Free Essay

Poker Column

In: Other Topics

Submitted By checkm8this
Words 1221
Pages 5
Chapter 1

It really just happened as an accident. I had quit my job because I was unhappy with management and my situation. My buddy says, “You should start playing cards full time.” Now it wasn’t the first time someone had told me that or the first time I ever considered it. But I figured it was as good a time as any to really start playing seriously. Not just for fun, but I had rent to pay.

Up to this point I’d probably logged somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000 hours at the card table in various casinos across the country and even online before black Friday. I’d played every type of game, most working class limits (Up to $5-$10 No limit games) and had some success but also my taste of major failures. I was never able to get the consistent results that the pros seem to get year after year, but I also wasn’t losing my car payment every month at the card table.

It really changed a couple of years ago, when I felt myself stop playing the cards and make calls and raises based on the player I was playing. I’m not sure where the change occurred, but it did. I guess it’s a lot like any other sport. Practice and playing makes you better. I remember the hand that made me start thinking maybe I could really do it. Maybe I could play not just for the fun, which it is sooo much fun, but to make a little cash on the side.

My buddy and I were playing a $1-$2 No Limit game with a $100 to $300 buy in. As a general rule, I always buy in for at least 100 times the big blinds in No Limit games or else I invariably feel I’m in an all in situation every time I get in a hand. So I bought for the max. And was hovering right around my buy in for several rounds winning a few losing a few. But hey, my buddy and I were having a few beers and a lot of fun. Something changed though; I started noticing this player acting before me consistently putting in over sized bets in relation to the pot. And each time, all the players seemed to fold to him. He hardly ever raised pre-flop, so he likely had the goods those hands… But those bets didn’t seem right. Why would he bet $50 to win $20 with every player checking to him? The only person calling has him beat right?

So I ended up in the big blind and of course I’m dealt the worst hand in poker.

I wasn’t thrilled with my hand but hey; I was in the big blind! I already had $2 invested in the hand. And I had my starting $300 so lets see what happens.

Three people called until our own Huckleberry($250 in chips) raised to $12. There was one caller before my action and I decided to call. My reasoning? It was $10 into a $33 pot, I was getting 3.3 to 1 on my money and more if the people behind call as well. My luck, they didn’t. So three of us went to the flop, both of which acted after me. UGH!

The flop came:

I watched the two other players as the flop came out. They didn’t seemed thrilled, I didn’t see any real tells that would leave me to believe they hit the flop. But as I saw I only had a pair of 7’s with the worst kicker, in early position I decided to check.

Huckleberry checked as well and so did the other player.

Next: The turn.

Again, I watched the players as the card came out. Neither seemed to like it, I felt like my pair might be good so I made a decent bet. $15 dollars into the now $38 pot with the rake and “Bad-Beat” rake taken out. It’s a reasonable bet, and Huckleberry looked pained, he hemmed and hawed. Scratched his head. Then reached for chips and raised it to $60! The other player quickly mucked his hand.

Let’s think about this… He raised pre-flop to $12, which in a $1-$2 game is a standard raise with a good hand. But he checked the flop and then makes a huge raise on a card that couldn’t seem to help him. This is when all the previous hands factor in, if I were playing a tight player. I’d put him on A-J or even J-J and lay it down. But Huckleberry? No way, he would have bet the flop with anything close to that. The entire time I was thinking I started looking at him and talking out the hand openly. I could see he was uncomfortable. I decided my 7’s were probably good. I raised the minimum to $120 total and he quickly shoved all in. Okay… I thought, he has 8-9. I had eliminated it before because he was the pre-flop raiser. But he hardly ever raised pre-flop as I mentioned before. But why shove all-in when I’m first to act on the river if he has the nuts? No… He can’t have a made hand. He’s on a draw and wants me to fold but still has outs if I call.

It made sense. Think about it. He raised pre-flop with Ac-Qc or Ac-Kc… He’s on the nut flush draw and a gut shot. But he doesn’t realize his over pairs have me beat too. So if I put him on those hands, what are the odds?

A general rule to calculate odds on the spot: First determine the number of outs you or your opponent have. I put him on Ac-Kc same as Ac-Qc… So he has exactly 20 outs. Ugh. That’s a lot of outs. Second determine the odds you or your opponent will hit the card they need. If calculating on the flop, multiply the total number of outs by 4.4. If calculating on the turn, multiply by 2.2. If you use that rule, you’ll be close enough that Daniel Negranu wouldn’t argue. So he has, if my read is right, approximately a 44% chance of hitting a card that beats me. So I’m a favorite to win! Third determine the pot odds. I needed $118 more to call a pot valued at $395 or so.

