Playing limit holdem, how do you like it when the guy under the gun puts up a blind straddle? Small blind is $10, big blind is $20, and this gambooler puts in an extra $40 before even seeing his cards. You like that?
I might not like it so much if I'm already in the small or big blind, but otherwise, and especially if I'm right behind the straddle, I like it just fine.
So then will I play looser, and 3 bet with way more hands than if he had seen his cards before he put in that 40? Well, yeah, sure.
I read somewhere, long ago, that poker betting begins as a battle for the antes, or blinds, and that smaller blinds dictate tighter play, while bigger blinds mean looser play. Makes sense, doesn't it?
Then I read somewhere else, recently, that we inevitably will lose money with our blind hands, that the best we can do is to play well enough to minimize that loss, and that we knowingly post blinds with that -EV only because it entitles us to be dealt the hands that follow. That made sense to me too.
And so would I want to put up that straddle myself? Well, um, no. But sometimes players want everyone to agree to play a round of straddles, "Because it makes the game better."
"Better for who?" I ask them.
"What? For everyone!" they say, looking at me like I'm an idiot.
Yeah, right. That's like when Tess finishes dealing a down, stands up, and says "Good Luck, Everyone!" I keep telling her that's not possible. She laughs, and smiles back at me, and then she says it again next time. :-)
She's just being polite and cheerful, and that's sweet. But I'm philosophical, and don't accept that a change could possibly be beneficial to everyone's expectation in the game. No way. Any structure change will benefit some, and harm others, depending on their strategy, and . . .
Q: What's my #1 basic strategy to beat these guys?
A: Play tighter than they do. This only works because they play too loose!
Q: What happens when the blinds get bigger (or, for that matter, when the game get shorthanded) ?
A: The Other Guys' Too-Loose Play becomes LESS wrong, maybe even becomes correct. There goes my Delta, my basic edge, the very foundation of my game, right out the window.
So when they ask me to agree to a round of straddles, "To liven up the game," I just tell them that they're already plenty wacky enough for me, and no thanks. Truth is, I don't want to put up -EV blind bets any more than I absolutely have to. Right? Doesn't come up very often, anyway.
OK, fine. But then, a couple months ago, somebody got the guys in the DL 20 game playing with "The Rock."
The Rock is eight red chips, $40, 2 small bets, taped together, to stay together. It goes in, and plays, like a straddle. Whoever wins that pot takes it, and keeps it on their stack until they are under the gun before the deal. Then they they are obligated to put it up, like a straddle, and so it goes.
That looked like a blind straddle to me, and I didn't give it much thought. My ignorant, knee-jerk reaction was to say "No, thanks!" again, and refuse to play with The Rock. Well, that was stupid, and also was very poor customer relations, as it pissed off the guys who like The Rock.
Thing is, I'm slow. Most times I have to go away, and think about something for a while, probably longer than I should need to, before finally reaching a valid conclusion.
In this case I contemplated it for two weeks before finally realizing that I should have no objection to a Rock, and in fact should probably like it!
Turns out that posting a straddle, and playing with a The Rock, are completely different. When I sat into a Rock game, the Rock was already there. Unlike a straddle, I didn't contribute to those 8 chips, and won't get to keep them if I win them. So where I should go after the extra money in a straddle, the "extra money" when The Rock is out there is just an illusion that I should NOT go after, even when the other guys do. Hey, welcome back home, basic winning strategy #1.
Turns out also that I shouldn't even consider The Rock when counting bets to figure pot odds. At least those were my conclusions. What do you think?
OK, so I got all that down, felt way better that I wouldn't be killing the game, and went back to DL, all pumped to play with The Rock. And then, guess what. Maybe [you saw][I should've seen] this coming? Seems The Rock caused too many disputes over this and that, and the floor got tired of being called over for what was supposed to be a "Players Agreement," and so DL banned The Rock.
And so, just like high speed Morse Code, and "Advanced" BASIC Programming, now I have yet another obsolete skill that I'll probably never get to use again. Oh well.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Conflict of Interest
For the last six years, and unless out of town, I've played exclusively at Diamond Lil's. My driveway to their parking lot is under 3 miles, and it's the only daily 20/40 game this side of California or Nevada, so why go anywhere else?
Then, several times, various floorpersons have explained that the rule really only applies when a hand is in progress. Ok, fine. Whatever.
I can't begin to count how many thousand times I've heard that rule violated, nor how many hundred times I've heard dealers, or occasionally another player, tell someone "English Only!"
But I can easily count how many times I've seen the violators, repeat offenders all, face any kind of consequence: Exactly Zero. They simply get warned, again and again. Then again. And again.
I personally am not too worried about non-English conversation during play at DL. Maybe I am annoyed some, by their arrogance, when players ignore the rule. After all, it is a very good rule, imposed for a very good reason, that we all understand.
