"Have a game plan for your tournament. Decide if you are going to start out playing tight in the early rounds, or if are you going to play fast and try to accumulate chips early. Consider adjustments you might make if you get short of chips, if you get a large stack, or how you might adjust to different types of opponents styles.¶ 8:26 PM 0 comments
Be prepared for everything!" - Brad Daugherty
I've got to find out how you get out fast in a tournament with out the deck hitting you in your face. I'm pretty sure it has to do with the fact that I play very tight in the first hour of a tournament. But lately I've been trying to limp with suited connectors and small pocket pairs. For the most part it hasn't worked for me. I use to have a style of play that work very well for me, but I'm off of it.
I've got a poker funk over me right now. I'm not grinding at the limit tables like I use to. I'm not focused like I should be when I sit to play a tournament. I know I'm multi-tasking when I'm playing. Ok now I know it, and have put it in writing I'm going to stop...I hope that is the case.
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Started at 16/Feb/05 21:07:08
1Seal1 is at seat 0 with 1455.
CHE55 is at seat 1 with 1445.
SierraFox is at seat 2 with 1635.
pergos57 is at seat 3 with 0 (sitting out).
JSaw is at seat 4 with 1490.
MattieG is at seat 5 with 1500.
PUGSDAD is at seat 6 with 120.
Uroboros is at seat 7 with 2875.
paldonWa is at seat 8 with 1500.
huty is at seat 9 with 2980.
The button is at seat 3.
JSaw posts the small blind of 5.
MattieG posts the big blind of 10.
1Seal1: -- --
CHE55: -- --
SierraFox: -- --
JSaw:
MattieG: -- --
PUGSDAD: -- --
Uroboros: -- --
paldonWa: -- --
huty: -- --
Pre-flop:
PUGSDAD raises to 20. Uroboros folds. paldonWa
folds. huty calls. 1Seal1 folds. CHE55 calls.
SierraFox folds. JSaw re-raises to 110. MattieG
folds. PUGSDAD goes all-in for 120. huty calls.
CHE55 calls. JSaw calls.
Flop (board:
):JSaw checks. huty bets 10. CHE55 raises to 130.
JSaw re-raises to 890. huty calls. CHE55 goes
all-in for 1325. JSaw calls. huty calls.
Turn :
JSaw goes all-in for 45. huty calls.
Tournament all-in showdown -- players show:
CHE55 shows
.JSaw shows
.PUGSDAD shows
.huty shows
.River :
Showdown:
CHE55 has Kc Qh Qs Qd 8s: three queens.
JSaw has As Qc Qs Qd 8s: three queens.
PUGSDAD has Ad 7d Qs Qd 8s: a pair of queens.
huty has 7s 4s Qs 8s 3s: flush, queen high. ¶ 6:14 PM 0 comments
I may have come to grips with my time management issues, by learning how to put to use a Palm. I've had this thing sitting around for about 6 months. If you take the time a Palm is more than a date book, to list, and address book. I've been able to download my email to the palm and take it to work and answer a good deal of it in the dead time . I typed this post on it also, so I think I'm going to have more time to devote to my blog, website, and still play poker.
Speaking of Poker, I didn't get a chance to play much of it last week. It was due to choice, not being unable to find time. I did manage to find time to get the Empire Poker $150 bonus, which I have to stay may be the best bonus online. I was able to work it off in 2 days of playing. I don't know of any other bonus of that size that is as easy to clear as Empire. I've also put some money in IP to get their $90 monthly bonus + a $20 bonus they emailed me just to play one raked hand. I should clear that bonus up some time next week, then I will be going back to Full Tilt to make some head way on the bonus I have just sitting there.
I've been laying the ground work for some improvements at 72os.com, so February is going to be a big month for me. Also about this time last year I started playing online poker. I feel I've come along way in that first year and have had a blast along the way. To all the players that have supported me, helped me, lost to me…I say thanks. I hope this next 365 days is just as good.
budget, especially when one has specific features in mind. One
summer, my friends and I decided to build a poker table since all
the retail tables didn’t suit your tastes. We were avid poker players,
and we wanted to make the experienceas Las Vegas-like as we could.
