Category: Uncategorized

In this post, I’m going to analyze how “experts” at the weekly bar poker games Downtown – Silly Goose, Blind Bear, Double J, and Dancin’ Jimmy’s – play select hands. The game is Texas Hold’em.

Why am I posting these hands the way other people would play them, as opposed to the way I would play them? Well, you see, I’m just a recreational poker player. I just play in these games to have fun. I might drink a few PBRs and run up a $6 tab while there. The “experts,” on the other hand, often run up a $48 tab in the same time period. If they’re willing to spend that kind of money, they must know a thing or two about poker.

Why am I posting this to my main blog, rather than my poker blog? Because my poker blog is about how I play hands. Whereas, in this blog I share good things happening around Downtown. In this post, I share the excellent poker play of others.

Let’s get started, shall we?

Hand 1

Blinds are 25/50, and it’s the first hand of the tournament. Player A raises to 200, Player B makes it 700, and player C goes all-in for 4000. You take a look at your cards.

Your hand: Q♣ 2♥

Do you fold, or call all-in for 4000?

Solution: You call all-in. There are five community cards to be dealt, and if one of them is a Queen, you have yourself a mighty big hand, my friend. Now, it’s true you’d be in trouble against a few other starting hands if your Queen pairs, namely A-A, K-K, Q-Q, A-Q, K-Q, Q-J, Q-10, Q-9, Q-8, Q-7, Q-6, Q-5, Q-4, and Q-3. But those are only a small subset of all the possible starting hands that could be out. And besides, who would really be foolish enough to call all-in with a hand like Q-4 or Q-3? It’s better to focus on the positive outcomes, such as when both a Queen and a Deuce are dealt, giving you two pair. And what about the dream scenario, when the flop comes 2-2-2? How could you ever live with yourself for folding four of a kind? All-in it is.

Hand 2

Blinds are 200/400. Player A goes all-in for 5600.

Your hand: 9♠ 5♦

You have 4500 in your stack. Do you call all-in, or fold?

Solution: This one is absolutely a no-brainer. This hand has the potential to make a straight if an 8, 7, and 6 fall. You certainly are not going to fold a straight draw pre-flop, under any circumstances. All-in. I almost didn’t include this one in the post because it should be obvious what a powerhouse hand 9-5 is.

Hand 3

Blinds 50/100. Player A calls 100, and five more players follow. You’re in the small blind.

Your hand: K♥ K♠

You have 3400 in your stack. Do you fold, call 50 to complete the blind, make a raise to something in the 300-500 range, or go all-in?

Solution: You just call. Sure, with the second-strongest hand in the deck, some people would argue that a raise is the correct move here, especially facing so many other players. But this is not the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event. This is a bar game, where you know most of the other players. Do you really want to be that douchebag who makes all his friends fold without even seeing a flop? No. You call for 50, and the big blind checks his option to raise.

Flop: 9♣ 8♣ 7♣

As small blind, you’re first to act post-flop. Do you check or bet?

Solution: HA! This is exactly the kind of flop you were looking for!!! Someone surely is holding a Nine, Eight, or Seven, and has made a pair. If that’s the case, they are about to lose all their chips to your pocket Kings. There’s no point in waiting to build the pot, though, with seven other players in the hand. You bet 50, and after the tournament director tells you that you have to bet at least the amount of the big blind, you make it 100. Two players call, a third player raises to 400, and a fourth player goes all-in for 3200. Folded around to you.

Do you fold, or call for 3200 of your remaining 3250?

Solution: You call. Like I said, you just KNOW your opponent has paired a Nine, Eight, or Seven. Looking at the board, there certainly don’t appear to be any other threatening hands that could have a pair of Kings crushed.

There’s an additional consideration here. If you call and lose, you are NOT knocked out. You will still have a stack of 50 left that you can wield like a club against your opponents. As the man once said, “All it takes is a chip and a chair.” This is a compelling reason to call.

In the actual hand, your opponent turned over J♦ 10♦ for a straight, and your Kings did not improve on the turn or river. Unfortunate, but that kind of thing will happen from time to time, and well, that’s poker. You shouldn’t let it discourage you from making the same excellent pre-flop and post-flop plays next time.

