respond to my january article please
 

so who thinks the article was good and who bad?

then despite what you think about the article did you get something from it.
score from 1 to 5.

Re: respond to my january article please
 

Is this a missed inside joke or did you mean your February article?

Re: respond to my january article please
 

i wrote it in january. it came out in feb. thats not my fault. so what did you think. concentrate on the question.

Re: respond to my january article please
 

Hi Ray. Since you didn’t write an article for January, you must mean February.

Dynasty wrote:[ QUOTE ]
It will be published in the February issue.

It's only the 28th. You have time to revise it or write something completely new.

[/ QUOTE ]

I wondered if you revised the article, as per Dynasty’s offer - or if you simply left it the way you originally wrote it. Doesn’t matter. I don’t really care. And it’s not a question to ask - sort of like people asking about what cards you held after they mucked theirs without paying you off. You might give an answer but there’s no guarantee it’ll be the truth.

As to the article itself, I liked the article.

The human interest aspect captured my attention the most. I liked reading your report about the eagles in Montana.

I can’t image going anywhere on showshoes. Years ago the whole family tried cross country skiing at Mammoth. We rented the skis, sloshed up a road to a lake and sloshed around the lake. My wife thought it was good exercise and the kids just liked being out in the snow. However, I thought cross country skiing was highly over-rated as an enjoyable recreational activity.

Returning from the lake, the road was slightly sloped downward, enough for me to actually ski on the things. There were people walking around, hiking up to and back from the lake, some on cross country skis. An attractive, well dressed woman remarked to her also attractive female companion about me, “That’s the first time I ever saw anyone actually skiing on those things.” With that, I could not resist twisting my feet to one side, the way you do when you make a quick stop on ice skates or alpine skis.

The skis went one way and I went another without being able to keep my footing. At that the other woman simply remarked, “That’s why.”

So much for showing off on cross country skis.

I had recovered and was carrying my skis by the time my wife and kids arrived upon the scene. My wife, who had evidently been watching, remarked, “Pretty fancy maneuver, Hot Shot! Tired of skiing for today?”

I replied, “They don’t slide very well, do they?” And that was the end of my cross country skiing.

Snowshoes? They don’t slide at all!

My own interest in poker continues to be almost entirely in Omaha-8. There’s no particularly good reason for that - just a personal preference. I sometimes sit down at a non-Omaha-8 table, but within a short time wonder why I’m not playing the game I prefer. Life is too short and the minutes we have left are too few for me to spend time playing one game when I’d rather be playing another.

[ QUOTE ]
I do tell some great stories from the past that are not about poker hands but rather are funny or very unusual situations that happened. Those are mostly reserved for friends and people meeting me at various times who loosen me up with the right number of beers.

[/ QUOTE ] You can’t be too much of a guzzler if you do much walking on showshoes. How many beers can it take? (rhetorical - don’t answer)

[ QUOTE ]
..... 100-200 limit hold ‘em game at Bay 101 .....
..... elderly gentleman in the small blind who called the bet and a half.....
.....I was surprised that he called this bet and did not raise if he had any kind of hand. That is what tight older players often do but mostly in smaller games.

[/ QUOTE ]Hmm.
By “that,” do you mean
• (1) tight older players tend to raise with any kind of decent hand, or
• (2) tight older players tend to play the way this old guy did, calling instead of raising.

If (1) is the case, you have to put him on a set up for a bluff.
If (2) is the case, then you have to put him on a decent flop fit, perhaps top pair (queens) with a good kicker, two pairs, or even a set.

[ QUOTE ]
The next card was another queen- a very good card for my hand. He bet at me this time and I was quite surprised about this. I expected a check raise if he had three queens.

[/ QUOTE ]Sounds like you put him on queens. Going back to the previous two paragraphs, (2) must be the case.

But since he didn’t check-raise, you presume he probably doesn’t have trip queens. Hmm. Now unless his hand has a pair higher than your sevens, you are in very good shape.
[ QUOTE ]
So, I called what I suspected was a surprise bluff from him since I did not want to play a giant pot by raising him if I was wrong.

[/ QUOTE ]Sounds like an excellent read. Your approach seems optimal to me.

I encounter quite a lot of bluffing in Omaha-8 games, usually mainly by a certain few individuals and usually reasonably intelligently mainly directed at someone the bluffer sees as non-tenacious. But anybody is capable of bluffing occasionally.

