Gambling Blog

Goodbye to the NX-class

admin — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:00:56 +0000

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A quiet escalation, and Sham’s game

admin — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 00:49:50 +0000

The recent heater has allowed me to quietly creep up in levels, to NL$2/3 on Bodog and some stabs at NL$2/4 on Full Tilt.

It's pretty exciting to me, since I've tripled my bankroll since the summer when I had a lot of kitty chemo bills.

NL$2/4 also is/will be a rite of passage for me, since I blew a huge chunk of my previous bankroll when I first moved up to that level in October 2006, just about the time of the UIGEA and my break-up with Kelley.

Of course, that was pre-CR offense and I can safely say that I really had no idea what I was doing at the time.

In the most recent CardPlayer, pro Kenny Tran talks about how you should move up in limits only when you've become bored with the current level.

I remember when I limped my 'roll into Bodog's NL$200 last summer and would run away, licking my paws when I would get spanked for $24. lol. Now it feels as natural to me as NL$100 or NL$50, which I still play on Bodog if the tables are good.

Having lots of buy-ins really helps when it comes time to make a decision. I feel like I am growing accustomed to NL$2/3 (although I really feel compelled to pay the extra dollar all the time in the $2 SB way too much) but I'll need more hands to feel good about $2/4.

I mean, I don't have any qualms about sacrificing a $300 stack, but I felt like I did playing NL$2/4's $400 stack, which is something that only a lot of hands -- and winning and losing stacks -- can numb.

Despite having all that fun, I went over to Sham's to play poker with the crew -- especially after having $4 blinds make my head spin, I thought it would be very relaxing to play in a $.05/.10 $5 max game.

So I put on some tennis shoes and ambled down the street, the warm evening packing Virginia-Highland with lots of bargoers, it was so nice to see all the activity.

Sham kept on 3-betting me light or raising light pf so I would just call and then call down whatever I flopped, if it was a J-high board, or even, in one instance 3rd pair (fours).

I raised and bet aggressively with primo draws in 2-7 TD and baducey and I also just donk called Brigid most of the time in Razz.

Those plays might have helped me in my biggest pot of the night against her, when we were playing NL Omaha and I turned my straight with T,9,8,6. It's so hard to see a straight and especially shorthanded.

Ended up cashing 3-1/2 buy-ins (SPAM 2-3), so it was a worthy evening.

Source: A quiet escalation, and Sham's game

India Poker Tour

admin — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:14:11 +0000

The India Poker Tour which will take place in autumn will have preliminary events starting in June 2008. The $1 million prize pool televised tournament is organised by the creators of the popular Asia Poker Classic, and is expected to show the growth in poker interest throughout India.

Four tournaments have been scheduled for this year, starting in September and concluding in November. Tournaments will begin in Mumbai, and move to Bangalore and New Delhi, before the final event is played in Goa; the only state in Indian to boast legalised casinos. Online satellites are set to begin in June, providing players with the chance to win a seat.

Players will be from around the globe, and those reasonably new to the game will benefit from a poker school which will be set up to teach players additional skills. Indian poker enthusiasts are hoping that this year they will improve on the third place position in the Asia Poker Classic last year which went to Indian player Pranav Bathija.

Source: India Poker Tour

PartyPoker Premier League, Grand Final: Andy Black Triumphs

admin — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 12:46:55 +0000

John 'Falstaff' Hartness The Grand Final of the PartyPoker Premier League saw big hands, big draws and a big payday for Andy Black, as he came from behind during heads-up play to claim the $250,000 first-place prize. Black overcame five of the top players in the world on his way to the title.

With Tony "G" Guoga, Black, Marcel Luske and Alex Kravchenko already having secured their spots in the Grand Final, four others played heads-up matches in best-of-five formats to win the final two seats. Eddy Scharf and Roland de Wolfe squared off in the first match, which de Wolfe secured in overwhelming fashion by winning three straight with a fortunate run of cards.

In Match #1, de Wolfe won a big race with against Scharf's Ks-Qh to take a 1-0 lead. De Wolfe raised preflop, Scharf moved all in over the top, and de Wolfe made the call to see a flop of . De Wolfe's flopped bottom set left Scharf drawing thin. The turn gave Scharf outs to a straight or a chop with a diamond, but the river gave de Wolfe a full house and his first victory.

Match #2 lasted only eight hands before de Wolfe moved all in over the top of Scharf's preflop raise with . Scharf echoed earlier de Wolfe sentiments from the final hand of Match #1, saying "I can't fold a pair," before making the call with . De Wolfe spiked an ace on the board to go up 2-0 in match play and leave Scharf with a big deficit. The final blow for Scharf came 22 hands into Match #3, when he moved all in with and de Wolfe called with . De Wolfe picked up a flush draw on the flop of , but the turn made two pair for Scharf. The river made de Wolfe's flush and put him into the Grand Final.

