I was part of a Texas Hold 'em tournament last night. We never play for money, just for fun. I was getting crap hands all night and only winning pots by bluffing every single time. It was down to just myself and one other person and we’d been playing for a long time. I finally got a kind of decentish hand… pocket 6’s. I was still going to play conservatively and just call to see what happened.
That is, until I saw the flop.
The flop was two tens and a 6. That’s right. I flopped a full house. But I played it cool, simply checking, knowing my opponent would raise. And she raised. I called.
Fourth street was another 6. That means I had 4 of a kind and a pair. Oh, and a full house. I checked again. My opponent went all in. Of course, I knew there was no way I could possibly lose the hand. Just for shits and giggles, I called over one of my friends who had already lost, showed him my hand, and asked what he would do in my place. He looked shocked for a few seconds before falling on the ground laughing at what my opponent had just done.
And that, my friends, was the best Texas Hold 'em hand I’d ever played. What are your stories?
Bluffing without money works the same as bluffing with money, really. Its true that I tend to play a little looser with no money on the line, but there’s still the pride factor at stake. When you’ve got a pair of 5s and someone goes all in, it’s hard to not fold even when there’s no money on the bet.
My opponent didn’t have anything. She was hoping she’d bluff me into thinking she had a 6. Of course, that technique only works when I don’t know where all the 6s are.
I’ve never played Hold Em, but I have a poker story.
I was playing Dealer’s Choice with my inlaws. I hadn’t been doing well, down about a buck playing nickel dime (and why they say nickel dime, they mean it. Raises were either a nickel or dime).
Anyway, my wife dealt Nickel Dime. Thisis a 5 card draw game, 5s and 10s are wild and you need to have both a 5 and a 10 to open. This causes big pots because it’s usually a few deals before someone can open and you ante each deal. Anyway, on the 4th deal, I’m dealt 3 7s. A great hand, but I can’t open. Feeling like this was going to be stolen from me, my wife opens. So I raise and get to the draw. I draw a 10, making it 4 7s. After some more betting in which both she and I raise, she shows 3 aces. She’s shocked that I beat her (usually in this game whoever opens, wins). Now think abou this. I knew she had to have at least 3 of a kind. Now would I stay in if I didn’t think I could beat that?
Next hand was Queens and the change (sometimes called Follow the Queen). This is a 7 card stud game in which queens are wild and if a queen is dealt face up, the card that comes after it is wild. The catch is that if another queen comes up, the card that was wild isn’t anymore and the next card dealt is.
While I don’t remember the play by play, the end was that I had a royal, my father-in-law and brother-in-law both raised as well. My father-in-law showed 4 10s and my brother-in-law had a straight flush, but Jack high.
The upshot was in two hands I was now $5 up instead of $1 down.
I realize you’re just playing for fun, but had you done that with me in the hand I’d have had your hand ruled dead for violating the “one player per hand” rule. But then I’m a killjoy.
Best slow plays for me include holding 52s in an unraised BB, hitting the straight flush on the turn and having the nut flush go all in ahead of me, and flopping the nut flush against two other players acting in front of me battling it out with a lower flush and a straight. My new favorite fast play pot was last night when after three hours of catching nothing I pick up AJos, hit two pair on the flop, check it and blissfully call an all in from a fish who went all in with AK.
I had a guy go all-in pre-flop, couple of days ago. And somebody called before me, but it wasn’t a lot (maybe half what I had in play). So I call with JQh. 2 jacks, one on the flop, one on the turn, and I got a decent payday (Otto will scoff 'cause I play for play money ). Not my best hand ever, but it’s nice to wipe out an all-in pre-flopper.
Poker without money is like sex without genitals, it’s not even like it’s fun. There is no bluffing without money, what’s the penalty, losing nothing if I don’t call?
Oh, I don’t have any problem with people playing for play money. It’s only when they start thinking it matters that they get irritating. I started out online playing for play money to learn the game. I still slum at the play money tables to blow off steam and work through cold decks.
I’ve been playing a bit in the fish tank tonight (.25-.50 NL tables) and the slow play has been working wonders. Been flopping straights and boats all night and cracking Aces and sets. It’s a thing of beauty I tells ya.
Oh, and I meant to mention this earlier:
You make your hand from the best five cards. You had four of a kind with a ten kicker. You didn’t have quads and a pair or a full house.
