I think readers will enjoy a break from all this theory with a story. This one does NOT have a happy ending. It is about that very high rush followed by a quick crash - a bad beat. It happened to me while playing in a $30 buy-in count down tourney (they count the chips after four 15-minute rounds and pay top three by chip count). I was just getting cushy by doubling my starting chip stack and get dealt pocket snowmen 88. I am late position so I wait to see if I will call or raise...and I hear two short stacks go All In and a prior chip leader call those. Is this a battle against three I should avoid or a big opportunity?
In a normal tournament I would fold but this is only 4 rounds and now I can really build my chip stack with just one little 8 from the board, so I call also. The flop comes out J 6 J so I am hoping the remaining player (the All-Ins just waiting) hits that 6...he checks, I bet 200 he calls. Then the turn gets my heart pumping...you guessed it, the 8 comes out and I have a Full House. I know I can beat a Jack and pocket 6s and most likely have the best hand right now (only pocket Jacks can beat me and he's hesitating calls so he doesn't have that)...so I flick an All In hoping he thinks I am isolating to the two All-In short stacks. He thinks, he groans, he gets ready to push, and then he folds - dang! The remaining three of us turn our cards over and the only threat is pocket Kings and I am inside celebrating a triple up...until the river King is dealt and I get beat by a better Full House Kings over Jacks. Although I get to keep the side pot and break even, I could have coasted to the final table if not for that river King.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Getting Started - Hand Selection
What is a good starting hand? Without getting into more advanced topics like your position relative to the dealer button, your chip stack and what other players at your table have done and might do…beginners just need to decide to (A) fold, (B) call or (C) raise (trust me, this will save you a lot of grief).
So what hands should you fold? Without giving you a list (many books do) the general idea is to fold two small cards like 3 5 or 2 7, fold any middle cards mixed with small cards that are unsuited like a 9 3 or an 8 4; and also fold high cards that are dragged down by a small card (a large gap kills the chance of getting a straight) and are unsuited like a J 4 or K 6 (even an A 3 can be a week hand since another player with an Ace who pairs a community card Ace will bet big and usually the best kicker gets the pot).
What is a good starting hand that is worth calling the big blind? Again, without prescribing a list, you want larger cards that are “connected” with a small gap so a straight is more likely, you want suited cards so a flush is more likely, and of course big cards so your pairs, two pair, straights, flushes and full houses are winners. Try to call the big blind with hands like a 5 6 suited, A 10 or K J unsuited, and pairs 2 2 to 7 7 (some people will go all in with 5 5 so remember these are for beginners to stay conservative and learn to play better by surviving not gambling).
What is a good hand worth raising? These are the hands where your heart goes boom and the adrenaline starts pumping – the middle and high suited connectors like 9 7 diamonds and K Q spades, and the big pairs like 9 9 or K K. The best starting hand…you guessed it the pocket Aces.
Folding pocket Aces? Yes, this happened to me in a small $60 tournament last weekend. I was dealt AA and a few players called the $100 Big Blind I bet 3 times the BB and announced “make it $300”. With a table of seven players there were three callers including the two blinds. Well, now I am not happy because I would rather have had some isolation down to just one player…the odds just went up that a worse hand (three players without AA against me) will get lucky. So the flop looks ok, a pair that can get scary, it was J 6 6 and guess what the first player does…yep, she says All in. Then the 2nd player calls and the 3rd player calls! I bail and get ready to spit like a cobra if an Ace comes out…It turns out she had QQ and now has two pair, next guy has two cards and is just gambling, while the 3rd guy had a 6 and has three or kind and starts celebrating…too early. The turn helps no one and then bam the river is another Q so the new chip leader got there by luck not by the best starting two cards.
So what hands should you fold? Without giving you a list (many books do) the general idea is to fold two small cards like 3 5 or 2 7, fold any middle cards mixed with small cards that are unsuited like a 9 3 or an 8 4; and also fold high cards that are dragged down by a small card (a large gap kills the chance of getting a straight) and are unsuited like a J 4 or K 6 (even an A 3 can be a week hand since another player with an Ace who pairs a community card Ace will bet big and usually the best kicker gets the pot).
