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WPT Hollywood Casino Indiana Poker Open Event #1

On March 4th I played in the Hollywood Casino’s first WPT event, the Hollywood Poker Open. As I mentioned in an earlier blog this casino is located in Lawrenceburg Indiana. This first event was a No Limit Hold’em tournament. The buy-in was $340 and there were 880 players who entered the tournament. The tournament began in two separate rooms – one in the regular poker room and the other room was in the main ballroom. As players were eliminated and tables broke down the remaining players moved to the main ball room.

As with any other good tournament there was plenty of excitement and expectations were high! Everyone was eager to begin an exciting day of poker.  My day began on Table #2. Each player started with a deep stack of $20,000 in chips with 30 minute levels. (I know – the levels were a bit short!)

One would expect that $20,000 in chips is plenty to begin with and it certainly was a good beginning.  Starting out, my table was very tight. There were no large pots whatsoever for the first hour. So, I decided to try and steal my fair share. For one particular hand I was on the button with 8 4 off suit and I called. The small blind folded and the big blind checked. The flop was A72 rainbow and I’d already decided that I was in the stealing mode. I was first to bet – $250 bet with an instant call by the big blind. Well, first bullet fired. Then came the turn – 10♦. I bet the pot again – $750. The big blind called again quickly. Now for the river – it was a nothing card, a 5. There were no possible straights or flushes on the board so I bet again – half the pot and got an instant call. I began to see that there would be no stealing on this hand – I’d be hard pressed to win this hand with an 84 off suit. I showed my 84 and he flipped over his cards quite confidently – 23. Wow! He called me on every street and I just couldn’t get him to fold. (Amazing – a true calling station!)

Now, you may wonder why I continued – I had fired three bullets and he called me at each and every street. I had better not try that with him again – no folding for that guy!

Later, my chip stack dwindled down to about $12,000. Having won zero hands out of five I was beginning to feel a little cursed – none of my hands were holding up. So, I decided to bluff from UTG and make a standard raise of 3x the big blind. Everyone folded to the Big Blind and he called. The flop came A83 with two diamonds on board.  I bet half the pot and was called again – what? Another calling station? That was my first thought. The turn card was a 5♦. Now three diamonds are on the board and again, I bet half the pot and get called immediately. Second bullet – same result – call!  On the river came another diamond. I was the first to bet and this time I pause for a second or two and then bet $2500 which is about 60% of the pot. My opponent thought for a nanosecond and then called. He leaned forward, peered in my direction and asked, “Do you have a diamond?”  Okay, so I lost another one!  Who says you have to steal your fair share. It wasn’t working for me so far.

As the day continued, my chip stack dwindled to a paltry $3500.  But I was about to get my first break as I found I had AA. My hand held up and I won a small pot. Now I had increased my chip count to about $4500. Unfortunately our table broke at that point and I was moved to the ballroom. Darn! I win a hand and they break the table.

My new table was all the way down to the far end of the ballroom and my seat was directly beneath an air conditioner that was bellowing cold air directly down on our table freezing everyone. Just to let you know, the ceilings in the ballroom are very high, approximately 30 feet high. So, for an air conditioner to blow out a gale force wind of such velocity just seemed incredible. Anyway, my new table was quite nice but freezing. Still, the good part of all this is that my chip count had increased to $60,000 and we were breaking for dinner – a sixty minute break!  Good, I thought, time to relax, recollect my hands and determine how I’m playing. The average chip count at that time was $30,000 and half the players had been eliminated – approximately 440 remained.

Coming back from dinner I was feeling good about my change from losing to winning pots. I mixed in a few bluffs along the way and increased my chip count to $130,000 where the ACC was about $45,000.  There were many television monitors stationed around the ballroom which were easy to view to see both the blind structure and how many people remained in the tournament.

Now came an interesting hand. I was in the small blind and everyone checked around to two behind the button. This guy moved all in with $34,000 followed by a fold and the button moved all in with $39,000. I peeked at my cards and saw two red aces. There was a nice pot brewing! I observed that the big blind had behind him around $150,000, so I couldn’t just call and allow him in this juicy pot – so I moved all in!  The big blind announced, “Good bet,” and then he mucked his cards.

The first all-in showed K9 suited diamonds and then the button showed AJ off suit. Okay, I loved their cards and my possibility of winning this pot. The odds were greatly in my favor – say approximately 3:1 but never forget it’s not 4:0!  The first all-in is about 17% to win followed by the big blind of about 6%. So, the flop came – JJ5…and I lost this juicy pot and a chance to move up to $200,000.

Now, I was down to about $90,000 and on the next orbit where I’m UTG and holding AK suited hearts.  I raised 3x the big blind and it was followed by fold, fold, call and the rest of the players fold. Okay, I had one caller. The blinds were 2000-4000 with a 500 ante.

