Quoted: Just curious.    Who plays poker (for money, legally),  where do you play,  what games do you play, and, honestly,   how are you doing? I play at the local dog track's poker room.    I've been playing Hold'em for a while and found that the only reason to play THAT game is to just have some fun and spend a little money.    I go with 40 bucks and when it's gone, so am I.   (2 dollar betting limit)      I never expect to make any money at Hold'em.     It's great for the house,  but don't play it with the intent of making money at it. I've started playing 7 card stud now.    This is more to my liking,  On a BAD night,  I'll take home what I brought in, most of the time.    I start with 60 bucks, no more and no less.    When it's gone, so am I , but I've never gone home with no money when playing 7 card. I only play about once or twice every two weeks.   And only for fun.    7 card is more fun because I've taken home more than I I brought with me,   to the tune of up to 200 bucks profit per visit, as of this time. I haven't tried the other games that are available yet.   Most of the dealers at the poker room prefer to play 7 card for themselves.   That tells me that this is one of the better games,   as I see it. CJ

I got into "HOLDEM" a couple/few months ago.

And I'm doing very well, strange as it may seem.   I don't know if its my experience deposing and cross-examining witnesses or picking jurys, but I've been really good at catching people bluffing and calling them down when I've got a hand better than their bluf.  

Last weekend, I was buying a pack of smokes and some college kids invited me to a private game, probably figuring me for an easy mark.   I went and took about $500 of these youngsters.   Just as I had dragged another huge pot, I stood up, threw the money on the table and said:  Guys, if you're going to go fishing for easy marks you might want to be more careful.   I didn't see the need to take their money, and I was just playing for fun anyway.

I play like shit online, although I actually had a huge pot with a huge hand a few weeks ago (royal flush).   I can't help but think that the online sites are not necessarily random in dealing the decks, there's a lot of 4 and 5 way action and the best hand after the flop vitrually NEVER survives which isn't my experience playing live.

Locally, I play some tournements... and find that I do better in the tournement structure because once the blinds get way up there, people are gambling a lot more and my "reads" on people help a lot more.

I'd say in the last 4 months, I'm probably "up" a few thousand dollars.   Its fun, and I enjoy it, but I can see how someone who can't set limits would be in deep shit with this game.

I play every week.

All of my buddies play online, it seems to have made them much better. I can't stand to play online, I want to look at the guy making the bet.

I like hold 'em.

I play no-limit hold 'em. I host a weekly game at my house. Usually it is a tournament format, but we play a money game every now and then as well. I  also play in no-limit tournaments in the casinos in the mountains outside of Denver. Most of the tournaments there have buy-in in the range of $60-$100.
I also play online at Paradise Poker and Full Tilt poker. Online I mostly play Sit 'n' Gos.

I am up overall. I had a couple pretty good sized cashes at the casino tournaments and I am up in my home game. I am probably up a bit online as well, but it is kind of hard to tell, because I play online so often, and have cashed in and out so many times.

Quoted: At the local poker room,   the general wisdom is that there's no bluffing in a two dollar game.    Having participated in many of them,  I believe it.    Bluffing IS pretty rare,  because with the bets being so cheap, someone will ALWAYS call you and force you to show your hand. That wouldn't necessarily be the case in high limit games. CJ

That is why no-limit hold 'em is the 'cadillac of poker games', becuase your bluff can always be for all of your chips.

About the only thing I do is play a video game on my computer. I play Hold'em, Its just a mock computer tournament. I think it would be cool to play with a bunch of guys. Maybe a Michigan area Ar15.com holdem party.

I once played with some guys from work just a $20 each poker night. The dealer calls the game. It just seems like two of the guys always come up with a game that nobody ever heard of and they make the rules up as they go along.

I played 'High Chicago', Holdem and 5 card 3 card draw with the inlaws and ex wife a few time just for chips it was fun but a couple of the people just did not play serious. you could not bluff and play to win becuase a couple people were calling everything and just saying its only a game and its not really money.

