tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80007725207820927662010-04-30T16:25:55.101-04:00Raise or Fold: Learning (From) PokerWriting and playing poker as if they were activities worth doing well.Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.comBlogger304125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-37815769511382034902010-04-28T13:45:00.003-04:002010-04-28T14:05:50.316-04:00The End of An EraSuddenly, but not entirely unexpectedly, the Commissioner and Treasurer of my A League have resigned. The A League has fallen on hard times lately: not enough games, not enough enthusiasm amongst the participants, and a shortage of folks willing to host. The steam has gone out of the enterprise, and internecine squabbles and personality conflicts have also taken their toll. I will, however, always be grateful to the A League for giving me a venue to learn how to play tournament poker for actual cash stakes, and I'll miss the routine of playing in a well-organized group. I am also confident that the friendships I've made amongst these players will endure.<br /><br />In other breaking news, my B League hosted a small impromptu tourney last night and I won it. Not a whole lotta cabbage, but welcome nonetheless. I attribute it to the knitting I brought with me.<br /><br /><strong>Finally, an important note</strong>: Blogger is discontinuing support for FTP publishing, which is what I use to host my blog on my server. As of May 1, all of us FTP users have to either migrate to Blogger/Google's servers or switch blogging software. Since I have no desire to have all of my writing at the mercy of Goo-we're-only-a-little-evil-gle, I will be migrating to a WordPress blog. This will cause disruptions. The painstakingly crafted design will probably evaporate. The RSS feed may change names. My archives may disappear, although I am working hard to avoid that.<br /><br />If you want to keep following this blog, I recommend that you make sure your bookmark for my site is the canonical URL:<blockquote><strong>http://raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com</strong></blockquote>The next version, however (temporarily I hope) lame, will appear at that address.<br /><br />Thanks so much for following along with me!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-3781576951138203490?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-13012328063288046742010-04-26T17:44:00.004-04:002010-04-26T17:55:44.634-04:00The Secret to Poker SuccessLast night, in a moment of insomniac whimsy, I signed up for a $30 Deepstack NLHE tourney on Pokerstars. More than eight hours later, I won the damn thing, beating 114 other players.<br /><br />Well, actually, we chopped it heads up, but I was the official winner.<br /><br />So, winning the tourney 'n' all was nice, especially since it's the only winning of any sort I've done in quite some time, but the real joy was discovering how to mitigate the debilitating boredom and frustration of playing poker online.<br /><br />It's simple: KNIT.<br /><br />Knitting is soothing, meditative, calming. It has a de-stressing effect. It keeps the part of your monkey brain that would be cooking up REAL distraction pre-occupied with relatively simple and easily set-aside pastimes, so that when you're ready to turn your full attention to the game, you're not worried about what's going on, well, <em>over there</em> somewhere.<br /><br />And the bonus: you generally get a knitted item to enjoy when you're done. "Free blankets for everyone! Yeah, that's the ticket!"<br /><br />And yes, I do believe I may be the slightest bit punchy from lack of sleep? Whyever do you ask?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-1301232806328804674?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-59190958185263592692010-04-21T15:28:00.002-04:002010-04-21T15:34:27.642-04:00BBT: Count Me In<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/poker-from-the-rail/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/BBT5_Small.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 180px;" src="http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/poker-from-the-rail/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/BBT5_Small.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I'm not playing a whole lot of poker these days, but I can't resist the lure of a cheap seat to the WSOP. Look for me at the Mookie and perhaps Poker From the Rail. Read all about it <a href="http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/poker-from-the-rail/bloggers-on-the-rail/battle-blogger-tournaments-5#more-4375">here</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-5919095818526359269?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-63540667354197814962010-03-25T18:00:00.002-04:002010-03-25T18:03:26.055-04:00That Woozy FeelingThe last thing you want is to be sick in Las Vegas. Unfortunately for the last couple of days I've been plagued with some kind of vague illness: headachy, light-headed, wobbly on my feet, and with a delicate digestive tract. So, at the moment, I'm hanging out in my hotel room feeling just a little bit sorry for myself.<br /><br />I hope whatever it is goes away quickly so that I can resume having a good time.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-6354066735419781496?