But 97.84% of the time, they're not talking about the hand in progress anyway. They're just talking about what's for dinner, or last night's booty call, or the big Karaoke party coming up next weekend, or maybe even what a dick Sgt. Rock is, and let's get him. You know, something completely innocent.
So I don't sweat the small stuff, except, well, there still is one problem. Like I tell them at Bellagio, and at Commerce: "Look, I really don't care what language you guys wanna talk, but let's play by the rules anyway, because IT MAKES THE TOURISTS NERVOUS!"
See, here's the thing: There are lots of wannabe 20/40 players in Seattle — I've heard this from more than a few of them — who might like to come play at DL, and make these great games even better, except for the room's reputation. Deserved or not, there is a widespread perception that Lil's is full of team players, and is a good place to be taken off by collusion.
And yeah, a couple players may make some lame, ill-conceived attempts at hanky panky now and then, but, like I said, for me it's not really a problem. If were, then my six year result there couldn't be what it is.
But still, "English Only" truly is a complete joke at DL. Then, last week, came word that some person(s) had complained to the state gambling commission, that the rule will now be strictly enforced, and that anyone having to be warned twice will be barred for 24 hours.
Here's where the Conflict of Interest comes into play, same as it always has. First line of defense for enforcing "English Only" is the house dealer who is in there working for tokes. And she knows how much these players will resent being told that they can't converse with their buddy in their native tongue, even when they already know the rules. Remember, these are the same giants of intellect and logic who personally blame her when a river card completes some other guy's ugly suckout, and beats them. So don't expect them to be reasonable.
And now, if someone needs to be reminded a second time, she's supposed to call the floorman, who pretty much also works for tokes, and the player gets sent home? Yeah, right.
So far, with this "strict new enforcement" of the rule, we have seen just as much non-English as ever, slightly more frequent and stern warnings from a few dealers, and zero instances of floorman summoned or any hammer descending. Long story short: No change.
I have suggestion for fixing this problem, but it would never fly. I would take the burden for enforcing this rule off the dealer's shoulders, and give it to the other players.
Specifically, I would propose that if non-English is spoken by, or to, a player with a live hand, then any other player with a live hand can have the dealer call the floor, who would KILL the offending player's hand. That's right, break the rule during play, and your hand is dead.
Hard to prove? They already have video surveillance, cameras in the ceiling, so why not audio surveillance, microphones in the table rim? OK, I never said this idea was practical, but it is viable, at least in theory, and it certainly would be effective. Don't think we'd see very many repeat offenders. I mean, after a guy's hand was killed a time or two, that *should* get his attention, even when a thousand warnings didn't, and I think he'd respect the rule just fine after that.
All those years, there have always been at least two prominent signs posted in the room, telling us:
English Only
At And Around Gaming Tables
At All Times
I can't begin to count how many thousand times I've heard that rule violated, nor how many hundred times I've heard dealers, or occasionally another player, tell someone "English Only!"
But I can easily count how many times I've seen the violators, repeat offenders all, face any kind of consequence: Exactly Zero. They simply get warned, again and again. Then again. And again.
I personally am not too worried about non-English conversation during play at DL. Maybe I am annoyed some, by their arrogance, when players ignore the rule. After all, it is a very good rule, imposed for a very good reason, that we all understand.
But 97.84% of the time, they're not talking about the hand in progress anyway. They're just talking about what's for dinner, or last night's booty call, or the big Karaoke party coming up next weekend, or maybe even what a dick Sgt. Rock is, and let's get him. You know, something completely innocent.
So I don't sweat the small stuff, except, well, there still is one problem. Like I tell them at Bellagio, and at Commerce: "Look, I really don't care what language you guys wanna talk, but let's play by the rules anyway, because IT MAKES THE TOURISTS NERVOUS!"
See, here's the thing: There are lots of wannabe 20/40 players in Seattle — I've heard this from more than a few of them — who might like to come play at DL, and make these great games even better, except for the room's reputation. Deserved or not, there is a widespread perception that Lil's is full of team players, and is a good place to be taken off by collusion.
And yeah, a couple players may make some lame, ill-conceived attempts at hanky panky now and then, but, like I said, for me it's not really a problem. If were, then my six year result there couldn't be what it is.
But still, "English Only" truly is a complete joke at DL. Then, last week, came word that some person(s) had complained to the state gambling commission, that the rule will now be strictly enforced, and that anyone having to be warned twice will be barred for 24 hours.
Here's where the Conflict of Interest comes into play, same as it always has. First line of defense for enforcing "English Only" is the house dealer who is in there working for tokes. And she knows how much these players will resent being told that they can't converse with their buddy in their native tongue, even when they already know the rules. Remember, these are the same giants of intellect and logic who personally blame her when a river card completes some other guy's ugly suckout, and beats them. So don't expect them to be reasonable.
