Pearls of Wisdom during a Seven Card Stud game

THe halloween weekend has been eventful.

Friday was party night, and dressed up as "way-too-eager-to-become-american--middle-eastern-immigrant" costume. I.E:- white t-shirt with the words USA on it, black slacks pulled up semi high, worn out sneakers, and curry powder sprinkled all over self. Nobody seemed to notice that it wtas a costume though, but I got drunk and talked to friends and made some new friends and flirted with girls in sexy costumes.

Saturday, played games with friends and waited for another party to happen, but it never happened.

Sunday, was somewhat uneventful except for when a sprinklerhead in one of the dorm rooms burst open because someone was steam cleaning in their rooms and the steam set off hte sprinkler head ~_~.

So I stood outside the buildign as floors 3 and below get soaked in water, and later on go to poker barefoot because we haven't been let back into the building yet.

We get to Jarod's place and the game is 7-card stud.

The table is almost full with me, Brad, Chris, Cody, Adam, and Jarod playing. During the course of the game people shall leave and people shall join. Of course the reason for this is just the nature of the game. People bust out, and leave or buy back in seeing it's a cash game, and since the table hasn't reached it's player limit, players are allowed to join.

I didn't have any money to play with, so Brad gave me money to play with and with a laugh he added that he would charge me 4 points (interest that is) per week. WE all had a good laugh to that, and the game started.

The actual play in the game isn't really interesting or worth talking about much.

This post is more about what is said during the game.

Adam was the first person to bust out and he busts out to me, and with that he huffs as he sees a somewhat bad beat put on him on the river. He looks at his chips that are now on the table, then he looks at his cards, and slowly he moves his sights from his cards to my cards. Finally our eyes meet, and his eyes seem tired, and he gets up and leaves. Jarod asks him if he isn't going to buy back in. He pauses on his way out, and puts his hands into his coat pocket, and says

"No, If I lost, there's no need to lose more money. I obviously wasn't playing right if I lost money."

It sounds like common sense. But knowing so many people who play poker, it just doesn't seem like nayone ever goes for it. I myself usually go for a second rebuy of half the original buy-in.

A kid we don't usually play with loses about 25 dollars to the pot with numerous rebuys before buying in for another five dollars and wins about 10 dollars in the end after winning his money back. He didn't play in this particular game but he does it everytime he plays.

By the end of the night, Chris won 27 dollars and his buy-in, and I won 4 dollars and my buy-in. THe others either lost money or broke even.

But as I said this post isn't based around what hands were played or who won against who. It's just that one statement made by Adam.

I mean how can you not admire someone who knows his limits and stays within those limits. It might be common sense, but how can you just call it that?

Break Even

Well, have a test tomorrow and diagrams to do and all that jazz, and I have yet to do any of that. So, what do I do instead? I do the same thing any sane and responsible person would do. I play Pot Limit Hold 'em poker (Cash game)

There were about eight people at the table altogether from beginning to end. SInce it was a cash game, we had people come in later on during the night.

We started at about 10:00 clock. It was me, Brad, Adam, Chris, Jarod, Zev, and Mo and Ben (Jarod's brother) showed up a while later (Mo showed up first and then about thirty minutes in Ben showed up)

I cashed in for nine dollars. And a few hands in I came into about seven dollars.

But, the real catch comes in after Ben comes into the hand. I'm down to about 4 dollars now. My cards come down 2s8h. I was on the button and six have called so far, and it had been somewhat fast calls. SO I look down upon my cards for the first time, and I raise (small blind=10c and big blind=20c) the bet to 40c, and six people calls except the guy right before me, who raises again to 60c. I look at the bet and just cap the bet off again, and this time the hand comes down to me, the BB, re-raiser and two more guys. I'm pretty sure it was Mo as big blind, Ben as the guy to my right, and Jarod and Zev who call me.

So the pot is already a monster pot pre-flop. The flop comes down 9dQsKD. I cap the betting out again, and now it's me, Mo, and Jarod in the hand. Turn comes down 10D, and I cap again, the pot's built up. It's just me and Jarod.

River comes down something inconsequential. Maybe a 3s. So right now the community cards are laid out <(9dQsKd)10d>3s and all sorts of hands are possible. Inside straight draw, flush draw, straight flush draw.

So, I come in betting again. Get Jarod to fold. He shows two pair and folds. Talk goes around the table about how one of the folders had a flush and the other a low-end straight. They all look at me wanting to know my cards. I smile, make the snidest of snide remarks, mumbling something along the lines of pay to see, and lay the cards down.

