Donkeys Donkeys and More Donkeys!!!!

Ok I have not written in my blog for a while and the main reasons is not because I have gone broke or anything like that it is simply because live poker had dried up for me. I have been playing a fair bit online but as I have mentioned earlier I don’t really like writing about online poker. But I’m back but most of the focus on this entry will be on Poker Society the Monday night Tournaments!

Just a quick message to myself! I’m 21 tomorrow!!!!! Damm I feel so old but on the poker note look out America! Dhruv Doshi is now legal to play in the big comps!!! Obviously my roll does not allow me to buyin yet but I will definitely be thinking about some satellites soon enough, although I promised myself I will work harder at uni this year so sats might not be on the top of my list!

My next blog entry will probably be about the £200 freeze out at Walsall Casino for the Midland Masters! Some good news for me is that $150 of that will be paid for by River Card.com!!! The are just asking me to wear their T Shirt which is a very nice deal!! Also if you are looking for a new site and what some bonuses! Rivercard is the site to go on!!! If you click the link below and type in my promotional code DOSHI

while making your 1st deposit you will get a 30% bonus on that deposit and if you would like me to hook you up with a 5% rake back deal just drop me an email at tripled009@hotmail.com. Lets be honest 5% is not a lot but its something, I get just under £100 a month and its free money!!1 Also those of you on VC or Blue Sq on any other similar site just, it’s the same site so no need to sign up you just have to download the rivercard software and play with the same screen name as before. So if you are interesting in switching sites just for the bonus then just do that, if you don’t like it, clear your bonus and go back to your site!

Univeristy of Warwick Poker Society

Ok I normally pride myself on the fact that I went to Warwick poker soc, it where my game has developed dramatically but these days I have lost my ‘romance’ (to quote Saef) for the game on Monday nights. In my 1st year I was ready to learn watching great players play and talk the talk but nower days no one wants to learn or they think they know it all! I know I don’t know it all and I still have the nerve to write a blog about the sport. To quote someone (forgot who….i want to say Mike Sexton) It takes a minute to learn and a life time to master! I coming in on Monday nights and see my table, there is normally one regular who I have respect for but the rest are just awful, players who do not learn from their mistakes, players who don’t realise that getting lucky is a bad thing in the long run (by making that move), players make up pots odds!!! That really annoys me

I feel that this is what the World Series of Poker must be like. I think that Poker soc is a great way of getting passed the first day at the WSOP because the players are sooooooo bad!!!! The number one rule I adopt at poker soc is DO NOT BLUFF!!!!!! I have seen re re raises called with bottom pairs and yes you could say it’s a great call but if you look at peoples faces when they make the call they almost do it just to see the other guys hand.

At poker soc there are 4 types of players, the All in guy, the quiet rock, the good player and the elite players. The players I like to play against are the rocks and the good players. I will pull bluff only on them and occasionally on the elite players. The reasons behind this are simple, rocks will fold, good players feel they can always wait for a better opportunity. I only bluff occasionally the elite players as I really don’t need to dump any chips onto them. I need them to earn their chips. The allin guy! I’m shit scared of this guy! I can never work them out but my general rule is play for the nuts against them. Try not to play too any draws because it will cost a lot and you have no fold equity when pushing against these players. Here is an example of a hand I played yesterday I find 88s and raise and an allin guy calls. Flop comes 8 high with 3 dimonds, ok its not the best flop for me but I’m 90% sure my top set is good but I know if he has a Ad Kd or Qd he will chase. So the plan is to see all the cards. Some might say you are a favourite push and if he call you are a 67% favourite. But my rule against these players is see all 5 cards! Ok I give them a chance to catch up but I never commit all my chips against that kind of player without a big hand. Also 67% is not a lot to me!! I want to be at least a 80% favourite when I get all my chips in! So I check and he does behind the Ad falls on the turn and I check and he follows river a blank no pair on the board and I check and he shows Qd! Surprised he did not bet but he was always calling if I bet. I find these players difficult to play but when I pick up a big hand or a flop I do get paid which is nice.

