Having been flustered and frustrated with my online play for a couple of months now, I resolve to try something kind of crazy this Monday. I'm going to set my software to deal me my cards face down. I have to click on the cards to reveal them, but I don't think I'm going to - at least not until the bubble approaches. The highest I've finished in the 8 tournaments this season is 10th. I'm confident if I only play by position and feel, which will free me from the distraction of the potential of my actual cards, I can finish in the top nine.
It may sound ridiculous, but I've actually been practicing on my Poker Academy software this way for a week now, and I'm actually taking down 25 player tournaments without ever looking at my cards. Granted, this is against the computer, which plays idiotically, but still; I was surprised to be so successful. I either busted out super early, or finished in the top three, winning more often than not.
Annette 15, teenage internet poker millionaire and recent winner of the European World Series Main Event, won a big MTT on Poker Stars not looking at her cards except for once. I don't expect I'll do the same, but I know it will be a beneficial thing to try.
Here's hoping the league members have stopped reading this blog.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Taking it Back
Game selection. I hear it over and over again - choose your games (read: your opponents) wisely.
Last night we had a super secret after hours at work game - though the boss actually knows about it and has given permission for us to play. As the lineup of players started to take shape, I couldn't help but think to myself "I stand to win tonight, all but one of these players I consider inferior to me." It was true, looking at the five other guys - they were all (save for one) dead money.
If we'd had our usual gang, Sven, Cali, etc. I'd be about even money. But with TG, DG, FK and HS in the lineup, I knew I would not be going home in the negative. The only one of the bunch I give respect to is MP, and I'm still actually better at hold-em than he is, though he rules me at stud. Running into good cards helped, but I knew very early on in the hands when they had something and I could get away. Conversely, when I had strong hands, I knew I was bound to get paid.
It all sounds so mean spirited, but it's actually at the heart of what makes for a "profitable" poker player. When I sit down with pre-schoolers, even though I'm only barely in the first grade, I make money. When I associate with my fellow classmates, or even some of the bigger kids, it's much more of a gamble, and even potentially a negative value situation. True, sometimes I hold my own, or even win (Saturday nights tournament win against Cali, wytrabbit, and pitboss respectively); but even then I didn't feel nearly as invincible as I did last night.
I feel good about my abilities against most of the people who attend my home game, but honestly I feel not so hot about many players in the online group these days. If I was playing strictly for financial profit, I'd have to reassess my status in that group. Deep down, I still feel I'm one of the best there, but I have to fight my inner doubt every step of the way. Last night, it was easy to be Superman, because there was not a shred of doubt where I stood. I was table captain. Good times.
The money that I dumped over the weekend in the cash games, was quickly taken back (and then some) last night. Nice.
Last night we had a super secret after hours at work game - though the boss actually knows about it and has given permission for us to play. As the lineup of players started to take shape, I couldn't help but think to myself "I stand to win tonight, all but one of these players I consider inferior to me." It was true, looking at the five other guys - they were all (save for one) dead money.
If we'd had our usual gang, Sven, Cali, etc. I'd be about even money. But with TG, DG, FK and HS in the lineup, I knew I would not be going home in the negative. The only one of the bunch I give respect to is MP, and I'm still actually better at hold-em than he is, though he rules me at stud. Running into good cards helped, but I knew very early on in the hands when they had something and I could get away. Conversely, when I had strong hands, I knew I was bound to get paid.
It all sounds so mean spirited, but it's actually at the heart of what makes for a "profitable" poker player. When I sit down with pre-schoolers, even though I'm only barely in the first grade, I make money. When I associate with my fellow classmates, or even some of the bigger kids, it's much more of a gamble, and even potentially a negative value situation. True, sometimes I hold my own, or even win (Saturday nights tournament win against Cali, wytrabbit, and pitboss respectively); but even then I didn't feel nearly as invincible as I did last night.
