West Subarbs/Chi Small Stakes Game
08-19-2012
, 11:35 PM
Quote:
All Day Game Sept. 1
1:00 NL Hold'em $0.25/$0.25
2:00 NL 2-7 Single Draw: $0.50/$1.00
3:00 Chicago: $1/$2
4:00 Stampler $1/$2
5:00 PL Big O $0.25/$0.25 ($50 cap)
6:00 Razzdugi: $1/$2
7:00 Dinner Hour/Upside-Down Pineapple 8 $1/$2
8:00 A-5 Single Draw $0.50/$1.00
9:00 Omaha 8: $1/$2
10:00 PL Tahoe Pitch and Roll: $0.25 Antes/$0.50 Bring In
11:00 Lazy Pineapple 8 $1/$2
12:00: PLO: $0.25/$0.25 ($50 cap)
1:00 NL Hold'em: $0.25/$0.25
1:00 NL Hold'em $0.25/$0.25
2:00 NL 2-7 Single Draw: $0.50/$1.00
3:00 Chicago: $1/$2
4:00 Stampler $1/$2
5:00 PL Big O $0.25/$0.25 ($50 cap)
6:00 Razzdugi: $1/$2
7:00 Dinner Hour/Upside-Down Pineapple 8 $1/$2
8:00 A-5 Single Draw $0.50/$1.00
9:00 Omaha 8: $1/$2
10:00 PL Tahoe Pitch and Roll: $0.25 Antes/$0.50 Bring In
11:00 Lazy Pineapple 8 $1/$2
12:00: PLO: $0.25/$0.25 ($50 cap)
1:00 NL Hold'em: $0.25/$0.25
This is a good group to play with, folks. Take him up on the offer.
10-23-2012
, 06:16 PM
01-04-2013
, 02:22 PM
To prospective players,
I have played in jz's game for over a year now and can confidently say it is an excellent home game of top notch quality.
I am a columnist for The Digest, a monthly publication in the Beginner's Question forum. This month, I wrote about how home games--specifically, jz's--have influenced my growth as a player. Below is my article, quoted from the original post (link below the quote).
If you live in the Chicagoland area, jz's game is a definite must.
Breich
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/32...013-a-1283681/
I have played in jz's game for over a year now and can confidently say it is an excellent home game of top notch quality.
I am a columnist for The Digest, a monthly publication in the Beginner's Question forum. This month, I wrote about how home games--specifically, jz's--have influenced my growth as a player. Below is my article, quoted from the original post (link below the quote).
If you live in the Chicagoland area, jz's game is a definite must.
Breich
Quote:
by.....Breich
Playing in home poker games has helped my limit holdem game tremendously. Around Thanksgiving of 2011, I searched the Home Poker forum for a home game listing in the Chicagoland area. I found one particular game--hosted by jzpiano--that was very close to my home in the suburbs. I contacted jz via PM, and he quickly replied back with detailed information about the game. I filled out a small background check form--a wise procedure jz uses to vet whack-os from his game--and soon spoke with jz over the phone. A week later, I was at his mixed game, playing forms of poker I never played before in my life: Stud, Omaha Hi/Lo, Stampler, Razz, Chicago, and 2-7 Triple Draw, among others.
Initially, I was hesitant to even try these games. I was only particularly comfortable with limit holdem, and could hold my own at a no limit game (although I preferred to stay away from them). However, after playing in his extremely well-run game that night, I realized that playing other forms of poker was a rejuvinating and challenging experience. Games like NL 2-7 Single Draw and Razz forced me to apply the principles of poker in ways I had never attempted before. In 2-7, I quickly realized the need to play my draws aggressively, balancing my pre-draw opens and my post-draw bets and raises. In PLO8, I was perplexed by the thought of a split-pot game, realizing the need to account for pot odds and outs when I may only get half the pot.
These deviations from my bread and butter limit holdem are not too intricate--nor may they be that accurate. But playing them for the first time forced me to go back to the basics--the poker principles I can so easily compute in limit holdem--and apply them in brand-new ways.
