"Excuse me, what do you do for a living?"
"I'm a professional poker player."
"Pardon me?"
"Well, basically what I am doing is play poker games in poker rooms or join poker tournaments at casinos. In fact, as time moves on, I barely leave my home nowadays for that online poker makes lives of people like me much easier."
… Faint …
The above scene may occur if you happen to move in a new city and invite your neighbors to your house-warming party and start a conversation with one of them. In fact, to cater to the ever-increasing and diversifying need of today's job-seekers, here is a list of 5 kinds of cool jobs that you may have never heard before and maybe worth a try.
1. Odor Tester
This one is pretty odd, but some chemist has to make sure that all of those deodorants and anti-perspirants are operating properly to keep their users free of funk.
2. Snake Milker
If you ever get bitten by a poisonous snake you'll be grateful these people know how to work with animals. They are responsible for getting the venom out of snakes to make the anti-venom. Be honest, which one of you thought that snakes had actual milk glands?
3. Dice Inspector
With one false move of a single die a person can lose quite a bit of money on those craps tables. The dice inspector checks for proportionality, specific angles, and blemishes. I guess if dice are not perfect they can't be the reason for you going broke in the casino.
4. Braille Translator
Someone has to modify all sorts of texts and convert them to Braille for the blind. This can include novels, music, textbooks, and brochures. There is nothing wrong with making things more accessible for the blind and this one sounds like it's a quite useful job, but it does sound tedious.
5. Citrus Fruit Dyer
Have you ever passed by the lemons at the supermarket and though to yourself, damn that's some good looking citrus! Well it might be because there commercial farmers out there who dye the fruit a more vibrant color to hide the ripeness of the fruit.
"Share our similarities, celebrate our differences." The quote says so. For me, I am happily reading rock-paper-scissors theory to build up my poker strategy pool—I have some unexplained reasons to believe that luck works and I will be good at this field. Because my nightmare is that when I face the final judgment and Saint Peter says this to me,"You have to run a poker game. And deal." LOL
September 30, 2008
September 29, 2008
Play in Russian Style
The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic.
—Joseph Stalin
This Georgian Soviet-Union leader had coined many similar stunning quotes which are known to be gallant while merciless. While I don't think he would never dream that two former states under his reign would confront each other more than half a century later, and that's all I can talk about the Russia-Georgia conflict lately.
In fact, as one of world powers, Russia easily catches world's attention in as many ways as you can imagine, intentionally or not.
Russia is "hoping" for global warming to allow for further exploration. They are already attempting to "claim" part of the arctic. To give its initiative some justification, Canada and Scandinavian countries make the same prayer.
Russia is the unparalleled leader in arms exports. And this will continue to be extremely lucrative for them financially and relations-wise with semi-rogues like Venezuela and Sudan.
Seeming to make this topic distracted away from the politics, I also find: in 2006, a gaming zoning bill was passed in Duma by a vote of 440-0. It aimed to control gambling by banishing it to four specific zones; two to be set in European Russia, one in Siberia and one in the Far East.
Fast-forward to 2007. Thanks to a convincing argument by Dmitry Lesnoy, president of the Sport Federation of Russia, on poker being an "intellectual game", and a decision by the Russian Federation's Federal Agency of Physical Culture and Sports, poker tournaments were finally classified as official sport competitions in the nation of Russia. But to some poker players, the sprouting poker rooms and highly publicized legislation could possibly just be a flash in the pan. They are always worried that a change in the leader's mind, and then of the law, could banish poker to the four gambling sectors, like a simple slot machine or Baccarat table.
So, if I am allowed to implant poker rules to make a comparison, Russia has way too many cards to play at this moment, and we hope it will play fair and "by the book".
It may seems I only focus on the negative side (pessimist's bad habit), but I don't deny there is always a silver lining in the cloud (lots of online poker sites are available in Russian). Anyway, I have no intention of messing with Russian people. So if any Russian hackers happen to be here, please don't piss off.
—Joseph Stalin
This Georgian Soviet-Union leader had coined many similar stunning quotes which are known to be gallant while merciless. While I don't think he would never dream that two former states under his reign would confront each other more than half a century later, and that's all I can talk about the Russia-Georgia conflict lately.
In fact, as one of world powers, Russia easily catches world's attention in as many ways as you can imagine, intentionally or not.Russia is "hoping" for global warming to allow for further exploration. They are already attempting to "claim" part of the arctic. To give its initiative some justification, Canada and Scandinavian countries make the same prayer.
Russia is the unparalleled leader in arms exports. And this will continue to be extremely lucrative for them financially and relations-wise with semi-rogues like Venezuela and Sudan.
Seeming to make this topic distracted away from the politics, I also find: in 2006, a gaming zoning bill was passed in Duma by a vote of 440-0. It aimed to control gambling by banishing it to four specific zones; two to be set in European Russia, one in Siberia and one in the Far East.
Fast-forward to 2007. Thanks to a convincing argument by Dmitry Lesnoy, president of the Sport Federation of Russia, on poker being an "intellectual game", and a decision by the Russian Federation's Federal Agency of Physical Culture and Sports, poker tournaments were finally classified as official sport competitions in the nation of Russia. But to some poker players, the sprouting poker rooms and highly publicized legislation could possibly just be a flash in the pan. They are always worried that a change in the leader's mind, and then of the law, could banish poker to the four gambling sectors, like a simple slot machine or Baccarat table.
So, if I am allowed to implant poker rules to make a comparison, Russia has way too many cards to play at this moment, and we hope it will play fair and "by the book".
It may seems I only focus on the negative side (pessimist's bad habit), but I don't deny there is always a silver lining in the cloud (lots of online poker sites are available in Russian). Anyway, I have no intention of messing with Russian people. So if any Russian hackers happen to be here, please don't piss off.
