I have given up blackjack - for one year

[Charles Wells]

Most donks play the 1/2 game but this is only available from Monday to Thursday.

Friday thru Sunday the lowest game is 2/3.

Sitting down at a 2/3 game from midnight through to the morning you will see all sorts of bizzare plays. Many of the donks looked like they spend lots of time on a farm.

I was surprised to see the number of lady play poker players who really play.
I almost lost my stack to one.

 

[blikous]

I played last night just to check out how everything works out/is set up.

I really learned a lot, so I should dominate next time

The lowest was a 2/3NLHE game, but I think that's because it was a public holiday. I should have bought it for more than $100. Playing with 30BB's sucks so badly.

The rakes makes me think this could be tough to make a solid/steady profit. $5 an hour time charge, and 10% of the pot up to $8 (apparently it was up'ed from 6 last night). Holy **** that is steep.

There were so many limpers every hand, and they would play almost any two cards. I had to adjust from my normal game and ended up finding myself folding or prepared to commit my whole stack (mainly because it was so small). And most people don't like to fold, whether chasing or just calling with things like two pair.

Two hands I remember:
Kd10d, flopped nut straight and turned a flush draw. I managed to check raise some guy for his stake because he had two pair. The flop was so bad for him to call, regardless of his two pair. Especially considering how tight I was playing.
Two people left for the flop, all hearts so one guy with a short-ish stack shoves all-in and someone else calls. Short stack has a baby flush and the other guy called with only a flush draw. Such a shame he caught his higher flush though.


EDIT: I ended up leaving after 3 time charges (waiting for them to call for a new one, then left) with $76. Without the rakes, I would've been up a little. Next time I'll probably buyin for 100BB

 

[Charles Wells]

Youre right when you say most people dont like to fold.

I backed down once to a maniac who shoved with nothing. Ten high from memory.

I thought my set wasnt good enough and folded. He showed us his cards and I almost puked on the table.

Plenty of donks. Brisbane has way less table but there is no time charge if this bothers you. Same goes for Adelaide.

 

[Caesar]

rake and time charge?

The rake is ten percent up to a max. of eight AND there is a five-dollar time charge? That seems ridiculous. In the US, you have a rake OR a time charge-not both.
Are you still winning, Charlie?

 

[1357111317]

Youre right when you say most people dont like to fold.

I backed down once to a maniac who shoved with nothing. Ten high from memory.

I thought my set wasnt good enough and folded. He showed us his cards and I almost puked on the table.

Plenty of donks. Brisbane has way less table but there is no time charge if this bothers you. Same goes for Adelaide.

Never ever ever fold a set in live buddy. Unless there is 4 to a flush or 4 to a straight on the board. Then maybe you can think about folding.

 

[muppet]

Never ever ever fold a set in live buddy. Unless there is 4 to a flush or 4 to a straight on the board. Then maybe you can think about folding.

saw a guy fold a set to 3-to-a-straight on the board..and the other guy had a straight!

 

[1357111317]

saw a guy fold a set to 3-to-a-straight on the board..and the other guy had a straight!

Well obviously there are exceptions such as when the donk nit check calls the flop and check m inraises the turn then a set is the worst hand they have. But if you are playign 1/2 live and you look down and have a set and arent sure if you should bet or call, 99% of the time you should be wagering your chips.

 

[muppet]

just thought i would point out there are exceptions to the 'never ever ever' rules

anyway, the way it played out:
donk check-called flop, and turn. then opened with maybe 1/3 pot on the river

 

[1357111317]

just thought i would point out there are exceptions to the 'never ever ever' rules

anyway, the way it played out:
donk check-called flop, and turn. then opened with maybe 1/3 pot on the river

That is seriously a bad fold. You only need to be good like 20% of the time there. And that 20% of the time they have have top two pair or worse sets. Or maybe he had a sick live read, I'm a decent poker player and I know I never fold there...

 

[muppet]

That is seriously a bad fold. You only need to be good like 20% of the time there. And that 20% of the time they have have top two pair or worse sets. Or maybe he had a sick live read, I'm a decent poker player and I know I never fold there...

yeah i was also thinking perhaps 2 pair on the river..not sure if it was a 'good' fold to make for him.