It’s a big risk, but I was getting over 3.5 to 1 on my money as the favorite. I called. And he had exactly what I thought. And luckily his card didn’t come. After the hand my buddy and I cashed out talked about the hand, and we quickly realized we were talking about how the hand progressed and analyzing it differently than we did years ago.

Since that hand, I’ve gotten even better. And since quitting my job, I’m a part-time poker professional. This column is going to walk you through how to approach hands just like this. So you too, can walk out of the card room with a couple of extra Benjamin’s in your wallet leaving the guy you took it from scratching his head. Time and again.

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Week 5 Uop Mailmerging Checkpoint

...Robert Swartz 11/19/12 There are quite a few terms used in the Access database for users with little or no knowledge of the program, I would make available to the customer descriptions of those terms and what to do with them. Identify common Microsoft® Access® database terms Table A table is a group of statistics about a particular subject that is kept in rows and columns. Tables sort all available statistics, like personnel and clients, then stores these categories of facts in a separate table. You can build numerous tables in one database, or combine the statistics in different tables for retrieving the data later To organize the data in a database, you must segregate the available data and then identify the tables that you must have to store this data. Record A record is one row of a table. Records contain ordered facts about an individual, a place, or additional real-world things. For instance an Employee table for a business, every record matches to a specific employee of the business. Any numbers of records can be stored on a table Field A field is a column in a table. A field denotes a clear characteristic that is kept for all the records in a table. You can direct up to 255 fields in a Jet table. The description of a field consist of the name of the field, the kind of figures that are stored in the field, and any authentication rules that you must have to confirm the stored data. Data type Data type decides what kind of figures...

Words: 319 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Temp

...Process document for updating ICC Centerline and MilePosts MileExits 07/26/2011 Introduction This process document is to describe what the new ICC centerline, milepost and mile-exits about, how we processed the new data to matching the existing data attributes, how we updated the chartcenterline by appending the new ICC centerline, what methods we used in the whole process. 1. Identify the database update requirements and target The Intercounty Connctor or ICC (MD 200) route is a partially completed toll freeway which will link existing and proposed development areas between the I-270/I-370 . In review of exiting ArcGIS service map file ChartBG.mxd (on the “chartdevgis” server C:\arcgisserver\MapDocument\) – a Chart interactive background map, we can know that there is a miss for the ICC route. To make the background map with a complete required feature route present in the map, we need to update the existing ChartBG geodatabase to make up the missed ICC route (MD 200) by using the new data provided by SHA. The update requires the three feature classes are available in the existing ChartBG map service file. That means the existing interstates feature classes will be required to append new features from the data below. 1. ICC centerline (MD 200) 2. ICC Milepost 3. ICC MileExits In brief, the purpose of the geodatabase update is to add the ICC related...

Words: 2483 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Whats Up

...Getting Started with WinEst Using WEI Commercial with Assemblies Item Database Sample Exercise Professional Cost Estimating and Budgeting Things you need to know about WinEst Pull Down Menus & Toolbars WinEst allows customization of your Toolbars. Here is an example: If you prefer a large, easy to see selection of Icons, Select Preferences from the Tools menu. Now select the Toolbar option from the displayed list of preferences. In the upper right hand corner of this prompt, under Style, change Images to Large. [pic] Toolbar Small Images with Short Text [pic] Toolbar Large Images with Text WinEst has pull down menus for each of the following - File, Edit, View, Filters, Tables, Tools, Database, Reports, Custom, Window and Help. When the mouse is clicked on one of these menu items, a list drops down with the available commands for that menu. Scan the menus to see the features available in the WinEst program. Help Help is always available. You can select Contents or Search for help commands from the Help menu or press the F1 key to view help. To close the Help system, click on the X in the upper right hand corner. Maneuvering about the System WinEst has three main views which enable you to follow a structured method of building and reviewing your estimates. You can move from view to view at any time by clicking one of the corresponding toolbar buttons (Takeoff, Sheet or Totals) or by making selections from the View menu. Takeoff ...