SIDE POTS!!!!!!! I have had some debates with people about this! At poker soc the play is not great but betting into an empty side pot with bottom pair or a nice draw really annoys me! 2 weeks ago, 6 hand with 12 left UTG moves in and I call in the SB with KQ and the BB call flops is Q high, check check, turn x check check river I check and the BB bets! I have top pair with K kicker nice hand but the person who bet was in the elite group of players, I folded and he shows two pair. Ok I did not protect my hand but if I did on the flop UTG triples up as he had AQ! This is a very simple game! And side pots is not too much harder! I may say this but I see on WSOP bracelet events when John Pham bets into an empty side pot with the nut flush draw! The other player folds and when the hands were shown, a player at the table said why did you bet! John Pham replies I have nut flush draw I want to protect my hand! That makes no sense to me, you have A high and if the flush hit you will have the nuts. There is no hand to protect. Having an over pair is different! So if the top pros are doing it does that mean we should?? This is the part in poker as in life where we have different opinions, which is what makes the game great but if I’m playing do not bet into an empty side pot with nothing!

People at poker soc, As I said its like the WSOP main event, most of the pros out there feel that over 75% of the field are fishes! Same at poker soc, we get around 80-90 runners on average and only 20 ish people fit into the elite/good player bracket . We have people who argue with the dealers about everything and feel they are always right. We have people who do not pay attention at all and need to be told how much it is to go. We have people who stare people down when really they have no idea how to read people! All these things really slow the game down. I know they are beginners but I see the same people doing the same thing week after week, its so frustrating. I feel I am quite good at reading people just by the way they talk, sit, look at people, the way they move and stack they chips. I even told some one at poker soc stack like chips up probably they say no I like it like this! They make like flower patterns with they green blue and red chips!!! Its sooooo bad! It just gives away so much information! Some people have like 25 of each colour and stack them up in 5’s which is soooooo annoying they cover like half the length of the table! Here is a tip stack the chips in 1 to 4 piles and make sure they are easy to count!! Also stop hiding your chips!!!! People actually hide they chips!!!! It is a rule to keep your big chips visible to all players, I told someone that and they thought I was lying!!!

Facial expressions are soooo dreadful at poker soc, people try to act! Its obvious!!! Don’t sigh act all unhappy then move in!!! Who are you fooling seriously!! Most people at Warwick are well educated which gives you a big advantage, why play like a fool! Also the whole defending the Big Blind is great but take 3 minutes to fold!!! Why!!!! Any good players knows what you are doing in the first 3 secs when the action gets round to you, I’m not saying to act too quickly but pretending to dwell up to send the message ‘do not steal my BB I will go all in next time!’

ALL IN!!!!! The famous words in poker that has ruined the game!!! All you see on TV is the All in hands because it is exciting moments that average America poker players want to see! SO lets do what the TV does! Lets go all in every other hand!!! You have to remember that they miss out all the hours of real poker where people are betting ¼ to ¾ of the pot and people just fold. Sometimes…. Well most of the time in poker there will be a raise and a fold or a raise call bet and a fold. Its not always AK and KKs! But at poker soc there is enough people battling each other in that way that some one will have a stupid amount of chips very quickly while the other maniac is out! So we have a lot of players who will make one final table a year and never be seen again they either double up or go broke! This is a game plan I know how to play against however when the blinds are big as they normally are (finishing a 80 man tournament in 4 1/2 hours is always difficult) my game plan fails which is waiting for the big hands hence why I keep making final table with a few amount of chips. Its not that I’m not aggressive enough but people just keep moving with KJ and 66 and when I see hands like 73 and K7 there is not much I can do!!

When I 1st came to poker soc I was eager to learn and on each table there was a table captain who runs the game and talks about the game, the other players would show respect to them and listen but these days I’m one of the table captains or someone on the exec is there is always a new face on the table who knows it all and disagrees with the table captains and ruling have to be called, I’m not saying this about everyone but some people do not know how to listen and take advice. Some guy had an argument with me about odds of pocket pair vs pockets pair vs AA, someone argued about losing chips, someone argued about acting out of turn. I do not know what it is but everyone thinks their a pro!!!!!

Ok enough bitching!!!! I actually need these players to be soooooo bad at poker it makes it easy money I guess. I have played 6 comps at poker soc now making 3 final tables and twice final two and once final 4 all with AA vs KK in a huge pot!!!! Poker in my eyes is dying out!!! Why ???? Who knows! There are trips once and a while to other societies but they all seem to fade away. I think people want to play on the internet more these days or feel they are too good for the society but we have some awesome players at poker soc and if you attend and listen and try to learn you will definitely improve!!

I have recently put up a challenge which I hope a few people will sign up to, a £25 prop bet of who can make the most final tables this year at poker soc!!! I think around 5 people will join the pool which will give the winner a nice £125!!!

So wish me good luck at the £200 freeze at Walsall Casino and if you want some rake back on rivercard click the link above or at the side of the page or drop me an email!!!!!