poker sites and people

I think the way you play poker is a reflection on how you live your life. Take bluffing for example. Now some people just throw caution to the wind and hope to hit. These people tend to lose everything they have in life and it reflects on the poker table for sure. That's not really bluffing, that's just pure stupidity and madness. On the other hand you find someone that plays safe and never gives until he/she is sure that the hand is good enough. That person will walk through life wait for his day and not let anyone distract him/her from the path to the goal. Maybe that person will have a boring life but secure in the knowledge that the rainy day will not be too wet. Boring and no fun but comfortable within his/her own mind if a bit neurotic. Then we have the bluffers for real. Someone that likes to live on the edge, Get the most out of life, throw caution to the wind on occasions but always looks before the leap. I look at bluffers when they are on the tables and this is my impression of them. I am sure that the good bluffer will only take the chance when the situation is right. Here's an example. Lets say "bluffy the small hand player" is at the table and his 2 hole cards are 9/10 unsuited. OK, the flop arrives and it shows 3 clubs 7 spades and q diamonds. Now to look at the flop, you would say that there is not much about apart from maybe 2 pair at the most. No possible flush for sure and no probable straight. My thinking is that he/she would take a look at the betting and if he/she sees that no one is putting anything into the kitty, then the ante can be raised to chase you away. On the other hand if you were to bet a half decent bet, the bluffer would be reckoning (by rights) that you have at least a pair. If your bet was big then bluffy would have to think you are on 2 pair. From this assumption that you have a pair, bluffy would move in for the kill. Chuck everything into the kitty, knowing that you are going to be thinking. wow, what on earth has bluffy got that would make him do such a thing. Must be at least 2 pair. Im out of here. Now I know for sure that I am not right all the time and I have been caught out in these situations before because I never acted appropriately but I think you will find that this is the general way of thinking for bluffy. He/she always looks at the situation, assesses it correctly 9 times out of 10 and kills the game off. This is how bluffy builds his/her chips and in the bigger rounds with higher stakes. Bluffy gets bigger pots. Bluffy will get stung occasionally but wins enough to build upon and scare. The more bluffy has in his/her stack, the more he/she will scare you to death. Bluffy likes life and wins and loses but makes it big at times. Good for you bluffy. You cant complain if you don't win against bluffy! its your own fault for not reading the game correctly. Of course its a bit more complex than just that but there it is. My simple view

Gordy
www.planetbet.co.uk

confused and amused

These are the words of a certain roger waters and looking at things from the perspective of a poker player, it does make perfect sense. I found out to my expense that, if you look at it logically, no one likes to part with their cash. Therefore, I would look at what people are saying as they are playing or at least i should have by now. I played a game today for instance. I get the AA and go in with a big raise as I should do. Now, logic dictates that everyone knows I got a good hand. I get three calls. Great!! The flop deals K J 4 all different suits. I got a pair of aces and this tells me I am strong. To my left I get a check and to his left he gets a check. Now player number 4 goes in with a big bet leading me to believe he has got(remember, he bet against my big raise) a king. Now I'm left with the dilemma of thinking he has K J or K 10 or K Q or KA. To my reckoning, I am strong. So I push him. The odds are in my favour so why not. The others fold and he calls me for an all in(first figgin hand).He didn't have a K Q A. And low and behold he turns a J 4. It does make perfect sense when you look at it. He raised the ante before I could get to him just as the flop fell. I should have known that he had something good or great but I was in the position of having top pair against an amateur rag player. What on gods earth can you do. "It was an all in hand gordon" that's what my problem was now that I have analyzed the situation. My raise was not enough to scare him away, even though he had a terrible hand in the first place. Lessons in stupidity part 558,345.
gordy
www.planetbet.co.uk
amazed and dazed

I have been playing too much of recent so I think I will take a break from poker. I don't think you can become an expert on the subject if you spend too much time trying to analyse the game. It becomes a minefield and you really need to step back some times and breath in deep and relaaaaax. Don't get in a pickle. Just watch others playing if you feel the need to be at the tables but your head is a shed of broken tools. I would strongly recommend that you take time for yourself and give it a miss some times. Go on, you know you can do it.
relaaaaax
www.planetbet.co.uk
Gordy
folly and off my trolley

I wrote an article on negatives turning to positives. OK , not everything is black and white. I just played a game and I played it with a negative feeling all the way through. I played safe, cautious, kinda positive but I still had this negative feeling all through the game.Hmmmmm... I decided that the negative feeling was my imagination and I would put it to one side and get on with my game ( "feeling positive" ). I raised my big ones when I had to ( still feeling a wee bit negative in the back of my head ) and found my self on the receiving end of a runner or a flusher. Now, I was on a free roll may I add. This has to be, to me the key factor in my demise. Free rollers don't seem to have any concept of right and wrong. If you have a big hand or a small hand then it seems to make no difference to some people. I would therefore advise extreme caution in free rolls and tell you that there is no such a thing as top hand at times when free rolling. OK , some people take free rolls serious, like myself but beware the joker in the pack. He/she will chuck everything at you no matter what the hand. This could be a good thing at times but the odds dictate that you will get stung at times and just hope its not at the wrong time like me. I'm all in with my KK and I'm all out to a rag of a hand. Such is life. Its only a free roll but the joker popped in to let me know that there are 53 cards in a pack.
gordy www.planetbet.co.uk
obscure and unsure