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-87092753595488751742010-03-08T13:26:00.005-05:002010-03-09T04:55:00.091-05:00Leaving the Scene of the CrimeI won't be playing at the Crime Scene Game any more.<br /><br />I had a good showing last night, and made myself whole from the previous loss, which was nice. I had fun playing, as I usually do there. I like hanging out with most of the players; I get along great with the hosts. The social aspects of the venue are a major part of its charm.<br /><br />But.<br /><br />I've watched as meaningful percentages of the pot disappear again and again, in the form of redbirds palmed and pocketed by a dealer. I can live with a rake, as long as it's not excessive, but this practice is just unacceptable. If you are running a cash game, you need to make your rake predictable and visible. Sneaking money out of the pot destroys the integrity of the game, and turns an honest profit-making enterprise into thievery.<br /><br />I don't want to play where people are being ripped off, no matter how congenial an environment it may be. It makes me sad to have to say goodbye, and I bear no ill-will to anyone, but I'm done.<br /><br />[Update: Thanks for your supportive comments, friends, but I'm going to refrain from publishing or commenting further on this matter. Out of consideration for the many hours of enjoyable play I've had at this venue, I'm going to just let it be.]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-8709275359548875174?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-35889277973599214672010-03-03T19:22:00.003-05:002010-03-03T19:27:42.140-05:00Easy Come, Easy GoExcept for, y'know, the gnashing of teeth and rending of garments.<br /><br />Last night's session at the Crime Scene Game was a prime example of why I dubbed it that in the first place. It was a bloodbath. I took about five brutal coolers. I should have left after the first one: I flopped a boat, Jacks full of Queens, and my opponent with Q8 caught the 8 on the river.<br /><br />Things did not improve after that; I will spare you the gory details. But it seems that the pendulum has swung back to Business As Usual (aka "Crush Cardgrrl's Hopes & Dreams").<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-3588927797359921467?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-69555115086263249672010-02-24T23:11:00.007-05:002010-02-25T00:16:10.394-05:00Little Swing BackI've now made 4 return visits to the Crime Scene Game, and booked 4 winning sessions. This is a pleasant change of affairs for me. My last session was a monster, and more than made up for the rather unfortunate series of bust-outs in higher-buy-in tournaments of late. I flopped a couple of huge hands, made a couple of sensible laydowns, and used my Miss Tighty image to take a few pots I had no right to. I played well, and I ran better than average. What's more, I didn't get coolered or bad-beated once, which was refreshing. <br /><br />On the negative side of the equation: someone stole my phone, with all my data in a freely accessible state, and Apple's wipe mechanism didn't work in a timely-enough manner. I spent most of today on the phone with ATT and Apple getting my old phone up and running, and then the REST of the day changing passwords everywhere I could think of.<br /><br />I hope to god the evildoers just jailbreak it and wipe it clean. Needless to say it's been a stressful and highly unpleasant experience.<br /><br />Word to the wise: PUT A PASSWORD ON YOUR PHONE RIGHT NOW. (Yes, it's a tad inconvenient. But what I've been through in the last 24 hours is a <strong>whole lot more</strong> inconvenient.) And if you have an iPhone, DO NOT SUSPEND SERVICE ON YOUR ACCOUNT UNTIL YOUR WIPE COMMAND GOES THROUGH OR YOU ARE PRETTY SURE IT IS NEVER GOING TO. (I didn't do that, and the net effect is that the wipe command went through all right, but <em>to my newly reinstated original iPhone</em>, which resulted in a marathon support call to fix.<br /><br />Apple/ATT want $400 to replace my 3GS. That ain't happening. I'll limp along with my OG iPhone until either Apple comes out with a newer model that I find irresistible or until next December, when I once again become eligible for the lower (i.e. within reason) pricing.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-6955511508626324967?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-55383709204746747992010-02-12T01:06:00.005-05:002010-02-12T01:33:48.988-05:00Miniature RushNot much going on in poker for me lately. I'm busy with <a href="http://www.somebeaut.com/">other projects</a> and the weather here has put a total kibosh on playing live for about two weeks now.<br /><br />I have, however, been dabbling in the occasional session of Rush Poker. I'm playing 10NL (which, when I think about it, makes me laugh… this is the same woman who bought in to no less than <strong>four</strong> WSOP events last June!). My bankroll on Full Tilt had been decimated by tournament variance and some sloppy play on my part. I had, quite literally, only a few bucks left.<br /><br />I've turned those few bucks into over a hundred playing 10NL, in about 12 hours of play, never buying in for more than $5 at a time. The composition of the player pool is pretty clearly divided into regulars and fish. I avoid the regulars and nosh on the fish. You will of course run into the usual cooler or bad beat, but never feeling pressed to play a hand out of position ~ and not wasting any time worrying about one's table image ~ makes for a pretty low-stress experience.