The Poker Life

Welcome Advanced Poker Training! Building a Strategy

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 07:56:00 +0000

I've just partnered up with the pro team at Advanced Poker Training in developing new content. My first objective is designing new combat training scenarios in which players can develop strategies in the challenging situations they face in the game. In support of that objective, I thought I would write this blog and help those who struggle with how to build a good strategy.

I've also placed a hyperlink here on my social page if you decide you'd like to try your hand at some of these combat scenarios. You can use the trial version for free to test it out! Now, onto the process of building a strategy.

A good poker strategy accomplishes a known objective. i.g. To play profitably from the blinds, to improve short-handed play, to increase win rate, etc. So, a strategy then can be defined as a plan of action to accomplish a known objective or handle a particular situation.

The process of my strategy building technique begins with clearly stating my objective of what I'm trying to accomplish in the game situation. I then write down four or five specific action steps (behaviors) that I believe will help me reach my objective. My plan of action. I then move into the effort of testing that strategy for effectiveness.

Here's an example;

Objective: To improve my button play by leveraging my advantage.

Strategy:

Pre-Flop:

When folded to, RAISE with top 75% of hands.
When facing limpers, RAISE with top 25% of hands.
When facing a mid-position raiser, 3Bet with top 1-5% + 10-15% of hands, Flat with 5-10% of hands and fold everything else.

Post-Flop:

When in a heads up and checked to by the pre-flop raiser, BET all boards that don't contain an Ace or King, regardless of the strength of my hand.

In multi-way pots, when bet into by the last player before me, RAISE with any pair and draws of 6 outs or more.

There are many game situations in which one could develop sound strategies and tactics. For example;

Defending from the small blind

Playing against a calling station

Playing Ace-Rag

Playing against the passive-aggressive opponent

Playing out of position w 2nd pair on an Ace high board with an SPR of 2.

A strategy is as effective as it accomplishes your objective. Given conscious effort and a proper trial run, evaluate your results to determine if you've met your objective or the strategy needs adapting.

This is where having a good software program to build, test and evaluate your strategy is essential. It sure beats a trial and error method in real game time situations because it will save you a lot of money and time. So enjoy building your technique and strategies in developing a winning poker game on Advanced Poker Training!

Kenna

PROPER TECHNIQUE - Viewing Your Hand and Handling Your Chips

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 08:14:00 +0000

Many players come to me to study and learn proper poker technique. So, I thought it may be interesting to start a series on the subject. Let me begin with two of the most basic techniques in poker - Looking at your cards and handling your chips. No matter what level you play the game, it can be helpful to learn and re-examine proper technique.

A strategy is a plan of action to reach an objective. - i.e. To bet with a strong intention.
To play a GTO (game theory optimum) strategy so as to maximize my r.o.i. in cash games.

Your technique is the way in which you carry out a particular task. - i.e. how you look at your cards and handle your chips. The line you take in the play of your hand, etc.

VIEWING YOUR HAND - Timing and Protection

An effective strategy, when it comes to looking at your hand, assures your opponent can't see your cards or determine the relative strength of your hand by your reaction to what you see.

When it comes to the technique of looking at your cards, the two main things are your timing and of course how you look at them. When it comes to timing, some players like to look at their cards as soon as they get them, while others wait to look until it is their turn to act. I think the best technique to develop is waiting for your turn to act. This way you can keep your focus up and out and on your opponents as they are looking at their cards. You may even pick up a line on a player who acts after you if they look at their cards right away and give off an indication to what they are likely to do.

The second thing is how you look at your cards. I like the technique in this photo illustration.

The left hand should come up just a little bit higher and the left thumb tucking under a little bit more will provide additional protection. Done correctly, it will appear like you are looking down the rabbit hole!

Conversely, this illustrations below reveals poor technique in looking at a hand.

Holding your cards far out in front of you without adequate protection from the other hand is a bad habit to get into as well as holding your cards up to high and grabbing your chips. This is just a breakdown in proper technique of looking at your hand.

Let's think about our technique in betting our chips.

HANDLING YOUR CHIPS

The strategy in handling and betting our chips is to not give off any physical or bet sizing tells that would indicate the true strength of our hand. The physical placement of our chips into the pot tends to be with one or more of the following techniques.

1. Sliding
2. Placing or the methodical drop
2. Cutting
3. Splashing

The next time you watch a poker show on t.v., YouTube, etc. look for the player's technique in betting their chips. Whichever technique you employ, remember to put strong intention behind your consideration before putting them into the pot. This technique will compliment an aggressive strategy that is meant to put an opponent on the defense.

The other thing to keep in mind when putting chips into the pot is your sizing.

Some "experts" say you should be consistent and always size your bets the same to not reveal the strength of your hand. Putting this kind of limiters on your betting to hopefully not reveal something...well for me at least, doesn't allow for optimum bet sizing.

I think the proper technique is to constantly shift your sizing based on your opponent and the specifics of the situation. For example, if I'm facing a calling station on the flop, and I have the best hand, I don't want to limit myself to a standard size C-Bet. I want to go for a heavy bet and more value. As long as you don't fall into predictable patterns like betting small when you're weak and big when you're strong, you'll be okay when mixing it up.

I'll continue this series with more poker techniques and strategies. If you have a suggestion on a technique or strategy you'd like me to write about, please leave it in the comment section below and I'll be glad to help you with it.

Kenna James

COOL HAND LUKE

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Sun, 19 Feb 2017 01:49:00 +0000

I found myself in the unenviable position of handling an upset this week. It’s something I do regularly with clients, but this time the tables were turned and the upset I was handling, was with myself.

This past week I played the $300 NL-rebuy event. It was a true rebuy as the field was loose and wild. Rebuys were flying around the room like parakeets. I had gotten to the tournament 15 mins. early, or so I thought, but turns out I misread the start time and I was more like 75 mins. early. I was easy going and accepted my new reality and sat on a nearby couch to read a poker magazine.

The time passed quickly and when I got to my table I was pleasantly surprised to find a great table draw. It had a few players that I knew didn’t play well along with some others that played well but oftentimes didn’t, for one reason or another. And with this being a rebuy event, it would give them the perfect excuse to loosen up and gamble. Sure enough, many of them started off getting their chips in the middle with the worst of it.

With the initial rebuy, which everyone at my table did, the starting stack was 24k in chips. I was up to about 30k rather quickly, smooth sailing and no sign of trouble ahead.

Like dark skies on the horizon of a sea, however, trouble appeared rather quickly in the form of a floor man named Kevin. Kevin comes over and quite unceremoniously removes two players from our table. “I have to move you guys to another table,” he says. Seems innocent enough, except he was taking the action players! Something that was going to make my journey to the winner’s circle a lot more difficult. I wasn’t going to have it. Suddenly my mood switched from being contented to being upset.

“Why is this guy taking the fish out of my basket?” I thought. I used different terms to protest to a few of my other table opponents who didn’t seem the least disturbed by this recent development. And why should they? It’s all part of the game, right?

The very next hand someone new was in the seat. A “young-gun” who was a much tougher player then the one who left. “This is silly! I don’t understand why they do that, move one player only to put in a different one in his place.” I exclaim.

I called the tournament director over and proceeded to ask him about their table balancing procedures. I whined; “Why are you taking multiple players from our table? Is there an order in which tables you draw the players from?” I asked. He patiently explained that there was a process, random as it may be, to take players from the worst positions at existing tables and form a new table. The reasoning was; “We don’t want players who are signing up late to sit together, so we do it to prevent collusion.” He says. “Humph!” I shrug and shake my head.

My position, which I vehemently wanted to hang onto, was that everyone else in the tournament, that was here on time, is being inconvenienced! Losing the intel. and data gathering work they’ve done on the opponent’s they are currently sitting with, only to have it ripped away. While changing and adapting is a natural aspect of tournament play, it is usually due to players busting out and having to combine and balance tables. This was the opposite, we all had to change and balance tables because of player tardiness and joining the field late. Wait a minute, I was over an hour early! I thought this unfair and it sent me into protest. Not very effectively I might add as you will see.

The important factor not to be overlooked in all of this, at least from a competitive point of view, is that I not only let this process affect me, but I let it show. I was in an upset and acting like an amateur.

Pros don’t play in protest, period. A pro player playing his or her “A” game doesn’t get upset by what happens in the game, or if they do, they certainly don’t show it. A Pro plays conscious, alert and in present time. Accepting changes and flows as part of the game with a willingness to adapt their strategy to changes accordingly. I know this, and still, I was falling victim to my own protest.

After about 15 minutes I manage to center myself and was back to focusing on competing. Just then a new challenge emerged. A floor man swings back by with an empty rack, setting it down in front of me. “Time to move,” he says. I laughed at the irony, shook my head and quietly moved. Surprisingly, I find myself at an even better table then-then one I left! Just to the left of two big fish with chips! Yum-Yum!! Sounds like the perfect poker player’s meal. I went about building my chip stack, happy as a kid with a dish of chocolate pudding.

