Bad Beats are Overhead;Chips, the cost of DBA-Doing Business As a Baller

Date: Wed, Feb 27, 2008 Professional Live Tournament

Are You Experienced? Probability and People=Poker P+P=P

Limit is about value betting and NLH is about trapping.You spell limit poker t.i.m.e. You can't spell anything in NLH! You gotta do the math---the heavy lifting of pot odds, implied odds, counting your outs.

In No Limit Holdem, things don't even out with time, they even out with the number of hands you play. Sometimes nothing can be a good hand. See my Post on Zero Gravity Thinking.

Holdem is a game of high cards, and kickers, In Limit Holdem, the number of players increases, so big cards must be played most of the time. NLH is like chess; Limit, like checkers: so don't play it like cheese! Find the holes and leaks in your limit game, and plug them up.

Hand selection is very important since almost all the time you are going to a showdown---the one with the best hand usually wins; and bluffing is a rather hard thing to pull off, since it only costs one small bet for Deputy Barney Fife to "keep you honest". Nevertheless,You can bet or raise with ATC, any two cards, but your call MUST have a positive matamatical expectation. Calling for value must outweigh the risks you are taking.

INS and OUTS

For the beginner, everything is even money, when you don't know any better. Replacing that with true odds is the goal. There is one goal and many pathways. There is the psycho path way, playing like a Kramer maniac.---the push and pray NLH way, hoping to hit the flop big. There is the rocky road, playing a tight-is-right, the Jerry game of counting your outs---the number of unseen cards that will give you the best hand---the NUTS!

There is wise and there is otherwise. Generally speaking if the FLOP gives you 10 or more outs---go all the way to the river, regardless of the number of opponents in the pot.

If your draws have less than 9 outs 2 handed, that will yield you a negative result more often than not.

A Multi-handed raised pot with six or more outs =profit.

LET THERE BE FLOP- Getting in touch with your inner George Costanza

If a guy has 20k behind him, and you are first to act and bet 6K. He is really betting 20K if he calls your 6K.(the implied turn and river bets) You bet 6K. he bets 20K That is the threat of NLH, the all-in threat. PUT THE COMMITMENT ON HIM.

The Poker Free Lunch

I can read minds. I know what players are thinking after they miss the flop--"Don't bet" Don't bet" They want a free card. I know both sides because I am both sides.

What is deeply personal in poker is universal. If I am capable of thinking it, so are my opponents. That's feeling the fear and doing it anyway---like The Opposite Episode in Seinfeld. "If I raise everyone will think I have an ACE. So you get 72 and raise with squadush. After all, you don't get a second chance to make a FALSE impression. You may win the pot outright, or take it away on the turn if there hand doesn't improve.

Your attitude will determine your altitude in NLH.

We are born broke, and we die broke, everything in the middle is fluctuation.
"Getting broke" and "Going Broke" are two different things. Getting broke is when you place burns down and you become houseless, you, the franchise can still go out and buy or build another house. Going broke is setting yourself on fire---you are homeless, a lifestyle of disenfranchisement.

SHIFT Happens

Knowledge isn't power---applied knowledge is. Luck isn't power either, but applied luck is the most powerful element in NLH: here's what I mean; Focus on decisions not consequences. Luck has consequences. Focus on decisions, not luck. What you think of me is none of my business, and what luck thinks of me at any particular time, is none of my business. Luck Positive (Winning) and Luck Negative (gad beats) are OVERHEAD; Chips, the cost of doing business!

Think about good decisions, not results. It's about the process not pots won---the chips will come. Do what you love and the money will follow--have a love affair with making sound decisions based on partial information. It is, after all, about excelling, not winning or losing a particular hand.

It is a poor workman who blames his tools--I don't have a big enough bankroll--A BR is your toolbox. Don't sell your tools. Poker happens in the mind--but it is played with money. I got $1,000 bucks worth of chips and $100,000 worth of courage.

Folding-the invisable way to win.

The best way to win more is to fold more! Hand selection is really something to consider; so is position. Playing too many starting hands is the How Not to Do It way..When it is raised in front of you-Your mantra should be "I'm looking for a way to fold this AJ offsuit.

