SuperBook’s Blog

Hello again everyone. It’s me, Carrie and today I’d like to talk to you about a topic that is relevant for pros and amatuers a like, “What do you do when you arrive at a new game?”  Whether you are a high stakes player feeling out a new poker room, or a weekend warrior sitting at your friends home game for the first time, there certainly is a different mindset when you are in a new environment.  Do you jump into the fray and try to establish strength or do you just sit and wait?  We all know players out there who use both styles and use them well.  After all, it’s all a matter of what suits someone’s personality.  One thing that is for certain is that when you are at a new table, it is obviously very important that you pay close attention to the game and to the individual players right away.

Most players get so caught up in themselves and their own heads that they don’t even make it to this first step.  They are so preoccupied with themselves that they miss out on other’s clues.  What should you do?  You should pay attention. Period.  Don’t start running your mouth, don’t zone out and don’t try to look overconfident.  The first few minutes you’re at the table is the most important time in the game and the sooner you realize this, the better off you’ll be.

Once you’ve sat down, be sure not to rush into any hands. To be honest, I recommend not getting involved in any hands at first.

Any experienced tournament player will tell you that most players are eliminated from tournaments when they are in “shuffle times” (when they are moving from table to table). At these times, players’ minds are not completely focused on the game and this is where mistakes are made.

Here’s an example.  Let’s say that you sit down at a new table and the table you’ve been playing previously was extremely tight so you play aggressively and steal more than your share of pots. You sit at this new table and fall right back into your previously successful aggressive betting pattern. You make an ill-advised move and bust out because you didn’t take the time to realize that this table is much looser than the last one.

When I move to a new table or play at a game where I don’t know the players, I ordinarily wait a few rounds of betting before I get involved in a hand and often times I wait even longer.  Why?  Well, this gives me a chance to get to know my opponents before risking any chips.  It’s a type of evaluation time where you can learn information about your opponents.  Poker is by its nature a game where you need to evaluate constantly but these first few hands is 100% devoted towards just watching my opponents.  I’m not saying you should become a folding station and fold your monster pairs.  But you should avoid playing those marginal hands that everyone likes to tangle with early on, the ones that can become more profitable later on once you develop some feel for your opponents. 

Do you know what else is happening during this time? By taking your time and learning about your opponents, they are getting zero information about you.  In fact, the only thing they can really figure out is that they assume you’re a tight player.

Within 10 minutes, even if you haven’t won a pot or played a hand you’re opponents are already developing a sense that you don’t play garbage hands and will have more respect for you. 

What should you be evaluating during this time.  Many players believe you should be looking at the face and eyes.  That’s fine but it shouldn’t be the only thing.  Poker tells are the combination of an entire set of movements and behavior so there are many things you should look out for.  Tells, by nature can be complex which is why it is important that you don’t reveal the way you think.  For some reason, it’s a natural tendency in all of us to share our thoughts at the poker table especially when we aren’t involved in hands.  When you reveal your thinking process, you’re giving away information.  Don’t do it.  Don’t mention how you noticed that when player A bets big, he’s bluffing or when player B starts talking, he has a monster.  You’re letting other players know information you’ve gathered while showing them how observant you are.  Don’t say anything about your observations.  This isn’t a team sport.

I hope these tips help you out.  You certainly can’t profit from all of the other poker skills you’ve learned if you go bust quickly because you didn’t take time to evaluate the table.