I feel good about my abilities against most of the people who attend my home game, but honestly I feel not so hot about many players in the online group these days. If I was playing strictly for financial profit, I'd have to reassess my status in that group. Deep down, I still feel I'm one of the best there, but I have to fight my inner doubt every step of the way. Last night, it was easy to be Superman, because there was not a shred of doubt where I stood. I was table captain. Good times.
The money that I dumped over the weekend in the cash games, was quickly taken back (and then some) last night. Nice.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Live Takedown
Our annual Sutter's End Paintball/Poker trip was highlighted for me by my first ever live tournament win. Most players couldn't believe that I had never done it before, but this was the very first time I've ever taken home a first place trophy. Good times.
My cash game play wasn't as successful, we played two nights of it, and I was in the negative on both. Down 12 on Friday and out of 30 on Sunday. Still, with over 110 in the positive on the Saturday night tournament, it was a profitable weekend.
I must say I was most proud of my end game play. I got lucky early on, running into kings twice to double up twice (including kings versus kings where my pair had a heart and made a flush on a four heart board). After that with a lot of chips, I tightened up substantially and won only a small handful of pots. But when it was time to play four, three and finally two way - I was able to shift gears and use SELECTIVE aggression to not only maintain my stack, but actually accumulate as well.
I was especially effective heads up - I started with a three to one chip lead, and I knew going in that it was still very much anyone's game to win or lose. My opponent, the vaunted Cali Al, refused a chop even though the hour was late and so we did battle.
Probably the best advice I ever read about heads up play, which is still a weak point in my game, is that it's a dance. You act and react based on what your partner (in poker, your opponent) does. He's aggressive, you tighten up. He's tight, you push. Cali Al is tight. My objective in my head as we started - keep the pots small, keep stealing as long as he'll put up with it, if he fights back go away (unless of course I hopefully have the nuts).
As the cards fell, when he hit something, he would get me to fold. When he drew blanks I would pounce. I had mostly junk cards, but it didn't matter. By acting based on what HE did, I was able to build my stack whenever he didn't have very good cards or a monster draw - which is, as we all know in poker, most of the time. He caught on pretty early, but he still wasn't willing to pull the trigger with nothing. Advantage, and ultimately victory - me.
He who fires with the best timing, barring a couple of monster coolers, will win in heads up play. In Hold-Em, you miss the flop well over two thirds of the time. In heads up play, you can use this to your advantage if you have an opponent who doesn't stand up to persistent aggression.
That's not to say I was a complete bully. When Cali called my pre-flop raise, I would only sometimes make a continuation bet; unless I hit. When Cali did call my flop continuation bet, I was done with the hand (unless I had hit something). That said, when I caught a piece Cali would fold nearly every bet I made on the turn, and I used that to my advantage to keep firing, even when I was only on a draw or had hit middle or bottom pair.
In the end, I got in with the worst of it K-10 versus his A-6, and I got lucky with a king on the flop. I wasn't thrilled with my play, especially since he had been so tight - I could have gotten away from it. But at that point, I was almost priced into calling simply because the blinds were so big and his remaining chips so few. A good dilemma to have.
The following Monday night I donked out of flat-line, completely sleep deprived. This week I will make my first deposit into the league since it began. I'm still ahead, because I cashed out over $300 at the end of last season, but I was hoping to never have to send money in again. Hopefully this will give me more incentive to start winning.
My cash game play wasn't as successful, we played two nights of it, and I was in the negative on both. Down 12 on Friday and out of 30 on Sunday. Still, with over 110 in the positive on the Saturday night tournament, it was a profitable weekend.
I must say I was most proud of my end game play. I got lucky early on, running into kings twice to double up twice (including kings versus kings where my pair had a heart and made a flush on a four heart board). After that with a lot of chips, I tightened up substantially and won only a small handful of pots. But when it was time to play four, three and finally two way - I was able to shift gears and use SELECTIVE aggression to not only maintain my stack, but actually accumulate as well.
