Tilted Poker Blog

On Tilt

2009-07-27T08:13:00.001-07:00

If you are not familiar with the term 'tilt' in poker, it basically means to start playing and thinking irrationally after a bad beat. It probably originated from pinball, where if you got frustrated and start trying to tilt the table to force another outcome in the game when you are playing bad. In both cases, the outcome is usually the same. In pinball, the flippers will stop working when the table is tilted and you lose the ball. In poker, your brain stops working, and you end up losing as well.

My name, Tilted Poker Lover was just meat to be a play on words (everyone's heard of a jilted lover) so that's just what I came up with. But I can tell you, that when you tilt in poker, it's much like being jilted in a relationship. It can cause you to not think rationally and do things you otherwise would not normally do.

After a bad beat, where your pocket aces got beat by someone with a pocket pair of 5's who calls you all the way down to the river and lucks out and get a 5 on the river and win, you can get angry and frustrated. The person with the pocket 5's really should not have ever been in that hand, especially after not getting anything on the flop. Their chances of getting that 5 do not justify calling your raise. But sure enough, they call you all the way down, and against all odds they win the hand and take almost all your chips.

So now you are upset that you were in good shape, and all of a sudden you realize you might not make the bubble. Two things happen here. Either you just write it off to a lucky draw, which you know over time will punish a player who chases them and regroup and continue playing the game soundly. Or you just get pissed and throw all your chips in on the next crap hand hoping to get lucky and at least double up and get back in the game. If the latter, then you are on tilt, and are now playing irrationally.

Anytime you go on tilt, if you can't totally recompose yourself, you need to stop playing for a while until you calm down and get everything back in to perspective where you can play your best game.

Had you completely shrugged it off, you could have possibly staged a comeback in that game, even though if blinds are going up it would be an uphill battle. You at least have a better chance if you continue to play smart. And if you still end up missing the bubble, you will go into the next game in the right frame of mind to continue playing your best game, knowing that bad beats happen. It's just part of the game.

But if you go on tilt, and continue playing, chances are you will not play your best game, leading to more frustration, and in some cases lead to full tilt.

Full tilt is when you have completely lost it, and start playing desperately to win your money back. A lot of times, this means playing higher buy-in tables so you can get it back in one fail swoop. You think, I know I can win and it will only take one win at this bigger table to get it all back. But you will not be playing your best game, and will most likely bust out before the bubble, leading to even more frustration and desperation.

When you go on tilt, even in the least little bit. It's time to step back away from the table. If it's just a little bit - then just stop for a moment, take a few deep breaths, and recompose yourself and continue playing as if nothing happened. If you get really tilted, you need to stop playing altogether for a while.

Some online sites have a feature that allows you to 'self exclude'. This means you basically ban yourself from playing for whatever time frame you specify. I highly recommend using this. For instance, if you suffer a series of losses and start finding yourself trying to desperately recouperate those losses, then put yourself on a 12 hour self exclusion. That way you have time to calm down, and then when you do play again, by then you will hopefully be in the right frame of mind to play winning poker.

The self exclude option is also there for extreme cases, for instance - when you have lost all of your money, and you know you can not afford to put any more money in there right now - but you desperately want to try to win the money back. A longer term self exclusion will prevent you from putting more money in, and force you to wait until you can afford it, and even more importantly - resume playing in a much better frame of mind. You will have already accepted your huge losses and be able to start fresh and play poker the way it is intended to be played, which is to have fun playing it.

If you can't have fun, then you don't need to be playing. That is why bankroll management is so important. Never play for more money than you are totally comfortable with losing. That way when you suffer a bad beat or set back, it won't affect your future play. And also, you won't go into the game already worried that you might lose it, and end up making mistakes in a desperate attempt not to lose it. You can not play patiently and soundly when you have too much at stake.

Focus, Focus, Focus

2009-07-27T07:45:00.000-07:00

Haven't blogged in a few days. Last week, my first week playing ended well. I have been gradually building up my bankroll, and playing some decent, sound poker. Had some bad beats, made the occassional bad calls, but overall played well.