Words: 4953 - Pages: 20

Free Essay

Architecture Paper

...& Robbs Architects have built or plan to build a new scoreboard, more seating, new locker rooms, and a new Fieldhouse. Deacon Tower’s architecture uses arches and columns that reflect architecture during the classical period of art, as well as match the same style of architecture that is featured Deacon Tower was erected in 2008 as a series of renovations to the BB&T Stadium where the Wake Forest Demon Deacons play in Winston Salem, NC. It features seven stories that house luxury suites, club seats and boxes, print and electronic media, coaching staffs, etc…at a staggering 122,900 square feet and 125 feet tall, it is arguably one of Wake Forest’s finest architectural feats and one of the luxurious renovation projects to a collegiate stadium ever to be done. At a price tag of $48 million dollars, it is one of the most expensive additions to any Wake Forest sport to date. Interestingly enough, Walter Robbs Callahan & Robbs, who were the genius’s behind the expenditure, incorporated many techniques that were employed centuries before. They drew inspiration for this project from not only the architects and artist who lived centuries before their time, but also from the original architects of Wake Forest’s campus. One component of Deacon Tower that highlights one piece of its beauty are the columns that it...

Words: 741 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

My Cover Letter #1

...and columns Typing and editing text in a cell Formatting text in a cell Using the series fill handle 1. Click in the first cell. This is called cell A1 (because it is in row 1 and column A) 2. Type your first name. See how your name shows up in the cell and in the Formula bar. This is the formula bar This is cell A1 3. Press the ENTER key. This will move the cursor down a row to cell A2. 4. Click on cell A1 again to select it. 5. Click in the formula bar. Click after your first name. Now, Enter a space and Type your last name. You should always make changes in the formula bar. If you try to make changes in the cell you will type over what is already there. 6. Press the ENTER key. Now you are in cell A2 again. 7. Type the words ―Happy Birthday” in cell A2. See that the words may not fit in the box. Don’t worry about it. See that the text is also in the Formula bar. 8. Press the ENTER key. The cursor will move to the cell below it. What is the name of that cell? ____________. Some of the text might be hidden, but it is not gone. Modified SPLC Document for use at Neighborhood House Rev 1.1.2010 9. Click in cell A2 again, your text will return. Check the formula bar to be sure. 10. Now, click in cell B2. 11. Type the words ―dear Andrew”. Press the ENTER key. 12. Click in cell B2. Click in the formula bar and change Andrew to ―Andrea”. 13. Move the cursor to the line between columns A and...

Words: 5104 - Pages: 21

Free Essay

Column Design

...Kharagpur Lesson 27 Slender Columns Version 2 CE IIT, Kharagpur Instructional Objectives: At the end of this lesson, the student should be able to: • • • • • • • • define a slender column, give three reasons for its increasing importance and popularity, explain the behaviour of slender columns loaded concentrically, explain the behaviour of braced and unbraced single column or a part of rigid frame, bent in single or double curvatures, roles and importance of additional moments due to P- Δ effect and moments due to minimum eccentricities in slender columns, identify a column if sway or nonsway type, understand the additional moment method for the design of slender columns, apply the equations or use the appropriate tables or charts of SP-16 for the complete design of slender columns as recommended by IS 456. 11.27.1 Introduction Slender and short are the two types of columns classified on the basis of slenderness ratios as mentioned in sec.10.21.5 of Lesson 21. Columns having both lex/D and ley/b less than twelve are designated as short and otherwise, they are slender, where lex and ley are the effective lengths with respect to major and minor axes, respectively; and D and b are the depth and width of rectangular columns, respectively. Short columns are frequently used in concrete structures, the design of such columns has been explained in Lessons 22 to 26, loaded concentrically or eccentrically about one or both axes. However, slender columns are also becoming increasingly...

Words: 9910 - Pages: 40

Free Essay

Marketing

...Peer Evaluation Form for Group Work Group Number: 20 Write the name of each of your group members in a separate column (Add more columns if necessary). For each person, mark his/her contribution out of 20 for each statement on the left Total the numbers in each column. Evaluation Criteria | Group member:Erik Petrovic | Group member:Brendan Costellello | Group member:Michael Chin Sang | Group member:Zachary Houston | Attends group meetings regularly and arrives on time. (20’) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | Contributes meaningfully to group discussions. (20’) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | Completes group assignments on time. (20’) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | Prepares work in a quality manner. (20’) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | Demonstrates a cooperative and supportive attitude. (20’) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | TOTALS | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | Peer Evaluation Form for Group Work Group Number: 20 Write the name of each of your group members in a separate column (Add more columns if necessary). For each person, mark his/her contribution out of 20 for each statement on the left Total the numbers in each column. Evaluation Criteria | Group member:Cassandra Sribny | Group member:Sierra Caza | Group member:Chaney Aitcheson | Group member:Mariah Wilson | Attends group meetings regularly and arrives on time. (20’) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 14 | Contributes meaningfully to group discussions. (20’) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 14 | Completes group assignments on time. (20’) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 14 | Prepares...

