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EXPERT VIEW - Bad Poker Players, Meet The Worst Poker Player
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16 July 2006
I don`t know his/her name but they were at my online poker table today and the experience is encouraging me to quit poker. The timing isn`t great, since I have a seat waiting for me at the WSOP Main Event at the end of the month, but my enthusiasm for the game is at a low.
Where do these people come from? You`re reading this so you can`t be one of them because they cannot read, and if they can they certainly don`t waste precious gambling time reading about poker.
I entered a freeroll for the Million Dollar tournament that Fair Poker and other rooms that form the iPoker Network are planning to hold tomorrow. The guaranteed prize of $1 million must be giving Playtech night sweats right now. They need 900 players to get close to even, and right now they have 375. That`s a juicy overlay in my book, and I`m willing to freeroll for my $1100 seat.
The freeroll was good value as well. We only started with 1500 chips (what is this, a WSOP event?) but there were 124 players in total. Figure that 25 of them won`t even show up to defend their chips, and 50 players who are there won`t realize that part, and suddenly the odds look decent. Hey, that`s how I won my main event seat (freeroll, Doylesroom.com), so I know it can work.
The first hour was beautiful - built the old stack up to 5500 chips and traveled in comfort. 3rd after the first hour, but that isn`t hard when you have the following hands:
Blinds are 30-60, and three players limp in for 60. I raise on the button to 200 chips with AcTh and a table of limpers flee with one exception, and he just calls me. Flop comes Kc-4c-6c and he immediately goes all-in for 1200 chips. He turns over Tc-9h. My Ace-high holds up to win.
Now for the bad part. The world`s worst poker player is moved to my table where I have been ruling with benevolence taking only small tributes every now and then. This person has 5700 chips and earns them by moving all-in on every single hand. It is annoying to watch. I start to hate this person, and quickly decide that it is worth my while to trap.
There is no need. In my big blind with the blinds 100-200 I look down and see AK (suited as well, dripping diamonds). This freak is under the gun and moves in for 5700, as always. Folds round to me. I know that I`m going to see rags, and call the all-in. 4hJh is flipped over! I would have preferred to see Ax to be honest.
Flop comes heart-heart-diamond. Turn is a diamond. There is no A,K,T, or 4 on the board. River....ah, you`re smart enough to know the rest.
The question for today is more interesting than the article that led up to it :) Here it is:
In a tournament, knowing that you face a monkey, and assuming you are in good position with a monster hand that figures to dominate, should you race for all your chips under any circumstances?
Imagine that you know the player has 4hJh or something equally horrible. You hold AA for argument`s sake but you both have equal chips. Should you lay down those Aces preflop?
My feeling is no, unless it is a tournament where there is no added value in finishing higher than a certain position. Say the tournament awards 5 seats to the WSOP. There are 6 of you left. You do not need to finish first in this event in order to win. You simply need to finish in the top 5, and 6th is the only loser. In that case I would fold my Aces to an all-in bet that is a race.
In fact, in that kind of situation I would fold to every all-in bet, even against a 2-outer (if I had perfect knowledge of what cards we were both holding).
But in a tournament like this where there was only 1 winner and everyone else lost you need to get involved in these races. "In order to live you must be willing to die." It sounds more compelling when you hear it come out of Amir Vahedi`s mouth, but it still resonates. It`s true as well. In no-limit poker you have to jump at AK vs J4 races, even though the world`s worst poker player did have two live cards.
Posted by: Marc Weinberg at 03:09
0 Comments
Related Posts:
> Week 1 Of My New Online Poker Regimen
> A Chip And A Chair
> When It Is Okay To Play Weak Pairs
> The Best Poker Players Of 2006
> PROMO - Free Poker Chip Set
> EXPERT VIEW - Reassessing The Value Of Pocket Pairs
> EXPERT VIEW - Facing A Preflop Raise In NL
> EXPERT VIEW - Is Poker Gambling
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