Many ways to play - stop whining!!!

[memberr]

Is anyone with me on this???...

Poker is a dynamic game with many ways to play, usually dependent on the situation. Yet the trend continues of some players crying about losing hands when they were 'ahead' pre-flop.

Personally I have about 10 different gears that I go through when I play, and never in any pattern or trend. I arrive at every table with an empty slate in my mind; I analyze the blind structure and absorb the feel of the table play. I then try to adjust accordingly. Sometimes I am tight, sometimes I am loose...sometimes I am aggressive, sometimes play possum and try to trap...sometimes I fish relentlessly. It all depends on the math, the situation and my gut feel in the moment. In today's poker world of so many strong players, it is being dynamic that cause the cream to rise to the top.

I bring all this up, because apparently there was a lot of whining and crying about my play, last night on the WHL radio broadcast. "Wade Radio", who I knocked out calling his all-in with AK suited ( he had QQ and I hit), was apparently going on and on how terrible I was. And then after that Cydott joined in on the whining about how I suck (after I made a correct pot odds call with K 10 suited when in the BB vs her AJ, and then proceeded to hit and win).

I am astounded by it really, because thought the league was full of nice and good players, and then to hear how some people were so bitter and angry...well it amazed me. Because there was nothing wrong with either of my plays...here are the 2 hands that were cried about, you tell me:

Hand #1

- I have a big stack; the stakes are up to about 200/400 and I have AK suited UTG.
- I decided to limp with it, hoping to either hit and out-kick someone, out 'flush' someone, or if someone raises, I will likely re-pop it all-in (being out of position).
- Wade Radio is next to act and he shoves all in for his approx. 3,000 stack.
- I have about double his stack.
- In the pot there is already my 400, his 400 call of my limp (truly separate from his raise), and 400 in the BB and 200 in SB plus the antis...so there is approximately 1700 in the pot and I am faced with calling about 2600 more.
- So I am getting about 1.65 to 1 on my call of what is likely a coin flip, when I have the 'all-inner' well covered.
- I make the call, I hit the flop, win the hand and then Wade Radio says "Good Lord!" (as if to denote or imply that it was a terrible call and very unlucky for him).
- He then rants on the radio how terrible I am and proceeds to threaten to pull the broadcast because of the "terrible play".

Hand #2

- The stakes are 400/800.
- The table is short handed (only 4 left).
- I am in the BB with K-10 suited.
- I have a big stack (over 10k)
- UTG limps and then Cydott shoves her last 2600 or so.
- My gut tells me that UTG will fold (based on their stack size and previous play)
- I am faced with calling about 1800 more for a total pot of over 6000, so I am getting better than 2 to 1 on my investment.
- I make the fairly simple call.
- I fail to hit by the turn, but still have 15 out due to my flush draw, and my flush hits the river.
- Cydott says "member, you suck!!"...I retort "thanks...and my girlfriend likes it too."

Any player that would fold K 10 suited in my spot, getting better than 2-1 odds on a call, easily covering the short stacked "all-inner", and already invested in the BB....well personally I feel that it would be a horrendous fold based on the situation.

So anyone that feels it was a bad call, is either horrendous or bitter. Well, I feel Cydott is a strong player, so she must just be bitter. But on the other hand, Wade Radio has only showed me one gear in his play style, so perhaps he is just horrendous. A typical 1 dimensional, non-dynamic player, stuck in his '1 right way' mode, forever holding himself back. Just my 2 cents.

Jason (memberr)

[billybob]

it has been my experience the whiners are just poor losers.

[gypsyluvin]

I have always respected your play and I agree with the calls you made. You can't play ABC poker and expect every other player to do so also. I started out playing that way (which is a good way to play for a beginner) but as you grow into your own style and learn to pick up on other's betting patterns and game tells, you should evolve into a multi-dimensional situational player. You can't say "oh I have JJ so I will play it this way all the time" or "I have K10...I have to fold to that raise". You must play each and every hand in the moment and take advantage of the situation at hand! That in my opinion is what constitutes a well rounded player.
Member you are one of the best "well rounded" players I have ever seen...so just keep doing your thing and taking down those pots!

[batgirl218]

I don't see anything particularly out of sorts with those choices. It's not the way I play, but when you boil hold em down to the best players everyone knows how to climb the mountain. Some of us use different gear, or different paths. But the bottom line is everyone knows how to get to the top.