Quoted: Quoted: At the local poker room,   the general wisdom is that there's no bluffing in a two dollar game.    Having participated in many of them,  I believe it.    Bluffing IS pretty rare,  because with the bets being so cheap, someone will ALWAYS call you and force you to show your hand. That wouldn't necessarily be the case in high limit games. CJ That is why no-limit hold 'em is the 'cadillac of poker games', becuase your bluff can always be for all of your chips.

Yup.

I don't know if its all the "big games" they show on TV, or whatever, lately... but the last couple tournements I sat at had a tremendous number of people go "all in" on pure bluffs -- with RAGS for a hand.  

Obviously, any hand can hit and even if you'r holding a couple of aces you can very easily get smoked when the center cards are dealt.   But I can't IMAGINE shoving my whole stack in the middle with 2 7 offsuit as the first person to act and especially if I hadn't caught a tell or something.

If you play enough tournements, you can see a nice pattern.   First five or six hands play EXTREMELY tight, and watch the loose players either go up big or lose their asses on all in bets.   Then while the blinds are still low, get into some hands and take money off the folks that are "up" and overenthusiastic with their luck.   Finally, during the mid-level blinds, bluff hard at a small pot and show your bluff cards whether you win or lose.   Immediately thereafter, play tight and take advantage of the idiots calloing you down because they think you're bluffing a lot.   Finally, when the blinds get very huge, you gotta play the man and not the cards.  

Quoted: At the local poker room,   the general wisdom is that there's no bluffing in a two dollar game.    Having participated in many of them,  I believe it.    Bluffing IS pretty rare,  because with the bets being so cheap, someone will ALWAYS call you and force you to show your hand. That wouldn't necessarily be the case in high limit games. CJ

Exactly. I went to the local casino playing 1-3 limit Hold'Em and what you've described is exactly what happens. Since a maximum bet is relatively small, someone will always call it for the hell of it. No longer really a game of skill at that point.

Quoted: At the local poker room,   the general wisdom is that there's no bluffing in a two dollar game.    Having participated in many of them,  I believe it.    Bluffing IS pretty rare,  because with the bets being so cheap, someone will ALWAYS call you and force you to show your hand. That wouldn't necessarily be the case in high limit games. CJ

I'm easy to bluff. If someone bluffs me I don't get pissed, I get their money later. You have to be an actor, and you have to read the other players. I'll also bluff early and show it, and plant the seed for later in the game that I'm bluffing when I'm holding the nuts.


Good players are easy to bluff, because someone can have position on you, go all in and catch a river card and put your ass out. I understand that and TRY not to let it happen to me.

Hell I lose more with trips than I win. A pocket pair is usually how I get put out.

Seldom am I all in and I am the one that needs a card.

Quoted: Quoted: At the local poker room,   the general wisdom is that there's no bluffing in a two dollar game.    Having participated in many of them,  I believe it.    Bluffing IS pretty rare,  because with the bets being so cheap, someone will ALWAYS call you and force you to show your hand. That wouldn't necessarily be the case in high limit games. CJ Exactly. I went to the local casino playing 1-3 limit Hold'Em and what you've described is exactly what happens. Since a maximum bet is relatively small, someone will always call it for the hell of it. No longer really a game of skill at that point.

It is still a game of skill, just not about bluffing. In those limit games, you are looking for two types of hands: big pocket pairs, and suited connectors. The suited connectors are great in low limit games, because you can see a flop for cheap, hit your flush or straight and bust out the big pocket pairs.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: At the local poker room,   the general wisdom is that there's no bluffing in a two dollar game.    Having participated in many of them,  I believe it.    Bluffing IS pretty rare,  because with the bets being so cheap, someone will ALWAYS call you and force you to show your hand. That wouldn't necessarily be the case in high limit games. CJ Exactly. I went to the local casino playing 1-3 limit Hold'Em and what you've described is exactly what happens. Since a maximum bet is relatively small, someone will always call it for the hell of it. No longer really a game of skill at that point. It is still a game of skill, just not about bluffing. In those limit games, you are looking for two types of hands: big pocket pairs, and suited connectors. The suited connectors are great in low limit games, because you can see a flop for cheap, hit your flush or straight and bust out the big pocket pairs.

