The Poker Thread

[spintheblackcircle]

Encore at Wynn in Las Vegas will close from Monday to Thursday because of low demand for hotel rooms | Daily Mail Online

The Poker Room at Encore will temporarily move to the main building for Wynn Las Vegas, where it will be open seven days a week.

 

[MaxV]

Jeez.

 

[alko]

Poker as a sport?

 

[MaxV]

Poker as a sport?

I view it as such. I know most people are ignorant to the fact that poker is a game of intelligence not luck. There is luck involved in a short term, but that can be true for just about any sport/game. There are no flukey goals in hockey? Poker career requires skill, luck evens out over time.

I personally don't think that the term "sport" is limited to physical achievements.

And it's not like games of intelligence require no physical strain. Poker tournaments can last majority of waking hours and a player needs to stay mentally sharp and keep track of situations of every player around him. Math is HUGE part of poker and especially in tournaments.

 

[Perennial]

Jeez.

There is no worse feeling in poker than when you've bumped it up preflop holding a pair of kings, and an ace hits the flop...

 

[Perennial]

Poker as a sport?

I view it as such. I know most people are ignorant to the fact that poker is a game of intelligence not luck. There is luck involved in a short term, but that can be true for just about any sport/game. There are no flukey goals in hockey? Poker career requires skill, luck evens out over time.

I personally don't think that the term "sport" is limited to physical achievements.

And it's not like games of intelligence require no physical strain. Poker tournaments can last majority of waking hours and a player needs to stay mentally sharp and keep track of situations of every player around him. Math is HUGE part of poker and especially in tournaments.

A sport is a physical activity...

Poker is a game, not a sport

 

[kanuck87]

There is no worse feeling in poker than when you've bumped it up preflop holding a pair of kings, and an ace hits the flop...

Nah, sh*t happens and you just have to proceed more carefully when it comes out. Standard play is just to continuation bet on the flop (You have to represent an ace in your hand) and if you get re-raised, you can make the call and re-assess after the turn. He's blocking a lot of the opponent's possible AK combinations, and I don't know that the opponent would push all-in on the flop with AQ or AJ, given how strong you've portrayed your hand (4-bet pre-flop).

With just a half pot size bet left, the guy with KK just needs to go all-in on the flop. The other guy doesn't need to have an ace or better to push all-in. Could easily have a flush draw or pocket 9's, 10's or J's. Put in $3 million to win an extra $7 million in that situation should be a call, win or lose.

 

[Perennial]

I've been playing poker for over 15 years... 10's of thousands of hours... which is likely millions of hands played...

The last couple of months I've been playing nearly every day on Pokerstars, and I just can't believe what's happening when it comes to the number of bad beats I'm receiving...

It's like I'm being set up over and over again to lose money... and my opponents are regularly being rewarded for making bad calls

Just in the last couple of days...

AA vs 99 in a $55 MTT
99 limps from 1st position, I'm to their immediate left, and raise 4x the BB, folds around to the limper who shoves, and he spikes a 9 on the flop

66 vs 33 $33 MTT
All in preflop... 3 on the river

88 vs A10 $33 MTT
I limp, button raises, SB calls with A10, I call... flop comes 8, K, Q... the flop checks through... I bet 2/3 pot on the turn and get called by A10... jack on the river... opponent bets big, I call

AJ vs J9 Deep in a $33 MTT
I shove from early position for 10 BB... it folds around to the chip leader on the BB who thinks for a long while before calling with J9 offsuit... 9 on the flop

AJ vs J10
I raise from early position, SB calls... flop comes J,J,K... I bet, SB calls... Q on the turn, I bet, SB calls... 10 on the river... opponent bets big on the river, I call

QQ vs 43
Blinds 100/200...3 limpers + the SB calls, I have QQ in the BB blind and raise to 1200, only the SB calls... flop comes 4, 5, 6, all clubs... SB leads out with a small bet, I overbet shove, SB calls... 2 on the river

AJ vs Q9
Q9 limps from early position, I raise from the button with AJ suited... flop comes A, J, K... I bet 600 into an 800 pot, and get called... 10 on the turn... check, check... opponent bets big on the river, I call

AQ vs A9
Flop comes A, K, 2 all hearts... I bet, opponent calls... 9 of hearts on the turn, and I'm holding the Q of hearts, so I bet, opponent calls... 9 on the river

AA vs AK
AK raises preflop, I'm to their left and just call... flop comes 6, 7, 9 all spades... AK bets, I shove, AK calls holding the A of spades... spade on the river

This one almost made me cry today...