I didn't play much this weekend, but did not make it to the money in a single game out of 5 tables that I did play. Of course, I know why that is. There were too many distractions. And a couple of the games I played right before I went to bed, and was obviously tired, but wanted to get my fix in (I just love playing poker).

So I ignored my own advice in my previous post, and the results further prove my points. From an entertainment point of view, I was playing low buy-in tables, so no biggie on the losses, it was worth it just to get my poker fix. But this is just not something you want to do too often, if you are serious about being a winning poker player.

You really need to focus 100% of the time you are playing. I prefer to play with no one even in the same room with me. No TV or radio on. No browser window open where I am tempted to flip over and check on something else while I am waiting for my turn. Stay totally focused on the table and what is going on.

If you sometimes find that you have trouble keeping total focus, then it's a good practice to take notes on paper. Sure, I can make notes mentally, but by writing them down on paper, it forces you to stay focused. And as you know, writing something down always reinforces your memory.

After my last game yesterday evening, my first thought was "dang - I haven't made it to the money on a single game this weekend!". But immediately, I knew this was not because of bad luck, or that I was on a losing streak due to anything other than not playing my best game.

So let this serve as a reminder. It's fine to play a game or two when you are not at your best. But do not make it a habit, or your bankroll will suffer and you will find yourself without the funds to play the game that you enjoy so much : )

Til next time,
Tilted Poker Lover

Attitude is Everything

2009-07-23T12:12:00.000-07:00

When someone says they have had a long losing streak, what they are really thinking in their mind is that they have had a long string of bad luck.

Occasionally, you will indeed have a string of losses where it seems like you could never get a break, and the cards never fell your way.

But was that really entirely due to luck? Sure, those junk hands that you kept getting dealt were due to pure luck. But was there any way you could have played differently when you kept getting less than ideal hands, that maybe would have bettered your chances of a different outcome? Or at least preserved your bankroll a little better? Are you sure?

The reason I ask this, is because if you think a losing streak is entirely due to bad luck, you are admitting that your game relies mostly on luck rather than skill.

Before someone gets offended, we all suffer losing streaks. My point here is to make you think differently during a losing streak.

A losing streak is almost a self fulfilling prophecy. Once you start thinking and believing that you are having a long run of really bad luck, your attitude towards your game changes, whether you realize it or not. All your knowledge and skills are still there, but subconsciously it affects the way you play.

First of all, you are down money, which you really want to get back. Secondly, you think that you are due a lucky break. Thirdly, you may even start to doubt your abilities. Once you combine all these elements, and more, it makes it more likely that you will not play your best game, likely resulting in an extended losing streak.

"No, not me" - you are saying to yourself. "It's no big deal, I'll win again". This is true. But in your sub-conscious mind, you want that money back, you are due. Lady Luck has frowned on you long enough.

And if you are not getting the cards, it now makes it much more likely you are going to unecessarily risk a lot of chips on a marginal hand, thinking that eventually you are going to get a break, or that this is the best it's gonna get.

And with the odds stacked against you, you put your chips in knowing that you are going to need a lucky flop to win this one, or worse, have to chase a card down to the river. Against your better judgement, you go for it, and suffer yet another loss.

After you get done blurting out expletives in frustration, the thing to do now is to step away from the table. You have no business playing poker right now. Not because you are a bad player. But because you are not in the right frame of mind to play your best game.

It happens to the best of the best. Nothing to be ashamed of. You should not have been playing in the first place, at least not until you are able to look at it in a completely different way.

First of all, every game is independent. The outcome has nothing to do with the previous games, whether you have won 10 in a row, or lost 10 in a row. The outcome of the current game has to do with how you play that game, with whatever the random draw gives you.

So the first thing you have to do is forget the past. Forget how much money you had in your bankroll before the losing streak. Forget what lady luck dealt you before. Forget those bad beats on the rare cases you were dealt a good hand. Forget trying to make up for your past losses. This is a new day, a new table, a new beginning.

Until you can totally clear your mind and go in to the next game with a completely different attitude, you shouldn't be playing. Only when you truly in your mind can let it go, and start fresh, should you get back into the game. You should only be at the table when you are at your best.

Even when you are not suffering a losing streak and are down and out about it - there are other times when you shouldn't be playing.

