sugarandspice's Account Talk

[tsptalk]

I usually like to play tight early but in these fast blind tourny's even if you last you have no chips to use for power. So, you want to gamble a little early like you said (limp in) with medium hands, but remember others will be gambling too so you have to push the raises up a notch on your big starting hands or you will get called by 2 or 3 people. If you can pick up a blind every round or two with these raises, you'll be in good shape. And of course steal from late position on every opportunity when the blinds are tight players.

 

[tsptalk]

Oh, and, one of my favorite moves is to raise all-in from the big blind when a few people have limped in. But keep an eye the guy in the first or second seat. If they limped in and are watching the action a little too closely, they may have a big hand and are trying to trap after they just limped in. Otherwise that move works almost every time. Occassionally you'll get some weak player call you with a 10 J or something like that, but for the most part it will work. And don't even look at your cards otherwise you won't go thru with it.

 

[sugarandspice]

Oh, and, one of my favorite moves is to raise all-in from the big blind when a few people have limped in. But keep an eye the guy in the first or second seat. If they limped in and are watching the action a little too closely, they may have a big hand and are trying to trap after they just limped in. Otherwise that move works almost every time. Occassionally you'll get some weak player call you with a 10 J or something like that, but for the most part it will work. And don't even look at your cards otherwise you won't go thru with it.

I dont think I would have the balls uh well I don't anyway but.....I dont know if I could do it without having the limpers covered. It only has to fail one time in a tournament. I do like it the move though.

 

[tsptalk]

I chicken out most of the time too, but that's what separates consistant tournament winners from the 7th and 8th finishers. When I play too tight/straight, I'm usually sitting at the final table with 2 chips instead of the mountain that are usually in front of the guys/gals with heart.

 

[sugarandspice]

Something about today's "rally" isn't sitting right with me. Starts good then falls back..Bernanke speaks then goes back up...then falls back....Bush has a plan.....Consumer spending up in July....... and we flatline......I think I running for F fund.

 

[sugarandspice]

Sugar, the "sitting right" comment is the key point. You need to stop using empty 5 gallon lard buckets from Carls Jr. for chairs and toilets in your house.

 

[jayhawker]

I can't agree with "not looking at your cards." In my experience, it's harder to play (not win - play) with good cards than bad cards.

I'm a better player now that I know the percentages. Know them and the pot odds. Tournament play is all about the percentages.

That's my two cents.

 

[sugarandspice]

I think I am going to wear dark sunglasses to hide my eyes. I am going to watch people react to flops but keep my head in a direction that doesn't show I'm looking at them. But only when I'm not in hands. I tend to drift off when I'm not playing the hand and I think I am losing information. I also want to be in a hand when I put pressure on someone and then stare at them but really behind my glasses I will have my eyes closed and can't see anything. That way I won't be intimidated . I will only use that if I want them to call me though. I am pretty focused for this. All week I have been preparing. But I know the gambling aspect will be more prevalent which I don't like.

 

[tsptalk]

I'm a better player now that I know the percentages. Know them and the pot odds. Tournament play is all about the percentages.

I half disagree. Poker is definitely about odds, but more so in cash games than tournaments. If I have a hand that is 4 to 1 dog in a tourny, but I'm getting 5 to 1 to call, to me it isn't worth calling in a tourny because you can't risk being knocked out. I read that in a TJ Cloutier book but that was my thinking too.

Cash games - that's a different story because, at the end of the year, it's all really just one long game. You can afford to lose hands in cash games because the games just keeps going on as long as your bankroll is intact.

By the way SS, how'd it go?

 

[tsptalk]

I can't agree with "not looking at your cards." In my experience, it's harder to play (not win - play) with good cards than bad cards.

