31st August 2007

Welcome to Hold or Fold - The UK's only Poker E-Letter dedicated to
helping YOU become a better player!

In this week's E-Letter -

       *Vicky Coren Supremo

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Hiya there and how have you been this week?

I've been lucky enough to get out 4 times in the last week to play live - my best finish was 7th but I had alot of fun playing with REAL people for a change.

I was unlucky to go out on Wednesday night - I had very few chips left - about 3,000 after the Rebuy period had finished and the blinds were 200/400 - so only enough to last 5 orbits of the table...

Any two cards, I kept thinking, Any two cards but I was being dealt such rubbish: 72, 73, 82, J3, etc etc ad infinitum until I was down to 1800 chips and eventually went all in with A5.

The rest of the table folded around to the Big Blind who decided to call it without looking at his cards - when he turned over 4C and 2C I was very happy - When the Flop came down A, 5, J - two pair - lovely but... .... but... well - I don't need to tell you what came down on the River... a big fat 3 and I was out to the Wheel straight (A,2,3,4,5) !!

Having said that - I've had two excellent results online - I came 1st out of 120 players winning $1635 and I came 6th out of 160 players winning $680 - so I'm not complaining !!

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The Thinking Power of Vicky Coren

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I have chosen a particular hand to highlight this week which features Vicky Coren, who is one of my new heros - Vicky won the London EPT last year being the first lady ever to win an EPT event.

I don't know if you've been watching the PartyPoker Premier League, it started with 12 very experienced professional players and for this hand - we are on the final table.

Ian Frazer is first to act with 10H and 7D
 

He folds and so does Juha Hellpi and Eddy Scharfe.

Phil Hellmuth is on the button and picks up 9C and 4C.
 

He thinks having Vicky Coren and Liz Lieu on his left are easy meat and he decides to limp in with this hand.

Vicky picks up a pair of cowboys - KC and KH.
 

She announces: "raise" and puts in the blind while she decides exactly how much to raise.

She looks at Liz Lieu on her left and says: "You are the one player at the table that makes me genuinely nervous - How much do I have to raise to make you fold??"

And then she adds anooher 7,000 chips to make the pot now stand at 12,000.

Dave 'Devilfish' Ulliot is one of the commentators - he says: "Vicky is giving Liz a license to call - she's telling her she's nervous and Liz has position on her so she's going to call her."

Liz has AS & 6S and she calls the 7,000
 

- Phil folds and as we go to the Flop - the odds are 67% in Vicky's favour.

The Flop comes down: 10D 6D & 2C.
   

Vicky is now 80% the favourite to win this hand so she bets another 7,000 making the flop now stand at 27,000.

Liz calls quickly making the pot now 34,000.

The Turn is 5D giving three diamonds showing on the board.


Vicky now bets 25,000 - she feels her pair of Kings is good and she doesn't want Liz to draw to another diamond or ace.

Dave Ulliot says: "I think Liz has to throw that Ace-Six in the bin now."

Vicky fiddles with her chips staring down at them and not catching eye contact with anyone - Liz stares her down - trying to get a read on her...

Tony G also commentating says: "Vicky looks very nervous right now - you can see the tension and can Liz pick up on this?"

Liz stares at Vicky some more and then chucks the 25,000 into the middle.

The 9D comes down on the River.


At this point - Vicky looks up and starts muttering to herself. This is what I love about watching Vicky Coren - she works out the play out loud instead of in her head so it is great to see just what she is thinking -

She looks at Liz and says: "I'm going to check and if you bet, I'm going to have a look."

Liz throws 40,000 chips in.

Vicky sighs and says: "Oh Liz Lieu - you are my nemesis."

Dave Ulliot: "I think Vicky is going to throw this away - I'm laying even money to Tony G that
she throws it in the dustbin."

Tony G replies: "I agree, I think she's going to throw this away."

Vicky stops playing with the chips and puts her elbow on the table and her head on her hand - she says: "Let me think...if you had a little diamond - you wouldn't bet on the end - you'd check - thank God you would say to yourself - if you had the... 8 of diamonds - you would check and turn your hand over and hope it was good."

Liz stares at her big time.

Vicky continues: "You're certainly not going to bet with two pair or a straight - so how big does your diamond have to be before you value-bet it??"

Liz continues to stare at her big big time - goodness knows how much mascara she has on because her lashes are ENORMOUS !!

Vicky carries on muttering: "Ace or King probably, Queen downwards - why would you bet?? So okay.... what hand has in it the Ace or the King of Diamonds to call a raise on the Flop and a raise on the Turn...??"

Liz looks to the heavens and then adopts a very bored stance.

At this point... the Tournament Director says that she has 30 seconds to act or her cards will be folded.

Tony G laughs: "She's going to fold - out of time - out-played and out- manouevred!" and then Vicky chucks the chips in and says: "Go on then - Happy Birthday"

In Unison, Dave Ulliot, Tony G and Jesse May ALL Shout: "OH YES !!! OH MY !!! YOU BEAUTY !!! - What a GREAT call that was !! EEEEHHAAAAA!!"

Dave Ulliot: "The Asian Invasion tried to better her but she couldn't do it baby !!"

They turn their hands over and Vicky heaves a HUGE sigh of relief.

Jesse May: "Liz Lieu has gotten the better of Vicky at almost every juncture of this tournament but NOT at the final table !"

Liz looks slightly embarrassed with a half-smile on her face - she tried to steal it but in the end - Vicky really worked it out and called the bluff.

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Post Mortem

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By taking her time and trying to work out what Liz could possibly be holding, Vicky decided that Liz did not have a diamond in her hand. With such a low board - if Liz had the Ace or King of Diamonds - she probably would not have called the raises that Vicky made.

I just love to watch Vicky work it out - I watched her do precisely this when she won her EPT event and it really inspires me to think that I could do this too -

Sometimes online - hands move so fast - there isn't time to work things out - but it's definitely a lesson to be learnt !

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Well I hope you have a good week - may the cards be with you and I'll see you again next Friday.

All the best

Meg Arana
Hold or Fold