LOOSE playing---you are looking for reasons to call; TIGHT, to fold---choose your posion.

CHIPS, they comes from weakness: exploit opponent weakness to play ATC, any two cards, who come here to gamble mentality.

CP, calling pattern, BP, betting patterns. Pay attention to these hints. Sit to the LEFT of loose players. When you have a monster let lefty bet out. Players who just sit down are easier to bluff and less likely to play weak hands.

Read Full Poker Blog Post

The universal tell in poker is called betting!

Date: Sun, Feb 24, 2008 Professional Live Tournament

You can always tell poker players, but you can’t tell them much.

Poker is not a game of cards played with money—It is a game of money played with cards. It is about M-O-N-E-Y., but not always about just money, it’s about winning too .

Players enjoy the risk associated with winning. There are two ways to do that: Win a pot to showdown with the best hand, or bluff with the worst. If you never get called, you can never lose!

Bluffing is a big part of NLH since most players miss the flop 33% of the time.IN NLH there are 4 opportunities to bluff, 1 pre and 3 post flop. LOOSE players are looking for reasons to CALL; TIGHT, to FOLD.

You aren't a bad poker player if you get caught bluffing sometimes or most of the time. You only have to win a fraction of the time to net a profit. Sklansky's (game)Theory of poker points out that you cannot play optimally unless you include bluffing into your game.

Every bet or raise can be a bluff, and you can beat a bluff with a mediocre hand. The only way to compensate for the bluffs of your opponents is to bluff them back!

You don' t get what you deserve in poker, you get what you negotiate--Bluffing is the quintessential Negotiator. If you are going to be a winning player, you have to include bluffing in your game.

The more your bluffs matters, the harder they are to pull off because they are, after all, bluffs. It is, however, impossible to defend against a solid bluffing strategy. Reality is perception, and appearance reality.

Sell Don't Tell-ABC "Always Be Closing".

The sex of poker is bluffing, getting something for nothing-Poker is, after all, anything you can get away with. In the real world, If your wife is cheating on you---you don't want to believe it.(Truth bias). So she bluffs you and gets away with it but then...one day her own Fear of being caught---detection apprehension---will be the non verbal (TELL) communication that speaks to your subconscious and allows you to divorce her! That is, if your left brain gets good at telling your right brain what to do.

Misleading Vividness-Learn The Lines

Bluffing is giving yourself permission to win, even if you do not have the best of it. When you show up to a game, you have to be script driven, and the lines are simple--I am going to win, NOT I should win , NOT I deserve to win. If you can pull off a feeling of acceptance, not even belief, you will have a reasonable amount of success in your bluffs. Be misleading not confusing in your bluffs.

Use position, psychology and bluffing to tip the scales. One thing for sure-POSITION makes every bluff easier. What is your RRR, your risk reward ratio? What are the CP's, calling patterns of your opponents? What are their BP's, betting patterns? The bluffing quest is in these questions.

Body Languaging

In poker it is all about survival, so there is no filtering out the bad for the good. You want to be informed. There is such social pressure to handle the truth, to tell the truth, or even to be tactful, but when we bluff, we must go through a whole series of mental effort and consideration. It is natural to tell the truth, and unnatural not to.

First you have to come up with the correct response---the truth; Next,you have to figure out how to quash that response; Finally, you have to come up with the lie response. It is not only hard to do, it is hard to sustain. Don't do anything out of the ordinary. Don't freeze up. Don't talk, unless you think it will influence a fold. Remember, bluffing is never impossible.

Here are some good bluffs-By Sammy Farha and Chris Moneymaker

The universal tell in poker is called betting!

Date: Sun, Feb 24, 2008 Professional Live Tournament

You can always tell poker players, but you can’t tell them much.

Poker is not a game of cards played with money—It is a game of money played with cards. It is about M-O-N-E-Y., but not always about just money, it’s about winning too .

Players enjoy the risk associated with winning. There are two ways to do that: Win a pot to showdown with the best hand, or bluff with the worst. If you never get called, you can never lose!

