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Friday 18th April 2008
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 -
*Never Under-estimate a Crazy
Woman !
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Hiya there and how have you been this week??
Wa hay - !! I am just SO please to announce that my six weeks of
down-turn - bad luck has finished !! I played a one-table qualifer
last Sunday for the Sunday Tournament and won it !
OK I didn't do so great on the actual big tournament - I refused
to believe that a player could get dealt Pocket Aces two hands in
a row - and paid the price for that by finishing 652nd out of 2,000....
Then on Monday I played a $10 Rebuy qualifier for this Sunday's
Tournament - not only did I get through to play on Sunday - but
I didn't even take any Rebuys - just the Add-on - so it's only cost
me $20 to play -
SO I'm Ecastatic ! My confidence is back -
I KNOW I'm a good player - I just could not understand why every
time I went in with a hand - someone either had a better hand or
hit impossible cards - for six whole weeks !!
Wa hay - Normal service is resumed !!
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Never Under-estimate a Crazy Woman !
***********************************
This week's hand just made me laugh outright - It comes from the
WPT Ladies Night Crown and although Jennifer "I'll show as much
cleavage as I can get away with" Tilly isn't featured in this
hand - I am happy to report that she went out first !!
Jennifer folds, as does JJ Liu and action moves across to Vanessa
Rousso - she immediately announces: "I raise" with 7S and 7D.
 
She thinks about it for a while and raises it up to $15,000 - with
the Blinds on $3K/6K and
a running ante of $1K from each player, this is a standard 2 1/2
times the Big Blind.
Anahit Galajian folds as does Erica Schoenberg and action moves
over to the qualifier, Kelli
Griggs. Kelli won a live seat at the Bicycle Casino - beating 419
other players to earn her
place at this table.
Kelli picks up JS & 10C and she announces: "Re-raise to $30k."
 
Vicky Coren is commentating and she exclaims: "OOOooooh
- it's a LIMIT raise with the
old Jack/Ten - what do you think of that??"
Roland de Wolfe is also commentating - he replies: "I
don't really like it - it's not really
defining your hand..."
Vanessa looks at her cards again and calls.
There is $69,000 in the pot as we go to the Flop...
The Flop comes down: 2H 9C 3H
 