Next hand, 2-4d, and I'm no longer the button, but I continue with the same plan.
Don’t remember what the flop or the turn or the river was. But I had Jarod, brad, and Adam playing me in this hand to the river. I think there was a full house possibility with two Aces on the board, and a straight possibility and maybe a flush possibility. But the lowest card on the table is a 5. So I'm playing the board. I've jammed the pot in this hand at every chance I get. I get all three to fold on the river, and they all debate on whether I had the flush or the full house.

Now this is where I think I might have made a mistake. But maybe not. While four or five of them are discussing the hand still, and the dealer's about to rake in the cards getting ready to shuffle. I slowly turn my cards over and start raking in the chips. There’s a stunned silence at the table right now and I'm pretty sure everyone was steaming at me. Because I think even those who folded on the flop might have made a pair. This is somewhat of a decent size pot. I come into about 6 dollars in the hand.

Next hand, 2/7 suited spades. I do the same, but I get a good read on Jarod's ace and face kicker, and Brad's pock higher than a 9. But I still do the whole aggressive bit, because I want them to think I'm on tilt. I want them to know that I can be beat and maybe I have been bluffing all along. SO I get brad and Jarod all gung-ho into the hand. I lose about 3 or 4 dollars but I personally think it was a good hand to lose money on. Since I jam the pot at the river once again, I'll have to show my hands. I act reluctant and almost sad to be found out (while I'm full of glee and good cheer on the inside), and I slowly turn over the 2/7 card by card, and my deuce paired but trips hit for brad on the river I think. And the two of them are ecstatic that I lost my money and that they didn't let me bluff them out again.

At least so they think. In my opinion that was as good a bluff as any. Because I go back down from this to 3.55 a while later. I start work at 2am and it's about 1:25, so I play two more hands with Ben. I knock him out in one hand and come to 5.25k in chips, and I play another hand with him as he buys back in for 10 dollars, and I come back big time with a diamond flush that goes AkQj6. The 6 comes on the river, and I have A-k in my hand. I cash out at 9.5 dollars at this point, but the house rule at the table is that if there's some change in the hand, it goes on the table to be won in the next hand. So I cash out technically at 9 dollars, and I rush on to work.


Over all I break even, but the money goes into the poker stash anyway.

Although I had one bad beat put on me tonight.

I have AJ and the hand comes down AA5. Everyone except Adam and I fold. We keep going, and two minutes in I've pushed him all in with a raise. So he calls, and turns over pock 5's. I should have guessed the pock fives. But I Figured he might have just had the other A and have it be a kicker battle. And my jack seemed to be in good shape. This is one of the hands that knocked me down from profit to loss for a while. I almost got a flush on the hand but didn't.

Well that's it for now. Going to finish studying for that history exam.

Ta'

Arun

Tilt Play

Sammy Farha is playing a huge pot with Bryan Watkins. The flop came Q72, and they both checked. The turn came (Q72) 4 and Bryan bet and Sammy called. The river was (Q724) J with no suits. Bryan moved in for over 200,000. Sammy thought for five minutes. He finally turned over the QJ and folded!! I don't know that I have that fold in me. I look around the room and see that there are still a lot of tough professionals left. Unlike, last year, when there were no bracelet winners in the last 21, this year I can see at least 9 bracelet winners in the final 27. I greet this news with mixed emotions. Winning this event will be tough, but Matt's great structure is doing its job. I feel like I will get more opportunities in the future, although I will face tougher fields when I do get my chances. It's a fair trade-off.

First of all how can you not notice Farha's brilliance in folding top two pair with three nonsense cards that probably gave Watkins a set of one of the under cards. It was probably a set of sevens or worse yet queens. Worse than that is Lederer looking at that call and understanding it. And then experiencing it and learning through it. I wish I could read a person like that.

-

Now onto other matters. I've had a strange and depressing night. I have two midterms tomorrow, and I haven't studied yet. I'll probably drop at least one of the two classes. Unforseeable (hah!) events have taken place tonight that took precedence over midterms, or at least denied me the ability to concentrate no what could be the hardest subject I've ever studied. I included the (hah!) because I should have probably seen what was going on.

BUt let me talk about other things.

Went to Casino night tonight. Played caribbean stud. Horribly game to play for money. Thank god it was play money. Lost after a few ups.

THen went to see someone about above mentioned events. That just compounded things.
So after apologizing I went out for a cigarette. COuldn't find one, so just called up Chris and asked him pick me up for the poker game. WHich I wasn't going to go to incidentally because of the midterms.

He arrives and I go and cash in for 10 dollars. THe game is Limit Hold 'em 10c/20c.

Played so aggressively and so loose that it aggravated the players around me.

One hand.