Like when you are stressed or tired. I often find that I am not playing my best game when it gets later into the evening, and the long day at work and little sleep are starting to catch up with me. It is important to recognize when you are starting to get off your A game, and call it a day.

Alcohol is another thing that can affect your game. Personally, after a long stressful day at work, I want a drink or two to relax. Which is fine. In fact, it helps me to relax and unwind. If you go into a game stressed out, even about something totally unrelated to poker, it's not good for your game. But like everything, there is moderation. Too much alcohol affects your judgement, and therefore you are much more likely to make mistakes and bad calls.

If you are depressed, or not feeling good for whatever reason, it's probably not the best time to play.

You should also never play with more money than you will be totally fine with losing. When I play a Sit N Go tourney, I post my entry fee and in my mind, that money is gone - it's spent. I am not trying to win it back. I am just simply playing to win.

You should always go into a game feeling good, with a good attitude. And most important, lest we not forget, you should be playing to have fun.

As soon as it isn't fun, like after a bad beat that you just can't seem to shake, is when it's time to call it a day and come back the next time in the right frame of mind and ready to play a fun game of Texas Holdem : )

Til next time ...
Tilted Poker Lover

Patience and Discipline Pays Off

2009-07-23T09:34:00.000-07:00

In my previous post, I went into detail about my first game last night, which is worth a read. It's not just a play by play account, there may be some little nuggets of wisdom in there : )

Because of some unusual circumstances, I got off to a flying start in my first Sit N Go 1 table tourney and tripled my chip stack quickly. So this meant that I deviated quite a bit from how I would normally play a Sit N Go table. This is not the norm, as the rest of my night proved. But it didn't mean that he remaining games were bad, just means that I had to play a strategy that required a lot of patience and discipline.

When I first decided to play for real money, I started reading everything I could find online. I had been playing free money poker for years, and fairly successfully, but I knew that this was going to be a different game. I didn't want to go in thinking that my success with play money would automatically transfer to real money play. One golden nugget that I dug up was DrunkBlonde's blog. She gives sound fundamentals for playing Sit N Go tourneys (and poker in general). I read all of her blog posts, several times (along with a lot of other material). I read them again. And again.

So in my mind, I now have a game plan and a strategy, that if executed properly, should give me decent results. My first night out, was quite honestly horrible. The bad thing is, I knew I was making mistakes, even before I made them - but I didn't practice the patience and discipline needed in order to execute a good game.

My second night out, was a different story. I stuck to my plan. I remembered everything DrunkBlonde said - and win or lose, I was gonna stick to the strategy.

So I start my second game, and I am for the most part getting crap hands dealt to me. No problem folding those. As I keep folding, I am watching other people around me rake in chips. Even though I am sitting here with a good stack, have only given up a few small blinds, I am starting to feel a little urgency as I see other stacks grow.

But I am sticking to the plan. I am not going to gamble away my stack on mediocre hands, even if it is just a small amount, it's not worth it over time, cause you will slowly deplete your stack. I refocus and remind myself that if I stick with my strategy, things will work out fine.

I get dealt an A 8. Best hand I have gotten so far. But not good enough at this point. I have people consistently raising, and I am not in position to see what everyone else is going to do. So I quickly fold. I have folded what seems like 20 times in a row by now, but like I said, I really have been getting dealt crap, or at best mediocre hands. My chances of winning anything with a full table with a marginal hand are just too slim to put the chips on the table. I have checked a few times in the big blind, but got nothing on the flop.

The temptation to play a mediocre hand increases as you keep getting junk. And to top it off, there were a couple of times where the flop was in your favor, and that junk hand you folded could have been a winner.

But nah, I am waiting for the winning hand before I put my chips in (or at least the best chance of a winning hand). I still have a good stack, and it will only take one or two big hands to put me right with the leaders. In fact, I may catch a couple of the leaders by doing nothing, because they are constantly putting chips on the table, and their big stacks are starting to shrink some.

So you probably think that during all this time, that I have been sitting here groaning about all the junk I am getting - which I am, but that's not all I am doing.