Words: 256 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Gambling

...mainstream now than ever before. Since this boom in popularity many new on-line web sites have been created to take advantage of this growing craze. Internet Gambling has shot up the most these past few years. In 2005 the first online betting web site started. Today there are over 2,000 online gambling web sites. Take time to think about the rise in television shows that involve gambling, and the stations that air the shows. Bravo, ESPN, ESPN2, Spike, Game Show Network, FOX, NBC, CBS, and ABC all have aired a show that has had some type of gamble involved. Shows like Deal or No Deal, World Series of Poker, Celebrity Poker, Black Jack, some of these shows may not seem like gambling but as long as there is a risk there is a gamble. How many people knew of Texas Hold’em before ESPN started covering tournaments? And now you can’t go a day flipping through the channels without seeing some kind of poker or celebrity blackjack on television. As technology has improved our world by making things easier and more convenient, it has also made the gambling world easier and more convenient. With the rise of Internet gambling web sites, it is easier today more than ever to place a bet. You can see gambling every time you watch television. Whether it be game shows, card games, or just commercials, you see it. I love sports, so I watch ESPN to catch up on news and to see what is going on in the sports world. One day about 4 years ago I turned to EPSN and I saw a card game going on. I had...

Words: 1629 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Demonstrative Communication

...Demonstrative Communication Demonstrative communication is exactly what it sounds like. One is demonstrating while they are trying to communicate. It can be verbal and/or non-verbal. Verbal demonstrative communication can be inflection, tone, or volume. Non-verbal demonstrative communication can include facial expressions, body movements/language, appearance, or something else that another can take in with their senses. In order to convey a message or persuade a particular point to one or more people, demonstrative communication is usually always used in one form or another. Just talking to someone in a monotone, robotic voice will usually always lose your audience. Any time you communicate, you are trying to send a message to the receiver and you want that message to be received and understood in such a way that the receiver gets the correct message. If you want to send someone the message that you have lots of money, you will dress and act accordingly. You will buy extravagant items and try to flaunt these things. A heated argument includes loud voices and wild gestures. A loving relationship can include softer tones and touching. A real good example of this type of communication would be a pastor/preacher in a church. During counseling or church events, the pastor is usually calm and his mannerisms will be comforting. His voice is soft, but can also be authoritative or sympathetic in tone. He can use an arm on or over the shoulder with varying degrees...

Words: 766 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Tokidoki Case Study

...Tokidoki: Lucky Town Tokidoki: Lucky Town Tokidoki: Lucky Town is the only video slot out there on the net which is based on the Japanese inspired lifestyle brand of the same name. Tokidoki is the brainchild of Italian artist, Simone Legno. Having already appeared in such famous brands as Asics, Barbie, Hello Kitty, Fujitsu, Mikasa, Levi’s and more, now it is time for Tokidoki to take to the online gambling world, with the launch of IGT’s Tokidoki: Lucky Town slot. Expect to find plenty of Tokidoki’s major characters including the Caramella, Truffle, Pogo and more. Of course, this video slot has been designed to be totally faithful to the brand, so expect plenty of Japanese anime and imagery to crop up on the funky reels of this slot. There is a slender theme tied into the franchise, but unless you are familiar with Tokidoki in the first place, it will probably be lost on you. Developers IGT are one of the most prolific developers of online slots, with a big-boy reputation not just in the online casino world, but also the land-based one. One of the most remarkable things about their games is that they often cost more than a pretty penny to play, but they do give you good value for money with a plethora of special features. That seems to have continued over in the Tokidoki: Lucky Town slot, which thrives on its Reel Reveal feature to dish out a host of tasty features. Tokidoki is stylish, it is modern and mobile-friendly, and it is flush with features. You couldn’t really ask for...

Words: 783 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Informative Speech Topic

...since my first encounters in my high school French classes, and I’m already bad at speaking in front of people so having to present in another language is just awful. On another note, I’m still not sure if college is the right decision for me, sometimes I feel that I could be spending my time elsewhere finding out what it is that I truly want to do with my life. But as for now I figured it can’t hurt to at least get started and have the college experience until I either graduate or figure out what I want to do. As for my life outside the university you will find me mostly hanging with friends, having cookouts, four wheeling in the warm months and snowboarding in the cold months. I also enjoy getting a bunch of friends together and playing poker and pretty much any other card game for that matter. One of my goals for college is to start a business and gain experience so that when I get out I will be ahead of the game and have that business as a backup plan. As for life after college, I have a couple plans; plan A is to be an entrepreneur doing things like: starting and growing small businesses, buying, renting, and investing in apartment complexes, houses, restaurants and other things of that nature. If I go this route, ten years down the road I hope to be married and own a hotel and residing in the penthouse living a stress free life only worrying about what my next venture in life will be. Plan B is to go into the Navy after I graduate college and become a...