<br /><br />Rush poker is position, hand-reading, math, and cards. That's it. If you've got decent skills in those areas, micro-limit Rush Poker is like printing money (almost 100 big blinds an hour!). Well, okay, like printing <em>small denomination stamps</em>. But you get the idea. Nom nom nom nom nom.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-5538370920474674799?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-22533360309937130342010-01-30T10:35:00.004-05:002010-01-30T10:53:00.484-05:00Knock Me Down With A FeatherI entered the WBCOOP 8-Game Mix tournament without any expectations whatsoever. Hey, free is free, right?<br /><br />My strategy for the game was simple: press my edge in the games I know well, and play super-duper tight in the ones I don't. That, and catch some cards occasionally. (Poker is all skill, baby!) The turning point for the evening was getting paid by two opponents when my full house improved to quads. The coup de grace came in a stud rotation when I ran into three full houses in quick succession. THREE!<br /><br />To my astonishment, I nevertheless managed to finish in fourth place, and grab myself a $215 ticket to a SCOOP event sometime in the future. I was the short stack when the six-handed final table started, but I was able to pull even before I met my boaty waterloo. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn't feel particularly outmatched as the field narrowed. I guess there just aren't that many 8-game whizzes in the blogger world.<br /><br />There's something particularly satisfying about taking $0 and making something of it. How cool would it be if my freeroll rush extended to the next event as well?<br /><br />Speaking of which: does anybody know whether I could register for a SCOOP event and then unregister and take the $T? On the other hand, I'm wondering whether the weakness of the field in the 8-Game Mix would extend to a similar tournament in the SCOOP. If so, it might be worth trying my hand at that instead of the more familiar NLHE format.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-2253336030993713034?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-2794932573306638962010-01-22T15:25:00.002-05:002010-01-22T15:27:28.274-05:00I Wanna Play!<div style="height:125px;width:100%;"><a href="http://www.pokerstars.com/blog_tournament/"><img src="http://www.pokerstars.com/images/wbcoop/125x125.gif" alt="Online Poker" align="left" style="margin-right:10px;" border="0"></a><p>I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker! The WBCOOP is a free online <a href="http://www.pokerstars.com/">Poker</a> tournament open to all Bloggers, so register on <a href="http://www.pokerstars.com/blog_tournament/">WBCOOP</a> to play.</p><p>Registration code: 095798 </p></div><br /><br />All the cool kids are doing it, so I want to too! Besides, with my new relaxed attitude my results are bound to be better, right?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-279493257330663896?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-87473582942405186752010-01-22T14:46:00.003-05:002010-01-22T15:46:02.429-05:00What A RushI've been playing much less frequently, and generally enjoying it more. Despite starting with a below-average stack, I managed to claw my way to fourth in the A League's end-of-quarter tournament. I hadn't played a lot of games during the season, so the fourth place freeroll finish gave a nice little boost to my ROI.<br /><br />I joined another tournament series based in Arlington, mostly made up of folks I originally met playing pub poker (and some B Leaguers). I was really pleased with the way I played this game, and had I won my coin toss I would have been well-positioned to make some noise in the tournament. It was a rebuy, which isn't my favorite format. Other games are not rebuys and should suit me even better. I cheerfully recouped my investment in the tournament by playing in the cash game that broke out alongside.<br /><br />I made returns to both the Capitol Hill and Crime Scene games, where I have achieved modest profits. All in all, 2010 results in live play have been satisfactory, and I've been having fun with it ~ which is the name of the game for me now.<br /><br />Online, the massacre of horribleness continued. For my own amusement, and to prove that it's not all in my head, I've been taking screenshots of the insanely bad beats I've been dealt. Originally I planned to post them to the <a href="http://www.cardgrrl.com/bobb/">Book of Bad Beats</a>, but I don't have the heart for it. It's too depressing. Maybe one day I'll do a massive dump (and I use the word advisedly) of all of them.<br /><br />But then the heavens opened and angels sang and Full Tilt delivered its latest Spawn of Satan: Rush Poker. Rush Poker is multi-tabling without the multi (although if you're an insatiable action junkie you can indeed multi-table rush tables… cowabunga!). Here's everything you need to know about Rush Poker:<ul><li>You see around 300 hands an hour.</li><li>You can play all of your hands <em>in position</em> if you want to.</li><li>Your HUD software may not be as useful, but if you play long enough you <em>will</em> start to recognize some of your opponents in the pool.