texas holdem

The question for Vegas is…

Posted on by Poker Wife

Tournament or cash? While The Poker Husband contemplated playing this year’s Collosus at the WSOP, he found the new structure and starting stack to be disadvantageous. As tempting as it was to be involved in the highly publicized chase for some jewelry and high dollar prize money, his odds of making the payout are slim.

As with any competitive tournament, you have to be equipped with a mindset that is fueled by “a clock in your head.” Strategy for progressive levels and minimal chip stacks must constantly drive your play. Unless you are mentally equipped for the trip, have deep pockets for re-buys, and run good from the start, these highly competitive and populated tournaments are much like spinning the wheel on fellow poker player, John Tison’s, favorite slot machine, “The Wheel of Fortune!” There has to be an element of luck.

See what journalists have to say about the acclaimed status of the Colossus by reading The Monster Lives! Strategy Advice for the Colossus II

For Steve, the decision to try his hand at some daily deepstacks seemed more valuable for the money he was paying in entries and the fields he would need to fade for that payout value. After buying into a couple of dailies at the Aria and facing misfortune, he understood that the cash game might be a better option during his stay in Vegas. Knowing his mindset and style of play, this will likely suit his success more favorably.

This poses the question so many players face when analyzing their own game. To read more about the burning question we often entertain, read my recent post that compares Cash vs. Tournament

Good luck, Steve! Crush the cash tables, babe.

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MY FIRST WSOP MAIN EVENT…The PRICE was RIGHT

Posted on by Poker Wife

Screenshot_2016-02-05-06-14-06-1.pngFor $120 bucks, I figured I’d give it a shot. The poker husband generously staked me in the turbo satellite for a seat into the main event (which normally costs each participant $1,700). Knowing my slim chances of fading such a large field, he kissed me sweetly, and sent me off to “kick some @$$.” With over 700 competing for one of the 99 guaranteed seats, I played my game and held my breath during SEVERAL races. With well known local pro’s playing at my table, like Justin “Choctaw” Kruger, and Ivan Demidov, I managed to hold my own, and waited….patiently waited. Moments came that forced my hand, and luck favored my surviving stack. That being said, I managed to stay alive until the end. No cash win I’d had up to this point was more meaningful, or felt that good.

I had one day to rest before my main event moment. I’d wanted to play this tournament for a long time, but could never justify spending the chunk of change on the entry fee. (Teachers just don’t get paid enough to support poker tournament habits.) This was my chance, essentially risk free, to win big! With a guaranteed payout in prize winnings of over $1 million, I couldn’t help but day dream…playing on the televised final table, sharing the winnings with my family, and finding the perfect place to display my WSOP ring. It truly was incredible, to be amongst so many players, with dreams that were much like my own. Thousands of players gathered in Durant, OK, to win it all.

Snow began to fall as I drove to the event. It was calming. Steve was out of town, so I was by myself. When I arrived, I stood in front on the floor-to-ceiling window and watched the flakes swirling around the parking lot as I went over strategies in my head. It felt like it could be an amazing day!

My first WSOP tournament was ready to begin. I sat down to play and noticed a couple of semi-pro’s at my table. I was confident, calm and collected, and didn’t let this affect my mindset. However…those two hole cards in my hands, with each orbit the dealer dealt, quickly became my personal curse. Don’t misunderstand. I was catching AMAZING cards. I was playing amazing poker. BUT my strategic raises preflop were a farce. Noone seemed to believe I had continuous premium hands. I was getting called by marginal trash and kept donating my chips. Again. And again. And again. It seemed as if I was playing the cards I should have folded, while folding the hands I should have played. Not once in the five hours I survived (yep…that’s it), was I ever above my starting stack. It was no longer an amazing day.

The most horrific hand I regretted from the event, was the one I never played. While in the big blind, I peeked down at ducks (two 2’s). UTG made a min raise, which I fully intended on calling. It folded around to the button. However, the small blind re-raised. Being sandwiched between the two, and uncertain of what the action behind me would be, I reluctantly folded. UTG flatted. Ugh. The sickest thing I’ve ever witnessed crept it’s way onto the table with the flop. In the window, I spotted a duece. REALLY? I became nautious as the dealer exposed the other two cards…8,…..and….2. WHAT!!? I flopped quads! Correction. I would have flopped quads. QUADS! For those who don’t play, the odds of this scenario happening are 407 to 1. Both players were betting/calling to the river. I could have easily tripled my stack back to “healthy,” against AK and KK. Thus…this summed up my entire main event experience!