I was especially effective heads up - I started with a three to one chip lead, and I knew going in that it was still very much anyone's game to win or lose. My opponent, the vaunted Cali Al, refused a chop even though the hour was late and so we did battle.
Probably the best advice I ever read about heads up play, which is still a weak point in my game, is that it's a dance. You act and react based on what your partner (in poker, your opponent) does. He's aggressive, you tighten up. He's tight, you push. Cali Al is tight. My objective in my head as we started - keep the pots small, keep stealing as long as he'll put up with it, if he fights back go away (unless of course I hopefully have the nuts).
As the cards fell, when he hit something, he would get me to fold. When he drew blanks I would pounce. I had mostly junk cards, but it didn't matter. By acting based on what HE did, I was able to build my stack whenever he didn't have very good cards or a monster draw - which is, as we all know in poker, most of the time. He caught on pretty early, but he still wasn't willing to pull the trigger with nothing. Advantage, and ultimately victory - me.
He who fires with the best timing, barring a couple of monster coolers, will win in heads up play. In Hold-Em, you miss the flop well over two thirds of the time. In heads up play, you can use this to your advantage if you have an opponent who doesn't stand up to persistent aggression.
That's not to say I was a complete bully. When Cali called my pre-flop raise, I would only sometimes make a continuation bet; unless I hit. When Cali did call my flop continuation bet, I was done with the hand (unless I had hit something). That said, when I caught a piece Cali would fold nearly every bet I made on the turn, and I used that to my advantage to keep firing, even when I was only on a draw or had hit middle or bottom pair.
In the end, I got in with the worst of it K-10 versus his A-6, and I got lucky with a king on the flop. I wasn't thrilled with my play, especially since he had been so tight - I could have gotten away from it. But at that point, I was almost priced into calling simply because the blinds were so big and his remaining chips so few. A good dilemma to have.
The following Monday night I donked out of flat-line, completely sleep deprived. This week I will make my first deposit into the league since it began. I'm still ahead, because I cashed out over $300 at the end of last season, but I was hoping to never have to send money in again. Hopefully this will give me more incentive to start winning.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
First out!
My king flush ran into the nut flush. Oh well.
As I've been neglecting this, and my other blog, of late - I won't wallow too much. But I think my game, and my life, has changed a bit recently. I still am in love with poker, but my focus has definitely softened a bit. When I started playing in this online league, I would literally watch the entire tournament the day after it took place on my software game simulator. I took notes on opponents. I would blog meticulously.
Today, I just don't have time, and frankly the passion has cooled. I know my dry run (I haven't cashed since May) is partly variance - but probably mostly me. My failure to adjust to players who have adjusted to me. My failure to really stop, sit down, and look closely at how I play my hands. This is okay. I'm still having fun, though admittedly it would be more fun if I was crushing the league like I was before; but winning consistently at poker, I'm realizing, takes consistent work.
Who knows, if I happen to cash again, or take down a tournament, I may be invigorated enough to get back to my old "professor poker" ways - but if I don't, it's perfectly fine. I play for the love of the game and of competition, I recognize I'm not Phil Ivey. It doesn't mean I won't try my hardest, as my focus and concentration permits, but there is absolutely no point in beating myself up over something that's supposed to be a fun hobby.
Looking forward to this weekend, our annual paintball/poker orgy up in the woods of Northern California. The weather is supposed to be amazing, in the 80's! I'm counting the hours to the fun, can't wait to shoot some people and get my live game on.
As I've been neglecting this, and my other blog, of late - I won't wallow too much. But I think my game, and my life, has changed a bit recently. I still am in love with poker, but my focus has definitely softened a bit. When I started playing in this online league, I would literally watch the entire tournament the day after it took place on my software game simulator. I took notes on opponents. I would blog meticulously.
Today, I just don't have time, and frankly the passion has cooled. I know my dry run (I haven't cashed since May) is partly variance - but probably mostly me. My failure to adjust to players who have adjusted to me. My failure to really stop, sit down, and look closely at how I play my hands. This is okay. I'm still having fun, though admittedly it would be more fun if I was crushing the league like I was before; but winning consistently at poker, I'm realizing, takes consistent work.
