"TB" from pokerforum asks:

"I normally play quick but sometimes take time to make decisions on the river with a moderate sixed bet or scare card. I play at home cash games with many of the same players. Almost once a night someone calls clock on me perhaps after 30 sec or so...this really annoys me because I don't call clock on others and sometimes I should be able to have a minute or two to make a decision...this isn't a tournament. What is the normal amount of time to make a decision...."
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Mikey sez:

There are so many variables in answering this question that it's almost impossible to answer with a simple, "8-10 seconds."!! The term quick is so subjective... it's a cloudy issue. I've been playing poker for almost thirty years & have NEVER had a clock called on me. For that matter, I've not seen a clock called on anyone else. 

Thirty seconds and someone's calling the clock on a big decision- every night? Sounds like something else is going on here. If I were you, I'd privately ask one of the guys if I'm simply taking too long. If the answer is yes, or if he kind of hems and haws, IT'S YOU. Move your ass. Have a plan for the cards you're playing... KNOW what you're gonna do if you get raised or a flush draw hits the board. If you keep your head in the game, where it belongs, you'll have at least thought out some of your options. 

Every night I play, I contemplate how to play- like a GAME PLAN... I think I'll play tight tonight, or, I'm gonna get hyper-aggressive with small pocket pairs. So do it, already. If you get in a jam, FOLD- or heck, go all-in. Put the decision on him! If you've got a guy on the ropes, take it down. You should ALREADY know what you're gonna do. Rarely should you be LOST in a poker hand & if you're taking too long, you're advertising weakness and that you're probably lost.

There is a natural rhythm to playing poker, kind of like music. When the same player stops that rhythm, EVERY bet, EVERY hand, ALL NIGHT LONG, for even a few extra seconds, other players will tend to get irritated with that player. I've played against a few people like this and it's like going to the dentist. I play poker to PLAY, not to watch some guy mull over a friggin' K7 suited on a $.25 bet. You can't decide? FOLD already!

I assume that you have a set of rules or guidelines that you all play by... like Quarter ante; three raise cap; $5 max bet; Aces high (except for the wheel- A2345); keep your cards on the table; no string-bets; verbal declarations are binding; don't retrieve cards from the muck; etc. If this is the case, then you may want to discuss the "clock rule" before the next game. If YOU bring this up, it will let your buddies know that you're aware that they have a problem with your 'slow' play and will open up a dialog, where there wasn't before- it should clear the air. 

Does anyone else have the clock called on them? If the answer is no, it's probably YOU. If the answer is yes, you may be playing with some REALLY uptight guys! Is it the same guy every time? He's being an ass or he's got a problem with your play & more importantly, he may be the only guy at the table with balls enough to tell you to your face that you're taking too long!- TALK to him, ask him what's up. I notice I get raised EVERY big blind, I figure I must be acting weak & change up a little, try to fix it on my end. I get the clock called on me, instead of acting confused and angry, I'd set a bear trap and wear his skull for a hat! 

Mikey Knuckles
Hatbrat.com
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This week I started out rather well, had an Ace in the first five hands, winning two of them. Cards cooled off after a bit so I sat back and relaxed thinking I’d play a good. Solid game- no theatrics. That lasted all of 45 minutes as I was dealt pocket pair after pocket pair. Raising each one, I was called about a third of the time & won more than half of them.

Funny how some nights your cards are so bad that folding is second nature by the end of the night, and some nights, the cards require a large raise. I was jacking the blinds quite a bit and I wake up again with Pocket Cowboys & decide to change up a bit. I limp, hoping for someone to raise so I could come over the top with a monster, but nobody helped out! The flop was a rainbow QQ8 and I felt pretty good. The board was checked around to me and I figured I’d better throw in a bet so the guy holding A8 doesn’t catch another 8. Tuffy smooth calls. The turn is a brick and I figure him for a small pair so I check. Tuffy checks as well and the river bricks as well. I check, hoping he bets and he throws in 500 like it was no big deal.

I’ve put Tuffy on a bluff quite a few times in the recent few weeks and called correctly… but not tonight. I just call, in case he’s a monster and, of course, he is- Queens Full. Wow, That’s what I get for limping with Kings. At least I’m not crippled, I guess.

Half an hour later, I raise my pocket Jacks to 600 and Rupe moves all-in. I call, putting him on a small pair and I’ve called it right, again, it’s Sevens to my Jacks. The flop gives him a set and I’m not catching up. Two hands later my KQ suited loses my weak 400 all-in against Terry and Pocket Aces.