A friend of mine who was waiting for a seat as an alternate is watching my table. We chat and talk strategy for a few minutes. I tell him that if you like your table, make sure you pay close attention and get through the big blind quickly before they come and nab you and move you to another table. The very next lap around the table I elect to play a marginal hand under the gun. This extends the time before I take the big blind just long enough for me to see Death standing behind me with the all too familiar empty rack. Ahhhh!!! Nooooo!! My protest coming out full bare, “I’m not the big blind!” I yell at him. “Yes, you are. I got to move you.” No, not me again, I think to myself. My frustration building coming to a full froth the pent-up anger bubbling beneath my skin.

This time there was no acknowledgment, just hostility directed towards the floor man giving me the seat card. I snapped up the new seat assignment and proceeded to my new table, leaving a trail of steam and mumbling complaints in my wake. My anger was about to be unleashed.

This time the draw was not so generous and I was like a criminal peeking out from underneath a blindfold standing in front of a firing squad. The bullets to come from the very young guns I was resisting. The harder I tried to center myself and accept my new reality, the more the resistance took hold. Like a Red Hawk whose talons are already in its prey. I was dinner.

It took about 30 minutes before the 30k+ chip stack I had accumulated was reduced to a vacant space of felt just north of me. “Rebuy,” I announced. I replenished my chips and interestingly a sense of calm came over me. The anger that I had released in destroying my chip stack, along with my chips, was gone.

I went on to play well but fell short of cashing. Going out 41^st in a field of 250.

With the loss of this tournament, I realized something very valuable. I realized that to win anything of value is not to take or even desire the easy path. That realization along with knowing the source of my troubles didn’t start with or have anything to do with the floor man. The trouble had to do with me wanting an easy way out and more specifically with my protest of the changes that are simply a part of any game.

Moving forward I will keep in mind Luke (Paul Newman) in the movie “Cool Hand Luke.” No matter how tough he had it, he always kept his cool. Even when your "card dead" or seem to have nothing going for you, remember, “sometimes nothing can be a real cool hand.”

Keep your Cool, Kenna

Playing with the Fishes

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 07:06:00 +0000

I was in Aruba for the Aruba Classic Poker Championships some years back, I think it was 2005.

I remember because I flew there directly after the Monte Carlo Millions tournament in which I final tabled along with tournament greats John Juanda and Phil Ivey, the eventual winner.

After playing with those sharks I decided to look for clearer waters. I was invited onto a charter flight to Aruba with Phil Laak, Jennifer Tilley, Gavin Smith and a ton of other well known pros who were obviously thinking the same thing. The weather in Monte Carlo was cold, overcast and rainy. What better excuse then to head to a tropical island with plenty of fish!

I forget the production company's name, but they were shooting some show called "Extreme Poker" and the premise was to play poker in all these intense situations and environments. 30,000 feet in the air, skydiving, underwater scuba diving, etc. which made sense because at the time the general public couldn't get enough of poker and it seemed to be on multiple channels every night of the week. Anyway, once we were in Aruba, a few of us were invited to strap on some air tanks and head to the bottom of the Caribbean for a game of poker for this show. A special water proof deck of cards, a weighted down poker table, special chips, etc. were all put into play.

Ironically, we were playing in an area where there were a lot of beautifully colored fish. And the locals warned us that the fish liked to nip at your hair. Especially if you had blonde hair. Turns out fish aren't that different then a lot of guys I know. In a nice twist of fate it was the fish eating at and playing with the poker pros instead of the other way around. And as long as you let them have their way, they would have their nibble and go about their way.

If memory recalls, I think Phil Laak won that underwater tournament, but I could be wrong. Either way, he was on his way to collecting a lot of clams. It was so much fun, playing poker with the fishes. And the donkey's! We often laughed at ourselves and called ourselves donkey's for some of the plays we'd make and the things we did. I remember playing in a pretty big mix game, maybe 100-200 or 200-400 with Phil Hellmuth, Layne Flack and a bunch of the other regulars. Phil was steaming as he usually did back then at his unlucky plight as everybody poked fun at his tirades. I remember one game in particular I played with Mike Matusaw and Miami John in which they laughed at me and called me a donkey for not knowing even what I had in one particular hand. We all laughed so hard. That one even made t.v.

In those days calling each other donkey's or fishes was fun because it was amongst peers and we all understood that from time to time, we are all donkey's or we were all fishes at one time or other. Today, however, it seems the tone is quite different. The game has taken on such a serious tone. The players a rank of stated superiority over others less skilled. The ego's inflated to the degree that some denigrate and put down publicly the unsuspecting new or novice player. The players who do this seem to have never learned one of the basic principles in playing with the fishes. "Don't tap the glass!" When you do it scares the fish and they swim away.

I don't have much patience for so called "good players," who demean other players at the table and openly question their play just because they got lucky and won a hand or sucked out on them. It happened the other night in a game I was playing. The unsuspecting tourist who was buried in the game and he was looking at his hand to figure out what he had exactly. Another player in the game, who was not in that particular hand exclaimed "if you got a club in your hand you got a flush," something he obviously shouldn't have said, but neither player was very schooled at the game, in etiquette or the rules. The tourist then turned over his hand, in fact showing a club (probably a deuce lol) and won the pot. The so called "good player" started chastising the weaker players for not playing right and before you know it, the game that was good became bad as they both got up and left and a short time later the game broke.

When a weak or novice player comes into a game, makes mistakes, or gets lucky, please encourage them don't ridicule or demean them. Realize that without fish, our poker game will be like our planet, dying. Not only for the sake and growth of the game, but also because it is the right thing to do. Remember when you came into the game and someone took a moment to help or show you something you didn't know or understand that improved your game. Think of those times as your debt, in which you should now pay it forward.

I'm not saying you have to coach and help others to beat you. Just be kind and understanding in that your fellow competitor is also on a journey you were once on. Be compassionate to someone who is learning the game and don't treat them as if they were a rag doll for you to beat up on and throw around for your own amusement. Sure it hurts to lose, but if you don't know how to lose or can't see the forest through the trees, then in the long run you'll have no chance anyway. For poker, like life, is naturally full of loss. Deal with it. For those that are too young or too narrow minded or near sighted to see this, then they are themselves the fish or the donkey that they claim to despise. Projecting out what they reject within.

So, as you swim out to your next poker game, before you take a deep breath and dive beneath the surface, please remember; There will be some beautiful fish down there that may nibble at your head. Let them be and have their way with you and in so doing you'll enjoy the game a lot more. You may just come up to the surface like my friend Phil Laak, a winner with many more clams then you can carry.

Enjoy the waves,

Kenna

How to Deal with "Running Bad!"

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 05:48:00 +0000

Peter, a local Vegas poker player came up to me in the card room yesterday and said; “Kenna, I’ve been looking for you for 3 months. I’ve been wanting to ask you something important! How long can someone run bad?” “Hmmm,” I paused considering the source. “Well, I know it’s a lot longer than 3 months,” I told him. I wanted to give him more hope, but looking at him I feared he couldn’t have it, so I assured him it could go on for quite some time. My statement took, as he looked relieved in recognition, nodding in approval.

Anybody who sits in the swamp of “running bad” wonders “How long can this go on!? When you’re in it, it actually feels more like quicksand then a swamp. Which gave me the idea to pick up a stick, I mean a pen, and write about the subject of “How does one deal with “Running Bad?” instead.

To the first part of the question in regards to length of time. A poker professional who had played for decades once said to me that he had been running bad for more than 3 years! At the time he told me this I was winning a tournament every other month. So I just shook my head in bewilderment, not able to relate to the absurdity of that statement. I was much younger back then and now that I’m on the other side of 50 I see a parallel to the statement to the age of the person muttering the consideration. “Luck is wasted on the youth,” I think to myself. I say “wasted,” because all too often the spoils that go with it will be duly squandered on worthless momentary objects of desire. Later, when the appreciation for the finer things in life appear, the “luck” like an old water well, may run a bit dry and all too often the bucket will come up empty. So, what to do?

First, recognize that when you catch yourself saying “I’m running bad,” that you’re always talking about the past. Never the present moment. And yet, we sell it as if it were our fate. Something that we should prepare ourselves for as if we were destined to walk this path for quite some time. And I do mean “Sell it,” to anyone who will listen the bemoaning of our fate. Unlucky for us that we find a sympathetic ear because I believe the more our cries land on these sympathetic victims, the more we propel our fateful journey. Stop, listen to yourself and as if you were going to change direction on a walking path, turn around and let your victims go. Do it in mid-sentence and consciously choose to go a different direction. Don’t allow yourself to continue perpetuating the story.

YOU are the biggest reason you are running bad, not the cards, I hate to tell you.

With that wake up call, comes the practical dealing with the emotional roller coaster we all ride when we choose to play this thrilling game.

The second thing you want to recognize is the specifics of the emotion you are feeling. Don’t be general with your upset. Define the emotion you are feeling and work your way up and out of the quagmire! What exactly are you feeling and displaying? Is it Anger at your results, or Frustration of players continually sucking out on you? Are you Worried that your “bad run,” is going to outlast your bankroll, or are you secretly Afraid that your game isn’t good enough to survive? While you may be feeling a combination of all of these emotions, each one is different and where you reside most of the time will usually be one specific one. So, what emotion are you really suffering from?

Here’s a list of emotions to help you pinpoint how you’re feeling about Running Bad;

Anger – Frustration – Resentment – Worry – Fear – Apathy

Any of these ring a bell? If not, perhaps you can ask your friends. They probably have a better perspective then you do.