September 26, 2008
Top 10 Body Language of Poker
1—the Eyes
Eyes rarely lie. This is why many pros wear sunglasses. For example, many players can't help but stare at big hole cards, so their length of time peeking is longer. Conversely, if a player is looking to steal the pot, he may look to his left to see if the remaining players, who haven't yet acted, have quickly glanced at their cards and are likely to fold.
2—Facial Expression
Again, many poker players try to disguise their entire face by wearing a cap and looking downward. Without knowing it, you may have obvious unhappiness in your face when your hand is weak, and conversely, you may show a contrasting show of confidence when your hand is strong.
3—Weak is Strong/Strong is Weak
Basically, players like to be actors. When they have a monster hand they tend to look disinterested. Alternatively, a player increasing the level of his voice while raising the pot, and trying to look intimidating, may be running a bluff.
4—Anxiety
Anxiety typically occurs in people when they are confronted, or anticipating confrontation. Physical changes include flexing of muscles, eye pupil dilation, palpitating heart rate, dry throat. Some of the top players in the game will stare at the vein on the top-side of your face for blood pressure changes.
5—Trembling Hands
Also, a byproduct of anxiety, beware of a player whose hands are shaking, this nervousness can represent a big hand.
6—Glance at Chips
It is common for players to quickly glance at their poker chips if they connect with the board after a Flop. This may be a subconscious reaction, but the tell is that the player is already planning his attack!
7—Peeking Hole Cards on Flop
Some players will take another look at their hole cards when, for example, the board is showing a potential 3 card flush draw. Typically, the player is looking to see if one of his cards is connecting, because he remembers only that the two cards are different suits.
8—Repetitive Betting Patterns
Usually the most revealing poker tells are based on the way a player habitually bets during particular situations. For example, maybe the player always checks when he has made the nuts, or a player may regularly fold after being re-raised.
9—Body Posture/Attitude
Some players show obvious changes in their posture based on their attitude/poker hand strength. For instance, you may notice their shoulders drop/slump when they are not confident (weak hand). Conversely, you may notice the player is very attentive and sitting in an erect position when he has strength. You may also notice that a player who bluffs a lot, leans forward in a confrontational way … remember Strong is Weak!
10—Chip Stacking
When you first sit down at a table, study the way the players stack their chips. Although it is a generalization, loose aggressive players typically maintain unorganized/sloppy stacks, while tight conservative players keep well organized/neat stacks.
P.S.the above tips apply not exclusively to Texas Hold'em.
Eyes rarely lie. This is why many pros wear sunglasses. For example, many players can't help but stare at big hole cards, so their length of time peeking is longer. Conversely, if a player is looking to steal the pot, he may look to his left to see if the remaining players, who haven't yet acted, have quickly glanced at their cards and are likely to fold.
2—Facial Expression
Again, many poker players try to disguise their entire face by wearing a cap and looking downward. Without knowing it, you may have obvious unhappiness in your face when your hand is weak, and conversely, you may show a contrasting show of confidence when your hand is strong.
3—Weak is Strong/Strong is Weak
Basically, players like to be actors. When they have a monster hand they tend to look disinterested. Alternatively, a player increasing the level of his voice while raising the pot, and trying to look intimidating, may be running a bluff.
4—Anxiety
Anxiety typically occurs in people when they are confronted, or anticipating confrontation. Physical changes include flexing of muscles, eye pupil dilation, palpitating heart rate, dry throat. Some of the top players in the game will stare at the vein on the top-side of your face for blood pressure changes.
5—Trembling Hands
Also, a byproduct of anxiety, beware of a player whose hands are shaking, this nervousness can represent a big hand.
6—Glance at Chips
It is common for players to quickly glance at their poker chips if they connect with the board after a Flop. This may be a subconscious reaction, but the tell is that the player is already planning his attack!
7—Peeking Hole Cards on Flop
Some players will take another look at their hole cards when, for example, the board is showing a potential 3 card flush draw. Typically, the player is looking to see if one of his cards is connecting, because he remembers only that the two cards are different suits.
8—Repetitive Betting Patterns
Usually the most revealing poker tells are based on the way a player habitually bets during particular situations. For example, maybe the player always checks when he has made the nuts, or a player may regularly fold after being re-raised.
9—Body Posture/Attitude
Some players show obvious changes in their posture based on their attitude/poker hand strength. For instance, you may notice their shoulders drop/slump when they are not confident (weak hand). Conversely, you may notice the player is very attentive and sitting in an erect position when he has strength. You may also notice that a player who bluffs a lot, leans forward in a confrontational way … remember Strong is Weak!
10—Chip Stacking
When you first sit down at a table, study the way the players stack their chips. Although it is a generalization, loose aggressive players typically maintain unorganized/sloppy stacks, while tight conservative players keep well organized/neat stacks.
P.S.the above tips apply not exclusively to Texas Hold'em.
September 24, 2008
Did You Know
"If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live."This quote over the significant decline in the population of honeybees is attributed to Albert Einstein.
John Montague, Earl of Sandwich, was a man of doubtful integrity and a compulsive gambler who lived in the 1700s. He was so reluctant to leave a poker game even for a meal that he had a servant bring him a piece of meat between two slices of bread so he could eat with one hand and play cards with the other poker players. The new invention was dubbed … a sandwich.
"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out." Dick Rowe said of the Beatles. The former was the executive of Decca Records (UK), the very company who rejected the Beatles. It happens in 1962.
In France, Blackjack call this land hometown. In French decks, the four suits represent the four classes: Spades represent nobility, hearts stand for the clergy, diamonds represent merchants, and clubs are peasants. Maybe here poker rules are different, too.
"Music is well said to be the speech of angels".