We're deep in a $55 MTT
I've got KQ in the BB and get min raised from early position by 44
I call to see a flop... which comes Q, 9, 7
I check... 44 puts me all in... I call... 4 on the river

Just think about the odds here...

He happens to raise my BB with 44... I happen to flop top pair... I check to induce a bet... he happens to shove... and then hits a 2 outer

He's less than 9% to win that hand when all the money goes in... but he just happens to get super lucky while it's my tournament life on the line

Like I said, I'm an experienced poker player, so I don't need a lesson on variance... I know full well sometimes an opponent will get lucky and hit their card, but the frequency in which it's happening is becoming unbearable...

Losing 3 or 4 coin flips in a row I can handle... but what's been happening recently goes well beyond that

 

[HFBS]

I know most people are ignorant to the fact that poker is a game of intelligence not luck. There is luck involved in a short term, but that can be true for just about any sport/game. There are no flukey goals in hockey? Poker career requires skill, luck evens out over time.

You are seriously underrating luck in poker, short term or not. If I sit down with the best poker player in the world for a one on one, I have a decent chance of beating him. If I go one on one with Wayne Gretzky or Wilt Chamberlain, unless they break their leg or have a heart attack, my chances are zero.

I've been playing poker for over 15 years... 10's of thousands of hours... which is likely millions of hands played...

The last couple of months I've been playing nearly every day on Pokerstars, and I just can't believe what's happening when it comes to the number of bad beats I'm receiving...

It's like I'm being set up over and over again to lose money... and my opponents are regularly being rewarded for making bad calls

Like I said, I'm an experienced poker player, so I don't need a lesson on variance... I know full well sometimes an opponent will get lucky and hit their card, but the frequency in which it's happening is becoming unbearable...

Losing 3 or 4 coin flips in a row I can handle... but what's been happening recently goes well beyond that.

I don't care how many people or government agencies swear to me that online poker is legit, I'm not handing you my money and letting you tell me if I won or not.

 

[MaxV]

You are seriously underrating luck in poker, short term or not. If I sit down with the best poker player in the world for a one on one, I have a decent chance of beating him. If I go one on one with Wayne Gretzky or Wilt Chamberlain, unless they break their leg or have a heart attack, my chances are zero.

I am aware of the luck in poker. It is certainly different then a regular sport, but it is also different then most gambling games which are purely luck-based.

Good poker players make plays that, in the long run, are profitable. They tilt the odds to their favor. Great players do it even more. But these plays aren't always profitable.

 

[HFBS]

I am aware of the luck in poker. It is certainly different then a regular sport, but it is also different then most gambling games which are purely luck-based.

Good poker players make plays that, in the long run, are profitable. They tilt the odds to their favor. Great players do it even more. But these plays aren't always profitable.

Poker is a game, not a sport.

Sport:
An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.

definition of sport - Google Search

 

[Neutrinos]

So, I'm multi-tabling on PokerStars, and among others I'm in the $109 Bounty Builder, and the $109 Scoop Event

I get it all in preflop with KK vs JJ in the $109 Bounty Builder, J on the river

3 minutes later in the $109 Scoop Event I pick up pocket aces

It folds around to the player on my right who min raises. I shove with my aces, the SB re-shoves with KK, and then the BB makes a rather loose shove with JJ. The original raiser folds. Both players have me covered, so if my aces hold I'll be close to quadrupling up

Nope

JJ turns a straight


And a few weeks ago, this one was truly special in a $55 Daily Mini Bounty Builder HR:

I've got AA in the BB, it folds around to the button who raises, SB re-raises, I just smooth call, and the button folds

Flop comes A,K,8 with 2 diamonds. SB makes a large bet, I call. Turn is a 10 of diamonds, the SB shoves, and I call

River is a 10

SB has pocket 10's


I really just don't see the point in continuing my poker career anymore

It doesn't matter what I do, the poker Gods just keep shitting on me

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Just started this. Pretty good

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Binged the first 3/4 of the season and I really like the format.

 

[Say Hey Kid]

TX Hold Em takes less skill because you can win by forcing players with smaller pots to either go all in or drop out of the hand. In games with limited raises you can't do this.