Yep, 8 3 clubs cracked kings last week at the game I was in.

Fucker flopped a flush. The other guy flopped trips and went all in, as was all out.

I still cant believe he stayed past a 3X blind raise, then hit the flush, then stayed with an 8 high flush on an all in.

He was a newbie and got lucky.

I think its important to find your game and read books on the game so that you can get better.

The thing about poker versus most other casino games is that you can make some money as long as you play smart and half the table is worse than you.   If you can find a table where 7 out of 10 are worse than you, then you're in good shape.

i play online at party poker.  My username is group1cards. I do ok.  I'm not quitting my day job, but I've never had to put more money in after my initital $50 deposit.

I am kinda hard to read in a different way. I can be sitting on a royal flush and my face will often look like I am bluffing.

I play a few times a month in private tournament. $40 buy-in, usually have about 15-20 people and the top three players split the pot evenly. For all my trips out there I am about $100 ahead counting everything(have played eleven times=$440 worth of buy-ins and have won a total of $540 in the three pots I have gotten a piece of). It is cheap entertainment and fun, plus you can't lose more than $40 in a night.

Quoted: The skill in poker is entirely about (a) knowing the odds and (b) how well you play witih the odds in mind. The winner is determined only by the cards that are shown when the betting is over. Skill in reading your opponent and figuring out whether someone is bluffing or not is something that I can't really call skill,  because what works on one opponent won't work on another.   Some people can be read,  and are predictable,  while others are unreadable and unpredictable.      I know that I'm hard to read (I do the dead face thing very well and only use one body posture and position when playing)  and even harder to predict, because even I don't know what I might do next. I don't really believe that there is any skill at all in poker outside of knowing the odds and your willingness to play by them.     The rest is intuition at best, but not really skill. CJ

you are a fish bro.

EVERYONE has tells. It just takes time to figure them out.

ETA...Poker is not a card game, it is a people game.

I try to never gamble when playing poker.

If you understand those two things, you will become a much better player.

I'll be playing video poker at about this time tomorrow night in Vegas.

888.com

"The world's no.1 online poker room"....

I used to play alot...until the holdum craze hit a few years back. I can't stand that shit. Draw poker and stud poker are the only games I play. I guess I'm a purist.

Y'all ever play Montana Red Dog?

Quoted: Fish? Well, nobody seems to have figured me out yet. Some people, I can read.    It's obvious that some people will bet on anything and try to scare you out, while others...if they raise,  the only reason to stay in the game is if you have the best boat possible and there's no chance of a straight flush on the table. Some people are very predictable by their method of playing,   Some others can't keep secrets and show them on their faces or in their body language.   But I don't play with the same people often enough to know much about certain individuals. What I find amusing is those people who clearly have a problem.   I play 40 or 60 bucks on a visit, depending on the game I choose,  and I leave if I use up that money.    But many people keep exchanging cash for more chips, over and over again.    I've seen people dump 300 bucks at the table while I was there,  and I stayed about even or slowly lost my tiny initial stake and no more.   If I lose my 40 bucks in 3 hours and you lose 300 bucks in the same 3 hours,  does that make me a better player than you? I think it did, on THAT day. I think some of those people have genuine gambling problems. CJ

Sometimes great players get beat by guys who don't know the difference in a set and a pair.

You have this skill that you claim doesn't exist by reading people's bets.

Bets are FAR more telling than stare downs, sighs, looking away. I know you bet and check and raise. All of them can be tells.

