I played a home game last night..... |
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Posted Sat Jun 18, 2005 7:27 am GMT by Geno
There are a few people at my work who call themselves poker players after having a few games so I agree to have a game with them.
I've taken my 500 chip set to the house so as far as I am concerned, what I say goes in terms of chip counts so I dish out the same chip counts I have ALWAYS dished out in home games - 22x$25 and 12x$100 giving $1,750 total. Instantly there is an argument because a) "we haven't got enough chips" and b) we can't cope with two different denominations. I'm already eyeing the door wondering if I can just run away. I shout them down and they agree that the "too few chips" is all relative to the blind levels and since we are going to start with 25/25, they agree to the chips. Thank god, I didn't want to start with 700 chips all worth $1 each :x
So we start and have a few practice hands so that I can see how horrendously they know the rules. First hand, I am in the BB. Everyone calls round to me so I check so we can see a flop. The dealer doesn't flinch and the player UTG bets out. Oh dear, here we go again. I spend the next 5 minutes trying to explain that you cannot raise if you have already checked and no-one bets the pot in the mean time. They are ALL convinced that there are 3 rounds of betting allowed PER round of betting and that basically, whoever opens the bet can be called all the way around the table and then bet again up to two further times. We FINALLY clear this up but running away is seeming a more and more attractive option now.........
Eventually we get going and I write the blind structures on a piece of paper so that there can be no confusion. I set the levels at 25mins so that the game doesn't fall apart within an hour and we high card for dealer (you can hear the cries now - "WHY ARE MY CARDS FACE UP?!"). The game starts and it's going ok although the original bettor keeps saying check after everyone is called despite me re-iterating that they don't have the option to do anything other than see the next card. I let it slide and grab another beer to numb the pain 
As you can imagine, I begin a fold-a-thon and watch the train wreck unfold. There are at least 4 of the other 6 players who are still very much in the mindset of "without seeing any of the community cards, why fold in case I make a hand?!" which of course leads to people calling all the way to the river with nothing at all. What absolutely astounds me are the two following moves that I see all nite:
People flat calling a bet on the river with nothing.
People calling for 90% or more of their chips and not putting the rest in
I think I literally didn't play a hand outside of a checked BB in the first 1hr and we were down to 4 pretty quick. Luckily, 2 of the other 3 were not too bad (the only other 2 guys there.....) so the game improved a little. The girl who was left was chip leader due to some unbelievable suck outs earlier in the nite and had about three times as many chips as me. I look down in the SB and see TT. I figure that it's time to play a hand so I raise about 20% my stack pre-flop.....something they almost never do. She is the only one who calls and we see a flop of all undercards. I bet out the same bet as my pre-flop raise and she calls without hesitation. Turn is an Ace. I bet out the same again and get the same call. River is junk so I decide she doesn't have the Ace and I go all-in. She calls with 44. I weep inwardly as I drag the pot.
Two hands later I see AKo UTG and raise again. The girl calls me. Flop is 676 and I bet it heavily thinking she might actually fold. She calls for about 40% her stack and I begin to worry a little. Turn is an Ace which amuses me no end and I bet the same. She calls what is now 67% of her stack and I seriously wonder if she has a 6 now. River is a Queen and naturally I set her all-in. She calls.........and show J3o. I check the board, check her cards, check the board again, rub my eyes, check again but yup, she really has called with J3o. I rake the pot giving me about 80% of the chips on the table and she says "I thought you were bluffing the whole way". I smile and am a little bit sick in my mouth as my gut wretches for the humanity of it all.
Down to three and I bully the hell out of the other 2 guys who can each play a bit. One guy quickly falls to me and we go heads up about 80/20 split for the chips. I double the guy up early when he beats my AJ with his 89. Fair enough, that is ok. I quickly double him again when my AQ is busted by his A3 and suddenly he is in the lead. I do eventually wrap it up for first place and take the £50 prize happily.
I've never seen anything like this before and I can see how I could have so easily gone out to some horrible play. I don't know whether to play again in future, I guess I will cos things can only improve and it ought to be a bit of a money spinner if I fold til I hit group 1 hands only........ I seriously need a good home game soon or I fear I will go mad.
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Posted Sat Jun 18, 2005 7:59 am GMT by NickHow
i've told you before, find me a job and i will move down and take that money back off you :D
Posted Sat Jun 18, 2005 2:25 pm GMT by Dias
LOl, ive been in home games like that...its rough
and Im also seriously jonesing for a home game...man...
Posted Sat Jun 18, 2005 8:37 pm GMT by TheSalche
wow ... i had to go back and read where you found those guys geno, lol
i mean, my friends argued with me for a little bit when i told them how if you go all in but not enough to cover a raise, then the next to act cant reraise (bad description ... but im hoping you guys get what i mean =D) .. but wow ... arguing that there are THREE rounds of betting for every card turned up ... have they never watched poker on TV?
good thing you did those practice hands
Posted Sun Jun 19, 2005 12:23 pm GMT by Sammey
lol 
Posted Sun Jun 19, 2005 11:53 pm GMT by Phil14312
| Geno wrote: | | I weep inwardly as I drag the pot. |
Ahh thats priceless.
Posted Wed Jun 22, 2005 10:41 am GMT by weirpougs
| Quote: | | There are at least 4 of the other 6 players who are still very much in the mindset of "without seeing any of the community cards, why fold in case I make a hand?!" which of course leads to people calling all the way to the river with nothing at all. What absolutely astounds me are the two following moves that I see all nite: |
this situation always arises when anyone asks how to play. - normally i just say, well pairs are good, high paris/high cards are even better and suited cards can help.
but in you situation: "why fold in case I make a hand" is the oppisite in our hands, people will fold when free to check WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS I SCREAM (in my head). we explain the idea that we all could have nothing as well but they just say that had crap then i think why didn't you fold?
but my tatics are never bluff the crap players i can never put them on a hand and they call with everything. and make sure the good cards pay off. e.g QQ in the hole - as soon as i see this i know my chips are going in the middle either pre flop or on the flop.
but often i make it down to the last three and bust out as i'm always short stacked. how could i improve this?
at my home tournies we play £5 buyin no re-buys, 6-8 players.
(the standard is low hence the low buyin)
oh and the standard is so low that one player will call my K10o all-in with 95o and win!! board came: K5959.
Posted Wed Jun 22, 2005 11:02 am GMT by BeerWench13
I'm laughing yet groaning at the same time. What patience you have. I'd have been drunk within the first hour had I had to deal with that many clueless people. Given, you won the money, so you got paid for "babysitting", but I still think I'd have lost my patience when UTG kept checking even though the round of betting was done.
I have to say that I now appreciate the group I play with much more after reading that post.
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