I have been using this time to watch everyone and how they are playing. I am taking some mental notes. When the players cards turn over, I pay close attention to what they won with, and more importantly, what the losers held. This tells you what kind of player you are against. A bad beat is a bad beat. So in that situation, the loser was playing a good game. He did what any good player would do. The table odds vs the hand odds made it a smart play. But then you have losers who followed through with bets knowing they had a weak hand. This is the sign of a weak player.

There is a lot to take in, and too much to really go into everything in this post. But the main point is that when the table is slow for you, and you are just folding bad hand after bad hand waiting for the monster, don't divert your attention to the tv or browse the internet while waiting for your next turn.

Pay close attention to everything going on at the table. You may not be an expert at reading tables and players, but any information that you can manage to gather about your opponents will only help you later in the game.

I get dealt a pair of Q's, and win my first hand, getting a couple of calls on my raises. Now my chip stack is looking a lot better. I'm in the big blind, everyone folds except for the small blind, I am holding a QJ suited, I check and get a good flop and rake in a few more chips. The strategy is paying off. After that, things slowed back down, but I sat back and watched the other players get eliminated until we were down to three. We're in the money, so now it's go time!

I have the smallest stack, so I am going to be selective agressive at this point. At this point my definition of a good hand is relaxed a bit, giving me more options. I fold any junk hands, even if I am in the small blind. I manage to win a few hands, now am second in chips. The smaller chip stack is taken out by the leader. He's got more than double my chips. He's a good player, and plays much like I do. We go back and forth, each winning some hands, but nothing big. He still has a decided chip advantage over me. I get a pair of J's and decide to go for it. I'm all in, and he flops a second K, and the turn and river are no help to me, so I have to settle for 2nd.

The rest of my night went well, the next game I busted out on the bubble. Then I managed another second place finish. Then another first place finish. The last game I finished 6th due to a bonehead move on my part. At this point it's late, and I know it's time to call it a night. I am very happy overall with my night, and hope that I can continue to play with the discipline and patience needed for a winning strategy : )

Til next time ...
Tilted Poker Lover

Day Two - Major Improvement

2009-07-23T04:35:00.000-07:00

Last night was a fun night of poker. I had a really good night.

My first game started out very well, within the first few hands I was dealt an Ah Kh, and flopped an As Kc 4d giving me two pair. I put in a moderate raise after seeing everyone else limp in. Two people at the table call me. At this point there is no chance of a flush. So on the turn, out flops a 9h. Now I am in great shape. Unless someone got pocket A's or K's, I have this table beat. No chance of a flush, a straight, or a full house.

Both of the other players check, so I put in another moderate raise just in case someone is trying to slow play me - which means that they are sitting on a winning hand and just calling the raises or checking and waiting until the turn or river to raise big in order to not scare everyone out and try to squeeze out a few more chips.

They both call. So now I am thinking, they probably have an A or a K and are thinking they have the best hand. The river flops out, and it's a 3h. They both check. So now I know that whatever they have, I am certain I have them beat. I go all in. Both of them call! And of course the cards turn over, indeed they both have an A, and I rake in a huge stack with my two pair and 2 people are eliminated very early. This is a great position to be in.

Now I am sitting here with a stack three times as big as anyone else at the table. I can pretty much cruise to the final 3, which I pretty much did. However, I did play some hands that I normally would have folded, and since the blinds were low, I figured it was worth a look at the flop in some cases. After my big win, the table tightened up. This enabled me to steal a few blinds along the way, and even sneak in a bluff or two.

When it got down to the final three, I was in great shape. Once I am in the money, I usually do pretty well, especially in heads up when it's down to two people. I quickly lured the third place person all in with his small stack, and me holding a good hand. Took him out and now I am heads up with another guy who has about 2/3's as many chips as I do. This is when I become super agressive.

My strategy in a heads up situation, is to either raise if I am dealt a decent hand - not necessarily a premium hand. When you are down to just two I consider any pair, any two face cards (even if unsuited) and pretty much any suited connectors a decent hand to raise. But if I am in the small blind and am dealt a bad hand, I don't hesitate to fold and just let my opponent have that little chunk of change, rather than ending up giving him a little more to see a flop which is most likely not going to go my way.

