Party Poker Blog

Phil Helmuth Poker Blogs

"Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

What's the best way to shake up an otherwise boring Monday nite? No-limit multi-table tournament, that's what! I've shed the grinder persona and am solidly in no limit tourney mode. I'm one of those types who doesn't excel when playing both limit and no-limit. SNG's are a different animal, of course, but in terms of mind-set, I prefer to be focusing on one or the other.

But's that's just me - recognizing a weakness in my play. I know that my grinding game suffers when I'm playing and studying no limit poker. Yours may not, but be aware of potential leaks, if you jump back and forth.

I lost about thirty five bucks playing $50 no-limit ring games last evening but I won't saddle you with the ugly details. Suffice to say, I didn't play well. Zagged when I shoulda zigged and vice-versa. Kept waiting to double-through and it never happened. Coulda been much worse than $35, that's for sure.

BTW, interesting factoid: on PokerStars big-bet ring tables, they have removed all-in protection on some tables. As someone who has never intentionally disconnected, I think this is very cool. It's a loophole too easily abused, imho.

But Stars is still far tougher than Party.

BTW, PokerStars support alerted me that they could not honor my request for a single-table private SNG. Apparently, they are deluged with said requests. Doh - what next?

Please read my prior posts relating to chip tricks and table image, but this page is worthy for anyone interested in being the next Russ Boyd:
Poker Chip Trick Tutorials

Mene Gene with yet another excellent long poker post.
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This was a move I returned to time and time again. If no one made a strong play at a pot after the flop and the board didn't look especially ominous for anyone I'd check, wait for some smart-guy to make a feeble attempt at a steal, and raise him. Recently I read (I wish I remember where) that a check-raise on the turn is a powerful play, and I definitely learned the truth in it.
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Maybe from David Ross, a few weeks ago? If I wasn't playing right now, I'd go dig up the post in the archives.

Best of all, Gene is finding Party to be to his liking.
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I'm not pauperizing anyone, but I'm now up $140 after three weeks on PartyPoker. This after clearing only $2.75 after six weeks at PokerStars. Thank you, Iggy, a case of Guinness is in the mail!
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Hmmm. Guinness.

Ok, that's the deal now. Send me Guinness or sign up with bonus deposit code IGGY on Party Poker. :)

I found this snippet about Microsoft's hiring habits:
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Poundstone highlights two reasons why puzzle interviews have caught on at Microsoft. The first is that most senior executives, including Bill Gates, are puzzle solvers and game players by nature. Gates is a competitive bridge player and I saw him playing $3-$6 Texas hold 'em (the same game played in the World Series of Poker) at the Mirage hotel in Las Vegas to see how he stacked up against the locals.
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I've discovered a few newcomer poker blogs that I'll link to once they have a few posts under their belt. Lotsa promise there.

Allow me to leave you with Abdul, Playing With the Fish. You should spend lots of time here if you are serious about poker. Thanks to HDouble for reminding me of this resource. Go read the emails back and forth between Sklansky, Abdul and Carson. Ignore at your own peril.

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When raised, stop, think, re-evaluate. A raise is an incoming message. What is the sender trying to communicate? Does he have something to say or has he just pressed a wrong button at the wrong time? Bets and calls are often automatic, not so with raises. When in doubt, fold. If you like winning, you'll have to do lots of folding. Flee and live to tell.

Think about the game. Listen to pros, listen to losers. You can learn both ways. Make your own opinions. Make your own mistakes. Re-evaluate. Post. State your opinions. Ask. Comment. Disagree.
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Link of the Day:
Making Friends in Afghanistan