The most important part to the table was the planning, but in terms
of construction the key elements to our table was the table itself,
the cup holders, the surface and the arm rests. However, all of
the features of the table are for naught if the table isn’t designed
well.
Like a well-written essay, a poker table must have a design. You
can’t start from scratch and have a prize-winning table worthy of
playing with friends. Step one of building a respectable table is
to design it well. The most important thing about a table is its
size. The table should be constructed to comfortably fit as many
people as you can expect to in on the pot. In our case, the table
comfortably seated from four to six. Any more than that and the
spacing was cramped, any less and you’d need a telescopic arm to
pick up cards. The most difficult kind of table to make would be
an oval while the easiest would be a rectangle but what I recommend
is just to curve the corners on a square piece of board like a pool
table. Aside from shape and size, you may wish to incorporate some
other features. Cup holders were a must for us, as well as armrests,
and we decided to use decorative tacks to give the table that extra
look of class. So now that you know what you want out of your table,
time to start building one!
The first step in making a poker table is the construction of the
table itself. Your design should be relatively simple since you want
to make as few mistakes as possible in cutting it. Home Depot is an
excellent source of eight foot by four foot boards, and since that
is a generous size, I’d recommend cutting two feet off the length to
give you a nice six by four foot board. As for the type of board, it
was recommended to us to go with pine, but we opted for high density
particleboard. Poker games can get rowdy very quickly the last thing
you need is for the table to collapse mid-hand. As for the design of
the table, just pencil out the desired shape. Simply, set a center
point and tie a pencil to a string in order to draw neat curves. Once
you have your shape penciled in, a jigsaw will easily remove the
unwanted parts. Now that your board is starting to look like a
table, it is time to add the surface and any built-in features you
might like.
In Las Vegas, all of the card tables have drop boxes to safely store
money in the table itself, as well as cup holders to avoid spills on
the fabric, which is tough to clean. Even the most hardcore poker
players however will not usually have a drop-box in their tables, but
cup holders are a must. If you want to create a lot of work for
yourself, you can include the cup holders in the armrest, but that’s
very difficult to get right. Our solution was to just put them in the
table itself. You can order stainless steel cup holders from a variety
of gambling stores, but we found Home Depot saved our skins yet again.
Some plumbing pipe with a cap works beautifully. Although it seems
simple you need to err on the side caution with your holes being too
small, for if they’re too large, the cups will fall through and the
table is essentially ruined. Simply measure the dimensions and cut
them out with a jigsaw. If they are too small, just sand out the edges
until the cup holders squeeze in nicely and aren’t going to fall out
the bottom. Glue works very well to secure them, as well as
reinforcement like chicken wire stapled to the underside of the table.
Once you’ve got your cup holders in place, you should think about
surfacing your table as well as the armrests.
The surface of your table should be soft and smooth so that the cards
can glide easily across it. We used velvet for our surface and it
worked extremely well and it added a regal look. As for affixing the
surface, a staple gun is a necessity. Just pull the fabric taught and
staple it to the underside of the table. If you have cup holders, just
take a knife and poke a hole through the fabric, without actually
removing it, where your cup holders will be. If you want your table to
be all the more luxurious, you can put a layer of foam or even carpet
underlay below the velvet to make it extra soft. Just use glue and
staples to keep the foam fixed to the table. After you surface the
table, it’s time to put on the armrests. Armrests are difficult, but
they are definitely worth it. For the arm rests, I’d suggest a fabric
like vinyl, although fake leather works nicely too. As for the
dimensions, I’d recommend the armrests be the outer six inches of your
table. This means the fabric should be cut at three times the width,
since it’s going to be filled with stuffing and you want some slack to
staple below the table. Remember to lay the fabric with the side you
want facing up to be placed flat on the table. Staple the fabric down,
and the excess over top of the staples and fix it to the bottom of the
table. Then you can stuff the hollow armrest. Because this process is
very tricky, I suggest making the armrest into sections rather than
trying to do it all at once. Also, make sure you staple all of the
armrest to the table before you decide to work on any one section. The
armrest will look the least professional of your table, and it took us
the longest to complete, but as long as it prevents sore elbows, it
should be considered a job well done.
