I thought the IGT/Fbekay match was going to be pretty even, with both sites having about the same level of competitiveness. After the first few days, I found that to be far from the truth. To put it lightly, I was expecting a really tight match, with Fey always having an advantage. What I found was that the players at both sites were lousy.
First, Fey had a player go all in with about 84 on the first hand, and the rest of the table went along with him not wanting to be in. Meanwhile, there were two players at IGT that actually played with decent players, believing that they were good. These two players went all in on the first hand with about 50 each, and the rest of the table went along with them not wanting to be in. Obviously, they are not all that skilled, and lost the hand.
Then, there was IGT’s take down of Tophat and Primordial. Those two hands are probably the toughest hands in poker, with inclination to big pairs. Fey played the hand very well with some bad beats, and fortunate that the other player didn’t suffer. In the other IGT match, the player folded pocket 8’s against pocket 5’s, and the rest of the table folded. Had Fey made a small bet at the pot, IGT probably would have folded, but the fact that the other player stayed in the hand and paid for the cost showed that he was in fact, holding something. That’s what started the series of bad beats.
At the beginning of the day IGT was at plus $1.15 to win back $1. The plus sign means they have to win back the $1 in the big blind. In the first hour, IGT lost the hand, going from plus $1.20 to minus $1. Although I didn’t do anything wrong or do anything terribly wrong, a series of bad beats can cause a tilt. The next day, IGT was down to $1.10 to win back the big blind. The plus sign now meant they have to win back the $1.20 big blind. In the first hour, they lost the hand, going from plus $1.30 to minus $1.
After about an hour and a half, IGT was still down by $1.10. This is where the play got exciting. IGT has played a lot of big events, and learned that their “Vodka138” at these events is really just a big kicker. If they have a decent hand, IGT will call you quickly, but if they’re just playing off a hand, they have a reputation for getting involved and bullying the table.
Laying down this hand, with the nuts, means that your hand has to be overwhelming. Especially in a Limit game, if you see 2 cards and the flop, you should bet the River. The River bet is the decider in this situation. It can be a soft river, so if you get84 or worse and you have 2 outs…you should probably check and fold. If you’re lucky, you get amps or worse and you somehow suck out, you probably did not make a huge mistake. River River bet is the ultimate bad beat. It is completely within your rights to fold. If you’re not sure, you probably shouldn’t call a cheap flop bet, which is a large portion of these hands anyway.
It’s easy to observe and follow the advice given to you on how to play these hands, they’re simple and straightforward. Once you’ve played one table, the second hand should be very clear. The difference with good hands and weak hands is the speed in which they decide whether you win a pot or lose a pot.
I’ve given you almost everything you need to know about Texas Holdem including the odds, strategies, and a simple to follow game. Practice is the key to success playing Holdem so anything you can do to improve your practice will help.