Well this blog is going to be a bit lopsided since I will be talking about a relationship and also poker strategy. Yet this one won't be too long so don't worry.

Bryant I respect the time and effort you put into making this decision. Everyone understands that it was not an easy one to make any way you look at it. Of course there will be talks filled with the usual "it takes time" yet not matter how cliche that sounds...it really is true. I know I told you this on the phone, but I wanted to say it again here so you can look back on this in case you need it and also because I am the smartest person on this blog. Hehe.

You will probably start to feel guilty. Not necessarily for the decision you made (that is a whole 'nother story) but for the fact that "in time" you will start to accept the single life. I just wanted to tell you that knowing what I know about the situation...you made the right decision even though right now it might not seem like it. You made the right decision for you and that is something no one can take away from you. You have worked hard for what you have accomplished so far. You work harder than anyone else I know of (well maybe not Andy hehe.) and you deserve everything you worked for...so embrace it. Live life and when the time is right you will be ready.

Ready to make money that is. Okay so that transition wasn't the best and no the importance of each subject is not shown in length...Poker takes a lot more explaining which is why I took more time in writing this second section than discussing Bryant's situation. I think if he needs to talk we'll talk personally so with that being said...This is regarding the post Brian put up. Once again he shows everyone that I think about cards way toooo much. In case you didn't know about my theory and no I didn't just read that book Brian is reading on advanced hold em...I actually tried this at Bay101 when I noticed this for the first time...

If you read Lee Jones or even attempted to finish it you will know that he is a big believer in ramming and jamming the pot when you got a strong starting hand in hold em especially in late position. I like to think Jon and I are a couple of young kids who like to punish the old folks at the table...however I recently discovered that perhaps raising your hands might be questionable at the table even though it is what you know.

For example let us take the AK...shit let us even hope that you get to overcome the 331 to 1 odds and the AK is also suited. Now from what you know (and hopefully you know this) you should raise it up...perhaps it is even worth a reraise. The odds are very good that you are going to hit your A or K on the flop giving you a very strong hand. (The odds are about 2 to 1 against or roughly 30 percent to hit) So why shouldn't you raise?

Well the reason you shouldn't raise is because you aren't playing in limits high enough to play sneaky poker. Even if you cap the bets, people will now just call to make the game exciting to them. Remember most of these people are here to gamble. The raise is supposed to protect against people playing garbage...but when your limit is so low at the table...people play garbage all the time for the thrill of it. Now AKs makes more sense in this situation where you might want to just call the bet on the flop but what about huge pairs like QQ or KK? (AA speaks for itself...you stick in as many bets as you can no matter what...how you play on the flop is where the skill comes in and yes I myself have had the discipline to lay them down after the flop).

QQ and KK is a huge hand I admit. Yet the chance that someone holds the ACE that will trump the sluts and cowboys in a 9 handed game is around 83 percent (yes I had to look that one up) so I would recommend raising perhaps once to see where you are at. If you have that crazy chance to flop a set then you can ram and jam the pot since no one will put you on a set. This is where my whole being a pussy theory comes in...

The argument Brian, Jon and myself were having was the fact that I stated that you can play softly before the flop because if you do hit a strong flop you can now build up the pot because people are crazy and will call your bets. Yet what about protecting your hands? Well what good is protection if it costs a shitload of bets and it doens't even work? In some cases you might want to play your big pairs or AKs softly because what if the garbage that they are holding gives them some slim draws or perhaps even middle pair?

I'm not going into a huge statistical argument on this. For the most part I will admit that Lee Jones is a solid teacher and played a huge part in the foundation of my knowledge of Hold em...so I leave you with this...

Put yourself in one of two categories...

If you see Poker as a hobby AND doesn't play that much too often in card rooms - You should give this a try. You will save bets and you might also risk losing to some garbage cards...but remember if you start off with a strong hand, the chances of you winning is greater than someone who plays trash and winning against you. I'm not saying to totally be a pussy..you still need to be aggressive...but remember that betting to protect is in my mind overrated before the flop in these smaller limit games.

If you see Poker as a hobby BUT keeps records for the long haul - Play your normal aggressive game...go ahead and reraise with the AKs for instance, but remember that your bankroll is a bit larger (I don't mean bankroll as monthly income...I mean it in the winning vs. losses dollars) so you can go ahead and take your chances on some things. Yet even though while testing this theory I have won just over 550.00, so I will take my observation to heart while still mixing it up with my aggressive game.

Now reading back on this blog I realized I have stated something that seems a bit confusing. I said "...the chances of you winning (if you hold strong preflop hands) is greater than someone who plays trash and winning against you." So why would you not want to stick in bets before the flop? Here is the thing...

I am not writing this to tell you how to play poker. I'm not saying this is the only way to play your strong hands pre-flop. What I am telling you is that if you decide you want to go play one afternoon with 100 bucks...even with 200 bucks in your pocket and you want to come out a winner you need to tighten up your game preflop because if you keep raising and reraising you are liable to lose a lot of money on gambles...before you know it your money is gone and you only played for 3 hours. You simply don't have the bankroll with you to be all out aggressive. Now if you set lets say...1200 bucks aside for nothing but poker you can play your hands more aggressivly since you are hoping your payoffs are huge...yet I can't say this enough...if you want to make money one afternoon playing cards you have to treat that 100 or 200 bucks like it is your last because you just want to come up some money that afternoon, you aren't going to reinvest that money back into your bankroll.

If you are confused and have any questions go ahead and blog...I know this observations doesnt' seem clear but so far my winnings have given this argument some validity. In case you were wondering I tried this out during the 24 hours this past week I played cards. I'll probably play on Friday so I'll let you know how that goes.