Texas Calculatem and Poker Office Blog

Acorn sent this to me, though he didn't write it. Maybe it will help my NL game?

N.B. I've modifed it slightly, and changed the quantities to multiples of BB's.

On a 25/50c Party $25 NL Table:

You make standard raises of 4BB (6BB if 2+ limpers or
from EP) with any of AA,KK,QQ,JJ and AK from any
position. You call any minimum or standard raise with
these except that you re-raise by another 10BB if you
have AA or KK.

You will also call a minimum or standard raise with
any pair looking to hit a set on the flop provided at
least one of the relevant stacks are 50BB+ (you are
always 50BB+ because you buy back up to is as soon as
you drop below). You are sufficiently tight to fold
AQ, AJ etc rather than cold-call a raise with them.

You will also raise from LP if folded/limped to with
hands like AQ,AJ, KQ, TT, 99. If you are checked to on
the flop by one or two players you will make one
pot-sized bet (or ¾ sized if no flush draw on board)
even if you miss with these hands, but if called again
you will shut up shop. This is the only time you
bluff.

You will see cheap flops from MP and LP with marginal
hands including Ax s and suited connectors - but are
strict with yourself about fitting or folding. If you
flop a draw you will see a free card if you can but if
you are in LP and checked to by the others you will
bet out half to three quarters of the pot as a
semi-bluff.

If someone re-raises your top pair or two pair all-in
you are prepared to let it go unless you have half
your stack already in the pot. Otherwise you will bet
these hands out down to the river unless a flush card
drops in or the board is showing one card needed for a
straight, in which case you shut up shop and fold to
any significant bet.

This is pretty much ABC poker for these limits. I know
it works OK as I’ve been playing in at the Party 25’s
for 6 months and my roll has trebled in that time

I asked Kronsdat a question about chess, but think I've asked him before and lost the reply. Just to help keep records, here's a link to the question I asked him.

The BR continues to move sideways while J and Acorn pay the bills. I guess I should be satisfied at having a free hobby, but none of us are in it for the fun of it!

In terms of the Poker, I managed to win a hand off the Acorn earlier. I was pretty chuffed as I know he does well at higher stakes games and only lowers himself to our level for the social aspect, while the rest of us are grinding away in an attempt to learn the skills. I should probably post the hand but I can't really remember the specifics. All I recall is that I raised pre-flop with AQo. He called with 89s. The flop was low, but I hit my top pair queen on the turn and re-raised his river bet as I thought he was bluffing.

What I've noted recently is that a lot of players are limping and/or min betting with hands as strong as AA. Unlike stronger players like Acorn, Rose and J, they do not bet larger amounts to protect their hands and/or bluff. These players are virtually always giving their opponents the odds to call their bets. However, this basic observation hasn't really helped my game, as I've lost a lot of money betting the pot only to get called down to the river.

In terms of my exciting life I am now in Balham. Here is a picture of my new Poker Den:



Not much else to say really. Christmas was OK. My cheapskate mate has turned me into an anti-consumer so I didn't really buy many presents. This anti-consumerism sometimes leads me to question why I lead such a capitalist lifestyle, as I don't really desire any material goods. I just want lots of money. But I'm not a philisopher so let's just leave it at that.

read this later

It was a busy weekend and I didn't play enough Poker. Took another picture of my favourite dog though.

I just received a really strange message regarding my The World's Most Eligible Bachelor page:

he doesn't look like a bachelor! he's not even a prince charming material how can he be the most eligible bachelor in the world??? comments about him interpret that he only like to f*** women how that be a eligible?! how can woman want him??? i don't get the sense!!! sorrry!!! im just telling you what's in my mind
/celebrity/worlds-most-eligible-bachelor/
Name Sandy
Email PROVIDED
IP 202.81.174.174
Time Sent Friday 16th of December 2005 03:57:25 PM +0000

I'm not too sure who "Sandy" is, but my tracking software tells me that she's from the philippines.

Poker continues to be tough. I've decided to limit my NL losses such that I'll quit if I drop to $300, but have had a couple of lucky sessions.

I've found that the easiest way to protect a premium hand is to just go all in pre-flop.

Juice and myself have played some total fish today.