[ QUOTE ]
He bet again on the river and I called.

[/ QUOTE ]Seems right.

[ QUOTE ]
The story here is that in smaller games he would have had the three queens. But, in higher stakes games, even the predictable players are unpredictable.

[/ QUOTE ]What you have written about a high stakes Texas hold ‘em hand is of more immediate interest to me in terms of how I can apply it in low stakes Omaha-8 games.

I’ll often correctly read an opponent for a particular hand, but then call him just in case he really doesn’t have that hand. When I’m not playing well, I think I do that too indiscriminately. What I mean is some people are more predictable than others. I think I should try to differentiate on the basis of how predictable someone is. I haven’t thought about it in quite that way. Seems like something I should give some thought.

At any rate, you wrote something you thought would be of no interest about a blah high stakes Texas hold ‘em hand and I’m thinking about it and trying to apply it to low stakes Omaha-8 games. Reading your article and thinking about it was (is) not a waste of my time at all. You have gotten me thinking about a way I might be able to improve my play in my games. (Thanks).

[ QUOTE ]
In another hand, I had AQ under the gun playing ten handed. I immediately folded when I felt a few players had looked at their cards and liked what they saw. I didn't.

[/ QUOTE ]Very interesting to read about how you think. Sometimes I get a sense of what is occurring in my game and play accordingly. Those sensings are an important aspect of play. (You don’t want to be zigging when you should be zagging). I think people put out non-verbal signals. They’re not exactly what most people think of as "tells," per se, but just various non-verbal body language signals that indicate how individuals feel about their cards. You have to be careful to not take the reads too far because poker is a game of deception and individuals are always trying to act deceptively. It’s very subtle, but you’re referring to it when you write “I felt.”

[ QUOTE ]
In a third hand......
.....I don’t like playing out of position against players I have trouble with. Things go wrong in those spots.

[/ QUOTE ]Good point. Interesting for me to read that you have trouble playing correctly against some players too. For me, it’s not that they’re more skilled than me, or even necessarily good players. It’s simply difficult for me to adapt my style of play against them. And I definitely don’t want them sitting on my left. At any rate, I think I know exactly what you mean. I’m just surprised that it happens to you too.

[ QUOTE ]
I didn’t get to go to Pacific Grove and Santa Cruz to sit with the gobs of Monarch butterflies that come each winter to the eucalyptus trees. They hang together in the branches to keep warm and fly out all around you as the temperature warms up.

[/ QUOTE ]I’d like to see that. The dates are well known, I think, like the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano. It’s just a matter of being there at the right time. It’s something to think about. Maybe next year.

[ QUOTE ]
I am glad to be back home in Montana after any trip. When gone, I miss the countryside and the all the wildlife that I can see from my window. Today, a few bald eagles are feasting on a deer carcass in the river below. They’re getting chased around by the ravens who think because they maneuver better in flight that they are the rightful owners.

[/ QUOTE ]Sounds like you have found a nice spot for your home. We saw lots of bald eagles in Alaska, especially on Kodiak Island. Neat. We didn’t see any getting pestered by ravens, but then they weren’t eating carrion either. The eagles we saw were mostly perching and salmon fishing. (You just have to look up in the trees by a stream emptying into the ocean to spot them). They swoop down into the estuary, expertly pluck a salmon, barely touch the water (not even seeming to get a wet feather), and then they either swoop back to shore carrying their treat to their nest or they stop on a mud flat to enjoy their sashimi delight.

I give you a five for the article, Ray, but I’d probably give you a five for whatever you wrote that got published. I appreciate your insights.

Frank Jerome

Re: respond to my january article please
 

This was so bad. I can't believe I wasted 5mins of my life reading it.

Am only interested to hear of the colorful stories Ray reserves for his friends.

I give it a fair 0 but look foraward to a decent article by Ray with at least something to glean from!

Re: respond to my january article please
 

"Normally, I wait to see the hand or expect the bettor to call his hand. But, I did not need to embarrass him. I also wanted to play more with him in future pots and didn’t want him to clam up against me."

"I immediately folded when I felt a few players had looked at their cards and liked what they saw."

"I don’t like playing out of position against players I have trouble with. Things go wrong in those spots."

Ray,

What's not to like?