By GREG MELIKOV The 134^th Kentucky Derby is around the corner and my list of Top 10 contenders for America’s Greatest Race has changed a bit. There are still ifs and maybes concerning what 3-year-olds will start, but the April preps reduced who will be racing on the third Saturday in May. So here we go again, Dave Letterman style, from the bottom: 10. Cool Coal Man/Visionaire: Fountain of Youth victor Cool Coal Man was among several 3-year-olds that disappointed in their debut on a synthetic surface, finishing seventh in the Blue Grass at Keeneland. That ended his two-race win streak accomplished on Gulfstream Park’s dirt track. Visionaire ran fourth after taking the Gotham by a nose at Aqueduct in the slop. The last Kentucky Derby champ to run fourth in the Blue Grass was Thunder Gulch in 1995 when the surface was dirt. 9. Smooth Air: Followed his third in the Tampa Bay Derby with a second behind Florida Derby champ Big Brown. The steadily improving son of Smooth Jazz has a chance to hit the board if he has a clean trip.  8. Court Vision: Hasn’t visited the winner’s circle this year. The son of Gulch duplicated his third-place finish in the FOY in the Wood Memorial, but his speed figures have been on the slow side. Neither ’05 Derby winner Giacomo or ’03 winner Funny Cide had a victory the year they prepped. While this closer has only two races as a sophomore, he boasts a solid foundation as a 2-year-old with a pair of graded stakes victories. 7. Recapturetheglory: The son of Cherokee Run punched his ticket to Churchill Downs with a wire-to-wire victory in the Illinois Derby at Hawthorne, reminiscent of ’02 Kentucky Derby winner War Emblem. He continues to improve after finishing second to Cool Coal Man in the FOY. 6. War Pass: Last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile champ rebounded from his seventh and last place finish in the Tampa Bay Derby to second in the Wood. He posted quick fractions, but fell a half-length short after the 1 1/8 miles. The big question for another Cherokee Run sibling– can he go 1 ¼ miles on May 3?   5. Tale of Ekati: Take of the Cat sibling rebounded from fourth to Pyro in Louisiana Derby to take the Wood. Has solid foundation as a juvenile. Could surprise. 4. Gayego: California invader made his debut on the dirt a winning one in the Arkansas Derby with a four-length triumph. The son of Gilded Time covered the 1 1/8 miles at Oaklawn Park in 1:49 3/5 – two ticks faster than ’07 Horse of the Year Curlin when he posted a record 10 ½-length victory.  3. Colonel John: The son of Tiznow closed like a freight train to take the Santa Anita Derby. His pedigree indicates he can get the distance at Louisville, but the colt has a definite disadvantage having only raced on synthetic surfaces. 2. Pyro: The son of Pulpit didn’t run a lick from the start of the Blue Grass and obviously didn’t care for the Polytrack. He ran 10^th and beat only two horses. That ended his two-race streak in which he posted come-from-behind wins in stakes at Fair Grounds. Many experts say throw out the effort. At least his odds with go up in Louisville.  1. Big Brown: Huge Florida Derby victory from the No. 12 post boosts this son of Boundary to top of the heap. His 1:48 for the 1 1/8 miles was the fastest since ’96 and only a fraction off Gufstream’s track record. On Saturday, he worked five furlongs in 1:00 3/5 on the dirt at Palm Meadows Training Center. He’s in the catbird seat, but must over the decades-old curse that no runner with only four career outings has smelled the roses since Exterminator in ’18.

We are thrilled to pass along news on this development to those who may not have heard. Perfect timing with the banking crisis. If this can get out of committee, hopefully it can get swept into banking/mortgage relief legislation. Frank is smart, and he has a lot of support, so we hope this is Step 1 of a planned out strategy.
Frank, Paul Introduce Legislation to Stop Implementation of Antigambling Regulations

Washington, DC—House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) and senior Financial Services Committee member Ron Paul (R-TX) have introduced legislation to prohibit the federal government from issuing regulations called for in the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. The legislation, H.R. 5767, will forbid the Secretary of the Treasury and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from proposing, prescribing, or implementing any regulation that requires the financial services industry to identify and block internet gambling transactions.

“These regulations are impossible to implement without placing a significant burden on the payments system and financial institutions, and while I do disagree with the underlying objective of the Act, I believe that even those who agree with it ought to be concerned about the regulations’ impact,” said Rep. Frank.

“The ban on Internet gambling infringes upon two freedoms that are important to many Americans: the ability to do with their money as they see fit, and the freedom from government interference with the Internet. The regulations and underlying bill also force financial institutions to act as law enforcement officers. This is another pernicious trend that has accelerated in the aftermath of the Patriot Act, the deputization of private businesses to perform intrusive enforcement and surveillance functions that the federal government is unwilling to perform on its own,” said Rep. Paul.

Specifically, at issue is the fact that the regulations, like the underlying legislation, fail to define the term “unlawful internet gambling,” leaving it to each financial institution to reconcile conflicting state and federal laws, court decisions and inconsistent Department of Justice interpretation, when determining whether to process a transaction. Furthermore, some of the information needed to make this determination would likely be unavailable to banks, either because customers or financial institutions in foreign jurisdictions are unwilling or unable to provide it. At the hearing, the regulators themselves admitted that there are substantial problems in crafting regulations to implement the UIGEA that does not have a substantial adverse effect on the efficiency of the nation’s payment system.

Chairman Frank and Congressman Paul opposed the UIGEA, and the two have been working on legislation, H.R. 2046 that would license and regulate online gaming. However, it was clear at the hearing that the regulations are unworkable for the financial services industry, and this bill would, therefore prohibit their implementation.

On Wednesday, April 2, the DIMP Subcommittee held a hearing “Proposed UIGEA Regulations: Burden Without Benefit?” to examine the regulations issued last year by the Federal Reserve and Treasury on the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which garnered more than 200 comment letters.

It’s been 2 ½ long years but there may finally be some light at the end of the tunnel.  Now more than ever, We need to continue to unite and grow in numbers and make our voices heard. Why?  Because we can, that’s why. You can play a part in making your voice heard.  On our blog’s main page, click on the banner link that says “Sign a petition to repeal this law” to fight the UIGEA. There you can sign up to help repeal the UIGEA.  This is your chance. Take it!

Let’s get the dialogue going as alone we are weak but united, we are stronger.  Send through your comments to becauseican2007@hotmail.com .