Wow. How much money to YOU have?

Achilles27 - I won my seat in another 'feeder' game. Apart from Ben Jackson, I don't normally play with these guys. The prize pool tonight is £10k. I don't have high hopes for tonight as these guys make few mistakes, but I think I can learn a lot from them.

Good luck! Do you have a cool nickname too, or just "maniac"?

Only £10k? Not much of a prize pool. I've been in cash games with that much on the table (well, $10k, not pounds, but still). Must not have been a very big buy-in if that's the total prize pool. £400 per person? Was the satellite you won just a sit-n-go for like 40 or 50 per person? Or was it bigger with a really small buy-in?

But good luck.

Oh, and yes, good luck. But luck only comes at the river. We both know poker is about winning the hand without ever having to show it. :-)

@Flem - 'Maniac' wouldn't be a great name at the poker table as it is used to discribed poor players. I'm known as 'The Jinx' or just 'Jinx' on some poker forums.

@Draugnar - the feeder tourny was £20+£2 out of 150+ players the top ten got seats worth £150+£15. This isn't the biggest comp I've played in with regards to buy ins, but probably the strongest field. Like you, I firmly believe in trying to get through without showdowns until the final few - that's the plan, let's see if I execute it.

Okay maniac.

One of these days I have to join you over there you have to come over here. We need to play some poker. :-)

May all your cards be live and all your pots be monsters!

The numbers don't quite add up on the satellite tourney. It seems that the casino made more than the fee. Unless of course they also paid cash to those just outside of the top 10. In the US, the poker room is only allowed to keep the fees, although they can stipulate that a certain percentage of the prize pool goes to the dealers for tips as those guys aren't getting their cash game tips when they are dealing a tourney table obviously.

The casino paid out 11-20th is cash - casinos in Bham charge around 10-15% juice (fee) they don't take anything out for dealers etc but we normally tip from the chop at the end. I read an articla last week about some of the juice charged in the US - it's pretty steep.

Next time you're in the UK let me know and we'll play some cards - unlikely I'll be over there anytime soon, unless I get lucky and get to play the world series.

We'll have to get a diplomacy players home game going one day on pokerstars - I know Kestas and others on here like a game.

It'd have to be pokerstars.net as the US still doesn't allow cash-play online poker.

Oh yeah, I forgot - the home of the free right?

Let's not go there. :-)

I think it will happen once the feds figure out how to tax the fuck out of it.

Poker update:: I came 16/113 just outside the money - they paid down to 11th. Played my 'A' game all night. Bust out shoving all-in with AKs and ran into KK. Out lasted all the 'names' listed in OP.

Hey guys. I was hoping for a little help. I just joined a game with a 10 day deadline (I was an idiot and did'nt notice the deadline). Is there anyway to get out of a game that you didn't really mean to sign up for? (Can't find any help on the website regarding this)

Lol derail.

Quick answer to Ra,mscott - Not if it is already in progress. It destroys the game. If it hasn't started and is still waiting on others to join, then there is a leave button down in the bottom right.

Back on topic.

Dorry to hear you just missed the money, Maniac. But at least you weren't the bubble boy. My own luck was a little better last night. Played a sit-n-go ($100+10 *10) and won it for 60% ($600 or $490 profit). Pocket Qs held up in the last hand when they hit Q88 flop for a full house. Second place had pocket Js so needed runner runner 8s to chop or runner runner Js to beat me.

I want to learn more about poker just so I can understand Draugnar's post and then have conversations like that.

Simple terms to help one understand Texas Hold'em:

Hole Cards - the cards in your hand. Only you see them and only you play them
Community Cards or "The Table" - the five cards useable by all players to make their best hand
Flop - the first three cards on the table
Turn or Fourth Street - the fourth card
River or Fifth Street - the fifth and final card

Betting happens at 4 times during a hand.
Pre-Flop - after Hole Cards are dealt but before the Flop
After the Flop
After the Turn
After the River

Common betting terms:
Bet - duh
Raise - duh
Fold - duh
Call - match the last bet or raise
Check - Can be done when the player isn't required to call anything either because they already have enough money in, or no one has bet anything so they are willing to let it go aroudn without increasing the amount of money in the center (the Pot).
All-In - putting everything one has into a bet (or a call if the current bet or raise is more than the person has).

