"They call me Chip, Part II"

Welcome back to another round of "Poker for Duhmies", as told by Jeff Gray.

"So I was in position and I raised it with A,6 sooted."

You ever hear a poker "war story" start something like that? I certainly have, and some of which were told by myself (Tim Kilbane, that is).

And how do most of them end? "Well I flopped a pair of 6's."

Ok, then what? "My opponent bet light and I called. Then I turned a flush draw."

So then what happened? "He made a huge over-bet and I called...cuz you know...I still had the nut draw."

And what about the river? "Well, I missed the draw, but rivered two pair and we got it all in."

Oh, did you win? "No, he had a set."

So, where did we go wrong? Normally, in most cases, a hand like that might actually be good in that spot...but in some cases, like the one above, you could be crushed. Even a stronger hand, such as a turned or rivered set, is not always a winner, but certainly has a helluva lot more "showdown value".

So what are we talking about here? Two words: Pot Control.

Note: For the below description, assume we're talking about a cash game table filled with at least 10 players.

For one thing, in smaller fields (such as 4 players or less involved in the hand pre-flop)...raising with  a suited/off-suit Ace-rag may not always be a bad thing (and in those cases, you might even have the best hand pre-flop with Ace high)...but in other cases, it does a lot more damage than it does good (such as a wise friend of mine once pointed out).

If you think about it, raising with a suited Ace-rag (as in 10 or worse and especially when there are more players involved, such as 5 or more) does two things: (1) by raising, you may force weaker suited hands to fold, and (2) if faced with a re-raise, there's a strong chance that you're probably dominated and it will most likely force yourself out of the action (especially if the raise is too big for you to call). Not to mention, another player could shove on top of that, ultimately making the hand appear seemingly worthless.

Now a real "donkey" and degenerate gambler may not even care about this at all, and will still play out the hand, regardless...but in order to be a successful player, a "winning" player...these are the simple things to take into consideration.

So, wait...I thought "Pot Control" mostly had to do with play after the flop has already been dealt? Not quite. True, most of the "PC" style of play relates to post-flop action...but I'm talking about it in simple terms...pre-flop...in "donkey termonology" if you will :)

Ok, enough about the crap hands like "A,6". Let's talk about the good ones, like "A,7" :)

  

"They call me Chip, as in Chip-Stacks!"

Finally, the blog you've all come to see: Timmy's Poker Blog!

First, and foremost, remember these two sizes: (1) 15 cm, 1,400 g and (2) 13 cm, 420 g.

The first of which is the approx. length & weight of the brain of a human being. The second one is the approx. length & weight of the brain of a donkey. So if they both differ greatly in size, why does one sometimes act similar to the other?

The answer: inexperience.

Don't understand what I mean? K, lemme break it down for you, then.

A person simply cannot become a doctor by watching re-runs of "House" and "E.R." over-and-over again. No, they need to attend several years of schooling and internships.

Much like an inexperienced poker player must go through several trial runs of their own and learn to develop and employ the essential techniques in order to excel at the game.

The difference, besides the obvious ones...is that one bad player can have an excellent session overnight, with practically little to no skill required.

As we all know by now, there are two main factors to a "winning" poker session: skill (most importantly), and luck. Even the most-skilled players in the world can have their share of bad runs, and the worst ones of all can cash out as big winners...such is the unique beauty/swings of the game.

But "losers" will simply "cash" less over a given period of time simply because of their inexperience, impatience, and inability to adapt. "Winners" will grind it out, overcome the brief moments of defeat, and continuously look to improve their overall game.

So we've covered the "skill" part of the game, what about the "luck" factor then?

If psychology dominates most of the "skill" part of the game, then math must obviously play a huge part in the "luck" factor.

Is it really "unlucky" when you have an over-pair (such as Q,Q) on a board like (9,8,7) and your opponent has (10,9 for example) and spikes a J or 6 on the turn for the nut straight?

While it may definitely suck to be on the opposing end of this one, it's not really "unlucky" in my opinion, considering a board like that is a rather crappy one for the ladies.

Don't agree? No problem, but first, let's do the math. Your opponent (10,9 in this case, and assuming his remaining outs have not been folded)..has two 9's, three 10's, four J's, and four 6's to improve his hand...that equals a total of 13 outs (or approx. 52% to win the hand)...which practically makes your hand a "coin-flip" on the flop.

"Unlucky" is when he whiffs the turn (making him 26% to win the hand)...and spikes his one-outer on the river.

So now that we got that part out of the way...let's talk some poker!

             

"A Day in the Life..."

As American actor Jason Alexander's character, George Costanza, once said on an episode of the beloved sitcom, "Seinfeld": "I'm currently going through a transitional period (in my life) right now."

Yep, that pretty much sums it up for me right now. But as we all know, in life, opporunities arise and times change. And hopefully for the best, as it seems to be going right now (well, maybe not for all of us, but a good start for myself, nonetheless).

Among the things I have in common with George C: I'm an only child and an unemployed bachelor that still lives at home with his parents; I have an enormous wallet (mainly due to my insistance on keeping business cards that I almost never use, but still keep in case the opportunity comes in which I'll need them); and I also have two friends whose condo I frequently visit and whose kitchen I frequently raid :)

Yes, I've definitely hit a low point in my life right now, it seems, but am hopeful that things will get better soon. For one, I finally submitted an application to work at Koinonia Homes, an organization that caters to people with special needs. Although I won't find out until later this week, I am hopeful that I'll get this job because of the tremendous opportunity it will provide. I can think of nothing greater than a chance to help those in need.

I'm also doing volunteer work at St. Colman's Catholic Church, another spectacular opportunity to reach out to those in need. This kind of work really moves me because of the personal satisfaction I get from being a part of it. There is truly not a better feeling than the one you get from being a positive impact on another's life...plain and simple.      

As far as most days go for me these days...besides playing a few occasional poker games whenever I can afford it...I spend most of them working out, bowling, and trying to find a job. Not to mention, writing my screenplays (most of which will be made, hopefully, into very successful movies once completed)...and of course, updating my new blog :)

Stay tuned, folks...more non-sense and douchebaggery to follow!  
   

"My Blog - Introduction"

Welcome to "The Trials & Tribulations of the Life of Timothy J. Kilbane!", as told by Morgan Freeman. Please keep your hands and feet in your chairs at all times...this ride may be extremely long and mentally excruciating at times...but always promises to be entertaining, nonetheless.

Things I am not responsible for: boredom, impatience, stupidity, illiteracy, ignorance, and laziness.

Things I am responsible for: laughs, good humor, enjoyable content, an engaged learning experience...and of course, entertainment!

Things this blog plans to cover: life, poker, film, and whatever else I feel like sharing at the time.

If you are often bored & offended easily, and are hard to please (like some of my ex's), then this blog is obviously not for you.

If you laugh so hard sometimes that it hurts, then you may get a few kicks out of this one.

Likewise, if you have an easy-going personality, a desire to learn, and are open to new things, then hopefully you will enjoy reading this blog.

And if you've read this far, then congratulations! You are now finally ready to enter a new world and explore the mind of "Timmy Joe" Kilbane :)