B L U E
C O L L A R
P O K E R
HOW TO BUILD A
THREE-LEGGED
STOOL
Why Poker Is Not a
Game of Cards
...And How to Take
Advantage of That Fact
The true art of memory is the art of
attention. Samuel Johnson (English Poet
1709-1784)
There is a young fellow, let’s call him
‘Daniel’, in his twenties, who is a regular
at the cash tables of my local casino, Club
Regent in Winnipeg. A little too loose and
a little too aggressive, he is not afraid to ask
questions of the more seasoned players, but
somewhat hesitant to accept the answers. I
believe that the esoteric nature of my replies
to his queries confuses him somewhat. The
problem I believe is that he cannot accept
that I play the game on a level that far exceeds his. He lacks sufficient life experience
to understand.
No Limit Texas Hold’em is a game of
pressure, not hand value. It is a game of
people, where accumulative knowledge of
your opponents can both add to and protect
your stack. Information that is seemingly
trivial can be of the utmost importance.
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You do need the best hand at showdown to
scoop the pot. However, winning with less
than the best, or folding when you know
you can’t win, no matter what you do is key
to survival.
Many times I have heard from others, “I
only remember my winning hands.” or “I
only remember the bad beats” or “I never
remember anything for too long.” Me? I
remember everything! I am both blessed and
cursed with a memory that will not let me
forget. Events from days ago and decades
long passed race through my mind without
relief. Only sleep allows escape from my
thoughts. And even then, the ghosts of life
occasionally haunt me.
A three-legged stool may be out of level
but it never wobbles. And if you understand
the importance of the three points I am
about to make, you game will be as steady as
that stool.
First. Using the inner demons of your
enemy. There is another regular at Club
Regent; lets call him ‘Jake’. In his thirties,
a father of two, and recently separated, I’ve
logged many hours at the table with him
over the last several years. He’s a good guy,
but a rascal who probably should not have
gotten married when he did and to whom
he did. Even he acknowledges that fact.
But the children keep him close to his foil,
and he is honourable. The simple question
I ask him when we are about to do battle
is, “How’s the wife?” If he goes off about
whatever the current issue is I know that he
will be über aggressive. If the answer is one
of calm, he will be more passive and less
prone to radical play. I pattern my play and
strategy against him accordingly. The spots I
must pick to win are diametrically opposed
to each other, depending on his mood. Nice
to know whether to zig or zag when faced
with the choice.
Am I concerned about revealing this
nugget to him? No! He cannot help himself,
even when armed with the knowledge that
would save him from himself. Like the fox
who eats the rabbit on the swim across the
river, after promising without exception not
to; it is his nature! That is the first leg of the
stool.
Second. A paired board then and now.
Another rounder, lets call him ‘Doyle’. Good
player. Recently retired and an empty nester.
Has the money to wager but not foolishly.
Capable of a bluff, but more likely to hold
the nuts on a push. The challenge is recognizing having the ‘second nuts’ on a paired
board. A couple of years ago, I flopped quad
5’s while he held Hellmuth’s hand, 9♠9♣.
The play was mid aggressive, as I slow played
my hand, check calling ever increasing but
reasonable bets from Doyle. I wasn’t sure
how or even if I could get all the money in
at some point. I actually put him on a pocket pair greater than the board showed at any
time. When a 9 hit the river, I insta shoved
my stack, a little less than $300. It took less
than a second for him to call. And less than
a second after that for me to declare, “I have
quads!”
He was crushed. Instantly. I knew that he
had been ‘running bad’ to a degree, for a few
months. Not playing badly. Just not benefiting from hands that were winners until the
river hit the board. I knew it was wearing on
him, as it does all of us when it happens. To
my credit I rarely let it affect my ability to
fold a hand when its value is in doubt. There
are two more cards coming in a few seconds,
representing the next opportunity to play
correctly.
Doyle did not even take time to consider that he was beat. He took no time
whatsoever to study the board. And more
‘No Limit Texas Hold’em is a
game of pressure, not hand value.
It is a game of people, where
accumulative knowledge of your
opponents can both add to and
protect your stack. Information that
is seemingly trivial can be of the
utmost importance.’
importantly, he did not use what he knew of
me to analyze the hand. If he has paid any
attention to my play over the years, he could
have come to the conclusion that I had him
beat. Even if there were only one hand out
there that would do it. It still existed no
matter what the odds. And I am not risking
everything on bluff or less than the mortal
nuts! I do love my money a little and I am
not giving it away. You can take that to the
bank, so to speak!
That is one side of the coin that made me
money. Now consider the other side that
saved me money.
