Ethics for Sale
Some of you may have heard that Phil Hellmuth overslept yesterday morning and was getting blinded off in the tournament. Apparently Mike Matusow called security at Phil’s hotel and got them to enter his room and wake him up. I didn’t know any of this at the … Read full post
Just published, thanks to Kevmath for getting this out in the Twittersphere so quickly!
Sorel Mizzi 47900 – ie imperium ie famous multi-accounter and also frontrunner for last year’s player of the year
Andres Rodrigues 24125
Lauchlin McKinnon 35100
Claudio Rinaldi 63900
Russel Rosenblum 36975 – final tabled the main … Read full post
I’m about to leave for the airport, and it occurs to me that I haven’t actually posted about my Main Event plans! I’ll be at the 2+2 party tonight and then playing my first day on July 9th, Day 1C. I’m in Vegas until at least the 12th, hopefully longer, … Read full post
My latest poker strategy article, What Are You Afraid Of?, is now appearing in the July 2011 edition of the 2+2 Magazine. The article uses a single hand to look at a larger point about game theory and exploitability:
… Read full postBeing “underrepresented” or “too weak” are not bad things in
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. Today, I consider the WSOP Ladies’ Event, which began yesterday and is scheduled to conclude tomorrow. Older editions of The Poker … Read full post
Sorry I’ve been so slow in posting this. I didn’t want to talk about this at all before everything was squared away, and then as you’ll see it ended up taking me a long time to tell the story of how I ended up back on PokerStars and playing from … Read full post
More details to follow when I finish playing, but check it:
CNN reports that,
The Transportation Security Administration stood by its security officers Sunday after a Florida woman complained that her cancer-stricken, 95-year-old mother was patted down and forced to remove her adult diaper while going through security.
At least from what I can tell from this article, the entirety of … Read full post
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. Today, I consider a lawsuit brought on behalf of Ponzi scheme victims against players who allegedly won the fraudulently obtained money … Read full post
(I’ve made blog posts out of responses to reader-submitted questions before, but it never occurred to me to actively solicit such questions for a regular feature until now! So welcome to the first Thinking Poker Mailbag, and please read on for information about how to submit your own question!)
Q: … Read full post
Here’s an archived hand that illustrates a key point from my Betting for Protection article. The idea is that you don’t have to worry about protecting against a draw if you expect your opponent to bluff very often when he misses his draw. Essentially your implied odds from catching bluffs … Read full post
Today marks the 40th anniversary of President Nixon’s declaration of “war on drugs”, a quagmire that has proven far more expensive and deadly than the Vietnam War that he inherited. Put simply, the war on drugs is an ongoing decision to address America’s drug problem as a fundamentally criminal, rather … Read full post
One of my co-workers introduced me to the workplace cliche that “this job wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the customers,” which in my naivete I believed to be both original and uniquely applicable to my job. Today, instead of a single story, I’m going to share a … Read full post
Just posted a review of No Limits: The Fundamentals of No-Limit Holdem by Chris “Fox” Wallace and Adam Stemple. Here’s the gist of it:
As a book for small stakes cash game players, it’s not bad, but not bad isn’t good enough when it’s covering ground already tread by great … Read full post
Now that the WSOP is in full-swing, many players will be taking a shot or two at events well above their usual buy-in levels. This can be a great opportunity, because the $1000 and $1500 NLHE events attract hundreds of players weaker than what you’d see in an average $20 … Read full post
Although I’ve occasionally sold action, I’ve never had a long-term backing deal, and I’ve never wanted one. I have a few horses but I’m generally very reluctant to stake anyone else. My thinking on this is as follows:
To the extent that the backer has an edge on a deal, … Read full post
This is one of those stories that, though amusing, doesn’t have much of a point to it and so didn’t make the cut for “Three Days in Madrid“. I think you’ll get more out of reading this if you’ve already ready that article.
Mitesh and I were leaving … Read full post
Here’s an interesting hand that one of my students shared with me. We’d been working on bet-sizing, and his assignment for the week was to find spots to under- and over-bet the pot.