I played hands over and over in my head for three days. It was sickening, to think of every bad beat that tortured me. Steve finally had to shake some sense into me, and reassure me that I played well, just ran bad. The pain from this defeat had more to do with the magnitude and glamour associated with this event and my unique opportunity to participate in this experience, than the poker itself.

Will I try again? You know I will. And next time, I will not fold pocket dueces…IF the price is right.

 

 

To chop, or not to chop…that is the question!

Posted on by Poker Wife

While playing in the recent Choctaw Fall Poker Series in October, I ran deep in event 14. The deck had been just kind enough to allow moments of life support, with sporadic breaths. It felt much like watching the poker husband suffer through sleep apnea.

The group of men I was playing against was witty, charming, and allowed me to laugh and joke my way onto the final two tables. I was the shortest stack remaining. I kept my humor and wits about me, while keeping my eyes on the payout structure on the screen above me. I chimed out (half seriously), “You know, boys, it’s well past our bed time and if we chop now, we all go home with $2200.” At that point, I was grasping for straws. The big stacks giggled. Our entry fee for the tournament was a mere $240. Oh well…it was worth a shot.

With ten big blinds remaining in front of me, I had one move. I went into shove mode. After a few double ups, and a good bluff or two from position, I sneaked my way onto the final table. I glanced back up at the pay out board. With only 10 of us remaining, we could walk away with well over $3k a piece if we chopped. “Ok boys, it’s nearly 1 am, and I have to teach in the morning! Who wants to call it a night?” Again, I was met with snarky little comments and eyes rolling from the big boys at the table. Can’t blame the short stacked girl for trying!

Pocket 8’s soon became my best friend. With tensions rising and pressure from the sharks, I found myself in a 3 way all-in with two other short stacks, who had AJ and AQ. Lady luck kissed me sweetly. My small pair held up, while knocking my opponents out of the race.

My chip stack soon grew into the 3rd largest at the table. I found myself in a heads-up hand with one of the bigger stacks (who’d been snickering at my suggestions to chop). Again, the cards favored this lady, and sent him on his way.

My recent brush with run good granted me the chance to play heads-up, for the win. It was 1:30 am. We’d been playing since noon the day before. I was exhausted and hungry (no dinner breaks). In our first hand, I look down at A4o. My sneaky opponent had placed a min raise, which I was hoping was an effort to steal my big blind and antes. He was known for doing this regularly. I re-raised. We ended up getting all our chips in, pre-flop. I turned over my cards reluctantly, while watching him expose AJhh. YUCK. Ultimately, his hand held, while mine disappointed.

Regardless of the 2nd place finish, I was happy with my play. Very few errors were made that day, and I have to say…I am glad the friendly fellows at the final two tables saw it best not to chop. My prize was better off for it, and helped me re-prioritize why I was playing.

While some smaller tournaments are friendly and casual, a chop is a courtesy that many players will entertain. However, in a larger pursed game, my incentive will always be to win. Chop? Not chop? This lesson proved best for me…NOT!

(Yes…that is the poker husband photo-bombing, who railed me for hours, and supports me like no other. Not the finest picture of me, but I had to get it, with that big smile of his in the background! Love you, babe.)

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Filth on the felt

Posted on by Poker Wife

As I sat next to an old gentleman who had a wad of chew crammed into his wrinkled, drooping cheek, I noticed that he struggled to keep his spit and snuff in his mouth. My stomach churned, while watching the drool and tobacco drip onto the felt beneath his face. Seat five at the tables would NEVER be the same for me. The other regular cash players from this casino, knew seat five was his requested seat for any table at which he sat. It gave him the best view of the board for his weakened eye sight. Many players purposefully avoided sitting at this position.

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I’ve also sat above the dandruff of molting men who cluelessly scratch their heads at the table. More than once, I’ve had to request that the dealer brush the filth from my seat assignment so that I could play without the disgusting distraction underneath my chips.

And why do men (I’ve NEVER seen this from women) think that they are invisible when they pick their nose? Whether you are sitting at a stoplight in traffic, or at the table, do you HONESTLY think that we can’t see you digging for gold? Yes, it is terribly gross and I don’t want you handling any of the chips that I may win from you later. The same goes for your germ-infested-coughing while you play. DO NOT handle cards if you are sick! Go home and eat your chicken noodle soup. I will take your money another day. For more information on how susceptible we are as players in a casino to illness, check out the following article: http://www.antimicrobialcards.com/2011/10/hidden-poker-opponents-germs-colds-and.html

While we are are on the topic of disgust, excuse yourself from the table if you feel the need to belch or pass gas. You are NOT the only one who hears and smells you. There’s no such thing as “personal space” at the poker table. If you see and smell a woman at the table putting on perfumed lotion, it’s likely she’s trying to mask your stink! The players and dealers at your table thank you in advance for considering their nasal preservation.

