Another shot at a Casino
The following Monday i decided to give the live game another shot. I went to the $5 re-buy at the Grosvenor casino in Newcastle. There were 72 entrants of varying ability. I sat on a table i felt reasonably comfortable with, but i never got a playable hand for the first 50 minutes. None of them would've won a showdown even if i had played them. The first thing i noticed is that almost every hand is played to a showdown and people will bet and call with anything.
Eventually i was dealt QQ and i raised it up. A young lad at the end called and the board came A-K-8...I made a continuation bet and he raised so i called. I actually wasn't worried about the board as this lad was a bit dim and green and i had seen him raise with anything at all to try and repeatedly buy the pot. I pegged him for the same action the turn card came another K and i bet, he re-raised and seein ghe hadn't much left i put him all in for his last few hundred chips. My read was right...he turned over 44 with a sigh saying he was well behind. i showed my QQ and felt happy. I had mad my first successful read of an opponant. It was easy.
Then the river card came a 4 and i was devastated. The first hand i had played and it had ruuined my chip stack. I was gutted. Never mind on-line poker. It's clearly the live poker thats rigged!
I left shortly after that, unsuprisingly going out with KQ suited to AA when i was shortstacked. I felt i hadn't learnt very much and i had had almost no cards to play all night. Had i been too tight? I didn't think so, just unlucky, but i was aware that i wasn't good enough and i needed to get better before i returned to a casino.
I went back to my laptop at home and restarted my internet play. I read a few more issues of the WPT magazine and also picked up Poker Player magazine that month. This magazine was a revalation.....it was upbeat, jolly and full of profiles, reports and reviews of everything to do with poker. Suddenly poker was made fun and not soooo serious. It was from this magazine that i learnt more and more about the need for strategy and mathematics in poker. It was also where i first heard mention Dan Harrington. His books were alluded to several times in the magazine and on one occasion they said that you have to read his books if you want to play at all. The deal was done. I would buy Harrington. Doyle Brunson's Super System had been helpful but i knew i needed more. This would be it..... i hoped.
Over the next few weeks i flitted down to London a lot for job interviews and one day in WHSmith's i picked up Harrington on Hold 'em and began to read. 2 weeks later i bought the follow up book and also Sklasky's book on Texas Hold Em and i began to read. It was astounding...i learnt about position and starting hands, reading bets and how to bet before and after the flop, about bluffing and surviving MTT's. There was so much in those books it complete altered my game.
After a month of study and taking notes i began to play again with a serious attitude and i started to see results i never imagined. I didn't need to reload anymore and i quickly began to win games. My bankroll swelled to $800 and i won 3 MTT's in 10 day on Blue Square. I was here and whilst there was more to learn i felt that at last i was getting to grips with the game and i had seen visible progress.
Eventually i was dealt QQ and i raised it up. A young lad at the end called and the board came A-K-8...I made a continuation bet and he raised so i called. I actually wasn't worried about the board as this lad was a bit dim and green and i had seen him raise with anything at all to try and repeatedly buy the pot. I pegged him for the same action the turn card came another K and i bet, he re-raised and seein ghe hadn't much left i put him all in for his last few hundred chips. My read was right...he turned over 44 with a sigh saying he was well behind. i showed my QQ and felt happy. I had mad my first successful read of an opponant. It was easy.
Then the river card came a 4 and i was devastated. The first hand i had played and it had ruuined my chip stack. I was gutted. Never mind on-line poker. It's clearly the live poker thats rigged!
I left shortly after that, unsuprisingly going out with KQ suited to AA when i was shortstacked. I felt i hadn't learnt very much and i had had almost no cards to play all night. Had i been too tight? I didn't think so, just unlucky, but i was aware that i wasn't good enough and i needed to get better before i returned to a casino.
I went back to my laptop at home and restarted my internet play. I read a few more issues of the WPT magazine and also picked up Poker Player magazine that month. This magazine was a revalation.....it was upbeat, jolly and full of profiles, reports and reviews of everything to do with poker. Suddenly poker was made fun and not soooo serious. It was from this magazine that i learnt more and more about the need for strategy and mathematics in poker. It was also where i first heard mention Dan Harrington. His books were alluded to several times in the magazine and on one occasion they said that you have to read his books if you want to play at all. The deal was done. I would buy Harrington. Doyle Brunson's Super System had been helpful but i knew i needed more. This would be it..... i hoped.
Over the next few weeks i flitted down to London a lot for job interviews and one day in WHSmith's i picked up Harrington on Hold 'em and began to read. 2 weeks later i bought the follow up book and also Sklasky's book on Texas Hold Em and i began to read. It was astounding...i learnt about position and starting hands, reading bets and how to bet before and after the flop, about bluffing and surviving MTT's. There was so much in those books it complete altered my game.
After a month of study and taking notes i began to play again with a serious attitude and i started to see results i never imagined. I didn't need to reload anymore and i quickly began to win games. My bankroll swelled to $800 and i won 3 MTT's in 10 day on Blue Square. I was here and whilst there was more to learn i felt that at last i was getting to grips with the game and i had seen visible progress.
posted by Stephen Daughton at 6:23 pm
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