Another aspect of home poker games that is absoultely absent in online and even live games is the chance to make friends and socialize. Online, these chances are extremely limited unless you are an active poster and/or partake in forum games like SHENANIGANS. (R.I.P. RPM.) In a card room, socialization is present, but in an awkwardly skeptical manner--the camradery of a live game is that of a loosely-tied gang of bank robbers. However, with home games, stakes are typically close to that of micro-stakes online games and are generally friendly. I have made friends with many of those I play with in jz's game, and I play whenever I can because I enjoy socializing.
Whether or not home games are good for every player is debatable. Ultimately, it boils down to your poker-playing goals. I absolutely love to win--I enjoy crushing my opponents and taking their money--but I equally (and even moreso) like to challenge myself and have fun playing any form of a game I love. At a home game, I can maximize all of my goals while still making friends and socializing in the process, and as such, I play in jz's game every chance I can get.
Thanks to his game, I have taken limit Omaha Hi/Lo to be my second main game. Not only does O8 challenge me in different ways than limit holdem, but it gives me something else to play when the lobby is empty or I am simply sick of playing my main game. However, without that initial exposure to a new form of poker, my game would be nowhere near where it presently is.
by.....Breich
Why Playing Games Other Than Limit Holdem Helps My Limit Holdem Game - Part Two
Home Games
Playing in home poker games has helped my limit holdem game tremendously. Around Thanksgiving of 2011, I searched the Home Poker forum for a home game listing in the Chicagoland area. I found one particular game--hosted by jzpiano--that was very close to my home in the suburbs. I contacted jz via PM, and he quickly replied back with detailed information about the game. I filled out a small background check form--a wise procedure jz uses to vet whack-os from his game--and soon spoke with jz over the phone. A week later, I was at his mixed game, playing forms of poker I never played before in my life: Stud, Omaha Hi/Lo, Stampler, Razz, Chicago, and 2-7 Triple Draw, among others.
Initially, I was hesitant to even try these games. I was only particularly comfortable with limit holdem, and could hold my own at a no limit game (although I preferred to stay away from them). However, after playing in his extremely well-run game that night, I realized that playing other forms of poker was a rejuvinating and challenging experience. Games like NL 2-7 Single Draw and Razz forced me to apply the principles of poker in ways I had never attempted before. In 2-7, I quickly realized the need to play my draws aggressively, balancing my pre-draw opens and my post-draw bets and raises. In PLO8, I was perplexed by the thought of a split-pot game, realizing the need to account for pot odds and outs when I may only get half the pot.
These deviations from my bread and butter limit holdem are not too intricate--nor may they be that accurate. But playing them for the first time forced me to go back to the basics--the poker principles I can so easily compute in limit holdem--and apply them in brand-new ways.
Another aspect of home poker games that is absoultely absent in online and even live games is the chance to make friends and socialize. Online, these chances are extremely limited unless you are an active poster and/or partake in forum games like SHENANIGANS. (R.I.P. RPM.) In a card room, socialization is present, but in an awkwardly skeptical manner--the camradery of a live game is that of a loosely-tied gang of bank robbers. However, with home games, stakes are typically close to that of micro-stakes online games and are generally friendly. I have made friends with many of those I play with in jz's game, and I play whenever I can because I enjoy socializing.
Whether or not home games are good for every player is debatable. Ultimately, it boils down to your poker-playing goals. I absolutely love to win--I enjoy crushing my opponents and taking their money--but I equally (and even moreso) like to challenge myself and have fun playing any form of a game I love. At a home game, I can maximize all of my goals while still making friends and socializing in the process, and as such, I play in jz's game every chance I can get.
Thanks to his game, I have taken limit Omaha Hi/Lo to be my second main game. Not only does O8 challenge me in different ways than limit holdem, but it gives me something else to play when the lobby is empty or I am simply sick of playing my main game. However, without that initial exposure to a new form of poker, my game would be nowhere near where it presently is.
02-01-2013
, 04:06 PM