McCann's Open

Yesterday, I was playing in the CMPPA McCann's Open event. I was running very good and playing great poker. Got a very weak player next to me and in two hands was able to double up. I used this stack to grow it into a even larger stack by first break. I was able to make a couple of critical lay downs and keep the pressure on the table. Eventually, I did lose a few chips and just before second break I was around 40,000 chips about double the starting stack. I was second chips on table. I was one behind the button and had J-9. I decided to limp in because big blind was a guy that normally checks. He was the chip leader. He decided to raise. It was a pretty big raise, but I instantly put him on an ace. I decided to call. Flop was J-5-5. I check he bets out 6000. I call Turn is a 6. I bet out 10,000 because I am sure that I am ahead. He moves all in. I think about it a little and still think I ahead. I call. He turns over A-6. I was right. He had nothing on the flop and had picked up a pair on the turn. River is a 6 and I am out of the tournament. What a cruel game poker can be. I feel as if I played the whole tournament about as well as I am capable and still am out by second break forced to watch the rest of the day. Later during the second tournament I talk a player into playing and he is on my right. I have hardly played a hand and am big blind with him as small. He makes a big raise. I look down and have JJ, so I reraise. He calls. Flop is 5-6-9. He checks. I move all in and he calls and turns up 6-9. LOL! Out of another tournament. Glad I talked him into playing! Today's a new day anyway!
Had 90 players show up the tournament with many new people. It is amazing when players come from games that don't play by all the TDA rules. They have a real hard time when you actually enforce rules. A couple of times they were almost fights. you have to love free poker!

#12 Tournament Director

Now you may not think of this as a poker style, but it really is. As a tournament director (TD) if you are playing in the tournament and get knocked out early then you are stuck watching the rest of the time. There are many times when this style will lay down the best hand to a big bet because they can't leave if knocked out. It is a tighter style then the player would normally play. All the Tournament Directors that I work with have talked about this many times folding when they know they would have called in a different situation. The other thing that happens when a TD plays is they will get called more often when raising as everyone wants to take out the TD as he must be the expert. The pluses of the style is that you will usually last longer and make points in a points league. The big minus is that you fold to bets that you normally wouldn't allowing players to bluff at you more then they normally would. I will add that I don't believe that a person being paid to run a tournament should play in it and in the early days of MN bar poker I rarely played. The times have changed so much that many times I will spend as much as I making running tournaments. So, I now negotiate that in with the bar when I set up a game.

This style is also closely related to the players that will fold to an all in or large bet based on how much is left in their beverage glass, so I will not discuss this style.

#11 Tight Agressive

Tight aggressive is a style played by many of the better bar poker players. This player doesn't play a lot of hands yet when playing will almost always raise pre flop. Just because this style doesn't play a lot of hands doesn't always mean they are playing big hands. This player uses position and knows a lot about the other styles of players at their table to use their aggression to their advantage. They know when to make a continuation bet and when to get away from their hand. This player will make the points often in a points league and occasionally win tournaments. They are usually towards the top of any points league as long as they attend regularly. The pluses to this style is that they are smart players and know their competition. They know how to calculate odds and use it to their advantage. They tend to make it farther in tournaments because of their style. The only disadvantages to this style is if they are not getting any cards they have a hard time adjusting to play more hands and if a weaker player thinks they are tight to the extreme and always assume that they have a big hand they might not get as much action on their big hands as they would like. This is my prefered style when playing cash tournaments as I don't get a chance to play at Cardrooms or Casinos much, so I am not as fimilar with the other players as I am in bar poker.

#10 Pure Aggression

Pure aggression is a style that you may think is similar to any two player. It is, kind of. The main difference is that a pure aggression player knows when to stop.
This style of player will play any two cards, but will be selective about when they are played. They use position and knows who the players are at their table and how they will react to their aggression. This person raises a lot and will always make a continuation bet. Many times they will make a 3rd bet depending on who is in the hand. But, as soon as they realize that they are not going to win they will let their hand go. They are good at sensing weakness in other players and use it to their advantage. You will rarely see this style in bar poker by a player over 40 or a female. It is generally played by younger players that tend to play a lot of Internet poker. Their attitude is win big or go home early as they will amass a huge stack very early or be one of the first ones knocked out. The pluses of this style is that no one really knows what you are playing and if they are conservative they will fold to you even if they have a strong hand. Also if you get the big stack early you can use it to keep the aggression going to even create a bigger stack. Your style is able to put others on tilt creating play that gets you more action. Another plus is that when you actually do get a big hand you will get paid off as no one will ever believe that you could actually have a hand. The down side is sometimes you will get knocked out early and good players will use your aggression to their advantage by allowing you to bet and then reraising you when they have a big hand. It is also hard for this player to shift gears as the blinds get higher and the poorer players get knocked out making it difficult for this player to win tournaments. I like this style a lot and will use it early in tournaments that start with a bigger chip stack, if the right players are at my table. It has it's risks but if done correctly the rewards far out weigh them.

