The Devil is the Detail

A break from Focus ruminations as I realize my competence has been compromised by a big loss to three sharks from Mrs. Marshall’s fourth grade class. They must be watching the WPT instead of doing homework.



The first night I was in New Orleans, I got drunk. Stupid, blind in one eye, deaf in one ear drunk. We were there on the second leg of a trip to see East Carolina play Marshall in the GMAC Bowl (which may have been the best game ever). The first leg had been spent in Vicksburg, MS, touring the battlefield, drinking with the cotillion crowd, and trying to figure exactly how far South we were. A scenic trip down the Natchez Trace, a brief infatuation with our Cajun waitress outside of Baton Rouge (you talk purty), and we pulled in the Big Easy in the late afternoon. Drinking time.

It was me, Dad, and buddy Steve. Steve and I have been friends since right after the Gulf War. I got a job working as a bouncer in the local hard-rock, strip club where he had worked before getting activated by the North Carolina Guard. When he returned, we fell in fast. It was, and remains, a Mutt and Jeff pairing. Steve is a genuine character, able to get into and out of situations in a way that befuddles me. After growing tired of Columbia, Steve wanted to move to Myrtle Beach to try and hook up with a band as a roadie. I drove him the three hours to the coast and dropped him off with a pup tent and twenty dollars. Over the next few months, I received the occasional line from him. He broke his arm riding a bike and did not have any health insurance from his job at K & W. Well, it got fixed and Myrtle Beach Hospital is probably still trying to track down “George Jones” for payment. About six months later, I received a call from California. Steve was calling from Janie Lane’s back yard. He had hooked up with Warrant, worked a leg of their tour, and was staying with Janie until the next leg started.

Buddy Steve and friend



He eventually worked his way back to Columbia and has remained, touring with a number of bands, big and small, and finally working his way into a local stagehand gig that keeps him in rent and beer money. His weasly ways continue. Anybody else ever get a drive-by table dance on a coffee-table? Ever lure a lady back to your place at the end of the night with the promise of frozen pizza and successfully seduce her after tossing the pizza in but not turning the oven on so you could take it out later and cook it the next day for lunch? At a Carolina football game a few years ago, Steve showed up to tailgate without a ticket for the game. “No worries”, he said. “I know a guy who works the gate.” We finished pre-game festivities and made our way to our upper deck seats. Late it the first quarter, while wondering if Steve made it in, I looked down on the sidelines and saw Steve helping run sound for the cheerleaders. In short, he is Kramer.

After a blistering first night in Orleans that lasted until sunup, I begged off on second night festivities about midnight. I knew I was going to be the one driving to Mobile and then back home and figured I could use a little sleep one night. Steve understood and stayed out while I made my way back to the W Hotel (We had a free room for three nights comped by Harrah’s due to a previous trip Steve had made. He had gone into Harrah’s after a week of selling beads at Mardi Gras with about $200 to play blackjack. He worked it up to $1000 and started betting $100 a hand, which got the attention of the floor supervisor. He worked up to a $2000 stack and realizing who was watching, he calmly made a $1000 bet. Of course he hit ten and had to double up, right? Twenty came and the dealer turned over a low number. Three cards later, the math added up to a push and Steve shrugged his shoulders and said, “Well, I tried.” Obviously, that is the way to get comped in New Orleans.) That night, I heard him stumble in about 4:00 a.m. At 10:00 a.m., beer in hand, I asked him about his night. He admitted that he had gotten lost on his way home due to his state, and had been taken under the wing of a local “lady,” the type that like to meet tourists. She must have realized Steve was in no shape to be a client or pose a danger and graciously walked him back to the hotel. I said, “Steve, did she make you pay for the walk?” He replied, “No, and she gave me a free feel when we got here.” Like I said, Kramer.


