"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny." -- unknown

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results - Albert Einstein

poker
July 22, 2005 - 7:29 pm

i'm kinda excited.. i got a book in the mail -- the pyschology of poker. 'tis a free book, well not really free.. i get "points" for playing money games at pokerstars.. so really i've probably more than paid for this book with the rake of the game.

regardless, i'm happy to have the book.. and kinda surprised it's been signed by the author. i'm not sure if that's good or bad.

to relate a little story from playing today.. i know you probably don't care, but my play pissed a guy off and really.. the problem wasn't me, but how he played.

here's the set up -- the table is .10/.25. so the little blind is .10 and the big blind is .25. most people bet in incriments of .25, but it's no limit, so any bet will do.

my hold cards are A 10 suited (spades). the guy before me bets a $1. a biggish opening bet.. a sign he thinks he has something pretty good. A 10 suited isn't too shabby and i'm up from $15 to about $23, so i call.

everyone else folds. the flop comes something like King, Eight, Five -- two cards are spades.

i've got nothing, but.. i do have the nut flush draw.

he goes first and bets $1 - the same as the preflop bet. to me, this says either he now has a pair of Kings OR he has a little pair.. and is worried i now have a pair of Kings. his same bet shows me no strength. granted, i just have a Ace high.. but the flush draw is alluring and for another buck.. i'll call.

fourth street is an Ace. i'm now thinking i've got the best hand with pair of Aces -- and i still have the flush draw.

he checks - again weakness. i bet $1.50 and expect a fold. he calls. i'm sort of confused, but perhaps he has a pair of kings and is hoping for 2 pair. perhaps he has a lower flush draw.

fifth street comes and it's a spade. i've got the nuts.

the guy bets $5-something, going all in. i don't hesiate at all and call. i've got the nuts. i can't lose.

his cards? two kings. he flopped a three of kind.

he gets pissed at me for chasing and i tell him you bet wrong.

the right bet? he should have either raised his bet on the flop from $1 to $1.50 or $2. or on fourth street he should have reraised me when i bet $1.50.

why didn't he? i'm not sure, but i imagine when he flopped a set, he thought no way in hell can i lose.

the trouble is that same flop held two spades. he really, really should have hard on the flop to say "don't chase" and i'd probably have folded. i say probably.. because a nut flush draw is alluring to me. i still might have gone one more card... gotten the Ace.

but.. to say i played wrong.. i disagree with. i'll call the same preflop bet on the flop when i have a nut flush draw every single time. if i don't hit a good card, i fold on forth street.. no chasing again.

should i have lost? yes, the odds say getting a set on the flop should win out over a flush draw. but.. that's the hitch of slow playing. you keep the weaker hand in.. and can lose. so if he'd have bet his hand from the outset and not slow played, i'd have folded on the flop and he'd have won... not much, but a win beats a loss.

i get why he slow played. a set of kings is wonderful. he wanted to ease me in for as much as he could. he saw the ace on fourth street and was praying i had an ace. without a doubt the odds were in his favor.. but that's the thing about odds, just "have" to happen, are just a lose guidline for what should happen over the long, long term.

me? i get pocket kings and a flop comes with two suited cards and i'll bet hard everytime. i don't care if everyone folds. a little win beats the hell out of a bigger loss.

anyway... in this book, it has quizes to determine your personality and to delve into why people play poker. it's not really about odds and whatnot, it's about why people do what they do.

and to get back to my betting comment, poker really isn't about the cards, it's about betting. you can watch it on tv if you don't belive me. every high stakes game you see there has someone who has true crap in their hands making a big ass bet to win the pot.

the hand above, my bigger bet on fourth street told him i had an Ace. he was delighted. so he just called to milk me more. he could have gone all in then.. and i'd have thought alot about what to do. he could have had pocket aces, afterall he did bet a $1 preflop. his bets kept me in and, in the end, he lost all his money -- he went all in when i had the flush... a terrible bet. he should have called and hoped i'd call to. though i'd have bet.. possibly his whole stack and he'd know i had the flush and fold.

he couldn't do that. he was too in love with his hand.. he thought the odds of me hitting the flush were too high -- nevermind he was in love the unlikely odds of him getting pocket kings and then a king coming on the flop.. that he was fine and dandy with. i'm too lazy to look and see what the odds are of KK vs A10 suited.. but it's probably about 2 to 1.

so he got upset on a hand he'd only win half the time anwyway.

later, a guy got all bent out of shape cause he lost with pocket aces.

funny how people think the "best" hand means "can't lose".