Keep em coming.
-NY

Re: respond to my january article please
 

Hi Ray,
I liked your article and sent it to my Dad. I called you a 'poker old timer'. Is that an accurate title?

I give you a 4 of 5 for two reasons: (5 of 5 would mean perfect)

1) the article could use some editing. There were a few spots I had to reread several times to understand correctly.

2) related to 1, maybe the editor could edit in a an upbeat line or two. Maybe calling the article "Three Simple Lessons" or adding a line to the intro that would get me jazzed to learn these 3 simple lessons.


all in all, I like the article. Looking forward to visiting Montana soon and seeing your ranch.

Re: respond to my january article please
 

"Today, a few bald eagles are feasting on a deer carcass in the river below. They’re getting chased around by the ravens who think because they maneuver better in flight that they are the rightful owners. A quick trip into Glacier National park on snowshoes will rejuvenate me enough to return to the stresses of my rocking chair."

[ QUOTE ]

Ray,
What's not to like?

Keep em coming.
-NY

[/ QUOTE ]

Excellent article (5).
Real poker, real life.

Re: respond to my january article please
 

Seems like you could have done a lot more with it.

Not a very good article at all IMO. You probably rushed through it or something. You will get'em next month.

Write something about stud8! Then I wouldnt give you a rating of: 1

Re: respond to my january article please
 

1.12

Re: respond to my january article please
 

[ QUOTE ]
In another hand, I had AQ under the gun playing ten handed. I immediately folded when I felt a few players had looked at their cards and liked what they saw. I didn't.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd like to hear this fleshed out a little. I can understand AQ being a little ugly if you feel that you're going to get action. It may mean that some of your aces are out or it may mean that you're in an equity deficit (or dominated) to/by a pocket pair. I'd be curious to know where your cutoff is. When you notice that others like their hand do you play AK, TT?

Not to be results oriented, but how did your read manifest itself in the way the hand played out. Did all those who you noticed liking their hand in fact get involved. Did they have holdings which confirmed your read? Did you learn anything else about their standards? Are these reads which were specific to these players or universal things which 35+ years of high end poker have ingrained into your noodle?

[ QUOTE ]
In a third hand, I was in the big blind but forgot about it because I was in a good conversation with another player. The action came around to me for one more bet. The raise came from a tight aggressive player whom I have trouble with so I folded my KJ (Or was it AT? Or maybe AJ?). I don’t remember because I don’t like playing out of position against players I have trouble with. Things go wrong in those spots.

[/ QUOTE ]

In your judgment how much equity are you giving up here? Do you expect this player to notice that you are unenthusiastic about mixing it up with him all but the strongest hands and do you expect him to make adjustments? If you won't play AJ, what standard do you have to get involved? What hand would you play here? What hands would you raise? How full is the table right now, and how relatively strong is the KJ? Is this a player against whom you've a long history or is this the first time you've played. If the latter, how many orbits did it take you to figure this out. If the former, how deep is the history.

It would be interesting to hear your general thoughts on how the 1/2 game and games like it have changed during the years. How difficult is a live 1/2 game in a place like Bay 101 compared to say, a 1/2 at Stars? How much different are the NL games at LC than what you've seen in the past. How have the games evolved. What adjustments are you making? What are the implications of the changes you're seeing for the future of each game? Yes, this is an unwieldy question covering two different games, but his is the sort of insight would be of great interest to players aspiring to work their ways into each game.

Re: respond to my january article please
 

[ QUOTE ]

It would be interesting to hear your general thoughts on how the 1/2 game and games like it have changed during the years. How difficult is a live 1/2 game in a place like Bay 101 compared to say, a 1/2 at Stars? How much different are the NL games at LC than what you've seen in the past. How have the games evolved. What adjustments are you making? What are the implications of the changes you're seeing for the future of each game? Yes, this is an unwieldy question covering two different games, but his is the sort of insight would be of great interest to players aspiring to work their ways into each game.

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: respond to my january article please
 

keep it coming people you are starting to actually think like a real champion thinks. some things here are so simple and get missed by most. and some things gets more involved than need be.

Re: respond to my january article please
 

I thought the article was very good for these reasons:

[ QUOTE ]
some things here are so simple and get missed by most. and some things gets more involved than need be.


