Well, I have played enough hands online at Pokerstars this month to become a PlatinumStar, which means I played at least 10,000 raked hands. This means that I will now acrue points faster and can redeem my points for merchandise, tournaments, etc., as well as play in more free rolls. I already got a nice clay poker chip set:
I have about 150,000 points. If I get $5,000,000, I can get an Astin Martin Vantage...
As most everyone knows, Neteller no longer accepts gambling transactions. This is after the US feds arrested two of their founders. Also, the feds are supposedly requesting bank records for certain institutions and possibly players (I don't know if the latter is true). These are certainly bad movements for online poker players, but I am pleased to report that it doesn't seem to have affected pokerstars, which is the site I play on. As of right now, there are about 82,000 players and there seem to still be plenty of bad players. I was and am worried that if the feds make to too hard on bad players to put in money, that they might stop. Its no fun trying to make money off of a bunch of semi-pro rocks - we depend on there being a bunch of drunk yahoos who are mad at their money. So far, so good though.
Over the past few days, I have done very well in regular 10/20 and 5/10 cash games. I have won around 10K (its too bad I spent the first week of the month in Las Vegas - arg, I would be up). Most of the winnings have been from 3 hands. I wonder if my calls were good or just lucky:
10/20 game. 5 handed. I am on the cutoff with about 4K in chips. There is one a couple of limpers and I make it $100 to go with KK. The button, who is a loose, very aggressive, good player, makes it another $300 to go. He has another $1500 behind him. He tells me he will call if I put him all in. Hmmm. I end up just calling the $300, so the pot is $800. I am sure he is reading me for being very weak. I really did not think he had AA, because of the speech and because I think he would smooth call with position. Anyway, the flop is 9 9 rag. No suits. I check and he immediately goes all in. A big overbet, $1500 into an $800 pot. I figure he can't have a 9 and if he has AA, well then I just have to pay him off. I quickly call. He has QQ. He doesn't improve, so I win about a 4K pot.
Later in the night, we are playing 3 handed. I have over 7K and am in small blind. The button, who has about 3.2K and is a loose aggressive player, makes it $60 to go, which he as been doing with any two cards. The big blind folds and I pick up QQ. I make it $200 to go. He calls quickly. Hmmm, what does he have? The flop is KQ9, with two hearts, giving me second set. No way my opponent has KK, because I think he would have raised. 99 maybe. I hope he did not play JT suited, although I know this is his favorite hand. Anyway, I make it $400. He calls quickly. At this point, I figure he doesn't have the straight. If he did, it seems like he would have thought longer and possibly raised, due to the flush threat. I really don't know what he has, but I am almost sure I am good. The turn is a total blank. I bet $1000 and he thinks and thinks, before raising me allin, for at least $1500 more. Jeez, there is $4700 in the pot now. I pretty much feel pot committed now. The only hand he could have to beat me is JT, but it could be hearts, giving him a redraw. I figure, I am committed, I have 3rd nuts, and the board could always pair, so I call. He looks sick and turns over AK of hearts, with top pair, top kicker, and the nut flush draw. He has 8 outs (the board can't pair a heart) and misses, so I win a 6.4K pot. Yee ha. It is nice being on the receiving end of a missed nut flush draw.
Well the story isn't over. In a 5/10 game, I get in another hand with the same guy. I am the small blind with about 4K in chips. He is on the big blind and has over 2K in chips. He raises preflop, about $30 and there are a couple of callers. I play a K2 offsuit. There is about $100 in the pot. The flop is KJ2 with two hearts. You can see it coming right? I check my two pair, hoping to raise. He makes it $100 to go and another person smooth calls. I make it $500 straight. He immediately goes allin for another $1500 or so. The other guy folds. I think to myself, why so much? Yes, there are two hearts. Does he have a set, JK, or a big flush draw. Why bet so much with a set? KJ or JJ maybe, but it sure looks like a draw and he is trying to push me off. I end up calling, half because I think I am good and the other half figuring that I owe him one. After I call, he looks sick again. He has A8 of hearts for another nut flush draw. He misses, and I win another big pot.
Jeff Gray, a local "on line tournament pro", wrote the following two articles. Check them out
http://www.pocketfives.com/2E694305-D3B8-404E-9163-B6FA8C7EFBCC.aspx
http://www.pocketfives.com/A14DE1B3-F463-4E6E-8F7C-24717A9F3BEC.aspx
I have started playing online again. I played some last year, but could never win. I have don't very well this month. Perhaps it is because I have a new image. I used to use this image from "Lord of the Rings", which is pretty nerdy. I now use the following:
I played in a 34 person, $500+unlimited rebuys tournament. There was over 40K in play. I didn't make the money though. I did a rebuy and an addon, but just never got anything going. The blinds got high fast and I ended up getting down to where I had about 3 times the blind. I had been planning to push with any hand, but someone always seemed to open with a hand. I finally got a chance with Q7, but was called by the small blind with AJ suited. Amazingly I flopped two pair, but he flopped broadway. That was the end for me.
The final table took forever, but ended quickly when down to 3. They paid 6. The winner got 14K. I got 7th the last time, but no money this time.
I also read Scott Fischman's new book on Internet poker. I don't have the exact title. I guess I was expecting a book that focuses on what makes playing online different than playing live poker. Unfortunately, the book is pretty basic and has a lot of general poker strategy, as opposed to information that is unique to online play. It seems very geared to a brand new poker player, who is trying to learn the game by starting online. From this perspective, it is probably a good book, but if you are an experienced online player, I don't think you will find a lot of new information.
That said, there were a few items of value and all it takes is one new bit of info in a book to make it worth buying and reading.
I just read Barry Greenstien's new book, "Ace on the River". This is a really great book. It is totally different, in that it isn't a poker strategy book. There are a couple of chapters with basic strategy, example hands, odds, etc., but these are at the end of the book.
The book covers everything about the life of a professional poker player. It has tons of information about managing your money, picking games, spotting cheating, etc., etc.
I particularly liked the tournament chapter. His views on tournaments and players are really interesting. He sort of looks down on tournament players, as not being as good as a lot of people think they are. Tournaments involve a lot more luck than cash games, due to the rapidly increasing blinds and pressure to gamble and take chances. Tournaments get a lot more press than cash games and the winners are viewed as the best players around. Barry points out that many of them can't compete in the biggest cash games.
I played some in a big game. They had a mixed game and a pure holdem game. I played holdem, since I am pretty much lost with these guys in omaha. I won't say too much about the game, other than pretty much all of the best cash game players in town were there. There were a couple of live players, but they were playing the mixed game. I ended up winning, but only because I flopped a set against a guy with KK. I plan to play again, but will stay clear of the mixed game. I feel like I can play holdem at this level, but am the sucker at the mixed game.
Well I have played 4 times this year and lost all 4. Just being stupid, drinking, and not playing seriously. I played 10/20 NL and had a good night. I ended up winning $3500. No huge pots, just grinded out small and medium pots all night. I never went nuts and made huge semi-bluffs with draws. The formula is pretty clear - drink while playing poker, lose money.
