Scott31

Yeah, like what Dutch said, that's a silly overbet for jack high. Bet the pot here in some situations, but most of the time, you want to check and play defense here. By no means fold, but don't get too crazy with this. Definitely bet the turn, although you'll still lose this pot almost every time. He's not going to fold his two pair on the turn unless you bet all in and say, "I got a straight, oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah." :-)

I don't see the similarity, so I don't think it's quite an analogy. They both seem pretty unrelated to me, but I'll answer your question, regardless.What do I call checking in the dark? Well, considering you can't do this online (and that's what we're talking about) I'd call it a weapon only you have. :-) In live play, before the 2004 WSOP, I'd call it a decent play to randomize your actions. After the 2004 WSOP, I'd call it a damn easy tell that your opponent has a small pp. Since David William's 55 play, it's been used a bunch from those I've seen.

I've picked off a number of river bluffs with not much more than their betting speed to work with. Usually I have betting speed in line with their past actions and it tells a correct story. Yes, it's a tell, but it's like 99% of other tells. I just mean that you need something else to help you with your decision (betting patterns, whether or not you've seen him bet that speed before on a bluff, etc.) Jayson is correct that if you're multi-tabling, that you don't really notice it, so it's not something reliable in that aspect. Sheesh, no. Betting speed is a tell in real life, so why

2nd or 3rd to last to act and you bet in your 88s with two overcards on the flop. Ummm, not good. A lot of bad players use this tactic for fear of a late position 'bluff' and are just kinda being stubborn about the fact that their hands suck on the flop. Has it not hit you that the guys after you could have a King or better? They won't always raise, in fact, some donkey who limps in with K5s is probably not going to raise. If I picked up on your play, I would very rarely raise you on the flop or turn heads up because you're a sure thing for a bb or 2. On the turn, your bet was not good..

Well, pace yourself just to a level of consistency. If you always take 1.5 seconds to bet, that's fine. Just don't be one of those guys who waits 3 seconds to fold because they foolishly read somewhere that you need to be consistent on all your hands. I'm just talking about the times you actually put some money in the pot.

Yes, this is a tell for many players. It's the ridiclously fast raise or bet. It's hard to explain the exact speed of it, but it just doesn't feel right when I see it. The difference is probably only a few tenths of a second, but it's noticeable to the online junky. I only trust this tell when I've seen that particular person do it and I'm sure he's bluffing, because it can often mean extreme strength. My advice is, just say one word in between each decision so to keep a fairly steady rhythm to your bets and bluffs. Me, I just use one deep breath when the action comes to me when I plan

Cool. I didn't know you two had a bond, otherwise I wouldn't have said anything. I took a shot at him because he took a shot at you (and because he thought that tryangle was a shape when it's just a bunch of mixed up letters by Lent). BTW, I know Ben Affleck's alias and it is.....crap. I had it in an email that UB sent me, but I must have deleted it. Ehh, he's a horrible actor anyway.

Geometric shape? Mmm, nope. I do remember way back to 1st grade that TrIangle is a geometric shape, but this seems to be an amalgam of try and angle....like try an angle or something. Or he's just stupid and can't spell triangle.

The OP didn't say this, but it's implied that the majority of the time, he's talking about FLOPPING a set and not chasing a 2 outer (although we've all done it at some time....admit it). There's not really anything left in poker that gets me excited, except when I'm on mega tilt and have 44 with a board of AK9 and decide to "take one off" with my two outer and hit it. Of course, by that point of the tilting session, I'm so disillusioned that I think it was a good play. DON'T PLAY AND DRINK.....EVER!!I've probably gone around 30pps without hitting a set. I keep a rough running total in my h

Lavar Burton.Not sure where I got Arrington from.