Bluffing is a big part of NLH since most players miss the flop 33% of the time.IN NLH there are 4 opportunities to bluff, 1 pre and 3 post flop. LOOSE players are looking for reasons to CALL; TIGHT, to FOLD.

You aren't a bad poker player if you get caught bluffing sometimes or most of the time. You only have to win a fraction of the time to net a profit. Sklansky's (game)Theory of poker points out that you cannot play optimally unless you include bluffing into your game.

Every bet or raise can be a bluff, and you can beat a bluff with a mediocre hand. The only way to compensate for the bluffs of your opponents is to bluff them back!

You don' t get what you deserve in poker, you get what you negotiate--Bluffing is the quintessential Negotiator. If you are going to be a winning player, you have to include bluffing in your game.

The more your bluffs matters, the harder they are to pull off because they are, after all, bluffs. It is, however, impossible to defend against a solid bluffing strategy. Reality is perception, and appearance reality.

Sell Don't Tell-ABC "Always Be Closing".

The sex of poker is bluffing, getting something for nothing-Poker is, after all, anything you can get away with. In the real world, If your wife is cheating on you---you don't want to believe it.(Truth bias). So she bluffs you and gets away with it but then...one day her own Fear of being caught---detection apprehension---will be the non verbal (TELL) communication that speaks to your subconscious and allows you to divorce her! That is, if your left brain gets good at telling your right brain what to do.

Misleading Vividness-Learn The Lines

Bluffing is giving yourself permission to win, even if you do not have the best of it. When you show up to a game, you have to be script driven, and the lines are simple--I am going to win, NOT I should win , NOT I deserve to win. If you can pull off a feeling of acceptance, not even belief, you will have a reasonable amount of success in your bluffs. Be misleading not confusing in your bluffs.

Use position, psychology and bluffing to tip the scales. One thing for sure-POSITION makes every bluff easier. What is your RRR, your risk reward ratio? What are the CP's, calling patterns of your opponents? What are their BP's, betting patterns? The bluffing quest is in these questions.

Body Languaging

In poker it is all about survival, so there is no filtering out the bad for the good. You want to be informed. There is such social pressure to handle the truth, to tell the truth, or even to be tactful, but when we bluff, we must go through a whole series of mental effort and consideration. It is natural to tell the truth, and unnatural not to.

First you have to come up with the correct response---the truth; Next,you have to figure out how to quash that response; Finally, you have to come up with the lie response. It is not only hard to do, it is hard to sustain. Don't do anything out of the ordinary. Don't freeze up. Don't talk, unless you think it will influence a fold. Remember, bluffing is never impossible.

Here are some good bluffs-By Sammy Farha and Chris Moneymaker

The Truth About Lying-It's Called Poker

Date: Sat, Feb 23, 2008 Professional Live Tournament

The Game of Poker Is A Game For Liars

Jessep(Jack Nicholson) You want answers?

Kaffee (Tom Cruise): I think I'm entitled to them

Jessep: You want answers?

Kaffee: I want the truth!

Jessep: You can't handle the truth. We use words like All-In, Stone Cold Nuts, Semi-Bluff...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent defending something. You use 'em as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very economic freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a copy of Hotel Anyware’s The Sex of Poker or read a post from Ed Reif's blog. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to!

Read Full Poker Blog Post

The Truth About Lying-It's Called Poker

Date: Sat, Feb 23, 2008 Professional Live Tournament

The Game of Poker Is A Game For Liars

Jessep(Jack Nicholson) You want answers?

Kaffee (Tom Cruise): I think I'm entitled to them

Jessep: You want answers?

Kaffee: I want the truth!

Jessep: You can't handle the truth. We use words like All-In, Stone Cold Nuts, Semi-Bluff...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent defending something. You use 'em as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very economic freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a copy of Hotel Anyware’s The Sex of Poker or read a post from Ed Reif's blog. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to!

Read Full Poker Blog Post

The Cult Of The Amateur--Calling As A Way Of Folding

Date: Sat, Feb 23, 2008 Professional Live Tournament

Either raise or fold, but rarely call.