Common Starting Hands (Hole Cards)
Pockets - a pair in your hole cards
Bullets or Pocket Rockets - Aces
Cowboys - Kings
Ladies - Queens
Big Slick - Ace King any suit
Suited - same suit (i.e. Big Slick suited is AK of the same suit)

There are other hand combos and names for them like Dolly Parton (9 5 - i.e. 9 to 5) and Doyle Brunson (10 2 - the hand he won a World Series of Poker with).

A couple other terms:
Ante - an amount all players must put in the pot if they want to play the hand. Normally only used in tournaments during the latter part. Early tuournament, cash games, and sit-n-gos rarely have an ante.
Small and Big Blinds - The basic stakes of the hand. The first player to get cards (in front of the dealer button) has to put in the small blinc ("post the small blind") and the one to his left has to post the big blind. Anyone who wants to play the hand when they see their cards must at least put in the amoutn of the big blind, and the minimum raise before the flop is the size of the big blind. So if the big blind is $5, then the minimum someone could raise to would be $10. If the betting makes it all the way aroudn to the big blind and no one raised it, the player has the option to check (see above). If it makes it to the small blind and no one has "come in" (put in the amount of the big blind to stay in the hand) the small and big blind have the option to "chop it" and take back their bets and the hand isn't played.

Play progresses clockwise around the table and the dealer button moves, along with the blinds, one seat clockwise each hand.

Final group of terms:
Showdown - that is where all the betting is done and if two or more people are still in it, the winner has to show his cards to collect the pot
Chopped Pot - When two or more hands are of equal strength, the pot is divided evenly. This can happen when the best hand is on the board or when a straight or full house "draw" (3 or 4 of the cards needed to make the hand) is on the board and two or more players "make the draw" (have the cards needed to make up the hand).

Busted draw - needing one more card to make a hand and not getting it. Often heard with straight or flush (see below).
Nuts - The best hand possible based on what is on the board
Bad BEat - When a really tough to make hand is beat by an even tougher to make hand. For instance, a full house is beat by four of a kind or the ultimate, four of a kind is beat by a straight or royal flush (see order of hands below).

Finally, the order of hands from highest to lowest:

Royal Flush - 10 J Q K A all in the same suit
Straight flush - 5 numerically consecutive cards all in the same suit (i.e. 7 8 9 10 J all hearts)
Four of a kind or "quads" - all four of a given card (i.e. all the Aces or all the Kings)
Full house - 3 of one card and 2 of another (i.e. 3 Kings and 2 Fours) - this is normally read as the three oif a kind full of the two of the kind. In our examples Kings full of Fours.
Flush - any five cards of the same suit, highest card wins
Straight - 5 numerically consecutive cards of any suit
Three of a kind, a set or trips - Three cards of the same face value. Set is sometimes used to refer to two of the cards being the players hole cards or that is also called a "hidden set" in some circles.
Two pair - Literally two cards of one face value and two of another. - A Very dangerous hand if more cards are yet to be dealt as it can turn into a full house with as high as a 17% probability if two cards are still to be dealt, but can also be easily beaten if one of the pair is on the board as someone could have the set.
One pair - just two cards with the same face value
High Card - obvious

That's a primer of terms. I won't get into the detailed game play asyou can look that up online and it gets rather lengthy.

Wow, thanks. I have played hold 'em before, but maybe three or four times in the past three years/my entire life, so the lingo often escapes me. I was not expecting such immediate resolution to my befuddlement.

Conan has his saying of what is best in life. But mine is "To crush your opponents, see their money stacked before you, and hear the lamentation of their women when dinner comes from McDonalds that night". Hehehe

Really, though, I have a few hobbies and loves in life. This game, poker, woodworking (and restoring my older home), R/C model airpcraft, offroading in my Jeep, taking my Vette to the track, a couple of MMORPGs, smoking fine cigars and pipes, my wife, and my puppies. You just happened to hit on a big one.

