Follow-up

I’ve been thinking about my last post and I think I have a solution. Someone needs to write a book about online play. Not the online play of “BodogAri” or the infamous “Waffles.” But solid, perceptive online play and things like bankroll management, how to detect betting patterns, how to recognize the “squeeze play” and benefits of deep stack tournaments (tricks to avoid the inevitable suck-out). So many of these principles are crucial for the $1-$2 limit live games too...these games are just online ring games played in person, aren’t they? You’ll find people of all skill levels, hiding behind relative anonymity and completely clueless to bet and pot sizes. You find tells are virtually worthless, hand valuation is a lost art and “all-in” is as common as “fold.”

All of this makes complete sense. Where are these $1-$2 players coming from? Where did they learn the game? Super System? Nope. Sawdust-infested card halls in the Lone Star state? Nope. More likely Party Poker. Freerolls even. And yet, here we are reading everything we can from the best in the world. Soaking up every CardPlayer article on the intricacies of playing pocket pairs from middle position.

Know thy enemy, right? Now…where can we find a bad rounder with enough time on his hands to tell us all he doesn’t know? Hmmm…I just might know one.

A new chapter...

I am preparing to embark on a new chapter in my life, one that will hopefully change the lives of my entire family for the better. No, I’m not learning Triple Draw 2-7. Although there’s money to be made there. In the next month I am planning on leaving the public relations firm with which I am currently employed and starting my own business. I am planning to parlay the experience and client-base I’ve accumulated to start my own public affairs firm.

I am clearly scared out of my mind, but provided the clients are there, it should allow me to spend more time with my family, make dinner and MAYBE a little more time for poker.

In addition, I am planning on doing a little freelance writing as well to supplement the other income. Maybe some poker, maybe some horse racing and maybe a book. Who knows. But if I do write a book, I think there is a serious gap in the poker literature. There are plenty of beginner books…thank you Phil Gordon and thank you Poker for Dummies, i.e. Negraneu’s treatise. There are plenty of “advanced” books…thank you Cloutier, McEvoy and Brunson. But who is writing about the “wild, wild, west” that is the $1-$2 NL tables in Vegas and the mid-level tables and tournaments online? In my opinion, nobody. And I think I know why.

Who can give advice on how to play against such a wide-range of, ahem, styles? Yeah. Styles. Really, think about many of the poker truisms that can be thrown COMPLETELY out the window.

In many of the standard poker books, one theorem oft repeated is that you play the player, not the cards…that the cards become irrelevant. Really? So you KNOW that guy called the $12 raise in the $1-$2 game with a 5-7 and flopped his straight? I mean, clearly they were suited. That explains it. You MAY be able to tell by his betting patterns, but there’s no tell in the world that can scream, “I played 5-7 and your pocket 10’s are no good here.”

Here’s one of my personal favorites. Raises are crucial to obtain information. Maybe if you raise $100. I was playing in the Cherokee Casino in Tulsa, OK yesterday…$1-$2 NL. I raised $15 from UTG +1 with AK. I knew it may fold around to me, but I was okay than that. But I really thought I would get one person willing to take a stab with that KQ. At a nine-handed table and the UTG already in the muck, guess how many callers? Five. Flop came K-6-2 rainbow. Somebody held 6-6. That was expensive. Was it my fault for over-valuing top pair? Maybe a little. But I had watched my opponent long enough to know that he would play any two cards to the river. This time he just happened to have a hand. Trips and he never raised. Yeah, the pre-flop raise and all the subsequent raises really gained me a lot of information.

My point is not to deride the play of anyone. Don’t tap the tank. I get it. And most of them time, I will reap the benefits. I know all of this. I am just pointing out that while the beginner books are worthwhile for beginners to learn about blinds, starting hands and chasing inside straights and advanced books are good for high-level play, I think these books are perhaps even detrimental to the mid-level players.

But what do I know? I’m starting my own business. Maybe I’ll re-think that 2-7 Triple Draw.

I can't believe I'm posting something positive about Barney Frank...GO BARNEY!

Frank bill would repeal ’06 Internet gaming crackdown

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) will introduce legislation today that seeks to reverse a controversial crackdown on Internet gambling, which the Republican-led Congress passed in 2006.

While passing the bill will be difficult, there is a big financial incentive for Democratic leaders to pass it.

