Quad Cowboys

So naturally I was able to come back with some winning sessions. In the last 3 sessions I’m up around $200, including a plus $120 session yesterday. So for the year I am down about $150, but in the last 10 months I am up about $350.

I did turn 4 of a kind on a kill pot and got some callers to the river. I raised pre-flop with KK and got a couple of callers. Hit a set on the flop and still got some callers. The turn brought the fourth K and I checked, and it got checked around. River was a blank and I fired $12 again and still got two callers. Unbelievable. One person had pocket nines, not sure what she put me on. Anyway, it’s nice to turn quads.

I am learning that playing passively loses you money in the long run and not the bad beats. Ace/Jack off suit is a raising hand in middle position, not a calling hand. One time I simply called with this hand, and folded on the flop. I would have ended up making the nut straight. Another time I raised pre-flop with this same hand, and ended up winning the pot with two pair. Play your hands as if there were aces, and you’ll be able to push people of their weaker draws, especially if you built up a table image of winning.

Another time I had AK in late position and raised. Flop came down rags with a 10 high. The person in first position bet, and when it came back to me I raised even though I didn’t even have a pair. Why not? What did he think I had? I kept betting out, and when an Ace hit on the river, I didn’t even get any callers.

If you really watch, it’s amazing how many callers there are in the game. If the person to your immediate right bets, you should almost always raise or fold, especially if there is a large field waiting to act. It’s amazing how many people do not follow this rule. I raised with my draws and hit them quite frequently. People never put me on the draw, and would even bet on the river when the third suit fell.

New Years resolutions for poker are to go back to the tight record keeping. My goal is to double my bankroll for 2008. Overall resolutions are to be nicer to my family, especially my wife. Happy New Year.

Three straight losing sessions

Variance. It’s what poker players call it when you run into a cold deck. It happens to everyone. I’ve just had three straight losing sessions. Too bad the drunk poker had to be in the middle of it.

In the past three sessions I have lost $365. The good news is that since Vegas in October, and my monthly home game, I am up $310 in the past two months. I was able to find some old records for the year, and I’ve filled in the rest. Since April, I am up $210, and since March I am down $50. Not too bad, but again, not winning.

I was reviewing my records in 2006, and the same thing happened. Of course the opposite happens too, and I can win $600 in 3 days. In 2006 I had more winning sessions that losing ones. That is the key.

The drunk session aside, the other two losing sessions were pretty frustrating. I was concentrating, and thought I played well. Probably only made a couple of mistakes. I was getting no cards, and nothing hit. During the third session, I was actually down $150 and about to call it a day. As I was stacking my chips in a rack, I went on a little run and won about $75, so only ended up down $75 for the session. Runs are possible. They in turn help your table image.

I keep telling my self, it is not the number of pots you win, but the amount of money. The right situation at the right time can net a $100 pot. It’s happened before. It will happen again.

Patience and self-discipline

In Doyle Brunson’s book Super System, Bobby Baldwin writes the chapter on limit hold ‘em. He has a great quote on the ultimate success of limit poker players. “Lack of patience and self-discipline is the downfall of many otherwise technically sound players.” Unfortunately for me (and my bankroll) I fall pray occasionally to the lack of self-discipline. One of my goals is to work on this aspect of my play just as much as my actual play. Right now, my A game is pretty good, but my D game is horrible.

I know that I should never play during, or after drinking. I never drink while playing. Every time I go out for a few beers, I get the urge to play poker. It’s kind of like getting the urge to smoke cigarettes while drinking (although my asthma and age helped me kick this urge long ago). Last night I went out for a few beers to celebrate Twisted Jim’s last day at work (his blog to the right). Naturally I got the urge to play. Naturally I lost. It was a pretty frustrating session. I really didn’t get any cards. Had cowboys cracked by two-pair, two-pair lost to sets, boats lost to higher boats. I should have stopped, but I didn’t. I lost the $180 I won a few days ago, so given the winnings in Vegas, still up for the second part of the year.

The players at the table were horrible. If they were good I probably would have lost a lot more. I think that having my iPod at the table will help me drown out the inane dribble of these ridiculous players and concentrate on the game better.

I have such an urge to play sober poker to get this nasty taste of losing out of my mouth. Patience and self-discipline. I know I can do it. I will never play poker after a night of drinking again.

What is your weakest link?

I know we have all heard the expression, "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link." I have always liked this phrase because of the team metaphor that it implies. I never thought about how it might apply to an individual until I read Daniel Negraneau's blog entry today on attending the funeral of Chip Reese.