First there's Nicolsoft. There's no point listing stats. Basically she'll overbet and go in without even having bottom pair. She's down $30 as we speak, and was down $60 earlier.

Next there's Moorcroft. He'll call Nicolsoft's 25BB overbets on the flop and turn. And then fold on the river.

Vidliv tried to tap the aquarium by criticising Nicolsoft's betting patterns but we soon put him in his little place.

Oh my god. Now Nicolsoft and Moorcroft are arranging a blind date in the Sports Bar, Manchester. If anyone wants to go take pictures Moorcroft will be wearing a carnation and Nicolsoft has two large humps. How vulgar!

These players are the kind that Juice and myself like to play. Unfortunately Juice failed to hit any cards, but when the cards land it's hard to lose against players who call with nothing, though volatility can be high.

Still losing at NL. BR is at $314.89. This is not good. I may have to retire from NL and go back to limit. But the problem with limit was that all the tables have tightenned up too much. ARRRGGGHH!!!!

I'm still trying to work the NL skills, and they aren't coming.

I had KK and raised 5BB. 1 caller.

The flop was Kxx. So I tried to slow play.

I slow played so badly that I let my opponent draw a runner runner flush on me and didn't even notice until the chips went their way!

Arrggghhh!

Here's another low risk casino offer to help readers bolster their bankrolls...

Fortune Affiliates Presents: A Must-Punt 100% Pay Back Special

Get a grip on this innovative sales hook and watch players pull in from all directions.

Fortune Room is dealing a phenomenal 100% Pay Back Special, offering players a full refund on their first $50, should they lose it within 24 hours. All they have to do is make a first purchase using NETELLER and play to win!

There is a fortune of players out there just waiting to jump on this never-before-seen offer and a fortune for you to pocket.

Where's the catch?

Surprisingly I can't find a catch. Usually, casinos will place high wagering requirements on these sorts of offer, to prevent immediate withdrawal (they call this abuse for some reason). However, I can't find the catch in this offer. Other than that you have to claim back the money within 24 hours.

The terms and conditions are below:ney Back Guarantee Promotion

Only first time new Real purchasing accounts opened at Fortune Room Online Casino during the Money Back Guarantee Limited Offer period will be eligible for the Money Back Guarantee.

Only those players who have made their first purchase using Neteller qualify for the Money Back Guarantee.

Players will only be eligible to obtain their Money Back Guarantee on the amount of their first (1st) purchase at the Fortune Room Online Casino up to a maximum amount of $50.

To obtain their Money Back Guarantee, players must go to the Fortune Room website and claim their Money Back Guarantee within twenty-four (24) hours of making their first purchase.

To qualify for the Money Back Guarantee players must have lost their entire first purchase amount (up to a maximum of $50) prior to claiming their Money Back Guarantee.

The Money Back Guarantee refund amount will only be paid into a players Neteller account and only once a player has completed the steps to claim their Money Back Guarantee. The payment may take up to 72 hours to reflect in the players Neteller account.

When making a claim, players may be asked to wait while the system verifies that they have lost their entire first purchase amount (up to a maximum of $50). This verification process may take up to thirty (30) minutes to complete.

It's already time to start Christmas shopping. Don't think I'll bother with many gifts myself. I don't really want much other than lots of money or to get good at Poker. Lots of money isn't really a Christmas gift and no one but myself can make me good at Poker.

In the office we're doing a Secret Santa. The limit is £20 per gift, which means that the £20 dildo that I bought will probably be reciprocated by a 50p Biro stolen from the stationary cupboard.

Was looking at the random gifts from World Vision. But while it would be cool to buy a goat, I doubt I'd even get a picture for my endeavors.

After some hits taken in NL, and watching some failed PSB plays by Juice, I've done some pondering about the protection offered by betting the pot to protect against flush draws.

Suppose you have AsKc pre-flop. You do the standard 4BB raise and there are 3 callers.

The flop comes Ah 8h 2d. There are 16BB in the pot.

You have TPTK and your biggest fear is going to be someone drawing their flush. Anyone with a flush (hearts) draw is 4.2:1 to hit their hand on the turn, or about 2:1 to hit their flush by the river.