Let me give you some hope. The farther you are to the right, on the above scale, the farther one tends to have drifted off the “winner’s path.” But, since you are reading this article, you’re most likely are not yet down on the bottom rung of Apathy. How do I know this? Well, in the emotional state of apathy, reading this articles about your demise would just become too burdensome and pointless. So, the hope is in the fact that you’re reading this (and not having it read to you) and you’re not in apathy. With a little bit of conscious effort on your part you may just be able to climb out of this pit of despair and get yourself back onto the winning path.

After you’ve identified where you are at on the emotional scale, you can use it as a guide to start climbing the ladder to the left end of the scale towards anger. Yes, that’s right, ANGER! You’re going to have to allow yourself to get angry about running bad if you want to climb out of the swamp. Your opponent’s certainly aren’t going to help you. You’re going to have to help yourself. If you’re afraid of getting angry, well then you are in a pickle aren’t you? Well, you don’t have to start there, start moving out of Fear by worrying! For example, If you’re really afraid that your running bad is going to outlast your bankroll, just start worrying about what you’re going to do when it does!

If you’re lucky enough to already be worried or anxious, then start voicing your complaints and you’ll soon find yourself filled with Resentment. Those who are Frustrated with players whining and complaining, consider yourself lucky! You’re already a few rungs up the ladder and you just need to take out your frustration by getting angry. Hit a punching bag, rip up the cards, get a penalty! When you do, at least something you’ll be doing will be starting to work! Players get stuck in frustration because nothing they do seems to be working. Pros who are clever will actually use Anger to drive them even farther Up tone and back onto the winning path which begins with the emotional tone of becoming interested once again and connecting to the present moment. There is nothing as certain as the angry person and often they get what they focus their mind on, which is usually the chips of their opponents who are hopelessly sitting in Frustration or Fear and who are left scratching their heads wondering how long this is going to last.

I say to my poker friend Peter. “Don’t get frustrated, get even!” In the meantime, while you’re waiting, stop resisting this beautiful night. Have patience and learn to appreciate the stars and before you know it, the darkness of the night will fade away and you will clearly see and be on the winner’s path once again.”

I sat down in a poker game and without concern or another thought, booked a win without even trying.

Enjoy the Journey!

Kenna

PLAYING THE PLAYER - Choose your battles...

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Sun, 27 Mar 2016 18:15:00 +0000

There are many battles to be won if you’re going to win the war. None bigger, however, then the one in which you will battle your self. In my personal observations, I find that many players are defeated not as much by the cards or the dealers (as they would have you believe), as they are by themselves. It’s as if the ego will not let them see past the cards their dealt.

The defeatist is one who readily accepts defeat. She lays down and gives up the battle. He surrenders the pot too easily without adequately confronting his adversaries. Together they look for a way out-of instead of in-to, or standing their ground when the going gets tough. And it does get tough. Especially when it comes to personal battles with self-discipline, patience and understanding. Poker tournaments especially can be emotionally, physically and mentally tough.

That is why I always thought that real life soldiers and military personal in general would be great at this game. They have trained themselves to exhibit a level of discipline and courage that would seem to serve them well at the poker table. After working and playing with them, however, I realize it is a different type of battle. It’s not the same as fighting on the battlefields of yesteryear, where the enemy was easily identified as the one firing the bullets at you. The game of poker is more like todays type of terrorist urban warfare where locating and identifying the enemy is becoming an increasingly more difficult task.

It may be easy to not differentiate and say that everyone is your enemy at the poker table, but that is simply not true. Which is one of the reasons why sometimes playing poker competitively can become confusing. There are many times in which you form allies in poker, even if it is unspoken. For example, in a poker tournament when you are playing short-handed and the third guy is short on chips, it is common for the other two players to form a “secret” alliance and gang up on the short stack in order to improve their position. Many of us have been on both ends of that experience of being the hunter and the hunted at the end of a tournament.

There are many other times, albeit a lot less obvious, in which subtle moves and shifts of strategy are made in which to avoid conflict and align with one player and target another. In cash games the regular pros at the table often lay down against each other, only to play against the tourist or the “fish.” These secret alliances are not so much spoken as they are understood by the veterans who play the game. Which may be one reason an isolated young “pro” who feels she is on the outside would walk around confused, frustrated and befuddled in her plight to forge a career in this business.

There is a mutual understanding and respect that can develop among peers that has been earned through the many battles that are fought along the way. Many times it is not until you have been battle tested and earned your stripes, so to speak, that you are invited into this type of alliance. Again, not by formal invitation, but by actions that take place in which you both recognize the truth. If you are lucky enough to find yourself in this position, respect and honor it. Don't take it for granted and leverage it in pursuit of your own self-interest. Just like with any war you don't drop allies in the middle of it, less you find yourself surrounded on all sides, disrespected and alone. There is honor among thieves. So, as the saying goes, “choose your battles wisely.”

Now, once your common enemy is defeated, well then, a new war may begin.

so many questions...too few answers

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Fri, 11 Mar 2016 06:47:00 +0000

One of the phrases that player's often say when they are discussing a poker hand is "it depends." To me this sounds like nails on a chalkboard! Eeeeeeechhhh! I hate that answer because it's no answer! The player's question may be general, but then just give a general answer.

Q: "What should I do with AQ?"
A: "Well...it depends!"

NO IT DOESN'T!

A: "You Raise"

The person who then says, "well, what if there is a Raise and a 3b from a tight player in front of you?" - Well now, that is a whole different question, isn't it? A: "I fold!"
Ask a different question, get a different answer.

With each new parameter in a poker question, just like when a new card comes out on the board, the answer changes and that's okay! You don't need all the information on earth before you make a decision. Is it true that the more information you have, the better decision you will make? Generally speaking of course, the answer is yes. It is better to make an informed decision then an uninformed one. Sometimes you can have too much information. But don't let any lack of information keep you from making a decision. Otherwise you could put off and procrastinate till the cows come home and never make a decision.

Consider whatever information you have, evaluate it and make a decision. General information

produces a general answer, not no answer.

Q: "How much should you buy-in to a poker game?"
A: "Look at the table and whatever the average stack size is, buy-in for that amount."

I don't need to know what size game, the type of game, what level of player the person is whose asking me the question, etc. etc. because the person is not asking me the question with those parameters.

Now, that said, the more detail that is in the question, the more detailed my answer will become.

Q: "I was playing in a NL tourney and around the middle of the tournament this hand came up. I Called a Raise from an Early Position Solid player from the SB with TT. The flop came down Q86. After calling the 3x Raise I have 25bb left and my opponent has me covered. Am I suppose to lead, check and call, check and raise, or check and fold?"

A: Great question. In spots like this I generally like to 3b big pre-flop, fight for the lead and define the hand early. I then would lead in on the flop and put my opponent to a tough decision. However, that is not our situation here and doesn't address your question. If for some reason I decided to just flat and play it defensively because of the player profile, then I would continue with that same passive line. I would check-call any reasonable flop bet and then re-evaluate on the turn. A check-raise would put me in a too high-risk, low-reward situation. Check-folding is giving up too much equity when I have my opponent beat if he has a smaller pair or AK.

So, when someone comes to you looking for an answer, acknowledge them and answer it with whatever the parameters given. Remembering of course that communication is for the other person. Meaning that in forming the answer you give, you should take into consideration the person who is asking it and answer accordingly.

Kenna

Play Well, Run Well! What percentage of poker is Skill versus Luck?

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 17:42:00 +0000

"Play well, Run well" is a common well wish given to players about to sit down in a poker game. I certainly will be trying to find this balance as I head into a special competition today. This statement alerts the question, what percentage of poker is skill to luck?

It is a question that is often heatedly debated at the poker table, usually, by players who fall on one side of the fence or other and think they have the definitive answer. The beauty of game of poker is that it involves both. I don't think there is an exact answer or percentage. Even over time, where skill tends to sway the the pendulum back towards the center or beyond, I don't think there is a definitive answer as to what the exact percentage is. Our journey on the poker felt is one in which we hope to find that perfect balance between the two.

In games of chance, anybody can win on any give day...in fact, we've all witnessed people run well for weeks. We've seen players at the WSOP final table who are only there because they have gotten lucky and run well for the entire main event. Which, by the way, is more then a week long.

I believe myself to be a lucky player. Those who don't believe in luck at all just aren't playing with a full deck. There's that saying - "those who believe they are "right" and those who believe they are "wrong" - are both correct." And the same is true with luck. Those who believe they are lucky tend to be so and those who don't, continually find themselves falling on hard times. The reason is, in my humble opinion, is because BELIEF itself is so strong.

The first part of the equation - "Play Well" - is a much more popular one. We exalt and admire our most skilled athletes. The command they have over their bodies and minds in accomplishing great feats is inspirational. They display for all of us what is possible when you put focused effort and discipline into what you are doing.

Playing well, means being ethical to your purpose. Playing with integrity and being true to yourself. Not always easy in a game where the line is always moving. Bluffing is legal and in less then a minute you're making tough decisions for all your chips. Being brave while making choices that need to be made, with the limited or hidden information that poker offers you, takes courage. And courage is just one of the higher faculties you'll have to employ if you want to win the game. Having faith to follow your intuitions when logic is telling you to do the opposite. Being self-determined and not being diverted by distractions requires mental will power. A player must see themselves as the cause of the outcome and stay the course that you know is "right."

