Chapter 1

It really just happened as an accident. I had quit my job because I was unhappy with management and my situation. My buddy says, “You should start playing cards full time.” Now it wasn’t the first time someone had told me that or the first time I ever considered it. But I figured it was as good a time as any to really start playing seriously. Not just for fun, but I had rent to pay.

Up to this point I’d probably logged somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000 hours at the card table in various casinos across the country and even online before black Friday. I’d played every type of game, most working class limits (Up to $5-$10 No limit games) and had some success but also my taste of major failures. I was never able to get the consistent results that the pros seem to get year after year, but I also wasn’t losing my car payment every month at the card table.

It really changed a couple of years ago, when I felt myself stop playing the cards and make calls and raises based on the player I was playing. I’m not sure where the change occurred, but it did. I guess it’s a lot like any other sport. Practice and playing makes you better. I remember the hand that made me start thinking maybe I could really do it. Maybe I could play not just for the fun, which it is sooo much fun, but to make a little cash on the side.

My buddy and I were playing a $1-$2 No Limit game with a $100 to $300 buy in. As a general rule, I always buy in for at least 100 times the big blinds in No Limit games or else I invariably feel I’m in an all in situation every time I get in a hand. So I bought for the max. And was hovering right around my buy in for several rounds winning a few losing a few. But hey, my buddy and I were having a few beers and a lot of fun. Something changed though; I started noticing this player acting before me consistently putting in over sized bets in relation to the pot. And each time, all the players seemed to fold to him. He hardly ever raised pre-flop, so he likely had the goods those hands… But those bets didn’t seem right. Why would he bet $50 to win $20 with every player checking to him? The only person calling has him beat right?

So I ended up in the big blind and of course I’m dealt the worst hand in poker.

I wasn’t thrilled with my hand but hey; I was in the big blind! I already had $2 invested in the hand. And I had my starting $300 so lets see what happens.

Three people called until our own Huckleberry($250 in chips) raised to $12. There was one caller before my action and I decided to call. My reasoning? It was $10 into a $33 pot, I was getting 3.3 to 1 on my money and more if the people behind call as well. My luck, they didn’t. So three of us went to the flop, both of which acted after me. UGH!

The flop came:

I watched the two other players as the flop came out. They didn’t seemed thrilled, I didn’t see any real tells that would leave me to believe they hit the flop. But as I saw I only had a pair of 7’s with the worst kicker, in early position I decided to check.

Huckleberry checked as well and so did the other player.

Next: The turn.

Again, I watched the players as the card came out. Neither seemed to like it, I felt like my pair might be good so I made a decent bet. $15 dollars into the now $38 pot with the rake and “Bad-Beat” rake taken out. It’s a reasonable bet, and Huckleberry looked pained, he hemmed and hawed. Scratched his head. Then reached for chips and raised it to $60! The other player quickly mucked his hand.

Let’s think about this… He raised pre-flop to $12, which in a $1-$2 game is a standard raise with a good hand. But he checked the flop and then makes a huge raise on a card that couldn’t seem to help him. This is when all the previous hands factor in, if I were playing a tight player. I’d put him on A-J or even J-J and lay it down. But Huckleberry? No way, he would have bet the flop with anything close to that. The entire time I was thinking I started looking at him and talking out the hand openly. I could see he was uncomfortable. I decided my 7’s were probably good. I raised the minimum to $120 total and he quickly shoved all in. Okay… I thought, he has 8-9. I had eliminated it before because he was the pre-flop raiser. But he hardly ever raised pre-flop as I mentioned before. But why shove all-in when I’m first to act on the river if he has the nuts? No… He can’t have a made hand. He’s on a draw and wants me to fold but still has outs if I call.

It made sense. Think about it. He raised pre-flop with Ac-Qc or Ac-Kc… He’s on the nut flush draw and a gut shot. But he doesn’t realize his over pairs have me beat too. So if I put him on those hands, what are the odds?

A general rule to calculate odds on the spot: First determine the number of outs you or your opponent have. I put him on Ac-Kc same as Ac-Qc… So he has exactly 20 outs. Ugh. That’s a lot of outs. Second determine the odds you or your opponent will hit the card they need. If calculating on the flop, multiply the total number of outs by 4.4. If calculating on the turn, multiply by 2.2. If you use that rule, you’ll be close enough that Daniel Negranu wouldn’t argue. So he has, if my read is right, approximately a 44% chance of hitting a card that beats me. So I’m a favorite to win! Third determine the pot odds. I needed $118 more to call a pot valued at $395 or so.

It’s a big risk, but I was getting over 3.5 to 1 on my money as the favorite. I called. And he had exactly what I thought. And luckily his card didn’t come. After the hand my buddy and I cashed out talked about the hand, and we quickly realized we were talking about how the hand progressed and analyzing it differently than we did years ago.

Since that hand, I’ve gotten even better. And since quitting my job, I’m a part-time poker professional. This column is going to walk you through how to approach hands just like this. So you too, can walk out of the card room with a couple of extra Benjamin’s in your wallet leaving the guy you took it from scratching his head. Time and again.