Nice Hand?

Tuesday night was the last week of our current point session and I have not had the best 12 weeks. I missed a couple of weeks and just have not been playing good poker on Tuesdays as of late. Some has been a lack of patience and some has been the lack of quality to the game. Last week I seemed to get it back a little and finished 2nd and this was enough to move me into contention for the top 10. I just needed a decent point night and I would be in. Tuesday started very interesting as at least 10 new or players that hadn't played in a long time started coming to sign up very early. It looked to be a big attendance night. In the end many of the regulars didn't come so I needed at least a top 5 finish. Things started pretty good. I had a decent table with only a couple of players that I didn't know. I won a few pots and chipped up a little. At first break I was up about 2000 in chips. Blinds were now 100-200 and I looked down to pocket 2's. They are not my favorite starting hand as I have had bad luck with them in the past. With two's I will generally limp in and see a flop and fold if I don't hit and this is how it played out. Flop is 10-10-2. BINGO! I am thinking how can I get the most out of this hand. The player next to me a women that I had never seen bets out 500. I call and so does a couple of others. The turn is an 8 bringing a flush draw. Perfect! The same ladies bets out 1500. I put her on having 3 tens and decide I better try and get her out so I move all in. She counts out her chips and has me covered by 200. She calls. I say I got a full house and turn over my two's. She turns over pocket 10's! LOL! I'm drawing dead and am out of tournament. I can honestly say I didn't see that coming. I don't think that there is any scenario that I don't lose all my chips in this hand. I flop a full house, she flops quads at least the new points season starts again soon.

#9 Drunk Guy (Chick)

It's hard to put this style of player down in bar poker as they are the ones that spend the money to keep the games alive. There are varying types to this style. First there is the guy that's already drunk at the bar and sees there is a poker game and decides to play. These guys are loose cannons because most have not ever played bar poker and know very little etiquette. They tend to be very aggressive and will play any cards and chase all the way and many times call you with nothing because they don't any better. They are usually the first ones out and if you want some of their chips you better play a lot of hands early. If they happen to be catching, don't worry it will be short lived as the alcohol takes away any patience that they may have. They tend to be loud and obnoxious and others at the table will not like it, but once again they probably have spent more then the rest of the table so I don't really care. The next is the tight player that rarely drink and decides to have a few extra. You will notice as they become more intoxicated they will become louder and will be come more aggressive on the table. They may even go as far to tell you that they playing more aggressive because they are drunk. You have to handle this person with a little more care as they know the basics of poker and will fold if they believe they are behind. The last type is the ones that get quieter and even tighter as they drink. They are worried that the alcohol may lead to them doing something wrong and people will judge them by that. This style many times will muck their all in if they are behind because they don't want you to see what they have played. We all need to play intoxicated once in a while just for the fun of it! I have seen just about it all running bar poker from players passing out on the floor, to sleeping on the table, spilling on the tables,cards or chips or puking in the bathroom. So, to all you that play this style, I say thank you and please come again

#8 Any Ace!

Any Ace is just as it sounds. If this player has an ace they are in the hand. They believe the ace is the holy grail of poker. They will call just about any raise with the magical card regardless of what the other card is. Then when they flop another one they are in until the end. Either they will have most of your chips but most likely you will have theirs. In most bar poker games you will run into many tables with multiple any ace players and then it can become difficult to know if you have the best kicker when you also hit your ace and even if you have the best then there is always the possibility that they have two pair. Remember the second card is meaningless to them. They just know they have an ace. There is not much of a plus side to this style. They may hit early in a tournament and accumulate some chips but will be unable to stop playing that ace later and at some point will lose all their chips. A good player just has to wait it out and eventually will have this player out kicked and be able to get their chips. This style can sometimes also be any king too. Then you have even more decisions to make. Do they have an ace or a king and what is their kicker or are they suited to a double suit board. The down side to this style is that most of the time you will be out of the tournament early. So, if you only want to play for a short time this style may be for you.

#7 They were suited!!!!

This may be one of my favorites. You would be surprised to know how many bar poker players actually will play a hand because it was suited! This type of player is very loose but will fold hands as long as their draw wasn't hit. There is a little bit of reason to their madness! LOL! I have had this discussion many times with this player after a hand is over. Why did you play those two cards to a raise. Because it was suited was the answer. If you talk longer with this player you will realize that as long as the two cards they have are suited they are going to call just about any raise that you make. This is a dangerous player. Why! Because you can't get them to fold until they have absolutely nothing. In a way this player is similar to the Slot Machine, as long as they are not catching you are going to win a lot of pots off them. When they have a night when they are catching above their 33% and have a huge chip stack it requires you to be very patient and wait for big hands. Pluses to this style are you get to see a lot hands and you can amass a big chip stack on given nights. The down side is this player is not playing by pot odds (probably doesn't know or care) and as long as their draw is still there they will continue in the hand. I will play this style sometimes early in a tournament to try and get a big stack. The difference is I can adjust my games as my chip count changes and the blinds increase.