A hat can be a nice conversation starter


In Vegas, I had a list of Bloggers I wanted to meet. Of course it was chock full of the usual suspects, Iggy, Maudie, Grubby, Hank, Poker Nerd, and many, many others. I had Al on that mental list because, as I have stated before, his was the very first blog I stumbled across and I found it so damn entertaining, I moved on to all the others and eventually started my own. The problem is, I have an Al already. His name is Steve. I felt as though I already knew Al and if I happened to miss him on this trip, no big deal. We’d catch up later. Fortunately, I did get the chance to meet the legend and I came away with no disappointment. He is what he professes to be. Now, I hear he may be at the big party in G-Vegas in August. Cool. I am planning on being there and am trying to get Steve to come up with me. I do not know if the town can handle them both. There has to some zoning restriction prohibiting it.

Steve gives my life the little bit of an edge I need. Left to my own devices, I will drink responsibly, get home at a decent hour every night, and have a nice, little life. Throw buddy Steve into the mix and I see a few more sunrises, crash a couple of parties, meet some sketchy characters, and experience a little more life. On a trip to his little hometown in the North Carolina foothills, he gave me a warning before we headed out to his neighborhood bar. “You are a big boy. Someone might want to make a point. Be careful about looking anybody too hard in the eye. But if you do, I got your back.” We made it though unscathed but it was a nice bit of excitement to have on a trip.

The End



Wait. Poker Content needed.

What the hell does this have to do with poker? Well, you need a bit of the devil in you if you want to be a great player. Focusing on starting hands and post-flop play can make you a money winner, but if you want to step up with the big boys, you have to be willing to mix it up based on the advice of the demon on your shoulder. Even Dan Harrington knows to listen to this little fellow. How else could he go all-in after an early position raise and call with a 62 off at the 2004 WSOP final table? If you are the tightest player at the table, you are going to be found out and your action is going to dry up. Every once in a while, you have to stick some money in on a bluff. If you get away with it, it’s because you set everyone up with your tight play. If you get caught, even better. Now you will make more next time you hit your set. The trick is to not let the devil overtake your other senses. If you do, you might end up begging for stakes in the next big game. Properly executed though, devilish playys will increase your bottom line and add spice to your life. And aren't those the points of poker anyway?

Focus Part III

My name is Portuguese slang for “one who has focus like a gnat.”

Most of me is a terrible poker player. How can that be? Almost two years into this thing and I have no idea where I stand. Money wise, I know exactly where I am. Is that a good judge of my skill though? In an interview I read early in my “career,” Howard Lederer alleged he played losing $1/2 LHE for two years before starting to win consistently. Of course, he was probably playing against better competition than I run into on Party Poker.

The part of me that is a good player plays in home games. There, that segment is a winner. The home games have kept me flush in lunch money for a good while now. And I really like lunch.

Another part of me does alright in the Casinos but that sample is much too small to be undeniably accurate. This will require further field study.

Online, the results are a bit more mixed. I paid a lot for my basic poker education. The first year was a steady diet of $50-$100 deposits with very few withdrawals. Near the end of 2004, I figured out how to pull out money when I was winning. The bleeding slowed, but continued. Finally, this year, I am in the black a bit but I don’t feel as though I am playing well at all. This week, I shall turn the focus inward and try to figure what it will take to make me a happy poker player.

Please read Joe to get some idea of where I am right now. I am constantly amazed at how my thoughts mimic so many of those I read. I responded to his post that he should ensure that the time he spent with poker was “quality” time. Great advice I think. The problem is that I have not exhibited the ability to make my time playing poker quality. Unlike Pete Townsend, who stated about pop music, “If you steer clear of quality, you’ll do alright,” I feel as though if I do not step up my game, I will end up burned out with nothing to show but a non-existent bankroll, pissed away in a fit of pique. By not concentrating correctly while playing and preparing to play, I have created a situation of uncertainty surrounding my game. Any assessment I make now is flawed as I have not kept any control over so many aspects of my game. Like Tiger, I have to rebuild my swing.

