Poker: Why I dislike the game

I have been playing poker for money for years and while I enjoy the game itself it makes you devalue money. I mean, you can’t look as the money in front of you as money but instead chips with monetary value.

Money becomes relative. Say you go to a game where there is a couple thousand on the table and you lose $200. While $200 is a lot comparatively speaking to the other players a -200 night might not be so bad.

Then in real life money doesn’t have the correct value which leads to careless spending.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy playing poker for money and it is the best way to play with good players…I’m not talking about quarters games but legitimate money.  I enjoy the game and playing with good players I just think after time money loses its real value.

If you have ever watched an episode of high stakes poker you know what I am talking about. Blinds are at least $200/$400 with a $100 ante.

The only real poker is live

I have been playing both on-line and live for years. I think on-line is a good way to learn the game but beyond that its nothing more than a matter of time before you go broke on-line.

I don’t think I am a great poker player in either aspects. I think in a room of 100 players mixed from experienced to the greenest of green I would be in the 40ish range.

Online is too questionable for me. I have seen too many hands that only happen less than 5% of the time happen several times a day. Freeroll tournaments are the best training.

I have been in poker leagues for a couple of years. The story is always the same. A less hand beat your hand by a player who isn’t good.

In order to be a real player you need to know all types of players and free poker will let you…if your patient enough to take the bad beats, etc. I have had my share of bad beats both on-line and real.

I am going to take a break from both for awhile…I think.

Internet Poker

I hate playing it. In live poker you know odds but on-line there are no odds. Internet bingo at its best. Freerolls are the way to go I think.

Poker Games

I recently took a week and  a half off from playing poker for money – not because I lost a lot but because I got tired of the scene. The players may seem your friends while your around but what do they say when I’m not around. It is a cash game and I realized I was considering the players as friends. What I decided is to go play like once a week with the goal of making money. I did that a few days ago and did just that.

I was playing there three or four nights a week. While the money I made was good everything revolved around playing. I don’t want to be a full time poker player in Texas…Vegas…maybe. I enjoy the game but there is no need to go get crazy.

Deal Me In

I bought the book Deal Me In a few weeks ago to read poolside. It tells the stories of twenty poker pros and how they got into the game. Several of the people in the book overcame sickness and others overcame huge losses.

Of the twenty players in the book I think all but  a handful didn’t have to overcome some kind of  adverse situation. That being said, poker takes patience – when you could be out  you can’t give up. I think that is how many of the players featured in the book live and its how I try to live.

I recommend the book. My next read is Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker.

I Play But…

I love to play poker. I love figuring out if you are a favorite or a dog and I like the social aspect of the live game but I hate playing  with inexperienced players. I would rather go broke early than have to deal with them.

For instance, I have played at this game twice full of inexperienced players. Last night I had A9. I raised pre and I got a call by a calling station who said ‘he’d never seen an iphone before’ anyway. An ace flops. I bet like 10 bucks. Its an A Q 10 board. I check the turn and he did too. The river was a 7. He bet 20. I reraised him to 100. Possible straight and flush on the board. Stupid donkey called. He rivered two pair A 7 . He was out of position. It was likely the biggest pot he’d ever been in. I think he’s one of those people who get an ace and won’t fold it no matter what.

It was my fault. I had no business being there. I really enjoy playing in big games with people as good or better than me. It makes me a better player and we know when to fold. I enjoy that.

My Game

I am no stranger to poker. I have a style what most would consider very very tight depending on the situation. Anyway, after I moved to Austin and found a good game I found myself in hands I normally wouldn’t be in and calling bets I normally wouldn’t. I did this two different sessions and found myself at a huge loss…one of my biggest losses over a week ever.

I told myself  when I go back  I am going to play my game – how I am used to play and I did. I bought in and a few hours later I had won all my money back. It feels good being out of the red. Also, it gives me assurance that if I play how I am used to playing I’ll do well.

I just wish I could go to sleep. I had too much caffeine.

Austin poker scene

Its a case of meeting the right person at the right time. Last Monday, I was in a free tournament where I got 2nd. The guy who runs it invited me to a money game he is part of and I went.

There was a tournament at 2 and after the tournament a cash game.  There was an option for an add on/rebuy and I did neither. Mainly because I didn’t know it was an option. I thought it was a freeze out so I brought the minimum to get in.  I lasted to 11th. Pretty good considering I didn’t have any extra chips. Went out against a flopped full house which turned into turned quads. After the tournament, I left to return a few hours later for a cash game.

I got directions to the apartment complex. It is in one of those super nice big city complexes gated and everything. The rent at this place has too be over 2k a month. In most apartment complexes you walk down either infront a building or down a hallway to find the right door. This building has those but on each building there are two private entrances on each side of the building and the apartment I went to was one of these.

Anyway, I get there and there is a  super nice table in the living room. In the front left corner there is a monitor from a camera that is outside the door. Getting in wasn’t an issue for me. At five a hot young girl showed up and started working in the kitchen. I left after the tournament and I came back. When I got back, she was cooking food, bringing drinks, doing massages etc all for ‘free’. Every night they have a girl.

I am certain that the apartment isn’t lived in. They have nice couches, etc but no personal stuff. I sat next to one of the ‘hosts’ She said they have games there M,W,F and Sat. Games always start at 5pm. Minimum buy in is 60 and max is 300. Tonight there were two older -50s – guys who were good and had most of the money. Then there were a couple of people in their 40s…and the rest were 20s and 30s.

During the cash game there was a guy sitting next to the hosts right and he was talking about his PLO game. It is a 2/5 game minimum buy in 500. Apparently in Austin a group of people get together and rent an apartment because the PLO guy was talking about it being at another complex.

Think of your typical Austin dweller and these people aren’t that. They have money and want action. The next time I go I’ll be prepared. It was more of a scouting mission.

The people are nice. I also have emailed a guy that has a tournament of Friday and cash games on Wednesday and Saturday but I think I’ll stick to this place. Its safe and legit.

And so it begins….

WSOP freerolls

I’ve been playing in UBs WSOP freerolls for months now and the chances of getting a free seat is slim to none. To get a seat you have to do this:

Place in the top 100 in a daily tourney  that runs every 3 hrs- 2500 entries usually. Most weeks I make that.

When you get in the top 100 you play in a weekly tournament on Sunday the top 200 get to play on 6/6 and the top 5 get wsop seats. I’ve never made it past the 2nd.

Granted its supposed to be hard to win  a  13,500 package. I have pretty much decided i’m not going to make it.

Poker play

I play a lot both on-line and in real time and my play in each is completely different.

The majority of the time on-line I make correct calls, reads and bluffs. In real time tournaments with real money involved I generally play good early and even mid tournament but once it gets down to the money  I tighten up way too much and find myself with big hands facing an all in call or a large raise ahead of me and more times than not I will fold the winning hand. I don’t like coin flips so I have been known to fold hands like AK, AJ, KQ etc and small to mid pocket pairs.

I think I am more suited as a live cash game player or a smaller buy in tournament player….or try to break out and open up my game.