What is a good starting hand that is worth calling the big blind? Again, without prescribing a list, you want larger cards that are “connected” with a small gap so a straight is more likely, you want suited cards so a flush is more likely, and of course big cards so your pairs, two pair, straights, flushes and full houses are winners. Try to call the big blind with hands like a 5 6 suited, A 10 or K J unsuited, and pairs 2 2 to 7 7 (some people will go all in with 5 5 so remember these are for beginners to stay conservative and learn to play better by surviving not gambling).
What is a good hand worth raising? These are the hands where your heart goes boom and the adrenaline starts pumping – the middle and high suited connectors like 9 7 diamonds and K Q spades, and the big pairs like 9 9 or K K. The best starting hand…you guessed it the pocket Aces.
Folding pocket Aces? Yes, this happened to me in a small $60 tournament last weekend. I was dealt AA and a few players called the $100 Big Blind I bet 3 times the BB and announced “make it $300”. With a table of seven players there were three callers including the two blinds. Well, now I am not happy because I would rather have had some isolation down to just one player…the odds just went up that a worse hand (three players without AA against me) will get lucky. So the flop looks ok, a pair that can get scary, it was J 6 6 and guess what the first player does…yep, she says All in. Then the 2nd player calls and the 3rd player calls! I bail and get ready to spit like a cobra if an Ace comes out…It turns out she had QQ and now has two pair, next guy has two cards and is just gambling, while the 3rd guy had a 6 and has three or kind and starts celebrating…too early. The turn helps no one and then bam the river is another Q so the new chip leader got there by luck not by the best starting two cards.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Getting Started - Hand Ranks and Ties (Part 2 Ties)
Can there be a tie? Yes, it happens somewhat frequently, and the money in the pot is just split. Usually the players have either the same two hole cards, or the community cards are so strong that your non-pairing "kicker" card does not count. For example, the community cards or "the board" has a 2 Q 4 5 3 (with no three cards of the same suit) so anyone with an Ace would tie (having a 5 high straight). Can everyone remaining in the hand tie? Yes, when the board has that rare straight, or a flush, even a four of a kind. In many cases ties are broken by your kicker as follows: High Card, Pairs, Two pair, and Trip’s all use less than five cards and are often decided by kickers like “Ace High” may be held by more than one player but the player with AK will have the best five cards over weaker kickers.
Larger hands like Straights are commonly split because you need five cards to make one, kickers never count, and you can only beat a 7 high straight with a 8 high – they are different hands. Here’s a fun one: Flushes are battled by your held cards rank (like war) and are only split if the community five cards are all higher than the players cards of that suit. Examples are community cards are a flush of hearts and you and player two each have no hearts, and second case would be the board has four high hearts like A Q J 9 and you have only a 4 of hearts you lose to a player with a 5, 6, 7 or 8 of hearts (8h ). Another variation is the special hand a straight flush, which beats all flushes even if it is made by small cards like the 2 3 4 5 6 of diamonds. Full Houses are not tied if either your triple is biggest, or your triple is the same (using community cards) and your pair is bigger. For example AAA99 beats KKKQQ, and a 77722 loses to a 777JJ. Four of a kind is determined by the best kicker (if the board makes the four then go all in if you have an Ace). And lastly the best Straight Flush is the highest card like comparing straights, so a 9 high straight flush beats an 8 high straight flush (this can happen when the board has 5 6 7 8 of one suit and one player gets the 4 while the lucky player gets the 9). The bottom line is, if you have the best hand and someone bets huge, don’t get nervous just call and split the pot if you tie, or better yet rake it in if they miss-judged your hand.