The flop came 44K. Do you like the flop? Not bad – two pair with top pair. Now, what can my opponent have? He did not raise me pre-flop – he simply called! Okay, I doubted seriously that he had A4 or K4. So, I thought, what does he have? Okay, maybe two pair topped with the Kings with an ace kicker. I checked and my opponent checked. What kind of player is he? I had never played with him before and I was wondering if he is one of those calling stations that I’ve run into earlier in the tournament where I just couldn’t get ‘em to lay down their hands?  I had never played with this fellow before so I didn’t know anything about him.

Okay, the turn card was another 4. Now, I had a full boat – what could he have?  I couldn’t check here so I bet another $20,000 (remember I started the hand with $90,000) and he again called. The last card was a nothing card and I still had a full house 444kk. So, I bet another $20,000 and he not only called but moved all-in. Well, I thought, “Maybe, we have the same hand – 444kk. Maybe he thinks I’ll fold or that I’m bluffing.”  But either way, he had gone all-in. The question then was, “Do I have the best hand or a tie for the best hand? If I call and lose this hand then I’ll be down to $10,000.”  Certainly, I did not like his calls and now he had not only called me on the river but moved all-in.  My last thought before calling was, “Don’t tell me he has pocket aces! He hasn’t raised me once along the way!

But, I do have a blocker here on both pocket kings and aces. Oh boy, nothing indicates that he has a big hand until his all-in on the river. Yes, I’m very aware that he has a good hand – the question is does he have me beat?  Okay, I called his all-in and he showed AA.
Nice hand!  (Sure wish a King would have come on the river)

Well, I was now down to a paltry $10,000 and then managed to increase my stack to $25,000 on an all-in by me with k9 on the button when the blinds were 5k-10k.  (Remember, I was short stacked.) The big blind called me with AJ and luckily for the first time the flop hit me – King! and my hand held up!  But, with the blinds so high compared to my stack I was forced to play any marginal hand at this juncture. Another orbit went by and now my chips had been reduced by the blinds and antes to about $5,000 and I had to move all-in and was called in two locations.  I did not suck out and lost the hand, finishing at #168.

I believe they paid down to about 88 places. The result was that I had struggled early and then had a good run and then ran into a buzz saw at the end. But, that’s poker – always exciting!

WPT Hollywood Casino Indiana Poker Open

Today is March 5th, 2010 and I’m here at the Hollywood casino in Lawrenceburg Indiana. The Hollywood Casino is hosting its inaugural WPT Open. The casino is located in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, approximately 30 miles from Cincinnati, Ohio. The Hollywood Casino has a beautiful new poker room with both ample space and comfort for all poker players. In my opinion, it is one of the nicest poker rooms in the United States.

Go to http://www.myhollywoodpoker.com/pokermng/tournament to view the schedule of the WPT Hollywood Poker Open events and all the particulars regarding those events over the next three weeks. If you are in the neighborhood be sure to stop by and check it out.  I’ll be looking for you!

The Art of Reading Poker Tells – III

Reading other players also involves how they bet, and how they handle their chips and their cards. Today’s blog will deal with all of these “tells.”

To start with, the game of poker is essentially all about betting – when to raise, when to check, when to go all-in, etc. It is simply common sense then to study a person’s betting techniques along with his chip handling so that you can take the proper action. Many tells related to betting can also be used in online games. Let’s take a look at the most prevalent betting tells.

1.  Betting patterns:  The basic concept of using tells to your advantage is to recognize patterns in another player. This is most important in getting to know your opponent’s betting style. His style of betting, e.g., always checking after he’s made the nuts, can be most revealing. Knowing what to expect from him in particular situations gives you a great advantage in your own play.

2. The quick check:  If an opponent looks at his hand and quickly checks, it is not likely that his hand has improved. If it had, it would take longer for him to assess it.

3.  The quick call:  If a player is trying to communicate strength, he may quickly call a bet or reach for his chips before the previous player has even acted. According to the “strong is weak reasoning,” this would indicate that his hand is weak. If the player has you beat he may take longer to call in order to give you the impression that he has a big decision to make.

4.  Bet size:  This is the aspect of betting tells that is most important and it relates intimately to betting patterns as a tell. Note the size of your opponent’s bets in relation to the size of the pot. If you see your opponent’s cards at the end of the hand, be sure to take note of how he bet into the pot with the type of hand he had and you will be better able to predict what is going on in his head the next time he bets the same way.

And remember, if you are playing with an amateur he is less likely to vary from the “correct bet” in order to confuse his opponents.

5.  Long delay in betting:  When a player takes a long time to act, it is usually an indication that he has a big hand. If your opponent takes a long time and then raises, it would be best to get out of the hand, since he is not likely to be bluffing, for fear of your calling his raise.

6.  Soft betting:  If a player wants to give you the impression that he is nervous or unsure of his bet, he may act as though he is placing his bet very gently, hoping that you will think he has a weak hand, but actually wanting you to stay in the hand so he can win your money. Soft bets are almost never bluffs.

