The 1st Poker Post: Seat Open!

I’ve been playing poker for as long as I can remember. My dad had some gamble in him and he passed it on to me. He would tell people, referring to me, “I taught him everything I know. And even a little I don’t know.” Turns out he wasn’t kidding.

I played in your typically crazy home games from high school onward. Along the way, I figured out different ways to play each game, including the right ways (i.e. most profitable). Later, I started to play poker in Vegas on random trips… about 5 times each year. It was just for fun back then as all forms of gambling were for me. I knew how to play every game well but stuck with blackjack, craps, and poker because probability is closer to the players favor than other casino rides. But, like I said, it was mostly about having fun. So I drank my weight in free scotch and only played with money that I was willing to lose.

About four years ago, I started taking poker more seriously. I read a few books, watched it on TV, and stopped drinking when I play. I find eliminating alcohol is a huge factor for success in gambling. I first applied this to pool (8-ball) around 1995. In league play (APA), I was ranked a 3 with booze. Without it, I am a 6. (I won’t go into explanation of the rankings. Just understand that 6 is really good.)

In poker, focus is very important. The lack of drinking makes it possible to keep a clear head, be alert longer (don’t tire as fast), see better, and make better decisions. That is the reason I don’t have a problem playing at Chumash Casino which does not serve alcohol. In fact, its my favorite place to play. Reasons being, the floor staff and dealers are really nice, most of the dealers are good at their job, there are rarely arguments (I’ve never seen a fight there), and the games are pretty easy.

I have a substantial edge over most players at Chumash. The only drawback is that they only run low limit games. My specialty is NLH. I know that sounds like the typical claim these days, but its true. I know how to win at limit Hold’Em, Omaha, and 7 Stud. But my win rate is better at NL. The highest NLH game at Chumash is a $200 buy-in with blinds at $2 and $5. (They have a $500 buy-in game but the blinds are the same. So I consider that the same game. Makes no sense, really.) To play higher, I started going to Commerce Casino a few months ago.

I’ve played 3-5 NLH and 5-10 NLH at Commerce and have been thinking about moving up to 10-20 NLH. The buy-in to the 5-10 game is $400 (fixed). The 10-20 buy-in is $600 minimum with no max. It seems you need at least $1500 to play right in that game. So, although I fully intended to play it last Saturday, I have not yet. After waiting about 30 minutes for a seat, I decided to check out the lower section where the 5-10 NLH games run. There was no board so I decided to sit. In hindsight, it is the best decision right now. I need to build my bankroll a little before moving up…

But I will. And I’ll write about how I’m doing that next time.

SEEYa