</li></ul>Long story short, I was truly down to my last $5 on Full Tilt when I started to play .05/.10 Rush Poker. In two sessions of about an hour and a half each, I have built up to about $60. SIXTY DOLLARS playing 10NL. It took me a little while to make the strategic adjustments needed, but I gotta say, for a quick, ADD-addled hit of profitable playing, Rush Poker is the 'nads. (Well, until the doomswitch kicks in, anyway.)<br /><br />There are a couple of annoyances in the software, chief among them being that even if you select the "check/fold" or "fold to any bet" options in the big blind, you don't get whisked automatically to a new table unless you click the "Quick Fold" button too. That's just dumb, since the big blind is a timewaster in this game. I also worry that Rush Poker will cause the bad players to go broke quicker, give up, and never come back. I can only hope that Full Tilt has done some studies that show people are more likely to reload in this format than in others.<br /><br />Looking ahead, I expect to make a trip to AC in February and I'm heading to Las Vegas again toward the end of March. The Vegas trip should be a Trifecta of Fun: PAO Meet-Up, AVP Meet-Up, and precious time with the <a href="http://pokergrump.blogspot.com/">Grump</a>.<br /><br />And finally, we're hearing that Charlestown WV will be opening their poker room in July (or thereabouts). That's just a couple of easy highway hours away, much less grueling than the trip to AC and definitely doable as a day trip. Sweet!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-8747358294240518675?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-91657954016718699622009-12-08T14:56:00.005-05:002009-12-09T00:17:49.134-05:00The Joy of PokerThose of you <a href="http://www.twitter.com/cardgrrl">following along on my tweets</a> already know the outcome of my trip last weekend to Atlantic City: a big steaming pile of break-even.<br /><br />And you know what? That's just fine with me.<br /><br />I had a little mini-revelation on this outing. Despite my decision to let go of the pro-poker dream, I was still playing as if my livelihood depended on it. Now, generally, one might think was a good thing. Discipline, etc. And that's undoubtedly true.<br /><br />But playing professionally is also notoriously a grind. It's especially a grind when things have not been going one's way for a protracted period of time: the bad results are depressing, and bad results often lead to bad play, which leads to more bad results. It's the most vicious of vicious cycles.<br /><br />My first day was a downer. Lose lose lose lose. Bleah. No fun. Lots of folding, discipline aplenty, then one dubious decision and buh-bye stack. At day's end, I vowed to myself that I would play my A game in the Circuit tournament. My one and only goal was regret-free poker.<br /><br />And I did. I played for six hours without making a single error. I watched glumly as the correct folds I made would have turned into table-stacking monsters, but I made the right choices. I was colossally card-dead most of the time, and was presented with very few viable stealing opportunities. More than six hours in, I still had a starting stack, and it was shove-or-fold time. I won a few blinds and antes. I folded KJo to a raise and re-raise in front of me and missed the flopped boat (d'oh!). I finally shoved with pocket 8s and lost to AK behind me.<br /><br />I was now $700 in the hole for the trip. But I was feeling pretty good about the way I'd played in the tournament, and I wasn't especially tired. I decided that, since I was unlikely to be back in AC in the near future, I might as well mix it up in the cash games again and this time try to actually enjoy it. I took $1000 to the table and promised myself that I was going to play well and <strong>have fun</strong>: no scared money here, no ubernitiness. I brought out my cheerful, social persona. I was going to have a good time no matter how the cards fell.<br /><br />And I did, oh yes I did.<br /><br />My hand selection criterion became: will I have fun playing this hand (in this position, for these stakes, against these players)? My folding, calling, betting, or raising criterion: which action will be most fun?<br /><br />And because I consider winning money more fun than losing, this didn't change my gameplay a great deal. What it <em>did</em> change was my attitude.<br /><br />I proceeded to play for six more hours, during which time I completely recouped my loss and made a few bucks to boot. I began to remember why I got hooked on poker in the first place. I rediscovered my inner recreational player.<br /><br />So that's me, now: I'm a recreational player, and that's okay. In fact, I like it! A great psychological weight has been lifted. My little hobby more than pays for itself, plus I get free hotel rooms and food too. And I now have license to play JUST FOR THE SHEER FUN OF IT. Wheeeeee!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-9165795401671869962?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-9099474626259880942009-11-27T15:52:00.002-05:002009-11-27T15:57:11.253-05:00Which one is me?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0962-773181.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0962-773116.JPG" border="0" alt="Poker-playing monkeys" title="I wonder if I could learn to riffle chips with my feet?"