I have started the process. The first step was this post. My main impediment to posting has been the fact that it gets in the way of playing poker. Well, no more occasional reader. I will document my travails for posterity (or posterior) and will seek the muse that will answer my questions about our game. If anyone is interested, I would love to hear your ideas about how to increase one’s focus. I will share mine, for what it is worth.

Good job Ladies and Gentlemen

I re-raised a celebrity (There were so many of you so I will let you figure out which one of you ist was ;) ) out of a pot, I lost with AA, KK, and JJ, I cracked AA with JTs, I lost almost all my chips when I ran into a runner-runner straight. and I had a great time as always.

Better be careful people. You are going to give poker players a good name.

Great job Maudie!

London's Calling

"We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and the oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender. . . . And if, which I do not for a moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our empires beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, will carry on the fight, until in God’s own time the new world in its power and might steps forth to the rescue and liberation of the old." Winston Churchill

That’s gotta be nice to read in times of strife.

So, the terrorists attack a country that used to be the World’s only super power and is now essentially an amusement park. Why give them an excuse to re-flex their muscles? Anyone want to take an over/under on how long before they track down the hole these people are in. It took them a week in Spain. I’ll give them four days here.

I have a special affinity for London having spent the best vacation of my life there. The King’s Cross area is familiar to me as we stayed in that working-class neighborhood. We saw all the obvious sights, spent far too little time in the British Museum, road-tripped to Stonehenge and Bath, and had some fantastic food, destroying that myth. The best times we had though, were hanging out in the neighborhood pub, shooting pool with Irish girls and their fellas who were just making a living in the big city. The City is always on alert. Signs are in all the pubs and other community venues warning patrons to be on the lookout for unattended packages. When entering the Tower of London, a young English security force member diligently searched my bag and then ran a wand over it. Trying to be the funny American, I asked, “Germ free?” With the faintest glimmer of mirth, she replied, “I don’t know about that sir, but it is bomb free.” “Yes, ma’am. Thank you very much,” was all I could come with in response to that.

They have been preparing for this for years. In the not too distant past, explosions were a regualr part of life. I expected stoicism and all that from the English in response to this new threat which they have exhibited. What I do not expect is to see a repeat of the Spanish reaction. There will be no British troops leaving Iraq anytime soon. The ghost of Neville Chamberlain may still be around but, in times of strife, Winston’s ghost chomps on a fresh cigar, adjusts his hat, pulls out the pocket-watch and goes to work.

Everybody go check out Luke. He’s a local Carolina boy made good in London and has some fresh shots up of the recovering city. Also be sure to check out his travel logs These are the beginning of blogging and should prompt some of us to shake up our lives.

Peace be with you.

7/9/05--Luke's site is down right now for some reason. Check it out when it gets back up.

Focus Part II

Focus Part I

This is simple information. This is not a treatise. I have no real skill.

When I spoke with Easy about his online play, I was surprised to learn he played only one table at a time. “Damn Easy, as good as you play, you should play more tables and you’ll make more money.” He responded that he felt his strength was concentrating on one table at a time. He then told me he actively sought out players who were multi-tabling and sat down with them at the short-handed games. By playing opponents whose attention was divided in a fast-paced game, he felt as though he could make better decisions than the other players. I can’t argue with the results. He is not a full-time player, but he is making a nice side income while I am struggling in the online game to turn a consistent profit.

After speaking with Easy, I thought about my game. What do I do well in? The home game is my strength. I don’t think I have any magic picking up physical tells nor do I play at a table full of newbies. This is an established, three year game with players who have read a poker book or two and play a good bit online. As we have played together so long, we have been clued into each other’s patterns and quirks. Even with all the familiarity and the generally level of equal play, I win at the weekly tournament. I feel I am able to do so through patience and recognition of betting tells. The online game has helped my live game as the sheer number of hands I have seen have enabled me to recognize bets that are made because of the situation rather than the player’s hand. Raising for a free card? Seen it a thousand times this month. Re-raise. Betting out on a busted draw? Old hat. Raise. Making a weirdly small bet into an incredibly scary board? You got the nuts and want me to re-raise. Call as long as the odds dictate.