Raise more than call and fold more than raise. PROS verses JOES

The cult of the amateur feels that calling is an option on the value scale between betting and raising; actually it shows weakness and sets you up as a target to lose money. Folding in this case, is the invisible win, and a way to save bets (money). What no one else is saying about NLH is that this a fringe benefit about playing with the JOES, they will call you down, and, furthermore, they don't know the best kept secret of No Limit Holdem: It is a game of position.

Calling is bad for so many reasons--- You lose control of the hand. You create a weak image for yourself. You don’t drive others out of the pot. You invite bets and bluffs. You become a target on the turn and the river. You let drawing hands have the potential to “bad beat” you. Most people refuse to fold and calling down to the river is their bizarre way of folding.

Unless you are slowplaying the NUTS, and setting a trap, your opponents have nothing to fear with a flat call or a smooth call…you send that "I am weak" message…unless you step in it and suck out. That’s the safety net of holdem. It’s always there Chess +luck. Anyone can get lucky once 100% of the time.

If you bet or raise you give yourself extra ways to win. Good things happen when you bet—You could take the pot down right there, or lose some people and build the pot, so you could fire another bullet on the next round when they miss, making it expensive to draw out on you

Poker rewards aggression. Your table image street cred goes up .You make opponents react to you and you take control of the table—the name of the game is a game of domination. NLH is a game of position, and Early Position is the exception to the rule---you simply won’t play a lot of hands, and if you do, you will find yourself checking more because all eyes are on you to act first.

POSITION DETREMINES which starting hands to play and WHEN to play. (10 9 suited, small pockets A9 are great first money hands from middle or late position, but go down in value from first)

So easy even a caveman can do it…Bludgeon the better with a raise. It sends a message. Like hitting a donkey over the head with a two-by-four. Raising with ATC, any two cards, in late position, usually gets the blinds out. If you allow them to limp in, they could have anything. DON’T GO BROKE in an unraised pot: because in an unraised pot anything can happen!

Buying the button—betting or raising hoping that people between you and the button will fold, can give you positional advantage, allowing you to act last.

Playing out of your comfort zone. Every bet is a big decision. At higher stakes, many people know the value of position. Fortunately, it can make you routine and predictable. In this case you should sit to the right of the money—That's where it tends to go, you get money from the right and give money to the left. This is called “Sitting behind the money”. This is because money flows in a clockwise direction. The golden rule---the ones with the gold make the rules will be acting before you not after!

STARTING HANDS IN HOLDEM DEMAND ISOLATION

There are 169 possible starting hands in NLH. Are you capable of playing everyone of them? Only 1 in four of them is capable of being played on any given Sunday to the flop.

The value of any two cards---even monsters goes up or down after the flop--Why? Because those two hole cards represent 28% of your total hand, after the flop that brings you to around 70%. The rule of thumb: if you need more than one card to imporve your hand dump it- or bluff and pump it. Therefore, you have to thin the field. Going heads up with a big pair against suited connectors is a 60-40 split in your favor, but guess what, you have two outs, and he has at least 15--staright, flush, straightflush, pairing his whole cards.

Against 9 random hands in a pot, AA is vulnerable--a winner only 34% of the time, and Pocket Kings, the same holds true. You want to isolate the loosy goosey guys who play Ace Rag with your raisey daisey; isolate the maniacs who splash pots, and isolate the weak players. Anytime you are up against inexperience, you are the favorite.

The single most important mistake most players make is playing too many starting hands. It could be impatience, a carry over from low limit no-foldem games, ATC, any two cards push and pray, hoping you'll hit the flop. You should fold 60% of your hands--Why, because it costs something to play. If it costs nothing to play, play every hand! but it doesn't...

The cost of playing your hand is determined by position. If you are in early position what is the cost? You don't really know because you are first to act. It will at least cost you one bet, but the other players have yet to act. It could cost 2x, 3x all-in.

After all, you play poker, you show up, you want to "gamble", to get and give action, to play. Just remember, you didn't come to the game to play bad cards, but more importantly, you didn't come to play out of position.

I remember talking with Daniel Negreanu--He refered to late position as his "Office". That meant he meant business--where his revenue stream flowed and his profit center was derived. It was interesting to hear him say that, instead of AA, KK, a particular starting hand. He switched things up for me, and I began to realize the value of position.

