Archive for March 18th, 2010

A good player is never check-calling this river. Weaker players will, though, and they rarely check better. This guy was new to me but seemed decent and had an aggression factor of 7 over a small sample. Good reason, in other words, to think he’s not a check-caller.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $10.00 BB (8 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

BB ($1063)
UTG ($1573.75)
UTG+1 ($987)
MP1 ($1365.50)
MP2 ($535.50)
CO ($4925.25)
Hero (Button) ($1042)
SB ($1207)

Preflop: Hero is Button with Q, K
5 folds, Hero bets $20, SB calls $15, BB calls $10

Flop: ($60) J, 5, 6 (3 players)
SB bets $35, 1 fold, Hero calls $35

Turn: ($130) 7 (2 players)
SB bets $70, Hero calls $70

River: ($270) 6 (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $187, SB raises to $1082 (All-In), Hero folds

Total pot: $644 | Rake: $3

Results:
SB didn’t show
Outcome: SB won $641

I seriously considered calling, but as a bluff, this seemed like an expensive alternative to just firing a third barrel on the river. I did wish I’d never bet, though.

As “The Poker Philosopher”, and in honor of one of my favorite non-poker blogs, I occasionally consider the ethical dimensions of a high-profile controversy in the poker community. In September, I discussed Joe Sebok’s decision to join Team Ultimate Bet. In November, I examined a $50,000 $W swap gone wrong (or right, depending on which party you ask). This month, I consider the multiple accounts of Nick “Stoxtrader” Grudzien. In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll state up front that I work for Poker Savvy Plus, a video training site that competes with Grudzien’s Stoxpoker. I also believe that I have played against several of Grudzien’s accounts without knowing that they were the same person. While I don’t believe either of these facts colors my view of the situation, I’ll leave the reader to be the final authority on that.

The latest scandal to rock the online poker world is Nick “Stoxtrader” Grudzien’s admission that he has played under multiple screennames on both Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker. According to his post in the 2+2 thread on the subject:

In the last few days various allegations have been made that I have played on multiple accounts on FTP and Stars and that by doing so I have violated the terms and conditions of the sites and also cheated in ways including colluding. The relevant facts are:  Read the complete post...