/></a><br />My friend JK sent me this photo this afternoon. It pretty much sums up the way I feel about my game at the moment. I haven't posted much lately because all I've been doing is losing and not having a whole lot of fun. (The good news is that the rest of my life is getting more and more interesting.)<br /><br />I'll be heading to Atlantic City on December 5th, and plan to play in at least one Circuit Event.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-909947462625988094?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-37775428634106150342009-11-12T23:35:00.002-05:002009-11-12T23:37:43.786-05:00Poker Laughs (6): Poker Face<object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xy5JwYOlgvY&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xy5JwYOlgvY&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object><br /><br />Christopher Walken is the nuts.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-3777542863410615034?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-3435049161293357592009-11-04T23:59:00.000-05:002009-11-05T01:22:37.333-05:00Real MotivationRun, don't walk to read <a href="http://listeningsrazzblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/why-contempt-is-ev-or-no-name-calling.html">this post by Listening</a>. A sample:<blockquote>Hey — I like respect, too! We all like to have self-respect. We enjoy the respect of others. But if these things are the primary objective, instead of the natural result of your poker efforts — you've started a step behind and you'll never catch up. There is nothing for anyone to achieve to be worthwhile: you have value because you exist. And your value exists irrespective of anyone else's opinion of you. If you don't know this, you lack self-respect. If you lack this, you cannot respect your opponents. When you show this in play, you simply demonstrate your own weaknesses to your tablemates and make yourself exploitable.</blockquote>Who knew you could learn this <em>playing Razz</em>! (I kid. Poker is poker.)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-343504916129335759?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-76955678728500217402009-11-02T12:54:00.002-05:002009-11-02T13:08:20.485-05:00Do You Feel Lucky? Well, do you?I ran across <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/3304496/Be-lucky---its-an-easy-skill-to-learn.html">this article</a> about people who describe themselves as "lucky" or "unlucky," and a researcher who says he's identified traits and behaviors that are consistently associated with each category.<br /><br />To feel luckier, notice more opportunities, and be prepared to take advantage of them try:<ul><li>Relaxing and being more open and flexible in your behaviors and habits</li><li>Widening your field of attention and observation</li><li>Listening to and honoring your intuition</li><li>Cultivating optimism and resilience.</li></ul>Hmm. Sounds very much like most mindfulness practices.<br /><br />I think the applicability to one's poker game is pretty clear.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-7695567872850021740?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-71674629001090289782009-10-19T21:59:00.005-04:002009-10-19T22:19:51.436-04:00Big Sigh<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0350-742240.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0350-741939.JPG" border="0" alt="Stacked T-Shirt" title="What can I say? *eyeroll*"/></a><br /><br />Did the designer of this idiotic thing even know what "stacked" means in a poker context? (Hint: It's not exactly something to boast about. And if the double-entendre refers to a "stacked deck," that's not much better.)<br /><br />Who is the target consumer for this tank-top? Ignorant gals with big boobs? Or their stupid boyfriends? <br /><br />As if there weren't enough dopey sexism in the poker world… thanks so much for your contribution, WSOP licensee!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-7167462900109028978?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-49930961377897478072009-10-09T18:53:00.005-04:002009-10-10T02:22:45.397-04:00I take it back.Once upon a time, I made <a href="http://raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com/2009/03/i-call-bbs.html">a rash promise</a>.<br /><br />I try really, really hard to keep promises I make. But it has become clear that this one was foolhardy; I am just not that noble a person. On the other hand, the motivation had some merit: who wants a Bad Beat Story inflicted upon them unwittingly?<br /><br />What to do?<br /><br />I have created a little quarantine ~ a gulag, if you will ~ for the BBSs of our lives. When it all becomes <em>just too much to keep to yourself</em>, c'mon over to <a href="http://www.cardgrrl.com/bobb/">The Book of Bad Beats</a> and vent. Misery loves company, after all, and don't we all feel that our particular beat is the very worstest of them all?<br /><br />Or, for those of you who feel Bad Beats are usually the victim's fault, feel free to analyse via a comment just exactly what the alleged "sufferer" did <em><strong>horribly, horribly wrong</em></strong> to bring on an inevitable and well-deserved fate.