Who knows, if I happen to cash again, or take down a tournament, I may be invigorated enough to get back to my old "professor poker" ways - but if I don't, it's perfectly fine. I play for the love of the game and of competition, I recognize I'm not Phil Ivey. It doesn't mean I won't try my hardest, as my focus and concentration permits, but there is absolutely no point in beating myself up over something that's supposed to be a fun hobby.
Looking forward to this weekend, our annual paintball/poker orgy up in the woods of Northern California. The weather is supposed to be amazing, in the 80's! I'm counting the hours to the fun, can't wait to shoot some people and get my live game on.
Monday, June 23, 2008
I'll never learn...
Warning: I'm typing the following as tonight's poker tournament is still going on! I'm busted and hot, and ready to vent. Anyone in the league who reads this I hope knows that my comments are not about players personally, but rather about their game. Also consider, I'm learning myself, and this is just an expression of that.
No matter how much I think I know the guys in my league, I never learn. First my Queens run into Aces, then with the very same guy he calls me down with a pair of eights on a board of 3Q23. Of course I was bluffing, but I was in position, and he would have been crippled if I'd had a queen or deuce. But again, I give these ABC players way too much credit.
And it's my own fault.
Their game is in a different place, kindergarten. I need to recognize that I'm in grade school and deal with it, and start to crush them the way I crush play chip players. There are maybe a half a dozen guys who have some concept of the game in our league, and the rest just don't get it. I have no one to blame but myself for trying to pull a good move on someone who thinks pocket 8's never lose against a terrifying board.
I need to value bet my monsters and get paid - then I'll have cash money - like I have close to a million play chip dollars on Full Tilt right now. All I do is flat call and try to see a flop for cheap - then when I hit a monster I push, and typically get multiple callers, and then a monster stack. It may not be that extreme in the Flatline league, but it feels pretty close sometimes.
Stay tight, stay focused, get paid. Don't fear the suck out, embrace it - play kings and aces fast, get paid. Play flopped sets fast, get paid. Hang on with the nut flush draw for cheap, get paid. Value bet these fish into oblivion.
Hoo I'm hot! But that's poker! Better here in print than at a live game.
No matter how much I think I know the guys in my league, I never learn. First my Queens run into Aces, then with the very same guy he calls me down with a pair of eights on a board of 3Q23. Of course I was bluffing, but I was in position, and he would have been crippled if I'd had a queen or deuce. But again, I give these ABC players way too much credit.
And it's my own fault.
Their game is in a different place, kindergarten. I need to recognize that I'm in grade school and deal with it, and start to crush them the way I crush play chip players. There are maybe a half a dozen guys who have some concept of the game in our league, and the rest just don't get it. I have no one to blame but myself for trying to pull a good move on someone who thinks pocket 8's never lose against a terrifying board.
I need to value bet my monsters and get paid - then I'll have cash money - like I have close to a million play chip dollars on Full Tilt right now. All I do is flat call and try to see a flop for cheap - then when I hit a monster I push, and typically get multiple callers, and then a monster stack. It may not be that extreme in the Flatline league, but it feels pretty close sometimes.
Stay tight, stay focused, get paid. Don't fear the suck out, embrace it - play kings and aces fast, get paid. Play flopped sets fast, get paid. Hang on with the nut flush draw for cheap, get paid. Value bet these fish into oblivion.
Hoo I'm hot! But that's poker! Better here in print than at a live game.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
2008.1 Season Wrap Up
Yes, I've been a neglectful boy; but summertime is always crazy time for me - both at work and with family weekend obligations. Suffice it to say, this season went out with a wimper, with me failing to cash in the final 2 tournaments and the TOC. I didn't feel I was playing particularly poor, but I'm definitely not in my league crushing mode any more that I've enjoyed for the past 18 months.
