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limon
10-15-2003, 11:57 AM
I am more Greek.

I love it when I get to the table and see a bunch of Persian types. Armenians, Greeks, Turks, short hairy loud dudes. I can assure you there will be lots of yelling, lots of fights lots of dealer abuse, and tons of bad poker. This night was no exception. The game is 1-2-5 to go no limit holdem. The pot can be killed for $5 from any position and re-killed and re-killed. This is the biggest action NL game in any casino anywhere, especially when tempers get flaring.

Upon sitting down a mountainous Greek (?) fellow in seat 1 was raking in a huge pot. Chips spilling through the fingers of his fat ham hands as he chortled and bragged. His opponent, an older Persian type with dyed black hair, stares the dealer down. It seems as if they both got all of their money in on the flop, AA v. a set of nines. A third Ace came on the river busting the 9’s. Fat Greek with talking chips blurts, “You shouldn’t have been in with 9’s to begin with, you deserve to lose.”. Dyed Greek is staring at the dealer, “Why, Why, Why you [censored] me? You are miserable, I never play a hand with you again.” A note about dyed Greek his favorite saying is “Why” he says it before everything. Every time he gets raised he cries “Why”. Then the table mimicks back “Why!”. He then says, without fail, “Why, why you raise me? Are we heads up? Then I raise back.”. When you’re in with him the pots get huge, he will raise with any hand or any draw. When you have something better than his average holding you just have to dig your heels in and go for broke.

But anywho, back to the matter at hand. As dyed Greek berates the dealer fat Greek tips him, tells him, “You good dealer, I tip again. He is mad that he’s broke”. Like a child in a custody battle the dealer is smart and keeps his mouth shut. Now dye job goes nuts, “I am not broke, I am Greek, I work, have many jobs, homes, how much you have in chips, I buy to cover.” He pulls out a disheveled wad of money and plunks down 2k, “all green dealer”. The chip runner brings him 4 stacks of quarters. Now the fun starts. The button kills it for $5, this is a standard move, if no re-kill it gives the button last action on every round. Dye Job now re-kills it with a slam to the table proclaiming, “ I am Greek!”. Now fatso re-kills it again for $20 yelling, “I am more Greek”. Dye job rifles back, “WHY, why, I bet all my chips blind, I am more greek!”, fatso now stands up and pushes in a mountain of chips, “I call all my chips blind I AM MORE GREEK!”. A complete nit at the table begins to protest, “you cant do this its against the rules, call the floorman.”. The table silences him in unison, “Shut the [censored] up”. I chime in with, “This is a big bet game, if you can’t handle it leave”. He succumbs to peer pressure. There is noooooo way those of us at the table are going to pass up the chance to call an all in bet from someone who hasn’t even seen his cards. It’s all reward no risk. Furthermore the last thing you want to do is kill the buzz at the table by getting all technical. These guys showed up to gamble, for god’s sake let them gamble. If you make them feel big and brave and funny and important this behavior may go on for hours. So the deal goes around and sure enough everyone folds but the “greeks”. I get a King and a Jack and seriously consider calling knowing I’m a favorite to 2 random hands but, I know this won’t be my best situation of the evening and I want to have chips when that big hand comes up. Besides there were 2 players to act behind me and they could have had the nuts.

The Greeks hold their hands tight as the flop turn and river are dealt. One says, “no pair”, the other says, “no pair”. One says, “ten high”. The other says “ten what?”. Now the table is getting restless, a weird old guy grumbles, “turn the [censored] hands over”. They expose their hands and both have 10-4. The table explodes in shouts and laughter. Railbirds from around the casino gather around to see what’s going on.

Now lets get technical: This game is good and not as rare as you might think. Right now I need to develop a game plan for this situation. There’s 3 certifiable maniacs in the game, And they’re competing with each other for attention. I’m gonna play tight, real tight, but I need to piss the Greek’s off so I’ll get paid when the time comes. My plan is to make a stupid juvenile bluff and rub it in one of the Greek’s faces. This will cost me little in expectation but a lot in payoff’s.

I kill from the button, now it’s $10 to go. The maniacs limp $10 to me as expected. I plan to make it $50 to go with 34 but the weird old guy big blind makes it $50 first. Oops, lets try that again. Now I’m in the Big Blind. Button, dyed greek kills it. One limper to me Small Blind folds. I raise to $30 with K9, both call. Flop is junk, I bet out $100 both fold (whew) now I flip my K9 over and say, “Like taking candy from a baby, I thought you were greek”. He responds with “why”.

