Blog, Reno

Ambling and Gambling

Nevada’s nickname is “The Silver State,” and is home to a casino resort on my list of favorite places to stay and play…The Silver Legacy Resort Casino in Reno. Ambling Hotels have their own personality so, after my speedy check-in, I wandered around to catch the vibe. I discovered restaurants, shops, entertainment venues, bars/nightclubs, the casino, race/sports book, and the…

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How Do You Play Pocket Aces?

A Cooler and Good Advice.  In a recent tournament in the new poker room at the Silver Legacy Casino Resort in Reno, I was first to act and picked up pocket aces. I slow played them and four others called. The flop came 2-Q-8 rainbow. After two checks before me, I raised 1/2 the pot. To my surprise, I was…

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The Challenge of Low Limit Hold ’em

 What’s the problem? The answer is loose players. How do you shake them when it doesn’t cost much to draw for low percentage hands? Sure, in the long run, it will produce negative outcomes. However, when you’re playing with three or four calling stations at a table, the chances are that one will hit their miracle card (usually on the river).…

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Prop Players

In order to fill seats at a poker table, some casinos/card rooms allow their staff members (including managers) to sit in on a game. This is an example of a “prop” player. It’s short for proposition and their function is to get games started and/or keep them going when a table is short-handed. Most often, when the table fills up,…

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Chop

In Omaha high-low, it is fairly common to split the pot equally for the winning high and low hands. When hands tie and a pot is divided up, that is called a chop. In Omaha, it is typically quartering the low (it rarely happens with the high end). When tournaments allow the prize pool to be chopped, it can take…

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Harrah’s Poker Room – Las Vegas

My 9-10 suited put me #1 in the morning tournament.  A 10 on the turn, sealed the hand.  Harrah’s is a comfortable, well-run poker room with about 50% locals (always a good sign). My new good luck shirt is from Craghoppers (solar shield and quick dry – perfect for Las Vegas).

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Set Over Set

Set Over Set A recent tournament found me on the short end of an all-in hand. Someone said, “Tough to lose set over set.” To be precise, it was set over trips. There is a big difference, but over the years the terms set and trips have become interchangeable (incorrectly).  A set is when a pair in the hole matches…

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Scoop

Scoop – In Omaha High-Low (AKA, Omaha 8-or-Better) it’s when one player wins the entire pot vs. splitting it.  It can happen in two ways: the winner has both the best high and low hands or there is no qualifying low. Let’s look at some approximate numbers.  Before any given Omaha deal, there is more than a 60% chance of a…

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