Table Talk

In poker when you are out of a hand, have folded, it is improper to speak about the hand in play. I’ve flubbed on this a few times, commenting on possible outcomes.

You also cannot show cards you have folded to anyone in a hand. Some people like to keep their mucked (folded) cards to see what if. They sometimes like to show others that have also folded what they had in their hand. This is tolerated but if anyone in the hand sees any discarded cards those cards should be shown to everyone in the hand.

Also, if all fold and you win the pot, if you show one person what you were holding you must show all.

Of course you can talk about other things while at the table and if they are poker related they should be worth listening to. And I picked up a few bits of information that those interested in poker should be aware of, especially if you are not particularly in the know for all that is going on.

The biggest news I gleaned last night at Tavern Tourneys was that there is a new poker league in town; the Wisconsin Poker Tour. They are ending their second season so they are not completely new but this is the first I have heard of them. There site is clear in the most important detail; the event schedule. Otherwise I could not readily, in my brief review of their site, determine all the ins and outs of the workings of their league. It appears to be structured in a similar fashion to Badger Poker.

One needs not worry though if you cannot understand every nuance of the league through a website. Nor is it necessary to preregister. If you just show up to an event I am sure all will be happy to have you participate and explain the details of their operation. But one should always read their rules of the game, easily accessible on their website. Each league may differ a bit in their rules.

It sounds like Master Z’s in Waukesha will become the Mecca of poker in Southeastern Wisconsin. That is the bar and pool hall near the expressway, not the retailer of pool tables location. They may soon have all the leagues holding events at their location, holding poker tournaments more nights out of the week than not. It’s been a long long time since I worked a pool table.

I also learned that the owner of Tavern Tourneys placed very high in the money in a WSOP satellite. He was a major chip leader and then got hit by three bad beats in short order and was out in 22nd place.

But I know all have been wondering just how I’ve been doing at the poker table. I got out twice this month. My first outing I was card dead and couldn’t catch any hands outside of the first of the night. Still I made points by finishing ninth.

My next outing, last night, it was even worse. I caught many hands such as two pair that more often than not will take the pot. Two pair, high pair with an ace kicker, a marginal flush hand with only three of the suit on the board (requiring someone to have suited cards in their hand to make the flush) and I lost them all, more than once. Did I lose with two pair three times?

I also twice failed to push on the river with bluffs and lost to a low pair. With most all bluffs, betting large suggesting you’ve made a hand, there should be an outside potential to make a big hand. But I didn’t hit and didn’t follow through on the bluff.

I also bought some rounds to stay in the game to no avail. Something I usually don’t do and it hurts me with trying to stay even or better money wise in my poker pursuits. I have gone into the red. But it just wasn’t to stay in the game that I bought a round, it was also because I have not bought rounds for a very very long time and I feel it is part of being considerate to the host establishment, the tournament operators and fellow competitors. I will have to limit myself to one round a month and possibly play for completely free on other occasions. I hope I can make a tournament a week as we get back on our feet financially, maybe more when the Winter weather sets in. Tavern Tourneys now has a Saturday afternoon tournament in the Milwaukee area now.

Maybe I will challenge myself this Winter by doing something like playing two weeks straight. Hitting all the local leagues (now four) multiple times and then writing that piece I have been planning to write contrasting and comparing each league.

Though I don’t text I may set up my cell phone so I can text to my twitter poker account so I can tweet to this blog (see sidebar) as the action happens.

I have qualified with points for Tavern Tourneys six month tournament. Even with five days left in the month I don’t believe 34 people will overtake me, some 100 points behind. Of course the odds were in my favor many times last night and I lost every time.