The table can be considered a job well done if it comes out looking
even slightly professional. As for three men who sat down one weekend
and decided to build a table, our spur-of-the-moment idea turned out
fairly well. The armrests are the most difficult stage, especially
stuffing the last section, but they are definitely worth the trouble.
As long as you spend time planning, your table should come out well.
Just remember, even if your table doesn’t come out perfect, if it’s
usable it’s something to be proud of. Building something from scratch
is much more gratifying than just going out and buying a factory made
card table and it will be more rewarding when it is time to sit down
and play.
Preflop: Hero is SB with , 
.
UTG calls, MP1 calls, 1 fold, CO calls, Button calls, JSaw completes, BB checks.
,
,
(6players)
JSaw checks, BB checks, UTG bets, MP1 folds, CO calls, Button folds, Hero calls,
BB folds.
(3 players)
JSaw checks, UTG bets, CO calls, Hero calls.
(3 players)
JSaw checks, UTG bets, CO raises, JSaw 3-bets, UTG caps, CO calls, JSaw calls.
Final Pot: 19.50 BBJohnny_Kash shows [ 
, 
] a full house, Fives full of sixes.
dodah shows [ 
, 
] a full house, Sixes full of fives.
JSaw_ doesn't show [ , ] a full house, Fives full of aces.
dodah wins 19.50BB from the main pot with a full house, Sixes full of fives.
Here is an interview we did at 72os.com with Greg "FossilMan" Raymer. He was a great guy and willing to share his time.
72os.com Q & A Session
1. I have a question regarding AK. How should you go about playing AK off suite preflop? Do you raise hoping to slim the field of players, or do you limp in hoping to attract more players creating a larger pot? I have found that limping with AK can get me into a lot of trouble; people end up hitting their drawing hands and crack my aces or kings. So how would you go about playing AK preflop? Thanks for your time. Imapokerpro
Greg Raymer: Well, there is just too much more to know before I could answer that question. Are we talking a cash game, or tournament? Limit, pot-limit, or no-limit? How deep are the stacks? How skilled are the players? What is your perception of your opponents, and theirs of you? If a tournament, are we early, middle or late? In the money yet, close, or not even close? Heads-up at the end, 3-handed, 4-handed, etc.? If a cash game, how many players? Which cards you’re holding is only a small part of the equation.
However, to answer your question, you would raise much more often than not.
2. Hi Greg. First of all I would like to say congratulations on the win. What I really want to know is where did you get those glasses and where can I buy one of your lucky fossils? Good Luck on your other poker tournaments!!! SexualPanda
Greg Raymer: Well, my website isn’t really up yet, but in the near future you will be able to buy autographed fossils, as well as the sunglasses, on www.fossilmanpoker.com !
3. Hi Greg Would you rather play a tournament online or in live play? What would you list as the pros and cons of both? I hope your winnings have helped you to be closer to your family and enjoy your life a little more. bbgold
Greg Raymer: Thanks. My family likes the new lifestyle a lot in many ways. They don’t like it when I’m away from them for a long time, but they love it when they get to come along with me to Paris and the Bahamas. To your question, I prefer live play when it’s possible, but I spend a lot of time online, due to the convenience factor. I used to spend most of my time, and now spend all of my online time at PokerStars.com.
4. My question is a very simple one: What the heck did you write in your black book after your little showdown with, and your snubbing of, Mike Matusow? roanan1
Greg Raymer: A lot of people ask me that. It was the end of the level, and I was writing down my chip count. Nothing about Mike at all.