<br /><br />So, this blog will remain a no-BBS zone: none of my readers will have their eyes defiled unless they choose to go visit <a href="http://www.cardgrrl.com/bobb/">The BoBB</a>. If you want either to wallow in miserable company or to indulge in the sweet, sweet sensation of superiority brought on by <em>schadenfreude</em>, now you know what to do.<br /><br />See? Fun for everyone!!!<br /><br />[Update: First example submitted and posted. <a href="http://www.cardgrrl.com/bobb/2009/10/crubs-get-there.html">Check it out</a>!]<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-4993096137789747807?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-86971905224757690472009-10-07T01:57:00.004-04:002009-10-07T02:03:57.760-04:00Jack DeuceThe first time I had pocket 9s and came in for a raise under the gun. The very next hand, I flatted a mid-position $20 raise holding KK in the small blind. And I was beat by J2 offsuit in both pots.<br /><br />The disconnect between play, circumstance, and results in poker can get to a person. It certainly got to me tonight. I think I need a break.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-8697190522475769047?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-7833804321108314142009-10-06T03:31:00.008-04:002009-10-06T17:18:10.412-04:00A Whole Lotta Nuthin Going On 'Round HereI played in a tournament and a cash game last night. In the tournament, I lasted for more than 3.5 hours and didn't win a single pot. Not one. My three best starting hands were JJ, KQo, and A6o. I never had suited connectors or any other pocket pairs. I am quite sure that I've never before busted out of a tournament before without winning at least one hand somewhere along the way.<br /><br />Below is a summary of the 100 starting hands I recorded in the cash game. The fact that it turns out to be an even hundred surprised me, I started keeping track about half an hour into my session, and had played no hands voluntarily to that point. The more than four-hour stretch (in two venues) prior during which I had essentially nothing playable was what prompted me to start taking notes.<br /><br />2 Premium hands:<br /> AK<br /> JJ<br />I won with Big Slick and lost with the Jacks.<br /><br />4 Non-Premium Pocket Pairs:<br /> 99<br /> 88<br /> 77<br /> 44<br />I played all these hands and won with the 99. No sets.<br /><br />3 Medium Aces:<br /> AJx2<br /> AT<br />I played both AJ hands in position and won once.<br /><br />2 Suited connectors:<br /> 98<br /> 87<br />I played both of these hands and won with the 98.<br /><br />14 Weak Aces:<br /> A9x2<br /> A8<br /> A6x2<br /> A5<br /> A4<br /> A3x3<br /> A2x4<br />I played 5 of these hands, suited and in position, and won with A9 and A2.<br /><br />5 Two-Broadway:<br /> KQx2<br /> QT<br /> JTx2<br />I played KQ twice in position and won once.<br /><br />70 Junk:<br /> K9 K7 K6x3 K5 K4 K3K2x2<br /> Q9x2 Q7x2 Q6x2 Q3x3 Q2<br /> J9x2 J8 J7x2 J6x4 J5 J4x2 J3<br /> T9 T7 T6x4 T5x3 T2x3<br /> 98 96 95x2 94 93x3 92 86 84 83<br /> 76 75 74 73x2 72x2<br /> 63x2<br /> 54 <br /> 43 42x2<br />I played 5 of these hands either out of the blinds or on the button, and won with K3s, Q6s, K7s and J9s.<br /><br />We were eight-handed for about an hour, and fluctuated between seven and six the rest of the time. Over the course of 3 hours or so, I voluntarily played approximately 20% of my hands. Of the hands I played, I won just over half. Unfortunately, the pots I lost were bigger than the ones I won. The biggest pot I lost was with the pocket 7s; I'm quite sure I was ahead on the flop, but the board got ugly and my opponent persuaded me he had chased and made a straight on the river. I folded to a bet that would have put me all-in to call. (Had I not lost that pot, I would have made a modest profit in the game.)<br /><br />For me, the impression of the evening was of having very little to work with, and winning very little with the few strong hands I did have. If I hadn't played <em>any</em> of the weak suited Aces, the suited connectors, or the junk hands, the outcome would have been virtually identical. I made two good calls when my opponents were trying to buy pots, and I semi-bluffed successfully once and bluffed outright once for a win. I guesstimate I was moved off a better (but not made) hand a couple of times myself.<br /><br />Overall, it was far more frustrating than interesting; I had few difficult decisions to make, and rarely any occasion to do anything flarey myself that would put another player to the test.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-783380432110831414?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-55252142719134656082009-10-05T04:08:00.004-04:002009-10-05T04:13:17.628-04:00Finally<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com/uploaded_images/finally-750236.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 234px;" src="http://raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com/uploaded_images/finally-750232.jpg" border="0" alt="Tournament Win" title="Woo-hoo! $72! Major score! *eyeroll*"/></a><br />Believe me, I know a two-table $10 SNG is nothing to crow about. Really, I know this, I do. But if you had any idea how bad I've been running online, you'd appreciate that this constituted a major victory for me.<br /><br />Is there any possibility that the doomswitch has been turned off?<br /><br />Nah.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-5525214271913465608?