Hand 4

Blinds 25/50. You are “under-the-gun,” first to act pre-flop, at a nine-handed table.

Your hand: J♥ 4♣

Do you fold, call 50, raise to an amount like 150-200, or go all-in for the 3850 remaining in your stack?

Solution: One time you were watching the Aussie Millions on ESPN. There were four players left at the final table. Blinds were 250,000/500,000. Johnny Chan was first to act, just like you, and like you he had Jack-Four. He went all-in for his remaining 860,000 chips. Any time you can emulate one of the world’s top pros, you should. All-in for 3850.

Hand 5

Blinds 1000/2000. Player first to act goes all-in for his remaining 19,000.

Your hand: 8♠ 3♦

You have 14,500 left in your stack. Do you fold, or call all-in?

Solution: You call all-in. You see, folding just isn’t very fun, and going all-in is so much fun. So you go all-in!

Hand 6

Blinds 1500/3000. Player A goes all-in for 36,000. Action to you, with five players left to act behind you.

Your hand: 8♥ 2♥

You have 32,000. Do you fold, or call all-in?

Solution: There has to be a method to your madness when you’re playing poker. In the last hand, you were willing to call all-in with Eight high. This time you have Eight high suited, which is much much better! Therefore, you should be willing to call all-in with this one too. Just think how sweet it will be if three hearts hit the board and give you a flush. Of course, it won’t be so sweet if someone else is holding two hearts if one of them is a Nine or higher, but you can’t dwell on worst-case scenarios all the time. And besides, what if those five players behind you all call, you pair your Deuce, and none of the other players improve their hand? You would build yourself a huge chip stack. This hand just has too many positives to consider folding. All-in it is.

Hand 7

Blinds 100/200. Player A raises to 700 and player B goes all-in for 3200.

Your hand: 10♥ 4♠

You have 2800. Do you fold, or call all-in?

Solution: Sometimes it helps to think back to previous hands when making your decision. A few weeks ago you were in a hand with A♠ A♦, known in poker terminology as “Pocket Rockets.” You called a player who had gone all-in pre-flop with King-Queen suited, and two players called behind you with Q-Q and J-J. Your Aces held up and you took down a huge pot. The lesson to be learned here is that hands with nicknames are lucky. And nothing matters in poker more than luck, am I right?

Truckers who communicate with each other via CB radio have their own code that they speak in. For example, they refer to cops as “Smokey” or “Smokey the Bear.” Perhaps the most famous piece of code they use is “10-4” to communicate “yes” or “OK” or “I got ya.” For example, “That’s a big 10-4, good buddy!” For that reason, Ten-Four in poker is a hand with a nickname, the “Good Buddy.” Because of that, you have to be all-in. If you end up against K-Q suited, Q-Q, and J-J as you did a few weeks ago, mathematically you’ll be at a disadvantage, but you’ll still have luck on your side. All-in. Let your “Good Buddy” work its magic for you!

Hand 8

Blinds 50/100. Ten-handed table. The player first to act pre-flop raises to 300. All fold around to you in the big blind, last to act pre-flop.

Your hand: 9♦ 3♣

You have 3100. The player who raised has 21,700. Do you fold, call, or raise, and if you raise, how much?

Solution: As much as people have been doing kamikaze all-ins pre-flop, it would be nice to see a flop for a change. You call for 200 more.

Flop: A♠ K♥ J♠

You’re first to act after the flop. What do you do?

Solution: Folding is an option you consider long and hard. But then you realize, bluffing is a key skill in poker, and this is an ideal spot. By going all-in, you could convince your opponent to fold, and take down the pot right here.

There’s an additional thing to understand about this spot though. If you go all-in, it’s not a pure bluff, but rather a semi-bluff. Yes, you could get better hands to fold, but worse hands might call. You’re a mathematical favorite against Eight high, Seven high, Six high, Five high, Four high, and Trey-Deuce, all hands that could potentially call your all-in bet. With two ways to take down the pot, your hand is looking exceptionally strong and you go all-in.

The player who raised pre-flop calls, and turns over A♥ A♦ for a set of three Aces. You turn over your hand for Nine high.

