party poker heads up strategy

Playing heads up is a critical part of any poker game. I have witnessed good players lose time and time gain at the end of the game due to the inability to swith into "heads-up mode".

If you are sitting with a large stack at the end, it is not the time to get
timid and tighten up your play. Remeber to push with any face card and push hard.

home game poker rules

Ok, this really gets me heated....

Your at a home game and some of your buddies start arguing over
the "rules" of the game. Johnny's all pissed off saying it's a split pot
becasue of blah, blah, blah and mikey is ready to throw the stale doritos
you served up across the table at him, yelling he won.

it's time for a little refresher on the rules of poker.

professional poker tips

Caught "poker tips from the pros" (I think thats what it is called) the other night on the travel channel ??? Phil Helmuth, Howard Lederer , Annie Duke and a few others. OK show, but you have to really wonder just what "secrets" they are really going to share. After all, this is how the make a living.

Would you want to tell the average schmuck the fine details that allow you to rake millions?

fun at the higher steps

In case you have not heard, party poker revised their higher steps tournament structure. Placing first at table 5 ($5000 level buy in or freeroll) is now $25,000. A far cry from $100,000 but cheaper and more realistic to earn into. The best part is that you can cash in on table four from placing 8th place or better. The top 2 finishers get a freeroll into table 5.

I will post a few pointers for players interested in the different types of players you encounter in the steps shortly....

shortstack attack

Playing the $10-$20 SnG's lately, I noticed that I get rivered more often at these levels. More loose play means more bad beats.

Regardless, I have been able to turn my shortstack around almost everytime. After almost being felted a couple of times, I just tightened up (I mean really rocked it) and busted 1 or 2 shorts all-in's. Doubling up, then triple.

I see too many people go all-in with marginal hands after a bad beat. One thing we all have to remember is that your poker play is really a reflection of your personality. Our flaw's off the table are reflected at it as well. The guy screaming "XXXXing Party Poker!!" after he raises all in, gets busted out and is now a disgruntled spectator is the same guy flippin you off on the freeway.

My point is this....

A positive, never give up attitude is what will make you a winning player in the long run. We can almost always turn a bad situation around with a little faith, right attitude and a premium hand :)

moving forward

Well, it's been about a month and a half or so since my brother passed away. The more time that passes the harder it gets. It's weird, but at first it seems devestating and you think that it can't get much worse but as time passes, it really starts to sink in that you cannot see them again... at least not in this life.

I started playing poker again to try to get some of my life back to normal. In a way, I almost feel guilty trying to not think of him all the time. But, life goes on and he would want me to go on as well.

Since my mental state has not been in the best of shape recently, I thought it might be wise to play lower level party poker tournaments so I could afford to slack a little. I decided to play the $10 and $20 SnG's to see how I would do. I started with a $50 dollar bankroll and since moved it to $400 in 2 days.

Not bad... then it dawned on my foggy head.

Well, if I could turn a consistent profit at lower levels, then why not make it easier on myself and play them more. So I decided to play 2-3 tables at once and have been able to squeeze an average of $80-$100 dollars a day. The skill level drops quite a bit lower level so maybe I need to stay here for a while until I feel normal again.

Poker Buddy Lost

For those of you who were not aware, I lost my 30 year-old brother to brain cancer on monday. He was struggling for the last year and finally lost his battle. He was my poker partner and one of my best friends. He loved the game.

God bless you my brother. I will never say goodbye, only see you soon.

I will post more party poker strategy soon....