Back To The Trap House

The good news is that live poker hasn't really changed much. The decisions of the other players is still spurred by everyday problems in life. Its more of a game to blow of steam and they still make erratic moves that don't quite make sense. Its a form of tilt that comes around much more often in smaller spurts eventually leading to a complete melt down. The ones who take it "serious" are just passive nits. When they have a good hand you will know. When they have an OK hand you will know as well. I will break down the players in the game I went to this past Thursday which was located on a farm just north of where I live.

I'm happy to say the game plays fast. The dealers do a great job of keeping the action going. The host is a very nice guy who knows how to treat people. They feed us and give us free drinks as well. I drove a long way and no game showed the week prior and he gave me $27 in gas money to make up for me sitting there and hanging tight while people showed up. When the game started chips were splashing around. They were forcing action. If you've been to underground games usually people buy in 1/2 stacked here and there. Everyone bought in for at least 100 bbs and a few bought in for 150bbs. Also, sometimes people come in with the thought that if they bust they are going home. Most there were ready to re-load upon losing money.

All in all its a good game and a good atmosphere. Professionally run compared to the underground games I have been to in the past.

General reads on live poker:

Most live players put you on the top of your range always. For example, when I 3bet a player with 99 on the button after he opened in 2nd position he immediately said "You must have AA" but put the money in with JJ anyways.

That's another thing. Live players continuously think they have bad luck. When you out kick them they usually say things like "of course he had a bigger kicker" and "I never get lucky why would I now"? They think the poker universe is out to get them and generally the world is also out to get them. They never think that maybe they're playing bad.

On the other end when they go on heaters you will usually hear them say things like "Sometimes you just know your hand is going to hit" forgetting the 100's of times that 64os they called vs a 3bet didn't hit anything. They only remember the few times that they flopped middle pair and tripped up on the turn or river vs a big pair. Also, when they go on heaters they immediately forget that the world is out to get them.

No real understanding of stack sizes and how this dictates play. No real ability to multi street plan. Can't grasp the idea of ranging people. Always put people on the top of their ranges and unable to understand combos. Limp fold a lot even from EP. Raise sizes indicate hand strength.

Biker Travis-Biker Travis is a Biker. He is a passive nit who plays bad ABC poker. He does erratically limp in EP or MP with hands he is unsure of. Hands like K9o, A9o, QT,Q9, suited gap connectors and suited connectors. His pre flop raise sizing indicates hand strength. For example, he raised to 7X in EP w JJ. I'm not quite sure but he may be the type who is afraid to play AA or KK so he's liable to play them as fast as possible. Everything he does is face up. His physical tells are obvious. When he has a hand his head slumps down and his lip protrudes out and he protects his hand. He will hem and ha if he's on the fence about something.

Biker Travis's Mom-Yes his mom was there. Nice lady but plays in a very similar fashion. Plays for value and hardly ever bluffs unless I suspect if she is tilting or frustrated. I could see her taking a bad beat, growing up set and spewing the rest of her chips. If she has it she will let you know end of story. Her tells are also blatantly obvious. Somewhat cognizant of board texture meaning you can move her off TP type hands on heavy wet boards. Same as her son. Will still probably stack off with AA or KK on these boards as she thinks woe is me..

Tony-Tony is erratic. Most people would stereotype him as a crazy asian player. I don't know too much about him except that I suspect he will make erratic bluffs at pots if he senses weakness. I didn't get into too many hands with him but I think that he has the potential to run up huge stacks because when he does hit hands no one puts him on a hand.

Farmer-I think this guy owns the farm but am unsure. He checks dark a lot and loves to check raise. He will limp with all sorts of trash hands. He called an EP raise with K7o in the C/O and tanked for about 15 seconds after I 3bet with QQ. The flop came 747 two tone and after the hand ended he told me what he had. Not sure of what types of bluffs he's capable of just yet but I know that they are in his arsenal. He is the type to grow frustrated and bored and spew the rest of his stack randomly.

Mexican Grandma-Didn't get enough time with her. Blames her loss on bad luck not playing bad cards. If she has it she has it and will let you know. Glows when she hits a good hand.

Dealer 1-Sloppy looking guy who was texting most of the time while playing. Only pays attention when he has a hand. Seems too lazy to bluff. Passive nit who is capable of making good folds but for the wrong reasons. He also deals so may just be satisfied making money doing that and not losing while playing.

Other asian guy-Talks a lot. Seemed stressed out. Spewed early when he hit bottom end of straight when bikers mom had broadway. When losing and doesn't have any more money will play more passive but still put money in the pot with bad hands. Not too much info on him.

Internet Whiz kid- Left after 10 minutes of sitting down with him because I had to go home. He got into 2 huge pots within the first 4 hands and lost both. I think he had big pairs in both hands but he played them pretty badly given the board texture and who he was up against. Grew frustrated and snapped at the mom. Didn't re-load. Apparently he made money on line at one point but I don't know how much or when.

All their tells are extremely obvious. You get a lot of info by not wearing head phones. The way they talk about hands or stop talking when hitting a hand. Sometimes they will clear their throat when bluffing. Caught this on the mom when she raised in EP, CBET JTx rainbow flop with AKo. She wasn't happy about putting money in the pot so had to clear her throat. Bet sizing for all of them is atrocious. Don't count the pot when betting.

At this point I think bluffing goes down in value. I really don't ever need to 3bet bluff or triple barrel very often. They don't like to give up on hands since they play so little and have a limited amount of time to do so. I'll add more notes next time I go. Tonight I'm going up to black hawk and will stay until the the next night. I want to put in at least 10-14 hours between the time I get up there and when I leave tomorrow night. I need to start listening to more Bart Hanson....

Also, anyone who read my last posting probably thinks I'm arrogant. I guess I worded it the wrong way. I really am a humble person although I never used to be. Just because you're humble doesn't mean that that stuff can't happen to you. I think people get confused sometimes. I don't judge people I really don't. I have a humble attitude in that respect. Just because I can pull girls and do like to rage doesn't mean I can't have a humble attitude in life. It also doesn't mean you can't be proud of some of the things you've done in life or be ashamed of them. I've done a lot of crazy shit that I'm now trying to steer clear of.

This blog is really for me. I decided to express myself through it so I could look back on it one day and sort through my mind set. I am NOT trying to impress anyone or brag about what I have or haven't done. If you read most of my postings you'll find that I point out my failures and short comings as well as some of my conquests

This blog serves many purposes for me and maybe sometimes people get confused because they think that because its on a poker website that it has to be about poker. All my thoughts go into this one blog and no where else. I want to document my sadness, happiness, adventures, failures, progress in poker, and funny stories. Thats all.