So, this playing well, is a tough bill to fill. When we do play well we feel great and when we don't, we feel less good about ourselves. When we don't play well there is a tendency to not look inward for the solution, but to look outward at the deck or the dealer to save us. Sometimes they do, but more often then not, luck catches up with us and we fall flat on our faces only to pick ourselves up and try again. That is, unless you give up.

How much give up is in you? When a hand doesn't go your way do you take it personally, get angry and try to attack the opponent who beat you and try to get "your chips" back? If you have a losing session do you not go play for fear you're going to lose again? If you get knocked out of a rebuy or re-entry tournament to you pack up ship or do you raise your hand and yell "Re-buy!" to reload and try again? When to stay and fight and when to pick up and leave is a personal decision that each person has to determine for themselves. Certainly there are bankroll considerations and guidelines, but I'm talking more about personal resolve here, then about proper bankroll management.

Today I'm heading to the Wynn casino for day 2 of a special event. About 80 players remain, battling for a top prize of just over $60,000. Will today by my day? Will I bring home the cash and the trophy? Answers come after an experience, not before, my mentor Fast Eddie would tell me. And perhaps, that is one of the reasons we play the game. To find the answers to our own personal questions. I do know the answers I am looking for, are more likely to come, if I Play Well and Run Well!

My focus will be on playing well and to allow those things that are out of my control to be. Perhaps I'll crack a wry smile from time to time with the irony that comes out of a simple deck of cards, that surely has a hand in dealing us, her players, our fate.

Time to Play!

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 19:17:00 +0000

As I reach my destination of achieving my blog writing goal, I want to pause and take the time to reflect on what I’ve learned and answer a few personal questions, such as: Was it worth it? Was it as hard as I imagined? What were the benefits of completing this goal? What was the most difficult challenge go overcome? Do I want to continue doing it?

Yes it was worth it. It was important for me to prove to myself that I could do something on a month long basis and do it well. I feel I achieved that and so yes, it was worth it. The most challenging thing was to maintain consistency while travelling and working on the road. The biggest thing that got me through was having the goal clear in my mind every day and a strong determination not to be diverted. Sometimes I did get diverted and didn’t end up completing it until the 12th hour. When that happened, especially towards the end, it was much more difficult then when I tackled it the first thing in the morning.

The biggest surprise was that I didn’t need to plan as much as I thought. I didn’t have any preconceived idea of what I would write about, I just wrote. That took facing my fear of not knowing exactly what to say or saying it the right way. It's funny, the things we fear don’t seem to ever be as bad as we imagine. It's a healthy reminder to remember that it never will be as bad as we imagine. There actually is a release of tension and a sense of relief in facing our fears.

Many people either told me personally or emailed me about how much they enjoyed reading my blogs. They said that they themselves got something out of my writings in which they could relate or use along their journey. That to me was the biggest benefit, for it connects me to a purpose greater then myself.

To know that you are contributing and have an affect on others is not only a necessary level of awareness, but also a huge benefit I experienced from my writings. I also was reminded that whatever I put my mind and determined effort into something, I’m going to achieve it.

It’s all about choice. Having the power to choose what you want to do and how you’re going to do it. Whether it’s writing a blog or playing a hand of poker. Our choices are reflected in our actions or lack there of. If we make a choice and don’t carry it through, well that tells us something about ourselves doesn’t it? We may not have as much power to choose as we thought. But that’s what’s great about games like this, we get to test ourselves and if we drop the ball, learn from it and pick the ball back up and keep running. We’re not going to win every hand or game we play, but if you have the courage to play the game and not sit on the sidelines like a spectator, then you have my respect.

Will I win next month in the weight-loss game I decided to play? We will see. If I knew the ending score of the game, it wouldn’t be worth playing now would it? I do know one thing. I’ll be there at the end of the month win or lose, learning from my experience and either chalking up another win or picking up the ball and going after it in March. I’ll be sure to let you know.

I am pleased to announce that my blog will be moving to my new website, www.kennajames.com and I will continue with my blogging posts. They won’t be everyday, but you can count on at least once a week, that I will be spewing my thoughts on poker and other interesting theories about life.

I hope you’ll join me on my continuing journey through this poker life. It’s going to be one helluva ride this year and at some point along the way I hope you’ll join me on a final table.

Enjoy the Journey,

Kenna

Now and Then

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 07:42:00 +0000

I don’t know why I wait till the last minute, like writing this blog or doing anything for that fact, when it is obviously easier when you tackle it early on. I suppose there are competing interests at the heart of the matter. Today it was fixing things around the house and invariably when I fix things it means at least two trips to home depot. Throw in a stop at Starbucks, a lesson and a dinner and before you know it, it’s 10:30 at night. My how time slips away. And I heard it only gets worse as you get older.

The concept of time is a funny thing to begin with and as it was explained to me, a man made concept used to measure motion in order to help in management of our day-to-day activities. If you asked a tree what time it is, it would respond, “Now. The time is now.” – Ekhart Tolle. Man is consumed it would seem with both the past and the future, while ignoring the now.

In playing poker it is important to play in the NOW and not get overly concerned with the past or worried about the future. The “Now” is all we have.

When someone is constantly complaining about bad beats, they are bringing past events into the present and it clouds their thinking and effects their judgment and play in the present moment. When someone is playing too timidly or cautious because they are afraid of what card can come to beat them, they are focused too much on the future.

The healthiest players I know let go of past events (hands), focus and play in the present, while preparing in knowing there may be a future.

One of the most important things we can do as players is to focus and stay in the moment and make the best decision we can make based on imperfect information. Poker is a game of imperfect information. So trying to play perfectly and force the moment into being something other then what it is will drive a player insane. The fun of a game is in not knowing what the result will be, but in doing our best to test our strategies and the skills we’ve developed to compete.

I’ve enjoyed the writing game and challenging myself to complete this blog every day for the past 30 days. There’s one day left and tomorrow I’ll share with you what’s on the horizon for my poker-life journey. I’m rather excited myself, not for just what lies ahead, but for the joy I feel in the present moment. Each day unfolds, each hand is dealt, each obstacle presents itself, but I’ve learned that it’s how I perceive or look at it that really determines my reality.

Tomorrow I’ll head down to the Venetian to play in the first Deep Stack event. After a light week of playing, I’m looking forward to getting back on the horse and competing again. My discipline, patience and various other skills will be tested. Chances are, I’ll be up for the challenge.

Enjoy the Journey!

Kenna

Hand Plays

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 07:51:00 +0000

Had a very up and down night tonight playing $5-10 NL at the Venetian.

I started up the 2^nd must-move game with 2 other players. We played 3 handed for an hour. I didn’t win many hands. By the time I moved over to the main game I was stuck 3k. The key hand for me in that must-move game played out like this:

I’m OP-PFR-MW-9s8s. That’s my poker code, meaning that I was out-of-position and the pre-flop raiser in a multi-way pot with the 9/8 of spades. The flop fell 9-6-4 two diamonds. I bet 80, the next guy makes it 210 and another player calls. I call. The turn brings an off-suit 7, giving me now an open-ended straight draw to go with my top pair. I checked; the raiser now bets 610 and the other guy, obviously on a flush draw calls. I have a total of about 1400 and get drawn-in by the size of the pot and I let it influence me. I decide to make a move at this big pot and move all-in. I get called in both spots, with the last guy also all-in. The river pairs the board with a 6 and the raiser turns over pocket 99’s for 99’s full. I'm felted.

Turns out I was 12% to win going to the river, so I would need about 8.5-1 pot odds to be profitable. With fold-equity and the slight chance they were both on flush draws and I had the best hand maybe puts me needing about 7-1. I was getting about 4-1, so my shove turned out to be a bad play. Now I had to decide whether to pick up buy back in.

A couple of new players joined the game so I decided to buy back in. I was also next up on the must move, which looked like a halfway-decent game that I was moving to. When I re-bought, I definitely stepped up my game, improved my hand selection and overall reads and play of the hand in general.

I moved over to the main game and this key hand played out like this.

I’m OP(bb) – PFR – MW – Qc9c.

I 3 bet pre to better define my opponent’s hand strength and to take the lead in the hand. I'm planning to lead most flops. The flop fell 9-4-2 rainbow. The small-blind checks, I bet 110 and get called by the initial raiser and now the small-blind check-raises and makes it 320 to go!

I call and the other guy folds.

The turn is a Q. The small blind now leads for 340. It was a weak (25% pot size) type of bet that polarized the guys range in my mind. It was either a "trap bet", designed to get me to raise, or it was a "scared bet" trying to save $ on what looked to be a bad turn card for him.

I took my time and thought about it and decided it was more likely that my opponent hand TT’s or JJs. He had about 1200 behind, so if I raised and he moved in I was going to be committed, so I decided to get it all-in right there. My opponent went into the tank and after about 2 minutes folded.

An hour later I called it a night, booking a small loss. I’ll be back at it tomorrow at The Venetian DeepStack. The month long series starts tomorrow, so I hope to see you at a final table there soon.

