I played today in the $550 World Series of Poker Circuit event at Caesars Palace and boy is my soul tired.
We only started with 2000 chips but all was fine and dandy because the first two levels blinds were 25/25 and 25/50.
25/25?
That's right. You read correctly. 25/25.
I haven't seen blinds that low since Carter was President.
As for the tournament, it was complete and utter chaos. People just throwing their chips away. Going all in with top pair. These people have definitely watched Celebrity Poker Showdown. Without looking at their cable bills I'm pretty sure they all get the Travel Channel and tune in to World Poker Tour. Hell I even think I may played with a few contestants from MTV's Yo Momma.
I was fond of my opponents. These players loved to raise and hated to fold. Now I just needed a hand to double up on.
I needed to use the bathroom and was about to run quickly between hands. But then I pick up pocket aces in 2nd position. And as if that wasn't good enough news, the guy in first position raised it up to 150. Blinds are at 25/50.
I smooth call the 150. Alot of people like to raise here to thin the field. But I don't want to just win 150. If I raise I probably make everyone fold except for the one guy to my right. I want to get some action. I'm 80% certain that someone is going to raise behind me. It's been happening most every hand.
The woman sitting to my left, the 3rd person to act in this hand, raises to 450. Lets call her Phylis Diller. There are 7 players still to act behind Phylis. I'm giggling with joy inside.
All 7 players muck. But then the guy to my right pushes all in. He has pocket kings. I obviously push my chips in too. And much to my surprise Phylis Diller calls the all ins with her pocket 8's.
Flop comes 3,5,6 rainbow.
Turn is a 9. Phylis has a gutshot straight draw but I'm still 80% to win the handle and triple up.
Until the 7 comes on the river.
Here's the most interesting part:
My bladder might be psychic. As I mentioned above, right before I got the aces I was going to run to the bathroom. But that's when I looked down and saw the aces and knew I had to play the hand. Free will is an illusion when you hold aces preflop.
But I mention this bladder thing because that's now two tournaments in a row where I was ready to run to the bathroom but instead picked up a big hand. It happened to me at the Bellagio with ace king.
What am I supposed to do the next time I get a big hand and I have to take a leak? Am I supposed to be folding these hands? What is my bladder trying to tell me?
My bladder is kind of like Desmond on LOST and my tournament life is Charlie. My bladder looks into the future. It has flashes. My bladder knows something bad is about to happen and tries to save me. But since my bladder can't speak the only way it can save me is to try to get me to use the bathroom.
I'm a lucky guy. Having a bladder that can sense out danger is one of those poker things that you're either born with or you don't have. You can't really teach it.
The hardest part for me is going to be trusting the feeling when I have to use the bathroom.
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3 comments:
what a shitty deal. a real pisser.
Just out of curiosity: Do you like Hold 'Em any less or more? If somebody offered you $1million to quit tomorrow, would you?
The way I see it the math on the pair stud v. hold 'em has everything to do with community cards versus an individual's cards. How many players did the author assume were at each table? Here is why that matters. If there are 8 people at a 5 card stud game and everyone sees 5 cards that's 40 cards dealt. In a game of hold 'em if there are 8 players and assuming we see a river then only 21 cards have been dealt. In other words, the chances of the board pairing is greater in hold em because the total number of cards dealt is less than in stud. Or, to put it another way, the author made assumptions about the # of players and total cards dealt that should have been revealed.
I'm definitely not always up for going to the casino but overall I do love studying the game and continuing my poker education.
If someone offered me $1 million to quit hold 'em, can I take the money and go play pot limit omaha?
With the pair versus stud thing, the author said 7 hands of stud (35 cards)and he also said 7 boards of Texas hold em (also 35 cards). That's why it made no sense to me that the odds of pairing 5 cards should be any different. (And I'm now convinced the odds aren't any different).
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