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-75959547199605707082009-10-04T03:45:00.003-04:002009-10-04T04:33:48.203-04:00Why Do People Write Poker Strategy Books?I admit at first I found it baffling. Why would you give away the gold? Why did Doyle Brunson write the first Super System, for example?<br /><br />Well, he did sell each copy for upwards of $100 a pop, if I recall correctly. My guess is that he ended up making a decent amount of money from the books, although probably not much in comparison to his direct poker earnings.<br /><br />These days there are a lot of other poker strategy books out there, of varying degrees of accuracy, usefulness, and depth. I suppose their authors make enough money from them for their publication to be worth the effort.<br /><br />Still, presuming that the authors are also players: why educate your opponents? Wouldn't it make more sense to write a <em>bad</em> poker strategy book and lead people astray?<br /><br />The consensus seems to be, however, that there are some genuinely good strategy books available. Presumably the folks who wrote them know they are good.<br /><br />There really is only one possible explanation: even if you read and understand an excellent book, it is still extremely difficult to actually put into practice the advice it offers. So, in order to benefit from a strategy book, the following pieces must be in place: 1) the strategy it proposes must be good; 2) you must acquire and read it; 3) you must both be able to and actually do the work required to understand it; and, finally ~ and by far the most challenging item ~ 4) you must be able to execute the strategy consistently.<br /><br />My guess is that a lot of people start failing around step 3, and that the vast majority of readers who master step 3 never actually succeed at step 4. Playing winning poker is hard, because although intelligence and knowledge are required, they are far from sufficient. There is a large array of other attributes and behaviors, experiences, habits, and attitudes that make a sound strategy effective ~ and that constellation is fairly rare even in the community of poker enthusiasts.<br /><br />So go ahead: read the good poker strategy books. Unless you misunderstand or misapply their advice, it certainly won't do you any harm. But don't expect them to provide you with The Keys to the Poker Kingdom. It's just not that simple ~ as their authors surely know.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-7595954719960570708?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-64022119590008109912009-09-22T15:31:00.004-04:002009-09-22T16:22:43.526-04:00IncentivesYou'd think that prospect of making or losing money would be sufficient incentive to keep a person focused on the task at hand, wouldn't you? I mean <em>taking other people's money</em> is the object of the game, ultimately, right? <br /><br />Well, yes.<br /><br />But the human mind is easily clouded, and our emotions are unruly monkeys just waiting to leap out of the jungle trees and run riot. Furthermore, the fiendishly clever devices of "chips" and "pots" can distract us from remembering that the sole and royal road to success in poker is making good decisions at every juncture.<br /><br />I will freely admit to being as weak-minded, or more, than the next person. I have found it useful to give myself concrete incentives to make good decisions. These motivators are not perfect, because they are correlated with results, not directly with the quantity or quality of good decisions <em>per se</em>. But, I have to admit, they do work, at least to some degree. They give me something external (not unlike, say, a WSOP bracelet) to strive for. They are a way for me to keep score that is separate from and more concrete than my bankroll.<br /><br />So, I give you:<br /><br /><strong>The Tournament Charm Bracelet</strong><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0184-719553.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 314px;" src="http://raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0184-719418.JPG" border="0" alt="Bracelet" title="Tournament trophy beads are like crack. Must have more!"/></a><br />Each bead represents either a casino tournament win or any tourney cash for more than $1000. Silly as it is, the desire to add another bead to the bracelet is sometimes more motivating than the notion of winning.<br /><br /><strong>The Cash Glass Bead Necklace</strong><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0185-716680.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com/uploaded_images/IMG_0185-716364.JPG" border="0" alt="Necklace" title="I sooo want to add another bead."/></a><br />This is a new score-keeping program that I've just begun since The Tweak. I have had a tendency in cash games to play longer than I should, and to go on win-tilt. As an exercise in discipline, I have been striving to make sure that ~ having doubled my buy-in (or better) ~ I do not give back my profits. To that end, I am setting aside 1% of my profit from every session where I leave the table with at least double my buy-in toward a glass bead fund. Since the beads cost about $30, each one will represent $3000 or so in profit. If, however, I double up during a session and then end up cashing out for less, I must remove a bead from the necklace until I next double up (or better) and take the profit again. So far, I haven't had to remove the necklace's starter bead, and I am well on my way to my first new bead.