Answer to You Make the Call AhKh

Recap: The blinds are 1-2. No Limit Texas Holdem. I have about $175.00 in front of me.
I am holding Ah Kh in the little blind.
4 people limp ahead of me.
I raise to $12.00.
I get 2 callers.
The flop: Js 8h 5h I bet $30.00. 2nd player folds, 3rd player raises to $75.00 and has enough chips to cover my stack.
How do you play that hand:

My answer: Move all-in unless you knw your opponent to be someone who only raises with a set.

Reason:

First ask, what are the pot odds?

$12 x 4 = $48.00 preflop
On flop $30.00 plus $75.00 = %105.00
Total: $153.00

It costs me $45.00 more to call

45:153 = pot odds slightly higher than 3:1 or 33.33%

What are the odds of winning?

If your opponent has:

AJ?
KJ, QJ or J10?
two pair (J8)?
a set?

(Use my chart at: http://www.legalizetexasgambling.com/TexasGamblingOdds.htm)

Assuming your opponent holds no hearts, your outs are:

AhKh vs AJo = 3 kings plus 9 hearts = 12 outs = 45% chance of winning

AhKh vs KJ, QJ or J10 3 kings plus 3 aces plus 9 hearts = 15 outs = 54.1% chance

Two pair (J8) = 8 hearts = 31.5%

Set = 8 hearts = 31.5%

(Note if your opponent holds 1 heart your odds with drop 3-5 percent.)

Even in your worse case scenario, you are moving in on a hand that the pot odds are about equal. There is a good chance, you are moving in with a hand that the pay out beats the odds laid. And, of course, you can also win if your opponent folds.

Lets Talk Religion and Gambling

Some of you may find this surprising, but I am a Christian. Even more surprising to some, I am a Baptist--although I do not agree every position the Southern Baptist Convention takes.

I attend church regularly. (But, to quote a great pastor, that makes me no more a Christian than going into a garage makes me a car. I agree with that 100%.)

I volunteer every Sunday to check in chilren in the nurseryat the church I attend. I attend church Sunday morning and I return to the church Sunday evening for small group bible study. I also co-teach a bible study at my place of work and I work for a Christian company. But most importantly of all, I love the Lord, Jesus Christ.

So how can you be for legalization for gambling, you say?

I challenge anyone to show me where in the Bible it says you shall not gamble.

It is not there. What it says in the Bible, plain and simple, is that you shall place no idols before the Lord thy God.

What does that mean?

It means that you shall not place your faith in anything (including gambling), other that Jesus Christ. I believe this firmly. (If you don't and would like to know more about it, please email me.) It applies to money, sex, alcohol, drugs, material things, work and yes, even gambling.

I do not believe that there is any action that is, in itself, inherently a sin. Sin is about motive. It's about where your heart is when you act. Just because you bought a lottery ticket when the jackpot hit 67 million does not mean you sinned. If you put every dime you had into lottery tickets, such that your future depended upon the outcome, then yes, you have put your faith in a false idol and you have sinned.

Last time I checked, Jesus never once preached about outlawing conduct in which a person can engage in a sinful manner. Face it, a person can be an active servant in his church, but if his motive for serving is to bring notariety (glory) to himself, then his actions are sinful in spite of the good things that may come of his actions. Should we therefore, outlaw serving in a church?

God created man with free will. He gave man choices. He gave man the choice to do actions which can be done in both sinful and unsinful manners. Who are we to step in the place of God and say "man cannot do this action in any manner, we are taking away that choice?" "You cannot gamble under any circumstances because it can be done in a sinful manner, God must of messed up when he gave you that freedom." Doesn't fly, does it?

God knew what he was doing when he gave man the choice. Please stop taking away my God-given choices. Legalize Texas Gambling. If you do not want to do it, don't. If a brother does it sinfully, counsel him.

God bless.

paul@legalizetexasgambling.com

Legalize it

We should legalize casinos in Texas. It would help the economy. It would be a great source of tax revenues (about 2 billion a year minimum). If legislated properly, it will lower property taxes while increasing school funding.

And the greatest thing of all is, if you don't want to gamble because you feel it is unrightous, unfair, unjust, unrelgious or you just aren't any good at it, you don't have to go to the casino!

But don't impose your desire not to gamble on the rest of us who have the guts, skills and/or desire to enjoy it.

Omaha

I know, I know, the new craze is no limit hold'em because everyone has seen it played on the World Poker Tour and some nobody won it a few years back so any Tom, Dick or Harry must have a chance right?

Ok, this post is not for the new player...that is, the guy who started playing in the last three or four years because every-f*ing one else was doing it or you saw it on TV.

This post is for the real player. The player who was playing before poker on ESPN (yes, even ESPN 2) was around....

Pot limit Omaha is the game of champion poker players. It requires more skill, more ability and more talent than hold'em (no limit or pot limit) will ever require. Take any good hold'em player and put him at a pot limit omaha table. if he can't hang, he ain't squat.

It's about odds. It's about reads. It's about excellent poker play.

I've won more money at a pot limit round-of-each game by destroying top notch hold'em players who couldn't hang with the omaha round.

If you want to be a top-notch poker player, learn pot limit omaha.

Bye the way, if you are interested in a pot limit round of each game in Cypress Texas, no rake, no tips, byoe...respond to this message.

Bye Bye Joe

Celebration time, baby!

Anti-gambling hardliner Joe Nixon lost in the primaries!

Way to go Texas!

Joe Nixon R for Senate Dist. 7

I recently attended a "meet-the-candidates" function where this guy and his two republican primary opponents and the democratic opponent were are present.

Two Words: Conservative Hardliner.

Anti-gambling, anti-working man. Let the church run the country...freedom of choice is just an incidential side-effect of democracy to this man.

I do not care if you are republican or democrat, vote this guy out. Do not let him win the primaries.

He will be tough to beat. Nixon is a polished politician. Kisses all the right babies etc....

Get out there and vote, gamblers!

You Make the Call - Poker Hand AhKh NLH

The blinds are 1-2. No Limit Texas Holdem.
I have about $175.00 in front of me.
I am holding Ah Kh in the little blind.
4 people limp ahead of me. I raise to $12.00. (Those of us who remember when pot limit was 'the big game' and no limit cash games were regulated to private games or Sunday nights at the stratosphere will know what I mean when I say pot limit habbits die hard.) I get 2 callers.

The flop: Js 8h 5h I bet $30.00.

2nd player folds
3rd player raises to $75.00 and has enough chips to cover my stack.

How do YOU play it and why?