O-Poker

It looks like some Republicans may have gotten on board with poker being a skill game. Hopefully, they can get the UIGEA clarified and have poker carved out as a skill game.

Link to Pokernews article:


Four Republican Congressman call for UIGEA 'Unlawful Internet Gambling' Clarification

An open letter written by four Republican Congressman to the heads of the Federal Reserve Board and U.S. Treasury calls for a more "deliberative" approach for crafting regulations for the implementation of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) and strongly urges that a formal definition of "unlawful internet gambling" itself be finalized before the law's required rules are placed into effect.

In the July 25th letter, addressed to Henry M. Paulson, Secretary of the Treasury, and Ben S. Bernanke, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the four Republican Congressman -- Judy Biggert (R-IL), Jim Gerlach (R-PA), Christopher Shays (R-CT) and Kevin McCarthyR-CA) – proclaim their continuing support for UIGEA but assail the bill's "vague language" and undue regulatory burden on affected industries, especially small businesses. Along with asking for a formal definition of "unlawful internet gambling," the four ask for two additional steps in the UIGEA process: to transition the current rulemaking endeavor to a formal process headed by an Administrative Law Judge; and to conduct Regulatory Flexibility Analysis on the UIGEA's true financial burden upon affected businesses. The initial fiscal numbers quoted by UIGEA's backers regarding the true cost of implementation and regulation have been shown to have little connection to the bill's projected impact on the banking industry and other business sectors.

The letter also represents the first open Republican split regarding implementation of the UIGEA. Previous efforts to overturn or undo the UIGEA's language had, with only minimal exceptions, been driven by Democratic interests. Votes on these measures, including the bill championed by Barney Frank, had produced splits largely along party lines.

The body of the letter by the four Congressmen follows:


Dear Secretary Paulson and Chairman Bernanke,

We are writing to request that you bring clarity to the Federal Reserve Board's (Board) and U.S. Department of the Treasury's (Treasury) proposed regulations to implement the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).

As proposed, these regulations do not provide clear guidance to the public, in particular those that engage in online skill games, or regulated industries regarding what constitutes "unlawful internet gambling." We believe that implementing such vague law and regulations, while holding the public and regulated industries liable for noncompliance, is an abdication of the federal government's responsibility to both the public and unregulated industries. In addition, vague UIGEA law and regulations could be unnecessarily burdensome and costly to the public and particularly small businesses.

Therefore, we urge the Board and Treasury to, before finalizing UIGEA regulations, clarify the specific activity that constitutes "unlawful internet gambling," providing guidance to both the public and the regulated industries that are tasked with blocking financial transactions related to "unlawful internet gambling." It is our understanding that the UIGEA intended to uphold state and federal laws regarding "unlawful internet gambling" that existed prior to UIGEA's date of enactment. Nevertheless, we encourage the Board and Treasury to confirm our understanding in its UIGEA regulations. To accomplish this, we request that you take the following actions.

First, transition the current rulemaking process to a formal rulemaking process involving an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) or a similar official who can provide legal advice. This official should examine the various federal and state laws and determine precisely what constitutes "unlawful internet gambling" as well as which financial institutions a regulated industry is required to block under UIGEA law and regulations.

Second, we request that undertake Regulatory Flexibility Analysis to clearly evaluate the regulatory burden that would be imposed on businesses of all sizes but especially small businesses.

Simply put, we believe that it is possible that if UIGEA law and regulations are implemented with the vague language we described above, a judge may be eventually required to answer the question of "what is unlawful internet gambling." It makes fiscal sense to resolve this question before saddling the public, regulated industries, small businesses, and courts with uncertain UIGEA law and regulation.

We voted for UIGEA and support it now. As such, we have resisted legislative efforts which may have the effect of delaying interminably the implementation of UIGEA and its regulations. However, we are concerned about the legal and operational viability of a rule that leaves so much to interpretation and, accordingly, urge the Board and Treasury to take a more deliberative path to a workable rule as we have outlined in this letter.

Thank you for your consideration of our request. We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Judy Biggert
Jim Gerlach
Christopher Shays
Kevin McCarthy

I've been pretty busy lately and haven't had a chance to post much. I'm hoping things slow down towards the end of the week and I can get back to posting more.

For now, I wanted to share a pretty cool video that I found through a link on Nat Arem's blog.

Be Careful. They're coming for you!!!

This is a follow up post to my last post with two AK hands against the same player.