Turn: 9♣

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG! You hit a Nine and made your pair. OMG!!!!!!!!!!

You go all-in, but the tournament director informs you that you were already all-in and your cards are already face-up. Well that sucks! You could have made some serious chips if you had the chance to go all-in again!

River: J♥

You start to rake in your chips with your pair of Nines, but the tournament director informs you that your opponent won, full house Aces over Jacks. You’re disappointed that you did not win, but that’s poker. Semi-bluffs do not work 100% of the time. The fact that this time didn’t work out should not discourage you from making the same excellent pre-flop and post-flop moves in the future.

I hope these hands have provided you with some insight into the great minds of poker. See you at the table! Bonus tip: Fireball will make your poker skills exponentially stronger. Even if you’re a novice, you’ll find that after 10 or 12 Fireball shots, you’ll be playing as well as the “experts” discussed here.

Several people have asked where our BBQ location is so I made this helpful map. We are on the bluff/sidewalk side, almost all the way to the south. If you come in from the north (Beale Street) entrance, you’re going to have to walk for a while. Sorry. That’s the drawback of being a shoulder team.

 

I hear there’s an Indian food truck that has been showing up at the Memphis Farmers Market on Saturdays. I will definitely have to check that out soon. I love Indian food. A friend of mine had sesame scallion naan bread from the truck yesterday.

As usual, I watched the game at the Blind Bear yesterday. I hear people have been showing up based on my recommendation. Great place, huh? And you can’t beat those basketball specials. Next game is tomorrow at 8:30. Grizzlies are up 2-1 and have been perfect defending the home court so far this playoff series.

My friend Karen combined orange juice with Blue Moon while she watched the game. I bet orange Tang mix would be good in Blue Moon.

There’s a new menu for Grizzlies fans at the FedExForum.

So, let’s say you’re secretly in love with a bartender. You show up when she’s working and sit at her bar for hours and hours. Nothing has come of it, and lately, the only time she has been talking to you is when you order another beer. Do you

( ) give up and move on
( ) continue to sit at her bar for hours and hours

Because, you know, option B is not pathetic or anything.

Today is painting day for the BBQ team, painting what will be our booth’s facade. As usual, that means I need to get to the Flying Saucer to hold down the fort in case anything happens there that I need to deal with on behalf of the team. It’s hard work but someone has to do it.

 

This morning I received a sign that this vacation is long overdue. I had a dream about marking up unordered lists using HTML and CSS. Seriously, I did. I should be dreaming about tube tops and PBR. Hopefully events of the coming week will effect that change.

Speaking of tube tops, here’s a scenario that will likely occur sometime this week at BBQ Fest. I’ll get caught looking and be asked, “Are you staring at my tube top?” And I’ll have to consider my possible responses:

() yes
() no
() bitch I might be

It’s National Train Day today. There will be special exhibits and trains by Amtrak and Canadian National at the Memphis Railroad and Trolley Museum. The museum is in Central Station at S. Main and G.E. Patterson.

The Blind Bear is opening early today, at 2 PM, for those who want to pre-game before heading to FedExForum as well as those who want to watch the game there. Say “basketball special” to your server or bartender from 1 hour before game time until the end of the game for $2.50 select domestics, $3.50 apps, and $5 chili cheese Bear dawgs.

In a new TV show, Mike Tyson will team up with a talking pigeon to solve mysteries. No, I’m not kidding.

The Redbirds host the Fresno Grizzlies (hey, nice name!) tonight at 6:05 and there will be fireworks after the game. The theme will be “2 strikes, 2 outs, no problem,” paying tribute to the clutch hitting of the Cardinals’ David Freese in the 2011 World Series and Pete Kozma in the 2012 NLDS.

