Poker


Pile of Poker Chips
Some friends taught me how to play Texas Hold’Em Poker in December 2008. Since then I’ve become very interested in the game. I particularly enjoy the strategic and mathematical/statistical element of the game. Many people see poker as a game of luck, and as a beginner this is probably right. However, as I have learnt more about the game and played more hands I’m really starting to see the skill element involved (things like betting patterns, bluffs and semi-bluffs and so on).

See my Poker Blog for details of my journey through poker. Also, take a look at my ‘build your own poker table’.

Online Play


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I tend to play most of my poker online. This has the advantage of being convenient and fast. I tend to play micro stakes - cash games with $0.01/$0.02 blinds and S&G tournaments with a $1 or $2 buy-in. Gradually trying to grow my bankroll so that I can play higher stakes. When I first started playing online I found one table to be a major challenge. As my experience has grown I can now happily play three tables at once without too much problem.

I tend to play most of my online poker at FullTilt.

Live Play


Poker Action
My live poker play is a mix of home games with friends and the weekly tournament at a local pub. This complements the online game nicely as it brings a more social side to the game and also introduces additional elements such as tells and table chatter.

For our home game we usually play with between five and ten players. Chip set-up is usually a starting stack of 100BB. We tend to have 10 minute blind increases, but a very slow ramp-up: 1/2, 2/4, 3/6, 4/8, 5/10, 6/12, 8/16, 10/20, 15/30, 20/40. We have found that this allows us to get three or four games in during an evening so even those out early still get to play again. The slow ramp up also gives an opportunity to play some real poker before short-stack strategies come in to play. For managing the tournament we use “Tim’s Tournament Timer” on my iPhone.

I also play weekly at The Falmouth Arms in Woolhampton, Berkshire. They hold a weekly tournament on a Tuesday evening starting at 8pm. It’s a very friendly tournament and they welcome everyone from beginners right through to experienced players. The tournament is usually structured with 3,000 starting chips and blinds at 25/50. The blinds increase every 20 minutes: 25/50, 50/100, 100/200, 200/400, 300/600, 500/1000, 1000/2000. The whole tournament usually lasts around 2 and a half to 3 hours including a food break half way through. entry is £1 to the pub (includes the food) and an optional £5 into the prize pot. Number of players varies between 6 and 20.

Poker Tools


As I’ve been learning poker I’ve developed or come across a few tools to help along the way....

  • Hold’Em Hole Cards Spreadsheet - This is a iWork Number spreadsheet (Mac only I’m afraid!) that shows you the percentage chance of drawing the winning hand against a variable number of opponents. Just enter the number of opponents in the top box and the chart updates both numbers and colours to show you which hole cards are good. If you have suited cards, take the highest and find it on the vertical scale then trace across to the column for the lower card and read off the percentage. For unsuited cards find the highest in the horizontal index and trace down to the row for the lower card. Simple as that! Click to download.
  • HoldemOdds - A handly little iPhone application for calculating the odds at any point in a hand of Texas Hold’Em. Great for settling arguments over who is ahead!

Poker Books and Training Resources


Chip Riffle
While learning poker I’ve had the opportunity to read a number of books and websites on the subject. Here are my top recommendations...

  • Pokerology.com - A great online resource. Has a great tutorial divided into beginner, intermediate and advanced sections. There is also a great forum of very friendly and helpful people who are happy to help with everything from the most basic beginner question right through to complex hand analysis.
  • No-Limit Texas Hold’Em for Winners - I’ve read a number of books on Texas Hold’Em and found most to be lacking. One type seem to spend too long on the basics of rules, betting and which hole cards to play but are weak on post-flop play and strategy. The other seems to be so advanced that you need a degree in Game Theory to comprehend the introduction! However, No-Limit Texas Hold’Em for Winners is a great book to learn from. It covers all the elements of the game in enough detail to turn you into a solid player but at the same time is easy to read and understand. Probably not ideal for the experienced player, but great for someone wanting to rise above being a beginner.