I was talking to Katie last night when she convinced me to join the Party Poker 10:20pm no limit hold'em tourney. "It's only $22 and it's $40,000 guaranteed!"
"I don't think I have any money in Party", I said.
"I'll transfer it to you, no sweat," she promised.
So I got logged on, got the transfer, and got seated in my tourney, and promptly donked off all my chips playing my worst game ever. The minimum transfer was $50 though, so as I sat rooting her on, I decided to play a little 7 card stud at Party with the $28 I had left. (I usually practice at Full Tilt)
The lowest game they had was a $.50/$1, which is a level above where I'm currently working. In addition the ante on the game is high, $.25 for every hand, even if you fold it. This was going to be a challenge; I've never played a high ante stud game before, how should I adjust when there's 2 big bets in the pots before the cards even come out?
It turns out I should play my normal game at this level. The poor quality of my opponents means that although playing tight lost me some antes, I often got paid of handsomely with the best hand, even if most of it was showing. As I ran the $28 up to $52, I decided to call it a night.
I went to the Cashier and tried to transfer $50 back to Katie. No go! You have to have a minimum balance of $100 to do a transfer. I returned to the tables since she was still in her tourney and I was committed to watching her finish. Katie made it into the top 500 of a 2,500 person field and went to bed. Shortly after that my stack hit $102 and I also went to bed, after sending her back the $50 she lent me.
Though the players are awful, I have to be careful playing there. Folding was definately a mistake against most players, which is not going to be the case at higher levels. I have to be cautious not to conclude that this style of play is going to work as I move up.
However I think I'm ready to play 7 cad stud in a casino, which is fortunate, since I'll be in a casino in just a few days...

Various replies to blog comments people have made.
Katie is a really excellent poker colleague of mine. She profitably plays 10/20 Limit hold'em online, and she and I have developed a good rapport that allows us to discuss hands without one of us having to be right. I've known poker players that would have made excellent poker colleagues except for their ego problems. Always having to be right and all that.
Anyway, she makes some excellent points about my idiotic poker axiom. She likes the axiom, but plainly says if you're the favorite in the game, you ought to stay. I think that's right. If I'm the favorite I should put as many hours into the game as possible. They may not all be in the same night, because after all, I shouldn't keep playing if I'm tired, but it's foolish to ever walk away from a soft game if I'm capable of playing my best game.
Chad complimented me on my 'drunken master' maniac style. It's indeed a single gear that has to be part of a larger strategy. I actually haven't figured out how to play it in any other game. In stud and omaha, where you absolutely can't try and 'catch up', it's just a sure-fire way to lose money. And online you can't have the same impact on your opponents. They just either ignore you and watch television, or close the window and change tables. I truly think it works best live. Or at least, I can only play it live.
[Chad the Big Game has shut down for a while. If you're coming to town talk to me about other options.]
Thanks to everyone that comments on my blog. I'm continually flattered that anyone reads it all. Mostly I write it to organize my own strategic thoughts. I suspect that's why some people write poker books.
August 18, 2006 in Commentary | Permalink | Comments (0)