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Post by Moo on Oct 23, 2008 11:34:02 GMT
There's at least three of us play poker semi-regularly in the forum, so I decided to make a new thread. There might already be one further down in the depths of page three, but I can't be bothered to look.
Anyway, I thought that those of us that are into this sort of seedy underworld activity might like to talk about it. Thoughts, of games played, both live and online, funny vids where Phil Hellmuth berates a minion for daring to re-raise his small blind to steal it and news of sneaky little freerolls that might be value would be appreciated.
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Post by Moo on Oct 23, 2008 11:37:39 GMT
I'm probably playing a home game on Friday night, but there might just be the four of us, so it's likely to be of the cash variety. No point in SNGs with anything other than six really, five at a push. The last time we played cash, it ended in a bit of an argument between two non-regulars who clearly didn't know what they were doing, because it isn't OK for the big stack to try and force a better hand off the pot. Monday night might be the start of a regular visit to the local pub to frequent their poker league. They've joined up with Red Tooth Poker to put this on and as there isn't a lot of people going to the league yet, it might be an ideal way to get in and get some early points. The end of season (13 week period) is in a couple of weeks, so I could just use these as feelers to see what sort of players there are. Horn - you play the leagues don't you? What should I expect?
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Post by Sonic on Oct 23, 2008 14:16:10 GMT
I like the title :thumb:
I won't be playing, but will look in every so often.
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Post by hornet on Oct 24, 2008 13:43:58 GMT
I play Tuesday nights in the English Poker League, and still really enjoying it. We get a pretty broad range of players, from semi-pros through to complete novices and generally speaking the games are serious enough that you can play "proper" poker, but not so serious that it's no fun. By and large, the tables seem to be quite loosey-goosey - there are enough players who'll call with almost anything that you really have to pick your bluffing spots carefully, particularly since the blinds shoot up quickly and by the time you've lost all the calling-stations you're at the stage where pot odds are dictating that even tight players have to play much more marginal hands. This actually seems to suit my pretty tight playing style quite well, because it means I've got a much better than average chance to win the few hands I choose to get involved with. I'd definitely recommend giving it a try and seeing if it suits you. (I have to mention in passing that I won Tuesday's game thanks to first hitting a 2-outer on the river when I was pretty much forced all-in in the small blind with pocket deuces only to see the big blind call my raise with pocket treys, then about half-a-dozen hands later catching a runner-runner inside straight draw to beat an overpair. Boo and, if you will, yah.)
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Post by Moo on Oct 24, 2008 13:57:38 GMT
I live for runner-runners, esp against me. The worst beat I had was in a cash game at someone's house. We were playing small stakes, only 5p/10p blinds and I was on the button. I had about £5 in front of me and ultra loose brag player in the SB was on about £7 after pretty much raising every pot, never mind being in them. So when I get AA, I was happy to raise it up to 4BB, just to tempt him in. He inst-raised to £1, everyone else was out, so i called. Pot was about £2 and the flop came A85 rainbow, he checked, I bet £1 to tempt and he called. Pot at ~£4 and a 5 on the turn gave me a full house, As over 5s. He put me all in and I just knew he had A5, which he did.
You know the 5 came on the river.....
So of course he scooped with quad 5s and then told evryone how he outplayed me. I just laughed and got a beer.
I think it's just four tonight, with him being one of them, so I'm hoping that he's on my immediate left again. He's going to get insta-raised in the dark a lot.
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Post by Stewpot on Oct 24, 2008 22:13:05 GMT
someone metion poker, I'm in
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Post by Stewpot on Oct 24, 2008 22:14:38 GMT
So of course he scooped with quad 5s and then told evryone how he outplayed me. I just laughed and got a beer. . It was not me...
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Post by Moo on Oct 26, 2008 12:42:57 GMT
You'd have folded quad 5s, because you're a tart.
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Post by elth on Oct 26, 2008 14:46:34 GMT
I've been playing for free chips a bit online, got on a good streak but I keep losing with good hands :moop: Got blown out with pocket aces today when some fucker pulled trip Queens.
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Post by Moo on Oct 27, 2008 7:55:36 GMT
I played on Friday night, there was only four of us and I was up for the night, so that was cool. Hopefully be playing in the poker league tonight, fingers crossed...
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Post by hornet on Oct 27, 2008 11:06:38 GMT
So of course he scooped with quad 5s and then told evryone how he outplayed me. I just laughed and got a beer. Ouchy. God, I hate that. Yeah, I think that'd be a moment for going and getting myself a beer while trying to remind myself that actually I WANT him to play that way.
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Post by Moo on Oct 27, 2008 11:11:26 GMT
It's exactly what I said to Stewpot outside on the way home that night. It just shows that he had no sense as to what was going on. As it goes, the lad who did that is a three-card brag player and it showed by the way he was raising waaaay too much. He's a much better player now, I played against him this weekend and he does have a grasp as to what he's doing.
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Post by Moo on Oct 28, 2008 8:13:16 GMT
Stewpot couldn't make it last night, but Vince did. He ended up winning it (and splitting the £50 sidebets with 2nd place) and I came 4th. Vince gets 100 pts, I get 60pts.
It was a decent night. If I'm honest, I don't think that there are too many good players there. The fella who came 2nd yesterday knows what he's doing as does the lad who came 3rd, but was obv pished. The lad who is league leader is a serial bluffer and he got caught out big style last night at the final table, but I understand why he's leader - he just accumulates chips and hopes to hit, but wouldn't know a starting hand if it jumped up and bit him in the cock.