Enjoy the Journey!

Kenna

Brain Food

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Wed, 29 Jan 2014 10:24:00 +0000

This may not be a very exciting entry. My eyelids are heavy and they are battling me for sleep versus staying awake and finishing my blog. It was a full day today with a work out, 3 private lessons and backgammon club on the agenda.

My day began at 7:19 am with new vigor and purpose in getting healthy. Not much poker played the last few days, which the break gives me just enough space to start on my health kick.

By the way, those of you who are interested in getting fit and losing weight shoot me an email and you can join me on this journey. It’s going to be tough, but for 30 days I’m going to put my best effort in and see what happens. I want to create more stamina, health and overall energy in my body. I’m going to build mental strength through physical conditioning.

I started this morning very simple, knowing from experience that overdoing things too early can lead to giving up. So I started with stretching and a 20 min. brisk walk. Eating wise I did well, reducing my portions and eating much healthier throughout the day.

I didn’t want to do these things, but decided to do them in order to begin confronting and handling poor eating habits and lack of fitness. It’s time, especially now that I’m 50, to make a concerted effort to change. I think a lot of the younger players in today’s game are more health conscious then ever and I certainly can’t give up that edge as well as the other things we start to lose, as we get older.

An important thing to remember is that getting older doesn’t necessarily mean you have to get weaker. Skill is not just derived from the agility of youth and knowledge, but also and probably more so, from experience. I was saying in yesterday’s blog that Luck happens when preparation meets opportunity. Add in learned experience and you have skill.

To be skilled at something means of course, that you can do it well. It’s hard to do something well if you just play and don’t practice. Poker is one of the easiest games to just show up and play and not put enough effort into practicing for game time situations. I remember I use to fall asleep at night dreaming of varying poker hands and situations and how I would play them. Thinking about the game and what you would do in certain situations is vital if you want to continue to grow as a poker player. Being in the situation ahead of time breed’s confidence and experience of how to deal with it.

I’m not sure how I’m going to respond to this weight loss and fitness challenge I’ve put on myself. But one thing is for sure, until I put myself in the situation to begin with, I never would really know. I could end up quitting half way through and just give up, or I could attack it with the same consistency as I’ve tackled this blog and finish the month reaching my goal. I hope you’ll join me and let’s hope it’s the latter.

Enjoy the Journey,

Kenna

Let's Get Physical

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 07:54:00 +0000

Those of you who are interested in getting my blog sent to your email, so you don’t have to come to this webpage every time, I think you just have to hit the Subscribe button on the left of this page.

I just arrived home after a 6 hour drive from Arizona and am a bit tired from my journey, but I’ve committed to writing this blog everyday for 31 days and with 4 days left I’m not about to give up now. This is the home stretch!

Speaking of “home stretch,” I’m getting back to stretching every morning and want to establish a good physical fitness routine. This is my spring training for the 2014 WSOP and I’m going to need to lose weight in order to build my stamina to be in performance shape for the 6 week, grueling 14-hour days.

If January was my blog month, February will be my physical fitness month. Empowered with the confidence of knowing I can consistently do something for a month, I plan to attack this weight loss with the same passion as I did my blog. I’m setting an ambitious goal of losing 15 pounds this coming month, but I’m confident I’ll meet it.

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

Some believe that we make your own luck and that luck is just a matter of perspective. I tend to agree. If it is true that you make your own luck, then preparation is vital. It’s hard to win a football game if you’re not physically fit enough to compete. Likewise in poker, if you’re mentally drained at the end of the long days, it will show up physically as well and it is more likely you’ll slip up and make a mistake. Chances are it could be that mistake that keeps you from making the money, final tabling or winning it all.

So physical fitness is #1 if you want to compete at the highest levels. Being physically fit allows the mind and brain to function better as well. How do you plan to prepare for the wsop? When preparing for an important event, my suggestion is to think of working outside-in. In other words, from the physical to the mental.

Since poker is such a mental game, it’s easy to get it backwards and work from the inside-out. Spending too much time looking at hand histories, talking shop and analyzing data. The mental activity of today’s players is far greater then 10 years ago and that can lead to a great advantage if kept in balance with the physical. Out of balance one can slip into the mind and find themselves trapped.

For those trapped in the mind and the mental activity of the game, remember this: The way out of the mind is through EFFORT! Get up, get out and do something PHYSICAL. Anything you can do to get or keep yourself moving and physically active. The key to success is in the “doingness,” NOT in thinking about it.

This is a little pep talk to myself as much as it is to my readers. Especially those of us over 40, who come to realize that being lethargic is deadly in competition. So I’m going to get an early start to Feb. and begin building my daily routine tomorrow. It will include a healthy diet and moderate exercise and walking each day. I’ve started this type of things many times at the beginning of a new year and find myself petering out right about now. So this year I've reversed it! I’m also glad I’m motivated not by the date of the year, but rather my own personal desire to want to feel and perform better at the tables. I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Enjoy the Journey!

Kenna

PLAY BALL!!

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 07:28:00 +0000

I’m going to be a little giddy in this blog report and here’s why. When I was 7 years old, I lived in Lincoln Park, a suburb of Chicago. One of the earliest memories I have is walking to Wrigley field with my big brother Steve to watch the Chicago Cubs play baseball. One of the players we use to watch play was Ferguson Jenkins.

Fegie Jenkins walking to our dugout

In todays old timers’ game at Scottsdale Stadium, I was privileged to play with some of baseball greats in front of 10,000 screaming fans on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. As the public address announcer called our names we lined up along the first and 3^rd base lines in preparation for the national anthem. After they called my name I went down the line high fiving everyone and took my position along the 3^rd base line. Next to be called was Ferguson Jenkins. There I was standing on the field between Billy Horton and Fergie with a smile a mile wide. The color guard came on the field and the national anthem was sung and then the announcement came to PLAY BALL!!

And for an afternoon on this sunny Sunday in Scottsdale, AZ, I was a kid again right back there in Lincoln Park. The only difference being this time I was on the field instead of being in the stands.

Other greats that were in uniform included; “Downtown” Byron Brown, Mike Adams, Jeff Cook (NBA) Gene Hiser, Jim Marshall (Cubs Manager) and Robin Yount.

I rode the pine until the 5^th inning when the coach put me in and I trotted out to play center field. I now know how some people may feel when they sit down to play poker with professionals. I felt out of place and a little overwhelmed being off the green felt and on the green grass.

Tony Womack and Me

The first ball that was hit to me I looked up into the bright sunny sky and was blinded. I didn’t know whether to move in or go back and stood there putting the glove over my head trying not to get hit. The ball landed 20 yards in front of me and I had to scramble to get it and throw it in. Embarrassing! Doh!! Tony Womack (who played till 2006 with the Diamondbacks) are short stop couldn’t help but laugh.

The next batter was Tony Phillips (Detroit Tigers). He promptly hit it over my head all the way to the warning track and 2 runs scored. I made one more error in the inning before the 4 run 5^th mercifully came to an end. After that I played 2^nd and was much more comfortable there seeing I never got a ball hit to me after that. Mike Hamilton who I also remember watching as a youth was pitching for us and he shut down the side.

As far as my offense, I got the bat on the ball twice, but was not able to reach 1^st safely. I did give it the old college try sliding into first, but to no avail. It really was a special afternoon and thankfully it was all for fun and raising money for a good cause.

Gaylord Perry and Me

A big thank you to Arizona Baseball Charities and the time I spent with them over the past 6 years on

the board helping to raise money so that kids can play baseball. It’s been a helluva ride. To Gaylord Perry, Ron Gardine and all the other great players I met and had a chance to play with over the years, my sincere thanks. I’m glad I had the chance to help contribute in some small way.

It was another great day on my Journey.

Enjoy the Journey!

Kenna

Charity Event

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Sun, 26 Jan 2014 02:15:00 +0000

It was a rough start to the morning. I woke up feeling great and made my way to the shower. In the process of drying off, however, I raised my arm above my head and suddenly was brought to my knees as a shooting pain shot down my spine. Evidently I tweaked my back playing golf yesterday and didn’t realize it until I raised my arm and aggravated the nerve. So for the whole day I’ve been walking around half bent over and looking like the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

I still had to brave it out and make my way down to play day 2. We had 200 entries into our ABC Charity tournament between the 2 start days and through physically I was feeling like a gimp, mentally I was strong and made it to the final table. I fell short of victory finishing 7^th. The other poker pros in the field, Layne Flack and Kevin O’Donnell made the money, but bubbled the final table.

It was a pleasant surprise to find Gaylord Perry coming into day 2 second in chips. I had him by a few thousand and I guess he didn’t like playing second fiddle because we mixed it up right from the start. I tried to run a bluff on him and he looked me up with only 3^rd pair. I knew he was a calling station and after the hand was over I chastised myself for violating the principle, “don’t try and bluff the sheriff!” In the end we raised a lot of money for the kids of Arizona to play ball and all had a great time.

There’s a dinner and auction of a lot of great baseball memorabilia tonight, so I got to wrap this up and get down there and get in my bid. It’s been a really fun time hanging with my old friends and meeting new ones. Unfortunately after 22 years this charity organization is coming to a close. I’ve been involved for the past 6 or 7 years and it’s been a great ride.

