The No-Limit Hold'em Learning Curve is Steep and Treacherous!

The no-limit hold'em learning curve is not only steep, it is rocky, uneven, slippery, and very interesting and intensive. The road is long, bumpy, and on and on. How do I know this? During my recent experience playing in the World Poker Tour Invitational event, I fell down so many times and skinned my knees that I am surprised I survived. Well, I did, but my chips didn't. I have told you of a few good plays I made and many bad ones, as well as ones I still don't know about. Here are a few more. Remember the scenario, please: I was at table after table of world-champion players intermingled with some Hollywood personalities. We were playing no-limit hold'em, and I was, understandably, far out of my league and element.

I survived the breakup of my first table, and was moved to a table that consisted of the following players: John Juanda, Erik Seidel, Layne Flack, Jeff Shulman, Russ Hamilton, Brad Daugherty, a couple of others I can't recall now, and me. Perhaps I have purposely put the players I can't recall out of my mind. After all, playing with this bunch drove me out of my mind. One of the first hands I picked up at this table was two kings, when I was in the big blind. I thought, "Cool, I'm gonna double or triple up and have a bunch of chips to painfully mismanage!" This, however, was not to be. We were at about the $300-$600 blind level and Jeff Shulman, who was two to my left, opened the pot for $1,800, I think. I had about $8,000 in chips at this point. Everyone folded around to me, and I moved all in. Jeff beat me into the pot. I proudly flipped up my two kings, only to have my very worst nightmare come to fruition. Jeff held two aces. Of course, the board didn't help me (as it shouldn't; if you start with the worst hand, you are supposed to lose, even when it is kings), and I started walking away from the table after wishing everyone luck. Well, it turns out that I had a few more chips than Jeff, so I was still in action, even though I was so painfully low that I could not survive more than a few rounds. I had about $2,000 left.

I had to try to double through in the next hand I played. I had to have that goal, as its accomplishment would be my only out for survival. As the blinds quickly approached, I held nothing, nada, zip - nothing with which I could even gamble. Had I played any of the hands I was dealt, it would have been just that - a total gamble: 7-2 offsuit, 9-4 suited … stuff like that. I got through the blinds with nothing to protect, and was down to about $1,100. I was on the button, everyone passed to me, and I looked down to find A-9 offsuit. As my right hand stated to put my entire meager stack into the pot, I acquired alien-hand syndrome and threw my cards into the muck! What was I thinking? I am still to this day wondering. I surely figured to have the best hand against only the two blinds. I didn't have heart, plain and simple. Surely I would have been called and faced going broke, and I didn't want to! What a horrible play throwing away that hand was. Of course, I never did find out what the blinds held, as Layne raised from the small blind (as he did with every hand he played), Jeff mucked, and the game went on.

Now, with only $1,100 left, I had to play a hand or be blinded out. Still angry with myself for mucking the A-9, I waited patiently to be dealt any card higher than a 7, or better yet, two cards that looked like they came from the same deck! As the dreaded blinds approached, I picked up A-6 offsuit under the gun. I "put it all in," so to speak. Mind you, my chips would fit into a thimble at this point! Everyone passed around to John, on the button, who came over the top. Both blinds folded, he got the overage of his raise back, and there was $3,775 in the pot. We turned our cards faceup before the dealer put out the flop. He had "made a play" at the pot, hoping to get the dead blind and ante money in, and knowing I was desperate to win and could have anything. As we turned over our cards, I held my breath. John had 8-6 suited. I exhaled and grimaced as the dealer put out the flop, the turn, and the river. And guess what? The best hand held up and I won the pot with my ace high. I had $3,775 now and was right back in the big blind! I am exhausted … class dismissed.

As always, please contact me with your poker-related questions or comments. Visit www.cardplayercruises.com or call the Card Player Cruises office to get information on upcoming cruises or the annual World Poker Players Conference. The number there is (888) 999-4880, or in Las Vegas, 655-0919.

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