His reads here were that the BTN was a weak regular and the BB was on the … Read full post
Part trip report, part sequel to “Gray Friday“, “Three Days in Madrid” is my latest article for the Two Plus Two Poker Magazine:
… Read full postMy heart beat eagerly as my eyes scanned the waiting crowd at Madrid-Barajas Airport. It’s nice to know that, after nine hours of
Last week, I posted plans to play a few of the early WSOP preliminary events. I was scheduled to leave for that trip this morning.
I woke up feeling miserable this morning, so much so that I didn’t feel up to the long flight from Charleston, SC to Las … Read full post
One summer during college I worked at a day camp for kids from Cambridge. Most people know the city for Harvard and MIT, but actually a good chunk of it is projects and other low-income housing. The camp consisted mostly of minority youth from low-income backgrounds, but there were a … Read full post
Amidst all the bad news in the online poker world these days, there is one development that I find very exciting. Two news sites have launched recently, both promising to cover the online poker industry without the conflicts of interest that come from accepting advertisement from the industry itself.
I … Read full post
My latest poker strategy article, “Having a Plan For a Hand“, is now appearing on Part Time Poker:
In this article, I want to consider a hand that at first glance may look like just a lucky flop against a bad player. In truth, however, I think the … Read full post
Surprise, surprise, I’m just now making plans for where I’m going to be and what I’ll be doing a few weeks from now! I’m going to the Rio for the first week of June to hit a few of the WSOP prelims, specifically:
June 2: Event 4 $5000 NLHE
June … Read full post
Found this sort of interesting hand while randomly perusing the database. I don’t know for sure that I would have folded to a turn barrel, but I think Villain definitely ought to bet, and if I know that he isn’t betting this, then folding 88h on the turn is easy:… Read full post
My father was generally the parent more interested in playing board and card games, including poker, with my brother and me, but this particular story involves my mother. I meant to post this on Mother’s Day but didn’t get around to it (I did call her from Madrid, though).
Most … Read full post
Without online poker to order my life, the days just run together. Sunday in particular used to be a day that would almost invariably be given over to poker. But I just now realized what day it is today, and that I won’t be playing the Sunday Million, and that … Read full post
There’s a full trip report in the works, but for now, here’s my favorite hand that I played in the EPT Madrid main event:
Blinds are 150/300/25. The UTG is a very aggressive young Scandinavian with a huge stack. He opens to 750, and I call in the CO with … Read full post
Sorry for the long silence- I’ve just had better things to do than blogging while I’m in Madrid. I’ll be home on Thursday and should return to a normal blogging schedule not longer after.
It turns out one of my coaching students lives in Madrid and is also a very … Read full post
Andrew busted at EPT Madrid shortly after the dinner break Day 1A.
I expect he’ll post a more thorough recounting tomorrow, but he did have a Spanish friend relay the busto hand info for me to share –
… Read full postIt was shortly after dinner break, with blinds at 300/600, Andrew had
Andrew is playing EPT Madrid’s Main Event today, dubbed the Grand Final for the EPT series.
Main Event winners from each of this year’s other EPT stops are given an entry into this 10,000 Euro Grand Final as part of their prize package.
In … Read full post
My current 2+2 Magazine article, Gray Friday, is one of the most personal I’ve published. It’s about what was going through my head around the time of the online poker indictments and by extension a reflection on my relationship to online poker in general:
… Read full postIt still seems surreal to
Dipping into the archives to bring you some poker content…
Villain and I were starting a game. He’s pretty solid and not someone I’d ordinarily go out of my way to play heads up, especially not at 2/4 where there’s easier competition available.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $4 BB (2 handed) … Read full post
A few months ago, I began to experience pain along the top of my right forearm. Insert your masturbation jokes here, but realize that this is the arm I use for directing my mouse, and as a professional online poker player, I was spending hours every day moving and clicking … Read full post
(Sorry for all the low-content posts lately, I do plan on getting some more poker-related stuff going soon. For now, enjoy the filler!)
