on tonight

we are playing if you can make it.

Poker Face(book)

PokerKnights is on Facebook now. It is a "secret group", so all you need to do is add me as a friend, and I will send out an invite to join. I want to give FB a try as it has a number of easy to use and interactive features that Blogspot doesn't.

Next game is December 19th.

Later,

R

The Long and Winding Re-Buy

The months event went pretty late. Combining the concerns about fast blind structures and the fact that there were more than the usual number of chips in play, getting down to the final table took a long time. In the end, Paul came out on top, besting out out of town guest Peter E.

Colin L., who is hoping to dominate the league was out FIRST and dropped into second place in the league.

Next month is a nice normal game, and should be a good opportunity to usher in the Christmas break.

Keep well everyone.

One Player Per Hand

This is a point that can easily get lost in a friendly game of poker. It is quite unacceptable for a player to show their cards to another player in order to get advice. Many of us have done it innocently enough, often to aid a player who is very new to the game.

One of the great things about poker is that it is purely a game of mind verses mind. Physical strength and coordination have no affect. Each player has only what he or she brings to the table (between their ears). Each player's strengths and weaknesses are their own. So when a player seeks the advice of others by sharing their cards, it is VERY unfair to everyone else in the hand.

As friendly as our little home game is, people are genuinely competing for league points and for the modest cash prizes that are offered. So when there are only 5 opponents facing a player, why should they have to compete agains 6 or 7 minds?

This has not become a major sticking point as of yet, but the issue has come up in the past. Let's keep our friendly game friendly. Remember, when you buy-in and sit down, you are on your own.

See you at the re-buy event.

Rebuy next month

A "well done" to Rob M. for his win this past month.

Next month we have a $2 rebuy event. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Bring toonies!!!!!!!!!!!

you get $2000 for 2 bucks and can rebuy in the first hour, anytime you have $2000 or less. This means that you can start the tournament with $4000 for a cost for 4 bucks.

The blinds start at 25/50 and go up from there.

At the end of the rebuy period there is an optional $1000 add-on for a cost of 2 bucks.

Remember, that you are not required to rebuy or add on, but when you do bust out in the rebuy period you must rebuy before the next hand begins.

After the rebuy period, play continues like in a normal tournament.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

Play during a rebuy period is generally aggressive, bordering on wild. People tend to adjust their play after the rebuy period is over.

The prize pool last year was about the same as in a normal tournament. However, since it pays out to the same number of places, it has the potential to be bigger than normal.

See you next month, and save those toonies.

Ante Up!!!!

We are a week awayf from the second poker night of the year. Rumour has surfaced that math whiz Jen G. will be making her return to the circuit this month. Although she has not been an overall dominating force in previous years, Jen has developed a reputation as a spoiler, disrupting the aspirations of many of our seasoned players.

The absence of last years dominant forces Steve and Andrea B. continues to perplex and sadden regular league members. Here is hoping all is well and that we will see them soon.

This month is our standard no limit hold'em tournament. See you at 8.

Betting after the flop.

Always keep in mind the the value of your hole cards changes as the hand progresses. This is easy to forget when dealt pocket pairs. People often fall in love with a good pair, especially if it is larger than anything on theboard. Watch the texture of the board and give credence to the strength represented to the bets of you opponents. A good rule of thumb is that you NEVER want to go broke with just one pair.

NEW EVENT ADDED

We have been tossing around the idea of having one, non-hold'em event this year. Based ont he results of a recent poll, we are going to go with the idea of 5 Card Draw. This is like the kitchen table poker we played as kids.

There will be blinds posted, then each player gets 5 cards. There will be around of betting, then each player may discard and draw up to 5 cards. There will then be aonther round of betting, then the showdown.

These days, 5 card draw is played in Limit or Pot Limit format, HOWEVER, we will likely play No Limit 5 Card Draw, simply because that is the most familiar betting style for most players.

Rather than creating a new night for this event, the 5 Card Draw tournament will take place on a regular league ngiht; April 24th. The points earned in this event WILL COUNT AS NORMAL for the league.