We all fall into patterns that betray our hands. In a lot of games, that does not matter. Playing online, you rarely see the same players on a consistent basis unless you are playing the higher limits or playing at the smaller sites. In a weekly game with a bunch of friends, it can be deadly. Easy bet as though he was playing limit. Therefore, he was often giving the correct odds to callers and was getting turned and rivered and sent home early until he adjusted. As soon as I recognized this pattern, I figured out that his bets could represent anything from middle pair to a draw. Playing bottom pair in a short-handed LHE game is reasonable. Playing it for slightly more than the minimum bet in NLHE is asking for trouble. As soon as he picked up a premium hand, his bets increased and I knew I was in trouble unless I had a monster. Easy lost focus in that he forgot what game he was playing and how he should bet. In NLHE, you have to bet to shut out draws that can beat you. That way, when you do get beat, you can be assured you made the right play and will get that money back next time..

The first lesson of focus is to look into your actions. If one always does the same thing every time in a situation where it will be recognized, there is going to be bankroll trouble eventually. Make sure to vary your bets unless you always raise the same amount pre-flop no matter your hand. If you do not want to vary your bets, be sure to let everyone know that a 3x raise can mean AA UTG or QT on the button. You can usually do this by showing your hand at showdown. Hopefully you’ll hear comments like, “I thought you would have raised more with AA” or “I can’t believe you raised 3x with that crap and drew out a straight on me.” Of course, I have informed the table I will be raising every time I have the hammer and now they all live in fear when I have raised and a couple of 7s hit the board. “Wes, that is a stupid hand to play,” protest the folders. “You are correct,” I respond, “But now you got no idea what is in my hand next time I raise.”

Post-flop, contemplate your bets for a minute before reflexively throwing in a continuation bet. Think about what the others will think based on the size of your bet or non-bet. Do you always check when you hit a set and then re-raise? If so, you will probably not be able to do that too many times before those re-raises won’t get called. Do not focus on the size of the present pot. Remember, poker is a lifelong game with one big pot with a + or – in front of it. As soon as you feel a player has discovered a pattern in your play, throw them a curve. Believe me, it’s fun to watch them flounder.

In the online game, you will probably not be remembered tomorrow unless you are exceptionally bad or good. That does not mean there is no value in changing up your play. There are certain plays that are made by knowledgeable players that may reveal the strength of their cards. With two hearts on the board, a late position player raises. When the spade hits on the turn, everyone checks to the raiser who clicks his check button as fast as he can. Think you have an idea of what he has? Of course you do. He has raised for a free card hoping to catch a flush. Now, he can win a few bets if he hits it on the river or he can fold if he doesn’t after receiving two free shots at drawing out. If you are paying attention to the board, the next time it happens, re-raise the raiser. If a blank comes on the turn, see if he will call another bet that he is not getting the odds to call. Remember, you will get sucked out on on occasion. That is alright. Encourage the monkeys. I hear it catches up with them in the long run.

When you need that free card for your straight or flush draw, make the raising play. It works often enough to do it almost every time. If someone re-raises you though, be sure to pay attention if they show down a hand. It may be apparent they saw what you were trying to do if they show a middle pair they were trying to protect from your draw. Make a note of this player as they may know what they are doing. Then, when you flop two pair into a two-suit board, you can raise with at least one opponent maybe thinking you are looking for a gift. It may net you an extra bet or two today which will hopefully translate into a nice nest-egg tomorrow.

Focusing on one’s self is not always fun. It requires acknowledgment that we are not perfect, or sometimes even very good poker players. IF you get enjoyment from playing, independent of results, do not worry about how other’s may perceive you. If baby needs a new pair of shoes, though, you had better be sure that others are perceiving you at least partially incorrect.

Part III to come . . . maybe

Focus Part I

Here comes one of those “I know a guy” stories.

I have a buddy we’ll call Easy E who is part of our Tuesday night home game. When the game started three years ago, he dominated the hold ‘em portion of the night. When I joined the group eighteen or so months ago, Easy was the player I felt I had to beat if I was going to be successful.