Here is one of the stories that one of the speakers said at Chip's funeral. It was Chip himself who said it to him when asked why he plays with the best in the world. Chip said, “When they are on their A game they are all fantastic players, some probably better than my A game. The thing is, my D game isn’t much different than my A game.”

Think about that for a moment. There is a lot important information in those words. You are only as good of a player as you are on your worst days. Makes sense. I think being able to control your losses may be more important, or just as important, than being able to maximize your winnings.

I know that is true for me as a poker player, but I think it is also true for people in life. I know this may not be an original theme either, but it got me thinking about it today. Anyone can have a good day. What are you like in the face of adversity? A man is best measured by how he reacts in the face of a challenge, and not when all is going well.

Michigan not able to close the deal on a coach

It seems that U of M is just not able to close the deal on getting a new coach to replace Lloyd Carr. Here is an interesting article from Bill Dufek, the son of a U of M assistant coach. He has called the search for a new coach "a debacle extraordinaire."

Dufek and another former teammate, Mike Leoni, said they believe Carr sabotaged the pursuit of Miles because of personal animosity, or "petty jealousies," as Dufek said. Dufek said he, too, feels that Michigan still may be able to bring Miles to Michigan and begin healing the wounds of search process gone awry. "This is an embarrassment to the Michigan alumni family nationally," Dufek said. "It's gonna take a while to get over.

Apparently Rutgers coach Greg Schiano was just using Michigan to boost his standings with Rutgers. Fifteen minutes after saying at a news conference, “I haven’t spoken to anyone about any job,” Schiano was speaking to the Wolverines about theirs. Schiano turned down Michigan's offer to stay at Rutgers. The search continues.

How do you close a deal? Perhaps this video will refresh your memory.

Peter Rometti sings the Star Spangled Banner

I just heard about this on the morning radio show I listen to, and thought it was so cool that I looked it up on the internet. Here is what transpired...

June 30, 2007 was Disability Awareness Night at Fenway Park. Peter Rometti, a young man with autism, sang the Star Spangled Banner before the baseball game at the invitation of Horace Mann Educational Associates (HMEA) of Massachusetts, a nonprofit that serves children and adults who have disabilities. Halfway through the song, Rometti began giggling, or stuttering, perhaps laughing nervously. Initially the crowd cheered and clapped Rometti on, and then when it became apparent he might not complete the song, the fans sang with him as he composed himself and finished the song. The New England Sports Network later interviewed Rometti and described him as "moved" by the experience.

See the Video.

When I heard this on the radio this morning, I started to get tears in my eyes. I actually found this video at a random blog called Thingamababy from a father who writes a blog about his baby and being a dad. Blogs can be whatever you want them to be and I find diaries a fascinating look into people's minds. I find writing them a great release of the thoughts in my head, and I am willing to share for anyone who wants to read.

So, in the same post, there is another video, a public service message called Children See, Children Do. I was floored by this video. Thank you Thingamababy for opening my eyes. Here is an excerpt from the rest of the blog.

I assume you already generally treat people with love and respect. But what about the car in front of you that you saw traveling very slowly toward the stop sign and sluggishly responding as the line of cars ahead took turns proceeding through a 4-point intersection, and then you watched that slug of a driver sit at the the stop sign with no opposing traffic anywhere in sight for what had to be a whole 5 seconds, and then a few choice words shot from your mouth in extreme frustration as you realized your 3-year-old daughter was sitting in the backseat. Me. Yesterday.

If I can't handle a stop sign, how will I teach my children to face real challenges?

My point is a question for you: How do we convey to our children to live with hope, face challenges with strength and see a future that lays beyond today's troubles? Doesn't that require you to be at your best, and to start making changes in your own life the day you see your baby's wondrous eyes?

Rest in Peace Chip Reese

David “Chip” Reese, the three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, longtime cash-game star, and member of the Poker Hall of Fame, has died today. He was 56.

Reese was admitted to a hospital last night with symptoms of pneumonia and passed away in his sleep.

Doyle and Tood Brunson issue statement on his passing.

Check out Barry Greenstein's Audio blog on Chip Reese

Chaos doesn't legitimize ignorance or stupidity

By sheer accident, nothing more, Ohio State and LSU will play Jan. 7 in the Allstate BCS National Championship Game. A few days ago it was supposed to be Mizzou vs. West Virginia. And before that, Kansas vs. LSU. Ohio State reached the national championship game by doing nothing more strenuous than clicking the TV remote. Congrats.