The chairman of the Financial Services Committee is looking to raise tens of billions of dollars with his new bill, which could be used to pay for expensive tax, healthcare, or other domestic legislation Democrats want to move this year.

The introduction of the bill and its expected movement in the 110th Congress shows how much has changed in the nation’s capital since the November elections.

With Democrats in the majority, the power of social conservatives diminished and new pay-as-you-go rules, supporters of a repeal believe the time to strike is now.

Frank, a longtime critic of regulating Internet gambling, opposes the law on philosophical grounds.

“It’s a terrible idea and there are a large number of people who think it is a terrible idea,” Frank said yesterday. “I don’t know how it ends. The worst that happens is that enough anti-gambling busybodies will be less inclined to interfere in people’s lives.”

Gambling lobbying groups were more than pleased by Frank’s announcement.

“We’re incredibly excited. I’m very interested in what the final version will look like,” Michael Bolcerek, president of the Poker Players Alliance, said. “But from what we understand, it will do the right thing for poker players and at the same time protect the public interest.”

The group, led by former Sen. Al D’Amato (R-N.Y.), was formed to overturn the gaming law.
Frank believes that the GOP is hypocritical in saying it wants to reduce government intrusion but then passes legislation that regulates certain personal freedoms.

In 2000, Frank said, “It is important that people be able to do what the Republican Party wants them to do on the Internet. If the Republican Party has no objection, then they can do it. But if the Republican Party thinks there are pictures they should not look at, or perhaps booze they should not buy, or bets they should not make, then freedom for the Internet goes away.”

Because the law significantly affects the financial services industry, Wall Street is closely monitoring the Frank bill.

Friedman Billings Ramsey, an investment firm, wrote in a strategy memo that the Frank bill could raise more than $20 billion over five years.

The bill is expected to call for the Internet gambling industry to be taxed through a structured system.

Frank’s proposal, however, could face an uphill battle in the House, which passed the stand-alone measure 317-93 last summer. A less stringent version of the bill was later folded into a port security measure that was signed by the president last fall.

One source said that leadership officials in the House are on board with Frank’s plan, though Frank said he did not seek clearance from them.

Several members of leadership voted for the House bill last July, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.). Meanwhile, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) voted no, as did Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.).
Republicans, who spent six years attempting to pass the Internet bill, are mobilizing against Frank’s effort.

“We’re going to fight it,” said Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), a leading proponent of the crackdown on Internet gambling. “I’d be surprised if the new leadership would want to bring back an issue that took six years, because of one Jack Abramoff, to resolve.”

In 2000, then GOP lobbyist Abramoff, now a convicted felon, marshaled his conservative allies in the House to defeat a bill that included a ban on Internet gambling.

The law prohibits Americans from using credit cards and checks to play on-line poker, place bets and engage in other forms of gambling.

The proposed legislation could benefit the offshore gambling sites that saw their U.S. customer base disappear when Congress stepped in last year. Hedge funds helped to drive down their stocks in anticipation of the curtailment of online gambling.

The share prices of PartyGaming LLC and 888 Holdings, two online gaming companies that are traded on the London stock exchange, have fallen more than 50 percent since last year.
The stocks have started to claw their way back in recent months, as hedge funds and other investors came to believe the government would falter at stamping out such a popular online activity. PartyGaming has seen its stock roughly double in the past three months.

Some U.S. companies also stand to gain from overturning the 2006 law, including Cryptologic, which provides software and services for internet gambling sites, said Andrew Parmentier, a senior analyst at Friedman Billings Ramsey.

Lobbyists for banks and credit card companies that would have shouldered much of the burden of enforcing the gaming crackdown, reacted favorably to Frank’s announcement.

“We’d be very pleased to see that law repealed simply because it would remove a potential burden on the financial system and especially on community bankers,” said Steve Verdier, the senior vice president for congressional affairs at the Independent Community Bankers of America.

“We also understand it will be a little bit of a road to get a repeal,” he added.

Bob Cusack contributed to this report.

The Hill (04/26/07)

Biggest Flaw in Your Poker Game?

No, I don't mean, "Well, 76% of the time when I get KJo in the hijack and flat call, I find myself vulnerable to pocket pairs 33-99..." I will leave that to PokerTracker. I mean mentally. Psychologically. What is your biggest flaw? Mine is easy. My desire for respect.

