Entries from March 2009 ↓

I’ve been whining so much about poker lately, it’s time to go through some of the good things about gambling!

1. Gambling Gives Me Flexibility

I get to choose my own hours, my own vacations and my working space.

2. Gambling Gives Me Lé Challenge

It’s fun to bump heads on the poker table. It’s war! The chips are my soldiers and I’m sending them to the battlefield in order for them to recruit more chip-like-friends!

3. Gambling Is Profitable (FOR ME)

I make decent money playing only a few hours a day and it isn’t that hard. Atleast not from my perspective, it’s work of course but it flows naturally, I guess i’m used to it. For most people it isn’t profitable, but they aren’t working hard enough, oh and btw, if you’re thinking about becoming a professional gambler, don’t

4. Poker Rooms Offer Cool Rewards

Rakeback, VIP programs, travel packages to tournament, Porches (go pokerstars) are all cool. I especially like rakeback since it’s cash and you get it every month. I’m not so fond of the VIP programs that offer STUFF, I like stuff but I don’t like it that much, it’s too easy to just have tons of stuff all around the house and you never use 95% of them.

So I’ve decided to just not accumulate lots of stuff. I’m focusing on the money and investing instead!

I think that’s my list of the good things about gambling. I could probably come up with more but I won’t, you guys have to think for yourselves! Those are the main points and they should do.

And btw, people who think gambling is negative and should be banned are stupid and should go somewhere else. You can’t decide what people can and can’t do, if degens can’t give away their money at gambling or poker then they’ll do it at something else, like heroin? Who knows.

I’ll write an article on the negative effects of gambling soon but for now, focus on the good things about gambling!

I’m back with the information fresh in my memory. This article will serve me as a reminder as well as a good article for you, the reader.

The theme for the 3-bet coaching session: Keep it simple!

Some of the biggest winners at higher stakes have a very tight call 3-bet range in position. And I mean pretty tight, like AJs+, AQo+, TT+ and sometimes hands like JTs but that’s about it.

Out of position it’s even tighter, something along the lines of JJ+, AK, sometimes AQ and no going crazy post-flop, if you don’t hit you often just check-fold.

You don’t have to play crazy and call lots of 3-bets, it has been proven by big winners in the game. I know it feels shitty when you keep folding to 3-bets, I feel this way too!

It is the reason I sometimes spew off money in 3-bet pots. I’m going to stop doing it and see how things progress.

I used to be alot better in these areas, alot more patient!

As for calling 3-bets in position, how do you proceed?

Well you can bluffraise Axx, Kxx, Qxx sometimes Jxx flops but keep it at a low enough frequency where you’re range is atleast twice as much for value compared to bluffs. You do not have to bluff like a MF to win tons of money.

If you flop gutshots, underpairs, top pairs (sometimes) you can float the flop and see what happens. And if it’s checked to you on the turn you do not have to bet everytime, if you’re keeping your range mostly in valuespace people will give you respect.

So keep your 3-bet game simple and make lots of monies!

P.S. 3-betting someone is a totally different game, I’ll go into that another time.

I don’t think I’ve mentioned it but I am doing some coaching with Jason Ho at the moment. I am satisfied with him so far.

I’ve been through so many coaches in the years I’ve been playing, some not so good, some outright ‘WTF ARE YOU DOING?’ and some awesome!

Jason Ho goes somewhere between good and awesome, I don’t know yet. Tomorrow I’ll have my 6th session with him, it’s going to be about 3-betting. I’ll give you guys a summary once we’re done, that way maybe I can retain some of the lesson as well.

He’s helped me get my game back on track after I’ve been running badly for a long time. I only play around 30,000 hands a month so a longer bad stretch takes awhile for me to get through.

Oh yes, the crappy weather. I think I jinxed it last time. Today there was a snow-storm and I had to walk to my ju-jutsu class and then straight from ju-jutsu a friend picked me up and we went to aikido class.

My body feels crushed with back to back classes.

I’ll report back tomorrow!