Annie Duke squared off against Dave 'The Devilfish' Ulliott in the second playoff match, and Duke would need all five matches to put away the tenacious Ulliott. Duke took an early 2-0 lead, picking up the first match when she pushed all in with to Ulliott's and picking up a pair on the flop. Ulliott couldn't catch another heart or a pair, and Duke led 1-0. Match #2 saw Ulliott move all in preflop with , only to run into Duke's . The board ran out , and Ulliott, the aggressor in early play, was quickly in a 2-0 hole.

Match #3 saw Ulliott begin a comeback, ending when Duke moved all in preflop with . Ulliott called with , and the board ran out to give Ulliott his first win of the day and make it 2-1 in Duke's favor. Match #4 came down to a kicker as Ulliott limped in with , and Duke checked her option with . The flop came down , and Duke moved all in. Ulliott went into the tank for a moment before making the call, and the turn and river came down . Ulliott's eight kicker played to tie the match 2-2 and force a fifth and deciding battle for the last Grand Final seat.

Ending the final match, Ulliott raised preflop with , and Duke, ahead in chips, made the call with . The flop came down , and Ulliott moved all in. Duke called with two pair, nines and fours, and her hand held up as the board ran out to give her the match 3-2 and lock up the final spot in the Grand Final.

With Duke picking up the sixth and final seat, the seating assignments for the Grand Final were drawn as follows:

Seat 1 - Annie Duke
Seat 2 - Andy Black
Seat 3 - Marcel Luske
Seat 4 - Roland de Wolfe
Seat 5 - Tony G
Seat 6 - Alex Kravchenko

Play started off fast, with big bets flying and big pots captured, but it took 49 hands for Duke to become the first casualty of the Grand Final. Alex Kravchenko raised preflop with , and Duke re-raised all in with . Kravchenko went into the tank for a while before calling, and the board ran out to give Kravchenko two pair and send Duke to the rail in sixth for $20,000.

Marcel Luske was next to fall when he moved all in preflop with , and was called by Roland de Wolfe with . Luske found no help on the board, and he exited in fifth ($30,000). Kravchenko then busted in fourth when Black cracked his queens. Kravchenko raised preflop, then moved all in once Black re-raised. Black made the call with K-x, and Kravchenko tabled . The board ran out , and the turned king meant Kravchenko's day was done, for $40,000.

Tony G started the final table with the biggest chip stack due to his top points finish in the preliminary heats, but he couldn't parlay those additional chips into the victory. Instead, he busted in third when he ran into de Wolfe's slow-played kings. De Wolfe limped from the button with , and Tony G called from the small blind with . Black checked his option with , and the flop came down . De Wolfe led out at the flop with his overpair, and Tony G moved all in with his inside straight-flush draw. Black folded and de Wolfe made the call. Tony G had plenty of outs, but the turn and river both missed, and he collected $60,000 for his third-place finish.

De Wolfe took a 3:2 chip lead into heads-up play, but Black came back to claim the $250,000 winner's check. In the final hand, Black limped in with , and de Wolfe checked his option with . The flop came down , and de Wolfe check-raised all in. Black insta-called, and de Wolfe was drawing thin. The turn meant that only a six could save de Wolfe, and the river gave the 2008 PartyPoker Premier League Championship to Black. The emotional Irishman remarked later, "I've been waiting 20 years for this," referring to his first major tournament victory.

The final standings and payouts were as follows:

1st: Andy Black — $250,000
2nd: Roland de Wolfe — $120,000
3rd: Tony "G" Guoga — $60,000
4th: Alex Kravchenko — $40,000
5th: Marcel Luske — $30,000
6th: Annie Duke — $20,000

Source: PartyPoker Premier League, Grand Final: Andy Black Triumphs

Three day Weekend Jams Vegas

admin — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 08:19:44 +0000

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
Traffic fills the Las Vegas strip on Friday night

Everything in Las Vegas is crowded for the three day weekend. Cars fill the strip, restaurants have lines, the airport is a zoo, casinos are jammed, sidewalks are at capacity, and poker rooms have long wait list of players with pockets loaded with burning cash. What a great time to be in the city of entertainment. Vegas is far better than an adrenalin drip and comes with a list of amenities that include free food, full time gambling, hookers by the bunch, temporary insanity to go, your favorite drunk celebrity photo ops, more limos than a GOP rally, more Hummers than Iraq (and guns), and best of all its legal...well maybe not the hookers.

God, I love this city, nothing like the smell of crisp Franklins early in the morning. What are you waiting for? Come on down, the lights are always on.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

traffic fills the Las Vegas strip on Friday night

Source: Three day Weekend Jams Vegas

Lotsa outs

admin — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 06:57:07 +0000

I like how this hand developed. I thought shawty would push all in with a better hand and I thought I had lots of outs...