Tomorrow is the old-timers game at Scottsdale stadium. Hopefully my back will be in a little better shape tomorrow and I’ll be trotting onto the baseball field with these guys. Just the thought of standing in the box to face Fergie Jenkins or Gaylord Perry is a dream come true. I just hope I don’t make the same mistake as I did last year and take the field with the opposite team by mistake. Gaylord yelling at me from the mound, “get off the field kid, you’re playing for the other team!” still makes me smile.

Even though I just turned 50, I still feel like a kid and I will be tomorrow. It will be an old timers game, but I’m sure we will all feel like kids at heart. And that’s how you should approach your poker game. Like you’re a kid, just having fun and enjoying the game.

Enjoy the Journey!

Kenna

Part Deuce

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 15:12:00 +0000

It’s 5:30 in the morning. My sleep time has been off since getting back from the east coast, but I don’t mind. I like watching the sunrise. Besides, “the early bird gets the worm,” right? Speaking of which, while driving on Old Route 66, we stopped for gas and came across a very interesting delicacy in the convenience store. Dried insects. With the “bad parts removed and special seasonings added,” says the clerk. Oh Yummy! Someone once said “each day you should take a risk that scares you to death”…. this could be my opportunity today! Hmm…

Picking up from last nights entry on the beginnings of my poker journey -

–

As I moved up in limits, especially to the $10-20 Limit Hold-em game, the competition really improved and I struggled to win. Probably because of past failures, but more likely because I wasn't yet good enough to win at the higher levels. Whatever the reason, I was filled with self-doubt. Dealing with losing was hard and I questioned my ability to win and was very self-critical in what I was doing. This sometimes motivated me to study harder, but at other times led to self-destruction.

One of the difficulties I struggled with was doing one thing while doing another. Meaning I was trying to deal cards and play at the same time. Those of you who are trying to become professionals at poker and carry a regular full-time job know what I mean. Your interests are split and it makes it difficult to focus, concentrate and thus be successful. For example, I made good money dealing, around $150 a day. Playing $10-20, however, I could lose or win twice that much in an hour. So when it came time for me to quit my poker game and go deal, no matter how I stood in the game it was rough. Say I was stuck $400, did I really want to go sit in a box and deal for 8 hours just so I could end up losing $250 for the day? Not! And when I was up $400 and running good I hated even more leaving my poker game. But with all the ups and downs I was still only a break-even player at the higher limits. With my attention divided which hat should I wear became my biggest question. I felt divided and pressured to choose to either quit playing and stick to the security of the income from dealing or take the dealer hat off and commit to playing full time.

I switched my attention to intention and quit my job and started playing and travelling full time. I’d like to say that commitment was all I lacked and that it was all rosy after that, but it wasn’t. I struggled for four years oftentimes going broke and taking an odd job. I even went back in the box and dealt to the players that busted me once, which was a very humbling if not humiliating experience. The key for me was that I kept going in spite of my failures. Stubbornness I suppose, but the childhood phrase “winners never quit and quitters never win” stuck with me.

I moved around games, experimenting with pot-limit hold-em, $20-40 and playing $200-$300 tournaments. $20-40 Limit Hold-em was really my first bigger limit game where I had enough success that it gave me the courage to keep going. The game seemed to have more play to it and be more psychological then playing with the rocks and tight-asses in the $10-20. I learned an important lesson then, that if you can’t win at one level it doesn’t always mean you have to step down, sometimes it may mean you have to step up!

And so I did and it worked. I started winning regularly and even won my first big tournament in 2002. It was a $200 Limit Hold-em event for $66,000. After that win my confidence soared and I was off to see the world. I think I won 8 move events that year and my focus switched from cash games to tournaments and it was there I found my niche.

One thing I didn’t find after 2002 was the dealer box again. I had moved on with my new found confidence and let the deck be in someone else’s hand, letting them deal the cards, so I could focus on playing them.

Enjoy the Journey,

Kenna James

Poker Beginnings

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 06:55:00 +0000

I went to visit and talk with my friends at Linda Johnson’s Wednesday Poker Discussion Group (WPDG) yesterday. For those of you local poker enthusiasts who like to talk poker, I highly recommend you stopping by. It’s a wonderful group that gets together every Wednesday 3:00 pm at Ricardo’s restaurant here in Vegas. There’s no membership so just show up. Ricardo’s is located on the northwest corner of Jones and Flamingo.

Bill, who is one of the regulars and who reads my blog asked me to write about how I got my start in poker and how I came to play this great game we all love professionally. So, this blog is dedicated to him.

I started playing poker sometime around 1995. My game was $1-2 & $2-4 Limit Hold-em. I first was introduced to the game by my older brother’s friend John who lived out in California and who I also had become friendly. He had been playing professionally ever since he was 19 and after 20 years of playing had not had to take a regular job. He gave me my first poker book. “Limit Hold-em for Advanced Players,” by Skalansky and Malmuth. The first time I sat down at a table was at Hollywood Park Casino in Los Angeles. I played recreationally as I didn’t have much money and needed a job. He suggested that I become a dealer. And so at the ripe old age of 32, I switched careers. I went from actor (and every odd job like waiter, cab driver, etc.) to retail manager to now being a student again learning how to deal cards. It took me 6 months of study before securing my dealing job at Hollywood Park Casino.

I spent the next year really learning the game. The main difference between me and the other players is that I had a passion to learn and win the game. At that time in 1996 most of the people in the lower limits had no interest in becoming a student of the game. Today it is commonplace. Or course we didn’t have a tenth of the learning tools that there are today. The way I learned was a couple of books, but more importantly surrounding myself with great players and learning from my experience.

With an intense focus and desire to learn I moved up in limits rather quickly. Within a year I was playing $10-20 Limit Hold-em and was about a break-even player in that time. I had a couple of personal challenges and moral dilemmas to overcome before I could really start winning. I started playing smaller $20 and $50 buy-in tournaments about 6 months after I started playing live as well. I was having so much fun that the time went so quickly and looking back now, it all seems to run together. That’s the beauty of learning something new that you love to do. You get so focused and involved in what you’re doing that time passes very quickly.

I remember playing with Alan Cuningham in a $200 buy-in tournament in Lake Elsinore back in the day. Playing some of the smaller tournaments around LA with Michael “the Grinder” Mizrachi. Playing $40-80 with Daniel Negraneu. Some of the better-known players of today. This was all well before the poker boom. The common denominator was that we all had a passion to learn and win the game.

It would be many challenges in the 5 years leading up to and before I won my first big tournament. But I’ll have to write about those later…I’ll have to end off here for now. I just rolled into my hotel in Arizona and I want to get this posted before midnight so I can keep my commitment of posting my daily blog each day.

To be Continued….

Enjoy the Journey!

Kenna

My Balls in the Air

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 21:21:00 +0000

I’m running around and juggling quite a bit today. A private lesson this morning, a radio interview in the afternoon on the Mark Hoke show at KLAV 1230 AM (a local radio station here in Vegas), in which you can also catch online if you’re not local. In between I have a home “To-Do” list, which always piles up when you’re on the road. Confronting and handling things head on, however, is the best management tool I know. Of course I’m typing this from bed lying on my back!

I don’t always do what I know. In fact, I remember asking my professional poker-playing friend John, what’s the most difficult thing for you in poker? His answer: “Doing what I know.”

I know I should have strong hand selection and only play multi-way hands when I’m in position. I know I should raise to limit the field with my premium hands instead of slow playing them. I know I should play when I’m well rested, focused and feeling strong in my determination to win. I know I should stay focused in each and every hand I play. I know I should remain emotionally neutral and not get overly excited or overly upset at the result of any single hand or session. All these things I know, but invariably like juggling balls, eventually my attention gets diverted and I drop a ball.

I suppose this is why they say, “a little knowledge is dangerous.” Once you know the “right” thing to do, it’s like you’re held accountable for that knowledge, or at least those of us that have a conscience. “Ignorance is bliss,” may be the easiest escape from being responsible. But I imagine ignorance has its’ drawbacks as well. There’s no perfect answer as far as I can tell. Only a juggling and balancing act in which you can do your best to not fall down or drop the balls.

In finding that balance it’s important to know what to focus on. Becoming conscious of what you’re doing and the corresponding effect you are creating is good thing. The responsible thing to do is to stop and ask your self this simple question; “What am I creating today?” If you find yourself losing in poker or any other game you may be playing, look for the ways you may be contributing to that loss. If you’re able to confront the part in which you are contributing to it, you may find the answer to regaining your power and preventing the ship from sinking.

When I start my blogs, I’m not always sure what I’m going to write about. With only rest and my backgammon club happening last night, I didn’t have much to report, so this is what I chose to write about today. I hope there is something in here that you can find useful in poker and the other games you’re playing in life.

I’m off to do my radio show, so if you have the chance be sure to catch it.

Enjoy the Journey!

Kenna

Home and Away!

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 02:38:00 +0000

This blog will be coming to you from a higher level today, 36,000 ft. in the air in fact. I’m heading back home to Las Vegas right now on SouthWest.

After scoring a soft touchdown, I’ll be hitting the ground running. With 2 personal coaching sessions later this afternoon, backgammon club tonight and all the unpacking, laundry, mail, etc. there is much to do in a short amount of time. In just a couple of days I’ll be on my next journey.

