My Journey to the WSOP – Week 3…still working on new facets.

Well poker fans, nothing new this week. I did make a final table at the 7 pm tourney at Coopers but I went out in 7th place, which is enough to put in up to 15th place, up previously from 28th. So, with that said, I’m not gonna talk about my previous weeks hands. I’m gonna talk about strategy and the two comments from my last posting.

Now, when it comes to strategy, I like to keep it tight and aggressive. I’ve tried putting out a loose table image but since I am really uncomfortable playing that style, I stopped doing it because I was putting out tells that people that I know that I play with have told me that they could pick up on it. I like the tight aggressive style\image because it is actually the opposite of how I personality is so that throws off people that hear me talking before or during play. Also, with that tight image, I’m finding that I can semi-bluff more effectively. Which is a good segway to the next part of this post…comments.

Mr. Mackey himself commented on my last post with this:

Good stuff, Michael!

A word of wisdom on bluffing… When I bluff, It’s almost always because I somehow deduce that my opponent will have a VERY tough time making a big call. It’s rarely premeditated either, unless you have a specific read on an active and/or super tight player.

So, I guess to sum it up, when I am running a bluff, I am usually fairly certain that my opponent will feel extremely uncomfortable calling. Sometimes I am wrong, of course! And sometimes a good player will make a big call.

Now, I do have the advantage of playing with the same 20 or so people every Sunday night…so these people know that I have a conservative playing style and that I rarely bluff…unless they are reading my blog now but that doesn’t really matter. So, I can toss out a semi bluff with let’s say middle pair and if it’s one of those people that I play with regularly, I can get away with it. If it’s a newer person, I’ll wait til I get a better hand or, if I’ve already beaten them a couple times, I’ll shoot out the same betting pattern to let them think I have a winning hand. Now, as for premeditation, I do plan out some hands and I do try to time my bluffs because the people I play with know that I do play monster hands aggressively so I try to plan out timing on my bluffs for maximum affect.

Next commenter…

Bryan Mileski Says:
March 11th, 2010 at 6:02 pm e

I would disagree slightly with PMac but I guess it depends how you define premeditated. Assuming I’ve played with certain players for a decent period of time during a tournament, I’ve identified players in my head that I’m looking to bluff in certain situations because I think I can. I don’t force it, but am looking for situations to 3-bet them to pick up chips. In that case, it can be premeditated as to who I’m going after.

Most of the time though, I play in deeper stack tournaments that allows me the stack to be wrong if I 3-bet bluff. I never like to bluff on an all-in. I don’t play many bar tournaments but I suspect a bluff would require you most of the time to risk your whole stack as they are typically short stack tournaments. In that instance, it would be much more situational rather than picking on certain people.

I’ve never played in a deep stack tournament so I normally don’t start my bluffing til I’ve won a few hands and I have the chips to spend. I know that is not wise but it’s where I am comfortable. Also, you should know that I am not one of those players that can figure out pot odds, implied odds and whatever else. I’m a hunch player and all I really do is look at what I have, where I am sitting position wise, my stack and how the players I’m sitting with have been playing. It’s all I know how to do. Now, I will sit there and make it look like I’m working the odds in my head, but most of the time, I’m thinking of what I want to eat at the break or if I should have another beer or not.

Well, that’s all I have for this week. Maybe next week, I’ll remember to take notes so I can comment about my hands again.

See ya at the tables.

Michael Hughes has been married for 12 years, is a father of two boys ages 5 and 3. He works as an IT professional and is currently working on his B.A. degree in Philosophy with a double minor in Morals and Ethics and Urban Education. He is relatively new to poker, but his goal is to eventually win a seat or qualify for the WSOP. You can find him primarily at Cooper's Bar in Eagan, playing in the Free Poker Network bar league. Contact Michael at MichaelLHughes@gmail.com