Hand 1

Full Tilt Poker, $1/$2 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 5 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (BB): $211.75
UTG: $78.30
CO: $397.50
BTN: $251
SB: $79.65

Pre-Flop: K A dealt to Hero (BB) (AcKh - for those that can't see suits)

UTG raises to $6
CO folds
BTN calls $6
SB calls $5
Hero raises to $30 - Looks like a perfect squeeze - definitely callings any shoves
2 folds
SB calls $24 (leaving himself less than $50 behind)

Flop: ($72) 4 6 Q (2 Players) (all diamonds)

SB bets $49.65 and is All-In, - Insta-shoves; no hesitation
Hero ?????

This is an insta-call right? Can anyone make the case for folding here?

Most people said to fold. The reason that I posted it is because I felt like it was a very close decision and wasn't sure exactly what the right play was.

There is $72 in the pot before he shoves. He bets his last $50, so I have to call $50 to have a shot at winning $122. I need to win more than 29% of the time to call here (I think - correct me if I am wrong) to call here. I don't think he open shoves a flush, but there is a good chance he is open shoving every pair. I really felt like he had a middle pair and then went nutso when the flop came all diamonds.

I called, which looks like was incorrect based on my above assumption. According to pokerstove, I only hav 16% equity against any pair.

If I increase his range to any pair + any broadway hand then I am 35% to win, but I think this range is way to liberal.

He had 5c5d, so I only had a 15% chance of winning the hand and missed. Oh well, live and learn.


HAND 2
Against the same player as hand 1. He had built his stack up but didn't leave the table. I had only seen him over shove 3 times (other than the hand above) and 2 times he showed up with the nuts or very close to it. I really had the impression that once he built up his stack he was playing very scared. He would limp preflop almost every hand and I would raise with position with atc and follow it up with a c-bet. He folded whenever he missed and just called c-bets with hands like top pair, top kicker.

Full Tilt Poker, $1/$2 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 5 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (SB): $318
BB: $226.90
UTG: $209.15
CO: $495
BTN: $208.95

Pre-Flop: A K dealt to Hero (SB) (AhKd)

2 folds
BTN calls $2
Hero raises to $12
BTN calls $10

Flop: ($26) Q T K (2 Players) (KsQdTd)
Hero bets $16
BTN raises to $196.95 and is All-In
Hero has requested time
Hero?????

Given my read on the player, what do you do here?

One thing that I forgot to mention was that the guy didn't like to fold anything preflop. I'm sure this would open up his range more than the above description implies.

Most people said to fold and look for a better spot against this guy. I used up all of my time bank and finally folded. Based on the way the guy was playing, I think that I am rarely ahead. If I am ahead it is only my a little bit. The only worse hands he is shoving are AdX, KdX, Jx type hands.

He tried to convice me that he had K5, but I really don't believe him. My analysis was the same as everyone else's, there would definitely be better spots against this guy.

New question

Same as Hand #2, but the villain is super duper aggro and you have notes on him that he over shoves most draws and big hands on draw heavy boards, is it still an easy fold? or do you call and gamble against that type of player?

I had a couple of AK hands against the same player over about a 1 1/2 hour session. I didn't really have a read on him in the first hand (other than he seemed very weak and bad in general), but had developed a read in the 2nd hand. I'm curious as to how everyone would play each of these hands.


HAND 1
Full Tilt Poker, $1/$2 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 5 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (BB): $211.75
UTG: $78.30
CO: $397.50
BTN: $251
SB: $79.65

Pre-Flop: K A dealt to Hero (BB) (AcKh - for those that can't see suits)

UTG raises to $6
CO folds
BTN calls $6
SB calls $5
Hero raises to $30 - Looks like a perfect squeeze - definitely callings any shoves
2 folds
SB calls $24 (leaving himself less than $50 behind)

Flop: ($72) 4 6 Q (2 Players) (all diamonds)

SB bets $49.65 and is All-In, - Insta-shoves; no hesitation
Hero ?????

This is an insta-call right? Can anyone make the case for folding here?


HAND 2
Against the same player as hand 1. He had built his stack up but didn't leave the table. I had only seen him over shove 3 times (other than the hand above) and 2 times he showed up with the nuts or very close to it. I really had the impression that once he built up his stack he was playing very scared. He would limp preflop almost every hand and I would raise with position with atc and follow it up with a c-bet. He folded whenever he missed and just called c-bets with hands like top pair, top kicker.

