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who's into Texas Holdem (real, not on android)

B

barely_legal_lover

Banned
Let's talk WPA style Holdem? Anybody play? Wehre do you play? Legal places, in your backrooms with friends, tournaments, cash tables....


There is a local dogtrack by my house that allows holdem. Every Tuesday there is a $20 tournament. You get 3000 in chips and play til you either win or lose. Usually about 90 players. Best finish, 5th. They pay through 8 or 9 places. 9th (or 8th) gets their 20 back, the winner gets about 400


Post up stories of bad beats, for or against you, etc. lets talk strategy, style, etc.

I don't wear hoodies or sunglasses, but I will talk some schmack. I don't drink when I play cuz I get sloppy in my playing then.
 
Love playing with my friends, everytime I play in a casino setting I get bluffed out! lol just don't have enough extra cash to play recklessly
 
I have only done straight cash tables a couple of times... 1/2 limit. Very cheap... 20 buyin. I won 20 bucks in about an hour.

What I like playing are the buyin tournaments. A set amount buys you 3000 in chips. At the dogtrack, there are 20 nights, 30, 50, and 100. Each night, you get 3000 in chips. Of course, payouts for winning are higher for the 100 night (usually 1000 for first and 100 for the last place they pay out, whereas the 20 night nets you about 300 for first)

So at most, all you lose is your buyin amount.
 
we started by just doing it this way with about 8 people in the family. 10 buy in and the winner got the entire pot. I definately understand how you can be bullied out of winning simply because someone else has deeper pockets.... or playing with someone else's money... etc. and that's not proving that they are a better poker player. When it's "Fake" money, you can play.

We talked a lady who was debating about calling a 2000 all in. She was chasing a flush we later found out and she was torn. I told her... "don't worry, all he raised you was $20, call it" She did, but she missed the flush and i was one person closer to my 9th place (out of 90) finish. (I just missed getting paid)


My best beat on someone....

Ace Queen in my hand. Flop comes, A,A, 8

I bet $500 and one calls and the 9th player raises all in (he has me covered).
Trip Aces for me, I figure he's got the 4th Ace and only 2 cards beat me, a King, or an 8.
So I call. The other other guy folded and me and the all in flipped cards. He had the damn 8.... full boat and I'm screwed unless a Queen comes. The turn.... no help.... the river BAMMMM QUEEN. The entire table "WWWWWHHHHHOOOOAAAAHHHH" I got lucky. I didn't put the guy out, but I nuetered him after that. 3rd hand in, he's at 400. He lasted about an hour, but eventually got beat out.


My favorite hand - 10, 5
 
worst beat I had, it was late into the first time I placed at the tournament. I was sitting strong, waiting on a few more people to be eliminated when I got pocket 9s. It was a 6000 big blind, so I paid it.

two jacks and a 5 come out. Ok, I'm in it now for 2 pair. But I wanted to be careful that someone didn't have the 3rd jack. another 6K

Next card.... another Jack. So I'm reletively satisfied that noone has the 4th jack and I have a full boat and nothing on the board higher than my 9 and I didn't want to get beat on the river by a 10, Q, K, or A. One guy puts in 12K. I re-raised all in (about 50K). The other guy was debating, debating, debating, but was chip leader, and said, I know you got me beat, but I'll call....


he had pocket 10s

it hurt... it almost worked, but that's poker
 
I do have a poker group of about 10 or so regulars and another 8 or so part-timers. We usually play tournament style with a $10 buy-in and winner takes all. We can usually get in about 2 games an evening with each game lasting about 2 and a half hours. We've been playing for about 5 years now.

Last week, we had a big poker day with 16 players in the first game and two tables. We played 3 games in total, with the last game with only 8 players. With 2 tables of players, we had a second and third place prize. I find it interesting if there is more than one main prize. It's funny that when we get down to 4 players, everyone tightens up because no one wants to be the bubble boy.

Biggest bad beat was when I raised with pocket aces. I got re-raised all-in. I obviously had to call. The other guy turned over 63s and got the flush.

Just last month, I was on the winning side of a bad beat. I was heads up and raised with QJ. My opponent re-raised all-in. Since the blinds were so high, I called and he turned over pocket aces. I ended up winning that hand with a straight and eventually winning the game.