Last night was T2 of season 2, and I busted out fairly early, firing with air against a resident calling station / luck box - yes, I should have known better.
We've changed our blind structure to a slower and more player friendly pace, I thought it would help my game, but against most of these guys I'm very impatient, because I know I'm a better player than all but a couple of them. I need to relax and let the good cards come. Now that I've established myself as wild/aggressive, I know that when I stumble across the nuts, or even the second nuts, I'm bound to get paid. Certainly if last night is any indication, I was called down with middle pair twice, back door flush draw and even when I went all in, I found myself up against a suited connecter that of course hit.
This is a good thing, I don't want to discourage such loose play - but I've got to adjust my game a bit, and think of it more like dealing with play chip players.
Last night was T2 of season 2, and I busted out fairly early, firing with air against a resident calling station / luck box - yes, I should have known better.
We've changed our blind structure to a slower and more player friendly pace, I thought it would help my game, but against most of these guys I'm very impatient, because I know I'm a better player than all but a couple of them. I need to relax and let the good cards come. Now that I've established myself as wild/aggressive, I know that when I stumble across the nuts, or even the second nuts, I'm bound to get paid. Certainly if last night is any indication, I was called down with middle pair twice, back door flush draw and even when I went all in, I found myself up against a suited connecter that of course hit.
This is a good thing, I don't want to discourage such loose play - but I've got to adjust my game a bit, and think of it more like dealing with play chip players.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Home CASH game dilemma...
Just wanted to post on the dilemma in my mind over the state of my home poker game. I've been running games once, sometimes twice, a month now - and they have been going great. Especially the tournaments; they are low buy-in, low-key, low -drama and primarily social events where players of all skill levels enjoy an exciting evening of no-limit play.
Periodically, I throw a cash game into the mix; it's always a nice change of pace, and allows for a lot more maneuvering and skill to come into play. As of just recently, I've settled into a pattern of hosting a tournament in the first half of the month, and then having a cash game towards the end of the month. I love this idea, and as I've been reading two spectacular books on how to properly play cash games ("Professional No-Limit Hold-em" by Flynn, Metah and Miller & "Harrington on Cash Games" by poker author legend Dan Harrington) I'm really excited about expanding my cash game prowess.
Here's the problem though...my dilemma as it is. A low cost, low pressure tournament structure works great at home - I get all skill levels and all kinds of happy people showing up, AND I get to really benefit from playing; as the skill level and the techniques I use apply very much to card club play. When I semi-bluff as the bubble approaches in my garage, I'll likely be able to do the same thing down at Hollywood Park Casino or in Vegas at a tournament.
But a cash game is a different story. In order to keep the same low-pressure and jovial atmosphere in a cash game at home, I find I have to have VERY low stakes. Probably, too low. A $20 buy in and fixed limit betting. As I've been playing under this structure for years, I've only recently recognized that I don't get much out of it - other than a highly enjoyable splashing around of chips and shooting the shit with my friends and fellow card lovers.
For a cash game at home to be useful, as far as practicing and building skills for casino play; both the limits and the betting have to have some teeth. To put it concisely, I really need to have a No-Limit/Pot-Limit cash game at home. Wacky poker, micro-stakes poker, all of that is good stuff. It's fun, it's social, it's silly. It in NO way expands my poker knowledge and chops.
But here's the rub; I love that my home game is nearly entirely tension free. If someone misdeals, or miscounts chips, it really doesn't matter. We all know it would be ridiculous to angle shoot. We are all careless about keeping track of chips and cash, typically when people cash out there is a discrepancy; usually the house ends up getting extra dollars.