Well, he immediately went on a six month streak in which I do not think he placed in the money once. My opinion of his play was that he was solid but was making questionable decisions, especially early, that were costing him too much of his chip stack and putting him in an untenable comeback posture in the games. After two hours of dealer’s choice, Chicago, 7/27, Shave the Monkey, etc., we each put in $20 and play a NLHE tournament. The blinds start at .50/1 and double every hour, so overplaying an early hand can easily siphon half your stack.

When I joined the game, my experience was limited to online play augmented by the reading of a few books dealing primarily with LHE. Fortunately, I had been playing $10 NLHE sit-n-go's on Party so the structure of the game was familiar even if the players were not. It took a few months but I eventually started to do pretty well, almost always finishing in the top 3-4 and placing in the money over half the time.

As I played and learned, I realized Easy’s problem. He often spoke of his online game, and how well he was doing on True Poker playing 4-8 and 5-10 LHE. Typically, when someone tells me how great they are doing online, I cut their alleged winnings in half in my mind and then put a minus sign in front of it to assess their true situation. Hey, everybody wants to be thought of as a winner and not everyone is as honest as the blogging crew about their results. Easy didn’t seem to be bragging though. He talked about it in hushed terms as though he was scard of offending Poque and incurring his wrath.

My results with LHE have been mixed. At that point, I was definitely a losing player online and going through the typical swings. I had run $100 up to $1100 on True Poker in a month, then lost back down to $100 in two weeks. I ran it back up to $1000 again, cashed out $500 this time, ran it back up to $1000, moved up in limits too fast and lost it all. I decided to stalk Easy on the site, watching him operate at the tables without alerting him to my presence so I could get an accurate observation of his play. Let me tell you. That boy can kill a short-handed LHE game at the 4-8/5-10 level. Without seeing his hole cards, I have no idea what his starting hand requirements were; I just know that when he had to show, he showed winners. He exhibited aggression, playing a lot of hands, raising if he came into a pot, re-raising a good bit, but also folding in some situations after showing early aggression when I guessed he knew he was beat. His money in play went only one way. Up. Why then, was he having such a hard time in ht home game?

After observing him for a few weeks, I identified what I thought his problems were. Rather than making changes to account for the finality of busting out, Easy pushed as he did in LHE, making bets and staying in pots with hands that were reasonable if one was allowed to rebuy after the times they did not hold up. Another problem was not making sufficient bets to shut out the draws of others. Four dollars, four dollars, four dollars, four dollars was a typical betting pattern for Easy in a hand. Well, if I had a good hand and I called four dollars on the turn, I was definitely going to call for only another four on the river. I became comfortable playing hands against him as I felt I had a read that would enable me to lay down a hand if I was in real trouble.

He suffered through a stretch of losing before adjusting and over the last twelve-week cycle and accumulated the most points in our Summer series. This gave him more starting chips for our quarterly Pig Tussle, a contest in which we vie for the contents of a bank we have been filling over the previous twelve weeks. To compound the problem of overcoming his chip lead, Easy busted out the second place finisher in the first ten hands, adding his chips to an already dominant stack. I was able to wait patiently until I picked up QQ and got all-in versus JJ to almost double. From there, Easy knocked everyone else out until it got down to us with E having an 11-1 chip lead. I was able to draw to within 2-1 but two rivered flushes destroyed my two pair hands and Easy was the champ on his last night in our group. He informed us he was moving out of town and I think everyone felt sorry for him and showed their sympathy by dumping chips. Heartless (poker) bastard I am, I made him work.

I am taking the opportunity to reflect on lessons I have learned from Easy and my observations of him. I will have one or two post focusing on those lessons over the next week. The theme will be Focus, a trait I have in spades in the live game but which is non-existent in my online play. Easy has convinced me of the need for focus in the online game and I will try to articulate the reasoning in my follow-up(s). Hopefully, I will listen to my own advice.