Thursday I’m heading to Arizona for an annual poker-golf-baseball ABC fundraising event. A fun-filled 3-day weekend with some of baseball old time greats led by Hall of Famers Gaylord Perry and Fergie Jenkins.

That's Fergie on the right today, but here's how I remember him. Watching him play as a kid at Wrigley:

Our event has raised 100’s of thousands of dollars over the years for underprivileged Arizona youths, so that anyone of them, who wants to play baseball, can play baseball. Providing equipment uniforms, building and maintaining fields, donating to little leagues, etc. My son played a lot of little league and its’ a nice way to give back to the organization. Sadly, this will be our last year.

So, if you’re around Arizona and want to be involved in something really special, come out and join us. You’ll be paired with a baseball or poker celebrity for the golf tournament on Friday. If you can’t join us for golf, on Saturday we have a poker tournament at Ft. McDowell Casino that has 2 flights and all the celebs play in that as well. Although I can tell you now, Gaylord is no poker player. He likes to gamble too much and play every hand. He plays poker like he pitched. Gambling it up by greasing up the ball or looking for any kind of edge he could get away with. His competitive spirit is there in poker, but his mechanics need quite a bit of work.

One thing Gaylord Perry does do really well is fish. Usually the day before the event we go out fishing. He always catches the biggest and the most. A skill he has definitely developed during his retirement years. A good day for me is not hooking someone in the head while casting.

Besides raising money for a good cause, the friends you make and the camaraderie with Hall of Famers is wonderful. After all, it’s all about the people. I was 8 or 9 when I would go to Wrigley Field in Chicago and watch these boys play and now having the opportunity to stand on the field with them and play next to them is really special.

Players ask me from time to time if I’m more of a tournament player or a cash game player. Well, I play both, but my answer would be tournaments. My friend Mike Caro said it best when describing the differences between cash games and tournaments.

“A Cash game is a card game played by people. Tournaments are a people game played with cards.” - Mike Caro

Since I’ve always been more of a people person and into the psychology of the game and what makes people tick, I suppose tournaments are my thing. I find people more interesting, challenging and complex to deal with. I mean a card will never lie to you. A King is a King and a Deuce will always be a Deuce. Now people, they are like the joker in a pack of cards.

If you’ve ever wondered which poker format to focus on (cash or tournaments) start with the one that fits your personality the best. If you like the psychology and reading people choose tournaments. If you’re more of a math person and prefer less variance and volatility, choose Cash.

Well the runway is in sight and so I’ll end off here. I enjoyed travelling these past couple weeks, but as Dorothy said; “There’s no place like Home!”

Enjoy the Journey!

Kenna

LIONS AND TIGERS AND MITCH...OH MY!!

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Mon, 20 Jan 2014 17:25:00 +0000

I slept in today and consequently am a little sluggish, but it was some well needed rest after all the excitement this past week. And it didn’t end once I was back on shore yesterday.

For my sister who loves horses

For my son who Loves Dogs

I rented a car and drove about an hour north of Orlando to meet a friend of Jan Fisher’s (who she was kind enough to introduce me to over the phone) named Mitch. Now Mitch is a very special person in that his uniqueness is in his ability to create and build a rather large habitat for exotic animals. Oh, and by the way, as he said to me, “this is just a hobby.” Well, this “hobby” encompasses some 200 acres of land and hundreds of beautiful exotic animals accompanied by your everyday garden variety of dogs, cattle, horses and domesticated Russian Foxes.

I would like to share with you just a few of the many pictures I took on my afternoon visit to his estate yesterday.

Upon arrival I was treated to a feast before heading out to walk the grounds. One of the things I immediately noticed is that there isn’t a lack of food around here. Which is a necessary thing when you have hundreds of hungry animals wandering about. This is a picture of just one day’s supply of food for the animals. The feed system is an incredibly well thought out and organized with color-coded buckets, dietary needs, and etc. all lay out ahead of time. Check out the daily menu below...No Seafood for Tigers! LOL!

I was as impressed with the organization, production, functionality and operation of this place as I was with its’ beauty. Mitch took the time to show me how he engineered all types of special cages for the different animals for transport. It is evident he has taken great care in handling and caring for these exotics in every aspect of their journey. We took a stroll through where the tigers, lions, leopards and all the other “big cats” live. I was in awe of their size.

There are a variety of special uses for these exotic animals. Anywhere from participating in shows in Las Vegas from Cirque to Siegfried & Roy, to movies and films in Hollywood and around the world, Mitch does it all for those who seek to connect in some way to these special creatures. He’s quite famous in the exotic animal kingdom and is the one to call anytime an expert is needed in that arena. His knowledge, care and handling of these animals is a beautiful thing to observe. He also arranges visits with animals and helping autistic and special needs kids as well.

It was a wonderful afternoon of seeing what’s possible if you have a wonderful vision and are not afraid to work hard to make it happen.

I want to extend a warm thank you to Mitch for taking the time to share his vision and creation with me. It was a special visit that I won’t soon forget. For him, however, this is ordinary life. I’m sure he will be off to a new adventure in Tasmania, Antarctica or Africa sometime soon. One of these days I may hop along for a ride. He certainly believes in –

Enjoying the Journey!

Kenna

MOON RIVER

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Mon, 20 Jan 2014 03:43:00 +0000

Land Ho! We pulled into port Canaveral early this morning. I’m glad to be back on land. I had a rough cash game session my last night at sea. I ended up losing 1k in two hands in a 2-5 NL cash game that had a $500 buy-in cap.

I was up about 300 when I called a raised, multi-way pot on the button with the seven-five of hearts. The flop fell Ace-high with 3 hearts giving me a flush. The raiser bet, I raised, he moved all-in and I called. He had pocket Kings with the King of hearts. The turn brought a heart and I was felted.

I bought in again for $500 and was up a couple hundred on my second buy when again I tangled with the same opponent. This time I had Jack-Ten of hearts. The flop fell 7-8-9 and the same betting action ensued. This time he held pocket 99’s and even though I flopped the nut straight, he rivered a full-house. I had enough and called it an early night.

The most interesting hand I played came earlier in the night, but ironically it wasn’t for me. It was for an older gentlemen and ship friend I came to know as Frenchie. Here’s how it came down.

Everyone who knows me knows I like to sing at the tables from time to time and that was certainly the case this week while vacationing and playing poker. My friend and fellow final table competitor Tim Ackerman, who was playing on the cash table next to me with Mark Gregorich and Orel Hershiser, saw me on a break from my game, asked me to come over and sing them a song. This was before I went on my chip-spewing spree, so I was happy and in the mood to oblige.

Frenchie is up and out of his seat and so I sit down in his seat and start singing the song “Moon River.” Evidently he had just got up because he didn’t have any miss blind buttons and the dealer dealt a hand to his stack. So in the middle of singing Moon River” to my fellow cruiser’s, I decide to look down at the cards that are dealt in front of me and see the Ace-Ten of diamonds. Without missing a beat in the song, I peal off $25 from the stack and raise it up! Everyone laughs, but no one objects and before I know it, I get 3 callers and we’re going to the flop!

The flop falls Js9s8c. I check, Orel bets 75, the button calls and I call. Just then I see Frenchie walk up looking a little puzzled. I stop singing long enough to say “hey Frenchie, I decided to play a hand for you, but if you want I’ll take all the action!” Not seeing the hand he says, “Nah, their my chips, I’ll take the gamble.”

The turn brings the Jh pairing the top pair on board. I check and Orel now looking a little confused over the crooning and unexpected action from a guy who 2 minutes ago was a non-player in the game, eventually decides to bet 250. The button folds. Now normally on a paired board with two to a flush I would not be drawing to a straight, but what the heck…I call.

Orel & Kenna

Just as I finish the last verse of my song, the dealer peals off the 8s for the river card, double pairing the board. I’m cackling, laughing and enjoying myself and in spite of whiffing to my all-star pitcher opponent, I decide to make a bluff. I peel off 3 $100 bills from Frenchie’s stack and make the bet. Orel now shakes his head in disbelief and knowing I wouldn’t bluff off someone else’s chips turns over his hand (Qs5s) and in spite of rivering a flush decides to lay it down. When I table the bluff everyone erupts in laughter. I get up and say to Frenchie, “It’s all yours my friend. You boys enjoy your game.” Although I have a hunch that the song Moon River may be a thorn in Orel’s side, he certainly was a gentlemen and a good sport about it all.

It was a wonderful cruise and we all had a great time, sharing flops, beaches and many memorable moments. This was one of them.

Enjoy the Journey!

Kenna

WON ONE!

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Sat, 18 Jan 2014 18:08:00 +0000

I got a nice compliment from Lisa Tenner on the way to dinner last night. She was congratulating me on my tournament victory and said that the word that comes to mind when seeing me is “determination.” Those players I coach know how strong I push determination, so her attaching that attribute to me was of special recognition. It signifies a quality or trait that one is able to choose their course of action and see it through in spite of the obstacles that are in their way.