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-6402211959000810991?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-35634881201121357692009-09-21T16:30:00.003-04:002009-09-21T16:51:39.754-04:00Play On!Even as I begin the unpleasant process of looking for a source of gainful employment (oooo, no fun!), I'm still making the rounds of my local poker haunts and playing a lot.<br /><br />Despite one desperately bad session at the Crime Scene Game in which I ran up against a super-hot LAG who COULD NOT LOSE (that, and I made two truly bone-headed mistakes), the Tweak continues to generate good results. Saturday night I played all night at the Ikea Game. The table was exceptionally juicy, and since I have better-than-average mental stamina my skills held up as others' deteriorated. This was an ideal profit-making scenario for me, and so I stayed and played until it was time to go to Sunday brunch. It's been a long time since my last all-nighter, but it was a good judgment call to stay at this game and it paid off nicely.<br /><br />I wanted to see what a year of poker-playing has done for my skills, so I decided to take <a href="http://www.donkeytest.com/index.html">The Donkey Test</a> again. I took it a couple of years ago and scored 90. This time I scored 115. Apparently I've learned <em>something</em> in the intervening period, which is encouraging. I'm too cheap to pay for the full analysis, so all I can report is that the test thinks I'm a winner at low stakes. Yep, that sounds about right.<br /><br />If I continued the learning progression, well, then I'd be a mid-stakes winner in two more years. And THEN I could play poker for a living, right?! Yeeee-haw!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-3563488120112135769?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8000772520782092766.post-40082920625613004702009-09-16T18:48:00.004-04:002009-09-16T19:15:20.039-04:00I FoldOne thing that poker teaches you, or ought to anyway, is how to fold.<blockquote>Your hand has no promise, and there are no prospects for a successful steal: fold.<br /><br />You’re out of position, with a modest holding: fold.<br /><br />You’ve missed the flop, you have no draws, and your canny opponent has led out: fold.<br /><br />You’ve raised in early position with pocket 10s, and there’s been another raise and then a shove from a tight player behind you: fold.<br /><br />Your only choice at this point in the tournament is to raise or fold, and raising will put your whole stack at risk with a weak hand and no fold equity: fold.<br /><br />You’ve finally realized you’re at a table with significantly more skilled players than you: fold and pick up your chips.</blockquote><br />There’s a common saying among poker players: “No one comes to a casino to fold.” And it’s true. Most people go to a poker game to “play” ~ by which they mean to see flops and turns and rivers. To gamble. To bluff and go all in. Not to mostly fold (which, of course, is what professionals do).<br /><br />No one likes to see the money they’ve invested go to someone else because they surrendered the pot. It’s no fun realizing that the river bluff isn’t going to work and that the better part of valor is to give up a failed betting line. And when faced with a massive raise, it’s a miserable feeling to be backed into a corner (is it a bluff or a monster?) and having to fold. Let’s face it: folding because you were outplayed or outdrawn… both unpleasant.<br /><br />No one likes to give up. No one likes to quit. And nobody likes to fail.<br /><br />My friends, I find myself facing the decision: raise or fold. I’ve played for thirteen months. I’ve looked at the numbers, I’ve done the math, and the results are pretty hard to dispute.<br /><br />I am a marginally profitable player. I cannot possibly make a living playing poker unless my skills improve significantly. I’m a much better tournament player than I am a cash player, and if I could tolerate the huge variance associated with tourney play, it’s possible I could eke out a living that way. But I’m not prepared to make that experiment, it’s simply too risky for my taste.<br /><br />I’m not particularly happy about this conclusion. But I’m a grown-up, and I truly believe in fiscal responsibility. I do not have, at present, the wherewithal to be a professional poker player. So it’s time to acknowledge that, make the "pro" fold, and move on. Time to generate a viable Plan B. (Got a job for me?)<br /><br />I do not, however, plan to stop playing poker. It’s a hobby that makes rather than costs money. It has taught me much about myself and others. It has introduced to me to wonderful people. Poker has made incredibly positive contributions to my life, and I expect it to continue doing so. I hope to keep improving my game, and I also intend to keep writing.<br /><br />I hope that those of you who have joined me for this journey will continue to come along.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8000772520782092766-4008292062561300470?l=raiseorfold.cardgrrl.com' alt='' /></div>Cardgrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06329562674934869003noreply@blogger.com25