Suppose you bet the pot (i.e. bet 16BB) to protect your hand against the flush. This will offer the first caller 2:1 pot odds on their call. Suppose one player with a flush draw decides to take this offer and calls. Everyone else folds.

The turn is 3h, and there are 48BB in the pot.

So, the villain has completed his flush. However, having protected your hand, you assume that the villain has missed and bet the pot again (48BB). The villain calls.

So to summarise...

- at the flop there were 16BB in the pot.
- you put in 16BB to protect your hand on the flop
- on the turn you put in 48BB to protect your hand as you assumed no one with a flush would call.

Assuming the villain only calls the turn bet if he hits his flush on the turn, he's received a 4:1 payoff (wins 96BB for the 16BB flop call) for calling your initial PSB. And this doesn't include anything extra that he'll get on the river.

So... What does this all mean? If there is a flush draw on the board, and you have TPTK, then you do need to bet the flop to protect. However, if a scare card comes on the turn, it will be hard to fold. Also, if you're out of position and check the turn, opponents in late position may bet to bluff you out of the pot.

A smaller bet on the turn would not really help either. If you bet half the pot then the villain will be getting 3:1 odds on a 4:1 proposition. So this will be profitable if the villain hits their flush and sucks a bit more out of you on the river.

What does this rambling post all mean? Well, it basically states that if you BTP (bet the pot) on the flop and turn, you're giving your opponent(s) atleast 4:1 odds. That's enough for flush and straight draws to be profitable. However, if you show weakness on the turn, then the pot can be easily stolen from you.

An email that the Acorn sent me suggested a 3/4 pot sized bet to protect one's hand against flush draws.

Anyway, I'm going to leave this open for discussion and await some thoughts from my fellow bloggers and other loyal readers.

I've been catching the NL bug. With Juice, Acornman, Kronsdat, Butroz etc... migrating to NL I feel a little lonely at the limit tables.

Over the past couple of days I've hit some nice hands (four of a kind 9's against a Full House) and avoided some bad beats. As an example, I raise AKs pre-flop and hit top pair on the flop of AJx. The Jacks paired and someone bet the pot so I folded. At the showdown he had trip jax.

However, I'm still like a fish out of water, and still need some recommendations. The Acornman sent me some online resources. I'll post them here so that I don't lose them in the future (hope you don't mind me copying and pasting your email Mr Acorn!):

The words of the Acorn:

Go to blog below then check out "How to beat low-limit
nl:beginners guide" under "best of Hdouble" at the
righthand side of the page.
http://cardsspeak.servebeer.com/

The other "blog" is the best Limit holdem advice I've
seen online.The site was pulled but a fan of the guys
work put it all in this blog.
http://abdul-jalib-poker-strategy.blogspot.com/

Got an interesting promo from Royal Vegas. Might have to give it a go, though I have a feeling I might be attending a Christmas party on that day. Oh well. Anyway, here's the promo text they sent me.

Make your Dreams come true:
Have you ever dreamt of playing poker against thousands of people for millions in prize money and the title of World Champion? Well join us on December 17th 2005 for the WSOP Freeroll, where the winner walks away with a seat to the World Series of Poker 2006.

Is there a catch?
No! Simply login to the software on December 17th, pull up a chair and have fun! Seats are limited so get there early.

Spice up your play:
While playing your game of poker, you can now also slip in a game of Blackjack or Roulette in the comfort of the Royal Vegas Poker software. Simply login to Royal Vegas Poker and play away!

---

Was reading an article about how webmasters can get more traffic by inserting typos into their code. I have therefore added some typos for wsop and royal vegas to the bottom of this post. If you want to generate your own typos please try this Typo Generator.

esop, ssop, qsop, weop, waop, wdop, wwop, wsip, wslp, wspp, wsoo, wsol
royal vegsa, royal evgas, eoyal vegas, toyal vegas, goyal vegas, foyal vegas, riyal vegas, rlyal vegas, rpyal vegas, rotal vegas, roual vegas, rohal vegas, roysl vegas, royzl vegas, royql vegas, royap vegas, royam vegas, royak vegas, royal cegas, royal begas, royal fegas, royal veras, royal venas, royal vetas, royal vehas, royal vegss, royal vegzs, royal vegqs, royal vegae, royal vegaa, royal vegad, royal vegaw