#6 Table Nazi!

I know that the name is not very politically correct but after much discussion with several players we couldn't come up with a better one so here is the table nazi. We have all played with them before. This type of player must rule the table that they are on. They generally are loud and overbearing and make others on the table uncomfortable. They believe that they know it all when it comes to poker and will be glad to let you hear about it. They are never wrong. Just ask them! These players tend to want to split pots with multiple all in and will belittle you if you make a mistake. Should you happen to suck out or take this player out of a tournament, most times they will tell what a bad player you are and why you should not have been in the hand. There is nothing good about this style of player. They make others uncomfortable and not want to play bar poker. Most of the time I will have to talk to these types and try and calm them down so I don't lose business for the bar. The bad things about this style is that they rarely learn from what they see on a poker table and tend to over play their hands because they believe they can outplay anyone. The one thing I have learned from bar poker is that if you raise someone almost always calls. This player can't understand that concept. How do you deal with a this style. First, if a problem arises on the table call over the Tournament Director. That is their job to sort out controversy. Second, play hands with this player especially early when blind levels are low. You can put this type on tilt and that will usually lead to thier early exit. The fireworks will really fly when you get two of these players on the same table. Watch out a fight may break out anytime! If this style is you, stop it! You will live a longer life and people will respect you a little more at a poker table.

#5 Any Two

This is an interesting style as it is played by many different types of players. Many older players that played poker years ago in home games that played dealers choice with a lot of crazy games of luck are the first. These home games required more luck then skill and players tended to play almost any hand because it always had a chance to win. The person who was the luckiest that night tended to win the most. These players like the to see the flop and even further if they have a draw. Their idea of a strong hand is very different so you must use caution. The next is a beginning bar league player that has played a lot of Internet poker. These player believe that they can out play anyone regardless of their cards. They also have a lack of patience because a bar game progresses so much slower then an online game. These players will either amass a big chip stack early or be one of the first ones out. Down falls of this style are if you are not catching cards or bluffing people out of hands you will be out early. If you do get a big stack early the blinds will eventually get high and you will lose all your chips as you will get calls as other figure out your style. The upside is no one can ever really put you on a hand and your big hands will get paid off. I like this style early in tournament when the blinds are low. It gives you the table image of being very aggressive. A good player must be able to switch out of this style when the times comes and sometimes it is difficult to do.

#4 The Point Monger

The Point Monger is the player that only cares about making the points in a bar league. They tend to be tight aggressive players early in a tournament but when it gets close to the points they will fold just about any two cards if it helps them make it to the points or to move up a spot in standings. Even if odds say they should play, most of the time this style will fold. Some of the down falls of this style are you can bet this player off their hand late in the tournament even if they are strong especially if you have them covered in chips. This style also rarely wins a tournament as the become so low chip stacked that it is impossible for them to come back. The upside is that in most bar league tournaments this player will qualify for whatever finals the bar league has by making attendance points and getting small point finishes but most are unable to change their style when it comes to the finals to go for the big win. If you are playing bar poker for the social aspect of the game this is a great style to use. It gets you long tournament runs and higher standings in point tournaments.

#3 The Slot Machine

The Slot Machine

This style keeps calling no matter what the draw and will fold on the river if they do not hit. You must keep betting into this player. You do not want to give them free cards. Why the name slot machine, because you may lose a little along the way but eventually you will hit the jackpot and win a big pot. The good thing about this style is that they are predicable. They will call any draw, but when they make their hand they will then bet out, so you know that they now have a made hand. How you get paid off is by having a bigger hand. You usually need the nuts to get it done. Just remember that a player playing this style is usually a beginner and their idea of a big hand could be as simple as top pair and a big kicker. The tough part about this style is the unpredictability of what their hand actually is. They may have the nut flush or just top pair. That is what you are going to have to use your instincts to figure out. This player is going to give all their chips away, so it might as well be you receiving them!

Style #2 Min Bet Guys

Min-Bet Guy
This type of player almost always bets the minimum. They tend to bet if they are on a draw or have the a monster hand. When dealing with this style you want to bet into this person before they make a hand, but bet must be big enough to make them fold. If you reraise this person they will call, so be prepared to put more chips into pot. You will have to adjust your bet based on his chip stack. It has to be big enough to hurt his stack to make him consider folding. If he hits his hand he will make a small or minimum bet regardless of pot size. He wants action. The only time they consider a bigger bet is on the river if they have a big hand, unless you have the nuts you must fold. Down side to style. The minimum bets allow more players to stay into hands and chase their draws lowering your odds to win the hand. The upside is that it is very difficult to know if this player is on a draw or has a big hand. It also tends to lead to bigger pots because more players will stay in the hand. This is an interesting style. Players of this style probably played a lot of limit poker at sometime in their lives so it's a learned behavior. As the blind levels rise I like to play hands with this style because it is easy to get a big payoff, you just have to be able to fold if you think you are behind.