And now, if someone needs to be reminded a second time, she's supposed to call the floorman, who pretty much also works for tokes, and the player gets sent home? Yeah, right.
So far, with this "strict new enforcement" of the rule, we have seen just as much non-English as ever, slightly more frequent and stern warnings from a few dealers, and zero instances of floorman summoned or any hammer descending. Long story short: No change.
I have suggestion for fixing this problem, but it would never fly. I would take the burden for enforcing this rule off the dealer's shoulders, and give it to the other players.
Specifically, I would propose that if non-English is spoken by, or to, a player with a live hand, then any other player with a live hand can have the dealer call the floor, who would KILL the offending player's hand. That's right, break the rule during play, and your hand is dead.
Hard to prove? They already have video surveillance, cameras in the ceiling, so why not audio surveillance, microphones in the table rim? OK, I never said this idea was practical, but it is viable, at least in theory, and it certainly would be effective. Don't think we'd see very many repeat offenders. I mean, after a guy's hand was killed a time or two, that *should* get his attention, even when a thousand warnings didn't, and I think he'd respect the rule just fine after that.
Thursday, May 09, 2013
Atlanta Braves
Do you have some online accounts with security, like banking, email, or shopping, that use logon name and password, but then they also have you give answers to some “secret security questions?” You know, like a pet’s or girlfriend’s name, or the street you grew up on, favorite high school teacher, or TV show, whatever.
One account I have asked me a cute one: “Name the sports team you love to see lose.” Seriously, that was their question. Lol.
I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating— — The only sport I’m really into is: Co-Ed Wrestling.
But some years ago, when stationed at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, Mrs. Rock & I were actually genuine baseball fans. We lived on the base in family housing, about a mile from the gold depository, in a two story end-unit townhouse, plus full basement, in case of tornados. Seriously. We also had cheap cable TV, with HBO, and stations from LA, Toronto, Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Cincinnati, etc, etc., plus ESPN, and the networks.
Well, we were big Dodger fans back then, and watched lots and lots of games. This was in the days of Steve Garvey, Steve Sax, Steve Howe :-), Mike Scioscia, Dusty Baker, Ron Cey, and of course our hero, the man, Fernando Valenzuela. Later, Orel Hershiser was a hero, too.
And it sure irritated me to see the Dodger’s big rival, the Atlanta Braves, call themselves “America’s Team” on the Turner Station, Channel 17. Some nerve. I’m in America, and they’re not my team, so WTF? Therefore, although I must admit they were a pretty damn good team back then, I liked to see the Braves lose, even it if wasn’t the Dodgers beating them.
And so that was my "secret" answer on [I’m not saying what site]: Atlanta Braves.
Well don’t we all have our own “Atlanta Braves” at the poker table? You and I both want to win, want to beat the other guys, sure, but aren’t there a couple guys you *really* like to beat? Or maybe guys you just *really* like to see lose, even if it’s not you that beats them?
Like, for instance, Lenny Whiner, from Florida, playing 40/80 at Bellagio during WSOP the last three years running. Actually I’m just guessing at that last name, but here’s a guy that, well, I don’t know, it just makes me smile inside when somebody sucks out on him and he gets all steamed up and acts like a baby.
Then there was TWA (Tall White Asshole) in the 40 game at Commerce last July, a curly hair guy we’ve seen several times, Vegas and LA, along with his hot (?) GF with the inked neck. He was teasing and torturing the dealer by mucking as far away from her as possible, making her reach, then next time more or less throwing the cards at her, and asking “How’s that? Any better?” So did he get on my Atlanta Braves list, and become someone I will like to see lose? Sure.
But then it turns out that, sometimes, I’m the other guy’s Atlanta Braves! Lenny, for example, doesn’t speak to me, pretty much ignores me. But he sure will smirk when he sees me take a beat.
And here’s something a little hard to admit, kind of puzzling, but looking at it objectively, well, it's true: Here at Diamond Lil’s, if you polled all the regular 20/40 players, most of them wouldn’t name anyone in particular as being their Atlanta Braves.
But it used to be, for those who did, I think the name given most often would have been: Sarge. I know, right? I couldn’t believe it either! I never dissed anyone, don’t get ugly or arrogant, don't gloat when I win, and sure as hell don’t deride bad play when they suck out on me!
But there was this small clique in the DL 20 game, all guys from [redacted], who pretty much didn't speak to me, and would openly discuss how much they wanted me to get beat, even to the point of occasionally “cooperating” with each other by whipsaw raising a little when I’m caught between them. Those moves tended to backfire on them more often than not, so I didn’t really mind too much. :-) But for sure, I was their Atlanta Braves.