More recently at Club Regent, Doyle sat
in seat 1, player ‘X’ in seat 4 and I filled
seat 8, on the button holding 8/10, one gap
suited connectors. A small pre-flop raise and
my button call saw a 4/6/7 rainbow flop.
Doyle checked as did ‘X’. I made a ½ pot
sized bet with a double gutter, hoping to
pick up the pot right there, and both called.
Up went the red flag. A check call is perhaps
the most unnerving event of a poker hand,
especially when two players are interested.
There was less than $100 in the pot. Another 7 hit the turn and a check around was the
result. The river was a blank. Doyle checked.
‘X’ checked. And having completely missed
making my hand, I also checked.
I smelled something fishy after the check
call of my post flop bet, and I knew that
I could not win, even had I bet big. I am
ALWAYS wary of a paired board, regardless
of what I hold unless it is the mortal nuts.
The question, “Don’t tell me you have a full
house” is one we have all heard many times.
Fortunately for me I have had it asked of
me more often that I have had the need to
ask. Even the ‘Baby Boat’ is vulnerable, and
should be played with caution.
#&%!&%# flowed like lava out of
‘Doyle’s’ mouth as he flipped over two black
4’s. As happens often, the table entered into
a discussion of the hand. “I thought you
would bet”, Doyle stated, looking directly at
me. “You weren’t getting another nickel out
of me”, I returned.
Joining in, Daniel asked me, “If you make
the str8, you’re not calling a bet?”
“No way”, I answered.
“Even $30” he asked, and tagged “I don’t
believe you”
“Even $2” I returned belaying the point
with an extreme. Of course I’d call $2 just
to see the cards Doyle held. But I would not
call much more than that and certainly not
$30. The cards were already flowing for the
next hand.
Being called a liar is something that I take
great offence to. We all twist reality at times
at the table, but when I claim the truth as
my ally, I mean it. In defense, I attempted to
explain to Daniel why I would not call. The
most salient point was the paired board.
There is an old saying, “If you have to
ask the question, you won’t understand
the answer”. Translated. If something is so
obvious, yet you don’t get it, no measure is
likely to enlighten you. It quickly became
the ‘trying to teach a goat to fly scenario’. It
is a complete waste of your time and does
nothing but piss off the goat! After a very
short minute I gave up on the flying lesson,
as Daniel would have none of it. A new
advantage for me the next time I had him by
the short hairs.
Because I remember virtually everything
that goes on at the table, the quad 5’s hand
led me to see the trap being set by Doyle.
I know that he remembers the hand and
that it sticks in his craw like a chicken bone.
Nothing personal, just poker, and friendly
revenge for the former victim against the
perpetrator. But you have to get up pretty
early to get one by me. And even then good
luck to ya! I can fold a hand. That is the
second leg of the stool!
Internet poker has seen the flood of kids
playing the game. Not learning the game,
just playing it. Lacking any substantial life
experience at their tender age, it is difficult
for them to understand the more esoteric
aspects that would serve to educate them.
But not me!
Two of a group of these youngsters, let’s
call them Itchy and Scratchy, sat at the
table that afternoon as well. Itchy in seat
2, Scratchy in seat 9, and me sandwiched
between, in seat 3. I had tangled with them
several times over a couple of years, and can’t
remember one time that it cost me money.
Like most kids in the game today, their
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B L U E
C O L L A R
P O K E R
understanding of poker is relatively unsophisticated. They are overly aggressive, easy
to read and eventually trap.
It always seemed that Scratchy took great
pleasure in crushing Itchy. I had asked
Scratchy why? Apparently their group had
caught Itchy in some form of cheat at their
home game. Although there was forgiveness
to some degree there would never be any
solace for Itchy. The punishment from his
peer group would be a virtual perpetual
motion machine. They would do anything
to see him lose every hand he played. If
Itchy opened a pot, and there were a caller
or two, a huge raise from Scratchy nearly
always followed. After it happened a couple
of times that afternoon, I took advantage of
a seat change. For my plan to work I had to
be on Scratchy’s immediate right.
The hand with Doyle and the 4’ full took
place shortly after I moved to seat 8. An
opinion of position that I do not understand
states that you want the tight players on
your left and vice versa. I have put a lot of
thought into this and completely disagree.
I want the tightest player on my immediate
right and the most aggressive on my immediate left. Why?
There are a few regulars at the casino who
short buy and are so tight, that if they either
enter a pot (even with a smooth call), or call
or raise an already opened pot, you know exactly where you are in the hand even before
the flop hits the felt. Even with KK in position, they are so afraid of seeing an Ace on
the flop that they will put in the minimum
as the fourth or fifth in. Even when a 4-bet
or all-in shove is called for, they fail to act.