I'm the big blind and the hand I have is As8h and there have been two raises in front of me and three callers. So what do I do? Reraise. I cap the raise out pre-flop. FLop comes up Ad3s4h. Another round of betting, and I jam my chips in there. Get three people out. It's just me and two other players in the hand. I'm pretty sure they both have sort of straight draw or at least paired aces high kicker.

Turn comes (Ad3s4h)Jc. Another round of betting that maxes out with me maxing and raising it to high hell. THe river's a bullshit card. 9h I think. not too sure.

I get one person out, and It's just me and another player at the table. Keep going for a while. Until there is about 9 dollars in the pot. Finally we both just call and show.

His A6 to my A8. Rake the pot. BUt a few hands later I give it back to him in some other tilted play hand. It's defnitely bad to play when you have other things to worry about.

~
Although I chased a 8D9s straight draw that came down 6h7dqh. for some odd reason. I raised and reraised and got pock kings and a pair of queens out of hte hand. it was just me and another player who had been calling my raises. He informally asked me if I would call all his raises. and I said yes. because at this time the hand had come down. 6h7dQh5s4s. had the nuts. So to save us both the heart ache we just decided that we carried the betting to the end. turned the cards over. he had 8c9c.

Split pot.

I pulled too many Gus Hansen hands and in the end started paying for it. lost 12 dollars in all. I felt bad for a busted out player and donated 2 dollars to his cause which in the end became 10 dollars altogether after everyone else donated. It was a friendly game and we showed it.

But I defnitely don't like playing agressive. Most of hte regular players were strangely surprised and annoyed at the change of play on my side. It might have irked them just a bit.

I peaked at about 2200 chips. and I dragged it to 200 chips and then back to 700 and then to 100 and then lost it all to one player after I played the entire hand in the dark.


PLHE is definitely a good game, but a harsh game to play aggressive, since most people won't fonld easily to you.

Well It's a start

Hmm... Story of my life. Think of an idea, go about doing it and then after some research find out, that I"m just a little too late and people have already accomplished what I set out to do, in a finer manner and faster.

I've sunk through levels of self-antagonizing nihilism and defeatism to come upon the realization that nothing matters. Now, don't get me wrong here, I don't mean it in a bad way. It's somewhat existential.

What is it, meaning through suffering and existence before essence and all that jazz of being alone in this life. I think Sartre, Frankl, Camus, and all those other crazies had it right. It doesn't really matter...unless you make it matter.

And, I'm not really sure if I want my life to matter. Sure, I"m just an average college student thinking of life and what-not, and I have my dreams, hopes and desires. But, it's rather intriguing why it should even have much impact.

Yes, I want to finally turn 21, then maybe become a professional poker player getting the WSOP circuit.

Yes, I want to learn play the game better and more efficiently, having a decent turn over of good games compared to bad games.

Yes, I still want to become a professional writer, and have hordes of fan at my beck and call. (sans the beck and call, seeing that would be somewhat creepy)

Yes, I'd like a lot more of life.

But, it isn't the money that calls me to the game of cards, or the fame to the writing. I think it's just that personally I need some sort of accomplishment in life.

This is just teenaged angst I suppose, seeing that its depressing and talks of hopes and dreams.

And it's a helluva of a way to start a new blog.

My personal http://www.livejournal.com/users/tygerofdanyte>journal was originally my only journal. But through some introspection came a longing to have a more authoritative and professional journal. Reading through journals of poker players, authors, and call girls, I've come upon the idea that I want to do the same.

More later in another entry telling you about myself and all the deviancy in my life.

Poker, alcohol, girls, and more.

in short, aggravated hollywood bullshit. What more can an amateur writer throw at you?

So I leave you with a peak into Howard Lederer's head during his four day journal stint from the 2003 WSOP. It lets me have new found respect for him as a player and the others discussed.

Sammy Farha is playing a huge pot with Bryan Watkins. The flop came Q72, and they both checked. The turn came (Q72) 4 and Bryan bet and Sammy called. The river was (Q724) J with no suits. Bryan moved in for over 200,000. Sammy thought for five minutes. He finally turned over the QJ and folded!! I don't know that I have that fold in me. I look around the room and see that there are still a lot of tough professionals left. Unlike, last year, when there were no bracelet winners in the last 21, this year I can see at least 9 bracelet winners in the final 27. I greet this news with mixed emotions. Winning this event will be tough, but Matt's great structure is doing its job. I feel like I will get more opportunities in the future, although I will face tougher fields when I do get my chances. It's a fair trade-off.

I'll talk about the quote in another entry. It's too loaded with information not to talk about.

-

Arun