Eugene Plays Live

My friend Eugene is just getting started on his poker career. I was sitting with "Uge" in a $3-$6 hold'em game at a local club recently. Eugene plays quite frequently online, but he hasn't played in cardrooms much. Anyway, there were a few instructive situations in this game that I thought were worth mentioning.

First, I was particularly proud of him for remembering to put a chip on his cards to "protect" them. He was sitting in the No. 1 seat, which, along with the No. 9 (or No. 10) seat, is the most dangerous place for unprotected cards. These seats are right beside the dealer, so it's easy for him to get confused and unintentionally muck unprotected cards. Also, by being next to the dealer, these seats are in the line of fire of mucked cards. This actually happened to Eugene; a player folding his cards fired them across the table and they zinged right into Uge's cards. Fortunately, he had placed a chip on his two downcards, so the dealer just plucked the discards away without a second thought. Had the cards not been protected, Eugene's hand probably would have been declared dead.

Second, I was proud of Uge for being aggressive when the situation called for it. On the first hand he played, he posted right behind the button and received the 9 6. There was no raise, and he checked. Three players took the flop, which came 9-6-4 of different suits. It was checked to Eugene, who bet out and was immediately raised by the button. A woman at the other end of the table grimly called both bets. Eugene made it three bets, which was great to see (new players often retreat at the sign of resistance, even when they have hands that demand speed). The other fellow capped the betting, and the woman called two more bets, but obviously didn't like it. The turn card was a 3 of no flush interest, and Eugene bet out again. Good! The button just called, and I was absolutely sure that Uge had the best hand. The woman called again; from the way she had played the hand, I didn't think she was a threat to Eugene's top two pair. Then, a deuce hit the river and the woman fired out six chips. Well, I made it about 8-to-1 that she had a 5 for the straight. Unfortunately for Eugene, with the number of bets that were in the pot, he had to call even if he agreed that he was now an 8-to-1 dog. The button mucked before Eugene could act, so he was even more obligated to call, which he did, and was shown 6-5 offsuit. I was proud of him; he just calmly mucked his hand and smiled at me.

Third, he didn't always push when he should have. One time, he called from late position, and then just kept calling when the flop was ace-high with rags and the turn and river were uninteresting. I feared that he was in there with a bad ace (he sometimes plays weak aces) and that he was fearful of raising because of his kicker. Imagine my astonishment when he called on the river and turned over A-K offsuit! His opponent had A-8, and had hit an 8 on the river to win the pot. "You have to raise with A-K before the flop, and even more so when you flop an ace," I explained to him via E-mail the next day. Of course, in this case, it would have cost Uge more money, because the fellow with A-8 never would have folded his hand once he'd flopped an ace. But you make an enormous profit when you have your opponent tied to a hand and drawing at three outs. You must play such hands strongly and take your chances.

Fourth, I forgot how intimidating the poker world can be. I'm disappointed to say that some of the dealers ignored Eugene's obvious newness to the situation, and Uge was reluctant to say anything. Other dealers were gracious when reminding him that it was his turn to put out a blind, or whatever. Moral: If you're new or uncomfortable, say so. You're a customer in the cardroom and should be treated with the respect that your situation deserves. A new customer should get special attention and gentle treatment. If you have a question, ask it politely, but ask it.

Thanks for reading.