Interesting how social media and apps add value to BBQ Fest. Yesterday I started the annual “BBQ” note in Evernote to keep track of who said they were stopping by the booth and what day and time, so I can make sure I’m there. After I got home, I checked Foursquare to see who was out and about. In addition to the usual checkins, there was a notification that the Nuh-Uh Girl had saved several BBQ booths to her Foursquare “to-do” list. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

Good catching up with one of the leaders of one of the other local BBQ teams last night at the Flying Saucer. Although I have great respect for their team in general, they made a bartending hire that I wouldn’t have made. When I go visit their booth I’ll make sure to get a full cup of beer in my own booth before I walk over, so I don’t have to deal with their bar. My prediction is that when BBQ Fest is over and they look back in review, this will be a “WTF were we thinking” type of thing.

I see one of the new patio porker teams has “We like pig butts and we cannot lie” as their slogan. Wow. That’s original.

Back to Foursquare for a minute… It’s going to be nearly impossible for me to maintain three bar mayorships while in a park for 12-13 hours a day. The Saucer opens early, so I can stop by there on the way. The Blind Bear is the sponsor, so most likely I’ll get by there after the park closes. But the Silly Goose mayorship is probably going to change hands before BBQ Fest ends. I’ve been watching checkin patterns and have identified the three people most likely to steal it, and I’m comfortable dropping it to any of the three. If I thought some dumbass from Collierville or Cordova might steal it I’d fight to keep it.

In case you haven’t heard, the majority of ESPN analysts are now expecting a Memphis Grizzlies-Miami Heat matchup in the NBA Finals next month. Let’s make that happen with a win today at the FedExForum! For those not going to the game, it will be on ESPN at 4. As usual I will watch the game at the Blind Bear. Dennis and Karen, will you be joining me?

I normally don’t post a lot of Mother’s Day specials at Downtown restaurants, but this one is too funny to pass up: Moms eat at Hooters for free on Mother’s Day. Well, as long as their meal is $10 or less. If you’re trying to get written out of your mother’s will, this is about as good a way to make that happen as any.

Downtown’s newest festival, Bluff City Oktoberfest, will be discussed tomorrow on Action News 5 in the 8 o’clock hour with Kontji Anthony. The festival will be held on Riverside Drive in early October.

The first-ever Geek Trivia will be held Tuesday night at Ferraro’s, 8 PM. Test your knowledge of Sci-Fi, video games, comic books, fantasy, zombies, and more. All six rounds will be themed toward stuff you would see at Comic Con. $1 PBRs during trivia.

Chart that has gone viral today: Highest-paid public employee, by state. In most states, the highest-paid public employee holds the same job. Can you guess what that is?

Think you pay too much for rent? Check out these rooms for rent in New York City.

Vacation will start at 4:45 and I’m off all next week. There will still be posts but on a much less structured schedule, and also THE FILTER WILL BE COMPLETELY OFF. That applies to Facebook and Twitter too. Time for a quick lunch and then “I know you’re about to leave for vacation, but before you leave, can you…” requests this afternoon.

Last night, after the BBQ team meeting ended about 7:30 at the Blind Bear, I walked over to the Flying Saucer, wanting to see what the Grizzlies commemorative glass looked like. I didn’t get to! The glasses went on sale at 7 and were sold out by 7:10. Just goes to show how crazy people are in this town about our Memphis Grizzlies!

Memphis will participate in National Bike to Work Day next Friday, May 17.  It’s a day to celebrate the bike as a viable means of transportation. Sounds like fun, although for me that day will be National Walk to Tom Lee Park and Eat BBQ Day.

Mayor Wharton is questioning the effectiveness of the nonprofit Riverfront Development Corporation that manages our city’s riverfront. ABC 24 article WMC-TV article Wharton wonders if the riverfront could be managed as effectively by the city, with employees who make less than those working at the RDC. I’ve generally been a supporter of what the RDC does over the years, and I’m not real concerned with their salaries. What I want to know is, that $16 million cost overrun building Beale Street Landing – which still isn’t done – where exactly did that money go? I do not support giving them any more until we get a complete explanation, with open books.

Puppies were found in a laundry basket on Harbor Town last night. Take a look if you’re interested in adopting.

South of Beale will have bacon-infused Maker’s Mark by the time you read this. My favorite bourbon.

There’s still no word on Memphis getting a Trader Joe’s, but a new distribution point gives us some hope. There’s one opening in Irving, TX, less than 500 miles away, an easy day’s truck drive.