You always hear people say that in poker, you play the player, not the cards. I always had a hard time with that being such a tight player, but I remember about 10 years or so ago I was at the Orleans Open and I saw some guy, the author of a popular poker book at the time (can't remember his name right now) and I watched him play heads up in a satellite. The guy he was playing didn't notice because he was looking at his cards, but I could see this guy was not looking at his cards more that half of the time. If he was first to act, he raised. If he was called, he would look when the flop came down. That's bold, and correct depending on your opponent.

 

[BeaverState]

Reference: Playing poker online story.

I have a book about Johnny Magic who supposedly made a fortune playing poker online. What him and his friends figured out was that many of the same people were always playing, or at least enough times for them to exploit. They programmed the results of everyone's hands and what they had bet into a computer program. So next time they played against them they would access the computer and bet accordingly. In effect, the poor guys on the other end were playing against a computer.

 

[sugarandspice]

Poker tourney was a DISASTER!

A-Q in the first round. Im SB. First to act raises to 400. all fold to me. Flat call. BB folds. Me and Granny playing. Flop J-A-J. I check she checks. Turn-J. Feeler bet of 500. Granny calls. And the way she fumbled for that 500 chip caused me suspicion but I didnt listen. River-Q. I really think she has the 4th Jack but i bet 500. She raised 500 more. The perfect amount for me to call. Which I did. Granny has Q-J and about 1500 of my now dwindling stack of maybe 2500. Lost about 1000 when I raised preflop with K-K got called preflop and an Ace hit. Wound up folding to half-pot sized bet.

2nd round almost over and I have about 1000 left. We have 2 dead stacks at our table that will be removed at the end of the 2nd round. Im on the button. Blinds 100-200. Dead stack is BB. My eyes are on picking up that 200. All fold to me. I call. SB calls. I have 8-2 off. Flop K-9-2. I bet 300. SB folds. I say take a look at the monster hand and throw my 8-2 face up toward the dealer. And then I hear "Hey what the hell you doing." Someone was still in on the other end of the table. Now dealer calls floorman for a ruling. Care to guess what happened next?

 

[BeaverState]

Care to guess what happened next?

You woke up.

 

[tsptalk]

Ouch! Better luck next time.

 

[sugarandspice]

.... Now dealer calls floorman for a ruling. Care to guess what happened next?

Floorman says in his loud Brooklynesque/Soupnazi accent "The hand will play, 10 minute penalty." other guy bets, I fold. Left with about 8-9 hundred. Round 2 ends and there is a delay of about 3 minutes which helps me. And I was the button so I have max hands until my blind. I actually never have to post because play is slow and wound up pushing with 6-6. Called by 10-10. No help and I'm out. But I got my first penalty!

 

[sugarandspice]

Went to the F Fund. I'm counting on a nice +FV this afternoon so I will step out of the I fund. And hopefully steal some. I have been sucking this year due to some family health issues not allowing me to focus fully. So far this year I am in the hole but I plan on climbing out.

 

[sugarandspice]

In the hole Sugar? The last time you were in the hole a doctor had to be called in to remove the "homemade dietary implant" device you invented. No more financial wisdom Sugar. The board operates fine without it.

 

[airlift]

HAPPY NEW YEAR to ALL!

 

[sugarandspice]

There sure seems to be a lot of differing opinions here. One thing is for sure! You need to assess your own situation and determine what you can "handle". Don't get caught up in the Mindless cheerleading or the overanalysis. Bottom line is things are bad and band-aids can't fix it when you need a tourniquet. There will be opportunities to catch but long term hold?.....well that's up to the individual. Personally I think lower is in the future...maybe another 100 in the S&P but I like the Momentum plays so I will continue to "guess" until TSP cuts me off. Absorbing the losses because you dont care seems like a very uncreative way of investing. Beware of false prophets holding newspaper articles and pom-poms.

 

[350zCommTech]

Don't get caught up in the Mindless cheerleading or the overanalysis. ......... Beware of false prophets holding newspaper articles and pom-poms.

I'm not sure what you're referring to. I don't think we have that here. Can you point to some examples?