Words: 460 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Should Sports Gambling Be Illegal

...“Maybe I will win this time. He has to score this game! Maybe he will get hurt and I will win…” These are just a few things that people say when betting on players and different sports teams. Gambling is usually a game of luck, but in sports gambling there is often some skill involved. The problem with “skillful gambling” is that it goes straight to the gamblers head because he thinks he knows who will play well and who won’t. In reality no one knows how the player will play; not even the player himself. “The ban on sports betting does exactly what the prohibition did. It makes criminals rich. (James Surowiecki)” Out of the fifty states in the USA, only Delaware and Nevada allow gambling on sporting events. American citizens have lost a combined $4 billion dollars gambling last year, plus a speculated $80-380 billion gambling illegally online (Billy Hobson, The Washington Post). Having said this people still run the risk of jail time as well as loosing all their money when they gamble on sporting events online. So should all forms of betting on sporting events be allowed everywhere in the United States? When reading on this topic I found two articles that did polls on random people to see if they would like sports gambling to be legal in the United States. The two articles polled a collective 1,247 different people and roughly 75% (930 people) of them believe that they should be allowed to gamble on sporting events (Michael Buteau and PBS Newshour) . Even many prominent people...

Words: 481 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Bar Bets Enforceability

...The enforceability of bar bets is generally a common law area in that the jurisprudence here is more or less advanced by the courts. Bar bets are technically governed by contract law and their enforceability is determined by the capacity of the patrons to the bets. This means whether or not they are intoxicated, after all they are in a bar. In a bar bet such as the one in this scenario is enforceable only where both parties are sober, intoxication leads to the lack of capacity. A bar bet is essentially a contract that is dependent on a particular outcome. Performance of the contact commences after a particular outcome, the outcome being the football match. In this particular contact, there are the essential requirements...

Words: 300 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Gambling

...You bet. Attempts to ban online gaming are doomed to fail. Better to legalise, tax and regulate the habit Jul 8th 2010 PROHIBITION destroyed America’s once-robust brewing industry, made smugglers rich and did nothing to curb drinking. Outlawing drugs has been a similarly spectacular failure. There is little reason to suppose that the latest line in American prohibition—an effort to ban online gambling—will fare any better. In 2006 Congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act, which made it illegal for financial institutions to transfer funds between punters and online-gambling sites. Some companies promptly pulled out of the American market. But others stepped in, and the opportunities to bet online have expanded elsewhere in the world. So, after a brief dip, Americans are now betting online about as much as they did four years ago. The Justice Department still maintains that online gambling is illegal, yet large numbers of Americans carry on regardless. The reason is simple: anyone who wants to gamble and has an internet connection can do so. And plainly many people do want to gamble. In 2009 the legal gambling market totalled $335 billion globally. Nearly two-thirds of that came from lotteries and casinos. Gambling in casinos is growing fast in East Asia, particularly Macau, the world’s biggest market. As our special report explains, online gambling remains relatively small (just over $25 billion in 2009), but, as with so many online industries, it...

Words: 633 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

About Online Gaming

...Is that gambling should be legalized At major established gambling web sites, online gambling is just as safe for your money as playing in a regular casino. It's usually free to set up an account, and after that you deposit as much or as little as you'd like using your checking account or credit card and use those funds to bet. Internet security has come a long way, and the online gambling community takes extra precautions to ensure your money, and your winnings, are protected. The games available for online gambling are even more varied than those in traditional casinos. You will find virtual tables and rooms for dozens of types of poker: stud, Texas Hold 'Em, Caribbean Stud, Video Poker, Three-Card Poker and just about any poker variation you can think of. For simpler gambling, you can play online slot machines, blackjack, roulette, or any of hundreds of click-and-win games. The online gambler looking for a challenge will enjoy Baccarat. With online gambling, the possibilities are endless! Major gambling sites attract tens of thousands of visitors in a day. There are even thousands of sites for those unwilling or unable to play for money: Many online gambling sites operate on a game credit basis, and you can play just for the fun of it without risking anything. So, whether you want to impress people with your big gambling scores or get a shot at big money online, check out online gambling! You no longer need to live in a place where there is a casino. With a computer and...

Words: 509 - Pages: 3