Quoted: Sometimes great players get beat by guys who don't know the difference in a set and a pair. You have this skill that you claim doesn't exist by reading people's bets. Bets are FAR more telling than stare downs, sighs, looking away. I know you bet and check and raise. All of them can be tells.

Don't forget what a "call" to a bet can tell you.   Especially when there's a lot of action, you can pick up a lot of information by "buying" it with a small bet.

Playing the other night, I drew QQ on the button.

Before the flop, everybody just calls the blind.  There's $60 in the pot before the flop, and its time for the guy I nicknamed the "pathological raise" to bet.  He raises, just like he has every single other hand of the night (including mostly while he was holding rags).   Now the smart players with the weak hands start folding out

Specifically, three people besides me stayed in the hand to the flop, which comes out 3 K 8 rainbow.    

Two acted before me by simpy checking.   Well, I need to know what I'm facing here because I think I saw the guy two seats before me react to the King...   So I drop another  bet of 2 times the $10 blind ($20).   The pathological raiser confirms he had once again raised preflop with shit by folding to my bet, but the guy I was worried about immediately -- and I mean without even a bit of hesitation -- calls this bet.

THAT, my friends, is a tell.    It was a small bet, and pot odds make that a good call for most hands.   But its the SPEED with which he called that let me know he was probably on a monster.

The other guy (acting between the king watcher and myself) waits a bit and then calls.  It was not automatic for him.  Guy's either on a draw (and on that board, needs runners or two suited cards to get a straight or a flush) or he's connected  with the 3 or the 8 and is holding a weak pair.

I knew I had to get out of the hand if I didn't hit trips on the turn based on how quickly the first caller was -- I mean even if he had connected with just one King, I'm on a two out draw.  

Next card came down as a 3, and the king watcher checks.   The other guy ( who had, it turns out hit a pair of 3s on the flop) drops a bet of 4 times the blind and now I'm pretty sure I was right before and I put him on as set of 3s.  

I fold, BUT again the guy who had just checked (the king watchter) immediately, without hesitation, calls the guy who bet the 3 on the turn.    

The better wasn't paying attention or seeing what I saw, or he'd have been really worried about this.

Now we're at the river.  And here comes a Q -- I'd have had a nice boat if I'd had stayed in the hand, which THANK GOD I did not.    Board now shows  3 K 8 3 Q.  

King-watcher CHECKS again.  But the guy that bet the last round bets with the zeal of a guy holding the boat, which indeed he was as well.  (his hand, turns out, was Q 3)  

He shoves his whole pile in.   And the King watcher calls before the guy had slid his pile a few inches.   Not even a bit of hesitation.

The raiser, of course, lost his whole stack to my "fast" caller who, as I had guessed, was sitting on pocket kings, landed trips on the FLOP, and his full house by the turn... checking and calling every bet along the way.

I had two pair at the turn, and would have had the boat on the river.  The size of the pot _might_ have justified a call at the turn, especially since that 3 gave me two more outs than I had before.  But I saved 4 times the big blind in not playing to that draw, not to mention the bloodletting I could have taken if I'd have been around for the showdown on a hand that would have resulted in THREE boats at the end.  

The loser got up shaking his head and $500 poorer, but he shoud have been paying attention becuase that combination of checking and calling by the king watcher meant there was something going on.    And if I'd had just let him check on the flop, I'd have never been sure on whether I was reading his connection with the king properly and I might have walked into a bloodletting too.   I could have bet more than 2x the blind on the flop, but you get more information with a smallish bet sometimes.   A larger bet and king watcher might not have been so automatic in calling.   Plus, a larger bet on the flop and hhe guy with a pair of threes that wound up losing his stack would probably have folded. If I had been holding the strongest hand (i.e., if king watcher had folded to my bet at the flop) any larger bet than I made would have pushed everyone out of the pot and I'd have missed my own opportunity to abuse the guy who eventually went all in.  As it was, he hesitated to call with the bet I did make.