Full Tilt Poker, $1/$2 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 5 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (SB): $318
BB: $226.90
UTG: $209.15
CO: $495
BTN: $208.95

Pre-Flop: A K dealt to Hero (SB) (AhKd)

2 folds
BTN calls $2
Hero raises to $12
BTN calls $10

Flop: ($26) Q T K (2 Players) (KsQdTd)
Hero bets $16
BTN raises to $196.95 and is All-In
Hero has requested time
Hero?????

Given my read on the player, what do you do here?

I was browsing 2+2 today and came across a great thread that had me laughing like crazy. Like one poster said:

Behold, the worst play in the history of the WSOP ME

"I thought the thread could never live up to its title.

BUT IT DID..."

The first post (hand) is good but there are a couple of other classic hands:

First orbit, first level, day 2... 250/500/50

villain 1: hollow-faced guy w/ moustache and terrapins sweatshirt
villain 2: average young thirties guy w/ glasses and hat

villain 1 limps in EMP, villain 2 completes, BB checks

Flop: K Q 9

villain 2 checks, bb checks, villain 1 bets 1k into 1800

villain 2 checkraises to 3k instantly

bb folds

villain 1 thinks and reraises to 11k total

villain 2 thinks and announces a reraise allin. he has villain 1 covered.

villain 1 has to call 30k more

villain 1 tanks

and tanks

AND FOLDS JT FACE ****ING UP

BEHOLD

or this one for those of us that lick our chops when we see a juicy cash game:

5/10 at the rio, MP raises MP2 calls BTN calls, flop: KQJ 2 spades

MP bets, MP2 raises, BTN jams for 2kish (everyone about 2k deep) MP re-shoves MP2 tanks forever and folds AT face up and goes "i know the board is gonna pair or a spade is coming)

hands kept face-down

turn: pairs board

river:x

BTN shows boat, MP2 fist pumps and goes "I KNEW IT WAS COMING I KNEW IT, YES!!!"

i stare amazed at what happend while i see a older lady shaking her head saying "wow nice laydown, i couldnt have made that fold"

OMG, the WSOP ME is so +EV!!! Here is why:

....as witnessed by a Stars' blogger:
(They are real)

#1
Day 1A, just after the first break (blinds 100-200): Preflop action, a guy announces "raise" and bets 300. The dealer promptly says "Sir, it has to be 400" and the guy fires back "But I want to make it 300, I said 300, make it 300". Floor is called and rules "If you raise you should bet at least 2 BBs", guy keeps saying "I just want to make a 300 bet". Some of the other players at the table try to explain him the minimum raise is one big blind, it's impossible to raise just half of it...
... and now the punchline: After tons of arguments, the guy yells: "If a raise should be at least one big blind, why they didn't put that on the rules before the tournament had started?"

The new season of Poker After Dark starts tonight. This time it is a cash game instead of a SNG. Weeeeeeeeeeee!!!! Hopefully, it will have as much high stakes cash game action as High Stakes Poker since HSP seems to have lost it's home at GSN.

I'll cross my fingers that the ratings will be high enough to make NBC turn the show into a main stream (Sat/Sun afternoon or evening) event.

WOW!!!! Very tough laydown in the WSOP Main Event.

From Pokernews.com - Day 5 of ME

Alexander Kostritsyn Can Fold Kings Preflop

Garrett Beckman limped in for 10,000 from UTG, Allen Carter raised to 35,000 from early position, Reagan Silber reraised to 105,000 from middle position, Alexander Kostritsyn made it 285,000 to go from the small blind, Beckman folded, and Carter moved all in for 311,000, sending Silber into the tank. After a bit of thought, Silber moved all in over the top, having Kostritsyn covered.

Now it was Kostritsyn's turn to tank. The young Russian ultimately mucked face-up, saving his remaining 930,000. And the cards were turned on their backs...

Carter

Silber

The board ran out and Silber's aces held up to eliminate Carter. Silber is now up to 1,815,000.

I just saw this posted on pokernews.com.

Biggest Pot So Far

Brian Schaedlich limped from early position before Jeff Kimber raised to 6,000 from the button and Schaedlich made the call before the flop came {Q-Spades} {3-Diamonds} {5-Hearts}.

Schaedlich checked to face a 6,000 bet from Kimber that he raised up to 15,000. Kimber then reraised up to 50,000 before Schaedlich raised again and for all his chips. It was a huge raise considering how deep these two were.

