April Showers, May Flowers, Hello June...

well its been awhile, but dont think you mind too much. kinda hard to type in a sling. broken collar bone. this led to my new poker name 'the one-armed bandit' cause ive been winning alot lately. next post wont be for a while. peace

Pocket Pairs

Check out this sickness....

Poker in the Rear! LCB up front!

Well I have been 'out of order' for the past half week. But now do I have a story for you. We can throw this under etiquette. Well this local watering hole (you can even call beyond dive) was offering me games on a Wednesday nite for so long. I was loyal for years, until recently. This place scraps up barely two tables, 5 per. 5 bucks buy in, figure out the rake, you break even with drinks. Fun when its all your friends, but when they arn't? So, I do make friends with the 'old heads'. They usually know where a good game could be found... apparently one told me a few weeks ago to go right down the pike. You live once, lets check it out.

Bigger stakes down the pike. 20 bucks for the 30 person game to win bout 200. So I quit trying at the 'beyond dive' and drove up the pike with Mike. My first experience at any new place is just to check out the scene and see how everything plays out. The people, the cards, the chips, the bartenders, the atmosphere.

I did not receive my first cards when my ears perked up to hear, "side game". Now thats the game I'm looking for, with none of bullshit card playing involved. Chips were flying, color denominations confusing me, and now I was down to about 300 in chips of maybe 2 grand. Now it was time. Pre flop conditions told me it was all or nothing. J - 9 off suit. It was now or never. K-J-Q off suit on the board. 2 others fighting for the pot after my all in. All I need is a 10 for straight. Another K came out, and some junk. Bro to the right flipped over QUADS. I never made my straight.

So back to this 'side game'. Always the new fish (me) is always questionable for first time playing their 'side game'. Sat at the bar, waiting for this new Mike to let me know how the show goes down. Had a few drinks and finally figured out I was hanging out with the owners at the bar, bullshitting about AC the whole nite, and this Mike was their nephew. Owners peace out. Now I am on game control. Nothing to be dealt for the 'second game.' or so Mike tells me. I was so ready to throw down wicked skill.

In between all of this, I always get the 3rd degree, cause LCB (liquor control board) would have a field day with a 'late nite game'. Not so much being grilled, as to poking around to see if I'm legit. Happened in the 'Burgh as well. You have to give it a few weeks to get into this 'side game'. They have to feel you out. Cause you never know, I can be LCB staking out joints for the past few years for illegal gambling to have the biggest bust on the East Coast.....


F that! pass me the dealer button, let's get this game on!

"Ten Bucks Says the Chair Folds"

The Thrill of the Game

Addiction? Obsession? Whatever it is, I just can't get enough of hold-'em. The excitement when I first look at my hole cards, being big blind with a great hand, pumps the adrenalin all over my body. The knowing that no one can beat my full house or trips sharing those community cards just sends endorphins shooting out of my head.


I used to play 4 to 5 times a weeks in Pittsburgh. Now I only play twice a week. Tuesdays I play at Duffers on 352, and Wednesdays I play at WC Murphy's in Havertown. I'm also playing a lot online too. Not for money, not quite yet, but just for free play chips. Practice of sorts. Keeps my mind fresh with the game. I play with Full Tilt.


I'm thinking about hitting AC in the next few days to check out a tourney or some cash tables at Caesars. Never again at the Borgata. I know I haven't posted much this week, it has been a roller coaster kind of a week for me.

Peace,
Andru

Basic Hand Rankings for Poker Games

Here are the basic hand rankings for poker games.

Royal Flush - The best possible hand. Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10, all of the same suit.

Straight Flush - A straight flush is a straight (5 cards in order, such as 7-8-9-10-J) that are all of the same suit. As in a regular straight, you can have an ace either high (A-K-Q-J-T) or low (A-2-3-4-5). You can not use the Ace in a wraparound and example would be K-A-2-3-4, which is not a straight.

Four of a Kind - Four cards of the same rank like four Aces or Four Kings. If there are two or more hands that qualify, the hand with the higher-rank four of a kind wins.

Full House - A full house is a three of a kind and a pair, such as K-K-K-2-2. When there are two full houses the tie is broken by the three of a kind. An example would be J-J-J-5-5 would beat 9-9-9-A-A. If for some reason the three of a kind cannot determine the victor then you go to the pair to decide (this would only happen in a game with wild cards).

Flush - A flush is a hand where all of the cards are the same suit, such as A-J-9-7-5, all of Diamonds. When flushes ties, follow the rules for High Card.

Straight - Five cards in rank order, but not of the same suit (it can be any combination of the four suits). An example of a straight is 2-3-4-5-6. The Ace can either be high or low card, either A-2-3-4-5 or 10-J-Q-K-A. Wraparounds are not allowed (an example being K-A-2-3-4). When two straights tie, the highest straight wins, K-Q-J-10-9 would beat 5-4-3-2-A. If two straights have the same value, AKQJT vs AKQJT, the pot is split.

Three of a Kind - Three cards of any rank with the remaining cards not being a pair (that would be a full house if it were). Once again the highest ranking three of a kind would win. K-K-K-2-4 would beat Q-Q-Q-2-3. If both are the same rank (only in a wild card game), then the High Card rule come into effect with the remaining two.

Two Pair - Two distinct pairs of card and a 5th card. The highest ranking pair wins ties. If both hands have the same high pair, the second pair wins. If both hands have the same pairs, the high card wins.

Pair - One pair with three distinct cards. Highest ranking pair wins. High card breaks ties.

High Card - When a hand has none of the above qualifications of any of the ones listed above, nobody has even a pair or better, then it comes down to who is holding the highest ranking card. If there is a tie for the high card then the next high card determines the pot, if that card is a tie than it continues down till the third, fourth, and fifth card. The High card is also used to break ties when the high hands both have the same type of hand (pair, flush, straight, etc).

222

So it all started in Meridian 2, Apt. 222 up at PSU. My roommate Dave at the time started some home tournaments there and that’s where I started my obsession with Texas Hold’em. At first it was just a $5 buy-in. It was something to pass the time before heading out to the downtown bars. Towards the end of college I was starting to take down those tournaments. I still like to play tournaments but my game is CASH. You can buy in at anytime, and leave at any time. I will have plenty of crazy stories of those in the future.

I don’t like to write huge posts here cause, I know you don’t want to read on and on. Short and sweet, more to come… check back often for more posts….