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going” is a phrase my mom use to say that I suddenly recall right now. She was a tough woman. She had to be to survive. Mom grew up orphaned by a father who abandoned the family and a mother who couldn’t afford to keep the family together. Consequently she grew up self-educated and in and out of foster homes. In spite of it all she was determined to fashion a good life, not only for herself, but also for her own family. And that’s what she did. She married my father and was with him for over 35 years and raising a family of four kids on very little. Often times she took side jobs as a piano teacher, a substitute teacher, a nurse or whatever to make ends meet. My mom was a hard worker and a great lady who taught me acceptance, respect and compassion for others.

I started to choke up last night and I must admit, shed some tears in my post tournament interview. I was obviously elated for the victory, but mostly I was touched and overcome with emotion by the gratefulness I felt towards everyone who has shared and showed me such love and support along the way.

Poker is a tough sport man. There are so many ups and downs that happen at the turn of a card. The unpredictability and variance in the game kills so many. For me it’s like being on a thrill ride. Perhaps I’m just a kid at heart. I don’t know if you have to be young to play this game, but you certainly have to be young at heart to win at it.

There was a veteran man (in his late 60’s perhaps) named Art on the final table. He looked a bit like Cornel Sanders with his stark white goatee. Anyway, in spite of some of his physical challenges, he played like he was one of these 21-year-old young guns. He was constantly betting, check-raising and 3-betting his opponents and putting them on the defensive. Instead of playing more cautious, timid and in fear (which sometimes comes with age), he turned it around and played on his opponent’s fears. He did end up over playing his last hand and going out in 3^rd place. I have great respect for him.

A special thank you to Linda, Jan, Mark, Lisa, Randi, Zack and the whole card player cruises team for running such a great event. Fred and Maria Ho were also very funny in commentating the final table and deserve mention for making it very entertaining for the audience. I was very lucky to prevail and bring home the bone when faced with such tough competition. It was great playing with you all. Thanks for the game!

Enjoy the Journey!

Kenna

KOO KOO OVER COCOA

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 21:54:00 +0000

RESPECT: a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements

I have great respect for my opponents today at the final table. In order to be on the final, each of them has had to overcome some personal challenge or obstacle in order to get here. Sure there may be one or two that have gotten really lucky to get here, but perhaps we’re not seeing the 100 other tournaments they played in which they got unlucky, sucked out on and didn’t make it. A player in the game has to continually pick themselves up from losses, show up, buy-in and try again. And for that I have great respect. Which is why showing up they say is 90% of the battle.

So often I hear of players hating or complaining about a player(s) in their game doing something that they don’t want them to do. The strategy they consequently develop is a failed one. It’s usually built around them trying to stop the other player from doing what they are doing. Their reasoning is simple enough. Whatever the other player is doing is bothering them so much on a personal level that they want them to stop! Maybe they’re playing and winning with inferior hands (usually against them), maybe they are too aggressive, too bossy, too obnoxious, too UGH! Whatever it is I hear their cry for help. “Please stop them!”

Whatever the reason they come up with, they HATE the person in seat # _____. (Fill in the blank) Truth be told, it’s usually not the person they hate, but what they are doing that bothers them the most. What they may not realize is that anytime you try to stop someone ( btw - this type of person is called a “Stopper”) from doing something, you’re going to encounter resistance. Ironically producing the very thing you’re trying to avoid! Its’ got to be a rough life going through as a Stopper and encountering resistance wherever you go.

Hate is a very powerful emotion whose corresponding actions by the player who is entertaining it, will be to try and harm or destroy. Ironically, if they can’t get through it or over it, it is usually them or their chip stack that ends up being destroyed.

You’ve heard the saying “Love is blind,” I’m sure.

The challenging thing about emotions like Love and Hate is that they can be very limiting. Powerful emotions like these tend to blind one to other possibilities and choices in varying situations, thus limiting their viewpoint and actions. With a dynamic game like poker, one should leave themselves open to the many possibilities and avenues available to them in which to win the hand and ultimately the game. Obviously it's okay to Love and Hate, after all it's part of the human experience, I would just say this; don’t let it divert you or determine your purpose.

The most effective strategy I’ve observed in how to do this can be summed up in the principle; “Don’t take the game too personally.” Yes, we’re playing for thousands of dollars, bracelets and other high stakes and its’ important! But always remember, in the end, it’s just a game.

Having a Love / Hate relationship with the game of poker is like eating chocolate. It tastes great, but too much of it will make you sick. The healthy balance I have found is to have respect for the game and those who play it and not to take it too personally. I’ll leave you with one of the great quotes my friend Eddie gave to me as a healthy reminder today.

“Whatever you admire can’t hurt you.” – Eddie Walters.

Enjoy the Journey!

Kenna

COMPETITION FOR PARADISE

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Thu, 16 Jan 2014 21:29:00 +0000

We started day 2 of the tournament with 31 players and ended with a final table of 10 and a stack average of 350k. I’m happy to report that I have secured one of those 10 spots and sit in 2^nd position with a chip stack of 780k respectively. Our chip leader has 880k and many of the stacks stand at about 250k.

It’s a day off today as we pull into the port of St. Thomas. When we resume tomorrow the blinds will be 5-10k with a 1k ante. This will be a TV Final table so you’ll be able to catch all the action in a few months on the Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) network.

The only big hand I lost was a 200k pot in which I called a 100k all-in shove with pocket Tens. My opponent had KT and the board ran out with a King. I won a key hand, however, in the first round of the day, which propelled me and started the flow of building my chip stack.

A solid player, who has me covered with a stack of about 200k, opens for a raise from (UG) under the gun. I’m sitting two to his left and peek down at two red queens. I hesitate for a minute not sure whether to flat and play my hand defensively, or take a more aggressive approach by 3 betting and fighting for the lead. I choose the latter. Everyone else folds and he flats my 3 bet and we take the flop (HU) heads up. 8d7d 5h is the flop and surprisingly my opponent donk bets 50k into me! I have about 125k left, so my decision point is now. I can give my opponent credit for slow playing a big pair or flopping a set and fold, or I can put him on a hand like TT’s, JJs or AK and play for it all. The latter to me seems more likely so I pull the trigger and move all-in. After tanking for a couple of minutes my opponents hand finds the muck and I’m off and running. Using those chips as leverage, I open up my hand range and continue to press, put my opponents to tough decisions and win most of the battles in building my chip stack the entire way to the final table.

Today was a much-needed day of rest as we pulled into the port of St. Thomas. I spent the day relaxing at the beach at Magens Bay. A 30-minute taxi ride up and over these lush green hills exposed this quiet little bay. The water was a refreshing 68 degrees and a picture perfect aqua-blue color. It was a funny sight to see the pelicans flying over-head swooping down and diving in between swimmers to gather up their mid-day meal. There were schools of silver minnows that you could see in this crystal clear water swimming below the surface. A nice nap on this hidden away beach culminated the day.

Well, we’re back on the ship now and heading out to sea. It’s been a very nice and relaxing day today, especially knowing that the final table and the battle for victory in the main event are in hand.

Enjoy the Journey!

Kenna

TO BE DETERMINED...

noreply@blogger.com (Kenna James) — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:24:00 +0000

I’m a little bruised and beat up, but after 10 hours of play, I did survive. I made it through day 1 of the main event and ended with 147,000 chips, just above the average. There were a lot of ups and downs along the way. Mostly downs to start and then I caught stride and finished strong.

Orel was on my table to start and we competed in this interesting hand. Playing 100-200 blinds, UG limped and so did he. I was in MP with AA and raised it to 900 and we took the flop heads up. The flipper fell K-6-4 two spades. He checks. I continue with an 1100 bet and he quickly raises me to 5,000. We both started the hand with about our 30k starting stack. I call. The turn is an off-suit Jack and he quickly shoves all-in! Wow!! To me it looks like he has K-J or a flush draw and after I tank for a couple of minutes I lay my aces down. He shows me 6-4 for two pair! Talk about a sinker!

I was able to get away from this hand because of my knowledge of the player. I know Orel. He doesn’t like to put all his chips in unless he feels like he’s got the best hand and wants to lock it up. He’s not a huge donk-bet, semi-bluffer for all his chips either. So it was actually a pretty easy lay-down. It was all for naught, however, as I lost all my chips to him in another hand where I flopped top pair to his set and went with it.

This tournament allows re-entries, so I did. My first hand at my new table I made a move, got caught and was right back in the re-entry line again! My 3^rd entry I lost with QQs to K8 when my opponent made trip 8’s and again my stubbornness had me digging in my pocket to purchase another golden ticket. With only 130 entrants this may not have been the most profitable decision, but I was determined to win.

Determine means to make a choice, right? So the key question is, was I determining to buy in again or was my need to win determining my choice? If it was the latter then my ability to choose was being hindered by my ambition to win. It’s a fine line competitive poker player’s walk and we should check ourselves with these types of questions when situations like this come up. I will tell you this, before I bought in again I took a break and walked the ship!

One of the cool things I like to do on this ship is walk to the very front of the boat and stand at the head (made famous in the movie Titanic). Feeling the power of the ship break through the expanse of the open ocean and forge through into the blackness of night is a very special feeling.

After careful consideration, I bought in again. We are now down to 30 players remaining and will continue playing tonight when we get back on board. Right now it’s time to go onshore and explore the fabulous island of St. Marteen!

Enjoy the Journey!

Kenna James