The trap has been set, goddess please let me go on a rush.

6 hours later I’ve played maybe 3 hands past the flop and the game breaks.

Paul2432
10-15-2003, 12:22 PM
Another great post.

Too bad you couldn't catch anything.

Paul

Graham
10-15-2003, 04:45 PM
"I am more Greek" /images/graemlins/grin.gif lol

Great story!

Everyone at the table shoulda given that rules nit a good thwack with their elbow every time they got up to go the bathroom.

limon
10-16-2003, 12:09 PM
its amazing how little they really know about poker...they can quote chapter and verse from any s/m book but when it comes to winning money they're lost. i dont know how many times ive been at a great NL table with three affable losers when some limit poker HPFAP nit comes and sits to the left of a main contributer in the game. the contributor is happy having a beer and being ENTERTAINED. a situation arises where its only the nit and the loser left and the nit WONT CHOP! WHAT THE F IS THIS!?! now the affable loser becomes very defensive and irritated and he WILL LEAVE the next time he loses a pot. Why dont s/m write a chapter on the negative ev of stupidity?

tewall
10-16-2003, 03:33 PM
They've actually written quite a lot about this.

J.R.
10-16-2003, 03:39 PM
Thank you. I have an insight into the greek mind and this is one of the funniest things I have ever read on this board. Your essays are excellent, please keep them comming.

Phat Mack
10-17-2003, 01:22 AM
This is the biggest action NL game in any casino anywhere, especially when tempers get flaring.

Which casino is this?

Rick Nebiolo
10-17-2003, 02:07 AM
limon,

I noticed you posted from Los Angeles. I'm not sure were they spread a "1-2-5 to go" NL game but it sounds great.

Do you think any of these guys might want to play at the Bike in a $2/3 blind game with a resticted buy in? Do you think they would even care that we take less (50 cents) when there is no action? Or does taking $4 or $2 when there is no action "nit proof" the game? (BTW, this is actually a semi-serious question).

I'll be playing tomorrow night at the Bike. "Hairy" types are welcome /images/graemlins/smile.gif.

Great story!

~ Rick

limon
10-17-2003, 05:14 PM
the game is in hayward, ca. at the palace (or used to be) cant comment if its still as good as it was during the dotcom boom.

Rick, no one i know will play in a restricted buy in game. not the good palyers and DEFINITELY not the bad ones. The good ones understand this is a major disadvantage, the bad ones WANT TO GAMBLE. the only players who frequent these max buy in games are scared limit players.

if the casino wants to limit the risk LOWER THE BLINDS, dont cap the buy in. OR (even better) lower the blinds and make the game POT LIMIT. a $1-$1 pot limit game is EXTREMELY deceptive. a good player can average $20+ an hour in such a game. a .50/$1/$2 to go is even better one could easily avg. $40 an hour in such a game. the "to go" is the key it fools everyone and makes a $2 kill high leverage cause now its $4 to go.

thats why the hayward gasme is so good. its looks like $1-2 no limit but plays like $5-5 no limit (or bigger)

Rick Nebiolo
10-17-2003, 05:35 PM
limon,

Thanks for the reply. This post came in just as I was going out the door for the day. I'm linking it to my desktop and will try to comment tommorrow.

Regards,

Rick

Phat Mack
10-17-2003, 05:40 PM
I agree with limon's comments on NL games. I would add that another way to contol NL games, other than capping the buy-in, is to reduce the re-buy. E.G. instead of capping at $100, reduce the re-buy to $40. People trying to control the games with big buy-ins will always have people taking shots at them; will always have to show down their hands (which they will hate); and will not be able to chip-whip the table with deep pockets. The down side of small re-buys is that it can work the dealer with lots of side pots. The dealer has to be good.

limon is also right about pot limit games. I would recommend adding a third dark bet. 1-1-2 with a $4 bring-in is a monster, yet cheap enough for anyone to take a shot at.

Good luck with your games at the Bike. I hope to check them out in Dec.

