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Barry Denson Plans to Set New Record for Playing Poker for the Longest
Barry Denson, a poker player from the UK, has announced that he plans to set a new record for playing poker for the longest. On the 1st of July, he will play at G Casino, Manchester. The game will go on for five days. Most of Denson’s activity at the felt has been in live poker league tournaments.
Help for Heroes, a charitable organization that assists injured people in the armed forces, will benefit from the money made during the … Read the rest
Card Rush Promotion Running at PartyPoker
PartyPoker is running an attractive promotion called Card Rush in February. It will start on the 1st and continue for the rest of the month. Real money players of the site will have an exclusive opportunity to win prizes and freeroll entries through the promotion.
Card Rush promotion operates in a simple manner. Every time a player earns 15 Party Points, the poker site rewards him with a Card Rush ticket. On scratching the card, prizes are revealed. Every card … Read the rest
Joe Hachem to Continue Playing in Major Poker Tournaments
Joe Hachem has announced that he will continue participating in major poker tournaments. This dispels the belief many held that he will limit his tournament activity and focus on developing the Asian Poker Tour and AsianLogic Group, now that he is on board as their new ambassador.
Hachem, who briefly held the record for the all-time biggest tournament prize when he won $7.5 million at the 2005 World Series of Poker, has said that most of the tournaments he’ll participate … Read the rest
Target on My Back
I have a target on my back. They’re after me. Perhaps I’m paranoid but then I don’t trust anybody especially at the poker table.
I played in a league tournament this weekend. I played 3 in fact. I cashed in one and was knocked out of the other two pretty early.
The thing I noticed was that there was some personal stuff going on at this tournament. Players were rooting for me to lose pots. This was interesting to say the least.
Poker isn’t personal, it’s just poker. But there’s this one player who has it out for me for some reason. I’m not sure why.
I’m in a pot and this guy is rooting for the other player openly. I thought this was weird. He’s making it personal. I think it shows a lack of class but then that’s just my opinion. I can understand if we’re on the bubble and if I bust he makes the money. It’s still classless but I can understand. This is early in the tournament and me and another player are both all-in. He’s rooting for the inside straight draw for this guy.
He did it again in another hand I was in against another player. Weird.
I’m playing well in my league and now I have a “rep”. I’m loose aggressive. I’m a donk who gets lucky…etc…
I don’t think this is the case at all. I think I’m outplaying these guys on the flop, turn and river. I’m making good folds and I’m making good value bets that they’re calling me off on.
That’s the beauty of this game. They think I’m playing loose but I’m really not. Ok. I did bust a player with 8/5 off suit when I hit my two pair on the turn but I blame the other player for not re-raising me preflop when he had JJ.
He let me get there to beat him. It wasn’t that I got lucky, it’s more of he played his JJ too passively.
Well in any event, my raises aren’t getting much respect anymore. This is good and bad. It’s good because I know that’s what they’re doing and I’m tightening up. The bad thing is that when I do have a great hand, they don’t believe me and can get lucky off of me.
Case in point. I have KK in the SB. The blinds are 100-200 and I raise it up 600. The BB calls.
The flop is J,4,10.
I bet out 1,200. He calls.
The turn is a blank. I bet out 1,200 he calls again.
The river is a 3. I bet out 3k and he calls. He shows J/3 suited. He has two pair to take down the pot.
Somebody said that he got lucky that hand and the villain replied that he thought I had junk and was just raising for the sake of raising.
Now I understand the difference between my game and the other players in my league.
They’re gambling, I’m playing poker.
I finally noticed the difference when another league player whom I respect said that to me. I was complaining how my raises have been getting called by inferior hands. It’s not like they’re raising with these bad hands, they’re just calling with them. I can respect aggressive poker when you have air but to flat call a big raise with garbage is just bad poker. Even if they think I’m making a play with bad cards, you should re-raise me then. Never call.
So my raises are getting no respect. I adjust and play a smaller range of starting hands and playing them aggressively. I welcome getting called with J/3 when I have KK. It’s just a matter of time before I get the better of them.
My poker buddy is telling me that I have gotten a “rep” that I play garbage hands. It’s kind of true. I play my fair share of spec hands but I play them aggressively and that’s the difference. The reason is that a few showdowns I’ve shown hands like 6/7, 4/5 suited and busted guys who couldn’t lay down top pair top kicker or who couldn’t laydown their big pocker pairs. I’ve also utilized stealing pots by shoving when I see 3 limpers. I do this once in awhile also. I guess they are tired of my aggressiveness and decided to play back at me.
This sucks for me. I want my game to be passive and I want them to play passively.
So now I have a player who’s openly rooting against me in pots, I have other players who are playing back at me with weak hands because they think I’m bluffing them and I have players who hate my game because I’m too aggressive and I don’t allow other players to play their hands.
I guess I’m doing something right. I’ve been successful against these players no doubt. I’ve won far more than I’ve lost to them and I guess it’s coming to a boil.
Some players are just bad and others are just their for socializing. I’m there to improve my game and make some side money. Poker isn’t personally, it’s just poker but for some they’re making it personal and it’s directed towards me.
I’m not sure why this is. I guess I’ve been playing well and they’re sick of me taking their money. Whatever it is, I know the next time I play certain players, I’ll know I have a target on my back and that will make me play better.
I welcome the challenge. Then I remember that I’m playing in this league not because I want to make friends (I have enough already) but to improve my game and build my bankroll. If I get along with some people in the league that’s fine but if some people just don’t like me for whatever reason, then so be it.
It’s nothing personal it’s just poker I remind myself and that will make be a better person and a better poker player in the long run.