The good news is that there's been a big thaw in all that. Seems like NOT taking the bait, and NOT getting into arguments, ever, and being excruciatingly polite if there's a dispute and I'm involved, and remembering to STFU if I'm NOT involved . . . all that paid off. I just treated them all with courtesy, and a little respect, even when it was a one-way street. Eventually, then, it becomes, grudgingly perhaps, a two-way street. Well, in most cases. Sadly, not all. But I'm working on those too. I still wonder what I did to get on these guys’ shit list. Misbehave? Hardly. Insult, disparage, or otherwise disrespect anyone? Never happen.
Imagine if the best college baseball team in the state went up against a typical little league team from your town. College boys gonna kick ass, right?
Now imagine that same college team versus the N.Y. Yankees. Whose ass gets kicked now?
So when you ask if a particular guy is a “good, winning poker player," it’s kind of like asking if those college boys are a good team. The answer has to be: “Compared to who?” It's relative.
On a good day in the DL 20/40, I feel like a college team, up against mostly little leaguers. On a bad day, in Vegas or LA, I feel like I ran into MLB. And for my Bellagio WSOP side action trips in 2010 & 2011, I had lots of bad days.
The problem? Both times, my performance was exceptionally poor for that single most important component of a winning poker strategy: Game Selection. Ego, over-confidence, and the adrenaline rush of "Hey, this is Vegas!" combined to help me find the courage to sit into games five times bigger than I play at home, and to completely blow off, and ignore, how they were also way tougher. Sure, there were a couple ding-dongs here and there, now and then, but mostly VERY tough guys in those games.
So I was outclassed, and I knew it, and yet I played anyway, and both times blew in a couple weeks the BR I had built up over a year at home. Doing that once is bad enough, but that I did it twice, two consecutive years, is, well, I don't know the word. Pathetic?
So last year, for our WSOP 2012 Vegas trip, I played only the 40/80 side action, 23 straight days, then went on to Commerce for another 10 days of 40/80, and this time didn't blow the year's BR, although neither did I grow it much. Then we came on home, and finished the year playing at DL.
Seems reasonable to me, and you've probably heard this too, that a good pro, in a game like the DL 20/40, should win something like 1 big bet per hour, that a VERY good pro might win 1.5 BBPH, and that a long term win of 2 BBPH in pretty much any limit hold game would be, well, exceptional.
Now that I'm turning pro, I need to know which of those categories I fit into, right? So I was planning to go back to keeping detailed session records, starting May 1. And since then I did play at DL every single day, but I got lazy, and didn't keep track after all. And that's a real shame, too, because if I had, then I could know just exactly how many dollars per hour I've lost so far this month.
Sometimes the situation, or the "Personality of the Game," makes you want to play a hand differently than you normally might. An extreme example that comes to mind for me was about a year ago, when I cold called a preflop raise, in the cutoff, with Queen Jack offsuit. Never did that before or since, but in that particular exceptional situation, the most *dysfunctional family pot you ever did see, I just had to do it.
( * like a Wheel of Fortune "Before and After")
Last night another exceptional situation came up, but I spaced and didn't recognize it quite quickly enough. UTG open-raises, and I'm right behind him with pocket fours. Just as I'm releasing my hand, I can see at least two guys behind me gonna just call the raise. And the Personality of THIS Game, with these particular guys, was multi-way, 5, 6, 7 guys seeing every flop, most often for just one raise. I remembered all that a split second too late, and thought to myself, "Damn, coulda, woulda, shoulda made an exceptional call this time!"
Then, when the flop came J 4 4, I was sure of it. :-(
- - -
More posts in draft, coming soon, now that I have time. Can I get some comments? I live for comments. Thanks.
One account I have asked me a cute one: “Name the sports team you love to see lose.” Seriously, that was their question. Lol.
I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating— — The only sport I’m really into is: Co-Ed Wrestling.
But some years ago, when stationed at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, Mrs. Rock & I were actually genuine baseball fans. We lived on the base in family housing, about a mile from the gold depository, in a two story end-unit townhouse, plus full basement, in case of tornados. Seriously. We also had cheap cable TV, with HBO, and stations from LA, Toronto, Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Cincinnati, etc, etc., plus ESPN, and the networks.
Well, we were big Dodger fans back then, and watched lots and lots of games. This was in the days of Steve Garvey, Steve Sax, Steve Howe :-), Mike Scioscia, Dusty Baker, Ron Cey, and of course our hero, the man, Fernando Valenzuela. Later, Orel Hershiser was a hero, too.
