So recently Ive began playing Texas Hold em with some of the guys on a weekly basis and i really enjoy it. We don't play for a lot of money but just to really play because we all enjoy it. Poker in general is a lot of luck but there is a lot of skill needed as well because a skilled player can pull away and take the lead rapidly from all the unskilled players who rely solely on luck. To really master all games of poker you really need to know yours odds of what cards can flop, turn or river. You also have to know how to read people and when to bluff. So i am making this thread to discuess the game of poker, mainly Texas Hold em because that seems to be the most popular of all poker games, and the easiest to learn.
Like you I only play casually for small amounts of money and really enjoy it. The only problem is that after several hours most of us are drunk and don't really take it seriously. We have yet to play an intense, long game but hopefully will manage it this summer.
I barely ever play, but I have played a lot in the past. I'm great at getting to the endgame, but I suck at the endgame. I either bleed chips or I go all in with my opponent. The luckiest I have ever been in a game was two four of kinds, three full houses, several straights, and a couple of flushes.
The games i play with some of my mates last around 5 to 6 hours and its all good and fun, we normal only put 5 or 10 dollars to get in, then the winner takes all, but the second place gets his money back Im much better i realized when its down to the final 3 or heads up, thats when i really come alive. today i lost an ace high flush to a full house in one of the first few hands, its just one of those hands you just cant lay down till you loose 1000 in chips lol, but i got lucky and won a few pots to get my money back.
"Poker is not a card game you play with people, poker is a people game you play with cards." Anyway, I'm decent at poker, but I just plain don't have the patience to really be good. That worked fine for a while, when my friends and I began playing years ago with just $5 games, while drinking beers and talking **** and whatever, just playing for fun. Time goes by, and by now nobody wants to play with anything less than $20 (honestly, who plays poker with their friends for the money? **** my friends sometimes), it's all got to be tournament style, talking about the current hand is forbidden, no TV on in the background, people barely drink because they take it so seriously, and I want to tear my hair out after 30 minutes of playing. I don't go to poker games very often anymore. Sometimes its all worth it though. When the perfect storm of cards gets dealt and you can really squeeze people out of their cash if you play it right, it feels worth it. My favorite one I ever had was at a several hour tournament game, with like 20 people from school all buying in $20, so there was pretty good money to be won. I'd been playing pretty conservatively all day, and I was still sitting on almost the same number of chips I bought in with, maybe a little more, I'm the short stack out of the remaining players. I got impatient, and started looking for opportunities to all-in so I could either get some excitement or lose and do something else. I'm dealt something shitty, like a 5-10 or something, but I'm big blind so I'm already in a little bit, and my friend Ron raised, causing everyone but me and him to fold out. I call, the flop doesn't give me **** either, but he checks and so do I. Sensing weakness, on the turn he raises me, and I can tell he's just trying to take whats in the pot, so I push all in. He folds. I show him that I had ****, just to piss him off. About an hour later, similar situation, except this time I've actually got a good hand. Same thing, he raises me on the turn, and I push all in over his raise. He calls with just a pair, thinking I'm trying the same stunt as before. Nope. Full House *****! Took all his chips right there. That felt awesome, and I ended up winning some cash that night, though not first place.
I know what your saying man, the games i play in with my friends are casual just all for fun you know just chillin and bullshitting, but once it gets down the a few kids it all gets quiet and everyone goes into full poker moods. It gets intense and really shows how in the end everyone just wants to win and take home the pot. I won last night after playing pretty tight for about an hour or 2 the count from 6 people went to 3 and i had a moderate stack prob a bit under what i started off with but after it was myself and my 2 friends i played aggresiive and really turned up the pressure and ultimatley knocked the short stack out then went on to win it all. It felt good considering i was down bout 30 bucks before the knight but won it all back and more.