5. Hey Greg congrats, I met and talked to you at the st.johns greyhound park poker room celebrity tourney in fla. A few months back.you are a real nice man.my question is what is it like playing next to pros like Lederer, Chan, Ivey and so on? dawgs1010
Greg Raymer: It’s the same as playing with anybody else, only it’s a lot harder to win.
6. Congrats on an outstanding win in WSOP and hope you are really ok after the robbery attempt. What would you consider to be the top 3 attributes of a successful poker player? Thanks for taking the time out to answer our questions. 4Flush
Greg Raymer: Dedication to working on improving their game, intelligence, and self-awareness.
7. Hello Greg, I just wanted to ask ...Where can I get 1 of your fossils? Thanks for your time! TooHot24
Greg Raymer: See above.
8. Congrats on the win Greg - was very impressed with the way you seemed to be in total control throughut the tourney. My question is about becoming a better online player. I'm sure you've faced the same frustrations many of us are facing now (chasers, all-in preflop, especially with the lack of tells. How were you able to overcome this and take your game to another level? TEECEE
Greg Raymer: If you work hard and study hard, and experience a lot in the poker world, you will eventually understand both intellectually as well as emotionally that the mistakes your opponents make are always a good thing, even when they get lucky and beat you. If they didn’t make mistakes, you couldn’t win in the long run. Sometimes, however, getting to that long run is very frustrating.
9. I am curious as to the thought process that went into the All In on the flop. As I recall, you had AQs and the flop was Q xx with the xx putting you on a four-to-the-flush draw. Is this a usual move for you in this situation...ie. top pair, top kicker and a flush draw? Were you tilting a little? Did you have a good read on Matusow? After all, if he had a set, you would have been in a little worse shape. Appreciate your time and look forward to your response.
Steve Hering aka Ramjac7
Greg Raymer: I’m sorry but I’m not sure which hand you mean. In the big hand on TV against Mike, I had AdJd and the flop was T93 with two diamonds, so I did not have a pair when I pushed all-in on the flop. In that hand, Mike was in late position, and raised as the first player to enter the pot. I knew he could be stealing with almost anything, so I reraised with AJs, most likely the better hand. He called, and we saw the flop mentioned above. At that time, I had about 4 times as many chips as were already in the pot. If I bet a normal-sized bet of about the pot, I was pretty sure Mike would raise me all-in, and I would have to call. If I check-raised all-in, I thought Mike would feel potstuck and call. In both of those scenarios, I would have to have the best hand on the river or I would be eliminated. However, if I just push all-in first, I thought he would fold a lot of hands, and I could win a smaller pot without risking elimination. However, he called, and I still had to make the best hand to win. Glad I did. ;-)
10. Can you tell me what are your favorite poker books and do you have any tips for sucessful online tournament play, both single and multi table strategy ?
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!! RICK OLIVER, H0UDINI
Greg Raymer: The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky is the best poker book out there. It is the foundation of a great game, whether you want to play holdem, stud, tournaments, whatever. My best tip is to read this and other books, go to online poker chat sites, and do everything else you can to try and make your game a little better every day.
11. What advice would you give to someone with a bank roll of $100? whitley69
Greg Raymer: Play in small stakes online games to build up your bankroll. With games starting as low as 1 penny-2 penny no-limit holdem, you should be able to grow from almost any starting size.
12. Hi Greg, Are you writing a book or have any other projects going on? RaalphD6
Greg Raymer: I am writing a book to be published by Two Plus Two Publishing, the publisher of books by David Sklansky, Mason Malmuth, and other great poker writers. Look for it by late spring.
13. Which do you find harder to play live or online tournaments? JSaw
Greg Raymer: Online, because you can’t pick up any tells.
14. Do you have any big wins with the power hand 72os? JSaw
Greg Raymer: Sure. All the time. As long as nobody raises my big blind.
¶ 2:25 PM 0 comments
My
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