We are pleased to welcome DR Bob to POKERprimaDIVAS. He is a semi-retired Psychiatrist as well as a frequent on-line and casino tourment player. He also hosts a weekly home game (half men half women)
Dr Bob, will take on the psychology of the game and the male /female dynamic of the game. Welcome
Dr Bob. His first story begins now…………

At a recent $2000 qualifier for the $10,000 World Poker Tour (WPT) main event in Atlantic City I played my heart out and learned some interesting poker lessons along the way. Before we get to the poignancy of the lessons learned, allow me to introduce myself. I’m a semi-retired Psychiatrist and although I care for my patients beyond the limits of Hippocrates, after 25 years of practice, I must secretly admit that I enjoy playing poker far more than listening to people’s problems. Still, I haven’t given up my day job quite yet. I was introduced to poker like so many others, in high school, playing (and mostly losing) 7 card stud with my friends. I continued playing (and losing money) in college and medical school as well. I was clueless and blissfully ignorant in my belief that poker was predominantly a game of luck with no skill component.

Then in January 2005 my father introduced me to on-line Texas Hold-em on the Internet when he entered and won a hefty $9,000 in a Party Poker tournament. I was impressed, I was interested, I was jealous. If dear old dad could do it then so could I. After all, I followed in his hallowed professional footsteps; surely I could also master this “new” and exciting form of poker. I started playing on-line but was still quite clueless. I lost quite a lot of money my first two years playing. As with all endeavors of the intellect I started studying poker, reading books about poker, discussing poker with my similarly addicted friends, and slowly and surely getting better and better and even winning some money in some nice on-line tourneys. My greatest feat (at the time) was turning a $24 on-line qualifier into a $10,000 entry and finally into a $16,000 cash at a WPT main event in 2006 at the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City. Although I fancied myself the grizzled, on-line poker veteran by this time, I was still very much the novice. Day 1 of the WPT tournament, I was seated at the same table as “The Grinder”, Michael Misrachi, and the fearsome Eric Lindgren. The most unsettling moment came when I re-raised “The Grinder” pre-flop with pocket aces. He smiled after a second, and just before mucking his hand said, “It must feel real good holding the bullets”. I was startled at his uncanny read but didn’t show him my hand. He ended up winning the whole tourney. A true professional and a really nice guy to boot.

Time passed and my play improved. I started doing consistently well in on-line tournaments with some really great results in some very big tournament. I actually became a winning player, making more money then I put in. If it hadn’t been for all my transgressions at the cash table and transferring money to friends and family I would have seen a tidy profit. Soon, tiring of the on-line tournaments I hungered, once again, for a live tournament and decided on a whim to take a shot in the $2,000 qualifier to win a seat at a $10,000 main event at another WPT event.

I played my game and held my own for a while. Had the usual ups and down but managed to hang on to most of my initial $10,000 in chips. Then I picked up the dream hand, 2 aces, pocket rockets, the bullets. Bill, an overly aggressive player had pocket 10’s and another player QQ. I managed to get them both all-in, got my money in good, happily saw my Aces hold up and tripled up to a little over $30,000 in chips and tightened up for a while. Seeing as how this was a qualifier tournament there quite literally was no prize for second place (or in the case of this tournament, 66th place). The top 65 finishers would all win a seat in the main event worth $10,000, and potentially millions! There was no difference whether you were 65th or 1st, they both won the same amount. Of course there was a HUGE difference between coming in 65th or better and coming in 66th or worse. That was why I played a fairly conservative style to minimize my variation and reduce the swings of luck to make sure I came in 65th place or better.

Meanwhile, A young gentleman took the recently vacated seat on my left. We all quickly learned from him that he had recently done very well in a live tourney and that he was very fond of his own poker “super powers”. I figured him for a real “Playa”. Someone looking to move up to the big leagues with little regard for his “poker safety” (i.e. going broke). This idea was bolstered when everyone folded to me on the button and I raised 3 times the big blind to $1200 with KJ suited. He hesitated, and went over the top with another $4000. Well when you’re holding KJ you hate being re-raised (although admittedly something was fishy about his raise). However, I (possibly foolishly) ignored my gut feelings, and decided on the safe (and less volatile) play and mucked my hand. When I asked him later, he confirmed my suspicions, admitting that he had 56 suited. Raising from the button, ambitious, aggressive, players will try to make a move on you, especially if you have a tight conservative image. There appears to be a widely held belief in the young poker community that the only thing separating average players from the legends is the ability to re-raise, pre-flop with low suited connectors. A misconception to say the least and had I had more time to observer and play against this opponent it would have simply been a matter of time before I busted him.