My opponent was making two huge mistakes. For one, he was playing too selectively and was too quick to fold my raises. He is thinking that every hand I play is a great hand (which it wasn't in most cases, only marginal). This also enabled me to sneak in a few complete bluffs, which he quickly folded to.

His second mistake, and probably most deadly, was that when he was dealt a decent hand worth playing, he only called the big blind, allowing me to just check and get a look at the flop even when my hand was crap. And if the flop was in my favor, I didn't hesitate to raise, and he almost always quickly folded. Like myself, he was quick to fold if he was in the small blind and was dealt a crap hand. Smart play. But his other mistakes fell right into my hands.

It took a little while for me to chip away at his stack since he, for the most part, kept folding anytime I would raise and never considered that he might have a winning hand. I mean, there is only one other person at the table, and the chance of them always having that one card that can beat you goes way down. He never really took that into consideration and I was killing him with hands that weren't that great to be honest. And this ended up costing him, and I ended up winning my first table.

So my first table I took a win, but I know that there was some luck involved that put me in a situation to lure two other players all in and steal their stack early in the round. At which point, my whole strategy changed from what I would normally play at a Sit N Go. Now I could affiord to play some hands that weren't necessarily premium hands while the blinds were still low in order to get a peek at the flop. As you know, even a seemingly crap hand can get a lucky flop that makes it a winner. But under normal circumstances when you are at an even chip level with most of the other players, it's not worth putting down chips every decent hand hoping for one of these lucky flops. You will find your chip stack slowly eroding and leaving you desperate when the blinds start going up.

Since this post is already so long, I will go into detail about the rest of my night in a followup post, which will be worth reading, because it will talk about normal Sit N Go strategy, which is the strategy that you should be playing most of the time.

I will go ahead and tell you the results of my full night of poker. I played 6 tables, finished 2nd in two of them, and finished 1st twice. A pretty good night, I had a lot of fun - but not just because I won, but because there was some great play among the better players, and several shoot-from-the-hip bullies who got taken down hard.

I don't know why, but these type of players who raise every hand regardless of what they have and try to bully the table into constantly folding and stealing blinds really get on my nerves. But it's sort of a love/hate thing. I hate the way they play, but I love the way it almost always plays out, because it makes them an easy target for you (or someone else) when the time is right. So the nice thing about these players, is that the table will clear faster when you have them at your table. They will get lucky and take out a few other not so smart players (or at least deplete their chip stack) but in the end, they usually will get taken out themselves when they push their luck too far. If you sit back, and watch the insanity unfold, and only jump in on a sure thing, then it makes it easier to make it to the money with these type of players at the table.

It's ok to bluff, steal blinds, and raise in select situations, but raising every single hand is just relying solely on luck. The nice thing about poker, it's not simply a game of luck, and you can always count on these type of players busting out, even after amassing a huge chip stack which should have allowed them to easily cruise into the money. But they figure lady luck must be on their side, and keep putting the chips on the table. And there is always a player - like myself - who is just sitting patiently waiting for the right time to take them all in : )

Til next time ...
Tilted Poker Lover

The First Day

2009-07-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

Since I started this blog after I started my adventure, I have a little catching up to do. But before I get to my first day of real money poker, want to offer a little more background.

In my introduction, I mentioned that I have been playing Texas Hold'em for play money for a couple of years. Most recently, on Facebook. You can also play on Myspace and even Full Tilt has free money games. On Facebook, I started around 6 months ago, and started with a couple thousand dollars in play money. Slowly built that up, then started playing bigger money tables and in no time I rocketed up past a million dollars! Ever since then, I have experienced some wild swings, I quickly lost a big chunk of that, and then made it back to a million, only to go through a losing streak and nearly went bust.

So then I gradually built that up, made it to a million again, then a few more wild swings (down to around 150k), and currently sit at around 500k.

I consider myself an ok poker player. Turning $2,000 into a million and even with my wild swings I am sitting at 500k, some might think I am a great player. Trust me, I am not. I made huge gambles that relied on more luck than anything, which sometimes payed off big, and others were disastrous. The wild swings in my bankroll reflect that I was not always playing a smart game.