To that end, folding a small pair knowing
that you are drawing to 2 outs or AK/Q/J
or10, because hitting one on the flop is no
guarantee that you are ahead to their probable AA or KK is an easy play. Pushing them
off a hand is virtually impossible pre flop if
they are known to hold big cards or big pairs
when they choose to invest in the game.
They rarely have enough chips in front of
them to pose much of a threat but you need
to be willing to answer their predictable
all-in with what you hold if you choose to
tangle with them. It severely shortens your
range of playable hands. Having that player
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on my right saves me $$$. When they enter
a pot with a bet or raise, I exit and it costs
me nothing.
Conversely, there are a few super aggressive players who go ‘upstairs’ to open nearly
every pot and virtually every button. They
do have a hand now and then, but they
play the position and pressure game to the
extreme. Limping in with AA or other big
hand that sees them raise and several callers
in the mix builds a nice sized pot pre flop.
When the action returns, you can hit it hard
with confidence and many times take it
down right there. Or if you are lucky get it
all in with your AA or KK to their AK, KK
or QQ having them drawing very thin for
the win.
But the really smart ones will eventually
key in on this strategy and slow down a little
when you limp to them a few times and
then show the nuts or near nuts to a fold
around to your coup-de-gras. This is not a
bad thing. What it does is put you in control
of the game. You can see many more flops
for cheap when the ‘Badger’ et al, slow down
for fear of being trapped when you consistently limp in. They never know if you have
Aces, Ducks or suited connectors. You may
have to limp fold here and there to set it up
but it only costs you a few big blinds and
will pay big rewards down the road. I want
the ‘Badger’ on my left. He’ll build a pot for
me!
So-called professional poker players may
argue against this strategy, but what makes
more sense and whom are you going to believe? When a professional ‘liar’ gives advice
isn’t the reverse of what they say a better
course to follow? Think about it.
With Scratchy on my left in seat 9 and
Itchy in seat 2, I am perfectly poised to profit from their personal war. After paying close
attention to what the both of them were
doing and a couple of limp folds, I woke up
with AK on the small blind. Doyle folded
and Itchy opened for $12 into the $3 of the
BB/SB. I knew he had nothing by the way
he casually tossed the chips in. It was a pot
builder. I knew, by paying close attention,
that when he had a real hand he took much
more time to craft a bet before committing
chips. Two others called the opening raise,
as did I. Scratchy did exactly what I wanted
him to do. Sixty-four he chirped, letting the
chips slide off one another creating a pathway to the pot.
Itchy folded in disgust mumbling something under his breath about being targeted
by his buddy. The others folded to me. There
was over $100 in the pot and I still had the
$300 behind when I checked to end the 4’s
full hand. Looking the dealer in the eyes as I
always do when I bet, “I’m all in” I declared.
Now Scratchy was put to the test. He
hummed and hawed and squirmed in his
seat. So, he did have something I thought.
But not much I quickly concluded when he
did not insta-call. A small pair or suited AQ/
AJ seemed obvious. Itchy was his target as
always and his tunnel-vision mentality in
that regard leaves him open for attack from
those who are wise enough to recognize the
opportunity to do so. We had about the
same size stack, but I had been working like
a circus mule for several weeks and what I
risked was only the equivalent of a day’s pay
and a very small portion of my poker stake.
One thing for sure is that I am not afraid to
get it all in if I think I’m ahead. Losing a few
hundred would not change my life whatsoever. For a twenty-something like Scratchy
it could have represented a large percentage
of what he possessed. Losing this hand could
put a hurt on him that would leave a nasty
scar and take some time to heal. A reload
or two with the same result could see him
bruised and bloodied.
He lifted his cards and whether or not he
meant to, exposed A♠Q ♠ in my full view.
“I think I’m ahead,” he said while flashing
his hand. I started laughing so hard I had to
get up to catch my breath. The house rule
at Club Regent is that an exposed hand is
immediately dead. So I had no fear of losing
but said nothing at the time. I was relatively
certain he wasn’t calling, but would call for
the floor if he were foolish enough to try. I
don’t like angling and don’t think it should
be permitted under any circumstance. I
wasn’t laughing because the hand would be
declared dead. I was laughing because I was
probably playing poker before his parents
were born. And if he thought he was getting
one over on me he was only fooling himself
into eventually losing his stack to me, if I
got the chance to take it. What did he think
I was moving in with? That is how narrow a
scope of thought he and many other of the
kiddies have if they think I do not have AQ
crushed when I make that move. It was a
planned play when I changed seats, and took
an hour to set up. That is the level at which I
play the game. Get it Daniel?