So there's a lot of stuff you can figure out just from the action and how people behave.   And sometimes a smartly placed but relatively small bet at the right time can buy you all sorts of information about your opponents.

I play holdem with friends a few times per week.  No big money, more for fun.  We go to the casino maybe once a month.  

Quoted: Quoted: Sometimes great players get beat by guys who don't know the difference in a set and a pair. You have this skill that you claim doesn't exist by reading people's bets. Bets are FAR more telling than stare downs, sighs, looking away. I know you bet and check and raise. All of them can be tells. Don't forget what a "call" to a bet can tell you.   Especially when there's a lot of action, you can pick up a lot of information by "buying" it with a small bet. Playing the other night, I drew QQ on the button. Before the flop, everybody just calls the blind.  There's $60 in the pot before the flop, and its time for the guy I nicknamed the "pathological raise" to bet.  He raises, just like he has every single other hand of the night (including mostly while he was holding rags).   Now the smart players with the weak hands start folding out Specifically, three people besides me stayed in the hand to the flop, which comes out 3 K 8 rainbow.     Two acted before me by simpy checking.   Well, I need to know what I'm facing here because I think I saw the guy two seats before me react to the King...   So I drop another  bet of 2 times the $10 blind ($20).   The pathological raiser confirms he had once again raised preflop with shit by folding to my bet, but the guy I was worried about immediately -- and I mean without even a bit of hesitation -- calls this bet. THAT, my friends, is a tell.    It was a small bet, and pot odds make that a good call for most hands.   But its the SPEED with which he called that let me know he was probably on a monster. The other guy (acting between the king watcher and myself) waits a bit and then calls.  It was not automatic for him.  Guy's either on a draw (and on that board, needs runners or two suited cards to get a straight or a flush) or he's connected  with the 3 or the 8 and is holding a weak pair. I knew I had to get out of the hand if I didn't hit trips on the turn based on how quickly the first caller was -- I mean even if he had connected with just one King, I'm on a two out draw.   Next card came down as a 3, and the king watcher checks.   The other guy ( who had, it turns out hit a pair of 3s on the flop) drops a bet of 4 times the blind and now I'm pretty sure I was right before and I put him on as set of 3s.   I fold, BUT again the guy who had just checked (the king watchter) immediately, without hesitation, calls the guy who bet the 3 on the turn.     The better wasn't paying attention or seeing what I saw, or he'd have been really worried about this. Now we're at the river.  And here comes a Q -- I'd have had a nice boat if I'd had stayed in the hand, which THANK GOD I did not.    Board now shows  3 K 8 3 Q.   King-watcher CHECKS again.  But the guy that bet the last round bets with the zeal of a guy holding the boat, which indeed he was as well.  (his hand, turns out, was Q 3)   He shoves his whole pile in.   And the King watcher calls before the guy had slid his pile a few inches.   Not even a bit of hesitation. The raiser, of course, lost his whole stack to my "fast" caller who, as I had guessed, was sitting on pocket kings, landed trips on the FLOP, and his full house by the turn... checking and calling every bet along the way. I had two pair at the turn, and would have had the boat on the river.  The size of the pot _might_ have justified a call at the turn, especially since that 3 gave me two more outs than I had before.  But I saved 4 times the big blind in not playing to that draw, not to mention the bloodletting I could have taken if I'd have been around for the showdown on a hand that would have resulted in THREE boats at the end.   The loser got up shaking his head and $500 poorer, but he shoud have been paying attention becuase that combination of checking and calling by the king watcher meant there was something going on.    And if I'd had just let him check on the flop, I'd have never been sure on whether I was reading his connection with the king properly and I might have walked into a bloodletting too.   I could have bet more than 2x the blind on the flop, but you get more information with a smallish bet sometimes.   A larger bet and king watcher might not have been so automatic in calling.   Plus, a larger bet on the flop and hhe guy with a pair of threes that wound up losing his stack would probably have folded. If I had been holding the strongest hand (i.e., if king watcher had folded to my bet at the flop) any larger bet than I made would have pushed everyone out of the pot and I'd have missed my own opportunity to abuse the guy who eventually went all in.  As it was, he hesitated to call with the bet I did make. So there's a lot of stuff you can figure out just from the action and how people behave.   And sometimes a smartly placed but relatively small bet at the right time can buy you all sorts of information about your opponents.