Scottish essayist Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) said this. But 100 years before his quote, across the English Channel (or La Manche according to French), a big name had the exact opposite feelings:
"Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung."
By Voltaire (1694-1778)
"All the evidence shows that God was actually quite a gambler, and the universe is a great casino, where dice are thrown, and roulette wheels spin on every occasion." Quoted from British scientist Stephen Hawking.
"Americans always try to do the right thing—after they've tried everything else."
—Winston Churchill
September 23, 2008
Host Your Poker Game At Home
The first thing you should do before you consider hosting a poker game at home is check the local laws in your area. Once you're sure no laws are broken, skip down to the section you are interested in.
Getting People Together
Hopefully this is the easy part. Typically, you are going to need somebody to make phone calls and get people together. You'll also need somebody to supply the house, table, poker chips and food/beverages. These can be the same person or several people, whichever is easiest. Sometimes people will even bring felt table tops just for poker, so tasks can really be split up. If you work at a bar or restaurant, sometimes you can hold free poker tournaments at your business, but again check with your local laws.
Setting Up Poker Tables, Chips, Cards
Somebody in your group will need to aquire poker supplies. I suggest convenience store or just Walmart for poker chips, cards, tables and dealer buttons.
Blind Levels and Payout Structures
You should visibly post your tournament's blind levels, payout structures, and rules so that every player (old and new) fully understands the game they are getting into. This will avoid unnecessary conflict in the future. You should also decide how you will handle chipping up.
Game Types
Whether you're running a friendly home game, or a larger tournament, you'll need to make it clear what style of game you intend to play. Cash game or tournament, texas holdem or seven card stud, limit or no limit, whether to allow rebuys, addons or bounties, other variants, and how to handle buyins and fees.
Moving and Seating Poker Players
Moving and seating players can get hectic in a larger tournament, but with a few simple rules you should be able to keep it under control. In a smaller game the emphasis is on fairness by ensuring quick table balancing.
Dealing and Shuffling
Consistent dealing and shuffling procedures can effectively ensure fair and speedy play.
Getting People Together
Hopefully this is the easy part. Typically, you are going to need somebody to make phone calls and get people together. You'll also need somebody to supply the house, table, poker chips and food/beverages. These can be the same person or several people, whichever is easiest. Sometimes people will even bring felt table tops just for poker, so tasks can really be split up. If you work at a bar or restaurant, sometimes you can hold free poker tournaments at your business, but again check with your local laws.
Setting Up Poker Tables, Chips, Cards
Somebody in your group will need to aquire poker supplies. I suggest convenience store or just Walmart for poker chips, cards, tables and dealer buttons.
Blind Levels and Payout Structures
You should visibly post your tournament's blind levels, payout structures, and rules so that every player (old and new) fully understands the game they are getting into. This will avoid unnecessary conflict in the future. You should also decide how you will handle chipping up.
Game Types
Whether you're running a friendly home game, or a larger tournament, you'll need to make it clear what style of game you intend to play. Cash game or tournament, texas holdem or seven card stud, limit or no limit, whether to allow rebuys, addons or bounties, other variants, and how to handle buyins and fees.
Moving and Seating Poker Players
Moving and seating players can get hectic in a larger tournament, but with a few simple rules you should be able to keep it under control. In a smaller game the emphasis is on fairness by ensuring quick table balancing.
Dealing and Shuffling
Consistent dealing and shuffling procedures can effectively ensure fair and speedy play.
September 22, 2008
Poker "News"
In the past few weeks, there is a big buzz about 14-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps associated with online poker room. And it's a pleasure to join the hysteria by picking up some analysis and shed a piece of light on the fact.
The story began when the poker legend Doyle Brunson and his son Todd paid a visit to the poker-loving swimming phenomenon at the Palms Hotel and Casino. "Phelps and some of his friends wanted books so I took Super System 1 and 2 to them and they asked all kinds of poker questions. Michael said all he wanted to do in life, was to eat, swim and play poker." Bla-Bla … Doyle wrote in his blog.
The old man should have added that Phelps dreams about being the finalist of World Series of Poker. Anyway, all kinds of speculations are immediately printed in black-and-white by some poker news sites (they seldom promote official poker rules without "throw-ins", I believe). According to them, the winner of eight gold medals in the Beijing Olympics, Michael Phelps' next venture may be to become one of the celebrity players for Doyles Room.
Here is a common-sense thought. The fish boy is no doubt the hottest commercial commodity on the planet. Giant companies are queuing to be connected with him. There is little possibility that one of these online poker casinos can afford that kind of money—I have to say poker business is on the downswing, with such an economical recession we are living through as backdrop. Sure he might make take a lowball deal to be associated with Doyle, but I think his financial advisers are way too smart for that. Besides, Phelps knows clearly himself the merits of being away from the poker table in the spotlight.
To be summarized, poker odds knowledge helps me conclude that all of this is just truly hypothetical.
The story began when the poker legend Doyle Brunson and his son Todd paid a visit to the poker-loving swimming phenomenon at the Palms Hotel and Casino. "Phelps and some of his friends wanted books so I took Super System 1 and 2 to them and they asked all kinds of poker questions. Michael said all he wanted to do in life, was to eat, swim and play poker." Bla-Bla … Doyle wrote in his blog.
The old man should have added that Phelps dreams about being the finalist of World Series of Poker. Anyway, all kinds of speculations are immediately printed in black-and-white by some poker news sites (they seldom promote official poker rules without "throw-ins", I believe). According to them, the winner of eight gold medals in the Beijing Olympics, Michael Phelps' next venture may be to become one of the celebrity players for Doyles Room.
