Words lag behind what they label. Bad beats were around long before the term “bad beat” was invented. And “the universe” was here for billions of years before it got its name. So it’s no surprise, given how fast poker is growing and changing, that we are always running behind. That’s why I have taken
It was a chatty $2/5 game in Vegas. Good vibe. Good action. The waitress came by and several players ordered adult beverages. She was standing behind seat six, and I was in seat one, so when it came my turn to order, everybody heard it. “I’d like a glass of milk please.” The player next
“What do you do for a living?” It was a polite question, in the setting I was in, at a neighbor’s annual soup party. I had no reason to be rude to the person I had just met named Julia. But I’d been working on this poker article all day, so my thoughts kept drifting
My life began at age 14 in Bobby Taylor’s basement: “Sit down, you pansy.” “I don’t gamble.” “We’re only playing for pennies and nickels, you wuss.” “Sounds steep.” “Not for someone who just sold a nickel bag. Now quit being a baby and sit down.” I sat down. I put some of my precious money
Like all of my stabilizers, this one was born from necessity. My problem at no-limit was big pots. They were too important. Pumped up pots gave me a thumped up heart, which somehow blurred my vision. If I got coolered a couple times and I booked a losing session, I could always blame my poor
What to expect This drill will force you to examine all of your preflop folds. You alone will need to provide reasoning – however whimsical or sound – in support of your choices. This tough task will reveal to you which plays you make that you think you should never make. That’s powerful information
Dear reader: I wrote three Poker Zoo stories back when online poker was brand new and everyone was going crazy over it in some way or another. When the Nimble Newt was growing up, he did not score well in school. It was the homework. Each night, Newt would start in on his homework just
Man. Talk about giving away the story in the title. I didn’t know what to call this one. I could have called it “A Really Neat Hand, Seriously, I Mean It.” Or I could have called it “Now I’ve Seen Everything” which is how I felt when it happened. But instead I decided to go
Waiting for Straighters is also available in ebook and audiobook (Amazon, Audible, iTunes) Introduction Introduction This article is about preflop play at no-limit holdem and pot-limit Omaha. It’s about basing some of your preflop decisions on whether or not you have a straighter. At holdem, a straighter is a hand that can flop a