I once got pocket aces. The other two aces turn over on the flop. Apparently I had such a look of horror on my face that the 5 other people at the table (all of whom know me very, very well) folded in unison.
I had four aces, and I blew it save for about $10 is ante. It’s a sad tale.
Yeah, I realize this. My point was just that I had an excellent had, no matter how I chose to play it. I had 3 pairs, a full house, a four of a kind, etc… all in the same hand. I realize they didn’t all “count”, but how often do you see a hand that can be divided up in so many ways?
For those who think playing without money isn’t playing… well, that’s silly. I play for an excuse to sit with my friends, drink beer, and brag when I win. The first person out is forced to play dealer full time, which is a bit of a penalty for playing too loose. And otherwise, its still fun even knowing I’m not going to walk away with more than I entered into it.
I’m currently playing Texas Hold’em with a computer program. Obviously this is for play money, but it’s good training for me.
My biggest win so far was with A9s, which turned into a nut flush on the turn, but the two opponents with trips kept coming.
I agree that playing poker with friends + refreshments is very civilised.
On your original hand, I would have been a bit embarrassed by the fact (as Duke of Rat said) that you could have been beaten. We all lose sometimes, but trapping on such a hand, calling over a friend and having fits of giggles is premature. Imagine if you’d lost!
As for your opponent, what were they thinking? They have no 6, but decide to bluff. When you call, what on earth do they place you with… you surely have a 6 or a 10. So they are bluffing against either the nuts or an equal hand.
I’m doing that right now. Learning the ropes, since I just started playing two weeks ago. And despite the fact that it’s play money, I’m quite proud that I’m up to 3,300 play dollars, from a starting bankroll of 1,000. People call and raise on the weirdest hands.
Otto, I would assume that the .25/.50 tables play a lot looser than the the “real” money tables. Have you found that to be the case?
It is real money, but I know what you mean. Yes, the play is looser, both because the stakes aren’t as high and because it’s the baby pool for real money so people haven’t yet learned that hands like A9 are really pretty bad (yes I am looking at you glee; be careful playing that garbage, and don’t overvalue it just because it’s suited. Suited crap is still crap). I usually play the .50-$1 tables but over the weekend took a series of hits to my bankroll so I dropped a level to build it back up. I’m happy to report I built it back up with the kind donations of a series of fish and a couple of very nice hands.
On my lunch break I was playing .05/.10 hands. Brought my bankroll from $1.70 to a whoppin 4.00+. I was stoked. I moved to a .25/$.50 to play a hand before I go back to work. I get a full house on the flop, something like 8’s over 10s. there’s only one other person on the table. I bet all the way through and the guy pulls opposite, 10’s over 8’s. I’m down to $0.30 on my bankroll. I love poker.
I learned that real early. You’re better off to flop 9s, since your kicker will be unbeatable. I don’t think a lot of people realize how important their kicker is. I stayed in on a Q5 once (yes, I know), and won it on the 5s. The other person had the same hand, but I was Q high.
I freakin’ hate A9. It’s the damn DEATH HAND. I can’t win with it and almost every time it’s out against me I lose to it (although my aforementioned straight flush was against A9s).
Unless I’m in a blind I fold A9os no questions asked.
A9s I will play but I won’t call a raise with it and if I don’t flop four to the flush or two pair I muck it.
Well I accept your point about A9s. I would rate it below 86s (actually a site called poker-beginner would!).
In my defence, I was in the big blind (sorry I didn’t mention that before). Just checked. When the flop came down with 2 more hearts, I felt pot odds were good enough. Turn card another heart, slowplay to river and clean up.
That’s fine, that’s exactly how I’d have played it.
My new favorite fast play hand from earlier today: I pick up QQ in the BB at a brand-new 10 player .50-$1 table. Four calls to me, I make it $4.50 to go, one caller. Flop is KQJ rainbow. I bet $20 into the $12 pot (to make the straight draw insanely expensive), my opponent raises all in to $40, I call (I put him on AA, playing the overpair and the straight draw). Turn and river are rags and he flips up AKos and I take down a close-to-hundred dollar pot.
I would never be embarrassed to call an all in bet with quads. Never.
I would be embarrassed about bragging about that hand when it wasn’t for real money, and it wasn’t even much of an impressive play. Come back when the pot is raised preflop and the flop shows an ace along with the 6. Still feel good about your pocket 6’s when you are bet into?
). Not my best hand ever, but it’s nice to wipe out an all-in pre-flopper.