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26th October 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 -
*Slow-playing is a dangerous
game and
*Absolute Poker Cheating Scandal
*******************************
Hiya there and how have you been this week?
I played the Freeroll to the Amsterdam Classics last night and came
30th out of 142 - fairly respectable I suppose but a bit disappointing...
My bankroll for the Sit and Go Tournaments took a bit of a nose-dive
when I tried to upgrade to the $55 tables - so after 202 tournaments
- I am $735 in profit - so I need to focus a bit more on those...
I lost the focus slightly because I was trying to qualify for the
Women's Poker Tournament and I am pleased to say that I came first
on Wednesday night and am booked to play in the live event on Saturday
November 17th - I'll let you know about that too -
I have also got through to the Regional Finals for my Poker League
and will be going to Reading on Sunday to play there - so - this
is why I've not been concentrating so much on the Sit and Goes -
this will be back to normal next week so I'll let you know about
that too...
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Slow-Playing is a dangerous game !
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We're back at the World Series of Poker 2007 and the feature table
has the Great Dane himself on there - Gus Hanson and the 'prince'
of poker - Scotty Nguyen.
Gus has a habit of talking into a dictaphone to make notes on players
and their ways of betting and tells and as we join this hand - he
is muttering into the machine.
The blinds are 6k/12k and the first player to act,
Jeff Banghart picks up pocket nines. 9C & 9S.
He limps in for 12,000 making the pot stand at 48,000.
Norman Chad commentating: "I don't like that - you're
first to act and you call pocket nines - you're inviting someone
to out-flop you - be a man and RAISE !"
The next man folds and action moves to Gus.
He picks up AC & 7H and folds them.
Norman Chad: "Gus, a little tentative at this table."
Action folds around to Paul Spitzberg on the button - he picks up
pocket tens - 10S & 10D.
He announces: "I Raise"
Jeff Banghart sighs: "Ahh no see - I try to be a gentleman
and here you come..."
Scotty Nguyen pipes up: "Aww what are you doing baby??"
Jeff Banghart continues: "East coast bully - hasn't had
a chance to raise - now he's coming !"
Lon McEarhan also commentating: "Popular action by Spitzberg
- he makes it 67,000."
So the pot stands at 115,000.
The Small blind folds and action moves to Scotty Nguyen sitting
in the Big Blind.
He picks up 5D & 2S.
He says to Jeff: "Alright baby - I'll let you handle him
baby !"
Action back to Jeff - and he calls.
The pot stands at 170,000 and the odds are 81% in Spitzberg's favour.
The Flop comes down: 2C 9D QD
The odds immediately change to 83% in Banghart's favour.
Lon McEarhan raises his voice: "There is a nine for Banghart
and he hits a set !!"
Jeff Banghart is first to act and he looks at his cards and checks.
Paul Spitzberg counts out some chips and puts in a big bet of 103,000
making the pot now 273,000.
Norman Chad: "Whats the 3, a value added tax???"
Jeff Banghart echoes: "Why 103??"
Norman Chad: "Precisely ! I'm with my main man Jeff Banghart
right now!"
Jeff makes the call so the pot is growing now to 376,000.
The Turn comes down: 10C !!
Lon McEarhan shouts: "So these two go to the Turn and
now a TEN gives Spitzberg the lead with a set of TENS !!"
We see Paul Spitzberg sit up and look at his cards.
Jeff checks.
Norman Chad: "He's still slow-playing it but now he's
slow-playing the second- best hand."
Paul doesn't hesitate - he counts out some chips and then announces:
"Half a million !"
Lon McEarhan: "WOWWWW - Spitzberg knows how to bet a set
- 500,000 !!" and predictably -
Jeff announces: "I'm all in"
The pot now stands at 1,852.000
Spitzberg bangs the table and stands up with a grimace on his face...
Norman Chad: "And Spitzberg is upset - he thinks he might
be beat and this would be for all of his chips..."
Paul Spitzberg takes off his cap, turns around to the rail and
says: "Well guys - looks like this is it - it's been a pleasure
playing with all of you - I call !"
The pot is now a massive 2,328,000 !
Jeff stands up and Paul looks at him and says: "You got
the straight??"
Jeff replies: "I've got a set - "
Paul says: "I do too" and turns his 10's over -
Jeff sighs when he sees the cards, he also stands up and turns his
9's over...
Norman Chad: "Spitzberg is pumped - he started with the
best hand and now he hopes to end with the best hand."
Scotty Nguyen also stands up and says: "This is a 3-million
pot right here baby!"
Jeff leans over the table praying for another nine while Paul stands
with his back to the table and prays for no miracles !!
The River comes down 2H
Scotty shouts: "NINE !!"
Paul whirls round to see and finds Scotty has been joking and starts
to smile.
Lon McEarhan: "Scotty tries to shimmy-sham him but Spitzberg
has won the HUGE pot!"
Norman Chad: "I think Spitzberg could sue Scotty for mental
anguish!"
Lon McEarhan: "Banghart gives up most of his stack in
a hand that will haunt him while Spitzberg counts his blessings
and 2.3 million chips!".
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Post Mortem
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I think the outcome would have been the same if Jeff Banghart had
raised before the Flop - Paul Spitzberg would have called or raised
with his tens.
Having said that - I think the outcome would have been different
if Jeff had put in a big raise once he hit his set of nines on the
Flop - I don't think Paul could have called with the overcard on
the table.
But Jeff decided to slow-play and trap his opponent - maybe once
he'd checked and Paul had put in the initial raise - he should have
put in a big re-raise then - and again - I think Paul would have
had to have folded -
Slow-playing is a dangerous game - I very rarely play it - I much
prefer to check-raise and show strength - I think Jeff should have
done that on this hand.
But... it's easy to say after the fact... woulda-coulda-shoulda
!!
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Absolute Poker Cheating Scandal
**********************************
Well it seems that one of the part-owners of Absolute Poker - allegedly
- has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. The story goes
that someone noticed that one of the players seemed to know exactly
what hole cards other players had - and when some detective work
was done - the IP address of this player was linked to Scott Tom
- one of the owners of Absolute Poker.
You can read the full story at:
http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/the-absolute-poker-cheating-scandal-blown-wide-open/
There was also another story of online cheating and as it showed
pictures from PartyPoker, which is the site I mainly play on - I
was quite concerned -
See the pictures for yourself at:
http://www.billrini.com/2004/11/30/proof-that-online-poker-is-rigged/
...
...
...
...
...
...
Well it had me laughing my socks off !!
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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
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