But another factor, is the people that you play against when using play money, are also mostly just throwing it all out there, hoping to hit that lucky flop, turn or river. In a typical Sit N Go tournament in a play money environment, you almost always have one person go all in on the first hand before the flop, and almost as certainly have one or two people call them. This is one instance where I always played smart. I never went all in on the first hand, even if I had pocket aces, because Sit N Go is about survival. The first goal is to make it to the final 3. Then it's time to go for the win. And since you always had someone all in and at least one sucker to call em, then the field is always narrowed right at the start, making it easier to make it to the money.

So as you can tell, a play money environment is a lot easier than a real money environment. When dealing with play money, even a marginal player with some basic skills can do well.

So now on to the real deal. Now we are playing with real money. Not a lot granted, but I want to stay in the game without having to spend a lot of money since I am not much of a gambler. So things are different now, way different ...

I read up on strategies beforehand, and although I did have some good basic knowledge, I found that there is a lot to learn. One of my favorite sources for Sit N Go strategy is DrunkBlonde's blog And there is one aspect that I realized real quick in a real money situation vs play money that is very important, and that is discipline! I did a ton of reading, but when it came to actually putting that knowledge to use, I did a terrible job.

Although I generally knew how I needed to play, which hands to play, and when to play - I quickly found myself calling a raise that I had no business calling. In a play money environment, bluffing is rampant. So in my first game, I had a several good hands that could be the best hand, but there were a couple of remote possibilities that the other player could have a better hand. In those situations, I found myself calling the raise (or raising myself) not believing that they had that one card which could give them the better hand, and ended up paying for it.

Lesson learned. I was so used to winning in a majority of those situations, because most often they were bluffing. In a real money environment, you have to pick your times to bluff in the right situation. And my opponents were not really in a position where it made sense that they would be bluffing. I knew that, and even sensed that they indeed did have that one card that could make their hand - but old habits are hard to break. No biggie, it's part of the learning experience.

My second game went much better. This was largely due to the fact that there was one player at the table who played like the type of opponents I was used to. He raised pre-flop on nearly every hand. He was immediately to my left, so I rarely had the luxury of knowing what he was going to do before it was my turn. But I pretty much knew what he was going to do after a few hands of him raising every time. So I just kept folding, even decent hands that ordinarily would have been playable, and just waited patiently as he chipped away at the other players, who mostly folded and just gave him the blinds.

A couple would call, and a couple of times beat him. But for the most part, he would just push all in, bullying them and scaring them out if they dared to call any raise. I kept folding, giving up a couple of blinds myself.

Then finally, I get dealt pocket K's. I knew this was as good a time as any to face him down. Of course, he raises 240 pre-flop (blinds are only 60 at this point). I call him. Out flops 2h 7d 3s. At this point, I know I have him beat unless he has pocket A's or two pair. There is no reason to think he does, since he raises every hand. Had he been playing tight, and then raised on this particular hand, I would have considered the possibility.

I raise. He calls. Now I know he's toast, he certainly would have re-raised if he had the pocket A's. Turn is a Qs. I raise again, he calls. Then we get a 10h on the river. I raise moderately (remembering that there is a possibility that he could have a better hand, however remote). Now he re-raises me. Now I figure he is either bluffing, or has a Q or 10, or best case for him, 2 pair. Just based on his tendancy to bully, I figured if he had 2 pair or pocket rockets, he'd be all in.

So I decide it's go time. I had been just trying to squeeze every chip out of him that I could without causing him to fold, but now I know it's time to try to get every one of them. I raise him all in, he calls. Perhaps he thinks I am bluffing now? Sure enough, he had a 10s 4d, evidently thinking I had nothing and that his pair of 10's were the best hand - and so he busted out.

With the stack of chips I amassed from the bully, I just coasted into the final three and ultimately took 1st place : )

My last game went much like my first. I got dealt some good hands, took a couple of bad beats, but started getting a little too confident and ended up calling some raises where I had a very good hand, but not the best possible. And as it turned out, my opponent did. Went bust in 5th place. I'm pretty tired at this point, so I know it's time to call it a night.

I feel ok about my first night of playing. I pretty much broke even. But it was a real eye opener as far as what my skill level really is, compared to what I thought it was. Thing is, I knew I was making some mistakes even before I made them - but for whatever reason I was hoping for a little luck, which never went my way.