That will do it. Home from Max’s Sports Bar/Saucer with to-go food from Huey’s. 8 more cubicle hours and vacation will begin.

I’m probably going to do a BBQ post at lunchtime, so let me go ahead and bang out a quick news update before work.

Grace Askew, who recently competed on The Voice, performs at the Blind Bear tonight at 10 PM. They’ve been booking some really strong acts on Thursday nights and it definitely continues today.

Kevin and Bethany Page play the Peabody rooftop tonight. $10 cover includes first drink, doors open at 6, ladies free until 7. Buffet will have red beans and rice with smoked sausage and catfish dip. If you’re in VIP, you will also have a buffet of shrimp remoulade shooters, mini fried oyster po’boys, and savory bread pudding with andouille sausage. Svedka Strawberry Colada will be the drink special ($4) and the VIP Budweiser of Memphis tasting will be Beck’s Sapphire.

16 hours left in the cubicle until vacation. I have a fun project to work on, so the time should fly by. Most likely back around 1 to talk about the BBQ team.

The Mississippi River is expected to crest this week at flood stage of 34 feet. But fear not, BBQ Fest goers; that’s still 14 feet below the 2011 level that forced the move to Tiger Lane. Tom Lee Park is safe this year.

In other river news the developers of Beale Street Landing have requested an increase in city funding. Because, you know, the project has been so incredibly cost-efficient and so much progress has been made already. Sure, let’s throw some more money at it! The taxpayers won’t mind! It’s being reported that the City Council had some tough questions about this request, and I don’t blame them; they wouldn’t be representing their constituents well if they didn’t.

There’s a good Google Doodle today. It’s a tribute to designer Saul Bass. www.google.com

A new shop has opened in the Peabody. Lansky-The Accessory Shop. This shop will showcase women’s accessories to include jewelry, handbags, shoes, scarves, hats, and other trendy apparel. It will also enhance the shopping experience of the three other Lansky-branded shops in the hotel. It will be open seven days a week.

In honor of the Memphis Grizzlies’ playoff run, the Flying Saucer will sell a special Grizzlies pint glass tonight for Wednesday glass night. You can see a pic of it here. Glasses go on sale at 7 PM.

Plans for tonight: Some of the BBQ team leaders are going to be at the Blind Bear tonight, so I’m going to head up there and get the latest team news. Maybe I’ll do a BBQ post tomorrow. After I get done there I’ll walk over to the Saucer and have a look at the Grizzlies glass. Two and a half work days left until vacation!

The South Main Association is having a “meet your firemen” cookout Saturday. Weather permitting, from 11 to 2 PM the cookout will be at Station #2, 474 South Main. You can come meet your local firefighters that keep you protected and safe.

The Blind Bear is having a Great Gatsby party Thursday, May 9 to raise money for St. Jude. Costume contest, blackjack tournament. Dress in period attire and get your photo taken for the Bear’s dining room wall. Party starts at 8 PM.

The Center for Southern Folklore will hold a salute to Big Bill Broonzy featuring Billy Boy Arnold Friday, May 10 at 7:30 PM. Arnold will perform songs from his Broonzy tribute CD and will share first-hand stories of Big Bill Broonzy and the Chicago blues world of the 1940s and 1950s, along with Robert Riesman, author of a Broonzy biography.

Southwest Airlines has scheduled its first Memphis flights for later this year.

The Redbirds are back in town tonight and it’s “Two”sday. $2 hot dogs, sodas, and popcorn, and $2 off Budweiser draft products. Opponents are the Sacramento River Cats. Who names these teams? Game time is 7:05.

Plans for tonight: After the good experience I had Sunday at the Blind Bear for Game 1 of Grizzlies-OKC, that’s where I plan to be for tonight’s Game 2. Tip-off is 8:30. From 7:30 until the end of the game, say “basketball special” to your bartender or server to get $2.50 select domestic bottles, $3.50 apps, $5 chili cheese dawgs with fries, $6 chili cheese burgers with fries. You can also get the specials by playing poker, which starts at 8. I’m going to pass on poker this week so I can concentrate on watching the game. Come join me at the Bear!

