What feeds your soul?

[EJFan]

12 bucks in 30 minutes... wait, make that 20 bucks in 35 minutes... now i get to watch the pros on espn.

 

[EJFan]

nearing the one hour mark and i'm up over $60 on the night... over 100 on the day.

 

[Guest]

 

[EJFan]

hey, did congress vote on that anti-internet gambling bill today?

i don't know... i should really pay closer attention to that though. lemme check and get back to you.

 

[Guest]

 

[EJFan]

i just saw that. there's a link to a discussion here.

the language of the bill (as is always the case) really leads me to believe that there's not a lot to be concerned about... the majority of these sites keep money in off-shore accounts. then, of course, the senate vote seems to be unlikely. i'm only going by that small discussion i posted above though.

it's something to keep an eye on. no doubt about it. the big target SEEMS to be US sites and US funds transfers... again, that's only inference.

 

[Guest]

 

[EJFan]

I agree with you. It's just something I read about this morning so I figured I'd ask. I don't gamble very often....other than maybe 4 or 5 lottery tickets per year....the last time I gambled was Reno in '89 or '90. I was shocked to see old ladies pumping nickels into slot machines at 4am.

that's not all they were pumpin' at 4am.

edit to add:
somewhere around that site i posted to above is a discussion/essay about whether or not poker is actually gambling. i believe that it is, but not in the sense that most people assume it to be. the gambling is in a player gambling on his ability to read and play his opponent's cards, not so much on what "fate" the deal holds.

 

[midwestyankee]

I agree with you. It's just something I read about this morning so I figured I'd ask. I don't gamble very often....other than maybe 4 or 5 lottery tickets per year....the last time I gambled was Reno in '89 or '90. I was shocked to see old ladies pumping nickels into slot machines at 4am.

[sort of a threadjack] One of the more amazing sights from my last visit to Las Vegas was the room in one casino with slot machines that took only $100 bills.[/sort of a threadjack]

 

[Guest]

 

[EJFan]

are you practicing for a run at a political office?

LOL... no... but let me illustrate the point in another fashion...

suppose someone offered to give you 10x your entire bank account balance for the flip of a coin. would you take that bet? you have to. you're getting 10:1 on a 2:1 event. if you win the bet every other time, as you should, you'll increase your balance by ten times (8 if you lose the first flip). poker (nlhe, particularly) isn't gambling because you control the odds and play the odds in your favor.

the second part of this is that there's no fate involved. the ability of quality players to ascertain the strength and cards their opponents hold is the source of their skill. what a good player holds and what cards draw is almost irrelevant.

so the gambling in NLHE (and most poker) is on the player's skill. i gamble on my ability to know what my opponent has and how he's playing it. he's gambling in the same way.

 

[EJFan]

one other thing i should point out... things like roulette are REAL gambling. even when you win, you lose. you make less than the odds of hitting your number when you hit it. how absurd is that?

 

[Guest]

 

[Guest]

 

[EJFan]

I understand what you're saying, and i don't necessarily disagree, but i don't agree either. Each game has it's own nuances.

In nlhe, there are 3 betting rounds before all the cards are out, and one after. So are you saying that in each of the first three rounds, you never bet on the chance that a card will come up that helps you? Not even on the flop?

the point is to know (within a degree of reason) what your opponent is playing. if your opponent is on a draw, you don't give him odds to make that draw... if he calls against the odds, then he's going to go broke in the long run. if he already has you beat, you either muck or bluff. if you have him drawing dead, you suck out as many chips as you can. if you're both on a draw but you have more potential you bully him out.

there are a lot of "if's" but it all comes down to knowing your opponent and his cards. again, the cards are almost irrelevant. that's why the only real gambling is on your own ability to read and act prudently. there's no gambling in the game (save for some huge "play making" situations in late stages of a tournament... but even that's based on insight) in regards to the "luck of the draw."

to answer the question about betting rounds, yes, i always bet according to what cards are coming (or could come) and i'm not going to give someone a free (or cheap) chance to beat me if i'm winning or have won. in fact, in many situations, i'll take a pot down before a card is drawn if i feel i have the best hand. if i get a call and i still feel i have the best hand i'll sell it for whatever i can get for it. i often bet hard on a huge draw. for example, if i have suited connectors v. a pocket pair and the flop brings me 15 outs with a straight and flush draw i'm pushing hard... i don't care if he flopped a set... with that many outs i'm going to break him more often than not.

there are lots of scenarios... far too many to detail. suffice it to say, you're not playing the cards, you're playing the opponent. a great hand and no read is useless. this is why i can bet into a flop of suited AKQ and win with a differently suited 78 or two ducks.

 

[EJFan]

that's how casinos stay in business

agreed. it's entertainment. most people think of it as gambling but it's actually entertainment. a real "gambler" would never play craps or roulette or any game of chance because the payout sucks. why would i want to get paid for less than my win is worth? who'd build missles for $3 an hour?

 

[Guest]

 

[EJFan]

btw, need a campaign manager?

heh... i've done enough for the citizenry... let someone else take a turn.

there's really a lot more to what i'm talking about than i could ever outline... nothing that playing a few thousand hands can't help to clarify. i'm always acting with consideration to stack ratios, position, history, etc.

 

[EJFan]

it feeds my soul that i've been pre-selected for a "clearly superior visa card." bestill my heart.

 

[Guest]

 

[midwestyankee]

Former clients who choose to rejoin the fold.

 

[Cathleen]

WFMS...

* Quietness. Not hearing the air condition (for which I am incredibly grateful for but...), being able to open doors and windows to hear the outside world noises is lovely. Even if only for a short period of time.

* Learning and allowing the lessons to sink in enough to see and feel the benefits.

* Saying NO! Thank you but no.

 

[Nightbird]

Knowing that sometimes I can weave words into amazing wonderful powerful tools to a person with an open mind and slight imagination.

To reach into a soul and touch a heart.. This is the ability I have, and it is truly a gift.

 

[bobsgirl]

The rhythmic whir of the sewing machine. Cutting, stitching, cutting, stitching. The monotony helps to calm my mind.

 

[EJFan]

The rhythmic whir of the sewing machine. Cutting, stitching, cutting, stitching. The monotony helps to calm my mind.

HI BG!

can you come out and play????