I try to play a tight-agressive style. Sometimes, I get a good read that my opponents are weak and can force them to fold. I try to pick my spots when to be aggressive with weaker hands. Generally, I do not like slow playing good hands. I want to show off a strong hand when my opponent calls. I don't mind not getting value if I can win a hand without showing what I have, particularly early on and with small pots. With larger pots and with a strong hand, I try to get more value.

The most interesting thing about poker is that the game is the same, but the play changes throughout the years. I've gotten to know the style of play of the regulars in my poker group over the years. I have also noticed how they all change and improved their style and play over the years. Plays that work two or three years ago against certain players no longer work. For such a game with a simple set of rules, the complexity of play makes poker the most elegant game that I know. The addition of new players over the years also make the game so interesting as I try to figure out how to play against these newer players.
 
Love hold em. I play it anyway I can get it. Go to the casinos down in Lake Charles Louisiana, play in home games (cash & tourny style), underground poker rooms and also a local poker league in Texas called snowman poker. Only thing I stopped playing was online poker about 5-6 years ago. Its just not as fufiling as the real deal
 
Hold em is fun, I play with friends sometimes, not as often anymore. I really hate playing at the casinos around here cause none of them have no limit. If you want to win anything significant you have to sit around for hours and hours chipping away at people. :/
 
Well my uncle took 2nd... not a bad night other than I have to be at work in 7 hours.

Our one casino/dogtrack is pretty laid back. Its family freindly (even though there are no kids) I've never seen any issues. And now the dealers know me and I can cut up some.
 
barely_legal_lover said:
Horrible night.... my big screwup was letting myself get too low so when I did go all in, too many people called.
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I always try to be aware of my chip stack. You can't let it get down to less than 5 big blinds. When you have at least this much and you push all-in before the flop, people with mediocre hands are less likely to call if you are the first one in. This may allow you to pick up a few blinds and perhaps survive long enough to pick up a decent hand.
 
So what are some of your styles. Do you play aggressive, just play your hand or mostly play the players? I tend to play the players and play a lot from position.
 
Stuntman said:
I always try to be aware of my chip stack. You can't let it get down to less than 5 big blinds. When you have at least this much and you push all-in before the flop, people with mediocre hands are less likely to call if you are the first one in. This may allow you to pick up a few blinds and perhaps survive long enough to pick up a decent hand.
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I agree... It's how I try to do it.... for some reason, I just lost track. Just mental fart.

My style... and it maybe only good for where I'm at.... but I've kinda broken it down to 4 hours (the time it takes to win a tourney where I go)

hour 1.... I don't play unless I have pocket pair. Aces or faces play. The problem with this hour is all the WPA wanna-be's come out trying to play overly aggressive like they are on TV. Like a firework, they make lots of commotion, and then pop, and they are out within the first hour. Nothing worse than having pocket kings, someone calling your 10x's the blind preflop with an 8-2 offsuit. and catching 2-2 on the turn and river. or going all in with nothing, and catching the straight.

hour 2.... levels start to include antes. This is where it gets "real" all the internet pokerpro's are usually gone by this point. There are a few leftovers though. Winning 2-5 good hands in this hour sets you up for

hour 3.... at the end of hour 2, there is a 10 minute break. Now, blinds and antes mean something and you better make sure you have some chips built up because right after the break ends.... you see a lot of small stacks going all in as they are in that desperation mode. catching one or two of them help. Some real big moves are made in this hour as things dwindle down to the final table

hour 4 (or final table).... last 9 players. PATIENCE..... pick your spot.... monster hands, HUGE amounts of chips exchange hands here. A little luck, a little skill, bluffing.... lots of great poker here




I thought of another great beat I pulled on a guy.... 1 part luck....2parts stupidity.... and 1 more part luck again.


A young guy I knew when he was a kid, had just turned 18. First tourney and he is chipped up good, during hour 3. I have about 8K in chips, he has about 25K.

it comes down to me and him. He was wreckless all night and had been getting VERY lucky. VERY VERY lucky. At one point, he called a 12K all in by a guy who had pocket Aces. He called with a j-3. when the dust settled, a 4,5,6,7 came out and he hit the straight on the river.

either way, back to my beat.