I know that the moment I raise the limits at all, not only will I lose a certain number of players entirely, but the ones that remain will have to take the game, and the entire evening, more seriously. I will have to step up and actually be banker, we have to be exact in cashing in and out. Also, as wytrabbit correctly pointed out in my e-mail correspondence with him, for NL and PL to work properly - a player has to have potentially his entire stack at risk on every hand. This is not a $10 buy-in with re-buys. This is a players actual cash, upwards of $50 to $100 probably, in front of him. Rabbit also pointed out correctly, that if a player loses this stack, he's going to want to have a chance to get his money back - I can't limit the number of times a player can reload. By the same token, I can't limit the amount of money on the table. The best I can do to save players from themselves is to simply have a scheduled end time for the game.
If I do run the game I have in mind; a $50 buy-in with blinds at 25c/50c; a player could possibly win or lose upwards of $300 in an evening. A very different, and very serious scenario - as opposed to the "monster" swings of $60 or even $80 that we've had in my cash games so far.
I know I play tight in cash games, and I'm unlikely to have swings of more than $100; and I'm confident that most nights I would come out ahead. I'm ready for it, and I'm ready to start playing what everybody plays in the poker world. Fixed limit is it's own skill set, but it is such a boring grind sometimes. As my tournament game has evolved, I've become pretty exasperated with people calling me down to the river chasing a gut shot - and of course hitting it, with no weapons in my arsenal to truly punish them for chasing.
Of course, the other side is - why try to make more money from your friends and poker buddies? Well, I really feel that money isn't so much the issue. As my game has stepped up, I've come to see that for poker to be viable, as POKER and not just as a purely social evening, it has to sting a bit. There has to be consequence, and there has to be reward for those with more skill.
That is what's so great about a tournament, it really is the best of both worlds. We've had prize pool's upwards of a $500, which leads to great excitement and fun - and yet the tension and angst stays very low, in large part because individual players generally only drop $20 to maybe as much as $50 apiece; not very much risk for a potentially hefty reward.
But for a cash game, a $10 buy-in (aka Nickel/Dime/Quarter dealer's choice) simply put, is NOT poker. It's gambling; which can be fun in it's own right - but I'm not addicted to gambling at this point in my life. I am addicted (as if you couldn't tell) to this test of skill called poker. I play real poker at my home tournaments, I want the real thing in my cash games too.
The great secret to all of this of course, and it eludes me how to achieve it; is to put on a "real" cash game, whilst still holding on to as much of the good vibrations (mellow people,no drama, etc.) as I can. I've always prided my home game as a safe and friendly place where people can come and enjoy pleasant competition. I know if I make the leap to a real cash game, there will be nights when someone gets their ass busted.
Sigh. It's a dilemma. But I think I'm going to give it a shot. But I'm going to try following a few rules for myself to help make the transition easy for everybody.
First, I'm not going to cap the number of players anymore. Typically on a cash game night, I try to limit it to a single table; this helps keep the event much more manageable and gives the wife a break from the bedlam that is a tournament night.
With two tables in play, one table will be the usual buy-in and stakes; the other will be the $50NL table.
Eventually of course, the goal is to have the cash game be entirely $50NL, but I think I have to ease people into it. (I would also include in this, Pot Limit Omaha and O8, as well as $1-$2 fixed limit stud games; but these both can be just as pricey as NL).
As an aside, a few months back Rabbit was my guest from the bay area, and I managed to have a second NL table of six people- I lost $40 and Rabbit lost over twice as much - but it was still great fun; and I felt pretty comfortable. I even had players at the table who were happy and excited to be there, that I didn't expect. Both only semi-enthusiastic poker players, and both typically very frugal. They had a blast, and even won a bit. The two remaining players were serious poker enthusiasts, who typically don't bother with my cash game; they had heard that I was spreading No-Limit and they showed up. One made out like a bandit, the other pretty much got hammered. They both had a good time.
My second rule will be to still encourage a low key vibe, as much is as possible. I recognize that I will have to be much more stringent on money issues - and misdeals, and other rule infractions; but I plan to do it in the friendliest manner possible, whilst still maintaining firm control on the game and the cash.