Read Full Poker Blog Post

The Cult Of The Amateur--Calling As A Way Of Folding

Date: Sat, Feb 23, 2008 Professional Live Tournament

Either raise or fold, but rarely call.

Raise more than call and fold more than raise. PROS verses JOES

The cult of the amateur feels that calling is an option on the value scale between betting and raising; actually it shows weakness and sets you up as a target to lose money. Folding in this case, is the invisible win, and a way to save bets (money). What no one else is saying about NLH is that this a fringe benefit about playing with the JOES, they will call you down, and, furthermore, they don't know the best kept secret of No Limit Holdem: It is a game of position.

Calling is bad for so many reasons--- You lose control of the hand. You create a weak image for yourself. You don’t drive others out of the pot. You invite bets and bluffs. You become a target on the turn and the river. You let drawing hands have the potential to “bad beat” you. Most people refuse to fold and calling down to the river is their bizarre way of folding.

Unless you are slowplaying the NUTS, and setting a trap, your opponents have nothing to fear with a flat call or a smooth call…you send that "I am weak" message…unless you step in it and suck out. That’s the safety net of holdem. It’s always there Chess +luck. Anyone can get lucky once 100% of the time.

If you bet or raise you give yourself extra ways to win. Good things happen when you bet—You could take the pot down right there, or lose some people and build the pot, so you could fire another bullet on the next round when they miss, making it expensive to draw out on you

Poker rewards aggression. Your table image street cred goes up .You make opponents react to you and you take control of the table—the name of the game is a game of domination. NLH is a game of position, and Early Position is the exception to the rule---you simply won’t play a lot of hands, and if you do, you will find yourself checking more because all eyes are on you to act first.

POSITION DETREMINES which starting hands to play and WHEN to play. (10 9 suited, small pockets A9 are great first money hands from middle or late position, but go down in value from first)

So easy even a caveman can do it…Bludgeon the better with a raise. It sends a message. Like hitting a donkey over the head with a two-by-four. Raising with ATC, any two cards, in late position, usually gets the blinds out. If you allow them to limp in, they could have anything. DON’T GO BROKE in an unraised pot: because in an unraised pot anything can happen!

Buying the button—betting or raising hoping that people between you and the button will fold, can give you positional advantage, allowing you to act last.

Playing out of your comfort zone. Every bet is a big decision. At higher stakes, many people know the value of position. Fortunately, it can make you routine and predictable. In this case you should sit to the right of the money—That's where it tends to go, you get money from the right and give money to the left. This is called “Sitting behind the money”. This is because money flows in a clockwise direction. The golden rule---the ones with the gold make the rules will be acting before you not after!

STARTING HANDS IN HOLDEM DEMAND ISOLATION

There are 169 possible starting hands in NLH. Are you capable of playing everyone of them? Only 1 in four of them is capable of being played on any given Sunday to the flop.

The value of any two cards---even monsters goes up or down after the flop--Why? Because those two hole cards represent 28% of your total hand, after the flop that brings you to around 70%. The rule of thumb: if you need more than one card to imporve your hand dump it- or bluff and pump it. Therefore, you have to thin the field. Going heads up with a big pair against suited connectors is a 60-40 split in your favor, but guess what, you have two outs, and he has at least 15--staright, flush, straightflush, pairing his whole cards.

Against 9 random hands in a pot, AA is vulnerable--a winner only 34% of the time, and Pocket Kings, the same holds true. You want to isolate the loosy goosey guys who play Ace Rag with your raisey daisey; isolate the maniacs who splash pots, and isolate the weak players. Anytime you are up against inexperience, you are the favorite.

The single most important mistake most players make is playing too many starting hands. It could be impatience, a carry over from low limit no-foldem games, ATC, any two cards push and pray, hoping you'll hit the flop. You should fold 60% of your hands--Why, because it costs something to play. If it costs nothing to play, play every hand! but it doesn't...

The cost of playing your hand is determined by position. If you are in early position what is the cost? You don't really know because you are first to act. It will at least cost you one bet, but the other players have yet to act. It could cost 2x, 3x all-in.

