Archive for September, 2008
When Mistakes pay off
Saturday, September 6th, 2008 | Poker Articles, Poker Strategy | 1 Comment
Have you ever made a tough decision pre flop that you were sure was right until everyone’s cards were shown? Did that mistake pay off for you? Did it make you feel good about your call, or did you realize that you just sucked out on somebody? These are interesting questions that you have likely thought about at some point. If not, then you will after reading this post.
The other day I was playing in a 12 people, 2 table Sit ‘N’ Go (small buy-in). When we were down to 3 (top 4 paid) an interesting hand/situation came up. I thought it was so interesting that I posted it, on another forum that I read (is this considered cheating?), to elicit some feedback on my play/decision. Well the post garnered some heavy traffic with plenty of good opinions on what I should do.
Here’s the hand/situation.
Blinds are 200/400
BTN: 5000 chips
SB: 1500 chips
Hero (BB): 5500 chips
BTN goes all in pre-flop. SB calls and I look down at 55. The BTN had been going all-in PF every 3-4 hands and before we were 3-handed, he was stealing in position more than 50% of the time. What would you do?
Here are some of the responses I received.
Even though you are in the money, I think its -EV to call here. You can’t ever be better than racing here with at least one of them. Likely one has you crushed and you are racing with one. Even if you are racing with both, you are likely against 3-4 overs and you aren’t in good shape. I fold here and cheer for the button to win to move up a money spot. I think in this spot, I would need 88 or better. If the villain is shoving every second hand, they are probably folding the hands we have crushed and shoving the top 40% of hands. Calling here is still such a marginal spot. Also the SB’s range is very wide because of this. I still think I fold here. I’d rather open shove with 83o than call in a spot where I can only be racing.
I think if BTN had less than 4k, and the SB folded I MIGHT call there…SB only has 1500, so literally you will get 2nd if you just wait. then HU battle for the win. If I was the SB in this situation I would call.
I then responded to these replies with the following:
Here’s what I did and why.
I called. I understand that none of you were there, so you couldn’t have a read on the BTN player. I took this over bet as weak. IMO if he was strong, he would have wanted me to come along and probably raised about 2k. I really wasn’t worried about the SB as he could be calling with anything being priced in and I knew that he couldn’t take me out no matter what happened.
BTN flips over J9o and misses the board to go out in 3rd. SB shows KK and triples up. I increased my chips to 7500 and 4 hands later I take it down for the win.
After the game I felt good about my call, but now, after reading all the responses to fold, I don’t. I will definitely take this into consideration in future hands/games.
Once I posted my response, I received the following comments.
Nice one! It’s very read dependent at these stages, but the only hands you wanted to see him shove there are 2s,3s,4s, right? Don’t feel bad about your decision process there… your assumptions were correct!…in poker that’s all you have to go by really… and you basically won a coin flip with the BTN. I heard a pro once say ‘sometimes it’s OK to fold the best hand’. If you are a volume player, i.e. 6+tables, then those 55/45 decisions are routine… but I think you are like me and play 3 tables at the most.. and I try as best as possible to match my chip risk to the amount I think I’m ahead…. such as.. if I think its a 70/30… I will risk 70% of my chips.. if I think its 50/50 etc, I will only risk 50% at the most, just to give some protection against bad beats and promote longevity in the particular tourney.
I do not think this is a terrible call; it just goes against convention SNG theories in that you are playing to move up money spots. There is a theory about when the blinds get big, call “first in”. It’s from Harrington, but basically what he is saying is that the player first in has an advantage over the player calling because of the “gap concept” which states that it takes a bigger hand to call than to shove with. A very big advantage you can get over other players is understanding this concept and being able to widen your calling range when you know a player is shoving to be first in.
What complicates this hand though is that the villain is about 95% to have you crushed or to have 2 overs. Out of all the hands in their range to shove there you are ahead of A2-A5 and 22-44 and these only make up the bottom end of their range. So even if you perceive him as weak you cannot call here because you are also weak. If you have AT or better or 88 (I probably call with 88) or better there is a bigger chance you have the villain crushed however even if you snap with 88 in this spot you are still 50/50 to win. So even though the villain is weak, they are first in and have a huge edge over you and you need to at least hit the middle or top end of their range to call here.Again though its not a terrible call, just more of a gamble that will not pay off enough over the long run to make it worth it.
Reading him for weak is kind of irrelevant. He could be stealing with 67 or legitimately raising with AK, it doesn’t change your %’s here. I much prefer to play HU for the win, especially if I’m on 5500, that’s more than enough to think I have an edge in these SnG’s.