Here is a common-sense thought. The fish boy is no doubt the hottest commercial commodity on the planet. Giant companies are queuing to be connected with him. There is little possibility that one of these online poker casinos can afford that kind of money—I have to say poker business is on the downswing, with such an economical recession we are living through as backdrop. Sure he might make take a lowball deal to be associated with Doyle, but I think his financial advisers are way too smart for that. Besides, Phelps knows clearly himself the merits of being away from the poker table in the spotlight.
To be summarized, poker odds knowledge helps me conclude that all of this is just truly hypothetical.
September 19, 2008
Against My Will
You know the game called Omaha? Have no idea? It's OK. I can explain it in just a few easy steps (I am assuming you all know its big brother Texas Hold'em).
What you do is get four cards. Doesn't matter much what they are because nobody really looks at them anyway. Next, they put three cards on the board. It doesn't matter what they are because nobody really pays any attention to the flop either. Then one more card for the turn and another one for the river. Same betting scenario as before. Doesn't really matter much what they are, except, for a few of the poker players that may have "cheated" and looked at their hole cards. These players may now fold if they have absolutely no outs. (Mostly bad sports.) Now, at the showdown, everybody turns over their cards and helps the dealer figure out who has the best poker hand. You MUST play two cards out of your hand so this usually takes a while and the winning hand is usually found out after a little bit of searching by all of the players and a partially confused dealer. The dealer now pushes the pot to the wrong player and everybody yells at him and he smiles glibly and says, "Oh yeah, sorry" and then sends it in the right direction. Then, after all of that excitement dies down, everybody lets out a collective sigh of relief and gets ready to wind up and do it all over again.
That's it. Hell of a simple poker game, right? For me, I won't blame if you label it as lame due to my lame introduction.
P.S.
I was bluffed at an online poker room last night. Refused to go in there anymore, at least a week I swear. If there are some unpleasant words mentioned in my article about the poker rules, forgive me. I don't mean it.
What you do is get four cards. Doesn't matter much what they are because nobody really looks at them anyway. Next, they put three cards on the board. It doesn't matter what they are because nobody really pays any attention to the flop either. Then one more card for the turn and another one for the river. Same betting scenario as before. Doesn't really matter much what they are, except, for a few of the poker players that may have "cheated" and looked at their hole cards. These players may now fold if they have absolutely no outs. (Mostly bad sports.) Now, at the showdown, everybody turns over their cards and helps the dealer figure out who has the best poker hand. You MUST play two cards out of your hand so this usually takes a while and the winning hand is usually found out after a little bit of searching by all of the players and a partially confused dealer. The dealer now pushes the pot to the wrong player and everybody yells at him and he smiles glibly and says, "Oh yeah, sorry" and then sends it in the right direction. Then, after all of that excitement dies down, everybody lets out a collective sigh of relief and gets ready to wind up and do it all over again.That's it. Hell of a simple poker game, right? For me, I won't blame if you label it as lame due to my lame introduction.
P.S.
I was bluffed at an online poker room last night. Refused to go in there anymore, at least a week I swear. If there are some unpleasant words mentioned in my article about the poker rules, forgive me. I don't mean it.
September 18, 2008
To Do List
1. Return my 3-year-old Mp3, try to get a refund.
2. Go to the theater. "Astérix et Obélix contre César" is on the show.
3. Play Texas Hold'em online.
4. Search and listen good foreign music clips, something like "Doar Cu Tine".
5. Find new hobbies.
6. Continue to listen to good music.
7. Hold poker tournaments at home. Beat WSOP.
8. Play football.
9. Eat more vegetables.
10. Avoid bad milk.
11. Follow on One Tree Hill. Hopefully Payton and Lucas could make it work.
12. Move into my new house.
13. Get this blog going.
14. Be smart.
15. Travel, see the real casino.
16. Think.
17. Learn to play Majhong.
18. Live life.
Poker—Presidential Talk
"Americans have played poker throughout history. Playing poker on the internet is simply an example of an American tradition evolving into the 21st century …"
Poker legend Doyle Brunson, formerly a life-long Republican, has made it known that he supports Barack Obama and the Democratic Party in the upcoming U.S. presidential race. Quote:
"During this poker cash game lull, I am on this race for President like stupid is on Britney Spears. I have come to the conclusion that poker players have to support Obama. We can't possibly let McCain be our President because he supports most of George W. Bush's views. Hillary has lots of experience but I don't think she is ready to lead our nation. Imagine her trying to talk to the leaders of the Islamic world? I wish we could have her husband back, but we can't. Jennifer Harman and I have emailed Obama and asked what his position is on internet gaming. Hopefully we will get a response from his camp."
And he has a reason.
Obama has stated that he prefers to regulate online poker and Internet gambling, rather than criminalize it.
Obama is following in a long tradition of poker playing presidents, from Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, Teddy Roosevelt and Warren Harding to Harry Truman.
Little gossip:
Warren Harding, 29th U.S. president, played poker at least twice a week, and once gambled away an entire set of White House china. His advisors were nicknamed the "Poker Cabinet" because they joined the president in his poker games.
Poker legend Doyle Brunson, formerly a life-long Republican, has made it known that he supports Barack Obama and the Democratic Party in the upcoming U.S. presidential race. Quote:
"During this poker cash game lull, I am on this race for President like stupid is on Britney Spears. I have come to the conclusion that poker players have to support Obama. We can't possibly let McCain be our President because he supports most of George W. Bush's views. Hillary has lots of experience but I don't think she is ready to lead our nation. Imagine her trying to talk to the leaders of the Islamic world? I wish we could have her husband back, but we can't. Jennifer Harman and I have emailed Obama and asked what his position is on internet gaming. Hopefully we will get a response from his camp."
And he has a reason.
Obama has stated that he prefers to regulate online poker and Internet gambling, rather than criminalize it.
Obama is following in a long tradition of poker playing presidents, from Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, Teddy Roosevelt and Warren Harding to Harry Truman.
