The Ebb and Flow of Poker

My First Casino Playset (FisherPrice)

2006-11-27T08:12:00.000-08:00

I am a Casino Virgin no more... My friend and I went down to Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma to visit their lovely Casino. Choctaw has a really nice enclosed poker room away from the noise and smoke of the casino floor. We put our names down on the $1/$2 NL and the $1/$2 Omaha Hi/Lo tables. We were told that the minimums for both were $50. However when I tried to sit down at the Omaha with $100, it was not $50, but $200 :( So i was not able to play the Omaha Hi/Lo. Before this we had already sat down at my first $1/$2 table. I had won a small pot, so I got that out of the way very early on. However when I came back over the 1/2 tables I had to sit at a different table and I ended up loosing the rest of my $100 in about 30-40 mins. I had a few hands where I pushed a little too hard.

So I sat down with another $60 at another $1/$2 table and was up to $175 about 5 mins before we went to dinner break. The last hand for that session was a killer and I lost about $60 on this hand with something ( I dont remember) I did win however with Trip Jacks in this session. That is how I got up so high.

We went across the street to Burger King.. THEY HAVE SLOTS IN THERE!?!

Then we decided to trek down to Winstar to "check that place out".. Winstar is nothing compared to Choctaw. We decided to go back to Choctaw after waiting on the list for 45 mins and never moving up.

We get back to Choctaw and are immediately seated at the $1/$2 tables. I am on a very nice tight table. The people were nice. I even won a race 55 vs AQ. Then this old man prob in his 70s sits down. He was nice and all, however he was involved in one of my last two hands.

Hand #1: I am delt AQos on the Button. I pay the BB to see the fop. The Flop was AQ10 it was checked all the way around to me, and I bet out $15. Fold Fold Fold The old man calls. We are heads up. Turn was a blank, I bet $15 again. He calls. River was a 10. He checks, I check. and he flips over one 10. Why cant that river be a blank? So he took down that pot.

Hand #2: (two hands later) I am delt QQ. I have about $45-$50 left at this point. I raise the pot to $20. I get all folds until this kid looks at me and puts me in for the rest of my money. All in for around $45-$50. I turn over my QQ, he turns over 1010. Flop was Blank 10 Blank. So there was the rest of my money and we went home shortly after that.

All and All it was fun. It sucked that I was so far ahead in my last 2 hands that I lost those.

10K 18 Person SNG Conclusion

2006-11-22T19:07:00.001-08:00

I came back and won after loosing my Chip Lead 3 handed. It was a battle for 1st - 3rd.

Typical Freeroll Poker

2006-11-22T11:07:00.000-08:00

Here are two hands from two different Freerolls... Both on Full Tilt.

Omaha PL Freeroll

Full Tilt Poker Game #1287304670: $100 Freeroll (8940667), Table 16 - 25/50 - Pot Limit Omaha - 14:02:19 ET - 2006/11/22
Seat 1: kaiti (930)
Seat 2: KenSealock (5,080)
Seat 3: Coldplaying (2,803)
Seat 4: rontrw (1,395), is sitting out
Seat 5: GreenHits (2,755)
Seat 6: kaya24 (1,400)
Seat 7: 12coldbeers (6,530)
Seat 8: ChosenFew1887 (3,890)
Seat 9: weebee33 (1,440), is sitting out
ChosenFew1887 posts the small blind of 25
weebee33 posts the big blind of 50
The button is in seat #7
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Coldplaying [As 3c Ad 3s]
kaiti calls 50
KenSealock raises to 225
Coldplaying raises to 800
rontrw folds
KenSealock: nice hand
GreenHits folds
kaya24 folds
ChosenFew1887: ty
12coldbeers folds
ChosenFew1887 folds
weebee33 folds
kaiti raises to 930, and is all in
KenSealock calls 705
Coldplaying calls 130
*** FLOP *** [6s 2s 7h]
KenSealock bets 2,865
Coldplaying calls 1,873, and is all in
KenSealock shows [Qh 8h 7d 9h]
Coldplaying shows [As 3c Ad 3s]
kaiti shows [7c 8c 8d Td]
Uncalled bet of 992 returned to KenSealock
*** TURN *** [6s 2s 7h] [4h]
*** RIVER *** [6s 2s 7h 4h] [3h]
KenSealock shows a flush, Queen high
Coldplaying shows three of a kind, Threes
KenSealock wins the side pot (3,746) with a flush, Queen high
kaiti shows a pair of Eights
KenSealock wins the main pot (2,865) with a flush, Queen high
kaiti is sitting out
kaiti stands up
Coldplaying stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 6,611 Main pot 2,865. Side pot 3,746. | Rake 0
Board: [6s 2s 7h 4h 3h]
Seat 1: kaiti showed [7c 8c 8d Td] and lost with a pair of Eights
Seat 2: KenSealock showed [Qh 8h 7d 9h] and won (6,611) with a flush, Queen high
Seat 3: Coldplaying showed [As 3c Ad 3s] and lost with three of a kind, Threes
Seat 4: rontrw didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: GreenHits didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: kaya24 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: 12coldbeers (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: ChosenFew1887 (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 9: weebee33 (big blind) folded before the Flop

KenSealock had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! and hits Runner Runner Heart!?! WOW What a horrible ALLIN Call?!

Hand 2:

10,000 18 Person SNG

I lost the HH for some reason, but here is a link to it on Pokerxfactor:

http://www.pokerxfactor.com/servlet/pxf?t=hand&handid=32882

After the hand, I laid into the guy who called on a draw for all of his chips so early on... he told me "I dont play often" and that is why I am on the "Free Table". I told him that I was a "75%" favorite. And then him and another guy started to lay into me saying I dont know odds, I dont know how to play.. I wasnt that big of a fav....