As it turned out, it was not to be. My table was broken up soon after and with just under $30,000 chips I took seat one at the new table next to the dealer. I had a good look at the two players seated to my left. Those are some of the most important players for me in the tournament. The guys I have to steal the blinds from. The fellow on my immediate left in seat two, an older gent seemed like a very solid conservative player. The fellow on his immediate left, 2 seats over from me made me a little nervous. He was in his mid-twenties, in obviously good shape with a form-fitting shirt and a serious demeanor. He could possibly be a “sheriff”, or even worse, a “hero”. Then I saw the most remarkable hand. The older, conservative player went all-in from early position, and the young man called instantly on the short stack. He immediately said, “don’t worry, you’re ahead, I’m getting so short I have to play”, as he turns up a J 6 of spades. Of course, the older conservative player had a nice hand; AK, which quickly loses when a Jack turns. Now I’m far from a perfect player, but one thing I would never do is call an all-in (no mater how short-stacked I am) if I have nothing but the ante invested and I KNOW I have the worse hand. I’d rather push all-in in an un-opened pot with 72 than call an all in with J6 suited. The old fella was a good sport and maintained his composure I might add. But I wasn’t pleased having this young, reckless gambler in the big blind when I had the button.

As the hours passed, my stack started dwindling to below $20,000 with about 120 players left and only 65 getting the main event ticket, I started pushing all-in into almost every unopened pot. In this satellite, one doesn’t have to win the tournament or even make the final table to enjoy a profit, one simply has to stay alive until 65 (place that is). My fellow players all want to stay just as alive, so for them, calling an all-in bet of $20,000 or over is very, very hard to do. Nobody wants to put their whole tournament in jeopardy. So after pushing I showed the table some of my stronger hands like KK, and 99. However, I also pushed with A10s, and AQ, and even A8. No one called and I stole the blinds and maintained my relative position in the tournament.

Then I’m dealt K10 off suit on the button and everyone folds to me. There are now 90 players left. I’m already fantasizing about my rematch with the Grinder. I’m so close I can smell it, taste it, FEEL IT! The blinds are fairly large at $1,000 - $2,000, with antes of $300. I have $24,000 left. I announce, “I’m going all-in again”, and look away from the two opponents yet to call in the blinds. The small blind folds but suddenly I hear the words I most dread “How much is it?” Oh no! Is he serious? He’s not going to… “Call!”. He flips over AJ off suit, and 5 cards later I am out at 85th place. Stunned, I stand and stagger a few steps back as he starts justifying his call to an obviously ecstatic table ”against anyone else I would’ve folded…” someone agrees “he was going in all the time…was due to get caught.” No one likes a thief, everyone was glad to move 1 step closer to the money, and no-one cares about a loser. The young man was a “hero”. As for me, I’m just the idiot who risked $24,000 with K10 off suit when the blinds were just $1,000 and $2,000!

Exhausted, slightly humiliated, and feeling like a real dope, I head for the car and the long drive home, tail firmly tucked between my legs, obsessing about my failure. How could a tight, aggressive player like myself fail after playing so well? I only had to be 1 in 5 to win but I came up short?

And what about the fateful hand? Did I screw up? Should I have folded my better than average, yet still relatively weak hand. Here’s my analysis. With the $300 chip antes, there was $6,000 in every starting pot. That means I could only survive 4 more rounds before being completely blinded out. If I waited, my all-in moves would become easier and easier to call. With $24,000, opening the pot all in was still very hard to call. Against 2 random, blind hands, my K10 offsuit did actually rise in value back to it’s original better than average status. The interesting thing is that I don’t believe either pushing or waiting there are incorrect moves. Both can be argued as being correct for different reasons. And his call? He sensed my weakness and called with the better hand. Great call right? Not necessarily, because he was only a 60-40 favorite and if he lost he’d be down to $16,000 chips…. dropping from a near lock, to probably not making it. I believe he demonstrated precisely how NOT to play a satellite. He was a “sheriff” (keeping the table “honest”) who became a “hero” (getting rid of another player so everyone moves closer to the money), and those are the players you fear. They increase volatility and can casually dash your dreams with the offhand flick of the wrist. A lot had to go wrong for me that day, and unfortunately, a lot did.

So the lesson I learned, dear reader, is to avoid the would be “sheriffs” who would be “heroes”. Beware the player, who would gamble his whole tournament away on a marginal call just to “keep ‘em honest”. Going all-in gives you 2 ways to win. Calling all-in only gives you 1 way. Many players fail to ever realize this subtle, yet incredibly important detail. It must also be pointed out that I learned to make sure I always adapt to table conditions and must concede the fact that I can only push people around so much before they will take a stand and try to become…

“Heroes”

It is important to bulff and switch up your game a little but you have to pick the right time to do it. It’s tough to bluff the chip leader or a person who always calls. Pay attention to the player’s habits. Also if you bluff pre- and post- flop and someone keeps call or raising, cut your loses and get out of the hand on the next bet. Sometime you just can’t get away with it.