I Enjoy Having Played

"Do you enjoy writing?" someone once asked a famous author. "No," he answered, "I enjoy having written." In other words, the process can be a drag, but getting the job done is worth the sacrifice. I am finding this to be true not only of the columns and books I write, but also the poker tournaments I play. As I've often said, playing a tournament is hours of boredom and moments of sheer terror. But having played – and having won your share of the titles and the profits – can lead to a lifetime of satisfaction, just as finishing a book project is very satisfying.

Currently, Brad Daugherty and I are finishing our book together on how to win satellites in on-land and online casinos. One of the concepts we're polishing as this column goes to press is the impact of the all-in bet in one-table no-limit hold'em satellites, and how to defend against it. The style of play in no-limit hold'em has changed a lot over the past 10 years, and we are taking certain changes into account in our advice on how to win no-limit satellites. Brad discusses one change and how he is adjusting his play to cope with it.

"It seems that players today have a tendency to think that when you bet a certain amount of chips, you'll throw your hand away if someone can come over the top of you," he says. "For this reason, I have changed my play a little bit to adjust to this mentality. For example, there are times when I will move all in simply because I want my opponents to know that I am committed to the pot. In the past when I had $500 or $600 in chips and bet one-half of my chips, anybody who knew me understood that when one-half of my chips already were in the pot, I never threw my hand away. They understood that when I had 40 percent to 50 percent of my chips in the pot, I didn't care if they came over the top of me, because I wasn't going to run away from those chips. But since many players today don't understand this concept, I've changed my play by going all in just so they'll know that I will not lay the hand down.

"Another reason I make this play is because in the past when I've bet half of my chips, I've had players come over the top of me with hands like J-7 when I was the clear favorite, and they've drawn out on me. So, I began to think that if I'd just moved in before the flop, they probably would not have been in the pot with me. An all-in bet would have taken all decisions away from my opponent except one: call or fold."

Many inexperienced players do not understand when their opponents are fully committed to a pot – they do not know that their opponents absolutely are going to put in the rest of their chips – and their lack of knowledge can allow them to put a bad beat on the better hand. You make this all-in play with a medium or short stack so that your opponents know that you're going the distance with the hand. Or, if you have a very big stack against a short stack, you do it so that the short stack knows he has to fully commit in order to call. Although you would be more likely to make this play from the fourth round onward in a one-table satellite when the blinds are hefty, you might actually make it during any stage of the satellite.

On another note related to satellites, I was sorry to hear that Mohegan Sun Casino, which sent 15 players to the championship event at the 2003 World Series of Poker, recently closed its 36-table poker room. George Fisher, who was director of poker operations at Binion's Horseshoe during the Series, noted, "We have lost a world-class poker room that supported the World Series in spectacular fashion." It's ironic, isn't it, that now when poker is in full bloom, slots continue to gobble up our beloved poker tables.

Noting poker's rising popularity, Bob Ciaffone wrote in his recent Card Player column that part of the increasing interest in playing poker is attributable to the World Poker Tour on television and the availability of poker games at online casinos. Let me add that a lot of credit is due Jim McManus' terrific book, Positively Fifth Street, which hit the bestseller lists. McManus gave credit to my writing partner, T.J. Cloutier, so many times that sales of Championship No-Limit & Pot-Limit Hold'em (and all of our other books) have skyrocketed. If you haven't yet read Positively Fifth Street, you've missed one of the best poker adventure books ever written.

Until next time, I hope to meet you one day soon at the final table, perhaps online at PokerStars.com, where you can play tournaments with me almost anytime.

Editor's note: Tom McEvoy is the author of Tournament Poker and the co-author with T.J. Cloutier of Championship No-Limit & Pot-Limit Hold'em, which are available through Card Player. Tom often plays poker on PokerStars.com, where his chat room is always open. For more information on his books, visit www.pokerbooks.com.