I really gotta work on my discipline. Especially in a Sit N Go tourney where the first priority is simply surving to make the final 3. You only need to win a few hands along the way to go into the final showdown in good shape. Sounds simple eh? It is, except you have to be disciplined enough to lay down what seems like a good hand, and wait for the monster hand which is unbeatable before you put a lot of chips on the table. Sometimes the cards just don't fall your way, and you suffer bad beats. But I know that tonights losses were not due to bad luck. I had the hands, and if I had played them better, and used more discipline and folded when I knew I had been beat, I would have done a lot better. My competitive nature took over and I went for it at times when I should have backed down. Hopefully I'll play a better game tomorrow.

Til Next Time,
Tilted Poker Lover

Introduction

2009-07-22T06:01:00.000-07:00

This blog is going to be about my foray into online poker. I have been playing online poker for play money for a couple of years, and decided that I would give real money poker a shot. Now, I am not much of a gambler, but I love Texas Hold'em poker.

I opened up an account at Full Tilt, and deposited a small sum of money (nothing more than I would spend on a typical night out on the town). I am going to be playing small money tables, mostly Sit N Go 1 table tourneys with $1 to $2 buy-ins

A couple of reasons to play Sit N Go, especially if you are new to Texas Hold'em, is that you get to play and get more experience with a fixed amount of money going in. You know how much you will lose in each session. A typical Sit N Go 1 table tourney goes like this:

You have 9 people who buy in to the table ( buy-ins range anywhere from $1 and up ). Then the round begins. On Full Tilt, each player starts out with 1500 chips. This is not real money, these are your tourney chips that you will use to try to make it to the final 3 in order to get part of the payout. I play the one table tourneys, instead of big tourneys where you have to survive through multiple tables and multitudes of people to hit the payout. You only have to make it to the final 3 of the first (and only) table to win money. Sure, the payout is not as big, but this format fits me better since I don't have to dedicate a lot of time for each tourney. I can just play a table when I have an hour to spare. And I don't have to put a lot at risk in order to have fun playing.

So now the first hand is dealt, and basically it's a matter of elimination, when you lose all your chips, you are out. A typical one table tourney will last around an hour - that is, if you are still around for the final 3 and haven't busted out early.

Once you are down to the final three, then dynamics change considerably. Now that everyone left is guaranteed a payout, play tends to get fast and furious. This is where it gets really fun.

If you do bust out before the final three, you have only lost whatever you paid to buy in. In most cases, if you play reasonably smart, you will get to play a lot of hands for that fixed amount of buy in. If you are good enough, or lucky enough, to make it to the final 3 - you will get a payout which generally goes like this:

Winner gets 50% of the total buy in. Second gets 30% and third get 20%. For example, on a $1 table, there are 9 people who buy in, for a total of $9. So winner gets 50% of that which is $4.50. Second place gets $2.70 and third place gets $1.80

One thing to note, is that you have to pay a fee to join a table. This is how the online casino makes money (they are a business and have to make money). And since Texas Hold'em is not a casino game where you are playing against the house (in which the odds are always in the favor of the house), you are solely playing against other people. So each table has a fee (called a 'rake') which generally is around 10-15% of the buy-in. So for example - a $2 table, the rake may be .$25, so you will have to pay $2.25 to play that table.

The attractive thing about Texas Holdem, as I stated above, is that you are not playing against the house or dealer. The odds are not stacked in anyone's favor. It is you against the other players. So it will boil down to skill and yes, a little luck. But if you think poker is purely a game of luck, then poker is not for you. A skilled player will beat a player who solely relies on luck 9 out of 10 times. I will get in to more details about this in future posts.

So anyway, this blog will chronicle my adventures, and will also serve as a log for me to go back and look at, so that I can learn from my mistakes, and hopefully you can too. Although I stated that I have been playing online poker for a while, there is a huge difference in playing for play money, and for real money. With real money, you will not make pure gambles like you would with play money (or at least, you shouldn't). And so, this will test my true skills in a game that I love : )

Til next time,
Tilted Poker Lover