[/ QUOTE ]

Re: respond to my january article please
 

Ray Zee... the man who wrote Stud for advanced players, and has cost me nothing but stress and piles of money to be LOST.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr

Re: respond to my january article please
 

4.5 Ray - no one is perfect and you still can't write like P.G. Wodehouse so you have some uphill work to do. I'll start backward, as is my want. The best poker concept or advice (or conclusion to the article) was slipped into the last paragraph:

[ QUOTE ]
Today, a few bald eagles are feasting on a deer carcass in the river below. They’re getting chased around by the ravens who think because they maneuver better in flight that they are the rightful owners.

[/ QUOTE ]


Anyone who has extensive experience at a live poker table can relate. And your blah hands seem to fit into the above sentence. By the way, are you taking poker lessons from Tommy Angelo?


Folding the AQ - Observation is key, ten-handed under the gun and at least some of the players can't wait to look at their hands, too energized, and then give away information. I guess you are getting old and slow Mr. Zee and have trouble, fumbling about with your cards, or perhaps do not even know that they have arrived yet, and you stare around at the other players because your memory is fading also and you need to refresh your mind on who you are playing against. Old guys at a poker table are such a pain – don’t they know that Poker is a Young Man’s Game?


[ QUOTE ]
I don’t remember because I don’t like playing out of position against players I have trouble with. Things go wrong in those spots.


[/ QUOTE ]


Spots, Mr. Zee, belong on dogs or cats. Things go wrong in those circumstances (or situations) is a better way to phrase that sentence.

You owe me $500. You can pay me the next time I see you.

Hope all is well and you have a lot of snow to shovel.

Respectfully as always,

-Zeno

Re: respond to my january article please
 

[ QUOTE ]
With that, I could not resist twisting my feet to one side, the way you do when you make a quick stop on ice skates or alpine skis.

[/ QUOTE ]

Buzz,

You've got to snowplow if your heels aren't locked down. Learn to snowplow and telemark, and you've got it licked.


Ray,

I liked it. I'm still thinking about the elderly guy, and the way elderly guys play.

Your articles are always about how poker is, and never about how most people think poker should be. Stop writing them.

4.66532

jmo,

Mack

Re: respond to my january article please
 

Lol - what?

Jeff

Re: respond to my january article please
 

red diamond

sorry about the stress. and i wonder if you really want to have piles.

Re: respond to my january article please
 

Yes, I would like to have piles of money. But I don't like to lose piles of it! Your book simply doesn't help me prevent VARIANCE. Which is just the ultimate killer to me right now.

Anyhow, even though you have cost me a lot of money, I guess I can say I have now personaly TALKED (written) to someone famouse and he replied back.

So your response has still made my day.

Re: respond to my january article please
 

The article is very thought-provoking. It showed me that my play is way too stereotype.

I like the article a lot, but I would have also liked it to be a bit longer with more examples.

On a rating of 1-5 (5 being best) I'd give it a 4 and only because it's a bit short.

Re: respond to my january article please
 

Threeve.

Re: respond to my january article please
 

[ QUOTE ]
This was so bad. I can't believe I wasted 5mins of my life reading it.

Am only interested to hear of the colorful stories Ray reserves for his friends.

I give it a fair 0 but look foraward to a decent article by Ray with at least something to glean from!

[/ QUOTE ]

yes, two hands you think are borin and one of them you didnt even remember. WTF?

need some easy money?

1

Re: respond to my january article please
 

i guess you are butt head then. you should know me by now and look thru the trees to see the forest. too bad. and btw i dont get paid for writing the articles, so maybe thats why they are so bad. but really i am doing the best i can.

Re: respond to my january article please
 

Easily impressed, are we?

Re: respond to my january article please
 

Good points.

Re: respond to my january article please
 

[ QUOTE ]
i guess you are butt head then. you should know me by now and look thru the trees to see the forest. too bad. and btw i dont get paid for writing the articles, so maybe thats why they are so bad. but really i am doing the best i can.

[/ QUOTE ]

wow, that was really creative- no one makes the beavie/butthead connection, I guess I am a butthead for bothering to read your article and responde to it.

you asked for comments, I gave you mine. That was the impression I got. like you felt like you "had" to write something.


How am I supposed to know you by now?

I never said you were a bad writer. This article was something you stated yourself was uniteresting.

Why go to name calling?

Re: respond to my january article please
 

[ QUOTE ]
Why go to name calling?

[/ QUOTE ]

your name is beavis

Re: respond to my january article please
 

No Ray Zee article--no read.