This may sound odd (or slightly Rodney Dangerfield-esque for anyone old enough to remember Rodney Dangerfield or brilliant enough to recognize the genius of Caddyshack)...but hear me out. I assure you, it is an even bigger problem than your inability to fold the KJ. I am slowly beginning to realize that this perfectionism and childish focus on praise and acceptance is self-destructive in my professional life, but I am painfully aware of the -EV as it relates to this particular game of skill.

My yearning for respect at the poker table, either on the virtual or visibly stained felt, manifests itself in several ways. First of all, and most glaringly, I WAY overuse the continuation bet. I want respect for the hand that I am pretending I am holding. Nice, huh? There are just sometimes where a check is prudent, necessary or at the very least acceptable. Not me. I fire. Everytime. I just can't help myself.

Less obviously, I become obsessed with any kind of standings. In my monthly poker league, I would rather finish third every time and end up with high points for the league (but toward the bottom in ROI) than win twice and flip-flop the deliverables. I played virtually EVERY BBT event until this week. I was one of the leaders in events played and one of the bottom feeders for points per events played. With $0 to show for my efforts.

I find this quixotic quest for respect to be even worse in live play than in online play. The thought of getting up first from that tournament and walking out of the room, knowing I got all of my money in with the best of it is terrifying. I would much rather finish in the middle of the pack and have folded that middle set because I was just SURE the other guy had top set and I didn't want to bust too early. I even play for the "story." You know, the story you tell your poker-retarded friends and loved ones. The one where, "I got all of my money in as a 60% favorite, but the donkey sucked out on me and I was first out" = LOSER. But "I was just card dead...I fought and fought and finished 32nd out of 195" = ersatz credibility. Could you HAVE a more destructive philosophy? Aside from a style of play which earns you the nickname "Mr. Inside Straight" of course.

I enter this confessional because last night I expended a hard-earned $75 token to enter a satellite for the 100-seat Main Event Extravaganza on Full Tilt. I won a nice pot early on and found myself sitting near the top of the 19 person field. I proceeded to play not to lose and subsequently bubbled fourth when top 2 got seats and third got $250. In a tournament where the top three get paid, my honest to God goal after that first pot was to make the final table. Not to win. Not to earn a seat. To best less than half the field and watch my full tilt background morph into the bastardized WPT final table set.

Why? Because I recently uncovered the poker database where you can check your stats and I felt my final table percentage was a little too low. As MTTs are my passion when it comes to poker, this is the one mental flaw I simply MUST overcome if I am ever to become profitable. As any highly-paid and equally fucked up shrink will tell you, admitting it is the first step. Now...if I just knew what the second step was...

"I hear this place is restricted, Wang, so don't tell 'em you're Jewish, okay?"

Calling all "Graphic-Type" People...

I need a logo developed. Anyone good with graphic software? E-mail me at wippy1313@hotmail.com.

Greg Norman...Jean Van de Velde...Wippy1313

I have a love/hate relationship with Golden Tee.

I love Golden Tee, the machine. I love that I can now use my credit card instead of interminably feeding $1 bills into a finicky machine when I could be saving them for Destiny or Sugar or Victoria. I love that I can waste money on different clubs and different balls that have no impact whatsoever on my game. It's so true to life.

I love Golden Tee, the machine. I hate Golden Tee the game. I'm not too bad at the game. Decent "handicap" ... can hook and shape the ball with the best of them. The calluses on my swing hand are strong enough from a variety of activities that I don't get many of the dreaded GT injuries. My problem? I am ALWAYS good for one disasterous hole. If there is a hole where you can be completely in jail and mark up the 10, I'll do it. It doesn't matter how hard I try to play smart golf, fairways and greens, I will end up in some crevace that will cost me $5 or $10 to the lucky stiff playing me heads-up.

And to make matters worse, I KNOW this about myself and I am constantly WAITING for this hole. It's in my head on every tee. "Is this the hole?" I am never as aggressive as I should be because I'm afraid of that hole. And yet invariably, I'll be on hole 13 or 14, playing well, usually leading and I will start to get a little cocky. I start to try to clear some trees I know full well I can't clear with a 3-wood. And I end up picking pine needles out of my teeth, marking double-digits on the scorecard.