Well OK I Was off by 5%.. not bad for doing it in my head...right?

However this was not to blank me from the tournament. I am still in it, and the CL right now. More to come later.

I thought I was flowing... I was wrong

2006-11-20T13:16:00.000-08:00

I tried to make amends and fix the huge leak that was the rest of my money on Pokerstars. So I decided to play in the .10 + 0.00 (50 Dollars Added) Tournament. I usually do well in these.

I thought I was actually flowing. Boy was I wrong...

Here are my last 4 hands: What a complete 180 this was...

I get Ad Ah so I decided to raise this time with Aces since the last time I saw them I was punished for not doing anymore than a Smooth Call.

I raise 100 and I get 1 caller. A very decent flop for me. 2c Qh Th

I bet 300 was raised 1210 (all in for guy raising) After contemplating the flush draw I call.

He has 5s Js I am in good shape. Turn is a 5d and the River is a Blank Ks

finally my hand stands up.

Very next hand I am delt 74os so I quickly fold.

So here is my final hand... I get ... WOW! Can it be...
Aces again! Ad Ac

I should have known that I am being so setup. Its not even funny. At this point I have 3840.

I preflop raise this time to 250. I get 1 caller. Flop is 8d 9d Qs

I am first to act so I bet out 1850. I get a slow reaise to 3430 all-in. So I call with my Aces.

He turns over Tc Jh. I am just devastated. He called my raise with semi good crap at best, and he is rewareded with a flopped Straight. Turn is 7c I am drawing Dead.... River is 2c. Two blanks.

I am left with like 160, I get 10J suited. I am all in.... No where near the flop.. I am done. What a turn around...

Can someone please tell me when you are ahead the river cant be blank?

2006-11-20T11:39:00.000-08:00

I was playing in a $1.00 + .20 sit and go on Pokerstars. I had to steal pots when I could because I was drawing so cold it wasnt even funny anymore. This is the final hand from this sit and go. I was delt Ac As with 725 in chips left. I was in late position and decided to only smooth call the big blind. BIG MISTAKE.. or was it?

Only 3 of us saw the Flop. The BB, the Button and myself. Pot Size 175

Flop: 5s Qs Ks

A scary looking for for someone with Aces however with top pair and top spade I felt like I was ahead in this hand. The BB checked so I bet 100. The button quickly raised me all-in. After thinking this over I decided that I was ahead so I called.

The button turned over 6s Qh I was at this point I am an 85% favorite.

Turn: 4d

I was feeling very good at this point. My hand was now a 88.7% favorite to win. He needed to pull a 2 outer on me to win this hand. I had him on Spades.

Flop: Qd

Unbelievable! And my tournament is over. Why can't the river ever be a blank?

PokerStars Game #7101721852: Tournament #36289860, $1.00+$0.20 Hold'em No Limit - Level III (25/50) - 2006/11/20 - 12:56:03 (ET)
Table '36289860 5' 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: Hellaw8ts (1180 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 2: fireman24 (1870 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 4: bobbyray912 (1065 in chips)
Seat 5: crezzy8 (2610 in chips)
Seat 6: Sane_Robbins (870 in chips)
Seat 7: DzemAs (1245 in chips)
Seat 8: icyTy (5045 in chips)
Seat 9: yeknodami (725 in chips)
DzemAs: posts small blind 25
icyTy: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to yeknodami [Ac As]
yeknodami: calls 50
Hellaw8ts: folds
fireman24: folds
bobbyray912: folds
crezzy8: folds
Sane_Robbins: calls 50
DzemAs: folds
icyTy: checks
*** FLOP *** [5s Qs Ks]
fireman24 has returned
icyTy: checks
yeknodami: bets 100
Sane_Robbins: raises 720 to 820 and is all-in
icyTy: folds
yeknodami: calls 575 and is all-in
*** TURN *** [5s Qs Ks] [4d]
*** RIVER *** [5s Qs Ks 4d] [Qd]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
yeknodami: shows [Ac As] (two pair, Aces and Queens)
Sane_Robbins: shows [6s Qh] (three of a kind, Queens)
Sane_Robbins collected 1525 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1525 | Rake 0
Board [5s Qs Ks 4d Qd]
Seat 1: Hellaw8ts folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: fireman24 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: bobbyray912 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: crezzy8 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: Sane_Robbins (button) showed [6s Qh] and won (1525) with three of a kind, Queens
Seat 7: DzemAs (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 8: icyTy (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 9: yeknodami showed [Ac As] and lost with two pair, Aces and Queens

Whas is the Ebb and Flow of Poker?

2006-11-20T11:30:00.000-08:00

A wise poker player once introduced me to the Ebb and Flow theory of poker. This is not taught in any of the books. The Ebb of poker is like an annoying family member who will not leave your house even after you have unsuccessfully tried to evict them on numerous occasions. It never seems to leave. However you do get brief moments when you come home and there is no one there. Ahh the Flow... And then just as you get delt Aces you loose to Trip Queens on the River.

When a person is ebbing they are basically drawing dead for an entire session, day, or week. While you are ebbing, its at best 50% harder to cash in hands that the books tell you are favorites.

When a person is flowing, they are basically on such a roll where every session they play they are ahead in the hands they play and usually cash in tournaments or leave with more than they brought into a room.

Welcome to the Ebb and Flow of Poker...