Easy fold in my opinion. I know it worked out this time, but you’re racing even against hands like 10-6…You can’t hope the guy’s shoving here with 4-2.
Great hand to post, anyone who now reads this post from top to bottom will clearly learn something thanks to this. Good on you for recognizing that in the long run, this is a mistake. For me personally, as I read the replies, I started thinking “Hey, I actually might call this.” Because the SB was short, this is why I considered it. There’s not a chance I give it this much thought when actually playing though, I muck and hope the SB is ousted and we get HU.
So as I was reading this I realized that I made a very poor decision that was paid off, rather than a good read. This then put me head of the Donkey class for the day. I now understand my error and am working on it for future hands.
The biggest problem is that this happens so frequently in online poker that it is almost expected when you play low level games/tournaments. How many times have you yelled at your monitor at the donkey who made the bad call that either knocked you out, or crippled your chip stack? Have you been that donkey and didn’t realize you were, as you just won plenty of chips for your gamble? What happens is that many people decide to call with marginal/weak hands without really thinking about the situation. This leads to them to either get knocked out or lose a good part of their stack or they get lucky and double up. If they double up they feel good about taking that chance, but if they lose they don’t understand why, nor do they realize that the odds were against them to win. Most people don’t even take into consideration the ‘Gap Concept’ where you need a much stronger hand to call an all-in then to go all-in. I know most sites only give you about 30 seconds to make a decision, but when it is for a higher payout than where you are currently at, take the time and really think about what you are doing. Over time, these decisions will become easier, allowing you to consistently move up the pay ranks.
If you are interested in reading all the posts about this, check out http://www.jackseven.ca/forums/index.php?topic=13467.0
Good luck at the tables,
PS. If you are looking for a Bankroll of $50 for free, check here
Jekyll/Hyde Factor
Friday, September 5th, 2008 | Poker Articles, Poker Strategy | 4 Comments
Hey there, I’m the new guy.
I’m not much for introductions and the truth is that your here for the best game on earth, so let’s not waste any time; let’s talk some poker…more specifically, table image.
I find that it’s a funny thing about these labels we attach to ourselves with such impermeable closeness that they become a permanent part of our identity. I’ve found in my travels that it is very important to know the distinct differences between them, (as well as their hybrids i.e. tight/aggressive, loose/passive), but moreso, it is important to not tattoo just one individual player-type or even some choice combination of player-type on your poker physique.
Each time I sit in at a table, be it cash game or tourney – I have no idea what kind of player I’m going to be.
I liken sitting at a poker table, especially in a tournament, to being on death row. A bunch of people – all shifty-eyed and twitchy. Some will smile to your face, while thinking of felting you before you can blink an eye. Some will just flat out growl at you. So here we have this interesting bunch stuck in the same small space together, nose to nose, just working to keep their time from running out. Doing all they can, every appeal if you will, to just double-up and go on. These ever changing, unexpected situations and personalities will all need to be treated differently.
Example:
I am bothered by the player that always seem to take a 50/100 blind to an All-In Bet by the flop every hand for half an hour. In this situation I just happen to be the tightest, most solid player you have ever seen. I’m going to be folding 99% of my starting hands.
Eventually though, one of two things will happen:
The aforementioned jackass just will bust out due to the law of averages and drift into the poker afterworld.. OR – I’ll run into AA, KK, or AKs and it will be me – personally selling the ticket to the aforementioned jackass, to go off to the aforementioned poker afterworld! Still, knowing that my decisions have been limited to such a small scope – I have a lot of free time on my hands. Perhaps now would be a perfect time to work on my Tells.
In Comparison, I played a tournament a week ago in which I was anything but tight. At a nice little live sit and go, forty players or so with a starting stack of 2k for a $100 buy-in. It was a Thursday night and I noticed immediately that a large majority of the players had come right from work. With drinks in hand they gabbed about politics and weather patterns. And you know what? They were really having fun.
Me too after all – they wouldn’t even defend a blind with the worry of getting kicked out of the little gabfest. I found that a ¾ to pot size bet would move them off everything. Additionally, when I was beat I knew it – quick and with low chip casualties. Throughout the first few levels of play I slowly ate up a large percentage of the each of my opponents stacks. Eliminating only 3 of 8 while leaving 5 others in all-in / fold situations. Now, as I sit back and change back over to tighter play – I’ll wait for the short stacks to knock out and move me into a money position very shortly. I’ll grab a few blinds with my newly formed tight image and take down some big pots with premium hands when the times are right.
Next stop final table… with a whole new scenario and more characters to meet.