J_V
10-17-2003, 06:19 PM
nob polisher.

limon
10-17-2003, 06:25 PM
they've written alot about the ev ramifications of different chopping situations but i dont remember an article about chopping in re: table psychology. If they have it has been lost on nerdy ears cause most hardcore 2+2 regulars i met in the 15-30 @ bellagio are non-choppers. and possibly for good reason in a weak limit game but they take that mathmatical rigidness into a big bet game where it doesn't belong.

tewall
10-17-2003, 07:03 PM
They've written about acting in certain ways (i.e. non-wit) in order to make their opponents happy to play, which is the point you were making. Nits who upset donators are definately acting against what they suggest.

Ulysses
10-17-2003, 07:17 PM
[ QUOTE ]
the game is in hayward, ca. at the palace (or used to be) cant comment if its still as good as it was during the dotcom boom.

[/ QUOTE ]

That game is terrible now. Horrible. You should never, ever, ever come anywhere near it. 10 of the 11 seats are always world-class NLHE players and the pots are always very small. Repeat: limon, Guy, TAFKAN, tewall, Ignatius, and other 2+2 NL regulars: DO NOT PLAY IN THIS GAME.

PS: To all 2+2 limit players just learning NLHE, you should swing by and check this game out.

ramjam
10-18-2003, 09:06 AM
[ QUOTE ]
Repeat: limon, Guy, TAFKAN, tewall, Ignatius, and other 2+2 NL regulars: DO NOT PLAY IN THIS GAME.

PS: To all 2+2 limit players just learning NLHE, you should swing by and check this game out.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you for so selflessly posting this helpful advice.

Rick Nebiolo
10-18-2003, 02:23 PM
[ QUOTE ]
Rick, no one i know will play in a restricted buy in game. not the good palyers and DEFINITELY not the bad ones. The good ones understand this is a major disadvantage, the bad ones WANT TO GAMBLE. the only players who frequent these max buy in games are scared limit players.

[/ QUOTE ]

Down in So. Cal "scared limit players" seems to be where the market is, at least for now. Between Hawaiian Gardens, Commerce and the Bike there are five to eight restricted buy in NL games going every evening. They seem to be attracting more players.

[ QUOTE ]
"if the casino wants to limit the risk LOWER THE BLINDS, dont cap the buy in."

[/ QUOTE ]

Right now $2 and $3 blinds with a $100 buy in seems to be the "sweet spot". This game pulls players in from the 3/6 level to the 8/16 level, with occasional top section players having some fun at the end of a session.

One problem with lowering the blinds is that the collection is dropped per hand. At the Commerce they take a complete collection PLUS jackpot drop even on an ante steal ($3+$1). At the Bike there must be a flop, otherwise "only" the modified drop of 50 cents is taken. The Hawaiian Gardens Casino takes $2 on no flop.

Perhaps once a base of restricted buy in game players is developed, a game with your structure could be added. But it might pull most of the live play out of the existing games.

[ QUOTE ]
OR (even better) lower the blinds and make the game POT LIMIT. a $1-$1 pot limit game is EXTREMELY deceptive. a good player can average $20+ an hour in such a game. a .50/$1/$2 to go is even better one could easily avg. $40 an hour in such a game. the "to go" is the key it fools everyone and makes a $2 kill high leverage cause now its $4 to go.

thats why the hayward gasme is so good. its looks like $1-2 no limit but plays like $5-5 no limit (or bigger)

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the information. These structures are definitely something to think about.

Regards,

Rick

Rick Nebiolo
10-18-2003, 02:32 PM
Phat,

I was going to analyze your post, then you wrote:

[ QUOTE ]
The dealer has to be good.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, that kills that idea in Southern California /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[ QUOTE ]
limon is also right about pot limit games. I would recommend adding a third dark bet. 1-1-2 with a $4 bring-in is a monster, yet cheap enough for anyone to take a shot at.

Good luck with your games at the Bike. I hope to check them out in Dec.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm just starting to play some of the 5-5 pot limit games. In this town, two games with the same structure at different locations tend to have different clientel and action.

I like the idea of requiring a bring to be bigger than the blinds. That promotes action. Anyway, it will be interesting to see what developes over the next few years. There should be a lot more smaller pot limit and no limit games of some sort.

Regards,

Rick

J.A.Sucker
10-18-2003, 04:10 PM
Thanks dude, I'm thinking about stopping by and seeing what all this NL action is about. Plus, I could sure use a corn dog. Do you have any leads for fashionable, yet functional, kevlar products for the trip out to my car at night?