Unfortunately, next week is the last week of this qualifying session, so we have no chance of making the automatic entries to the regional final in Newcastle (loony bluff-boy is deffo there), but me and Vince both could make the 3rd-10th qualifying table for the 3rd place in the Regional. Prizes start at the Regionals with winners going to the National final held at the Dusk Till Dawn club in Nottingham.
So I might pop along next Monday, see what info I can get on the players, then go for it in the next session of 13 weeks.
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Post by hornet on Oct 28, 2008 12:23:36 GMT
The lad who is league leader is a serial bluffer and he got caught out big style last night at the final table, but I understand why he's leader - he just accumulates chips and hopes to hit, but wouldn't know a starting hand if it jumped up and bit him in the cock. That sort of player knocked me out of the final in Northampton after I'd patiently waited an hour and a half for a hand on his blind, re-raised his bluff all-in and then watched the bastard's king-6 off spike a king to send me to the rail. Aaaargh. Doesn't sound a million miles removed from the sort of crowd I play in on Tuesday nights. We probably get a few more decent players and there are at least three or four who're very strong indeed, but generally it's Calling Station Central.
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Post by Moo on Oct 28, 2008 12:42:36 GMT
I found myself playing the cards too much last night and just wasn't paying attention to how everyone was reacting to flops, etc. I think I can do OK there, but that's not saying a whole lot, really. There seems to be a fair few pubs around the area in with the redtoothpoker lot, so it might be a decent field for the regionals. TBH, if I was to get into the playoff for 3rd and win it, I wouldn't be comfortable going to the regionals, I would probably let one of the regulars go. But next season, I would go for it.
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Post by hornet on Oct 28, 2008 13:35:44 GMT
The finals are a really good day out. Totally different atmosphere to the pub games or playing an internet MTT, although the guy who organises our Tuesday night game had some advice that served me well - "They haven't stopped being the same shit players who turn up every week just because they made the final". Wise words.
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Post by Moo on Oct 28, 2008 13:39:59 GMT
Very wise words. I guess they're playing a series of freerolls for a reason. And yes, I realise I'm classing myself in that group too.
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Post by hornet on Oct 29, 2008 9:18:47 GMT
Survived a bit of an unfortunate early reverse (K10s, hit a 10 on the flop for top pair only for a queen to come on the river and allow my opponent's Q10o to overtake me) to finish second last night. Quite pleased with how I played once I got the chips to do so, particularly 3-way and heads-up where the blinds were eating a quarter to a third of everyone's stack and the chip lead swung wildly with every hand.
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Post by Moo on Oct 29, 2008 9:25:31 GMT
When the blinds get stupidly high like that, I know I can close my eyes and pray to a higher being. The Devilfish.
Although he'd just tell me to stop being a pussy and get on with it.
KT vs QT - All you can do is get your money in with the best of it and you did, so that's just bad luck. Second will get you a chunk of points though, so that'll add up. Where are you in the league? How does yours work? Is it a three-month "season" like the one I'm in?
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Post by hornet on Oct 29, 2008 10:25:34 GMT
I was heads-up against a player who's strong, but even tighter than I am. So I was enormously, insanely aggressive, pushing with anything that could even see a hand on a clear day - any single card jack or higher, any suited cards, any one-gap connectors down to 8-6 or so - and folding everything else. It very nearly worked. Ironically, pretty much the first time I got my money in ahead I got knocked out. Pokertastic! Yeah, that's exactly how I felt about that hand. My instincts were good enough - I bet when I was ahead and checked when I was behind, so it only cost me about half my stack which is survivable in the early going if you're tight, patient and/or lucky. As it turned out, the same player got me back in the game just after the break - I had K10s again and flopped a flush draw and a couple of overcards with no straight possibilities on the board. I bet about half the pot (and about a third of my remaining stack) on the semi-bluff, fully intending to push no matter what came on the turn. The player to my left thought about it then called, then my nemesis came over the top all-in for about half of what I had left. With the pot odds there was nothing to think about and I more-or-less instantly pushed over the top, which persuaded the guy on my left to lay down his KQo. Which was pretty lucky because I spiked a king on the river to beat the raiser's pair of nines. The website's slightly borked so I can't properly tell where I am - second or third at the venue is my best guess, especially after beating everyone ahead of me yesterday. Although at least two of the regulars are likely to qualify as top finishers in the area, which effectively means I might only need fourth or fifth to get through.
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Post by Moo on Oct 29, 2008 10:39:45 GMT
So it's more than three per venue for your league? Our rep thought that the final would be a two table tourney as he thought there was only five pubs in the region taking part. He obviously doesn't check the website because there is five within a 12 mile radius and a further 10 or so just south of the Tyne. Asshat. One lad (the guy who finishe dthird on Monday and was pished) declared to all and sundry that he wasn't going to go to the regionals if he did get through because there was no way that any of us could ever win, because of all the Chinese that play. (He didn't use the word "Chinese", BTW.) He was using the argument that playing cards and gambling is all they ever do, they make a living out of it, so we'd never beat them all. I didn't point out that they wouldn't be playing freerolls for top prize of about a grand, because that's probably a min-raise in the games "they" play.
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Post by hornet on Oct 29, 2008 10:43:01 GMT
It's two per venue, but anyone who's qualified via the national or area ladders doesn't count on the venue leaderboard. And for awesome logic faliure.
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Post by coffers on Oct 29, 2008 10:57:54 GMT
I don't know what the hell you are talking about but I chuckled at the logic regarding Chinese gambling.
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Post by Sonic on Oct 29, 2008 11:22:16 GMT
So did I. I have a slight grasp of what they are saying, but as to knowing how to utilize it, that's another thing.
It does sound like they are having fun though.
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Post by Moo on Oct 29, 2008 11:26:27 GMT
Oh goody, a clique within a clique. How very R:TW.
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