And it sure irritated me to see the Dodger’s big rival, the Atlanta Braves, call themselves “America’s Team” on the Turner Station, Channel 17. Some nerve. I’m in America, and they’re not my team, so WTF? Therefore, although I must admit they were a pretty damn good team back then, I liked to see the Braves lose, even it if wasn’t the Dodgers beating them.
And so that was my "secret" answer on [I’m not saying what site]: Atlanta Braves.
Well don’t we all have our own “Atlanta Braves” at the poker table? You and I both want to win, want to beat the other guys, sure, but aren’t there a couple guys you *really* like to beat? Or maybe guys you just *really* like to see lose, even if it’s not you that beats them?
Like, for instance, Lenny Whiner, from Florida, playing 40/80 at Bellagio during WSOP the last three years running. Actually I’m just guessing at that last name, but here’s a guy that, well, I don’t know, it just makes me smile inside when somebody sucks out on him and he gets all steamed up and acts like a baby.
Then there was TWA (Tall White Asshole) in the 40 game at Commerce last July, a curly hair guy we’ve seen several times, Vegas and LA, along with his hot (?) GF with the inked neck. He was teasing and torturing the dealer by mucking as far away from her as possible, making her reach, then next time more or less throwing the cards at her, and asking “How’s that? Any better?” So did he get on my Atlanta Braves list, and become someone I will like to see lose? Sure.
But then it turns out that, sometimes, I’m the other guy’s Atlanta Braves! Lenny, for example, doesn’t speak to me, pretty much ignores me. But he sure will smirk when he sees me take a beat.
And here’s something a little hard to admit, kind of puzzling, but looking at it objectively, well, it's true: Here at Diamond Lil’s, if you polled all the regular 20/40 players, most of them wouldn’t name anyone in particular as being their Atlanta Braves.
But it used to be, for those who did, I think the name given most often would have been: Sarge. I know, right? I couldn’t believe it either! I never dissed anyone, don’t get ugly or arrogant, don't gloat when I win, and sure as hell don’t deride bad play when they suck out on me!
But there was this small clique in the DL 20 game, all guys from [redacted], who pretty much didn't speak to me, and would openly discuss how much they wanted me to get beat, even to the point of occasionally “cooperating” with each other by whipsaw raising a little when I’m caught between them. Those moves tended to backfire on them more often than not, so I didn’t really mind too much. :-) But for sure, I was their Atlanta Braves.
The good news is that there's been a big thaw in all that. Seems like NOT taking the bait, and NOT getting into arguments, ever, and being excruciatingly polite if there's a dispute and I'm involved, and remembering to STFU if I'm NOT involved . . . all that paid off. I just treated them all with courtesy, and a little respect, even when it was a one-way street. Eventually, then, it becomes, grudgingly perhaps, a two-way street. Well, in most cases. Sadly, not all. But I'm working on those too. I still wonder what I did to get on these guys’ shit list. Misbehave? Hardly. Insult, disparage, or otherwise disrespect anyone? Never happen.
The Theory of Relativity
Imagine if the best college baseball team in the state went up against a typical little league team from your town. College boys gonna kick ass, right?
Now imagine that same college team versus the N.Y. Yankees. Whose ass gets kicked now?
So when you ask if a particular guy is a “good, winning poker player," it’s kind of like asking if those college boys are a good team. The answer has to be: “Compared to who?” It's relative.
On a good day in the DL 20/40, I feel like a college team, up against mostly little leaguers. On a bad day, in Vegas or LA, I feel like I ran into MLB. And for my Bellagio WSOP side action trips in 2010 & 2011, I had lots of bad days.
The problem? Both times, my performance was exceptionally poor for that single most important component of a winning poker strategy: Game Selection. Ego, over-confidence, and the adrenaline rush of "Hey, this is Vegas!" combined to help me find the courage to sit into games five times bigger than I play at home, and to completely blow off, and ignore, how they were also way tougher. Sure, there were a couple ding-dongs here and there, now and then, but mostly VERY tough guys in those games.
So I was outclassed, and I knew it, and yet I played anyway, and both times blew in a couple weeks the BR I had built up over a year at home. Doing that once is bad enough, but that I did it twice, two consecutive years, is, well, I don't know the word. Pathetic?
So last year, for our WSOP 2012 Vegas trip, I played only the 40/80 side action, 23 straight days, then went on to Commerce for another 10 days of 40/80, and this time didn't blow the year's BR, although neither did I grow it much. Then we came on home, and finished the year playing at DL.
Seems reasonable to me, and you've probably heard this too, that a good pro, in a game like the DL 20/40, should win something like 1 big bet per hour, that a VERY good pro might win 1.5 BBPH, and that a long term win of 2 BBPH in pretty much any limit hold game would be, well, exceptional.