Wishing you Big Flops and Bigger Pots,
Delik
Poker bonus back in the days
Thursday, September 4th, 2008 | Poker and Life, Poker Articles, Poker Bonus | No Comments
Poker Account/ date/ deposit/ bonus/ Balance/ Profit without bonus
Party Poker xxxx 480 130 738,52 128,52
Interpoker xxxx 100 90 301,23 111,23
Party Poker 20-03 500 100 698,64 98,64
Pacific Poker 19-03 100 50 100 -50
Interpoker 02-04 100 100 142 -58
Noble Poker 16-04 500 150 929 279
Party Poker 23-04 500 120 641,35 21.35
Party Poker 15-05 670 100 741 -29
Pokerplex 27-05 300 150 479,95 29,95
Party Poker 06-06 600 150 718,53 -31,47
Eurobet Poker 22-06 200 25 220,5 -4,5
Prestige Poker 23-07 400 100 555,83 55,83
Nordicbet 28-07 203 50 258 5
Expect 28-07 407 100 519 2
Crazy Poker 03-08 100 50 172,5 22,5
Party Poker 06-08 500 100 645 45
Parbet 13-08 206 50 246 -10
Poker 333 14-08 400 0 406,39 6,39
Playgate 19-08 400 100 430 -70
LittleWoods 23-08 110 40 94 -56
PokerPlex 27-09 90 50 70 -70
Pacific Poker 29-09 167 0 167 0
Poker Plex 05-10 100 50 192,25 42,25
Party Poker 06-10 400 100 575 75
Absolute Poker 12-10 100 30 175 45
Sportingbet 19-10 300 0 168 -132
Party Poker 19-10 500 0 468 -32
Noble Poker 22-10 30 0 109 79
Nordicbet Poker 24-10 203 100 235 -68
Noble Poker 26-10 30 0 0 -30
Noble Poker 28-10 25 0 42 17
Poker Plex 03-11 100 0 96 -4
TOTAL:
DEPOSIT 8821
BONUS 2085
BALANCE 11334,69
Profit without bonus 428,69
Eventually I cashed out my entire bankroll to pay for a trip to Thailand and Cambodia with my brother and two friends. Great trip.
During my bankroll building days I also had some pretty good tournament results but I will save the story of my tournament poker career for another day (this post is already too long).
Well there you have it: My Poker Story. How does yours compare?
Blogger update
Thursday, September 4th, 2008 | Poker News | 1 Comment
Hi friends
We are sad to announce that William Claxton has left the team of Poker Bankroll Blog bloggers. William felt that he did not have the writing power to write one post a week.
This leaves an opening for another blogger, so if you know anyone who might be interested, tell them to drop us a line at support@pokerbrb.com .
Best Regards
The PokerBRB team
Stop the TILT, bankroll preservation
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008 | Poker Articles, Poker Bankroll Management | 2 Comments
Bankroll Preservation
There are all kinds of blogs about bankroll management. Thinking of managing your bankroll using math and percentages is great when you’re a rational thinking player. It is my belief that the most important part of being a successful poker player is controlling your bankroll when you’re losing.
Tilt is probably the most used word to describe a player’s emotion at the poker table. My definition of tilt is anger at the game of poker. When on tilt, a player is mad at the world and plays loose and very aggressive. The problem with online play is that it is very easy to play high stakes and lose your entire bankroll when tilting. The play online is so fast that even being angry for a minute can lose you a lot of money.
Playing live at a casino is a much better place to be if you are on tilt. The play is much slower and it is easier to just stand up and go for a walk when you experience a bad beat. It is important to realize when you are playing angry and take steps to preserve your bankroll. When I started playing I let my emotion get the better of me too many times and it cost me a lot of money. Throughout the years I have found some effective ways to preserve your bankroll from yourself when you are tilting.
If you are experiencing a bad session of play, many players will start playing higher stakes and looking to gamble to recoup their losses. This often results in a bankroll balance of zero as emotional poker is not profitable poker. If you feel yourself wanting to move up in stakes stop playing. If you want to make sure you don’t start playing again till you’re cooled off, most poker sites offer a self exclusion where you can exclude yourself from playing on the site from a minimum of 12 hours to weeks or a maximum of life. This 12 hours will give you time to think about what went wrong and cool off. My favourite way to end a tilt session is to just cash out my bankroll. It makes you feel good if you have still cashed a profit and you know that that money cannot be abused by your tilted evil side.
Don’t let that evil side bankrupt your bankroll
Brian Suta
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Poker Bankroll blog update_2
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 | Poker News | No Comments
We are proud to announce our 5th Author on the Poker Bankroll blog.