How to turn your game around or just keep it safe or on the good side is the secret we would all like to know. I think that there are a lot of negative aspects about my play. I don't know if anyone out there feels the same but if there are any of you then I suggest that maybe we look at the negatives and turn them into positives instead of dwelling on the bad things and hoping they will turn around and walk away. What I mean by that is this for example. I have a bad habit in poker and that's not raising enough when I get a big hand i:e AA. Now I may just call a small blind sometimes and you can almost guarantee that everyone on the board will do the same(call) even if they have small connectors i:e 4/5 unsuited. Now, to my reckoning. Thats left me in a position where I may have to fend off 7/8 maybe even 9 or 10 players and once that flop hits the board I can almost guarantee that someone will hit a possible run or possible flush. This leaves me with my big Aces in a compromising position. Now , if I had raised it to the appropriate amount (depending on which stage of play you are at) I would then have at least shrugged off the runners and flushers with small hands. That leaves me to deal with the bigger hands on the board and I can almost be certain that I am the top hand given the state of the flop (whatever that may be) or in a bad state depending on what the flop tells me. At least I don't have to put up with a 4/5 off suit kicking my ass out of the game and if I do go out,I went out to a good hand. My negative state of mind lets me down on these occasions. Don't get caught in the same rut. Play your big hands with confidence and at least give yourself a chance at winning every hand you play. Find your negative play and turn it around into a positive play. You may not win every time but at least your game will be on a par with everyone else's and you will feel better about your poker. Let me know what your negatives are and lets see if we can turn them around. Don't be shy.I want to help you and I would like you to help me. Post here about your play. www.planetbet.co.uk
Good luck on the tables
Gordy
remote and out of my boat

Its easier said than done, this patience thing. I may need to practice what I preach in future as I found myself in a rather confusing situation today and acted incorrectly. Let me enlighten you. I took £10 onto a table for a good old game of poker. Now, normally I would expect my £10 to last me an hour or so and I will walk away in profit or with nothing but a numb bum for my time but on this occasion my first hand was Ace Ace and to all of you that know the game well, this is the best starting hand available. There is nothing that can beat you as you stand. Only another Ace Ace can be drawing with you. So this guy goes all in and I rush to my call button with great enthusiasm knowing that there is nothing on the planet that could be better than AA and I promptly call. My cash is about to double when I see he has 3 3. You see, Its not very often that you get this opportunity. As I say to people all the time,"You need to grind it out" But to prove me wrong occasionally, out comes the big hand AA. You must take advantage of these hands but the lesson is, Don't throw all your coins into the fountain and expect a return of good fortune. It may not happen every time and if you are on a tight budget then keep some for a rainy day. Well!! a rainy day it is and I have no gold coins left to see me through. You see its not just the fact that he hit his 3 for his hand and I never hit my Ace. Its the mere fact that he didn't hit until the very last card(the river card). I really don't mind losing to 3 3 or any decent pair or suited connectors( 9/10 hearts for example). I just mind being beaten by my sheer stupidity. The odds where in his favour as much as mine when the cards where turned because he has the same odds of hitting as I do and I have went all in with every penny I had on the day and "threw caution to the wind".OK I was favourite when the cards where turned but I was also walking into a minefield blind and I got all the way until I reached the fence, stood on the last mine and was blown back to the start of the field. I will walk the field again, only, the next time I will have my metal detector with me and walk cautiously.
Gordy www.planetbet.co.uk
depressed and obsessed

How do you get ahead of the sharks and stay there?
Is it possible ? I think it may well be.Heres why. I find that most people on internet poker play much like they would when at a live table face to face with other human beings instead of a computer animation. They don't want to lose much like yourself, so they play with caution at all times and when the opportunity arrives they will hit you hard and fast. If they see a weakness in your game ,they will exploit it sharply (I think this is one of the skills that makes them sharks and you fishy) being able to watch players and know when he/she has only a small hand purely by the fact that you hesitated or didn't raise enough. At the end of the day to realise what's happening, you must understand that these people are exactly the same as you and have exactly the same odds of hitting a hand as you. Play tight but not too tight because you may well miss your straight, flush or winning hand. Don't throw caution to the wind with a bet on any stupid hands because 9 times out of 10 you wont hit. Dont go straight into a game until you have had a look at how the others are playing (some play only tight and some throw caution right out the window) as this is where your opportunity lies, at the entrance door. The more you know about your opponents before you take them on,the better a chance you will give yourself of cashing in on them. Another thing I would recommend is bravery. Now, you can not be brave and cautious I hear you say but I would disagree. Why? Because if you are scared to lose then you should not be there in the first place. Secondly, if you are a bit scared, you will get players hitting you with big bets (even though they have nothing) because they can see the fear in the way you play. You must be brave, cautious, crafty and probably most important of all, if you are playing for cash, Remember that its your money you are playing with. Even if you win say $100 from your original stake of $10. Thats not winnings!! That's now your cash. Treat it as such, because it is and don't throw it away on a chance of hitting with stupid hands like 3/5 unsuited. Yes, you may well hit 333 or 555 but you will do that about twice in your poker life if you're lucky, so don't think you have won cash,therefore you can take more chances now. Patience is the key, acting like a miser at times is another key factor. I know it gets boring at times and you just want to win your big hand as soon as possible but pokers not about that. It's about building. From small stakes to large stakes. Keep playing the small stakes with everything in mind that I told you and move on up when you feel the time is right but always keep in mind. The rules of the game are the same at both ends, only the stakes are higher.

Grind it out or get out!
Good luck and thanks for reading this article
Gordy www.planetbet.co.uk
aware and rare