Why is Oklahoma left out? They are 11-2 and beat the number one ranked team in the country on a neutral field by 21 points. Chaos doesn't legitimize ignorance or stupidity of flawed system. Any season that has the not-head-football-coach of Michigan Les Miles proclaim his team is "undefeated in regulation play" confirms the craziest college football season ever. However, college football deserves better than simple bedlam.

Mizzou went from No. 1 to a non-BCS bowl (the Cotton) in less than 24 hours. Meanwhile, Kansas, which lost to Missouri late in the season and failed to reach the Big 12 title game, was invited to a BCS bowl, the Orange. Georgia, which is 10-2, was in the BCS title game discussion despite not winning its division or conference championship.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive, who doubles as the Bowl Championships Series coordinator, says, "I don't see what I would call an NFL-style playoff in the offing." Someone needs to remind him that it isn't an "NFL-style playoff" we're talking about. It's an NCAA-style playoff, the kind of elimination tournament seen in nearly every NCAA sport and every NCAA football division except Division I-A. SEC schools won two of those "NFL-style" playoffs last season. They're called Final Fours.

Is this any way to determine a national champion?

A Teddy Bear named Mohammed

Do you ever stop and think how lucky you are to live in a country that honors and values free speech? Short of yelling “Fire” in a movie theater, we are allowed to openly criticize our leaders and debate any issue in an open forum, as these posts attest.

Look at what the Muslim community abroad gets upset about. 54 year old Gillian Gibbons teaching kids in Sudan brought a teddy bear into her class. She asked her class of seven-year-olds to pick their favorite name for the new class mascot, which she was using to aid lessons about animals and their habitats. After considering the names Hassan and Abdullah, they voted overwhelmingly in favor of Muhammad — the first name of the most popular boy in the class. Unfortunately for Gibbons, it is also the name of the sacred Islam prophet.

Gibbons was arrested Sunday. The teacher was convicted of insulting religion but cleared of two other charges of inciting hatred and showing contempt for religious beliefs.

She could have faced a sentence of 40 lashes, a fine or jail term of up to a year. Hundreds of protesters brandishing ceremonial swords and sticks gathered outside Khartoum's presidential palace Friday to vent their anger. Some of the protesters demanded the teacher's execution. Some chanted: "No tolerance: Execution" and "Kill her, kill her by firing squad."

Remember last year the Muslim outcry at what they found to be offensive cartoons of Mohammed. A French newspaper reproduced a set of Danish caricatures depicting Muhammad that caused outrage in the Muslim world. Muslim nations threatened boycotts and death threats made against Danish citizens traveling in the Middle East.

The ability of Muslims to threaten death, and to have mass demonstrations (1 million in Karachi) over something so trivial as illustrations or naming a teddy bear, yet retaining a total inability to condemn Muslim atrocities such as 9/11 and suicide bombings with such mass protests is atrocious.

What are the children learning from all of this? One mother, whose seven-year-old son was in Gibbons' class, said her family had not been offended by the name. "Our Prophet Muhammad tells us to be forgiving," she said. "So she should be released. She didn't mean any of this at all."

EDIT 12/3 - Gibbons released from Jail after Sudan's president Omar al-Bashir granted her a presidential pardon, apologized for any distress her actions may have caused.

Limit vs. No Limit

Why do I play limit? At this point it is mostly due to the size of my bankroll. They say you need between 200 - 300 big bets to play limit and about 15 buy ins to play no limit. So for a 3/6 limit game, you need about $1,200 bankroll. For a $300 1/2 no limit game you need about $4,500. I don't have 15 buy-ins to throw around and the people I would be playing with do. They are perfectly content to go all in with a buy in when they are a 55% favorite. I'm not there yet.

I am going to start with a bankroll to play 3/6 at my local casino in '08. I would love to be able to build it up to so I can sit down at the 15/30 game they have. So, I guess if I have a goal, it would be to grow my bankroll to $6,000. They said you should not play a tournament that has more than a 5% buy in for your bank roll. So I will choose my tournaments carefully, and try to play some bigger buy in tournaments once my bankroll goes up slightly. I'd imagine I'll be playing 90% ring game at 3/6. No online play.

I am going to work hard at trying to put people on hands. What story does the hand and their betting style tell and what hand can I put them on? I know in limit poker this is not as important as in no limit, but it is still important. Also, something to practise when you are not in a hand.

My style: TAG - tight aggressive. And I can loosen up some or change gears once the table has pegged me on a style. The key is to win one big bet an hour. As you can see from lower limits this is hardly worth your time. But it is a good gauge to use for your profitability rate. The important thing is the amount of money won and not the number of pots won. I am content winning one big pot an hour.

Where does the money come from?

