Online Texas Hold'em Poker adventure..
Here is an informal account of my ventures into the world of online low limit hold'em poker.
After
a brief encounter with free online Video Poker games, have learned
enough about poker hands to try Texas Hold'em with play money.
After
accumulating a few thousand (play money) dollars, starting to think I
am good enough to try real money for the first time. Watch the action
on a 50c table for a while. After playing with play money stakes with
$5 tables and $200+ play money pots, the 50c tables with $3 - $10 pots
look like peanuts.
Have
a few extra dollars.. deposit $100 into a real money account. I am
thinking that on 50c limit table, that ought to be enough to play for a
loooooong time even if I lose... Hey.. I doubled my play money.. how
much different could this be.
First
time betting with real money is a BIG thrill. And lo and behold, I
actually won about $20 after playing for 1 hour. WOW!!.. unbelievable..
time to celebrate. Take a break to come down from the dizzy high of
first time gambling win. Have a couple drinks.. Ok.. Im ready to make
another quick $20.. bye bye play money tables.. Im a real gambler now.
SWOOOOOSH!!
That was the sound of my $120 shrinking down to $50 in about 45 minutes
(those little 50c $1 bets add up). Do a quick retreat with my "tail
between my legs". This is NOT good. Have to come to the bitter
realization that my "graduation with honors" from the fake money tables
was about as worthless as a fake degree from a fake university. Welcome
to the real world baby.. :-)
Ok.. no problem.. I will read a few strategy pages and come back to rescue my kidnapped $$ from the enemy.
Pot
odds, button positon, starting pair rank...whew.. too much.. Ok.. I
undertand starting pair rank. If it is less than 50% I fold, better
than 50% I play..to be safe, lets only play 60% or higher.
Ok..
now we are making progress. Not losing $50/hr but learning some painful
lessons on the way. What cruel twist of fate is it that gives me an ace
high flush while giving someone else a full house. Dont even get me
started on goofy straights. I have even missed those when I am holding
them much less try to anticipate that my opponent has set a trap for me
with that sneaky check on the flop.
Initial
$100 is gone!!.. Ok no problem.. I have spent that much and more in 1
weekend of "party" so this is just another PokerParty. I got about 2
weeks of entertainment from it.
A
week or 2 later deposit another $100.. read some more online and
newsgroup articles. Write a Holdem-Helper program to evaluate starting
pair rank. Up my minimum starting pair fold threshold to 65% or lower.
Second
$100 lasted about a month. Damn!! Getting better but STILL losing.
Search newsgroups on "how to beat low limit". Find lots of low limit
bad beat stories and how AA and KK are cracked on the turn and river by
schmucks who never fold etc.. etc..Some advice to read books
(yuck..last resort).. most posts are for no limit games for which I
have enough sense to know I dont know enough to dabble in that. What I
know is that I know I just know I can beat low limit.
Ok..
time to try again.. deposit 3rd $100. Seem to be breaking even.. stack
is fluctuating all over the place. When I win, I start getting cocky
and careless and lose it all back. Trying to play 2 tables is a
disaster. Losing double amount twise as fast. Get into a downward
spiral.. go on tilt.. blah blah blah long story short.. third $100!!
deposit is balance $0. I am down $300 @#$%^% ing dollars.
OK.. now I am pissed really ROYAL FLUSH PISSED!! Get on the phone with Barnes & Noble.
Hey..you got "Winning low limit hold'em? by Lee Jones"
"Ok.. I will be there in 20 minutes.. hold the book for me"
Could
get it cheaper online but who's gonna wait a week for shipping. I buy
the book and can't wait till I get home..start reading while driving...
(cars are veering off the road and honking as I intermittently glance
up to navigate in between paragraphs.)
Ahhh..
so you are supposed to raise with AK preflop...read the book.. read it
again read it some more.. (not a big book about 200 pages).. review
starting pair strategy over and over.
Deposit $60 (This better be the last damn !@#$ing deposit)
Tighten
up starting pair threshold. Folding any offsuit less than A9 (except on
blinds), Folding low pairs out of position (yes I finally understand
position) folding suited pair if not connected or at least 1 high card,
folding folding folding. Paying some attention to pot odds. Reduced my
buy in at the table to 1/2 the default amount. Sitting at a table with
a smaller initial amount has I believe had a big effect in limiting
losses. When I lose what I came with I quit that table, take a break
and this has virtually eliminated tilt. Losing is part of the game. You
will lose. But you will also win. Tilt the wins slightly over your
losses and you end up ahead.
So.. what is my current balance? $400 thank you very much!!
To be continued..