Now that I'm turning pro, I need to know which of those categories I fit into, right? So I was planning to go back to keeping detailed session records, starting May 1. And since then I did play at DL every single day, but I got lazy, and didn't keep track after all. And that's a real shame, too, because if I had, then I could know just exactly how many dollars per hour I've lost so far this month.
Situational Awareness
Sometimes the situation, or the "Personality of the Game," makes you want to play a hand differently than you normally might. An extreme example that comes to mind for me was about a year ago, when I cold called a preflop raise, in the cutoff, with Queen Jack offsuit. Never did that before or since, but in that particular exceptional situation, the most *dysfunctional family pot you ever did see, I just had to do it.
( * like a Wheel of Fortune "Before and After")
Last night another exceptional situation came up, but I spaced and didn't recognize it quite quickly enough. UTG open-raises, and I'm right behind him with pocket fours. Just as I'm releasing my hand, I can see at least two guys behind me gonna just call the raise. And the Personality of THIS Game, with these particular guys, was multi-way, 5, 6, 7 guys seeing every flop, most often for just one raise. I remembered all that a split second too late, and thought to myself, "Damn, coulda, woulda, shoulda made an exceptional call this time!"
Then, when the flop came J 4 4, I was sure of it. :-(
- - -
More posts in draft, coming soon, now that I have time. Can I get some comments? I live for comments. Thanks.
Monday, May 06, 2013
Retired & Triple Dippin'
I retired from the Army late in 1986, and started with Boeing early the next year. For the first 5 years I was a consultant/contractor, and wore a grey badge.
Then in '92 I hired on direct, and got a white badge. Last Tuesday, April 30, was my last day on that payroll, and I had to surrender that badge. Then May 1, between Boeing and SSI, began my second and third retirements. All these years, I expected that SSI would be the smallest of the three, but it turns out to be the biggest. Go figure.
Another retirement surprise was an epiphany that hit me out of nowhere, last Friday. Did not see this coming; never anticipated this paradigm-shift, this new way of looking at things, a whole new attitude. At my point in life you spend some time thinking about resource allocation — income versus living expenses, and longevity expectation compared to adequate savings.
All those years working for a paycheck, I always thought I should try to hold back some of that income, for eventual retirement, and for rainy-day emergencies. If those paychecks were to stop coming in, for whatever reason, I still had a family to provide for.
Unfortunately, in the early years, I didn't make much, so could hardly save anything, even when I knew I should. When our first kid was born, I was a Sergeant E5, base pay $383.70 per month.
Fortunately, in the middle and later years, we did a little better, and were able to save a little.
Thing is, the other day I suddenly realized that my long time "gotta save some" mentality doesn't make sense any more! Save for retirement? This it it! We're there. Rainy-day fund? For what? I'm not going to get laid off from my pensions, and don't have to show up at the office, or make any effort, or even get out of bed. Even (especially) if I were disabled, the entitlements would continue.
So I had to smile when it dawned on me that, when retiring on a set income like this, you might as well just go ahead and spend it all, and live the best lifestyle that income will support. I mean, why not? Seriously, if you can give a reason why not, please comment.
Also, all those years working for a nice paycheck, playing poker on the side, and having fun with it, I was always thinking that, once I retired, and the paychecks stopped, I'd kind of being playing poker on "scared money." I think we all know that's never good. But, you know, I wouldn't have the job any more to back me up if I lose my ass in the game. That worried me some, and I used to joke that, once I retired, I'd have to play better.
And here again, now I realize that's not a problem either. Worst Case: I'll be that pathetic guy you see at Diamond Lil's around midnight on the last day of the month, sitting at Table 11, the dead-spread near the cash machines, watching the clock, and trying the machine every little while to see if my monthly entitlements hit the bank yet, so I can get a buy-in.
OK, so then my only remaining problem was kind of a feeling of emptiness, maybe a lack of purpose, when I gave up the badge, left the campus, and drove home on that last day. Sure, I'm excited about starting this new chapter of life. Freedom to do whatever, whenever. But that's just it— do what, exactly? People at work and at DL kept asking me, like, "What are you going to do now?" and I could only mumble some lame and meaningless answers, because, well, I didn't really know.
Ah, but then when I got home, and we took a walk around the neighborhood, inspiration struck. We have 3 grandkids, and the oldest starts college this Fall. How cool will it be, I wondered, if he can casually tell his classmates, like, "Yeah, my Grandpa plays poker to pay my tuition." I mean, just the thought of how incredibly impressed (if not jealous) that should make them just gives me goosebumps, because, well, like Fast Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) says, in The Color of Money:
"Money won is twice as sweet as money earned."
So that's my new game plan: Play lots of poker, and win enough to put 3 grandkids thru college, one at a time.