Larger hands like Straights are commonly split because you need five cards to make one, kickers never count, and you can only beat a 7 high straight with a 8 high – they are different hands. Here’s a fun one: Flushes are battled by your held cards rank (like war) and are only split if the community five cards are all higher than the players cards of that suit. Examples are community cards are a flush of hearts and you and player two each have no hearts, and second case would be the board has four high hearts like A Q J 9 and you have only a 4 of hearts you lose to a player with a 5, 6, 7 or 8 of hearts (8h ). Another variation is the special hand a straight flush, which beats all flushes even if it is made by small cards like the 2 3 4 5 6 of diamonds. Full Houses are not tied if either your triple is biggest, or your triple is the same (using community cards) and your pair is bigger. For example AAA99 beats KKKQQ, and a 77722 loses to a 777JJ. Four of a kind is determined by the best kicker (if the board makes the four then go all in if you have an Ace). And lastly the best Straight Flush is the highest card like comparing straights, so a 9 high straight flush beats an 8 high straight flush (this can happen when the board has 5 6 7 8 of one suit and one player gets the 4 while the lucky player gets the 9). The bottom line is, if you have the best hand and someone bets huge, don’t get nervous just call and split the pot if you tie, or better yet rake it in if they miss-judged your hand.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Getting Started - Hand Ranks and Ties
So you have watched Texas Hold 'em on TV, bought a book, read the basic rules or maybe even played a few games with friends. But, you can't win any money until you can make quick decisions during the game based on the Community cards you can see and the way others are betting. The key to doing this is to figure out the answer to these two questions "What is the best hand possible with the cards showing?" and secondly "Do I have the best hand?" Basically you need to learn the hand ranks, what is highest, what beats what. So study it, print it out, know it. See my blog entry here before reading on....
Later we will learn more about sensing a bluff, or detecting a small value bet (where another player is just testing whether others have a strong hand and hoping to get you fold), but for now let's assume you are in a friendly home game with beginners and flop three cards are a 7 J 9 all different suits and one player bets big, say he/she matches the pot or goes all in. If you have a Jack and a 5 should you call? Here's you quick analysis: Hands that could beat me (two cards other players have you can't see) are QQ, KK and AA all are bigger pairs; any Jx with a Jack and a bigger card than your 5 is also a stronger pair to battle for best five cards; plus J9 and J7 would give someone two pair; plus 77, 99 and JJ kill you with three of a kind (also called "trip's"); and did you figure out the best two cards...a ten and an eight (T8) would make a straight. So the answer is… Fold your cards...most likely someone has a QQ and was happy not to see a King or an Ace on the flop. You will see many people not do this mental reality check, hang in to the river and lose a lot of money just 'hoping' they get lucky when 15 hands can beat them. Next time I’ll tell you about ties and how they are either broken or real ties that share the pot.
Later we will learn more about sensing a bluff, or detecting a small value bet (where another player is just testing whether others have a strong hand and hoping to get you fold), but for now let's assume you are in a friendly home game with beginners and flop three cards are a 7 J 9 all different suits and one player bets big, say he/she matches the pot or goes all in. If you have a Jack and a 5 should you call? Here's you quick analysis: Hands that could beat me (two cards other players have you can't see) are QQ, KK and AA all are bigger pairs; any Jx with a Jack and a bigger card than your 5 is also a stronger pair to battle for best five cards; plus J9 and J7 would give someone two pair; plus 77, 99 and JJ kill you with three of a kind (also called "trip's"); and did you figure out the best two cards...a ten and an eight (T8) would make a straight. So the answer is… Fold your cards...most likely someone has a QQ and was happy not to see a King or an Ace on the flop. You will see many people not do this mental reality check, hang in to the river and lose a lot of money just 'hoping' they get lucky when 15 hands can beat them. Next time I’ll tell you about ties and how they are either broken or real ties that share the pot.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Getting Started - Learn the Rules
So you have heard about poker from friends or seen it on television and now you have an interest in this great game. So, you first need to learn how to play, just like any other game. This blog will be dedicated to my favorite version called Texas Hold 'em (the game used in the World Series of Poker). Unlike Draw poker where players can choose to get (draw) replacement cards from their original deal, or Stud poker where other players can see some of your cards turned face up, Texas Hold 'em uses community cards that are shared by all players and only 2 cards face down for each player to determine the best hand. Also, to create action there are “blinds” paid by the 2 players left of the dealer (one “small blind” and one “big blind” that is usually twice the small blind) because they add money to the pot “blind” – before they even see their two hole cards.