Roland continues: "...She's missed the Flop now as well...So...
At least she has the betting
lead and she needs to bet pretty strongly at this and I don't think
Vanessa will be getting off
her Sevens. Vanessa's shown a willingness to call in her poker career
- make big calls..."
Kelli takes her time counting out chips and then she bets out $30K.
Vicky: "Well Rousso will probably give the qualifier a
bit of respect - she'll probably imagine
that Griggs doesn't want to be knocked out early and won't be playing
too many funny hands -
I think if it had been a BIG re-raise pre-flop - that would have
closed it down but the LIMIT
raise priced in Rousso too easily. She's not going to love her hand
here though..."
Vanessa sits there - loving the airtime (gosh I'm so cynical!) -
Her blond hair looking immaculate -
her gold bling sparkling under the lights - her huge shades masking
her eyes... She looks like she's
replaying the hand in her head.
After a while she announces, in a very girly-singy voice:
"I raise"
Vicky Coren is just as cynical as I am and she says: "She
has a sort of airy california
beach-girl quality 'I raise'"
Vanessa thinks about it for a while and then announces: "$72,000!"
Roland immediately says: "I don't think she's done that
with much confidence there - I pick
up a slight bit of weakness... She's testing the water... I know
it's easy when you can see the
cards but I would try to pick that up when you're at the table -
it's very important to study
your opponents - I don't think Kelli is doing that but she really
has no hand here - It's very tough
for her to call in this situation."
Kelli is counting out $72,000 chips and seeing how much she has
left - she checks her cards
again and takes her time before deciding what to do.
Vicky: "Well if she has picked up a weakness, she might
stick it all in here ! - Gutsy Stuff!"
Roland: "Yes but she can't just call."
Kelli asks the dealer: "How much does she have left?"
Vanessa replies: "Well - 250 was the total starting stack
so er...100, 20 40,.... about 140K"
Kelli mulls over the answer and continues to play with her chips...
Vicky whispers: "Is Griggs going to set her all in?? This
would be an incredible play - Rousso
would have to pass !!"
Kelli says out loud: "I have 30...60..." and her voice
tapers off as she continues to count her
chips in her head...
Vicky: "Rousso can't call an all-in re-raise here Roland.."
Roland: "I don't think Kelli can re-raise an all-in here
- I mean - I've never seen her play
before - but it would be a staggering move with just nothing! Vanessa's
shown alot of strength
with her betting patterns and if she's not picked up on her body
language..."
Kelli continues to play with her chips and the camera moves over
to Vanessa who goes from
looking slightly worried to everso bored - she strikes a pose with
her arms crossed, staring off
into the crowd and heaves a big sigh.
Kelli says: "Just one more second guys - I'm trying to
decide..."
Roland replies: "You take your time girl !"
Vicky: "I love the table talk - I mean if she puts those
chips over the line - she'll win the pot !"
Kelli then says: "I call!".
Vicky: "Ahh - Calling may be not the way forward - why
do you think she's called here??"
Roland: "I don't know - I'd imagine she er... is hoping
to hit a card or..."
Vicky: "Maybe it's a stop-go - maybe she's calling to
move in on the Turn!"
Vanessa picks up a bit and doesn't look quite so bored now.
There is now $213,000 in the pot.
The Turn comes down: 6D
Vicky: "No change... Good card for Rousso really - another
undercard..."
Roland: "Yes - if she was winning before the Turn then
she's still winning now she would imagine."
Kelli is first to act. She sits there very still although she
does surresptitiously lick her lips.
Kelli taps the table and says: "Check"
Vicky: "Nahh - that's it - she's lost the pot - if Griggs
had stuck it in there first to speak - she would have won that pot."
Vanessa is expertly riffling her chips and she asks the dealer:
"How much does she have behind?? - No that was a joke - I
check !"
And she laughs out loud and Kelli laughs and says: "Ohh
- you're killing me !"
Vicky: "Of course the other problem about checking it
down is that Griggs is going to have to show her hand and reveal
to the other players that she has nothing."
The River comes down: KD
Roland: "A total blank and Vanessa has the best hand with
a pair of Sevens. Kelli now can only win by bluffing at the pot..."
Vicky carries on: "... and she would win if she did that."
Roland: "She would - she would take it down - I mean -
the hand has been played in a very strange way..."
Meanwhile, Kelli has been sitting there considering her options
- then she glances at her chips and starts counting some out.
Vicky winces: "Ooh - don't make a small bet love ! There's
213K out there."
Roland: "She needs to bet at least 100K"
Kelli bets out: "60 more!"
Roland wows: "Wow !!"
Vicky: "60,000 - well - it is enough to be a tough decision
for Rousso."
Roland: "It is yeah"
Vicky: "If I was in Rousso's spot - I would absolutely
believe that Griggs had something like Tens, maybe Ace-Nine..."
Vanessa starts considering her options out loud: "She
checked on the Turn, she may have a set, that would be a good place
to check - or you could have Ace-King of Hearts and you hit a King
on the River - you value-bet on the River - Sixty Thousand Hmmm....
It's Tough !"
Kelli smiles coyly and is obviously thinking inside 'Fold FOLD
FOLLDDDDD !!!'
Vanessa continues: "I actually have a hand - you actually
have a hand - I just don't know who's is better...."
Roland chips in: "Wow Vanessa - STOP talking right now
! I mean - Kelli - she's played this hand so strangely."
Vanessa has decided: "Ace-King of Hearts or Tens... Or
Jacks maybe - you've got jacks - Jacks??"
Kelli continues to sit there very still and smiles very coyly.
Vicky laughs: "Wisely - there are no words coming from
Griggs"
Having said that Griggs then says: "I'll show you."
Vanessa replies: "You'll show me?? Are you a keeper of
your word??"
Kelli smiles and nods.
Vanessa continues: "You don't want me to call."
Kelli: "Huh??"
Vanessa repeats: "You don't want me to call."
Kelli laughs and replies: "No - I WANT you to call."
(Check that word No - I think I would have picked up on that one)
Vanessa: "You do???"
Kelli stops laughing: "Oh - No - I don't want you to call."
Vanessa: "You don't?"
Roland: "WOW - what great table talk there."
Vanessa: "You're going to show me anyway??"
Kelli nods in agreement and says: "Yeah."
Roland keeps wowwing: "WOW - this is a fun hand
going down here."
Vanessa: "That gives me extra incentive to fold... I don't
know - I have a high pair."
Kelli: "Me toooooo - otherwise I wouldn't be all in it."
Vanessa: "But I don't think you're positive that yours
is higher than mine."
Kelli: "I am now !!"
Vanessa: "You are??"
Vicky: "Anybody who thinks that they've accidentally tuned
into an episode of Desperate Housewives - No - this is the World
Poker Tour Ladies night !"
Vanessa says: "Alright - I fold ! Very tough laydown."
Vicky: "And look at that !! Rousso's given it up !"
Vanessa looks at Kelli and gestures to her to show her cards.
Kelli laughs and turns them face up onto the table.
Vicky: "OH and Griggs shows the bluff - I'm not sure she
should have done that."
Roland: "WOW - well she did promise to do that."
Vanessa nods her head in respect as she sees that she's been outplayed
- then she turns around to her friends in the crowd and laughs
and shouts: "I just got bluffed out !!!"
The crowd are screaming their applause and Kelli mouths:
"I'm Sorry"
Vicky: "And the crowd absolutely cheering !!"
Roland: "Wow - what a great hand - I mean - I don't think
she played the hand particularly cleverly but she got her in the
end."
Vanessa can't believe it - she laughs really hard mainly in embarrassment
that she's been 'done like a kipper' by an amateur.
Kelli says: "I promised I'd show you otherwise I would
have folded it but I'm a woman of my word."
Vanessa smiles, flashes her teeth and says: "Nice
hand girl."
I think that behind that smile she's absolutely seething and is
determined to get her own back.
Someone says: "What did you have - Queens??"
Then Vanessa goes a bit crazy... "I was scared of her
too - she's NUTS - She's CRAZY !!"
Kelli responds: "I didn't get here playing it safe girls
!"
Vanessa continues to laugh and shout: "What the hell were
you doing calling my re-raise with Jack/Ten??????"
Then she turns to her friends in the crowd and circles her finger
in the air to imply that Kelli Griggs is a crazy woman.
Vicky sums it up: "Amazing - well the crowd were absolutely
delighted by that - they loved the outsider winning the pot - they
loved her showing the bluff - Kelli Griggs is the new heroine to
this audience."
Roland shouts: "WOWOWWWWWW - Fantastic pot that."
**************
Post Mortem
**************
Well - what can you say? I think that when you are playing with
people who are beginners - they tend to still be learning what works
and what doesn't...
I remember a few years ago when I was starting out in Texas NL Poker
- I called a raise pre-flop with Q-8 offsuit. I was lucky to hit
a full house but my opponent had a right go at me - What the hell
was I doing calling a raise pre- flop with Q8 offsuit?? My reply
was that 'It won didn't it??'
When I look back - at the time I was quite righteous about it -
but now - with hindsight - I would NEVER call a raise pre-flop with
Q8 offsuit - and you have to have that in the back of your mind
when assessing your opponents.
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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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