Full Tilt Poker Game #5283238337: Table Chang (deep) - $0.15/$0.30 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:03:39 ET - 2008/02/16
Seat 2: pat24250 ($25.10)
Seat 4: JayJay123456 ($40.65)
Seat 5: kurokitty ($60)
Seat 8: Royal_Smeagol ($14.90)
JayJay123456 posts the small blind of $0.15
kurokitty posts the big blind of $0.30
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to kurokitty [Jc As]
Royal_Smeagol calls $0.30
pat24250 calls $0.30
49JRR49 sits down
JayJay123456 calls $0.15
kurokitty raises to $1.50
49JRR49 stands up
Royal_Smeagol calls $1.20
pat24250 folds
JayJay123456 folds
*** FLOP *** [Qd 8c Tc]
kurokitty bets $3
Royal_Smeagol calls $3
*** TURN *** [Qd 8c Tc] [6c]
kurokitty checks
Royal_Smeagol bets $7.50
kurokitty has 15 seconds left to act
fcporto3 sits down
kurokitty has requested TIME
fcporto3 adds $20
kurokitty calls $7.50
*** RIVER *** [Qd 8c Tc 6c] [Ah]
kurokitty checks
Royal_Smeagol has 15 seconds left to act
Royal_Smeagol bets $0.90
kurokitty calls $0.90
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Royal_Smeagol shows [9d Kd] Ace King high
kurokitty shows [Jc As] a pair of Aces
kurokitty wins the pot ($25.10) with a pair of Aces
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $26.40 | Rake $1.30
Board: [Qd 8c Tc 6c Ah]
Seat 2: pat24250 (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: JayJay123456 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: kurokitty (big blind) showed [Jc As] and won ($25.10) with a pair of Aces
Seat 8: Royal_Smeagol showed [9d Kd] and lost with Ace King high

Source: Lotsa outs

Anniversary gone by

admin — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 21:32:26 +0000

I didn't realize this until just now but Valentine's Day was the 3-year anniversary of the Poker Cats blog.

W00t!

Source: Anniversary gone by

Stud Poker Strategy: Fifth Street Decisions

admin — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 14:23:39 +0000

Ashley Adams After my last column when I explored a decision to fold a four-flush on fourth street, I've had some questions about other, similar situations. Since poker is a game of decisions, try your hand at figuring out what to do in the following situations.

Here's the first one. You are playing $10/20 stud with a $1 ante per player and a $3 forced bet from the low card. You have a four-flush on fifth street with () . Your opponent, who rarely bluffs, raises the bring-in that you had called on third with an ace. You also called when he caught a queen on fourth. Now it's fifth street and he catches a ten. None of his cards are suited. Three of your suit are out. The pot has been heads up. You are virtually certain he has a pair of aces and he may have two pair. Do you call his bet or do you fold?

Give up?

You should fold.

Those of you who read the stud strategy piece from last week might be confused. Last week we learned that a four-flush against a pair of queens on fourth street was surely worth a call, and quite possibly a raise. It was more likely than not to improve to a winning hand over the pair. We also saw that as the hand progressed to fifth and then sixth street, the four-flush remained worthy of a call because of the pot equity that it had. There were always sufficient implied odds – and then on sixth street, pot odds – to call a bet.

But the facts were different. Two of the suit were gone, not three. And one of the queens was in the four-flush hand – making trips or a full house much less likely in the paired hand. The specifics matter a lot when playing a four-flush.

Here's another fifth-street question:

You have the same four-flush. But your opponent has a presumed pair of tens, not a pair of aces. Does it make a difference?

The answer is not really. You should still fold. What does matter is how many cards are out of your suit and whether his cards are live. If your suit has only two out, then a call is in order. If his cards are dead, then a call is in order even with the four suited cards that are out, though it's very close in both situations.

Here's a final one to test your mettle:

Your tight opponent has raised in early position with a six. The following cards have been folded: - - - - and the bring-in . Two of your suit (hearts) are out. You have three suited cards headed by an ace in the hole and an exposed jack, and call. Everyone else folds. It's heads up on fourth street. You catch the , giving you () . Your opponent has (x x) . You are high on board. You think about betting with your four-flush but decide to check. He bets. You call.

On fifth street you catch an unhelpful, though maybe a little scary, . Your opponent gets another nine – the . He is high and bets. What do you do?

Just to refresh – you each have:

YOU: ()
HE: (x x)

He bets. Should you call, fold, or maybe raise?

First of all, what do you think he has?

It is highly likely that he has two pair. In fact you can be fairly sure of his exact hand. It's most probably, though not definitely, queens up. If you didn't come up with that, here's my reasoning.

