First day in the Fitz

So, after months of threatening to show my face. For the first time, I entered the Fitz last Saturday for my first ever club game. I'd only been playing with friends for the last 4 months or so.
I would like to thank the players that I played with in the S'n'G after because I made some mistakes (string bets, asking how much someone had in chips, under-raising etc.) It was still a bit nerve racking but...
It brought up some questions that I'd like help with:

1)Whats the best way to play 89s when you're utg?
I couldn't figure this out for the life of me!!

2) Whats the easiest to understand intro beginner book. (Am I still a beginner?)

3) Why was there no big blind sometimes? Ppl had been busted out before, but I just thought it would skip position? No?

4) In the Freeroll: No flop yet, Player goes all in. I have AQo/s. I went in, He has 79o/s Hits trip 7 on the turn. Should I have not gone all in or was it sheer bad luck?

If you could offer any help, I'd be most grateful.
B

DeVore

1. Call and fold to any reasonably big raise. OR fold OR raise and gamble a bit all three work but realise why you are going with one or other. I'd *probably* fold them but it depends on stack size, table image, opponents etc...

2. From the maths/logic side of things: The Theory of Poker by Sklansky. We're all beginners in the end of the day mostly.

3. I cant imagine there being no Big Blind. Sometimes there is no Small blind if the BB just got knocked out but I dont think its possible to have no BB.

4. In retrospect, if you like being 2:1 fav to take all his chips keep calling. Without perfection knowledge, given that its the freeroll, I'd call every time. In the 100 game against someone like Harold, I might well fold this as there are few hands he could turn over that I'd be happy to see unless I'm short stacked and need to risk a 50-50.

DeV.

Dub13

1)Bin them.....in the freeroll rip them up and then bin them as you will be called.

2)The Late Night poker book is a good read

4)The freeroll is MAD...its a game all on its own,it will take you a while to get used to it.

Hope this helps

Hitman Actual

1. Assuming UTG and a full table, this is usually a fold for me; you're out of position with a drawing hand that you wont like calling a raise with.

2. I actually think Theory of Poker is a bit advanced for a beginner. For the holdem aspects, Lou Kriegers beginner hold-em books are okay (just remember that they are specifically for limit games). Regarding beginner tournament play, I remember reading "Tournament Poker Tips from the Pros" when I started, and found it to be a help.

3. There should have been a big blind, not sure what happened there.

4. In the free-roll, there's absolutely nothing wrong with calling all-in with AQ. You're probably ok in the 20euro games as well. It's only in the bigger tournaments that AQ becomes much more suspect, IMO.

karlh

1) fold utg. with this hand you definitely need position and to see a cheap flop, unless you're playing short-handed and with a lot of chips.

2) Sklansky is very good and is the best next step. i'll lend you a book i got by Phil Gordon too which kinda summarises theories from loads of books.

3) there were a couple of hands in that sng with no small blind. it happens when the big blind from the previous hand gets knocked out (he would be the sb next hand so player to his left posts big on his own)

4) if you know the player to be ultra tight and likely to have a big pair or AK, then drop it. if it's for all your chips and you're in an ok position then maybe best not to risk it unless you pick something up on the player. if you need to double up then you'ld be mad not to take a stab with it.
the hand in question - you want to be seeing crap like 7/9os every time when they're on their backs!

Iago

karlh wrote:

1)
the hand in question - you want to be seeing crap like 7/9os every time when they're on their backs!

or Q9o when you have a good hand eh Karl

Iago

1)Whats the best way to play 89s when you're utg?
I couldn't figure this out for the life of me!!

If the blinds are very small compared to your stack (20BB+) then you can afford to flat call here. Otherwise throw it away

4) In the Freeroll: No flop yet, Player goes all in. I have AQo/s. I went in, He has 79o/s Hits trip 7 on the turn. Should I have not gone all in or was it sheer bad luck?

AQo and AKo are my pet hate hands, too good to throw away most of the time but they can get you in a lot of trouble. If I'm betting and I can go all-in on these that might be worthwhile, but when I'm reacting to an all-in I'm far more cagey about it.

In the freeroll or 20 in tournie I would call, anything higher than that and I would probably throw AQo away. Unless of course point 1 applied and his all-in wasn't for the majority of my stack, then I would probably play them

Thanks for the advice everyone. Read Phil Gordon's book during the week. Good read. I'm still cagey about implied pot odds. Practise practise practise I suppose.
Played the freeroll on Sat. Miraculously came fifth and got the ticket. With no rebuy (may I add).
Not ready to throw away €100 yet on a game so I'm thinking, play the 20 game? or maybe the 50? Does the Fitz have a site that has times of tourneys on?

Dub13

I got a ticket on Sat aswell....what seat were you in on the final table...?

Hmmm.. I was the guy that made it with 3,000 chips... You?

Dub13

I was the second player from the dealers left at the end,I think John was in between me and you.The bloke who got very unlucky at the end was my mate....remember the hand,he had pocket Kings up against Q 4 and the board had 3 Qs on it....LOL he got 50 euro credit so at least he got something.

Yeah I know! Think I'll change my name to Papa "Lucky" Smut. You were sitting beside Marq? Were you on my first table? With the big stack?

Dub13

Papa Smut wrote:

You were sitting beside Marq? Were you on my first table? With the big stack?

Yea that was me.....what table were you on first..?I was the big stack on table 2.You were very very lucky if I remember right next time around the blinds would have got you.am I right...?


So you are not going to play the 100 game...?

Not ready for the 100 game in my opinion. I was on table 2. I would have survived a bb and sb on the final table. Thats it. if it had gone any further I would have been all in on the next round anyway. But I'm more than happy enough that I scalped a few people.

Dub13

Papa Smut wrote:

Not ready for the 100 game in my opinion. .

If I were you I would play in the 100 game....if you enter the 20 you may end up spending 80 out of your 100 credit.The 20 game is the next step up from the freeroll but some people treat it like a freeroll and will spend 80 notes before the brake.

The 100 game on the other hand is a freeze out so people are a lot more reserved.

Ah you're just trying to rob me money!! Seriously though, I want to play more games. So I was thinking of playing the 20 with one rebuy (if needed) and then the 50 game. Does the fitz have a site which tells you what games are on?

Dub13

Its up to you....they have a site but its never updated but I think the tournament's are right exept the times they now start at 8:30


http://www.fitzwilliamcardclub.com/

Marq

Barry,
My advice would be to either play the hundred game, or play the fifty euro double chance tournament on a tuesday twice with the credit that you have. you'll learn more playing one hundred game than you will playing five twenty euro rebuy tournaments, and if you're aiming to improve your game there's no better way to do it than sitting down with the big boys and holding your own. do not waste your hard earned credit on a twenty euro rebuy tournament which is like fifty-two-card bingo for the first hour and a half.

Thanks Marq. Did you get to work on time?

I'll play the 50 game on Tuesday. 8.30?

DeVore

Yeah, what Marq said. The Tuesday 50 game or the Friday 50+50+5 "scalps" game are both the best value for money on a low budget. You'll get better play, you'll learn more and the prize money aint bad. the 20 game used to be a great game and still is if you get the right table or once the monkeys with too much money get mugged after the break.

DeV.

Dub13

Papa Smut wrote:

I'll play the 50 game on Tuesday. 8.30?

How did you get on....?

Marq

he split the tourney and won 1700 euro. fair play to him

Yeah had a great w/end. Won the 1700. Played the freeroll the on the Saturday. Got another ticket. I'm beginning to like this game.

karlh

nice one Papa!

Dub13

I bet you are going to play the 100 game with this ticket....

Well Done.