What's the point in relating this short-coming of mine? It extends to my poker game as well. Last night I was in a 30-person MTT. A WIDE range of skill levels. For example, one guy has played in a few WSOP events and one guy flipped three diamonds and two hearts and declared he had a flush because they were all red. ALL skill levels. It makes for interesting table changes. That's for sure.

This is usually a re-buy tournament, but last night we bumped the buy-in and the freeze out was on. With a flat blind structure, I appropriately played tight early and hit the first break about average in chips. Following hitting a few flops pretty hard, I almost doubled-up and I began thinking about the final table. There were two short stacks at my table that had been nursing them rather tightly and we were all looking for opportunities to take advantage.

One of them was directly to my left and in this particular hand, he was in the BB. He had about T5,000 with blinds at 300/600. The action was folded around to me and I looked at 4c5c. I raised to T1,500 figuring was was all-in or folding. He called. Ummm...okay. Flop came A-J-3 rainbow. I checked. Mistake #1. Well, mistake number one was probably being in the hand at all for a "min" raise...but let's just say this is mistake #1 to make me feel better. He checks behind. The turn is a 4. I pair-up, but not exactly a powerhouse. I check again. He splashes $1,200 in the pot. Being a somewhat inexperienced and weak player, I thought he was just trying to take it down. How could a 4 have helped him and if it did, why that bet? So I called.

River was a 9. No help. But if he did have a four, this was an over. I ask for a chip count and put him all-in for his last $2,300. As tight and weak as he had been playing, I expected it to be an easy fold. But without much hesitation, he calls. And flips A-2. His betting patterns make ZERO sense, but what POSSIBLE reason did I have to play this and the way I did? Just like Golden Tee, I was sailing along, doing relatively well, thought I could just get this guy to bend to my will and next thing I know, my tournament chances were dashed.

Made the final table, but finished eighth. If I routinely donked off my chips or one bad beat after another or whatever, that's one thing. But to play good poker for 2.5-3 hours and routinely waste it all with one bad hand. Is this just a lack of concentration? Is it a psychological flaw? Does anyone else experience this? Have any thoughts? More importantly...anyone have any singles? I have a date with Destiny.

Nostradamus-like Prophecy...

Self-knowledge is a scary thing. You never want to be blinded by your self-image so that you cannot adequately "Know Thy Self."

But sometimes knowing yourself too well can be even more painful.

Due to familial obligations, I was unable to grab a token for last night's MATH on Full Tilt. So thanks to my PLO winnings from the weekend, I went ahead and bought-in...something that physically pains me. I LOOOOOVVVEEEE to satellite. I won't break out into Dave Matthews here no matter how much I may want to.

I went into the tournament knowing full well it was going to be a disaster in some way shape or form. Mentally, I was not prepared to play. I was allowing my ego to get the best of me and even though it means NOTHING, I was playing for points in the Battle of the Bloggers.

That invariably leads to disaster. But I held my own through the first few levels, maintaining a relatively static chip count (as is my Modus Operandi). Sensed weakness in one button raise and re-raised with nothing...maxed out at around $3,600 chips. Made it through the first level and promptly tightened up more than A-Rod's A-Hole in the playoffs. I was getting blinded to death (as is my Modus Operandi) when I got KcQc in middle position. I had been playing rather tightly and when the action was folded to me, I raised 3.5xBB. All folded to Joe Speaker in the big blind. He had a healthy stack of chips and popped me. I thought for a minute, but as I had a small stack by this point, I figured he was trying to bully me...or if not, hopefully I had two live cards with straight and flush possibilities. I thought maybe a middle pocket pair...and pushed all-in.

He insta-called and flipped A-K. Doh.

The flop came A-J-x with two clubs. Straight possibilities, flush possibilities...TONS of outs. Soemone even said they smelled a suck-out. Alas...it was not to be. The ironic part of this sad, pathetic tale is the end of my blog posted yesterday. Scroll down. I'll wait.

"But these darned bloggers are too well-versed in the re-raise and my enormous ego is terrified I might have to lay down that KdQd or worse yet...call with it."

See it? Yeah...so I had the suit wrong. Kill me.

Gravedigger...when you dig my grave...won't you make it shallow. So that I can feel the rain?

Couldn't resist Dave that time around.