After all, you play poker, you show up, you want to "gamble", to get and give action, to play. Just remember, you didn't come to the game to play bad cards, but more importantly, you didn't come to play out of position.

I remember talking with Daniel Negreanu--He refered to late position as his "Office". That meant he meant business--where his revenue stream flowed and his profit center was derived. It was interesting to hear him say that, instead of AA, KK, a particular starting hand. He switched things up for me, and I began to realize the value of position.

Read Full Poker Blog Post

The Moneymaker Effect--The Difference Between Betting And Gambling

Date: Fri, Feb 22, 2008 Professional Live Tournament

Read Full Poker Blog Post

The Moneymaker Effect--The Difference Between Betting And Gambling

Date: Fri, Feb 22, 2008 Professional Live Tournament

Read Full Poker Blog Post

Poker Doesn’t Think, and the cards have no memory.

Date: Thu, Feb 21, 2008 Professional Live Tournament

Once upon a starting hand: When all you have is the hammer, everything is a nail.

The implicit value of 7 deuce-Leading uphill against conventional wisdom.

From Worst To First-The best hole cards you've never played

The book value and herd mentality of 72 offsuit in holdem is squadush. It is the worst hand in NLH.-Yet the Hammer can go from zero to hero. It makes a great raising hand in position. Play them like aces--When everyone misses on the flop, throw in a continuation bet, and you take down the pot. Money certainly has been won from players' mis-reading of the situation, and the 7 deuce first in money guy working magic-or mis-direction-- creating the illusion appearing as real--Now that's playing with no cards.

Starting hands can be created or dissolved with the change in its implicit value, which is determined by the personal perceptions and whim of players and their cards

Playing 72 like aces. Should I? In the case of automatic enrollment, the default decision may be too powerful to ever let 7 2 go. You have tried this a few times and got away with it, scooping a $300 pot in a low NLH game. It could start out, first as a bluff, the 72 trash hand, then catching a full house with it. Sometimes you'll get caught.

Winning like this doesn't make you a good player; neither does losing like this make you a bad one---it just is the cost of doing (monkey) business, and making moves at pots.

Being There-The Greatest Movie You Have Never Seen Peter Sellers' Masterpiece---A How To Own The Zone Poker Play Book

Those who forget the past are doomed to reread it. Remember this one--President Kennedy's secretary was named Lincoln and President Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy. Coincidence? How about this one: you need 23 people in one room for there to be a 50% chance of two people having the same birthday. Probability?

The concept I'd like to deal with, then, is the concept of "framing" -- that the way we are presented information determines our reaction to that information. You can have your delusions of reference, but when it comes down to it, poker doesn't think and the cards have no memory. Yet, if you choose to frame it as meaningful coincidence or good luck-What you believe is real, will be real to you in its consequences--the magic of magical thinking

Magical thinking is real--I like to call it beginner's luck---because you just don't know any better. You don't understand possible causes because of your low information diet. TMI, Too Much Information can damage your game. That's why you can bluff good players---they've been there, done that. They have the in-the-trenches- experience and the war stories and bad beats. Check out Brad Booth on High Stakes Poker to see what I mean-an amazing three brick, 300K bluff against Phil Ivey, whose holding pocket Kings, and lays them down.

Beginner's Luck doesn't so much as remove the heavy lifting of real thinking. It just keeps you lean and trim on this low info diet, where the "how " of your happiness takes on new meaning. No need for filters--You can only recognize what you already know.

Poker Doesn’t Think, and the cards have no memory.

Date: Thu, Feb 21, 2008 Professional Live Tournament

Once upon a starting hand: When all you have is the hammer, everything is a nail.

The implicit value of 7 deuce-Leading uphill against conventional wisdom.

From Worst To First-The best hole cards you've never played

The book value and herd mentality of 72 offsuit in holdem is squadush. It is the worst hand in NLH.-Yet the Hammer can go from zero to hero. It makes a great raising hand in position. Play them like aces--When everyone misses on the flop, throw in a continuation bet, and you take down the pot. Money certainly has been won from players' mis-reading of the situation, and the 7 deuce first in money guy working magic-or mis-direction-- creating the illusion appearing as real--Now that's playing with no cards.

