I'll see your oreo, and raise you a nutter butter.

[jlh]

Well, kids and kittens, guess who won $60 last night playing poker? I got trips three hands in a row and it became a table joke as I was the early chip leader. It wasn't a tournament game, so you could buy back in if you ran out of chips, but thanks to that early lead I didn't have to. As the game went on (I played for about 4 hours) I lost some of it, but then I won a big hand with a full house and left shortly after that. The nice thing was that at no point did I go down below my original $20 buy-in.

Really, I had the cards, but I also took what I learned from my first poker game—that it's almost always worth it to stay in for the flop—and put it to very good use, as I also had two flushes off fairly crappy cards. In my first game I didn't have the cards, but I also folded far too often before the flop. Since it wasn't a tournament the blinds never went up, so who can't afford 50¢ to see the flop?

In this game I started to learn how to bet. One of the players, who is excellent, frequently bluffs and as I was the early chip leader I was often the only one who could stay in to call him. It cost me some but it also slowed him down. (Not much, as I'm sure he left that table with over $150.) I also started to learn how to send a message with your bet. But at the moment, I'm much more of a reactive better than an aggressive one. Generally if someone else raised I would go in if I had the cards, but I almost never raised myself.

It was great fun! The people were so cool and funny and I felt so comfortable. I love game parties because you have to come up with such minimal small talk, and also because it gives you something to do with your hands and you don't drink as much. I also am a pretty good winner and loser, so I behave pretty well no matter what happens. I wound up wearing trousers and my bustier with a black hoodie and sneakers and was dressed pretty right if slightly nicer than the table. Next time I will go ahead and wear the sloppy trousers (though my black ones were comfy) but I think I'll stick to showing off my tits under a hoodie. It's a good look for me.

Comments

[evil-erato.livejournal.com]

Woo! Go Clio! :D And the bustier with hoodie sounds faboo. You probably looked quite hot in it. :>

[sisterpandora.livejournal.com]

Well done, love!

[weatherby.livejournal.com]

This is excellent! I see no reason not to play a bit more loosely when it's only a $20 buy-in and the blinds don't go up. If it were a tournament with a lot of money, it might be better to fold before the flop more often, but I am all about taking a chance, personally. Staying in for the flop and often for the turn has won me more money than lost it, I think.

I tend not to raise myself, because I'm always paranoid that if I have the cards and raise, everyone will fold and know that I have the cards, and that if I bluff everyone will know I am bluffing. Sometimes I'll raise on the turn but generally not the flop. Whenever I raise after the flop it turns out that I have nothing, so I end up folding after the turn and I'm embarrassed.

And the bustier/hoodie combination does sound fabulous!

[jlh.livejournal.com]

There were hands where I had nothing, off suited, and flopped trips. And where I had nothing, suited, and flopped a flush. But yes, if the blinds go up that gets too expensive.

I totally see what you mean about raising after the flop and then folding after the turn, haha. That's the part I'm trying to learn, like looking at the flop and thinking, what could they have that they are raising, or are they just fucking with me? And how does what I have compare to what they might have? And therefore, what should I do? That's the part that I don't have down yet, and I feel that's the part that is the real skill.

[weatherby.livejournal.com]

I am fairly decent at figuring out what others might have, but I am generally wrong. Usually I am like, "Well, hm, someone really could have a flush and all I have is two pair so I'd better fold" and then someone wins with a pair of tens or something. On the flip side, I tend to be like, "I really doubt someone has this straight flush" and then they do and I've stayed in for nothing.

[jlh.livejournal.com]

This guy who was winning big, Bill, had this rep for bluffing with like, a 2 and a 4. He'd basically just buy the pot, and then as he got more chips it would get worse and worse. Very aggressive. So when I got the chip lead early, he was challenging me a lot and I didn't want him to get away with shit, but that can get expensive. You definitely have to pick your battles. I felt a little bit like this new player who was thrown in with the wolves. The early lead was nice, but it meant that no one felt they needed to go easy on me! I'm sure it will be even harsher next time.

[heinous_bitca.livejournal.com]

Yay poker!

I still want to play Hold 'em some day.