The Colloid Base

August 25, 2010

Beluga Whale Disproven once

The Beluga Whale theorem basically states that no one ever folds a full house. But in a recent WSOP event, Phil Hellmuth, the poker playing brat, did just that. And in high fashion to boot. Bubble play in a 3000 buy-in tournament at Everest Poker telecharger. Hellmuth looks down to see QQ on the Big Blind. Player just in front of him, Under the Gun leads out with a bet of 7000. Blinds are at 1000/2000. So it’s 5000 for Hellmuth to play.

The flop comes 3-3-3. Wow. Flopped a full house, only three hands beat him here. AA, KK, or any 3. The 3 is incredibly unlikely due to the betting out from the player under the Gun. Hellmuth Called.

Check from Hellmuth in the Big Blind. And 20,000 gets fired out as the bet. And Hellmuth has calls as well. The one other poker player in the hand folded, leaving the pot at 62,000.

Hellmuth has 74,000 left. He checks, and his opponent moves all in. Now he’s tanking. After talking to the UTG player, he reads him as strong. And folds. Turning face up his QQ full house. Out of a gesture of respect, the UTG player flops up AA.

That’s just not something you see everyday, people usually just don’t fold a full house.

Filed under: A Funny Farm, Gambling Wheel, Gaming Hall — Admin @ 2:52 pm

April 13, 2010

Tired Players

I was at a tournament in a local online poker house a few nights ago, and I happened to find my self seated at a table of regulars. I knew that three or four of the people around me were some hard-core players that were not to be trifled with, and I quickly learned that some of the others were veterans of watching online poker on television who were making their way into actually playing the game for themselves.

A few hours into the game, and field was pared down to about half our starting size, with most of the crafty veterans, a few lucky newbies, and a small-stacked online poker writer. One particular hand saw a lot of betting before the flop that culminated with the regular player, who pushed all in from the button, saying that “I’m tired, it’s time to go home.” While those of us who knew better imperceptibly perked up and folded our cards, the last new guy at our table was all to happy to call. Happy, that is, until she showed her Aces, which held up against his pair of 8’s and cost him his tournament.

When someone makes the effort the explain why they’re betting, you can usually count on it being a complete falsehood. Think of it as reverse psychology-someone who bets so they can go home, is often making a move to help her stick around a little longer.

Filed under: A Funny Farm, Gambling Wheel, Gaming Hall — Admin @ 9:10 am

February 19, 2010

Hand Analysis: 10-Ace

Ace ten is probably the first poker hand on the continuum of ace plus kickers that people tend to play for a raise. You don’t see a whole lot of raising or calling with the Ace nine, except at more loose tables, and so ace ten is kind of the entry “This looks good enough to turn into something” kind of poker online hand where we’re dealing with action. So, what if you pair your ace? That’s good, you have top pair and a pretty strong kicker, but against strong action you might be outkicked. It is more likely that your opponent will have ace jack or better than it is they would have ace nine or worse, so getting into a big pot with just an ace here seems not a bet for the long haul. Pairing the ten seems better, in that then you have top pair and top kicker, but you are also here still vulnerable to overpairs, sets, and two pairs. Are those casino hands likely in your opponent’s range. The consideration is important. Ace ten also gains value in that it can flop broadway, or the highway possible straight, of 10 J Q K A. An unlikely flop, but within the range of possibilities, and thus increasing for your odds.

Filed under: A Funny Farm, Gambling Wheel, Gaming Hall — Admin @ 3:18 pm

February 14, 2010

On Prize Draw Competitions that Require Skill and Judgement

Prize draws have increasingly gotten very common throughout the world. So much so the lottery draws are often on TV at peak viewing times so everyone can sit down and excitedly mark off their numbers. However, the odds are stacked against YOU being a winner. Yes, someone, or some individuals, usually win every week, but that does not imply the betting odds are good. - no matter if you took part in the national lottery for a lifetime. The majority of people do the national lottery merely for a bit of excitement, and at the same time maintaining the daydream (in theory) of possibly becoming a millionaire. A lot of individuals don’t only buy a ticket - they are purchasing a dream.