One summer during college I worked at a day camp for kids from Cambridge. Most people know the city for Harvard and MIT, but actually a good … Read full post
I’ve made a last-minute decision to play the EPT Grand Final in Madrid. I’ll be starting Day 1A on May 7th. A friend who used to play in my old high school home game way back when is going to join me for the trip, so it should be fun … Read full post
In light of recent events, I’ve decided to end the Thinking Poker Home Game tournament series early. Americans are still allowed to play for play money, and I thought about finishing out the series that way, but I think there are too many people who just aren’t going to be … Read full post
This cloud has a silver lining for those of you who have been considering coaching: my time right now is worth a lot less than it was last week, and consequently I’m cutting the price of my coaching in half! Effective immediately, individual coaching is $150/hour with even deeper discounts … Read full post
I want to begin with appreciation and an apology. I’m flattered that so many people have been eager to hear my thoughts on the recent events that rocked the online poker world, and I’m sorry that this post is going to disappoint you.
The truth is that I don’t know … Read full post
Edit: Well this was a little premature. In light of recent events I will in all likelihood not be able to play in the Home Game this Sunday. Unless Stars automatically unregisters me, my dollar will stay in the prize pool, so phat overlay for those who do play!
Sorry … Read full post
…but this guy managed. He almost got there, too:
PokerStars Pot-Limit Omaha High, $1.00 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Button ($170.35)
Hero ($250)
BB ($1351.95)
UTG ($258.90)
MP ($456.15)
CO ($96.50)
Preflop: Hero is SB with 7c, As, 5h, Ac.
UTG calls $1, MP raises to … Read full post
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. Today, in honor of the US’ April 15th deadline for filing, I address the underreporting of income, which many poker players … Read full post
I think Villain’s turn range consists of bluffs, flushes, AQ, sets, and perhaps the occasional 43 or AJ no spade that is raise-folding. I think it’s unlikely that he’s raising a singleton spade, as without a pair he’s setting himself up to get blown off of the draw and with … Read full post
The day started well enough. My table couldn’t be called “soft”, but given the overall tough field, I imagine it was one of the more desirable tables. We were supposed to be playing 8-handed, but my table consisted of me, three primarily live players of varying skill, and three online … Read full post
I started the day with 30K, quickly ran it up to 80K, dropped back down to 40K, ran it up to 130K, dropped down as low as 36K, then quickly ran back up to 140K and finished the day with 127,200.
Despite the swings, it was actually a really boring … Read full post
Didn’t get the table draw until the very last minute, but here it is:
1 Richard Woodall 81,000
2 Andrew Brokos 30,800
3 Mario Nagel 18,600
4 Douglas Johnson 33,000
5 George Kalaitzis 37,000
6 Mike Beasley 34,300
7 Cliff Josephy 32,100 (JohnnyBax)
8 Chris Bonita 24,500
9 Tony Cousineau … Read full post
Day got off to a good start: I made some big hands and won some big pots during levels 1 and 2 to go on break with about 50K. I’ll post more details after the event is over but basically I played a couple of pots in position against Carter … Read full post
Today marks my first public appearance sporting the PokerStars Team Online patch (assuming I successfully meet up with fellow PSTO’er Kevin “WizardofAhhhs” Thurman, who is supposed to have some for me). I hopefully won’t be able to post a blog update until tonight, so if you want the play-by-play, be … Read full post
Yesterday, I posted a few hands where I exploited Early Position raisers with transparent ranges. Here’s an example of of the kind of play you can make to combat players who try to exploit you in this way:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $4 BB (8 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy … Read full post
Many Tight-Aggressive players do a poor job of mixing up their ranges for raising from Early Position. This means that you can often identify boards on which your perceived range is stronger than theirs and bluff relentlessly:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $6 BB (7 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com… Read full post
I was tweating yesterday about some big folds that I made in my Sunday tournaments. At least one person expressed interest, so here are the two biggest.