After a Hollywood Minute he folded,
calling my hand as an exercise. I confirmed
his belief showing for effect. When I make
that move I want the respect it takes to
force a fold, so showing a big hand serves an
important purpose. I welcome a race from
ahead, but those 2 and 3 outers do come so
I am happy to take the pot right there. And
as importantly, I took control of the game
for a period of time. That is why the limp
call is such an important aspect of winning
poker strategy. And that is why I am so wary
of it when I am on the receiving end of one.
Just a couple of hands later the roles and
hands were reversed. As he has trained himself to do Scratchy again raised into Itchy,
who was short stacked. Itchy moved all-in
for a few dollars more than Scratchy’s raise.
I now had AQ off suit and contemplated
moving all-in again. But! I am smart enough
to realize that Scratchy is not a complete idiot. If he is doing it again such a short time
after the last, then I have to give him credit
for a better hand than mine. I didn’t want to
get involved with their personal battle this
time so I folded.
Scratchy turned over A♦K♦ and Itchy
had two black 8’s. As it turned out I would
have won when a Queen hit the river. But a
‘sweat’ to win is not what I am looking for.
Racing from behind is a tough way to make
money at the poker table.
There are two quotes that I hold dear
when my hard earned money is at risk.
One from a pre-eminent Las Vegas gambler
who avowed, “As a professional gambler, I
don’t care how much money I win. I care
how much money I lose!” And the other is
from T. J. Cloutier, one of the best poker
players in the history of the game. “Poker is
not about winning pots. It is about making
correct decisions. If you consistently make
correct decisions, you will be a winning
poker player!” The third leg of the stool that
does not wobble!
Slow playing the quad 5’s was the correct
decision. If you flop the mortal nuts why
not let your opponent(s) catch up? If you
bet and they fold what do you win? By
betting you may completely eliminate any
chance of building a decent pot for a very
rare hand. If you check one or two streets
you still have a chance to build a small pot
on the turn or river. Even though the result
is the same, at least you gave them a chance
to succumb to their nature and build a pot.
The best example that I can think of is
the following true story. Holding 77 UTG,
‘Roy’ raised to $7 pre flop in the 1 / 2 game
at the casino. There were 8 callers. Flopping
quads, he bet $7 on every street to the river
and every player at the table called every bet
to showdown. Brilliant! How would it be
possible to win that amount against one or
two players without forcing one or both to
fold with a bet somewhere down the line?
$200+ profit flopping quads, bleeding a little from each player, betting a number that
no one keyed in on as a hint to his hand. He
did it for giggles. I can tell you that I would
have lost $7 at the very most, wary of the
paired board and would not call for the flop
if I didn’t like my hand.
Checking down in the 4’s full hand
instead of betting, after the check call and
checked turn/river, on the paired board and
because Doyle was involved was the correct
decision. Stealing with a bet in position was
not an option. If they check called the post
flop bet, there was something up and at least
one of them was going to call a bet or put in
a raise on the river. If they have nothing and
I bet, the winning amount is the same when
they fold. If they have a hand and I bet, they
raise and I fold, losing more than I needed
to, against the same amount that I would
win if they had nada. Risk management meters the amount you may lose unnecessarily,
against what you will win, if you are unsure
of your hand value, and where you stand in
a hand.
Moving into seat 8 with a plan that was
hatched with information that had nothing
to do with the cards was the correct decision. Executing that plan at that time was
the correct decision. Folding the AQ off suit
for the reason I stated was the correct decision. The fact that a Queen hit the river and
would have given me the win is irrelevant to
the fact that I knew that I had the inferior
hand and knowing so chose to fold it.
This is why poker is not a game of cards.
It is without a doubt a game of pressure,
information and correct decision-making. If
you do not play poker at this level you are at
the mercy of those of us who do. We are not
perfect beings and we cannot expect to play
perfect poker every single hand through every single session. What we can do is try to
play perfect poker to the best of our abilities.
To resist our inherent nature to bet when
everyone checks. The check call, check raise
and check lead out on the next street have
become the norm.
Just because someone checks, it does not
mean that they don’t have a hand. That is
why folding a hand when unsure of its value
is so important. There are two more cards
coming your way in a few seconds. But you
cannot take advantage of them if you just
lost your stack and have to make that walk
of shame. The victim of your own foolishness, flawed nature and inability to fold a
friggin’ hand!
I close with the following; the first two
lines of Memories are Made of This. Written
in 1955 by Terry Gilkyson, Richard Dehr,
and Frank Miller and made popular by
Dean Martin, one of the true Pioneers of
Vegas and Rat Pack stalwart.
Sweet, sweet memories you gave-a me
You can’t beat the memories you gave-a
me………
Good luck at the tables. And remember.
I’m watching!
♠
Doug Antoine is an avid amateur poker player
who has been working professionally as a
technician in the Canadian Entertainment
Industry since 1976. You can read all of his
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