New Member Post

[schrek]

Hey, I'm Schrek.
I've been hanging around for a while reading a lot of what everyone has to say. And instead of just sitting back and letting you all have the fun, I thought I'd introduce myself.

I'm a software programmer who lives in Boston right now. I've just started to play some hold'em within the past 4 months, and now every time I mention a recent 'big hand' to my friends they say I'm hooked. Well I am. I have only played online for free at Empire Poker except for recently when I was visiting family in Ontario and played for real money for the first time at the local casino.

I played for 2 hours at a 5-10 dollar limit table.

Riding a high wave of beginners luck, and sticking to a very tight mentality, I was able to pick up 4 big hands & 3 smaller ones, and made 400 bucks.

Since then I have continued to play for free at Empire. I just play the 25 dollar tables because I feel it helps me learn to play a real situational game (because I would only ever play at a 25 dollar table for real).

With your help I've also picked up some books on the subject and have been through them partly, picking up a few hints here and there.

Not enough of my friends play poker (or could afford to play a meaningful game), so I don't have access to any good home games, so I plan on making a trip to Foxwoods in CT with other friends who'd be interested in the other games to get the real feel. I may even think about doing my next small vacation to Vegas. I am interested in finding a local tournament, but here in Beantown I just don't know if it exists.

Thanks again for the info, and the stories.

-Schrek [rob]

[PuckJunkieNY]

Hey Schrek,

My story is similar to yours. Got into Poker recently, quickly became addicted to the game. I'm a Software Analyst & trainer myself and wish I had local games to play (Rochester NY) as well.

You mentioned your were in Ontario and played. Which casino? Casino Niagara perhaps? I plan on making a poker trip up there once I fine tune my game. I tend play rather tight as well being the logical thinker I am. American $'s can get much more play in Canada as well, so that's nice.

Currently I play online at UltimateBet.com and made my first post to this forum today in the Online Texas Hold'em section. I also am enjoying the info found here and will continue to mine it.

Welcome and may your pockets be lined with AA.

PuckJunkieNY (Rob)

[HalfSugar]

It is gr8 to hear from people who enjoy this forum and find it a useful resource from time to time, I thank you for your kind words guys. The similarities between u two - all the way down to ur first names - are quite scary I have to say!

I never realised so many people lurked the forum really, makes me feel like less of an ass when I'm telling people who try to ruin the forum by posting adverts that we run the forum as a useful resource. At least now I know it's troo.

So thanx for stopping by, u r more than welcome here

[mindgame]

7 hands in 2 hours--and 4 big ones. That's a huge day. You might play very, very well and go a long time repeating that at a $5-10 game.
Congratulations.

[packerfanr]

yeah, 400 bucks on a 5-10 limit table for 2 hours is impressive..to me.

Just a note: the free tables at online places in no way resemble real live poker, or real-money online poker. Don't get too hooked on those.

[schrek]

Hey PuckJunkie
Ok, Even scarier than our similar stories is this: Youre name is PuckJunkie... I actually played junior hockey in ontario, and moved to Boston originally to play amateur hockey (in hope of College Recognition) - but ended up, happily i might add, in software. So it can be said that i'm quite a puck junkie as well. I have a partial season ticket to Bruins games, and am a very very big Canadiens fan.
But anyway, its great to hear your feedback. Very interesting.

You mentioned your were in Ontario and played. Which casino?

I played in Sarnia Ontario. TINY TINY charity casino. I think they are everywhere in southern ontario though. I was driving through to Niagara Falls (from Sarnia) and kept having to get back on the highway after having subconsciously taken the local Casnio exit ...

American $'s can get much more play in Canada as well, so that's nice.

Actually the only thing using American money means is that you are playing for slightly lower stakes. The 5-10 now means you're only really playing 3-6.5 (or thereabouts). Thus youre winnings will also be counted in CDN funds and will be lower of a payback.

packerfanr -> yeah, 400 bucks on a 5-10 limit table for 2 hours is impressive..to me.

Just a note: the free tables at online places in no way resemble real live poker, or real-money online poker. Don't get too hooked on those.

Packerfanr, I thought originally that because I started to play for free, that when i sat at the felt for real, i'd play my game differently (tighter... stupider???) I don't know. But the thing that was very interesting to me is that when i sat down that night for real, (having only played for free online) i was in control and played exactly as i do at the free online tables, and my results were similar to my online experience. Are you saying that YOU (you and me) play differently, or OTHER people play differently? And also, would you suggest that I slap some real money into the online games, even if its low stakes stuff to get a better feel for the real deal?

mindgame -> 7 hands in 2 hours--and 4 big ones. That's a huge day. You might play very, very well and go a long time repeating that at a $5-10 game.
Congratulations.

Well, the first hands were the big ones. I think it was my second hand that I held Qh-Jh and flopped two more hearts. I was raised, and i went over the top with another. Still a few customers at the till.... On the turn i get my last heart. The rest is in the books. A similar hand (again quite early on) was when i had AsJc and up came ON THE FLOP T,K,Q. This was unbelievable! I just got very lucky on those two hands alone. I actually had to leave because my sister needed to be picked up at the airport at 230am, but before that by the end of my time i was raising with decent cards (semi-bluffing) and gonzoe... they'd chuck their cards in. They all seemed sick of giving away their chips. That's what my smaller hands were. And just a last game note from my 1 and only experience on the real game: my biggest loss was when i held American Airlines and i was up against a guy who held KK (one on the flop and one in his hand). Obviously i didn't know at the time he had a king, but I assumed he had one because of how he was betting me. But i had my rockets... so i was ok with staying in. No ace on the flop or the turn. Still in ok shape because the cards on the table were spread out and no possible st8 or flush draw. River = K. I loose. If that river was any other card it was going to be at least another 100 in the bank. And that was my last non-folding hand.

Geno -> I never realised so many people lurked the forum really, makes me feel like less of an ass when I'm telling people who try to ruin the forum by posting adverts that we run the forum as a useful resource

Geno, you better believe this is a usefull resource. I really think that the more people involve themselves in poker (weather its sitting down reading a book, playing or talking about it, you are gaining more and more experience as you go. And this is a vehicle that does just that.[/quote]

[mindgame]

Never bothers me to get my AA cracked when I know I'm up against a lower pair. The guy's got 2 outs. There's 41 other cards in the deck that are mine. Those are just the odds I'm looking for!

The other night I played 4 hours and hardly saw a hand...one flush, but not a set, not two pair, not a staight. Brutal evening. My 2nd best hand was QQ, which was one of the four winners I had all night. I had AK four times, played them hard, lost every single one. Now that's painful. I can somehow deal very easily with losing on my AA, but losing on AK bugs the living hell out of me. Go figure.