I think I'm doing fine on the internet. And most of the flame wars start with Smash's sarcastic (and mostly very rude) comments. Then, you're right, it's followed by the filter gettting a work-out and meaningless babble afterward. DN investigated this himself and said that Smash is always in the center of these conflicts and I agree. It's not like he's sitting back and they're all just picking on poor Smash. He all but begs someone to challenge him. Everytime he gets into a flame war with some other person, I picture that red-headed bully kid from 'A Christmas Story' (a great movie). A

One of the things this forum is lacking in, however, as compared to some other forums i post to, is knowledgeable poker critics. Smasharoo, like him or not, is one of the few skilled poker thinkers here, or perhaps he is just better able to communicate his knowledge than most. Regardless, he is valuable to this community, or at least his opinions are valuable to me, and im sure many others.Couldn't disagree more. We have plenty of knowledgeable players on here. The only minor problem is that many do not post due to the fear of being absolutely torn down by Smash (amongst others). That's not

One of the best ideas I've heard yet is to take your money and play in a really cheap sit and go and just piss your chips away. UB has some 1.00 tables and I just go nuts on 3 or 4 of those and I'm healed. It's quite therepeutic.

whew, some pointless stuff on that thread. Didn't see anything about smash leavin though

work thread? Link it please, or direct me....bunch of different rooms on here.

Yes, Smash is leaving...again. Who wants odds? 3-1 is probably about right. Any odds makers out there? Chime in. Oh, this can also be the place where you say that, "I hate Smash" OR "Smash don't leave....I need you....my bankroll needs you....my future depends on your return."I really could care less, but the topic makes for good reading :-) and I'm bored.

LOL. This made me laugh, but for a very odd and obscure reason. Does anybody else remember 'REading Rainbow' where Lavar Arrington would say that exact same line before he introduced another book? "This is a great book where katie finds a shovel and decides to bury her treasure.....but don't take my word for it." da da du (that little sound after he says it) OK, clearly I've had a little too much to drink tonight.

Screw you guys. I'm taking my ball and going home. Since this is about the 3rd time he's said something to this effect, I think when Smash returns that he should be known as Michael Jordan for all of the comebacks. Wait, check that....Ross Perot. Yeah, Perot is better....Perot. :-)

Jennifer harman's section is excellent. I've read several Limit hold em books (5 I think) and hers is one of the best. She doesn't put a ton of math behind it, which may bother some of the more 'purists.' But, she does back up her reasoning and she writes and explains it all very well. Oh, and there's also several hundred pages of other stuff in SS2 also. :-)

And folding is? Did you read the whole post, or just that part? Like I said, these guys were weak leading with anything on the flop. Ideally, with the raise, I could buy a free card and see the river and try to improve, but often times at this table, Ace high takes down the pot more often than it should.

OK, I'm at a table now that is driving me bonkers. Let me run through one hand as an example real quick.I have AA in the CO and there's 3 limpers in and I raise to 4...button reraises to 6 and the SB and BB call! Then, the UTG limper caps it at 8 or 4 total bets.MP2 calls 3 cold and so does MP3. I'm not happy already as this is shaping up to be 7 way action. Anyway, the SB took down the huge pot with 38s when he hit is one card gutshot straight on the turn. I folded my aces, but was not happy about it. Well, the point of this is to show the type of table I'm at. Not great players here,

Why Jennifer harman and Annie Duke? Did I miss why this is a rivalry or is it just because they're both female? Honestly, I don't think this one is even close, as Jennifer has the big advantage in....well, everything. But, Annie does have her slaughtered in the field of being obnoxious. Hands down Annie.

Yeah, although his past few avatars always seem to have automatic guns in them. Oh, he's from Texas....nevermind. :-)

That's a heady river check. Although he was incorrect, he put his opponent on the ole 79o and knew that the river 6 was likely to hit his opponent more often than not. Stay away from this dangerous player. :-)

This is one a few guys have said fold, but I think they're missing out on some big pots by mucking this. 78s is an excellent multiway hand (one of the best, IMO) and is very capable of taking down those massive pots. You have a raiser and several limpers who are going to call, which means there's going to be some action and if you miss the flop completely, it's pretty easy to get away from. You should call this raise and root for more cold callers. If you're playing online, I recommend just chanting, 'CALL, CALL, CALL, CALL." The more the merrier with this hand. If you flop an open ender