couple of flush draws.  The turn comes another club and everyone checks around.  That’s trouble.  The river comes a beautiful 6 giving me a boat.  really the only thing I’m worried about at this point is quad 6’s (and really only cause it bit me in the ass in a previous game) but in reality I’m not really concerned with that possibility.  Actually I’m hoping that someone’s got a big flush and will raise me after I make a bet.  Unfortunately no one called my bet and I took down a sizable pot.

Looking back I’m not sure what hands I was up against.  If my post-flop read was correct there had to be at least a King out there and possibly a flush.  I suppose I can see someone laying down a King with a flush on board but I just cannot see someone laying down a flush.  Perhaps I was up against two Kings and they both got scared off by the board (and my bet).

Hand #2
Once again I look down to see a small pair (44) this time on the button.  I just call (which in retrospect was a mistake… should have been raising here in a short handed game).  Flop comes 87Q and I’m forced to fold to a bet.  Really need to get into more of a habit of raising and then putting out a continuation bet.

Hand #3
There are hands that are good and we all know we should play them (AA, KK, QQ).  There are hands that are bad that we play anyways cause they are our “favorite” hands (for me, 74).  Then there are hands that look really nice but aren’t all that great (AK, QT, KJ).  Sure enough, I’ve got one of those in first position:

It looks SO pretty to see two painted cards but when it comes right down to it it’s a drawing hand that needs help on the flop.  This time, I got it… big time.

Just about a perfect flop for my hand (of course KKK, JJJ, KKJ, or KJJ would be better but beggars can’t be choosers).  At this point I’m pretty sure I’m ahead with the possible exceptions of 88, or AK.  I bet and get two callers building a nice pot.  A 6 comes off on the turn and I’m firing again and get one caller.  Perhaps I’m up against another King?  The river comes a 3 and I fire out again and take down a nice pot.  Not sure what they may have had… perhaps something like A8?

Hand #4
I’m sure we’ve all had hands like this.  Hands that have so much potential but just fall short.

Just like KJ above this is a drawing hand that needs some help but I play it for a raise this time and get 3 callers.  Remember… we’re on a short handed table and my opponents are doing a much better job of playing their cards.  Either they’ve loosened up their starting requirements, they’re getting better cards than me or both.

There are two bets in front of me and I call with middle pair and knowing where the nut flush is.  The turn comes another club and the flushes got there.  There’s another bet with two callers.  The river comes another card showing a four card straight on the board.  I’m forced to fold knowing that my flush didn’t get there.  Dammit.  Might have been a good idea to make a big raise on the turn representing the flush.

Hand #5
Perhaps I’m learning… I pick up Ace/Ten on the button and make a raise and get one caller (the big blind).  The flop comes JJ8 which my opponent checks and make a continuation bet taking down the pot.  Feels good to “earn” that pot.

My Last Hand
From there on out I was on a downward spiral of poor play.  I just couldn’t get myself to pull the trigger and make a bet or a raise.  Not sure what was going on.  Actually I’ll tell you… I was hoping for the other table to bust a player so we’d be down to 8, combine and be able to play at a full table.  As it turns out that was foolish.

I looked down to see 66 on the button and decide to make my stand and put all my chips in the middle.  I’m called by the small blind (who was the eventual winner) with… you guessed it… Ace/Ten.  She turned an Ace and my day was over early.

It amazes me how a couple of motif’s kept coming up for me: Ace/Ten and small to mid pairs.  I definitely need to get better at playing those small pairs.  I’m either not playing them for value or I’m loosing way too much when I’ve got the worst of it.  Obviously a leak that I need to plug.  In addition this game really reminded me that when you’re playing short handed you HAVE to loosen up your starting requriements… otherwise you’ll be on the rail watching.

See you after the flop!

Tags: blinded out, Cleveland Poker League, continuation bet, final table, Memorial Day, short handed, small game, small pairs, starting requirements

Doyle Brunson is the “Godfather of Poker”.  Even if you’re not a poker player the odds are pretty good that you’ve heard his name.  In the literary world, Doyle is probably best known for his poker-Bible Super System (and subsequent Super System 2).  Those are poker books through and through.  They include hand strategies, how to play against certain opponents, etc.  Poker Wisdom of a Champion while certainly about poker is devoid of those things… but don’t let that stop you from picking it up.

Originally titled According To Doyle this is actually not one story but rather 47 separate stories that started out as magazine articles.  They’re little anecdotes, stories and recollections that when read together tell the story that is Doyle Brunson.  It’s difficult not to get an image of Doyle in your mind sitting around the table telling these stories.  I’ve not ever had the pleasure of a gaming session with Doyle but I can only imagine that these are the kinds of stories he’d tell at the table – while taking all your money.

Brunson tells stories of his early days where poker wasn’t what it is now.  He talks of back-room games that were incredibly dangerous.  He talks about getting held up at gun and knife point.  He talks about big wins and he talks about big losses.  He talks about friends that he’s lost along the way and how they all have made him into the man he is today.

If you’re looking for a nice light read this is definitely a winner.  There’s plenty of poker in here to satisfy your urge but you won’t be blown away by tables upon tables of statistics on how to play this hand or that.  We as poker players and poker fans are blessed to have Doyle still among the poker community… Poker Wisdom of a Champion will give you some insight at to who this man is and why we’re so lucky.

Tags: According To Doyle, back-room poker games, doyle brunson, Godfather of Poker, gun point, held up, knife point, Super System

TalkFlop.com has taken the next step in social networking… we’re now on twitter!  If you’ve like to follow us here’s what you’ll get:

• Updates every time a new post is made here on TalkFlop.com
• Random “now and then” thoughts from our writers
• Cleveland Poker League integration!!!  This will include game announcements, in-game updates, etc.

Just head over to twitter and follow user talkflop

Can wait to have you!