OK, here is the line for tonight so far. I played a HUGE 3860 player NL Tournament and finished 227th. No big deal really. Just doubled the buy-in but there was still $1600+ on the line. Had I been able to double up after the second break I would have definitely had a shot at the Final Table.
As it turns out I did not pick up many cards and the table was hyper aggressive so stealing was not going to be an easy task after two failed attempts. Hopefully, I will get another shot at it before I call it a night.
Just who is the best looking female poker player? My personal choice happens to be Evelyn Ng. She exudes culture and class in every way. On the other hand I enjoy the intellect of Vanessa Rousso along with her skill as a player.
Alright, here it is. I have every intention of taking down a tournament today. I am long over due. I will report back later this evening and let you know how things went.
I gotta admit this would be one tough matchup. However, I give the very sleightest of edges to Dan Negreanu for one reason. Negreanu does not tilt nearly to the degree that Hellmuth does. One bad beat and Hellmuth can be pushed off of his formidable game.
I got back into the swing of things in my PokerStars $4 (180 tournament). Started off with an incredibly good run and got up to about $5700 chips before the break and I split a huge pot when my AA vs AK ended up with an flop.
Crap! That would have had me at over 10k before the first break.
Right after that I got involved in a 9k pot with my AK vs AJ pre-flop. My opponent hit a jack on the turn and that took me down to 3k. After that I ran into AQ vs AJ when I got short stakced and that was the end of me.
Still feeling good about my game though. I am getting my chips in good so I can deal with a beat in that case. I try not to get to upset about it. It’s the nature of the game but it sure stings when it happens. Good things are happening to me regardless of how the flop turned out. The momentum has swung my way and I am going to take full advantage of it!
Before I sit down at any cash game I like to observe the table. Some people pass this by and want to get straight to the action. However, I believe that it’s advantageous to know who the players are BEFORE you sit down. Knowing who is capable of what gives you and edge. If your sitting down “cold” and get involved in a big hand immediately you could be at a disadvantage. Knowing that a guy will call large raises with 2s 7c is a big deal. I know it sounds like a stretch but I have seen this kind of play before in cash games.
Believe me you do not want to be the one that doubles him up when the flop comes 2d 7h X. Had you waited fifteen or thirty minutes before you sat down you may get the opportunity to see a player do what is in his nature. That is a significant advantage to you and your bankroll.
Who wears poker shades? I do. That’s who. However, I do wear them for a clear and definite reason. I wear them primarily during No Limit tournaments and No Limit cash games. There is no need for shades in limit games in my opinion. Some suggest that shades give an unfair advantage to the person wearing them. On the contrary, if you put shades on then my so-called advantage has been evened out. It’s kinda hard to make that argument on either side because either argument can be resolved by the other side either adding or removing the shades.
To some players when they sit and play against the shade wearers they feel as if they are at a disadvantage. This is entirely psychological in my opinion. If you’re good you’re good. Shades don’t make you a better player and never will. What shades do allow you to do is look at other players without them being aware. To me that is a bit of an edge. Even when I am not in a pot there are players that I will keep an eye on. I want to see there natural reaction. If they know I am watching them they are not going to do what comes naturally to them. I realize that it’s small justification but that is my primary reason for wearing them. On the other hand I have also played tournaments without them. I just prefer to have them on. It’s as simple as that.
You can also look at it from this perspective. Do you have any idea of how much money professional poker players would lose in endorsements deals if shades were band? I would think TONS of money. Shades are good for the game and the players involved no matter how you look at it. Imagine how much extra cash guys like Greg Raymor and Phil Hellmuth must be getting in endorsement deals with companies like Oakley.
So if you have them. Wear them and don’t sweat the small stuff.
Ocassionally a fixed-limit game is played as a kill game. This game is played with an additional blind, called the kill blind. A kill blind can be posted from anywhere on the table. The amount posted is typically twice the blind for that game. Here is an example, in a $20/$40 game, the large blind is typically $20. If this game were played with a full kill, the kill blind would be $40. It is also common to find a game with a half kill. For example, when the kill is active in $4/$8 game with a half kill, the game is played at a $6/$12 limit. The resulting pot is referred to as the kill pot.Rules on how the kill is activated will vary from room to room.
Sometimes the kill is activated by the previous pot being over a set pot size. A common pot size is ten times the value of the large bet (in a $20/$40 game, the kill would be active if the previous pot won was greater than $400). The winner of that pot is required to post the kill blind for the next hand. Another way a kill can be activated is when a single player wins two pots in a row, requiring the winner to post a kill blind on the next hand. The kill will typically remain active if the player with the kill blind continues to win consecutive hands. If a player has won the previous hand and splits the pot with another player, that may also activate a kill hand. If a pot is split and neither player has won the previous hand, winning the pot of the next hand does not typically activate a kill hand.
Sounds a little complex? Your not alone. I tend to stay away from Kill games as they are not my taste but for those of you that enjoy them. Have at it!
A live Straddle is when the player to the left of the big blind places a live straddle blind bet. The straddle has to be a raise over the big blind. This is a live bet and the player placing the straddle effectively becomes the the “Big Blind” The action begins with the player to the left of the straddle. If action returns to the straddle without a raise, the straddle has the option to raise. The player to the left of a live straddle may re-straddle by placing a blind bet raising the original straddle
There you have it. The Straddle defined. You will mostly see this kind of play in Limit and No Limit Hold’em games. Straddles are used to induce “action” and generally must be agreed upon by all players before being invoked unless the game is setup as a straddle by default.
I decided to play the $20 (180 Max Players) tourney last night. Got off to a slow start and never picked up any momentum. I was gasping for air until after the break when I tripled up to go up to $2500. I never seemed to catch anything after that. Meanwhile the player immediately to my right kept getting his chips in bad and by the time the river hit was dragging the pot.
It really amazes me sometimes how some online players can be so careless and still seem to pick up pots. On the other hand, this same player was also trapped at least two times and wiggled off the hook. Anyhow, I busted out when my
lost to and the flop came down . I thought I would be dragging that pot back. Can’t wait to play tonight though. I sense that momentum has swung my way again so it’s time to play!
flop.
and the flop came down 
. I thought I would be dragging that pot back. Can’t wait to play tonight though. I sense that momentum has swung my way again so it’s time to play!