I had 3 of spades, and 9 spades. Noth THRILLED about it but I was big blind. Noone raised so I checked on my option to raise.


flop comes 2 spades, and something else. Well, I'm one card from a flush so I double the blind on my raise. the kid calls, everyone else folds. the turn is not a spade.... but I bet the same double the blind.... he calls
river comes, spade. Nailed the flush.

Now I have the kid on 2 pair. So I all in for the remainder of my 8K.... he hesitates, pauses, takes his time, then folds..... He showed the two HIGH pair he had.... he said, "that flush is just too real". SO, since he showed me his, I figured I'd show my flush.... i turn over my 3 of spades and my 9 of CLUBS.

I misread my card.... I saw two black and I was trying to hide cards from the crowd of his buddies behind me (not that they were looking, but I was subconciously distracted by them being there) and the fact that I was missing one contact.


Either way, when I showed my "4 card flush" the whole table was "DDDDDDDDDDAAAAAAMMMMMNNNNN, WHAT A BLUFF!!!! THAT TOOK BALLS"

So I went along with it and just winked at the kid and he just hung his head in shame......


He ended up going to the final table with me, he went out a couple before me and after the tourny, I fessed up to him that I screwed up. Great stuff.
 
HA HA the ol' I thought I had a flush hand. Been there before, as long as you bet like you have it, you normally come out on top with those kinds of hands. That is unless you're playing against straight up donkeys. You just can't beat dumb luck.

I agree somewhat with your tourny style except that in that first hour while you're folding decent starting hands in position. I'll be eating up blinds and check raising when players try to limp in. You can normally tell who's holding premium hands and who's looking to suck out with nothing.
 
I've been playing regularly for about 5 years now. I can recall only one game where I won without being lucky. Every other game I have ever won, I have gotten some good luck and a good run at some point in the game.

In my poker group, there is this one player who is considered one of the top players in our group. He's pretty aggressive, but pretty solid as well. I actually have to play my hands wrong in order to beat him. One time, I had pocket tens. One or two high cards came on the flop, I made a bad call as I thought he hit. I then hit my ten on the turn and eventually took down a pretty big pot. We discussed the hand after. He never thought I had tens. I told him, I should have folded as I though he hit his top pair. I did something similar the other day. Played a good hand totally wrong (or should I say, unconventionally) only this time it was my intention and took down another big pot. I really enjoy going head to head with this player. He brings out the best in me and I think I bring out the best in him, too.
 
barely_legal_lover said:
I agree... It's how I try to do it.... for some reason, I just lost track. Just mental fart.
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Yeah. It's not easy making the good decisions at the table. Easy to play armchair quarterback without the pressure. I find that I mess up time to time at the table and do things that I should not have.

One thing that I tend to be fairly consistent with is my short stack play. I'm always wary about the blinds, my stack and the time before the blinds increase. Dispite what Kenny Rogers sings in "The Gambler", you have to count your money (chips) when your sitting at the table. I keep track of how many big blinds I (and my opponents) have left, particularly when the blinds get high. When you get to 10 BB's, you probably have one play before the flop and then a shove or fold post flop. I pay attention to my opponent's stack as well. If they get close to shoving all-in, I have to be willing to call that if I am to play the hand. If not, then I'm better off folding now than folding after putting some chips in.
 
If you guys are looking for some resources to improve your game...

twoplustwo.com - caters to cash, tournaments, and sit n gos

pocketfives.com - mostly tournaments.

If anyone is interested, there are a lot of other very good sites out there depending on what type of poker you are interested in...
 
All of the games that I have played are tournament style home games. Cash games are a different animal in which I have no experience. The closest experience I have to cash games is Facebook poker weekly tournaments.

I prefer tourney style games. It's a little more even as everyone starts off with the same stack size. Also, the game gets interesting as the tourney proceeds. You start off with deep stacks relative to the blinds. Over time, you have to adjust your play as the blinds get higher and your stacks get relatively shorter.
 
barely_legal_lover said:
4 percenter - because everytime he gets beat bad... he'll say "you only had a 4% chance of getting that. I busted his ass and he said that, and my brother saw him get busted another time, only to say the same thing
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lol. Just tell him, the other 96% of the time, you would have folded your hand already. :)
 
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