So after that very short last day at work — was outta there by 9:45 AM — I got to DL mid afternoon, for my first session as a "Professional Poker Player." OK, that may be a bit of a stretch, but if you loosely define it as someone who does not have a J-O-B, then I just might qualify. :-)
Right away, first hand, I got stupid, got lucky, and took a big pot when I had no business being there. Pocket Sevens in the big blind and I get trapped for 3 more bets, but seven way action, so nothing wrong with that. Yet. Flop it or drop it, right? Well, no.
Flop comes J96 rainbow, the original preflop UTG open-raiser on my left bets it, and when it gets back around to me it's two bets, with 38 bets in the pot, and a few more to go in when the players behind me call. So I call two cold. Considering future bets if it does hit, just about good enough odds to chase spiking a 7 on the turn, right?
No, wrong. Faulty, bogus thinking; a rationalization. There is no reason at all to think the guys behind me will just call. Probably way more likely they gonna put in another raise or two. And of course they do; it comes back around to me capped again, and I put in two more to see the turn. Bad play!
The good news is how my 23-to-1 against longshot came in, a seven did hit the turn, I check-raised and got in several more bets there, and a couple more on the river, and stacked lots of chips.
The bad news is how, bottom line, in the play of this hand, I put in way too many chips when the Cost, Chance and Payback (with that escalating Cost!) spelled Negative Expectation. Sure, I got lucky and won the pot, and from a results-oriented loser's viewpoint, that's good. But didn't we just say a minute ago that I need to play better now? This wasn't it.
Making calls like that all the time will lose money, period. Fortunately, that kind of trap situation doesn't come up too often, and I hope I usually play them better than I did this time.
Diamond Lil's $20/40 Hold Em is still solid, two games most every day, 'cept three games most Friday nights. And the seven-way action capped preflop that I describe above is not at all unusual. Action games, chasers galore, straddles, suckouts and slowrolls, bizarre play aplenty, dealers cursed, cards thrown, short stack, all-in, re-buy, short buy, NEW SETUP!
But a funny thing is how little real acrimony we see in these games. Certainly less than at, say, Commerce, or even Bellagio. Most of the DL players are regulars, and know one another all too well. Sometimes the loser might actually get mad, but more often they will laugh, and taunt, and fist-bump the other guy when they beat each other. In other words, most of the time, it stays light, with players cracking jokes, and lots of (friendly) trash talk.
An exception the last few days, though, was Misanthrope Marty. Here's a smart and experienced guy, but a World Class Whiner, goes on and on and on about how the guy who just beat him is the worst player on Earth, and how could the dealer bring that river card, and how could she call me on that flop, and can't believe I lost that hand, and did I mention that this goes on and on and on? After a while nobody is really listening any more, but the whine continues anyway. God Bless my noise-cancelling headphones.
- - -
Have you seen those commercials, featuring The "Most Interesting Man in The World?" The voiceover one liners are killer. There's a new one out, with:
- In a previous life, he was himself.
- If opportunity knocks, and he's not home, opportunity waits.
- He gave his father "The Talk."
Several collections of the older ones are out there on the web, and a good one is here.
Back then I used to wear my hair
on the top of my head.
Since then I've had to move it
down to my chin.
on the top of my head.
Since then I've had to move it
down to my chin.
Then in '92 I hired on direct, and got a white badge. Last Tuesday, April 30, was my last day on that payroll, and I had to surrender that badge. Then May 1, between Boeing and SSI, began my second and third retirements. All these years, I expected that SSI would be the smallest of the three, but it turns out to be the biggest. Go figure.
Another retirement surprise was an epiphany that hit me out of nowhere, last Friday. Did not see this coming; never anticipated this paradigm-shift, this new way of looking at things, a whole new attitude. At my point in life you spend some time thinking about resource allocation — income versus living expenses, and longevity expectation compared to adequate savings.
All those years working for a paycheck, I always thought I should try to hold back some of that income, for eventual retirement, and for rainy-day emergencies. If those paychecks were to stop coming in, for whatever reason, I still had a family to provide for.
Unfortunately, in the early years, I didn't make much, so could hardly save anything, even when I knew I should. When our first kid was born, I was a Sergeant E5, base pay $383.70 per month.
Fortunately, in the middle and later years, we did a little better, and were able to save a little.
Thing is, the other day I suddenly realized that my long time "gotta save some" mentality doesn't make sense any more! Save for retirement? This it it! We're there. Rainy-day fund? For what? I'm not going to get laid off from my pensions, and don't have to show up at the office, or make any effort, or even get out of bed. Even (especially) if I were disabled, the entitlements would continue.
So I had to smile when it dawned on me that, when retiring on a set income like this, you might as well just go ahead and spend it all, and live the best lifestyle that income will support. I mean, why not? Seriously, if you can give a reason why not, please comment.