Thirdly, I'll have to recognize the reality of my players. I think a lot of them can't imagine putting $200+ at risk in a single evening - though of course a big bar tab in LA can dwarf that, not to mention a concert or other event. I will encourage and promote this thought, as well as the very important concept of everyone setting a limit for themselves. I plan to stop playing once I'm out of $100. I don't expect this to happen often, but I know it probably will. When it does, I'll be dealer for the evening.
I'm ready for real poker. Tomorrow night, we'll have our usual low limit luckfest; I'll be floating the idea of a second higher stakes NL table. I'm sure many will not want to join in; but I know for a fact I will gain others who don't usually bother to show for my cash games.
I'll keep the 2 table concept going for as long as it will last, and I may have to revert to the old lower limits permanently; but somehow I think that when most of the guys get a taste of real poker - that is, poker with pain, poker with consequences, they are going to be hard pressed to go back to the chip splashing dance of kiddie poker..
That's what the tournaments are for.
Periodically, I throw a cash game into the mix; it's always a nice change of pace, and allows for a lot more maneuvering and skill to come into play. As of just recently, I've settled into a pattern of hosting a tournament in the first half of the month, and then having a cash game towards the end of the month. I love this idea, and as I've been reading two spectacular books on how to properly play cash games ("Professional No-Limit Hold-em" by Flynn, Metah and Miller & "Harrington on Cash Games" by poker author legend Dan Harrington) I'm really excited about expanding my cash game prowess.
Here's the problem though...my dilemma as it is. A low cost, low pressure tournament structure works great at home - I get all skill levels and all kinds of happy people showing up, AND I get to really benefit from playing; as the skill level and the techniques I use apply very much to card club play. When I semi-bluff as the bubble approaches in my garage, I'll likely be able to do the same thing down at Hollywood Park Casino or in Vegas at a tournament.
But a cash game is a different story. In order to keep the same low-pressure and jovial atmosphere in a cash game at home, I find I have to have VERY low stakes. Probably, too low. A $20 buy in and fixed limit betting. As I've been playing under this structure for years, I've only recently recognized that I don't get much out of it - other than a highly enjoyable splashing around of chips and shooting the shit with my friends and fellow card lovers.
For a cash game at home to be useful, as far as practicing and building skills for casino play; both the limits and the betting have to have some teeth. To put it concisely, I really need to have a No-Limit/Pot-Limit cash game at home. Wacky poker, micro-stakes poker, all of that is good stuff. It's fun, it's social, it's silly. It in NO way expands my poker knowledge and chops.
But here's the rub; I love that my home game is nearly entirely tension free. If someone misdeals, or miscounts chips, it really doesn't matter. We all know it would be ridiculous to angle shoot. We are all careless about keeping track of chips and cash, typically when people cash out there is a discrepancy; usually the house ends up getting extra dollars.
I know that the moment I raise the limits at all, not only will I lose a certain number of players entirely, but the ones that remain will have to take the game, and the entire evening, more seriously. I will have to step up and actually be banker, we have to be exact in cashing in and out. Also, as wytrabbit correctly pointed out in my e-mail correspondence with him, for NL and PL to work properly - a player has to have potentially his entire stack at risk on every hand. This is not a $10 buy-in with re-buys. This is a players actual cash, upwards of $50 to $100 probably, in front of him. Rabbit also pointed out correctly, that if a player loses this stack, he's going to want to have a chance to get his money back - I can't limit the number of times a player can reload. By the same token, I can't limit the amount of money on the table. The best I can do to save players from themselves is to simply have a scheduled end time for the game.
If I do run the game I have in mind; a $50 buy-in with blinds at 25c/50c; a player could possibly win or lose upwards of $300 in an evening. A very different, and very serious scenario - as opposed to the "monster" swings of $60 or even $80 that we've had in my cash games so far.