 

[Charles Wells]

Charles Wells holdem update

Good to see this thread still going.

I have been playing Texas Holdem and nothing else for the past 2 months.
As I travel around Australia every week for my job I get to a few of the major casinos.

My favourites for this games are
Crown in Melbourne (plenty of tables)
Burswood in Perth (full of idiots)
Sky City in Adelaide
Jupiters on the Gold Coast (super donks abound here)
Treasury in Brisbane

SA,WA and QLD have the softest game for sure.

My game has changed somewhat since I started and I dont try and bluff so much in Queensland, some of them will call you till the river.

A bit of my winnings have gone on books especially ones that specialise on poker math. Doyle Brunson's super system isnt bad either.

I also like stories on poker legends from the old days and all the shenanigans that went on in Vegas and elsewhere.

Im now ready to move up to the 2/5 or 5/5 games. I'd rather stay away from the 1/2 games - too many idiots. Im expecting the higher stakes games to be full of good players.

There have been a couple of setbacks. I recently lost twice with pocket aces in Brisbane against pretty ordinary cards. I raised, got reraised and I pushed all in (about 200 dollars both times)

Lost once against a pair of nines - the guy hit his set.
Another time against rubbish that ended up making a full house.

Apart from that I have won approx one buy in per session playing tight and aggressive.

Playing holdem hasnt been as great as I thought it would be but I havent lost money either.

Any suggestions you might have would be welcome.

 

[Canceler]

Since you bring it up...

I also like stories on poker legends from the old days and all the shenanigans that went on in Vegas and elsewhere.

I'm currently right in the middle of "Ghosts at the Table; Riverboat Gamblers, Texas Rounders, Internet Gamers, and the Living Legends Who Made Poker What It Is Today" by Des Wilson. It's all about that kind of thing.

 

[Caesar]

Idiots at 1/2

Their mistakes can only help you-not hurt you. Remember that before you go up in stakes. Their mistakes=your profit.

 

[Charles Wells]

Texas Holdem update

Thanks for the tips and comments.

I have changed my strategy again.

The only way to get better and beat the 2/3 (and 5/10) games is to play lots of hands online (many thousands of hands) and then get a coach to help you.

I feel that analysing the way people bet is more important that physical tells. There is too much emphasis on tells there days.

I met my coach at a local hotel and watched him take everyones stack.
The top online coaches charge between 30 and 90 dollars an hour. For the 90 dollars an hour you get someone who has won tournaments like ANZPT or been to Vegas and played in major tournaments there.

Spending 10-20 hours with a coach is a good initial investment and it is already reaping rewards.

Blackjack is starting to become a distant memory although I still like to read this board.

CW

 

[lol6deck]

This was an extremely interesting read

My pah says i shold get into poker cause you can win as much as you want (and theres no one standing behind you wondering how you did it)

This has definetly convinced me for after i have became an experienced counter to venture into poker more

=]

 

[dacium]

I did the exact same thing. Stopped blackjack in 2008, went to playing holdem.

At the time (at least in aus) holdem was having a real bubble in australia and so there were plenty of ploppies. i took some holidays and decided to have a go at the cruise circuit. It was amazing on pacific sun and pacific dawn. Most players don't even know how to play poker and yet they will buy in for $50 and $100 SNG's. The only problem I had was getting enough games. I could only get in for about 4 games per day, but it was enough to pull in $2,000 per week. No enough to make it worthwhile.

I have heard on the bigger overseas cruises that you can buy cheap rooms for as little as $500 a week sharing with people and they are enough games that you should be able to make $3,000k+ per week.

My new favourite is baccarrat at casinos that let people choose when to take a card. The asians always are superstitous and never play to the mathematics of minibaccarrat so you can usually win just betting against them and watching them not draw.

 

[UK-21]

My new favourite is baccarrat at casinos that let people choose when to take a card. The asians always are superstitous and never play to the mathematics of minibaccarrat so you can usually win just betting against them and watching them not draw.

Isn't that Chemin de Fer? Where's that played then? I thought the last person to play that outside of France was James Bond!