Villain was 11/8, and I’d been reasonable to tight, though admittedly my Team Online avatar does seem to make people a little suspicious:… Read full post
Congratulations to Pokerpaulmd and Piefarmer, who chopped the $5.50 NLHE 6-Max Shootout Home Game yesterday. Rjtii finished 3rd, and Jeppe18 came fourth after surviving the many bad beats I put on him at our starting table to eventually triumph over me in the heads up. The other final tablists were … Read full post
Sorry it was late to show up in the lobby, but the $5.50 6-Max NLHE Shoot-Out is taking place as planned at 16:30 today in the Thinking Poker Home Game. Club ID# 312467, ID Code “foucault” to join.… Read full post
In my recent poker strategy article, Slowplaying, I emphasize how much a failure to build the pot can cost you when you slowplay a huge hand in NLHE. One of the exceptions I discuss is when you have an aggressive opponent who may help you to build the pot:… Read full post
My latest poker strategy article, Slowplaying, is a meditation on a variety of topics related to slowplaying: what it costs you, when to do it, which types of boards and opponents are best, etc. Here’s an excerpt from the introduction:
“[Y]ou must weigh the advantages of slowplaying against what … Read full post
At the end of 2010, I urged poker players to send me write-ups about their favorite charities in order to encourage year-end giving and paint a broader picture of just what the non-profit sector looks like and how many diverse opportunities there are for charitable giving. Quite a few well-known … Read full post
PokerStars Pot-Limit Omaha High, $1.00 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
MP ($263.80)
CO ($250)
Button ($362.30)
SB ($264.20)
Hero ($250)
UTG ($166.90)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Ah, 4c, Ac, Tc.
UTG calls $1, 1 fold, CO raises to $5.2, Button calls $5.20, SB … Read full post
This is an update concerning a post I made a few weeks ago about some strange goings on in my old UB account.
I requested a security audit as several people on 2+2 suggested. To their credit, UB support was quick to respond with the results and also to answer … Read full post
The field in the $1050 PokerStars Super Tuesday had been whittled down from 394 to 28. With 10 BB’s, I wasn’t in great shape, but I had a fighting chance. And then the internet at my apartment went out. I tried the usual disconnecting and reconnecting, but it didn’t fix … Read full post
Yet another Home Game Fail, as I apparently did not set the tournament up correctly to be a shootout as advertised. It’s a shame, too, because 34 players is a near-perfect size for a 6-max shootout. We ended up playing a plain old $5.50 6-Max NLHE tournament, which Birchum took … Read full post
BTN and SB both seem fishy, not just because of their stacks but because they are respectively 100/20 and 55/9, albeit over small samples. I felt like they’d both have a lot of random crap and I could drive them out of the pot and get it heads up with … Read full post
…so overbet-overbet it is:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $2 BB (5 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
UTG ($518.95)
MP ($500)
Button ($538.90)
SB ($211.55)
Hero ($1162.75)
Preflop: Hero is BB with 7s, 7d.
2 folds, Button raises to $6, SB calls $5, Hero calls $4.
Flop: ($18.80) … Read full post
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $6 BB (2 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Hero ($1078.40)
BB ($2126.95)
Preflop: Hero is Button with 7s, 9c.
Hero raises to $18, BB calls $12.
Flop: ($36) 2c, 2d, 6h (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks.
Turn: ($36) 7h (2 players)
BB bets … Read full post
Villain’s hand looks so much like a busted draw that I was afraid I was getting leveled. I had to double-check the board to confirm that it really made no sense for him to play any value hand this way before snapping him off:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, $2 BB (4 … Read full post
Also, fold the river:
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em Tourney, Big Blind is t80 (6 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
UTG (t1560)
MP (t3290)
CO (t6660)
Hero (t4198)
SB (t3839)
BB (t1453)
Preflop: Hero is Button with 7h, 9h.
3 folds, Hero raises to t160, SB raises to … Read full post
First off, congratulations to Home Game newcomer Gellybooty, who bested a field of 26 to win the 8-Game Freeroll (in under 4 hours, I might add- structure was perfect IMO).
The runner-up, despite mis-reading his hand at least twice, was I. In triple draw, I drew four to an Ace, … Read full post
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