Being a tight player, it is unlikely that he would have raised on third street in early position without a pair. That's not in the playbook of a tight player. Similarly, a pair of sixes is unlikely because of all of the high cards that remained after him. It's possible he would have raised with a pair of sixes and an ace kicker, but with the two aces you know are gone, that seems dubious. Similarly, it's not probable that he had a pair of kings, with two kings out. The most likely pocket pair is queens.

How, then, does his hand stack up against your hand at this point in the contest?

You are about a 2:1 underdog. The size of the pot is relatively small, given that the hand was heads-up from third street. You should surely fold.

Just to be thorough, here is the calculation that demonstrates why a fold is in order. There is $11 in the pot from antes and bring-ins. There's an additional $20 from the completion to $10 and the call. The third-street pot is $31. On fourth street, there's another $20 for a pot of $51. On fifth street, the flush draw faces a $20 bet, making the pot $71.00. He will have to call another $20 on sixth street to see his final hand, meaning that when he loses it will cost him $40 more. When he wins he'll win the $71 in the pot when he calls plus another $40 – for $111. He will win that pot only one third of the time, however – since he is about a 2:1 underdog. $111 divided by three is $37 – for a net loss of $3. This is therefore a losing proposition in the long run.

Generally speaking, when your opponent appears to improve on fifth street, even if you have a fairly live flush draw, you should fold. This is true in other ways than having him catch a pair. If it looks like he may now have a draw for a higher flush, you should also fold to his bet. If he pairs his door card you should surely fold to a bet.

I'm speaking about heads-up situations. Multi-player hands on fifth street are an entirely different kettle of fish that I'll deal with in later articles.

Source: Stud Poker Strategy: Fifth Street Decisions

New Video Slot at Casino-on-Net 888

admin — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 13:30:45 +0000

Casino-on-Net 888 has announced the release of a brand new Video Slot, titled Adventures in Orbit.

Help Aoki the Martian return home and you can win over $530,000 – a jackpot which will send any online Slot player into space.

Adventures in Orbit is a 25-payline Video Slot. The Wild symbol substitutes for any symbol (except the Scatter and Bonus symbols) and appears on reels 2 and 4. The Wild x2 symbol appears on reel 3 and activates the winnings of an active payline when completing a combination.

If you get three Scatter symbols, the Free Spins feature will be activated. Scatters can appear anywhere on the screen. The Free Spins feature plays the same number of lines and bet as the activating wager. You can win more Free Spins within the Free Spin feature.

Three or more Bonus symbols anywhere on an active payline will trigger the Space Voyage Bonus Game, in which you have 6 rounds to help Aoki the Alien fix his spaceship and navigate through the stars to get home. If you get Aoki home safely, you win the grand prize. If you can't get Aoki home, you'll still collect whatever winnings you have earned up to that point during the Bonus Game.

Casino-on-Net 888 will give all new players a 100% to $200 bonus on your initial deposit.

New Video Slot at Casino-on-Net 888

Me likey

admin — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 05:40:42 +0000

What I like about str draw cards being part of your outs is they're often hard to see when the primary draw (a flush for example), doesn't hit.

Full Tilt Poker Game #5267465823: Table Rigney (6 max) - $0.50/$1 - $30 Cap No Limit Hold'em - 17:15:11 ET - 2008/02/15
Seat 1: kurokitty ($102.80)
Seat 2: allspin ($62.65)
Seat 3: Balueball ($86.85)
Seat 5: SJTABJ ($130.75)
Seat 6: MrQsilver ($55.05)
kurokitty posts the small blind of $0.50
allspin posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to kurokitty [3c 4c]
Balueball folds
SJTABJ calls $1
MrQsilver calls $1
angrymonkey1 adds $62
kurokitty calls $0.50
allspin checks
*** FLOP *** [2h Jc Ac]
kurokitty checks
allspin checks
SJTABJ checks
MrQsilver bets $3
kurokitty calls $3
allspin folds
SJTABJ folds
*** TURN *** [2h Jc Ac] [5h]
kurokitty checks
MrQsilver bets $8
kurokitty raises to $26, and is capped
MrQsilver calls $18, and is capped
kurokitty shows [3c 4c]
MrQsilver shows [Qs Jh]
*** RIVER *** [2h Jc Ac 5h] [Qc]
kurokitty shows a flush, Ace high
MrQsilver shows two pair, Queens and Jacks
kurokitty wins the pot ($59) with a flush, Ace high
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $62 | Rake $3
Board: [2h Jc Ac 5h Qc]
Seat 1: kurokitty (small blind) showed [3c 4c] and won ($59) with a flush, Ace high
Seat 2: allspin (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 3: Balueball didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: SJTABJ folded on the Flop
Seat 6: MrQsilver (button) showed [Qs Jh] and lost with two pair, Queens and Jacks

Source: Me likey