Delik James responded to our add, and will now be writing every Friday.
We hope you will enjoy his writing as much as we will
Best Regards
Your PokerBRB team
Playing in your “profit zone”
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 | Poker Articles, Poker Bankroll Management | 3 Comments
My name (at least my online poker name is JGiles) … perhaps we have met at the tables and I have taken some of your money or you have taken some of mine? Whether we are meeting for the first time here or not, any time we interact at Poker Bankroll Blog it will be for an entirely different purpose than if we were to meet at a table. When we meet here it will be for open and honest exchange of thoughts, theories and discussion on all things poker. Hopefully you will learn something from me and I look forward to learning from you. I will be posting on this site every Tuesday so if you like my style, bookmark this page and come back often. Of course, there’s a lot happening on this site so whether you like my style or not, if you love poker you should be coming here regularly and getting involved.
Now to the topic of today’s post, playing in your “profit zone”.
Most knowledgeable players will tell you that you should only play in tournaments or cash games where the buy-in represents not more than 5% of your bankroll. More conservative players might even say you should have 40 times the buy-in in your bankroll before sitting down at any table. That means you do not play in a $5 tournament or bring $5 to a cash table unless you have at least $100 in your bankroll, or $200 if you are on the more conservative side. Got that? Pretty easy to understand, right? I hope so because if that math is tough for you then poker might not be your “thing”.
So, if I gave the worst poker player you have ever played against $200 and let them loose on $10 online tournaments how do you think they would do? They would be following the 5% rule, at least for the first game. I suspect they would do rather poorly. In fact, I’d go so far as to say I know they would do poorly. Sure, everyone gets lucky now and then but that $200 would be turned into nothing in a hurry.
My point is that the 5% guideline is there to keep you from risking too much of your bankroll at any one point, which is wise to say the least. However, it`s just as important to remember to play in your profit zone. What’s your profit zone? It’s the level (buy-in) where you can make money and build your bankroll consistently. Some people are so bad that they flat out don’t have a profit zone, you can only go so low after all, but assumig you’re not in that category then stick to the 5% rule and stick to a buy-in that’s profitable. If you are consistently making money playing $5 tournaments and you build up your BR to the point where you can play $10 tournaments (using the 5% rule) then by all means do. But if you are not ready to make that jump and the players at that level eat your lunch, then get back to your profit zone and keep working on your skills before you try the jump again.
Why do people play in games they aren’t good enough for yet? Here are some of the reasons I think people do that, if you can think of others then please let me know and I’ll add them. If you recognize any of these in yourself and make some adjusments as a result, then my job is done … your bankroll is already in safer hands. If this is not a problem area for you, come back next week, hopefully I’ll have something for you.
People play in games beyond their skill level, buy-in level and outside their profit zone because:
- They are attracted to the potential of the one big pay off
- They think they’re a better poker player than they really are
- They think anyone can get lucky once
- They figure the fastest way to recoop money lost at the lower levels is to win one big game
- They think poker is a game of pure chance
- They think they play better when up against better opponents (ie. fewer donkeys)
- They have more money than brains
If you find any of my thoughts on poker interesting you should check out my Aces-cracker poker blog. My buddy’s blog is one I also recommend. blind v blind poker blog .
Poker freeroll update #1
Monday, September 1st, 2008 | Poker Freeroll | 3 Comments
As mentioned in my post last week, the Poker Bankroll Blog Team is hosting a series of freerolls this month.
The first freeroll is on Sunday the 7th of September and held at Poker Nordica (accepts Americans) at 9 PM CET, that is 3 PM Eastern Time. If you haven’t signed up at Poker Nordica you can find information on how to sign up and receive a rakeback deal at the same time on our website under rakeback Poker Nordica.
The prize pool is $50.
This event is available to people reading this blog who have also signed up at our poker forum. If you have not already signed up to our forum, this is a good opportunity. Remember to say hello in the forum!! You will have to write at least one post on the forum in order to be moved to the active users list. We have implemented this step to avoid spammers.
You might be asking why it is necessary to sign up to the PokerBRB Forum. Well we had a very bad and embarrassing episode last time we arranged a freeroll. The freeroll was password protected, but we announced it to an open forum. To our great surprise almost 120 people signed up for the tournament instead of the 20 people we expected. Apparently some websites specialize in finding freeroll passwords and giving them to their own members. Therefore this freeroll is exclusively for people who are on our forum active users list. I will be announcing the password through internal messaging.
You can read more about the poker freeroll in this forum post.
Hope that you will join us on Sunday, the whole team will be playing!
/Michael, September 1st.
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