Allow me to recreate a fairly typical poker interaction.  This interaction may, in fact, seem too mundane to warrant further analysis; that said, I often feel that minor, forgettable actions tend to reveal more broad social trends on human nature in general, and poker players specifically. 

At a limit hold’em table, a middle-position player open … READ MORE

The vast majority of my irritation at the poker table stems from stupidity and simple lack of self-awareness.  Almost nothing sets me off more than rude unaware narcissism.  What I will say, however, is that these traits are typically not displayed in a purposely malicious human being.  In other words, the person displaying these incredibly … READ MORE

Poker players have a common language.  We seem to speak to one another with phrases only interpretable by people who actually play cards.  And these phrases are stunningly universal.  You can be in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, or Las Vegas, Nevada, and the reactions to wins and losses at the hold’em table will be … READ MORE

I misplayed this hand.

I was in middle position at an 8-16 limit hold’em game, and open-raised with 33.  Action folded to the small-blind, and he three-bet.  This player was very strange.  He didn’t appear to have any idea of what was going on, and seemed to choose his plays arbitrarily.  The big-blind, a solid … READ MORE

The goal of every poker player is to make money.

Until recently, I’d taken this statement to be so obvious as to go without saying.  It was gospel fact.  It made no logical sense for this statement to be anything but a given.  The problem is, there is too much evidence to the contrary to … READ MORE

During a limit hold’em session I came across a fairly typical situation that, until recently, I never gave much consideration.  The situation involves the strength of your hand on the river and the balancing act between betting for additional value and giving away your money.

Rather than ramble on aimlessly, I’ll illustrate with an example. … READ MORE

By self admission, no poker player in the history of the world has ever been fooled or surprised by their opponent’s hand.  It’s an astonishing statistic.  If you were to ask any player at the conclusion of a hand, they’ll almost always tell you that they knew exactly what the other player had.  ”Yeah, like … READ MORE

I love Fall Poker Classic time at Canterbury Park.  My love, however, has nothing to do with the tournaments themselves.  I didn’t play in a single one.  I’m a perfectly average no-limit hold’em tournament player, and would rather leave that expensive pursuit to the professionals.  Rather, I make my money at the limit hold’em live … READ MORE

I’ve done some research on the statistics of my poker-playing career and I’d like to share with you the results.  During the course of my life, I have folded the winning hand 28,176 times.  I did this the majority of the time pre-flop, with 17,045 occurrences.  I folded on the flop 6,982 times, 3,088 … READ MORE

I think that women are more naturally equipped for poker success than are men.  Allow me to speak in stereotypical sex generalizations to explain my theory.

What we men seem to possess far more abundantly than women, and what ultimately gives us trouble at the poker table, is our competitive stubbornness.  Men are so damn … READ MORE