Reading the Tea Leaves at the Poker Table…Determining the Winner

Thursday, May 16, 2013

T-Licious advice By: T-Licious

Sometimes new players end up relying on other players at the table or the dealer to determine which hand won the pot or a side pot.  There may also be split pots.  If you look at the board systematically then it can reduce the time it takes and increase the certainty of determining the winner.

GAMES WITH COMMUNITY BOARDS

Assuming no wild cards, you can look at the board at any time and determine the best possible hand by looking for the following in order:

1.  Flush & Straight:  3 to the flush and 3 to the straight (possible straight flush)
2.  Paired board:  a pair on the board can mean poker/quad (4 of a kind) or a boat (full house) is possible
3.  Flush (already looked for in step 1)
4.  Straight (already looked for in step 1)

So if there is no flush and the board is paired after all 5 community cards are out, then the best possible hand is the quad followed by the boat.  If there is not three to the straight showing then the next best is a set (3 of a kind), followed by 2 pair and a pair.  These last three hands are always possible no matter what is on the board.

ANY GAME WITH WILDCARDS

You can apply this logic to non-community games without wildcards as well.  Wild cards are pretty pointless in hold ‘em games but may still be called by the drunk at the table.  For community or non-community games with wildcards the best 5 card hand is 5 of a kind followed by the straight flush and so on.  Five of a kind is pretty easy to spot, but the straight flush may take some time.  Use this helpful hint:

1.  Count the number of wildcards and set aside
2.  Match suits of remaining cards
3.  Find x number of cards to the straight (where x plus the wildcards will equal 5)

So with 2 wildcards you need three suited cards that could be within a straight (3 to the flush & 3 to the straight).Night Hawk Poker Table from the Texas Poker Store

Remember even if someone misreads their hand, if the dealer or another player points out the correct read then that is the made hand so don’t be too quick to push the pot to a winner, especially if you just wrapped up a game with crazy possibilities at the poker table.

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Because It’s Not Always About Poker

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Y’all know that we are poker players but you also know that we have a lot of other interests. Football is right up there on top and music has always been a deep part of our lives, especially mine, your Chief Dealer. You may remember that I produced legendary drummer and rock ‘n roll superstar Buddy Miles, and  that I even co-wrote and co-produced the Texas Poker Store’s very own theme song “I May Be Bluffin’.”

Because of our connection to and love of music, we cannot help but post about Chris Hadfield, who just recently returned to earth from his mission in outer space as commander of the International Space Station. Before heading back to earth, Commander Hadfield played guitar, sang and recorded a version of one of my all time favorite songs from back in the day – “Space Oddity.” Even though it’s been out for a few days, I couldn’t resist posting it, for a couple of reasons. First, if you haven’t heard and seen it, it will blow your mind; it’s that good. And second, I have an interesting personal connection to the song. I was there, at Rodney Bingenheimer’s E Club on the Sunset Strip, when David Bowie sang the original version back in the day. TPSchipsIt was an amazing performance, one I never forgot, but not quite as amazing as this version by Hadfield, coming back from space.

So put your poker chips away for a few minutes and enjoy!

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What Strategy Should You Adopt At A Poker Table? Here Is A Fun Way To Find Out.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Confessions of a Grinder Vinny the VenetianConfessions of a Grinder

A poker cash game resembles the unsolved game of Rock-Paper-Scissors, in that there is no single foolproof winning strategy. Here is a simple and fun way of finding out what strategy to adopt on the poker table.

In terms of Calling and Raising, how does your table play?

Look at the charts in this order 1 – 2 – 3 – 2 – 1

 Chart 1

See Chart 1

Pick the appropriate colors

Example: If they Do Raise often but Do Not Call

Often: You Pick BLUE and YELLOW

 

chart-2

 

See Chart 2

Mix the two colors

In our example:

BLUE + YELLOW = GREEN

 

 

chart-3

See Chart 3

The Arrow stands for “IS BEATEN BY”

What beats Green?

Answer: CYAN

 

NOW GO BACKWARDS

 See Chart 2

What Makes CYAN?

Answer: BLUE and GREEN

See Chart 1

Pick Corresponding Actions for BLUE and GREEN

You Do Raise often and Do Call often.

Summary of Example: To beat a table that raises often and does not call often, you raise often and call often.

Now try it yourself.

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Recently Discovered In Las Vegas – TEN COMMANDMENTS (from the Gospel of Vinny 4:19)

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Confessions of a Grinder Vinny the Venetianrinder

Confessions of a Grinder

Recently they found a poker bible hidden deep within the foundations of one of the Vegas casinos, and found this in one of the old testament chapters.

 

TEN COMMANDMENTS (from the Gospel of Vinny 4:19)

  1. Thou shall never believe in luck. If thou art misfortuned, thou art either making wrong decisions, not playing enough hands, or irrationally splurging your bankroll—the former being more likely. Thou shall only buy-in for up to or less than 4% of your bankroll.
  1. Thou shall be selectively aggressive—whether thou art tight or a loosie goosie floozie—aggressive poker kindles an unpredictable pattern, which in turn decimates predictability of all forms—thou shalt rather be a freak unleashed than a freak on a leash.
  1. Thou shall follow Bruce Lee’s Be Like Water philosophy—adapt thy strategy depending upon thy table. Thou shall mix thy game up to be deceptive, but always play, preferably raise, a lot more in later positions.
  1. Thou shall not fold Pocket Aces pre-flop, unless of course, thou art on a final table of a life-changing tournament and thy entire table is all-in pre-flop.
  1. Thou shall not bluff calling stations. Thou may also befriend the entire planet otherwise, but on the poker table, thou shall exhibit no mercy and strive to generate maximum value from every player thou art involved in a hand with—friend or foe, fish or shark, fit or terminal!
  1. Thou shall never be inebriated at the poker table, nor play hung over.
  1. Thou shall actively record thy mistakes in a cash game spanning ‘x’ hours, and spend at least ‘x/5’ hours analyzing and learning from them.
  1. After a bad or otherwise ‘sick’ beat in a cash game, thou shall take a walk or a break involving a fun activity, lasting equal to or more than 10 minutes. Please note that a sick beat involves making a perfect decision resulting in an imperfect result, and not making a donkey call.
  1. Thou shall always be positive. Being a winner has a lot do with believing that thou art one. Thou shall also exercise regularly and sleep enough. This will instill positive energies in thee, sometimes referred to as luck.
  1. Unlike war, or life in general, poker has a ‘sit out’ option. When the chips are down, and thou feelest on the wrong end of the Kuznet’s Curve, thou shall leave. There shall be a better time for thou to do, what thou doest best.

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