How a player handles his chips, whether betting, stacking or playing with them can also give off clues as to what he is up to. You should pay attention to his chips from the moment you come to the table. And if you have a choice of seats, always sit behind the fellow with a lot of chips so that you will have position on him.

1.  Chip stacking:  There are a number of different types of tells that involve how a player stacks his chips. Neatly stacked and well-organized chips may very well indicate a conservative player; just as chips strewn everywhere may indicate a loose player.

Some players stack their initial buy-in separately from their winnings. If you notice that the winning stack is dwindling, you can assume that if that player calls you or raises, he is doing so with a strong hand because he does not want to eat into his initial buy-in.

2.  Chip stacking during a hand:  If a player is stacking his winning chips from the previous hand, he is not likely to feel the need to involve himself in the current hand; that is, unless he has good cards. If he stops his stacking to play the hand, assume that the hand is strong.

In addition to how a player treats his chips, the way he handles his cards is extremely important.

1.  The pre-flop look:  Check out how a player looks at his cards pre-flop. If he looks at one card and then immediately looks at the other, this is an indication that the first card was not that good. However, if a player takes his time squeezing out the second card, the first card was probably good and he is looking for another good card.

2.  Suspense:  Poker players love the suspense of the game, so the speed of the player’s reaction or how long they stare at a card, can determine if it improved their hand.

3.  Faking a fold:  Beware of players who want to lure you into making a bet by looking as if they are about to fold. As Mike Caro says in his book, “there is no reason for any player to give you information out of turn, and they never do unless it is bad information.”

The Art of Reading Poker Tells – I

Much is written about how to play the game of poker, and that is all well and good. But the game of poker is not just the table, the cards, the chips and enough players (and enough money) to make it interesting. If we really want to define the game, it is one of, yes, odds and probabilities, but more so the psychological counter-play between players. In fact, most professional players give great weight to this aspect of the game. In my next few blogs I would like to talk a little about poker tells – both live and online.

In my opinion, it is crucial to be able to assess your opponents for indications of what cards they may be holding; and body language (called “tells” in poker) is as important as the mathematical calculation involved in a poker hand. By the same measure, it is important to identify not only your opponents’ tells but your own, and to be able to subdue or use your own tells to confuse your opponents.

In this picture you can see me covering my face to hide any tells in the neck area, a very vulnerable place for tells which I will cover in a future blog. Reading tells is one weapon among the many in your poker game arsenal that you will use against your opponents.

According to former FBI agent Joe Navarro, who now often teaches poker seminars on body language based on his book, What Every Body Is Saying, the non-verbal tells that you gather from watching players can be vital to your game.

In one of his interviews, Navarro gives this example of using body language to make a decision at the table: A player in a cash game pushed all his chips into the center of the table. His opponent had to make a big decision. The first player reclined in his chair after making the move. “I’m thinking it’s clear this guy’s got the nuts,” says Navarro. “He’s all in and he’s all spread out. His legs are open. His arm is splayed across two chairs. It’s what we call a ‘territorial display.’ It’s what we do when we’re strong. And still, the other guy is struggling whether to call (the all-in bet). I can’t believe I’m watching this. Why would you call? All the information is right there in front of you.”

Clearly Navarro puts much stock in reading the body language of other players. “I’ve had many professional players in my classes, and they sit there with an interest you would not normally expect to see,” Navarro said. “They are pros, so you think they would already know everything they need to know. But they are aware that any small edge to a poker player can be invaluable.”

But remember, watching for poker tells is not a one-time gambit. It is a process of learning how to use information that you gather from playing with a certain player along with assessing the circumstances in which you detect the tells. You must be able to pick up on this player’s type of play, his personality, his mood, and all of the other variables and be able to process this information to your advantage. Poker tells are not the be-all and end-all of your poker career, but to ignore them would be sheer foolishness.

It is advisable (if you want to get as much information as possible from your opponents) to look at each player as his turn comes up before looking at your own cards. Look at your cards when it is your turn or you may lose some valuable information about the other players.

So, knowing how important a poker tell is, it is essential to define what it entails. The simple definition is that a tell is essentially anything that gives away the strength (or weakness) of an opponent’s hand.  But because the definition is simple does not mean that it doesn’t deserve some extensive examination. Tells can take on a myriad of forms. It is not just the obvious facial tick or rubbing of the chin. Poker tells involve a great deal more.

The seasoned poker player will begin to notice tells even before he sits down at the table. For instance, what is the posture of the players? How are there chips stacked? Are they eating and drinking at the table? Are they loud, quiet, defiant, submissive, etc.? By the time this player takes his seat at the table, he will have already begun to assess the play of his opponents. The more information he gathers, the more tools he has in his toolbox.

Poker tells will involve more than just body language, although this aspect of poker tells is probably the most evident. Tells can be revealed by silence, or incessant chatter; quick play or slow play; big bets or small bets; calling or raising; and more. Coincidentally, it is these last types of tells that give you an advantage over your opponent in online play.

Check back for future blogs which will outline for you some physical tells, betting tells, chip-handling tells and more.