What is this pokerz you speak of? Is that where I can go all in?

Yes, but you don't get to use your Jok3r.

Well, maybe this isn't the game for me then. How upsetting.

Draugnar- running 8s wouldn't have meant chopping the pot.

I had an interesting hand last night. 5th hand in, I flat an tug raise with QQ. Two other callers. Flop comes ten, 4, 2 and initial raiser raises, I raise and next position re- raises a third of his stake. Everyone folds to me and I have to fold. He didn't show. I recon he could only have a set, two prs or JJ. I'm only beating JJ so easy fold, but still hard to fold over pairs.

Well done on your result btw.

Yes, it would have. We would have both had Quad 8s with a Q kicker (the Queen on the board).

PS good to see that your wife and her puppies are still a hobby for you.

Well disciplined call. Of course he could have had suited A 10 for the initial call and hit top pair top kicker with your over pair having him beat. But the bet was enough to push you off the over pair so he played it right if he was top pair top kicker knowing you smooth called and then raised pre flop.

I said a few hobbies *and loves*. :-) And they were in no particular order. Puppies probably come first (sorry Peg!) then the wife, then cigars/pipes, then woodworking, then Vette and Jeep (tied) then R/C modeling, and finally MMORPGs.

Shoudl say well disciplined fold. But a well read and bet play on your opponents part assuming he had a lesser hand.

And thanks for the congratulations/well done. My best hand ever flopped a queen high straight with a Q high flush draw, turned the flush and rivered the striaght flush and I really raked in the cash. I slow played the stright, bet big on the turn knowing there was potential to be beat if I didn't river the straight flush (but I did) and got two callers (the Ace and King of the suit, so nut flush and second nut flush draw hands as it turned out) then all in and called by both on the river. Tthey had what they thought were great but my Q 10 suited got me the true nuts. Tripled up and that was a cash game (my preferred format).

What's the difference between face to face poker and poker online? I know the obvious is that you can't see the other opponents, so does the game become more 'tactical' (e.g. full press diplomacy v. gunboat)?

the biggest difference is not having any facial tells (yes that is kind of obvious)... all the tells become how they bet... makes you focus on the betting action more... it also makes the cards that are revealed more valuable... when playing face-to-face I can read someone and know what they have regardless if they show the cards (showing the cards only reinforces my read)... when playing online I can only read tells by how someone bets so it is critical to see their cards as often as possible to make sure my reads are correct

What's the difference between face to face poker and poker online?

Face to face, or also known as, "Live poker" doesn't allow you to hide in the comfortable confines of your own home. All your body language is there on display for everybody to see. A lot of people like to talk when they're in a hand as well, because they want to be cool. Most of these players just give away too much information, as opposed to achieving their result of outwitting the opponent.

Although, if you're playing semi-seriously online, you're going to run into people that are grinding about 15 tables simultaneously. And nearly all of these players have programs that will track and analyze every action you make to give them the percentages on what plays you make when and where.

Just last night, I saw a guy at a 1/3 game after the hand was over try to tell his opponent he didn't make a good fold, that what the other guy folded was good. Except, when he went through all of this, his voice had no conviction and he fumbled his words. He's lying here. If he was telling the truth, he would be able to confidently say what he wants and not have to fabricate the story as he goes along.

It's just a lot of things like that. A lot of physical information available to you when you play live.

Live poker is better than gunboat poker

How would you know? You never win at live poker. I've witnessed that shit first hand.

I liked it better when you weren't playing Diplomacy.

Apart from being able to read tells, live poker and online are completely different IMHO. Live poker is a lot slower, players take longer over each hand and dealers couldn't possibly act as quick as the computer in dealing and awarding pots, not to mention solving disputes which don't really happen online. Why is speed important? tournament poker is about patience. The other night I played from 8:30 until 2am and maybe played two dozen hands with only 2 going to a showdown. The first thing to learn about poker is to cope with hours of nothing happening, interspersed with moments of shear terror.

^That's one of the reasons I love poker so much. There's hardly any better feeling than having a great hand and just throwing it away.