The best book that I have read on lower stakes hold em is Small Stakes Hold'em by Ed Miller, David Sklansky, and Mason Malmuth. Unlike many other books about small stakes games, it teaches the aggressive and attacking style used by all professional players. However, it does not simply tell you to play aggressively; it shows you exactly how to make expert decisions through numerous clear and detailed examples. Anyone who is going to play poker seriously needs to read this book.

Every cent of your long term profit playing poker comes from exploiting your opponents errors and predictable tendencies. The bad beats do not cause you to lose in the long run. Playing passively does. If you do not win in the long run it is not because your opponents are making too many mistakes, it is because you are. Be glad your opponents refuse to fold; if they didn't you might go broke.

Do not berate other players for poor play at the table. Regardless of the social etiquette of such remarks, it is simply bad business. The money comes from poor players who may poor calls with their mediocre cards and draws. Over time, you will be able to win money from them. Why make them feel uncomfortable, and potentially leave the table, by critiziscing their play? You want them to make mistakes.

To maximize your long term winnings, you must consistently choose plays that maximize your expected value (EV) of each situation. Will every session be a winner? No, natural variance will account for losing sessions. But if you follow the advice in SSHE you will have more winning sessions that losing ones.

Is online Poker legal?

The U.S. government has taken a stand against online poker and other forms of online gambling, based on an interpretation of the frequently cited "Wire Act" of 1961. This statute prohibits gambling over the telephone, and in the case of Jay Cohen, the Courts ruled that it does apply to online sports betting. Whether the Act applies to betting on a poker game, particularly when that game is operated from a foreign country, is still a matter of debate.

At the end of 2006, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was rammed through Congress by the Republican leadership in the final minutes before the election period recess. According to Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), no one on the Senate-House Conference Committee had even seen the final language of the bill. The new law does not apply to the players. The law addresses only the operators of online gambling businesses and financial institutions that transfer money into those businesses.

This law prohibits a business from receiving deposits for the purpose of unlawful online gambling. It also requires regulation of financial institutions. The Federal Reserve is directed to create new regulations within 270 days that will apply to financial institutions. The regulations will detail how financial institutions are to identify and block transactions from the US to unlawful online gambling businesses. Note that this does not include transactions to lawful online gambling businesses, nor does it include transcations in the other direction. Also, it specifically does not cover paper checks, due to practical difficulties in tracking them.

Key to this bill was the definitioin of what constitues a bet, which is risking something of value on the outcome of a game subject to chance. The many thousands of professionals who make their living playing poker will tell you that poker is a game of skill and not chance.

At a Wednesday hearing, the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee will debate the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act. An Internet gambling bill sponsored by Representative Jim Leach, an Iowa Republican, was approved by the House Financial Services Committee March 15. The third bill is sponsored by Senator Jon Kyl, an Arizona Republican.

Some sites have decided to leave the US market. Party Poker is the largest such site. If you live in the US, you will not be able to play at these sites any longer. All of the sites have said they intend to honor existing account balances. Poker Stars, the largest online poker site, continues to service the US market.

Testimony of Annie Dukeon behalf of The Poker Players AllianceHouse Committee on the Judiciary"Establishing Consistent Enforcement Policies in the Context of Internet Wagers"November 14, 2007

Played Poker Tuesday

So I played poker last Tuesday night and won $180. I actually went into the tank down a 100, so the good news is that I went on a streak of plus $280. I was catching great cards, and then led to a great table image.

I made a couple of bad mistakes. I was a little sick and tired, so didn't realize the 3rd club hit on the turn when I was holding 2 pair. I bet, and got raised. The guy who raised was a pretty tight and straight forward player, and it was obvious he had the nut flush. I wasted 3 bets, when I should have just checked, and had the opportunity to see 2 cards for 1 bet. Another time I made a poor overcall and the guy holding a baby flush raised us both. I was drawing to the nut flsuh but did not hit.

I was in Vegas in Oct. and won $330, so although I am not keeping records right now, I feel I am about even for the year. I am up $165 in my monthly home game.

First post

I believe in the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing AstroTurf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days.

These musings will mostly focus on poker. I'll be writing about my results, and what I have learned. I play fairly regularly at local casino's as well as in a monthly home game. In 2006 I kept pretty good records of sessions, hours, and results. In over 50 sessions, and over 300 hours of poker, I basically broke even. The good news is I did not lose my bankroll; the bad news is I want to do more than break even.

In the beginning of 2007, I got lazy in my record keeping. I ended up down in the first part of the year, but recent winning sessions have brought me to even. My goal for 2008 and beyond is to resume the record keeping to better understand my areas of weakness.