Starting hands can be created or dissolved with the change in its implicit value, which is determined by the personal perceptions and whim of players and their cards

Playing 72 like aces. Should I? In the case of automatic enrollment, the default decision may be too powerful to ever let 7 2 go. You have tried this a few times and got away with it, scooping a $300 pot in a low NLH game. It could start out, first as a bluff, the 72 trash hand, then catching a full house with it. Sometimes you'll get caught.

Winning like this doesn't make you a good player; neither does losing like this make you a bad one---it just is the cost of doing (monkey) business, and making moves at pots.

Being There-The Greatest Movie You Have Never Seen Peter Sellers' Masterpiece---A How To Own The Zone Poker Play Book

Those who forget the past are doomed to reread it. Remember this one--President Kennedy's secretary was named Lincoln and President Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy. Coincidence? How about this one: you need 23 people in one room for there to be a 50% chance of two people having the same birthday. Probability?

The concept I'd like to deal with, then, is the concept of "framing" -- that the way we are presented information determines our reaction to that information. You can have your delusions of reference, but when it comes down to it, poker doesn't think and the cards have no memory. Yet, if you choose to frame it as meaningful coincidence or good luck-What you believe is real, will be real to you in its consequences--the magic of magical thinking

Magical thinking is real--I like to call it beginner's luck---because you just don't know any better. You don't understand possible causes because of your low information diet. TMI, Too Much Information can damage your game. That's why you can bluff good players---they've been there, done that. They have the in-the-trenches- experience and the war stories and bad beats. Check out Brad Booth on High Stakes Poker to see what I mean-an amazing three brick, 300K bluff against Phil Ivey, whose holding pocket Kings, and lays them down.

Beginner's Luck doesn't so much as remove the heavy lifting of real thinking. It just keeps you lean and trim on this low info diet, where the "how " of your happiness takes on new meaning. No need for filters--You can only recognize what you already know.

How Egonomics and The Youniverse Can Inform Neuroeconomics

Date: Wed, Feb 20, 2008 Professional Live Tournament

Does money play a role in Poker? This seems so obvious, why even ask the question? But, for some, the thrill is in the doing — not in the having. All the energy drinks in the world can't produce the rush of catching a one outter on the river. Just ask Corey Zeidman.

Do we really have only one goal in mind: to kick ass. You have to also be asking yourself this one question all the time --‘What is the right thing to do next in my game?"

Read Full Poker Blog Post

How Egonomics and The Youniverse Can Inform Neuroeconomics

Date: Wed, Feb 20, 2008 Professional Live Tournament

Does money play a role in Poker? This seems so obvious, why even ask the question? But, for some, the thrill is in the doing — not in the having. All the energy drinks in the world can't produce the rush of catching a one outter on the river. Just ask Corey Zeidman.

Do we really have only one goal in mind: to kick ass. You have to also be asking yourself this one question all the time --‘What is the right thing to do next in my game?"

Read Full Poker Blog Post

Gray Matters-The All-In Molecule

Date: Mon, Feb 18, 2008 Professional Live Tournament

How does it help to know that you're literally "of two minds"? The Limbic and Analytic. The one lives in the United States of unconsciousness--- on insta call and auto pilot. The other lives in Singapore, a happy dictatorship of rules and reason. So what should our nervous system do?

If you are on a diet, and seconds is your favorite meal, it’s because the limbic “I want it now” dinosaur brain overrides the Analytical 21st Century “Wait and see” play-it-safe patient reward switch.

Think about the cost of doing something and it’s analytical. Enjoy the feeling of risk, it’s limbic. The money-making potential of this idea in your game should not be underestimated. What motivates you to call or fold, or go all in—fear, or disgust? What inspires you-- the desire to gain something new and exciting—or maybe you just have the stone cold nuts?

Analysis is Paralysis-Think Long .Think Wrong.

Hell is other as like people, and you usually meet them at a limit table! I spent a year there this weekend. It was like three card no foldem holdem. Every hand went to showdown. Almost every pot was a family one, and the size of them were huge. After a while, it was just pushing around chips. I lost interest.

Read Full Poker Blog Post