Plenty of great hands and nothing to show for it. Tuffy goes on to win the Trifecta, He wins, his Queens full stays high all night, & he took out Denny, last weeks winner. And, yes he’s the new club leader. Well played, Sir!

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This week I was first out- again. Three wins and two “Lasts” looks like I’m playing like it was 2005 again, but it’s not true. My hands were pretty darn good, but second best is just not good enough. All-in early with KJ suited I got called with an A4 offsuit for everything. Door cards an Ace and I didn’t improve. I lasted about an hour and a quarter, but lost hand after hand, trying to play relatively tight.

After writing my last blog, I was in a great state of mind, thinking rationally, and ready to go. I made no critical errors that crippled me, but slowly bled to death. Reminds me of the saying I’ve used in the past, “Great cards or nasty cards, just don’t gimme those dang middle cards!“ Well, I was dealt great cards and could do absolutely nothing with ’em! Fold, fold, fold, raise, OUT!

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My purpose in writing this Blog is to relay an accurate representation of the game as percieved by me during play.  My hope is that while highlighting particular 'critical' hands, plays or games for the readers, I am able to learn in the process.  

Poker is about making fewer mistakes than your opponents, understanding situational exploitation of weakness, psychological warfare, & acting.  The winner is generally the player who, on balance, is capable of controlling emotions while excelling in this volatile poker environment.

Right now, I am looking at how my opponents think I play: Impatient & Hyper-Aggressive. My intention is to use their knowledge of my playing style against them.  I want to confuse my opponent EVERY play EVERY game.  The reputation I cultivate as a player is critical.  The thing is that as soon as they think they've got me figured out, I use it against them when possible, then alter my style of play- again.  Critical & honest self-evaluation is a part of play that shouldn't be overlooked.  If you misplayed a hand, try to understand why and how to fix it.  

A few weekends ago I was invited to another home game.  I ''acted' like an ass, raising nearly every act to the point that players were getting visibly angry, confused, and upset.  What they didn't know was that I was getting a run of cards from the poker gods, and that I'd decided to take advantage and bully up for the first hour.  Players folded hand after hand, and after the first hour, I tightened up.  I played the rest of the night reasonably tight, selecting my starting hands carefully and when I had a good hand I played 'em hard.

Many of the guys thought I was just a Bully.  They overplayed their hands and lost, allowing emotion to take over.  These players were angry that I'd come into their home turf and taken over.  They thought I 'enjoyed' being a 'bully' and they wanted to teach me a lesson.  I won one tournament, took third in another, and took additional winnings in the cash game before the end of the night.

If you're incapable of playing the bully or unable to change your style, don't play poker.  If you cannot be honest with yourself, give it up.  Know yourself and seek self-improvement- it pays off in the end.
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Thinking about changing gear this week, I decide to be hyper-aggressive, which is interesting, ‘cuz I think everyone else was playing tight. I bet every Ace, big or small, and any pair no matter the size. The table folded hand after hand and I raked the pot more than usual early in the game. Don’t get me wrong, if I had no hand I was folding, but on balance, if I had anything, I was betting it.

Two hours in I’m the chip leader and hold JT suited, and I raise it to 500 and I got one call. Terry is probably holding an Ace or some kind of medium pair, as he didn’t raise. The flop is T, 3, 5, rainbow. I’m holding top pair and a pretty good kicker. I bet a thousand, keeping in mind that Terry plays a whole lot of weak Aces, I’m expecting him to fold. Instead he just calls. Interesting. Is he on a small straight draw or did he catch a Ten, too? The turn is harmless, no straight no flush and I decide to continue with the aggression, Bet, All-in. I had Terry covered as he takes a good minute to decide, he calls, and He turns over a TQ, OUT-KICKED again. I’m Bubble Boy for the second time in a month. I’m thinking I need to “knuckle” down and practice more patience, instead of getting funky with nothing better than a pair of Tens.

The second game was a cooler. So cool that My pocket Kings died All-in early against Pocket Aces. Made it real easy to complete this blog before the end of the second game!!!

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I started off the Big Game last night with 12 straight folded hands.  I've always said I'd rather get hands easily folded than the "'tweeners" and, boy, they were easy to muck.  I played my first real hand and won with a pair of Kings.  I won my second with AK suited, and was off to the races, waving my hat.  Cowboy hat that is... I made pocket Kings back-to-back with giant-sized wins, then with a Kings-up hand as well.

