After a rather lengthy hiatus from the poker table (online or otherwise), I have decided to return to regular play. I think, perhaps, my break was a bit too long, but I worked out quite a few kinks tonight and got back in the groove quickly enough.
There are two prerequisites for serious poker players: love of the game and aptitude for the game. Anyone that plays poker but says they don't care much about the game and do it just to have fun can come sit at my table. I will be happy to take their money. I love the mechanics of the game, the varied and large skill set it requires, and the fact that it has the potential to earn the diligent, patient individual quite a good living. Just as any form of gambling, poker can cause an individual to go broke if he or she is not responsible. What many don't understand about poker is that since it is a game requiring skill, the chance of losing your money is lessened quite substantially in the long run if you are good at it. It all comes down to smart play and bankroll management.
Tonight I played in two NLHE (No Limit Hold 'Em) tournaments on PokerStars, and both were 9-ring SnGs (Sit-'n'-Go). The first game I can't remember very well, and that's probably a good thing because I played really badly and didn't cash. The second went quite a bit better. Getting off to a good start, I doubled up on the first hand. The blinds were 10-20, and I limped in UTG (Under the Gun--immediate left of the big blind) with 66. UTG+1 (the player to my immediate left) raised it up to 60. Everyone else folded, and I called. The flop came 6-8-Q rainbow, giving me bottom set. I checked to the raiser (a standard move), and he made a pot-sized bet which I just called. The next card was a rag, and it went check-check. An ace came on the river which I thought might have hit my opponent. I knew I had the best hand, but I was hoping for a call. I made a value bet of around a third of the pot, and he moved all in. I was a bit concerned about the huge over-bet on the river, thinking he might have been holding AA, but I went with my first instinct and called anyway. He turned over AQ (two pair) right before leaving the table. That hand set the tone for the rest of the tournament, and I managed to keep up an aggressive style that led me to eventual victory. There were a few obstacles to overcome such as when I doubled up the same player two times with As-Js both times. I was down to 650 chips at one point (only about 5% of the chips in play), but the table had tightened up, and some solid short-stack play allowed me to steal four or five sets of blinds and then double up with KK when I finally got a caller; incidentally, the caller was the player to whom I had given my chips with the AsJs. I ended up with a commanding chip lead (about 60% of the chips in play) with five players left. The table had loosened up, so I adjusted my play (an ability all successful poker players have in their arsenal) until it was down to three. As I slowly whittled down the other two players' chip stacks, they both put all their chips in. I grudgingly laid down AT off-suit (not the greatest hand but pretty strong in short-handed play), and 77 beat out A-5 to make it heads up. The only two moves in my heads up opponent's arsenal were "fold" and "all-in," an exceedingly annoying trait that really devalues the heads up experience. I finally ended up calling with Td7d, and he turned up AA. He couldn't have had a hand every time he went all in, but I didn't make a very good call anyway. I like hands like T-7, especially suited, because they are deceiving and you can win some pretty big pots with them; however, they are not the types of hands one goes all in with when a tournament is on the line. This time, however, I ended up sucking out when the flop came T-7-9. An ace didn't come on the turn or the river, and I took down the majority of the prize pool with my two pair.
Basically, my reason for composing this post is the same one I give my students. I never feel more certain about something than after I write about it. Writing allows the author to recall and evaluate information at the same time; therefore, I find it only natural for me to write about my experiences at the poker table in order to become a more critical player.
Considering it's now 11:30 p.m. and I have to be at work in seven hours, I better go lay down. Until next time, I'm all in.
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