Where do you play?

Quoted:

Where do you play?

That game was on business to New York last week, snuck away to the Taj when we wrapped up early.  (By the way, I got out of my own way that hand, but wound up down for that evening... the "players" were there in force).

Locally, I've played the RM poker tour at various spots in Ft. Collins, and a lot of private games with some friends and local business folks.

I missed the charity tourney at the Ft. Collins Hilton on Friday, though.   Still gonna write them a check, but I didn't get to sit -- too much work to do.

I play three to four times a week.  Just got done with three games today My wife took First in the First game and I took First in the last two.  People thought we were hustlers.

I generally like to play PLO.  It gets me to really think about all the outs and how the hand will change with the turn of one card.  Granted I don't expect to be on TV with Phil Helmuth, but I think PLO has signifigantly increased the quality of my holdem play.

I am great at getting the second-best hand.  Fortunately, that allowed me to hit a bad-beat jackpot a while back, which covered most of my losses.

Seven card stud, I start out with A-K-K, get an A, a *, a *, and an A to end up with a full house, aces over kings, with only a mismatched A and K showing.

The other guy starts out with 7, 7, *, gets a 7, *, *, and 7, for four sevens, with only one of them showing.  How the hell anyone can figure that one out is beyond me.

Quoted: I am great at getting the second-best hand.  Fortunately, that allowed me to hit a bad-beat jackpot a while back, which covered most of my losses. Seven card stud, I start out with A-K-K, get an A, a *, a *, and an A to end up with a full house, aces over kings, with only a mismatched A and K showing. The other guy starts out with 7, 7, *, gets a 7, *, *, and 7, for four sevens, with only one of them showing.  How the hell anyone can figure that one out is beyond me.

I have never felt bad about getting beat by quads. I drew 4 aces the other day,but everyone folded.

It is a monster hand and there is no shame in getting beat by it.

Especially when there are 3 of the 4 down, and you are holding a boat.

Weekly on PokerStars.com....... Generally only play a Satellite or two at weekends......

.... bit of side play waiting for the tournaments to start!  

Never win much, but never really lose much...

Quoted: Quoted: I am great at getting the second-best hand.  Fortunately, that allowed me to hit a bad-beat jackpot a while back, which covered most of my losses. Seven card stud, I start out with A-K-K, get an A, a *, a *, and an A to end up with a full house, aces over kings, with only a mismatched A and K showing. The other guy starts out with 7, 7, *, gets a 7, *, *, and 7, for four sevens, with only one of them showing.  How the hell anyone can figure that one out is beyond me. I have never felt bad about getting beat by quads. I drew 4 aces the other day,but everyone folded. It is a monster hand and there is no shame in getting beat by it. Especially when there are 3 of the 4 down, and you are holding a boat.

Hey, it worked out great -- my share of the bad-beat jackpot was $28xx.xx.  ($56xx, half to me, a fourth to the winner, and the rest split among the other people at the table who were in the hand.)

I play hold em and have to agree with an above poster. Seems like the online places are not random. I do pretty good sometimes online but much better in a real game. I can hold my own in 7card stud too but suck at 5 card draw and am total ass at omaha

I play a weekly Hold'em game with some friends and friends of friends.  Most of them have no idea what they are doing.....but bring cash.   I've laid down monsters against my friends (I'm not out to bust them) but thier buddies (esp ones I don't like) get to pay for thier mistakes.  

I recently got into Omaha Hi/Lo....that's really fun.