Little gossip:
Warren Harding, 29th U.S. president, played poker at least twice a week, and once gambled away an entire set of White House china. His advisors were nicknamed the "Poker Cabinet" because they joined the president in his poker games.
September 16, 2008
Chip off your shoulder
Here is the lesson. You don't know how to flip or stack your poker chips, so what? Having a handful of thumbs doesn't hinder you to be a good poker player. Learn the lesson below:
So you have a pair of Ts. The guy opposite you is wearing a cowboy hat, shades and a month of stubble. You can't see his eyes but you know he's staring into your head. You start to think that inside he's laughing because he knows what you've got, but on the out side he is cold and calculating. You raise and he re-raises, without hesitation. While he watches you sweat he starts to shuffle his chips with one hand, split the single stack into two and reshuffle them again with one hand. He seems to do it so easily and almost without thinking. How does he do that? It's really cool, but intimidating at the same time. I wish I could do that. But the chinking of the chips is getting louder in your ears and you start to question your poker hand. He must be good. Look at the way he shuffles those chips. You fold. He laughs at your weakness with contempt as he starts to take your chips and shows you his 3 8 off suit.
Try to think it another way: Look how quick Chinese people build up their Mahjong piles and his opponents would be more careful when meeting such a guy. Although you may find it doesn't apply to online poker … Anyway, never let this happen to you/again … Try to learn some tricks on Youtube if you like.
So you have a pair of Ts. The guy opposite you is wearing a cowboy hat, shades and a month of stubble. You can't see his eyes but you know he's staring into your head. You start to think that inside he's laughing because he knows what you've got, but on the out side he is cold and calculating. You raise and he re-raises, without hesitation. While he watches you sweat he starts to shuffle his chips with one hand, split the single stack into two and reshuffle them again with one hand. He seems to do it so easily and almost without thinking. How does he do that? It's really cool, but intimidating at the same time. I wish I could do that. But the chinking of the chips is getting louder in your ears and you start to question your poker hand. He must be good. Look at the way he shuffles those chips. You fold. He laughs at your weakness with contempt as he starts to take your chips and shows you his 3 8 off suit.
Try to think it another way: Look how quick Chinese people build up their Mahjong piles and his opponents would be more careful when meeting such a guy. Although you may find it doesn't apply to online poker … Anyway, never let this happen to you/again … Try to learn some tricks on Youtube if you like.
Evolution: things vs. thoughts
My piggy bank is full of poker chips; and as luck would have it, I really love using a set of chips as a birthday present—my knowledge on poker odds won't help me figure out the probability here. Yes, you see? Poker players have hobbies, some of which are really hilarious.
Today, a wide variety of chips are available. For me, I usually buy these cheap plastics at 7-Eleven. Sometimes I go to novelty shops for decent ones. And if you're planning to play at least once a week, I can't overemphasize how much better the 11.5 gram chips are. They shuffle better, don't knock over as easily and feel more like money.
In previous years Walmart had a whole half isle devoted to chip sets. The sign on the walk ways are so big that the department manager feared that his toy department would be taken for as a casino supply store. It's surely not the case now. Maybe due to the uprising of online poker rooms or maybe the downswing of poker is on the way? I don't know. But the day before yesterday, I tried to upgrade my swimming suit and gadgets for a weekend beach walk, but the Carrefour service lady told me the swimming goods were off the shelf days before. Come on, it's just mid September!
Anyway, things change fast nowadays, it's somehow like a mental chewing gum for us.
Today, a wide variety of chips are available. For me, I usually buy these cheap plastics at 7-Eleven. Sometimes I go to novelty shops for decent ones. And if you're planning to play at least once a week, I can't overemphasize how much better the 11.5 gram chips are. They shuffle better, don't knock over as easily and feel more like money.
In previous years Walmart had a whole half isle devoted to chip sets. The sign on the walk ways are so big that the department manager feared that his toy department would be taken for as a casino supply store. It's surely not the case now. Maybe due to the uprising of online poker rooms or maybe the downswing of poker is on the way? I don't know. But the day before yesterday, I tried to upgrade my swimming suit and gadgets for a weekend beach walk, but the Carrefour service lady told me the swimming goods were off the shelf days before. Come on, it's just mid September!
Anyway, things change fast nowadays, it's somehow like a mental chewing gum for us.
September 10, 2008
Double-edged sword—Dangerous Starting poker hands
What is the most dangerously deceiving starting hand for an amateur player in Texas Hold'em?
Many poker stars would argue that A-Q suited is among the top 10 best poker hands. The first thing to accept is that A-Q suited is not a top 10 hand, but does make it into the top 20. If you played ABC poker by following a chart of hands, A-Q suited (A-Qs) is one you would never play in early position, and would only play in an unraised or unopened pot in middle to late. That explains why it is called as the worst best hand a player can start with.
Personally, I follow the straight-forward poker strategy: Call with a draw hand only when you have the pot odds to justify it. And I learned my lesson from some resources that a tie such as AQ, KQ, and QJ. Those are death hands to be avoided at all costs, especially if your opponent has made any aggressive move pre-flop.
At this point in poker's life, many top players believed that J-T suited was the best starting hand in poker. It was the highest suited connector possible with full straight potential. It doesn't "dead end" on the top end as Q-J would.
After all, every person has his own criteria on how to judge a hand as good or bad. Either you follow the golden poker rules, which is how people do at the table most of times, or you can do things your own way. Nothing is impossible and nothing has extremes. Just be yourself.
Many poker stars would argue that A-Q suited is among the top 10 best poker hands. The first thing to accept is that A-Q suited is not a top 10 hand, but does make it into the top 20. If you played ABC poker by following a chart of hands, A-Q suited (A-Qs) is one you would never play in early position, and would only play in an unraised or unopened pot in middle to late. That explains why it is called as the worst best hand a player can start with.
