Bad play or a good one?

I had just sat down at a 1/2 table on Bodog late at night. The stacks were all at about $200 which is a perfect table to sit down at, establish a chip lead and then crush it. Anyway my second hand I was dealt K 9 of spaids on the button. A guy in first position raised to $10 dollars and it folded around to me. Having played with him before I knew he had a big hand like JJ-KK. I felt like if any ace hit or a scary board I could take down the pot as well as catching a piece of it and outplaying him by making him commit his chips. I of course called and we went to the flop heads up. The flop came down 6 3 2 with two spaids making it a beautiful flop for me. I could now represent a wide range of hands and have the buffer of a flush draw incase I made a play that didn't work I could still win the hand (I was 100% sure my flush would be the nuts). Villian checked to me and I needed to decide what to bet. With the pot at $23 I bet the pot. I did this for a few reasons. 1) This guy wouldn't fold his kings on the flop unless facing the maximum amount of pressure so in my head I had planned on moving in on him if he check rasied me. He thought a second then doubled my bet making it $20 more. I had to move here to win the pot. There was no way he was going to let me chase a flush down after the turn and I couldn't bluff him off of his hand on the turn if a blank hit because so much was invested in the pot. Moving in on him ensured I would see both the turn and river, and he might wise up and fold here because of such a draw heavy and scary board. I moved all in for my full $200. He thought about it before ultimately calling. I got "lucky" on the turn and hit my flush with him drawing dead. He bitched about losing before leaving (which happens all the time) but what caught me off guard was that other people were sarcastically joking about how it was such a bad play and that I was going to lose all my money. I don't know why I'm even posting about it because I went on a card rush getting aces and kings the next round and cleaned out the table by acting like a donkey and getting paid off. My only question would be about the play. I know there are two ways to look at playing the game and that is through long run expected value of hands (if you play the hand the same way in the same situation and put your money in when you are getting the right value then over time you will win money) but there is also that personal aspect where each hand is an individual and unique hand which can be played many different ways and based on the situation, read on people, etc you can maniuplate the rules and sometimes you get lucky. Basically I went all in on a flush draw vs kings and got called, then hit it.

Ace on the River

If you two are looking to get a more worldly view of poker and the gambling society, I recommend that you get Barry Greenstein's book Ace on the River. It was by far one of my favorites (and I've read lots of them, believe me) because it goes beyond talking about starting hands and the concepts of pot odds, etc. It takes more of a holistic approach to becoming a good poker player. For example, the book starts off talking about Barry's rise in his poker career, the bad beats he took not only on the table but in life, and then transitions into topics such as The Poker Society, Attitude of a Poker Player, Traits of Winning Poker Players, the Psychology of Gambling, Brain Chemistry, Making & Holding onto Money, Game & Chaos Theory, Play Lessons, etc. The book ends with some hands which he breaks down from the point of view of a professional, but overall it focuses on why and what makes certain people good at poker. Only about 20% of the material focuses on strategy alone. Every page is filled with cool and interesting pictures too; its not a long read, but a concise, educational one.

His "Parting Thoughts" at the end of his book are also something to consider:

"When all is said and done, if I spent most of my time sitting at a poker table, I would feel that I was a loser in the game of life."

"Your goal in life should not be to make money, but making money may help you achieve your goals."

"Where you spend your time is not nearly as important as what you do when you are there."

Unavoidable situation?

Full tilt 1/2 cash game: 9 handed.

I'm in BB with red AA. Middle position raises to $8, I reraise to $30, he calls to the flop.

Flop comes out K J 2 with two spaids. Now I followed through and bet the pot on the flop. Villian immediately moved all in, I was already pot committed so I called (it was about twice my bet). Villian shows AKs for a top with a flush draw. Anyway, flush hit and I lose. Did I misplay this? or is it one of those unavoidable situations?

Off to the Races!

I just wanted to hear you guys opinions on races. How do you decide whether or not you want to race with someone if you are pretty sure that is the case. i mean aside from being pot committed, what are other factors that determine your decision? Just a feeling...Instinct...willingness to gamble that sort of stuff.

Also would you rather have 1010 or AK when racing..

I just wanted to get this idea flowing because races are huge in tournaments...and i would like to have some more opinions before we go to Winstar...

Fucking Jacks......That's all im gonna say

Mixing up your game(s)

They say the first brand of beer you drink will be your favorite for the rest of your life. Well, I think poker psychology has a lot to do with this as well. I was introduced to NL hold 'em by all our friends when the poker boom came around a few years ago. We all played...everyone we knew did. Out of that group a few people tasted short term success, sometimes through luck and other times because they figured out a new play or caught some hot cards. The success coupled with the action and the fact that it was a fun game drew in almost everyone. The more consistent winners were even more hooked. I can almost name the group off the top of my head: us 3, Zak, Connor, Scott, Ice, Paulsen, Dave, Tim, Dustin, Cameron, Sam, etc... well all of them weren't consistent winners but they definately had the taste of a few big wins in their mouth. Anyway from that group a few more rose to the top because like any other game, poker is a game of winners and losers. We moved to higher stakes and ran into new players we had never played with before with similar backgrounds as our own. This is where our games clashed. Most the people I play with or have played with outside of the home games only play NL hold 'em. With that being said, bear with me while I try to pull three concepts together to make my point.

I'm going to change gears a little here (no pun intended) and talk about facing these new players. When we face these new players who presumably are around the same level as we are, we are forced to evaluate and re-evaluate our game. You have to mix up your game or else if you play with someone enough they can learn how you play to a T. Once you have passed that level and are able to change gears and evaluate hands and situations you are now on top of your game. You can't possibly learn anymore right? You have mastered the concepts of poker that make you a winning player... but poker is a game of situations, people, and luck. Luck of course is something that cannot be controlled, but situations and people can be put into one category: experience. The more you know the more you can apply.

In my quest to become a better player, I started playing all different types of games. Omaha Hi, Hi/Lo, Pot limit Hold 'em, Stud, tournaments, cash games, and just about everything out there. Aside from the structural differences in these games, they all come down to luck, people and situations. It is amazing how much each game can teach you about other games you play. Mixing up your game can not only rapidly improve your experience but it also makes you a better player at all the other games. Protecting you hand and betting your draws is a huge part of Omaha Hi, which can greatly improve your NL hold em tournament skills. I think the most important skill in poker is hand reading. Not putting someone on an exact hand but more importantly being able to read strength or weakness. I feel in other games where there is a betting limit you develop a skill for reading that and it really carries over to NL hold 'em where most people waste their time putting someone on an exact hand rather than figuring out how strong or weak a bet is or what range of hands someone is representing.

Ok let me try to tie this all togehter (hopefully you're still reading this long long post). First off, we are here and playing poker because of the success we all tasted from when we started playing. We now face many players similar to ourselves and we must adapt and have the upper edge. Poker has winning players and losing players at every level so you have to keep making sure you aren't the losing player at the table. Once you reach that certain point of poker where only experience seperates you from someone else, then you must gather as much experience as you can. Mixing up your game and playing different games is critical to success in poker. Also, you might enjoy a little winning (you don't necessarily have to lose at all other games). This post has been all over the place but the main point I want to get across is that you are here because you are better than most at this game and once you see the finish line you don't stop (max you know this). The last lap is the hardest but the pay off is worth it. Start mixing up your game selection. Start playing stud, take the time to learn PLO (it is a very profitable game if played correctly) and start playing in tournaments. Every game requires a differnet skill set but once developed, all the skills blend together. Take your game to the next level. Fight through the beats. You might even improve your hold em game along the way. Peace.