While lotteries genuinely turn the odds against each individual, there are prize draws online which do provide you with a real chance of winning some high value prizes , e.g. a car, holiday or even a luxury house. These kinds of competitions - while not promising one literally millions - will give you a very good chance of being a winner. To add to that, you normally have to answer some questions correctly before being granted into the competition. - so knowledge is involved.

It’s worth it to see what type of prize draws are already on the internet. Just type in keyphrases into a search engine like prize draw competitions and you’ll quickly discover numerous competitions for you to try out.

Filed under: A Funny Farm, Gaming Hall — Admin @ 11:41 pm

February 8, 2010

The Fundamental Skills for Poker

online poker players have to possess certain skills in order to consistently win at the game. You can’t rely on luck to win the online poker game. Instead you have to cultivate specific instincts to play winning poker. First of all, there is basic math. You must learn to calculate your hand’s percentage to win by determining how many cards or “outs” can make your hand the winner. For instance, if you are holding a pocket pair, there are two cards that complete it to a set of three. If you need one card to a flush, then there are nine cards that can win if for you. Then you must compare that percentage with the amount in the pot and bet required to win it. If you have a 20 percent chance of winning, and the pot is more than five times the bet, you have favorable odds to call. Next is to acquire discipline in your play. Establish a starting hand range and stick to it. Be patient, recognize your limits, know when to quit. Be disciplined about how play poker. Become focused on other players and try to gain psychological insight into their intentions and personalities. Learn how to pick up cues from other players. Think about what your opponent might have, think about what your opponent thinks your have, and even think about what your opponent thinks you are thinking. Learn to assess risk and reward. Pot odds calculation is key to this, but you also need a big picture approach. You can take bigger risks with a small portion of your bankroll at an individual game, but should avoid big risks to a larger portion of bankroll. If you’ve got 1,000 in your bankroll, a 10 tournament is a small risk; a 1,000 tournament puts everything at risk. Keep your risk level proportional to your bankroll.

Filed under: A Funny Farm, Gambling Wheel, Gaming Hall — Admin @ 11:45 am

January 13, 2010

Wedding Favor Ideas

Someone is getting married right this second. All over the world, hundreds of thousands of weddings take place every day. With that many marriage ceremonies going on, you can pretty much bet that there is a definite need for new, interesting wedding favor ideas. Who wants to go with the same-old, same-old? Sometimes the classics are great, sure, but who is to say that you cannot take a classic favor, like a candle, and jazz it up a bit? After all, you do not want your wedding ceremony or the following reception to be boring either, do you? You want your special day to be memorable, and the best way to make memories is to be innovative.

So, let’s talk about some possible, innovative wedding favor ideas - like personalized chocolates! Everybody loves chocolate, and everybody loves something that is personalized, so the two really go hand in hand. These types of favors are becoming extremely popular. Yet again, it is a case of taking a classic wedding favor - chocolates - and giving them a new, interesting twist. The best part is, you can personalize your chocolates in dozens of different ways. For instance, they can match your wedding theme, they can contain something about you and your new spouse, or they can even be personalized for the guests.

Regional wedding favor ideas are also becoming very popular. For instance, if you are getting married in Vermont, your wedding favors could have something to do with the state’s famous maple syrup. Getting married in Hawaii? Then some colorful, beautiful leis are perfect. Doing up your nuptials in New York City? Well, there, the possibilities are absolutely endless. You could go kitsch and use something involving the Statue of Liberty. Perhaps you are batty about Broadway - then you could work up a personalized playbill!

Filed under: A Funny Farm, Lifestyle + More, The Leisure Center — Admin @ 9:13 am

January 7, 2010

What Is a Poker Holdout?

We live in a modern poker world where most of our game is monitored and controlled by technology. While there are many perks to living in this digital universe, there are drawbacks as well. One of the major drawbacks is that the internet has made it easier for people to cheat. If you want to be in the know about the online poker world, you need to know how to recognize poker holdouts.