I know I play tight in cash games, and I'm unlikely to have swings of more than $100; and I'm confident that most nights I would come out ahead. I'm ready for it, and I'm ready to start playing what everybody plays in the poker world. Fixed limit is it's own skill set, but it is such a boring grind sometimes. As my tournament game has evolved, I've become pretty exasperated with people calling me down to the river chasing a gut shot - and of course hitting it, with no weapons in my arsenal to truly punish them for chasing.
Of course, the other side is - why try to make more money from your friends and poker buddies? Well, I really feel that money isn't so much the issue. As my game has stepped up, I've come to see that for poker to be viable, as POKER and not just as a purely social evening, it has to sting a bit. There has to be consequence, and there has to be reward for those with more skill.
That is what's so great about a tournament, it really is the best of both worlds. We've had prize pool's upwards of a $500, which leads to great excitement and fun - and yet the tension and angst stays very low, in large part because individual players generally only drop $20 to maybe as much as $50 apiece; not very much risk for a potentially hefty reward.
But for a cash game, a $10 buy-in (aka Nickel/Dime/Quarter dealer's choice) simply put, is NOT poker. It's gambling; which can be fun in it's own right - but I'm not addicted to gambling at this point in my life. I am addicted (as if you couldn't tell) to this test of skill called poker. I play real poker at my home tournaments, I want the real thing in my cash games too.
The great secret to all of this of course, and it eludes me how to achieve it; is to put on a "real" cash game, whilst still holding on to as much of the good vibrations (mellow people,no drama, etc.) as I can. I've always prided my home game as a safe and friendly place where people can come and enjoy pleasant competition. I know if I make the leap to a real cash game, there will be nights when someone gets their ass busted.
Sigh. It's a dilemma. But I think I'm going to give it a shot. But I'm going to try following a few rules for myself to help make the transition easy for everybody.
First, I'm not going to cap the number of players anymore. Typically on a cash game night, I try to limit it to a single table; this helps keep the event much more manageable and gives the wife a break from the bedlam that is a tournament night.
With two tables in play, one table will be the usual buy-in and stakes; the other will be the $50NL table.
Eventually of course, the goal is to have the cash game be entirely $50NL, but I think I have to ease people into it. (I would also include in this, Pot Limit Omaha and O8, as well as $1-$2 fixed limit stud games; but these both can be just as pricey as NL).
As an aside, a few months back Rabbit was my guest from the bay area, and I managed to have a second NL table of six people- I lost $40 and Rabbit lost over twice as much - but it was still great fun; and I felt pretty comfortable. I even had players at the table who were happy and excited to be there, that I didn't expect. Both only semi-enthusiastic poker players, and both typically very frugal. They had a blast, and even won a bit. The two remaining players were serious poker enthusiasts, who typically don't bother with my cash game; they had heard that I was spreading No-Limit and they showed up. One made out like a bandit, the other pretty much got hammered. They both had a good time.
My second rule will be to still encourage a low key vibe, as much is as possible. I recognize that I will have to be much more stringent on money issues - and misdeals, and other rule infractions; but I plan to do it in the friendliest manner possible, whilst still maintaining firm control on the game and the cash.
Thirdly, I'll have to recognize the reality of my players. I think a lot of them can't imagine putting $200+ at risk in a single evening - though of course a big bar tab in LA can dwarf that, not to mention a concert or other event. I will encourage and promote this thought, as well as the very important concept of everyone setting a limit for themselves. I plan to stop playing once I'm out of $100. I don't expect this to happen often, but I know it probably will. When it does, I'll be dealer for the evening.
I'm ready for real poker. Tomorrow night, we'll have our usual low limit luckfest; I'll be floating the idea of a second higher stakes NL table. I'm sure many will not want to join in; but I know for a fact I will gain others who don't usually bother to show for my cash games.
I'll keep the 2 table concept going for as long as it will last, and I may have to revert to the old lower limits permanently; but somehow I think that when most of the guys get a taste of real poker - that is, poker with pain, poker with consequences, they are going to be hard pressed to go back to the chip splashing dance of kiddie poker..
That's what the tournaments are for.
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