Next hand, a critical one, Tuffy raises the $100 blinds preflop to four hundred and it's fold , fold, fold, to my insta-call.  I've a KQ suited and the flop is KQ3 with two spades.  Tuffy bets $1000 and I raise him all-in, thinking he may have the Ace Brick of spades.  My raise leaves me with a couple thousand to climb back if he calls and wins.  Tuffy mucks as he says, "Caught your King again, huh?"  as I show & nod, with a "Yup,"  as the players all grumble and shake their heads... "Mike's got the kings tonight,"  "Don't mess with the Cowboys..." and more!
  
The table talk continued as I made so many Kings it was ridiculous.  I was shaking my head as I was raking in chips.  After while, if a King hit the board, everyone simply surrendered to my minbets and I just raked.

A few hands later I'm small blind raising QJ suited.  Kirk, the big blind, calls and the flop is KQT.  I check, hoping that I get a bet from Kirk as he throws in five hundred.  I'm thinking he's trying to play reverse psychology on me like he's got the King this time.  I'm thinking, even if he does I can hit the open-ender so I call.  The turn makes me a set of Q's and I check 'em hoping for a bet I can raise, but Kirk goes all-in.  He's got me covered, & I'm thinking maybe he's trapped me with Broadway.  I think the whole hand through and remember that he didn't re-raise my preflop bet, which I think he would've done with an Ace Ten, so now I think back to my initial instinct-  He's got the King. Probably King Ten offsuit.
 
When I realize what he has I call.  Grinning, he asks, "you got the King, too?" (He must have me holding AK) and I said heck no, showing the set.   He's confused for a second, and then sees my draw, too. He shows K9.  He'd top pair with an inside King-high drawing to a Jack. The river's a Blank, and I take my first big NON-King hand in an hour along with a Cow-sized chip lead.

Speaking of Iowa, Cow-sized, & Cowboys, my back is to the door & I hear what sounds like a herd of high-heeled girls entering the bar.  I turn around- A man leads a cow to the bar.  I say no more. Late premonition, I guess.

I go on to dominate the game, folding more often, as I'm drawing rags, not wanting to get stupid.  Sheriff T-Bone takes the bounty, then takes out Paul, then I take him out.  This leaves me heads-up with Kirk; my chip lead is about twenty-to-one.  We trade a few blinds.  I fold a few "iffy" hands as Kirk shows me his bluffs.  Last hand- I'm checking AQ hoping he bluffs again. He raises the 783 flop, and I figure, "Let's get it overwith now," He's pot committed.  I put him all-in as he insta calls showing 78, top two!  Well didn't I walk into that?  I figure I double him up and he's still chip critical.  A three turns, giving me an out.  Last card's a Q to make me Queens-up with a win.

The cash game plays out similar for awhile, Hitting Quad Kings twice, and two wild Kings and three Aces playing High Chicago, high-card-in-the-hole's-wild, for Five Aces and the Ace of Spades.  Ye-Haw! 
    
  
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Second Best All Night was playing on the juke box- and I was feeding the quarters. My hands were just fine- I played them aggressively and was handed my ass. Half an hour later I find myself short-stacked and needing a miracle, so….

What do you do when your 4h 5h, big blind gets raised from 2 to 5 hundred, and the pot odds says call, you’re committed with Ace Killers? You call or raise. I chose to call with 725 chips remaining just in case I don’t hit the flop I have one more Hail Mary play.

Tuffy, holding KK, only raised my big blind to 500 hoping to make some money. Donny Insta-calls with AcJs, thinking he’s gonna out-flop Tuffy. I just call as the pot odds are correct. The flop is Q67 all clubs and Donny goes all in with over a thousand chips. I’ve flopped an open-ended straight and think my odds of filling are poor, but if I do, I’ll triple up. As long as another club doesn’t come. Tuffy calls and we all turn our cards. Six outs for me, I need a non-club 3 or 8 to make the straight. The river is an eight, I triple up, and take out Tuffy, claiming the bounty & the 5 points that go with it..

After this play, I’m back in the game and feeling well, but it’s short-lived. Hand after hand I lose with no defense other than- I was outplayed on a few, and I got unlucky as hell on more than quite a few. A special nod too Terry for flopping a set of 8's and letting me bet into him Flop, Turn, & River as he made 8's Full of Aces to my Kings Up.  Great play, sir.