So the play goes like this: Dealer gives 2 cards to each player face down, players peek at their cards and round 1 betting starts left of the big blind until all players are in for the same bet or folded. Next the dealer burns a card and deals the “flop” 3 community cards face up followed by a 2nd round of betting starting with player left of the dealer. Next the dealer burns a card and deals the “turn” single card face up followed by a 3rd round of betting starting with player left of the dealer. Finally, the dealer burns a card and deals the “river” single and last card face up followed by a 4th round of betting starting with player left of the dealer. If more than one player remains then the showdown (turning cards over) reveals the winner of the pot based on the best 5 cards. The best two hole or “pocket” cards does not always win. Betting can have pre-agreed limits (Limit Poker) or you can agree there is none (No Limit Poker) where your life can hinge on one “All In” bet. Next time I’ll discuss hand rankings (what determines the best hand) and then I will give you tips on breaking ties and split pots for equal hands.
(a good reference is The Little Black Book of Poker by John Hartley)
So the play goes like this: Dealer gives 2 cards to each player face down, players peek at their cards and round 1 betting starts left of the big blind until all players are in for the same bet or folded. Next the dealer burns a card and deals the “flop” 3 community cards face up followed by a 2nd round of betting starting with player left of the dealer. Next the dealer burns a card and deals the “turn” single card face up followed by a 3rd round of betting starting with player left of the dealer. Finally, the dealer burns a card and deals the “river” single and last card face up followed by a 4th round of betting starting with player left of the dealer. If more than one player remains then the showdown (turning cards over) reveals the winner of the pot based on the best 5 cards. The best two hole or “pocket” cards does not always win. Betting can have pre-agreed limits (Limit Poker) or you can agree there is none (No Limit Poker) where your life can hinge on one “All In” bet. Next time I’ll discuss hand rankings (what determines the best hand) and then I will give you tips on breaking ties and split pots for equal hands.
(a good reference is The Little Black Book of Poker by John Hartley)
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Rank of Poker Hands
The 10 types of poker hands are defined as follows, from lowest to highest:
1) A High Card hand means there is no pair or other higher hand and the hand is determined by the highest card such as "King High".
2) A Pair is a hand in which two cards have the same rank. For example, a hand with two eights in it would be called a pair of eights.
3) Two Pair is a hand with two different pairs in it.
4) Three of a Kind is a hand with three cards of the same rank, such as three fours or three Queens. Also called Triplets or Trip's.
5) A Straight is five cards in sequence, such as 4-5-6-7-8 or 9-10-J-Q-K. Aces can be used in both high Straights (after the King) or low Straights (preceding the two).
6) A Flush is five cards of the same suit. The ranks of the cards do not matter.
7) A Full House is three cards of one rank and two cards of another, such as 8-8-8-3-3 or 4-4-A-A-A.
8) Four of a Kind is a hand containing all four cards of a particular rank, such as all four nines, or all four Jacks.
9) A Straight Flush is five cards in sequence and all of the same suit. For example, A-2-3-4-5 all in Diamonds would be a Straight Flush.
10) A Royal Flush is the highest possible Straight Flush, a hand made up of 10-J-Q-K-A all in one suit. It gets it's own name.
1) A High Card hand means there is no pair or other higher hand and the hand is determined by the highest card such as "King High".
2) A Pair is a hand in which two cards have the same rank. For example, a hand with two eights in it would be called a pair of eights.
3) Two Pair is a hand with two different pairs in it.
4) Three of a Kind is a hand with three cards of the same rank, such as three fours or three Queens. Also called Triplets or Trip's.
5) A Straight is five cards in sequence, such as 4-5-6-7-8 or 9-10-J-Q-K. Aces can be used in both high Straights (after the King) or low Straights (preceding the two).
6) A Flush is five cards of the same suit. The ranks of the cards do not matter.
7) A Full House is three cards of one rank and two cards of another, such as 8-8-8-3-3 or 4-4-A-A-A.