As far as berating bad players (I too am working on this cause I am very very guilty of this) I like Phil Gordon's line of "Don't tap on the aquarium". If you believe a fish is going off and playing badly you should be inviting him to make the same plays over and over again. If you are in a buy in level or a tournament series with a lot of bad beats going on no matter if you are involved in them or not, you are in the right level. You just haven't learned to manage those bad beats yet.

I dunno I hope that helps someone in someway. I would like to see these really dark clouds that seem to be looming overhead go away.

No, that last line wasn't meant for everyone to understand, just those who got it.

[loxxra]

Well i am gonna have to agree n disagree !! I will give you both plays last night as being well played hands , at least 1 of them !! Look i know im not the strongest player in the league , but i do feel i play a decent card game !! memberr does have alot of gears i will agree !! But i have seen you play alot of very ?able hands !! playing 45 from 1st pos n unsuited mid cards from anywhere !! i dont think its just last nights calls that have upset DOTT or WADE !! I think its an accumalation of your bad position play with bad cards !! I actually think you can play well at times , but again this is my opinion, but your overall play is not good !! again, if its your style to play bad cards in bad positions who is to question that !! You have the right to play your cards as you plzzz !!

[memberr]

Well i am gonna have to agree n disagree !! I will give you both plays last night as being well played hands , at least 1 of them !! Look i know im not the strongest player in the league , but i do feel i play a decent card game !! memberr does have alot of gears i will agree !! But i have seen you play alot of very ?able hands !! playing 45 from 1st pos n unsuited mid cards from anywhere !! i dont think its just last nights calls that have upset DOTT or WADE !! I think its an accumalation of your bad position play with bad cards !! I actually think you can play well at times , but again this is my opinion, but your overall play is not good !! again, if its your style to play bad cards in bad positions who is to question that !! You have the right to play your cards as you plzzz !!

I won't defend why I do what I do, as some secrets are best kept as such...but good points Wayne.

[memberr]

I won't defend why I do what I do, as some secrets are best kept as such...but good points Wayne.

but I will add this self created quote:

"Short sighted people only see the surface, and often fail to see the intricacies and nuances at the core, beneath the surface."

[loxxra]

That's a little deep for me. Quote : if the shoe ( in this case the maybe a certain horseshoe) fits , wear it !!

[memberr]

That's a little deep for me. Quote : if the shoe ( in this case the maybe a certain horseshoe) fits , wear it !!

yup, indeed, if the shoe fits

...but people have selected memories...I have lived my play this month...and I am very sure that I have had more bad luck than good luck...but nobody remember's or notices the bad luck, and I don't cry about it (much)....I just happen to be more active than most, hence why I have more 'good luck' to remember, but I also have more 'bad luck' that isn't remembered.

i.e. for about 9 days straight games I had an early chip lead or very big stack, but when the luck mattered most as the stakes got high, I had bad luck every time and failed to cash or get worthwhile points. It was gruesome how bad the fortune was, but who remembers my 9 consecutive games of gruesome late stages luck? exactly, no one.

Most people remember what they choose to remember, usually in line with their preconceived notions.

...oh and btw, 'deep' is all I know. Core truths are all that matter to me, not the standard (and often wrong) popular social view. But that's another story. .

...i.e. if someone makes a call with a worse hand, because they pretty much had to due to pot odds, and then 'sucks out', to that isn't a suck out, because they had odds to make the call. To me a suck out is when the odds are not there, i.e. when I called AA with my JJ and got lucky to hit Jack, now that was a suck out! But when K 10 suited is already invested and makes the proper pot odds call and then wins vs a marginally better short stacked hand...that is NEVER a suck out. NEVER!!!! For those that think it is, wake up!!!

memberr (Jason)

[memberr]

To illustrate it more....last night I was heads up vs Dawgg, who becomes very aggressive when heads up. With blinds at 500/1000, I had about 9k left. Dawgg raised it to 3k, I look down at A8 and re-pop it all in. He calls the extra 6k and turns over 56 off suit. The cards drop and he wins with the 6 that hit. I just say gg.

If I were like those that are crying about me, I would be like "56? wtf? you suck Dawgg"...but I'm not like them...I understand Dawgg's heads up style, I understand he already had 3k in the pot, and only had to call 6k more for a pot of 18k. While he was sure to be behind, he was almost sure to live and at least 35% to win the pot. With 2-1 on his call (investment), his call, while suspect, was okay by the math.

So I said "gg Dawgg" and then congratulated him on his well earned win. I hope other's start to act with such class too.