Kimber snap-called with {Q-Hearts} {Q-Clubs} and a shell-shocked Schaedlich turned over {A-Diamonds} {A-Hearts} . The turn came {10-Diamonds} and river {4-Clubs} to hand the biggest pot of this year's Main Event to Jeff Kimber, a massive 681,000.

Schaedlich's back down to 387,000 and, as he was handing over chips, he commented "What could I do?"

Kimber said he would never have gone to war without the goods because of the size of Schaedlich's stack.

What can you do? I wonder if he realizes that you are allowed to fold AA.

I had been pretty active at this table and had been 3 betting the button player a ton. He was starting to flat call a lot and usually folded to c-bets. I 3-bet his button raise from the SB with QQ. What do you do on the turn?


$1/$2 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 5 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter


Hero (SB): $255.95
BB: $370.65
UTG: $286
CO: $81
BTN: $214.35

Pre-Flop: Q Q dealt to Hero (SB) (suites spade and diamond)
2 folds
BTN raises to $7
Hero raises to $24
BB folds
BTN calls $17

Flop: ($50) T K 8 (2 Players) (TcKc8h)
Hero bets $32
BTN calls $32 - not a good sign, but there are 2 clubs

Turn: ($114) J (2 Players) (Js)
Hero ???? - Very draw heavy board with 1 over

What do you do? (This is another example of why playing oop sucks.)

Since my last template was messed up in some versions of firefox, I've gone back to the basics. This is my new template (maybe temporary). I think that I probably need a new banner - one that matches the header and one that deletes Loopy (since he hasn't posted in 2 years).

I guess I may need to knock Mookie out of the next Mookie Tourney.

I'm going to try to start posting more interesting hands again. I saved this one from last night because I think it shows that you don't always have to 3 bet a hand like AK out of the blinds.

I think that there are a few of reasons to sometimes just call with AK out of the blinds instead of 3 betting a player with a high steal % (sometimes varies depending on your opponents, stack sizes, # of players in the hand, etc. Obviously, there are times when 3 betting AK pf is the most +EV play):

1. To balance your range. If you just flat call late position raises from the blinds with hands like small/mid pairs and suited connectors and 3 bet your big hands then your range is going to be more predictable to your opponents. A lot of people balance their range by 3 betting oop with some of these type hands, but you can also add some balance by just calling late position raises out of the blinds with big hands.

2. If you 3 bet, most hands that AK beats are going to fold and hands like AA-TT are going to 4 bet you or shove on you and then you are flipping a coin at best. There aren't too many hands that would 4 bet or shove that you are a favorite against. You are going to have to commit a lot of chips and possibly all of your chips.

3. Your hand is disguised. If you flop an Ace of King you may be able to stack your opponent with a weaker Ace or King, especially on a draw heavy board. The hand below is a great example of a hand where my opponent read my hand as a draw and shoved.

4. It allows you to get away with check raising some flops with draws out of the blinds on later hands. Players will have a harder time putting you on a hand when you flat call from the blinds. You can c/r your draws against the aggressive late position raisers and take down a lot of pots or often get a free river card if called.

Full Tilt Poker, $1/$2 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

UTG: $458.15
MP: $384.45
CO: $200 (pretty aggressive with high steal %)
BTN: $219.35
Hero (SB): $232 (2nd hand at this table, 4 bet the CO all-in with AK on my 1st hand)
BB: $78.90

Pre-Flop: K A dealt to Hero (SB)

2 folds
CO raises to $7
BTN folds
Hero calls $6
BB folds

Flop: ($16) A T 5 (2 Players)

Hero checks
CO bets $8
Hero raises to $22 - I made the raise kind of smallish to hopefully look like a draw.
CO calls $14

Turn: ($60) J (2 Players) - Not the best card in the world for my hand

Hero bets $42 - about 70% of pot
CO raises to $171 and is All-In - In most spots this might be a tough call but my hand looks so much like a draw that I have to call here.
Hero calls $129

River: ($402) 8 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: $402 Pot ($3 Rake)
CO showed J 9 (a pair of Jacks) and LOST (-$200 NET)
Hero showed K A (a pair of Aces) and WON $399 (+$199 NET)

I know some people will argue that you always need to 3 bet AK from the SB against a CO opener in a 6 max game, but I think that always is probably -EV and more value can be gained by sometimes cold calling with AK out of the blinds.