8) Four of a Kind is a hand containing all four cards of a particular rank, such as all four nines, or all four Jacks.
9) A Straight Flush is five cards in sequence and all of the same suit. For example, A-2-3-4-5 all in Diamonds would be a Straight Flush.
10) A Royal Flush is the highest possible Straight Flush, a hand made up of 10-J-Q-K-A all in one suit. It gets it's own name.
Casinos in Seattle
So, Where are YOU playing poker this weekend? Thought I would make a list in case you were sick of your old place...always losing...playing with losers...want to win for a change....lets try something new.....no promises though...Here is a few, there are more to add.
Joe
Billie's Casino: Renton - Thirteen gaming and poker tables.
Clearwater Casino: Suquamish - Table games, video slots, live entertainment. Craps, roulette, keno, bingo. Between Poulsbo and Bainbridge Island, at the Agate Pass Bridge, get there from Seattle by ferry or using their free shuttle service.
Diamond Lil's Card Club: Seattle - Seattle's original poker club, established in 1976.
Drift On Inn Roadhouse: Aurora - Game tables, and a 1950's-themed restaurant. 10 minutes north of downtown Seattle on Highway 99
Freddie's Club Casino: Renton - Washington's first non-tribal casino offers a variety of table games.
Goldie's Casino: Shoreline - Card club north of Seattle.
Point No Point Casino: Kingston - They offer a 10% to 25% cash refund on all losses of $100 or more and claim to have Washington's loosest slot machines. Non-smoking gaming room and full free ferry fare. On the Kitsap peninsula.
Rascals Casino: Seattle - Card club, music, dancing, sports bar.
Skyway Park Bowl & Casino: Renton - Besides an array of card games, this entertainment complex also has a bowling alley, indoor miniature golf course and video games.
Wizards Casino: Burien - Card club located west of the SeaTac Airport.
Muckleshoot Casino (Auburn) - "From over 2,600 machines and poker to exciting tables games like blackjack, craps, roulette and more. At Muckleshoot Poker room we give back over $2,000,000 each year to its players! We have limits ranging from $2-$4 all the way to $200-$400, including spread limit games."
Snoqualmie Casino Resort (just of I-90 Exit 27) - "Offering 24/7 gaming experiences with blackjack, poker, craps, roulette and a host of other table games and slots"
Joe
Billie's Casino: Renton - Thirteen gaming and poker tables.
Clearwater Casino: Suquamish - Table games, video slots, live entertainment. Craps, roulette, keno, bingo. Between Poulsbo and Bainbridge Island, at the Agate Pass Bridge, get there from Seattle by ferry or using their free shuttle service.
Diamond Lil's Card Club: Seattle - Seattle's original poker club, established in 1976.
Drift On Inn Roadhouse: Aurora - Game tables, and a 1950's-themed restaurant. 10 minutes north of downtown Seattle on Highway 99
Freddie's Club Casino: Renton - Washington's first non-tribal casino offers a variety of table games.
Goldie's Casino: Shoreline - Card club north of Seattle.
Point No Point Casino: Kingston - They offer a 10% to 25% cash refund on all losses of $100 or more and claim to have Washington's loosest slot machines. Non-smoking gaming room and full free ferry fare. On the Kitsap peninsula.
Rascals Casino: Seattle - Card club, music, dancing, sports bar.
Skyway Park Bowl & Casino: Renton - Besides an array of card games, this entertainment complex also has a bowling alley, indoor miniature golf course and video games.
Wizards Casino: Burien - Card club located west of the SeaTac Airport.
Muckleshoot Casino (Auburn) - "From over 2,600 machines and poker to exciting tables games like blackjack, craps, roulette and more. At Muckleshoot Poker room we give back over $2,000,000 each year to its players! We have limits ranging from $2-$4 all the way to $200-$400, including spread limit games."
Snoqualmie Casino Resort (just of I-90 Exit 27) - "Offering 24/7 gaming experiences with blackjack, poker, craps, roulette and a host of other table games and slots"
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