Personally, I follow the straight-forward poker strategy: Call with a draw hand only when you have the pot odds to justify it. And I learned my lesson from some resources that a tie such as AQ, KQ, and QJ. Those are death hands to be avoided at all costs, especially if your opponent has made any aggressive move pre-flop.
At this point in poker's life, many top players believed that J-T suited was the best starting hand in poker. It was the highest suited connector possible with full straight potential. It doesn't "dead end" on the top end as Q-J would.
After all, every person has his own criteria on how to judge a hand as good or bad. Either you follow the golden poker rules, which is how people do at the table most of times, or you can do things your own way. Nothing is impossible and nothing has extremes. Just be yourself.
Top gun—Blackjack
Sometimes I love being in the crowd, enjoying the feeling of thinking while others are yelling. That's when I play in the pit, that's the charm of casino game, among which Blackjack is my favorite. The following is a simple-version of know-how about it.
Blackjack is partly based on luck, so don't expect to win every time. Compared with poker games (Texas Hold'em, Omaha, etc.), the way to play Blackjack is easy. All you need is a dealer (you can do that if it's played at home), some people, a deck of cards, and some poker chips (really optional and unnecessary when you play at online casinos). First of all, the dealer serves TWO cards to each person, face down. When people say HIT ME, you give them a card. If they pass the number 21, they lose. If you win with a black jack (it consist of an ace, a jack, queen, king, or the 10 card), you beat everyone, and the house wins. If you pass the 21 limit, you lose, and the players may win. If you play with poker chips, when you win, you take the chips (or if someone else won, they take the chips).
Quiz: I do not recall what it is called if two people have the same number (like you have 19, and someone else has 19).
P.S. My mind is like an open high way. Every thought can lead very far or nowhere.
Blackjack is partly based on luck, so don't expect to win every time. Compared with poker games (Texas Hold'em, Omaha, etc.), the way to play Blackjack is easy. All you need is a dealer (you can do that if it's played at home), some people, a deck of cards, and some poker chips (really optional and unnecessary when you play at online casinos). First of all, the dealer serves TWO cards to each person, face down. When people say HIT ME, you give them a card. If they pass the number 21, they lose. If you win with a black jack (it consist of an ace, a jack, queen, king, or the 10 card), you beat everyone, and the house wins. If you pass the 21 limit, you lose, and the players may win. If you play with poker chips, when you win, you take the chips (or if someone else won, they take the chips).
Quiz: I do not recall what it is called if two people have the same number (like you have 19, and someone else has 19).
P.S. My mind is like an open high way. Every thought can lead very far or nowhere.
September 09, 2008
Keep your head clear and up
Being on tilt means letting your emotions disrupt your ability to play. All poker players go on tilt at least once during their career, but limiting these episodes is essential to winning at poker. Poker is a game that requires reason and first thing you should be aware of is poker strategy. If you have Qs 10s , and the flop comes Kh Qh Jh, and there is a lot of betting action, you need to know to fold. If you were on tilt, you would let your emotions take control and make you do whatever it took to take down the pot. You would keep chasing, hoping to catch an ace and hoping that no one had a flush.
In general, people who get upset and don't stay focused and reasonable will lose all the money they brought to the table. Poker is almost anti-human in the way it triggers emotions but rewards people who are made of stone. I don't mean to scare you or act as if all poker players are unemotional rocks, but it is imperative to stay focused and rational while at the poker table.
Generally, most players tilt due to a bad beat or if they just can't seem to win a poker hand. Some players have a slight tilt after they win a big hand or two, but those episodes generally are much shorter than tilts caused by losing.
In general, people who get upset and don't stay focused and reasonable will lose all the money they brought to the table. Poker is almost anti-human in the way it triggers emotions but rewards people who are made of stone. I don't mean to scare you or act as if all poker players are unemotional rocks, but it is imperative to stay focused and rational while at the poker table.
Generally, most players tilt due to a bad beat or if they just can't seem to win a poker hand. Some players have a slight tilt after they win a big hand or two, but those episodes generally are much shorter than tilts caused by losing.
Trivial findings in poker
There is a Rock-Paper-Scissors strategy for poker. It is said to be extremely advanced. You can check it out and share with us later.
Rumors say that dilated pupils tell. So was coined a poker phrase like this: "sunglasses is to poker as steroids is to baseball". I doubt one day in the 22nd century human beings will wear masks while gambling. Thanks to online casinos, this nuisance is kept away.
Phil Hellmuth said, I quote, "pot odds …" "for suckers …"
He is a spoiled brat. Never disrespect the math.
Daniel Negreanu has a reputation as poker's nice guy.
Add fish to your Buddy List. First, you need to have the ability to select them out: read people. Knowing where this guy is from, his poker background, how long he's been playing, who he voted for …With the top 10 poker players in the world, it's 95 percent about the ability to read people and the psychological warfare.
Have you ever been labeled as a calling station, or do you even know that? Use the measure below and see if you qualify as one.
Calling station is a poker term used to negatively describe someone who consistently calls bets and rarely raises, regardless of the strength of his poker hand. Many calling stations can be found on low stakes tables in online poker rooms.
Rumors say that dilated pupils tell. So was coined a poker phrase like this: "sunglasses is to poker as steroids is to baseball". I doubt one day in the 22nd century human beings will wear masks while gambling. Thanks to online casinos, this nuisance is kept away.
Phil Hellmuth said, I quote, "pot odds …" "for suckers …"
He is a spoiled brat. Never disrespect the math.
Daniel Negreanu has a reputation as poker's nice guy.
