Casino Game 42

Next week I will be spending some time in San Mateo, Ca. and also a couple of days in the L. A. area.  What are some opinions about the best low limit (4-8, 6-12) holdem rooms in which to play in both areas?  

Answer 1:

Any card room in the LA area will do.  I suggest trying Hollywood park for starters, just remember to bring lots of bullets and to fasten your seatbelt, if you are not familiar with the so-call ram and jam holdem games you are in for a treat.

Answer 2:

There is a club in San Mateo itself called Pacific News, but I’ve not been there.  They are very small.

If you further north to San Bruno and Colma, you will find Artichoke Joe’s and Lucky Chances, respectively.  They are large rooms and offer games starting at the 3-6 level.

Answer 3:

Pretty much any game.

What is meant by ‘limping in’……..like “I limped in on the big blind”?

Answer 1:

It means that you do not have a good hand, but would like to see the flop or the next card if it will not cost you too much.  So if you are the big blind and there has been one raise, you might ‘limp in’ with a call where as if there were multiple raises you would fold.  And if there were no raises and you are the big blind, you would of course just check so you could see the flop.

Answer 2:

‘Limping in’ would be just calling the original bring in bet without a raise.  For example if the big blind (BB) is 10 and the person under the gun (the person to act first after the big blind) just ‘limps in’ for 10 instead of a raise…or if the BB just checks without a raise I suppose that would also be considered limping in.

 Answer 3:

“Limping in” means “opening for the minimum”.  You can “limp in” in Holdem with A.  Usually it implies weakness on the part of the hand but that is not the point.  Limping is coming in for the minimum bet, usually before anybody else comes in. “Limped in on the big blind” is not a common term.  It’s basically impossible to limp in on the big blind, you either just check because nobody has raised (that is, everyone else limped in), or you call a raise. Calling a raise is never “limping in”, period.

I picked up suject book used mainly because it was in its third printing.  Does Ken Warren understand low stakes Holdem?

Answer 1:

He might but he doesn’t understand how to calculate odds very well… Although many of his thoughts are ok.. He makes many errors in his calculations of how much a hand is favored over another… At least in his last copy…Steady. Money travels from those who don’t know correct odds to those that do…

Answer 2:

Yes, he does understand low-limit poker.  A couple of the sections aren’t well written and might be misleading, but overall it’s a good book.  It’s the only book on the market that specifically targets the most common spread limit structure 1-4-8-8 with 1/2 blinds. The odds mistakes aren’t really important.

Answer 3:

This was the first poker book I ever purchased. It produced a remarkable improvement in my game. I’ve gone on to read several others that have added to my arsenal of knowledge. IfWarren’s book is the first book you’ve studied than it should produce similar results. The fact that you purchased a poker book and want to improve your game by studying is what produces advances in your play. BTW, I’m been readingCarson’s digital book and I’m finding parts to be very interesting and enlightening.

DISCLAIMER: I won theCarsonbook because I knocked him out of the MARGE no limit holdem tournament. I skipped most of the early sections because they were too elementary. However, the parts on poker theory make me think and analyze which is a key to learning any subject.