Finally, I know people are checking out the blog, because of the poll. However, please feel free to leave comments at the bottom of the posts. so I know I am not just talking to myself.

Tune in next week, for the poker tip of the week.

Game #1 is in the books

Just a quick note because it is late.

Colin took down the opening event this year, outlasting Susan in a quickly dealt HU battle. The story of the final table was Julie however, who managed to outlast Rob M. and her own mother while fast asleep upstairs. Our hostess came down with a bad headache and went ti bed with about 6 or 7 players remaining. By the time the blinds ate up her stack she finished in 3rd, earning both money and points.

We used a structure that was much slower than normal at the start. Please let me know how you felt about it. If we have many more people than this time, 15k might bee too much to start with. Either way, we can keep the blind structure unless enough people did not like it.

There are only a few hours left to vote in our poll. We are proposing a special game this year(once) that would be something other than no limit holdem.

Thanks for coming. Take a peek at our schedule and pencil in October 17

First Game This Friday

This Friday is the official kick off for this years league. Please show up by 8, and if you can RSVP with a comment on this post, that'd be SUPER!

Invite to Online League

Hey Folks,

Most of you know, that I have been pretty successful online. The poker forum that helped me get there is having a Hold'em league that runs on Monday nights on FullTilt Poker at 9:35 PM.

Everyother week is no limit hold'em, and the weeks in between are limit, pot limit, no limit 6 handed, and no limit heads up.

Each game is $5.50 and there will be 15-25 people each week. If you are interested, come on out.

This week's game can be found at Tournaments/Private/60510282 on FullTilt. The password is "talkingpoker"

If you don't play for money online, just set up a free account (from .com, not .net) and I can ship you the $5.50 which you can pay back at the home game. If you want this, contact me through the BBS or call me. This offer is just for my homegame crowd.

If you are interested in the whole league, you can check it out at...

http://www.talkingpoker.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14513

*also there is an OPTIONAL $20 league fee that qualifies you for special bounties, the over all league prize pool and the Tournament of Champions.

League Shedule: Monday's at 9:35

#1 - September 8 - NLHE
#2 - September 15 - PLHE
#3 - September 22 - NLHE
#4 - September 29 - LHE
#5 - October 6 - NLHE
#6 - October 13 - 6MAX NLHE
#7 - October 20 - NLHE
#8 - October 27 - HU NLHE
#9 - November 3 - NLHE
#10 - November 10 - NLHE
TOC/TOF - November 17 - NLHE

Welcome Back to Poker Knights

Hi Everyone!

I have created this blog to help all my home game regulars keep up to date on standings, news and events related to the third season of the best home game north of Las Vegas.

As you look around you will see the 08-09 schedule, the Hall of Champions and (0ver time,) a variety of other features. In addition to these updates I will also post strategy tips and any other relevant news.

At the bottom of these updates you can subscribe to a "feeds" link that will let you know when there is updated content (as far as I undersatnd it).

Aswell, please vote in the poll found on the left hand side. I am considering running an additional event this year that will NOT be No Limit Hold'em. The the poll will help me to determine IF we should do it and what the game shoud be.

Julie and I are looking forward to seeing you all again this season.

Rob

For New Players: The Rules

For those who are coming to our game for the first time, this is a very friendly environment. IF you have never played No Limit Texas Hold'em before, your first time is on us. To help out with the basic rules of the game, you can watch this video from Poker Pro Phil Gordon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vPpAhwhM1M

Raising Before The Flop

Anytime a person raises, there should be a good reason. When a player raises before the flop, it is usually to accomplish at least one of the following...

-to win the pot right then and there.
-to gain position of subsequent betting rounds
-to build a big pot with a strong hand
-to protect your hand by pushing out limpers

In general, when you are the one opening the pot, you want to raise the majority of the time. The stereotypic goal is to see a flop with position against one (maybe two) caller(s).

This also means playing better cards, or folding more often preflop. This can be difficult for a new player, who wants to get into the middle of the action. However, for the novice, seeing a lot of limped or minraised flops is a good way to whittle away your chips. These players often find themselves short stacked by the end of the second or third level, wondering how they got so "unlucky".