Add fish to your Buddy List. First, you need to have the ability to select them out: read people. Knowing where this guy is from, his poker background, how long he's been playing, who he voted for …With the top 10 poker players in the world, it's 95 percent about the ability to read people and the psychological warfare.
Have you ever been labeled as a calling station, or do you even know that? Use the measure below and see if you qualify as one.
Calling station is a poker term used to negatively describe someone who consistently calls bets and rarely raises, regardless of the strength of his poker hand. Many calling stations can be found on low stakes tables in online poker rooms.
September 08, 2008
Funny joker—introduction of wild card
Due to personal hobbies, I always look for weird things and exceptions to satisfy my curiosity. Anyway, we are all geeks in some way. And here is what I find in poker game: some card that can be designated as any card you wish. Yes, it’s the "magic" wild card.
In most cases, wild cards are jokers, or they can be any cards agreed upon by the participating players. Poker rules make it clear that there are two kinds of functions for wild cards: "fully wild" cards and the "bug". A card that is fully wild can be designated by its holder as any cards he chooses with no restrictions. Under this rule, for example, a poker hand with a natural pair and a wild card becomes three of a kind. With wild cards in play, the best possible poker hand is a five of a kind. While the more common application of the wild card in casinos is that it plays as a bug, which is given the rank of ace unless designating it as a different card would complete a straight, flush, or straight flush. Under this rule, a hand such as T-T-Joker-7-3 is just a pair of tens (with an ace kicker), but any four same-suit cards with a bug make a flush, and a poker hand such as 8-Joker-6-5-4 makes a straight.
In particular, five-card draw is traditionally played with a joker in California (which plays as a bug), and also plays well with deuces fully wild. Seven-card stud plays well with one or two bugs, especially when played high-low split. Other games such as Texas Hold 'em and Omaha do not play well with wild cards.
In most cases, wild cards are jokers, or they can be any cards agreed upon by the participating players. Poker rules make it clear that there are two kinds of functions for wild cards: "fully wild" cards and the "bug". A card that is fully wild can be designated by its holder as any cards he chooses with no restrictions. Under this rule, for example, a poker hand with a natural pair and a wild card becomes three of a kind. With wild cards in play, the best possible poker hand is a five of a kind. While the more common application of the wild card in casinos is that it plays as a bug, which is given the rank of ace unless designating it as a different card would complete a straight, flush, or straight flush. Under this rule, a hand such as T-T-Joker-7-3 is just a pair of tens (with an ace kicker), but any four same-suit cards with a bug make a flush, and a poker hand such as 8-Joker-6-5-4 makes a straight.
In particular, five-card draw is traditionally played with a joker in California (which plays as a bug), and also plays well with deuces fully wild. Seven-card stud plays well with one or two bugs, especially when played high-low split. Other games such as Texas Hold 'em and Omaha do not play well with wild cards.
Learning in poker
Once at the poker table, you face a lot of choices and have a lot of decisions to make. Believe it or not, my motto of life seems to apply here: live and learn. For your record, selective thinking and learning can help you avoid being sniffed at as a bystander or a follower.
Texas hold'em case study: hole cards are 6s, Ts; flops are 2h, 9s, Jc.
No doubt it's a good start. It leaves us with a great space for imagination (though based on calculation). Listed below are the possibilities (from the best hand to the worst):
1 - Straight flush. You pick up 7s, 8s in the turn and river, Bang!
2 - Flush. Two more spades will suffice.
3 - Straight. From K-straight to J-straight. 7, 8, 9, T, J, Q, K of rainbow, we need the last two cards to be blessed.
4 - Sets, two pairs, one pair, high cards. There is no math involved.
The above is utterly obvious. I can imagine you would use your online poker calculator to figure out the pot odds of catching such hands. Then you are not seeing the whole picture. Remember: diamonds cut diamonds. After you find out at what odds you can form your desired hand and how many poker chips you could throw in the pot accordingly, don't forget to glimpse over to see your opponents' moves. You have your odds and they have theirs. If you don't count them in, then it's a natural thing that a black horse comes out from nowhere, with a poker hand just better than yours. And you can't afford that happens. Of course, if everyone is playing according to the book, you would estimate out what hands they have by calculating on their bet, on the condition you are the last one to call. Since you can't control the game, you must take everything into consideration.
I am always quick to summarize. Skill-wise speaking, I am focusing on POP (pot, odds, and position) here. Maybe I'm not that good at picking up the right words, but my idea is basically there. Now, put out a deck of cards, play your case while thinking a little bit, and you can be a self-made mentor quite soon.
Texas hold'em case study: hole cards are 6s, Ts; flops are 2h, 9s, Jc.No doubt it's a good start. It leaves us with a great space for imagination (though based on calculation). Listed below are the possibilities (from the best hand to the worst):
1 - Straight flush. You pick up 7s, 8s in the turn and river, Bang!
2 - Flush. Two more spades will suffice.
3 - Straight. From K-straight to J-straight. 7, 8, 9, T, J, Q, K of rainbow, we need the last two cards to be blessed.
4 - Sets, two pairs, one pair, high cards. There is no math involved.
The above is utterly obvious. I can imagine you would use your online poker calculator to figure out the pot odds of catching such hands. Then you are not seeing the whole picture. Remember: diamonds cut diamonds. After you find out at what odds you can form your desired hand and how many poker chips you could throw in the pot accordingly, don't forget to glimpse over to see your opponents' moves. You have your odds and they have theirs. If you don't count them in, then it's a natural thing that a black horse comes out from nowhere, with a poker hand just better than yours. And you can't afford that happens. Of course, if everyone is playing according to the book, you would estimate out what hands they have by calculating on their bet, on the condition you are the last one to call. Since you can't control the game, you must take everything into consideration.