I’d like to start off this post by thanking the Blind Bear for providing such an excellent environment for game-watching yesterday. They had brunch specials, Cinco de Mayo specials, and basketball specials all happening at once – it was a “special” place to watch the game! I drink a margarita to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, possibly the first time in the 17 months that the Bear has been open that I have had a drink there that was not a PBR or a Fireball. After yesterday, my issue of “where to watch the game?” has been settled for the rest of the 2013 playoff season. Except for games that happen during BBQ Fest, I will be at the Blind Bear.

About those remaining games: The NBA has released the complete schedule for the Western Conference semis. Game 2 will be in Oklahoma City Tuesday night at 8:30 (TNT); Game 3 in Memphis Saturday afternoon at 4 (ESPN); Game 4 in Memphis Monday 5/13 at 8:30; Game 5 (if needed) in OKC Wed 5/15; Game 6 (if needed) in Memphis Fri 5/17; Game 7 (if needed) in OKC Sun 5/19. Time TBD for games 5-7, TV TBD for games 4-7. Game 3 and 4 tickets are now on sale here.

If you want some free Grizzlies swag, head down to the FedExForum today between 11 AM and 6 PM. They’re handing out sunglasses, headbands, and posters.

Official watch parties have been announced for Tuesday night’s Grizzlies game. Downtown, the party will be at Aldo’s Pizza Pies. Great choice for a watch location – yummy pizza, great beer selection, plenty of alternatives on the menu if you don’t want pizza. There will also be two parties in Midtown, at Celtic Crossing and Local on the Square, and one in the U of M area at Buffalo Wild Wings on Poplar.

In other basketball news, Tigers assistant coach Damon Stoudamire has left the organization to return to his alma mater, Arizona. He was with the Tigers for two years, and his status as a former NBA All-Star was a help with recruiting. Before that he was an assistant for the Grizzlies. Best wishes to Coach Stoudamire, who looks to have a promising coaching career ahead of him.

Justin Timberlake has announced that he will play the FedExForum on Monday, November 18. That happens to be my birthday. I have little interest in attending, but lots of interest in people-watching that night. Tickets go on sale a week from Friday.

If you love fine Italian shoes, there will be a trunk show at Lansky at the Peabody from 11-4 Saturday for Donald J. Pliner shoes. Sales rep Jimmy Richmond will be on hand to showcase the spring line and preview the fall line for these shoes that stand out for fashion and comfort. 20% off all Donald J. Pliner shoes during this event.

A Facebook friend of mine who works at Lokion posted that there are jobs open: Bookkeeper, ATG developer, Java developer, account exec, entry-level C# developer, C# developer. I have heard that this is an excellent place to work.

The second annual Beale Street Mess Around benefitting the Blues Foundation is this Friday, May 10 at 7 PM at the Rum Boogie Cafe on Beale. Fundraiser presented by Brandon Santini for The Blues Foundation’s Raise the Roof! campaign, features performances by Mud Morganfield, John Nameth, Bryan Lee, Terry Hanck, Sugar Ray Radford, Dennis Gruenling, Little G. Weevil, Brandon Santini, Jeff Jensen, Greg Nagy, Redd Velvet and more. $10 at the door.

That’ll wrap it up for now. After-work plans: Pint Nite at the Saucer for some $3 drafts.

I’m just going to be lazy and copy their Facebook status.

Sunday opening at 11am Grizz game at noon!! CINCO DE MAYO $5 Very nice Brand Tequila shots, Margaritas & Skinny Rita’s all day!! Say Basketball special 1hr Before & throughout every Grizz & PLAY OFF game $2.50 select domestic bottles, $3.50 apps & $5 Chili Cheese Dawgs!! SOFIA SUNDAYS!!!! $15 bottles of Yellow Tail Bubbly & $30 bottles of Sofia Blanc de Blancs!! Plus Brunch!!! special till 6pm!! $20 bottles Handcraft Pinot Noir, Hess Select Chardonnay, Buehler Chardonnay & Kunde Sauvignon Blanc!!

Plus, my friends Dennis and Karen will be there. Come join us.

I totally forgot it’s Cinco de Mayo. That plus Grizzlies = a very good day.