Vanessa Kade, fellow female poker player, tweeted “Playing limit game for fun and guy just licks the entire face of his phone, rubs it on his shirt, and keeps talking like nothing happened.” I guess he missed this one, girlfriend! https://www.phonesoap.com/how-dirty-are-cell-phones/ 

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Try to be mindful and courteous of all players and dealers you are interacting with at the tables. We will be more likely to stick around and give you the chance to suck out on us. Otherwise, don’t be surprised when you notice players requesting a table change. Yes…they are leaving because of YOU!

The internal conflict…I’m over it.

Posted on by Poker Wife

While dating my husband, I remember sobbing after a heated argument and hanging up the phone. He’d nonchalantly told me he was at a nearby casino, playing poker. “This is the deal breaker.” I thought to myself. We’d just gotten engaged, and after going through one divorce, I wasn’t about to set myself up for another set of disastrous problems. “A gambler! A freaking gambler!” Being raised in a very conservative home, the conflict which had festered within me, was tearing me apart.

Once I calmed down and let Steve speak to my rationale, I listened. Truly listened. He explained how the game was played; why he played; and that poker was the only casino game he played. I learned about the skill and mathematics involved, as well as the psychology at the table required in order to interact with the other players. Zynga Texas Hold’em became the newest app on my phone. I was intrigued.

Yahtzee was no longer an appropriate comparison to the game. I wanted to learn more. Ultimate Texas Holdem’ was the ghost in the closet I was dying to capture a glimpse of. Leery of the negative connotation, but enticed by the excitement and challenge, I wanted to see this game in action. The Facebook app on my smart phone did not suffice. “Take me to a casino, babe. I want to watch you play.”

As I sat in a chair directly behind my husband, I watched him for what felt like hours. I studied intently behind the table as he casually played UTH, with blinds at 1/2. (For those who don’t know what that is, you have some additional reading to do. I suggest Small Stakes Hold ’em, Winning Big with Expert Play, and Phil Gordon’s Little Green Book.) It was all I could take, to sit there and JUST watch. I was chomping at the bit to sit at the table and play…with my OWN chips, my OWN hands.

Steve could tell I was restless, however he was not willing to buy me into a cash game, for my first table experience. He noticed a small $70 tournament was about to start in the corner of the poker room. Without any expectations (and a bit of reluctance), he bought me a seat and wished me luck. There were about 80 players signed up. Of which, I was one of three females. Definitely a man’s game (I loved that).

I just knew that “hee-haw, hee-haw!” was screaming from my silent lips, with every gesture I made. I listened fervently to the comments the players made, watching when and how many chips they put in the pot, and what they “looked” like (poker tells) with each play. My heart raced with each turn I took. Slowly, I began to feel more comfortable and caught some amazing pre-flop hole cards (which certainly helped). The tables dwindled as the players busted out, one by one. I watched our final table collect itself around me. THE FINAL TABLE. MY FIRST CASINO EXPERIENCE. Needless to say…I was HOOKED! Winning third place that night was the bittersweet moment when my husband realized he was no longer bank rolling for one, but two. 🙂 I had become…

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The conflict within me was a question I had to resolve as a potential player, with the upbringing I’d received. “Isn’t it still gambling?” After all, that is what I was raised to believe.

You will hear many players say that poker is a game of skill, rather than the luck or misfortune of your average gambler. They are correct. It isn’t the mere push of a button on a slot machine, hoping that the cherries line up. It isn’t a checkered table, filled with black and red numbers and a wheel with a shiny marble, that spins for your winning square. It’s not a scratch off from a convenient store. I am sure there will continue to be friends and family who lump my poker playing into the same category with their judgments, however the misconceptions are merely due to a lack of knowledge regarding the game (such as mine was with Steve).

Poker requires strategic, active decision-making, in which your choices result in wins or losses. Ultimately, you become responsible for your success at the table. The casino has nothing to do with your odds, outs, or probability for winning. That knowledge is YOURS. Learning your hand variables, as well as the opponents strengths and weaknesses at the table, gives you the edge as a player for winning. I won’t discount that a good run with a deck that hits you in the face is always an added bonus. But if you truly know and respect the game…you will ultimately find it to be a profitable and exciting sport.

I equate my investment into tournaments and games to be the same as golf tournament entry fees, country club memberships, a day of shopping at Nordstrom with Coach handbags, or other various forms of entertainment that so many choose to spend their money on.

I am over it. Now…let’s shuffle up and deal!

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