I am always quick to summarize. Skill-wise speaking, I am focusing on POP (pot, odds, and position) here. Maybe I'm not that good at picking up the right words, but my idea is basically there. Now, put out a deck of cards, play your case while thinking a little bit, and you can be a self-made mentor quite soon.
September 04, 2008
Man vs. machine? Man wins!
In late July, 2007, a much-awaited poker match started between two poker players and one poker computer program. Ali Estami and Phil Laak (the Unabomber) vs. Polaris (the machine). Poker fans were excited to see the results: the machine folded after four rounds.
Although it may remind you that Garry Kasparov was beaten by Deep Blue in the "Millennium War" of chess world, poker pros proved that man is still the best. Artificial intelligence can't and won't rein in every field. You would call a poker champion in WSOP an intimidating opponent, but not a video poker console. Poker is a combination of psychological strategy, personal judgment, and above all, it's a human-to-human interactive game. Where is the happiness if we are playing these emotionless robots at online casinos everyday?
Anyway, in respect of which is better at poker: man or machine, as long as we have fun, who cares?
Although it may remind you that Garry Kasparov was beaten by Deep Blue in the "Millennium War" of chess world, poker pros proved that man is still the best. Artificial intelligence can't and won't rein in every field. You would call a poker champion in WSOP an intimidating opponent, but not a video poker console. Poker is a combination of psychological strategy, personal judgment, and above all, it's a human-to-human interactive game. Where is the happiness if we are playing these emotionless robots at online casinos everyday?
Anyway, in respect of which is better at poker: man or machine, as long as we have fun, who cares?
What I learned about Omaha Poker game
Omaha is not an easy game to master which is why you should keep these things in mind. I'd like to share with you newbie some of my thoughts about how to start with this game.
First of all, be sure what the best hand is. It's one of the basics of any online poker strategy. Many people get into trouble because the nuts they think turn out to be a totally different hand.
Second, always bear in mind that the five-card hand has to be made up from three from the board and two from your hole cards.
Third, when you have made a monsters hand, strategically get the most out of it. Try to trap as many people as possible in the pot for the most bets.
Last but not the least, gain your experience from practice and learn by asking and reading pros' insights.
Play it now. With Omaha poker strategy on your side, hopefully you could start to win very soon. LOL.
First of all, be sure what the best hand is. It's one of the basics of any online poker strategy. Many people get into trouble because the nuts they think turn out to be a totally different hand.
Second, always bear in mind that the five-card hand has to be made up from three from the board and two from your hole cards.
Third, when you have made a monsters hand, strategically get the most out of it. Try to trap as many people as possible in the pot for the most bets.
Last but not the least, gain your experience from practice and learn by asking and reading pros' insights.
Play it now. With Omaha poker strategy on your side, hopefully you could start to win very soon. LOL.
September 02, 2008
Need a cute alias?
I have been hanging around online poker rooms for a while. The other day, while I was logging into one of my favorite sites, a thought came to mind. Why stick to your boring alias, like "happyguy1799", bla-bla? Why don't you change your "gender" online? It must be a real experience.
So, I followed my gut feeling, created a new account at an online casino, with a charming username "gigi". I took extreme caution when filling personal profile, leaving as few hints as possible that I was the opposite sex. I wrote: my favorite celebrity is the combination of Brad Pitt and Chris Ferguson; my dream is shopping on the Fifth Avenue after winning large at Bellagio Casino and Resort.
I doubt if I am the only guy who pretends to be a woman online. Men in the room would comment "gigi, give me a hug", something like that to distract me. Before using this female ID, I have no idea that players use chat rooms to read, bluff, intimidate and annoy our neighbors at the poker table. Now! I realize women are looking forward to socializing when playing poker. In my opinion, they will be much easier to be affected with all the clutter of people shooting arrogant comments!
After two days enduring fuzzy conversations and forgoing some hands that would confuse even myself, I terminated this "gigi" account.
So, I followed my gut feeling, created a new account at an online casino, with a charming username "gigi". I took extreme caution when filling personal profile, leaving as few hints as possible that I was the opposite sex. I wrote: my favorite celebrity is the combination of Brad Pitt and Chris Ferguson; my dream is shopping on the Fifth Avenue after winning large at Bellagio Casino and Resort.
I doubt if I am the only guy who pretends to be a woman online. Men in the room would comment "gigi, give me a hug", something like that to distract me. Before using this female ID, I have no idea that players use chat rooms to read, bluff, intimidate and annoy our neighbors at the poker table. Now! I realize women are looking forward to socializing when playing poker. In my opinion, they will be much easier to be affected with all the clutter of people shooting arrogant comments!
After two days enduring fuzzy conversations and forgoing some hands that would confuse even myself, I terminated this "gigi" account.
For those who need a break from the poker table!
Internet poker has a lot of advantages. For example, you can enjoy some funny talks.
AK = Anna Kournikova. Always looks great. Never wins.
Q: Why didn't the elephant like to play cards in the jungle?
A: Because there were too many cheetahs. (Cheaters always avoid official poker rooms)
Q: Where does a professional poker player meet all his opponents?
A: The aquarium. (We are all fish, LOL)
Q: What poker hand did Doyle Brunson win two World Series of Poker events with?
A: !0-2
Q: What does American Airlines stand for in poker?
A: A-A
Laugh it out. However, remember: you must be serious with poker rules...
AK = Anna Kournikova. Always looks great. Never wins.
Q: Why didn't the elephant like to play cards in the jungle?
A: Because there were too many cheetahs. (Cheaters always avoid official poker rooms)
Q: Where does a professional poker player meet all his opponents?
A: The aquarium. (We are all fish, LOL)
Q: What poker hand did Doyle Brunson win two World Series of Poker events with?
A: !0-2
Q: What does American Airlines stand for in poker?
A: A-A
Laugh it out. However, remember: you must be serious with poker rules...
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