Poker holdouts are accessories used by cheaters to defraud the game. The turn derives from the oldest forms of these things, which were actual devices designed to hold out unwanted cards from hitting the table. The earliest forms were rather simple mechanical devices that were often used to secret cards up a players sleeve. Technology is a little more advanced these days. Some are still mechanical devices like the ones in the old days, but most modern online poker holdout devices are computer orientated. The modern holdouts are computer programs that hold cards back in the deck. You can recognize when a holdout in use if you know the pot odds and probability rules. If you can accurately predict what is supposed to come next, you will be able to tell when a holdout is being used.

Filed under: A Funny Farm, Gambling Wheel, Gaming Hall — Admin @ 9:47 am

December 4, 2009

Living through the Lows

There’s no question that even the greatest, most skilled poker players have slumps. In a slump you might see a bankroll you’ve been working on for months or even years go from tops to dumps over a series of hands you “should have” won. At the end of the day, running out of bankroll but still knowing that you have what it takes to win at the table is an icy situationyou know you can play, but the nature of the game of poker is that there will be ups and there will be downs.

Sometimes, too, it might happen that you run your bankroll down into nothing left to hang on to. These spots, such as the famous story of Archie Karas, who ran his roll up to $40 million and then back down to nothing, might be patches in the road of an otherwise great poker career, but knowing when to stop and take a breath out of the game (and get your bankroll back to where you aren’t risking whether you pay rent to play) is just as vital in this situation as any other aspect of the game.

Smart poker players are also in a way bookkeepersthey only risk what they can afford to lose.

Filed under: A Funny Farm, Gambling Wheel, Gaming Hall — Admin @ 11:03 am

November 24, 2009

Poker as Luck and Skill

The endless debate over whether online poker is a luck game or a skill game seems to me to be about as moot as tennis shoes on a race car. Sure, of course there is some luck involved, it’s life! Beyond the countless direct ways that gambling is legalized even in spots where it is called illegallet’s talk scratch offs, the stock market, driving a car on a highway, etc.most any sport, or game even, can be reduced to a question of luck and skill combined.

No matter how much skill might be a factor in any one scene, it is impossible to obliterate luck from the equation. Take a tennis playerpure skill right? Practices day and night for years and years, made of muscle and reflexes honed by repetition. But can you really say that wind and rain and small incidental occurrences have nothing to do with the outcome of any given match? That a bird doesn’t fly down and nip you on the head while playing any given set seems to me a great bout of luck.

So, then, instead of asking ‘Is poker online luck or skill’ it seems to me that the question is more directly, for those who seek to outlaw it, Why is a game like poker outlawed when you can go into any gas station and buy a bottle of Pepsi that might end up winning your cash and prizes? Luck! Keep this in mind when you’re in the casino.

Filed under: A Funny Farm, Gambling Wheel, Gaming Hall — Admin @ 10:09 am

October 27, 2009

Reading Hands

poker online would be such an easy game if you only knew what cards each of your opponents were holding. Unfortuantely, there are very few poker online players who will happily show you what cards they got and continue to play with you. Therefore, it’s up to strategy to save the day again for poker online players everywhere.

There’s no way to get a player to come right out and tell you what cards he’s got, but there are a few ways to make an educated guess as to what he’s holding. First and foremost, you need to get to know your opponents. Mentally work your way around a table and try to pigeonhole each opponent into any mixture of tight, loose, passive, and aggressive playing styles. Once you’ve got each player generalized, you will have an idea what cards your opponents are willing to play and in what situations. A preflop raise is an essential way to get an idea of what your opponents are holding. Your tight opponents will often fold, but if they don’t, you can bet that they’ve got a darn good starting hand. Looser opponents are a bit more difficult to read, but once the flop comes, you can put a bit more pressure on them to see if they’ve really got something.

Filed under: A Funny Farm, Gambling Wheel, Gaming Hall — Admin @ 9:22 am
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