Also, all those years working for a nice paycheck, playing poker on the side, and having fun with it, I was always thinking that, once I retired, and the paychecks stopped, I'd kind of being playing poker on "scared money." I think we all know that's never good. But, you know, I wouldn't have the job any more to back me up if I lose my ass in the game. That worried me some, and I used to joke that, once I retired, I'd have to play better.
And here again, now I realize that's not a problem either. Worst Case: I'll be that pathetic guy you see at Diamond Lil's around midnight on the last day of the month, sitting at Table 11, the dead-spread near the cash machines, watching the clock, and trying the machine every little while to see if my monthly entitlements hit the bank yet, so I can get a buy-in.
OK, so then my only remaining problem was kind of a feeling of emptiness, maybe a lack of purpose, when I gave up the badge, left the campus, and drove home on that last day. Sure, I'm excited about starting this new chapter of life. Freedom to do whatever, whenever. But that's just it— do what, exactly? People at work and at DL kept asking me, like, "What are you going to do now?" and I could only mumble some lame and meaningless answers, because, well, I didn't really know.
Ah, but then when I got home, and we took a walk around the neighborhood, inspiration struck. We have 3 grandkids, and the oldest starts college this Fall. How cool will it be, I wondered, if he can casually tell his classmates, like, "Yeah, my Grandpa plays poker to pay my tuition." I mean, just the thought of how incredibly impressed (if not jealous) that should make them just gives me goosebumps, because, well, like Fast Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) says, in The Color of Money:
"Money won is twice as sweet as money earned."
So that's my new game plan: Play lots of poker, and win enough to put 3 grandkids thru college, one at a time.
So after that very short last day at work — was outta there by 9:45 AM — I got to DL mid afternoon, for my first session as a "Professional Poker Player." OK, that may be a bit of a stretch, but if you loosely define it as someone who does not have a J-O-B, then I just might qualify. :-)
Right away, first hand, I got stupid, got lucky, and took a big pot when I had no business being there. Pocket Sevens in the big blind and I get trapped for 3 more bets, but seven way action, so nothing wrong with that. Yet. Flop it or drop it, right? Well, no.
Flop comes J96 rainbow, the original preflop UTG open-raiser on my left bets it, and when it gets back around to me it's two bets, with 38 bets in the pot, and a few more to go in when the players behind me call. So I call two cold. Considering future bets if it does hit, just about good enough odds to chase spiking a 7 on the turn, right?
No, wrong. Faulty, bogus thinking; a rationalization. There is no reason at all to think the guys behind me will just call. Probably way more likely they gonna put in another raise or two. And of course they do; it comes back around to me capped again, and I put in two more to see the turn. Bad play!
The good news is how my 23-to-1 against longshot came in, a seven did hit the turn, I check-raised and got in several more bets there, and a couple more on the river, and stacked lots of chips.
The bad news is how, bottom line, in the play of this hand, I put in way too many chips when the Cost, Chance and Payback (with that escalating Cost!) spelled Negative Expectation. Sure, I got lucky and won the pot, and from a results-oriented loser's viewpoint, that's good. But didn't we just say a minute ago that I need to play better now? This wasn't it.
Making calls like that all the time will lose money, period. Fortunately, that kind of trap situation doesn't come up too often, and I hope I usually play them better than I did this time.
Diamond Lil's $20/40 Hold Em is still solid, two games most every day, 'cept three games most Friday nights. And the seven-way action capped preflop that I describe above is not at all unusual. Action games, chasers galore, straddles, suckouts and slowrolls, bizarre play aplenty, dealers cursed, cards thrown, short stack, all-in, re-buy, short buy, NEW SETUP!
But a funny thing is how little real acrimony we see in these games. Certainly less than at, say, Commerce, or even Bellagio. Most of the DL players are regulars, and know one another all too well. Sometimes the loser might actually get mad, but more often they will laugh, and taunt, and fist-bump the other guy when they beat each other. In other words, most of the time, it stays light, with players cracking jokes, and lots of (friendly) trash talk.
An exception the last few days, though, was Misanthrope Marty. Here's a smart and experienced guy, but a World Class Whiner, goes on and on and on about how the guy who just beat him is the worst player on Earth, and how could the dealer bring that river card, and how could she call me on that flop, and can't believe I lost that hand, and did I mention that this goes on and on and on? After a while nobody is really listening any more, but the whine continues anyway. God Bless my noise-cancelling headphones.
- - -
I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis
Have you seen those commercials, featuring The "Most Interesting Man in The World?" The voiceover one liners are killer. There's a new one out, with:
- In a previous life, he was himself.
- If opportunity knocks, and he's not home, opportunity waits.
- He gave his father "The Talk."
Several collections of the older ones are out there on the web, and a good one is here.
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