Donny went on to win, I placed third, or in poker vernacular, ‘Bubble Boy‘. Only good thing? By the slimmest of margins, 4 points, I still lead The League.

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The best hand of the game was just under an hour in, I’m small blind, half way in, Denny calls the hundred, I smooth call holding K2 suited and Gregg, the big blind, checks. The flop is K62 and I bet four hundred, with top and bottom pair. Gregg raises all-in without batting an eye. Denny thinks for a good bit and calls. I’m looking at half my chips to call and if I’m calling, I’m raising it all. I think for a good bit and decide that I’m looking at a set from Denny and a Diamond draw from Gregg, and then instantly think--no, Gregg has two pair.

I’m thinking I escaped a big loss as Gregg turns AA and Denny turns over a sixes for the set. The turn was another 6 for Denny’s quads and it’s all over for Gregg. I show my hand, celebrating my fold and Tuffy’s eyeing me with suspicion saying he’d have had a hard time folding the hand. After re-valuation, I’m certain he’d have folded, too, seeing the trap for what it was.

Early out for a second week in a row, I lost to the sheriff calling to the turn with a pair of fours. His river percentages are incredible, I should start taking side bets on him to win. No, I would NEVER put him on a Q4 off-suit calling ¾ of his chips with bottom pair and three over cards staring him in the face. My better pair died, again, to a bullshit call. No, I’m not bitter, I just don’t understand how a guy can call crap and win consistently on the river.

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I received the knockout punch an hour in, over-betting a weak hand, out of position, into a guy willing to put it all on the line with a pair of tens.  He simply had my number & I deserved what I got- out-kicked.  When will I learn to stop risking my entire stack unnecessarily?  

Prior to making my move I thought about what he'd think, EVEN if he had a strong hand.  If I were in his seat, with his cards, I'd probably thought for a minute & folded- thinking I was up against AA, KK, QQ, or Suited Slick.  Almost an insta-fold, even holding top pair.

If I were sitting in a casino, the player probably would've recognized that I was acting strong out of position after playing like a 'rock' for an hour- 

That's it right there.  I'm giving my oponent too much credit for thinking like I think a good player would think.  Not that he was a bad player, he just wasn't aware of my out-of-position move.  He wasn't thinking that he had three players behind him, and he certainly wasn't contemplating being out of the tournament early because he called with one pair.  Next time I make that move, I'm gonna have the nuts and I'm gonna smile when he CALLS.


Tuffy & I split the second game wanting to get to the cash game early.  We decided to play three more hands for the 'helluvit.'   This is what happened:  I folded the first hand with 7,3 off-suit.  I won hand two with AK suited with a preflop bet.  Third and final hand, Tuffy called my pocket sixes raise.  I flop a set of sixes and check-call Tuffy's Big bet, after just a tiny bit of hesitation.  I turn quads- Tuffy bets twice his previous bet and I'm thinking that he KNOWS I like to take a VERY long time when I have the nuts against a player betting into me, pretending that I don't know what to do. I'm thinking I need to make a quick move, so I headshake like I'm not sure what to do- like I'm making a stab at a big draw- I take another quick-peek at my hand & make a reluctant call.

Since the board's paired, I'm hoping that he either has the full-house or he bluffs at the full house.
I check the river knowing he's gonna take another shot & he does.  He's all-in as I'm turning over the Quads.  "Too bad we split that, huh?!!" 
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This week was nothing short of amazing. Taking the win for week three puts me ahead of Sherrif T-bone in the points count and I feel good this early in the year. Having Big Slick, a pocket pair, or rags made it easy to play all night long. I could go on about my poker skills & super reading abilities, but it simply wouldn't be true. I got the cards and they were boss, period. Since we had fewer players than usual, we decided to get funky, adding Omaha and the 27 'pay-up-sucka' to the game- which I won twice!

No matter what I did it was right. I read the bounty as weak and took him out. Heads up with Denny, I played 78 suited and flopped a flush draw & an open-ended straight draw, I turned the straight after he raised top two and took him down, his raise making him pretty much pot committed.

The cash game was interesting as well, folding- and losing more than usual. After losing my first stack, I Dirk Digglered and continued to bleed chips for the first hour & a half. I called Omaha Hi-Lo and won a Monster from Tuffy after he'd been stealing my lunch money all night long. I won four more Omaha Monsters in rapid succession taking both ends winning everything back & more. We finished the night with my 27 bluff on the last hand, and after counting the piles realized that I had more than tripled up. If only we could play Omaha more often...

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