Cheesehead Poker

Poker play card games don’t become successful overnight.  It’s a gradual process of moving from friendly games to high low poker stakes.  You need to play to improve, and you need to lose to give yourself the incentive to improve your play.  Improving one’s game is definitely a trial by fire.

            These days, you can read strategy guides such as Play Poker Like the Pros or watch tapes like Phil Hellmuth’s million-Dollar Poker System, or practice or play on the Internet (of course, I recommend UltimateBet.com!)  But not too long ago the only way to learn was to get in the game.  This chapter discusses a few of the more memorable hands from my time in and around Madison, Wisconsin, while I was still learning the game of cards.

College Student Meets “big -al”

I started playing poker in Madison in about poker 1986, and in 1987 I was introduced to “Big Al” Emerson.  Big Al is tough professional poker player originally from La Crosse, Wisconsin (he now lives in Arizona).  Al is a great guy: friendly, jovial, and loyal.  Al and I have been friends since he started taking me on the road with him to Minneapolis and to Fargo, North Dakota, all-in 1987.

            One day, al came to my rundown rental house in Madison (I was still a student at the University of Wisconsin)  to play poker all-in my game-poker event is legal in Wisconsin as long as there is no rake.  (A “rake” occurs when someone is taking money out of each pot to go to the house.) I was having a nice little $1-$2 no-limit Hold’em game there.  I remember that another old friend of mind, Wayne Tyler (nicknamed “Tilly”), was all-in the game.  At this point all-in my poker life, I did not know Madison poker legend Dewey Weum (Dewey finished fourth at the 1998 WSOP).  By about five in the morning, everyone else in the game had quit, and All-in and I were both winning poker.  We began playing heads-up when the following hand came up.

            I opened by making it $7 to go with 4-4.  Al called and raised it to $21 to go with 7-7.  I called, the flop came 2-2-7, I bet out $30 with two pair, and Al called and raised it to $100 to go with a full house (what a flop for Al ).  I studied a long time, then reraised all of my chips (about $450 total).  Al instantly said, “I call,” and showed me his full house (sevens full of twos).

            As I stared in a daze at his hand, I realized that I had no outs.  I could win only with a four-four finish! The turn and the river were blanks.  Al had busted everyone at the table in his first appearance at my game night poker.

            I like my opening bet of $7 with the 4-4.  You might as well start to build a pot in case you do flop a set.  I like Al’s rerasie to $21 with 7-7; he’s finding out how strong I really am.  I like my call of $21 ($14 more) with fours.  I like my bet of $30 on the flop.  I’m indicating that I have at least a pair with the $30 bet.  I love Al’s raise with the top full house.  Too many times people slow-play their hands in this spot.  I’m not saying that slow-playing is bad, just that sometimes you can trick your opponent by playing your strong hands fast limit stud.

            If you do slow-play the hand, then often an ace or king or some other scare card comes off on fourth street to kill the action.  My reraise of all of my chips ($450 total) wasn’t pretty holdem poker game.  Al had raised me the same way, with nothing, a couple of times earlier in the game.  But even given that Al had raised me a couple of times earlier with nothing, risking my entire stack with two fours in a pot that had been raised on every possible occasion by my opponent sure sounds like a terrible play to me today.

            Big Al truly outclassed me in this match.  He bluffed early, so that I would call him later.  He confused me by betting all of his chips with the nuts.  I was used to everyone slow-playing hands in my world.  At least I made a friend that night!

            I remember that night Al and I had a long discussion about what I needed to do to improve my no-limit Hold’em poker guide game.  For this, thank you, al.  I remember that Al talked at great length about what being a professional poker player is all about.  For this, thank you, al.  That night, al invited me to go on the road to some really “good” games with him.  For this, thank you, all-in.  I remember Al told me, that night, that he wouldn’t tell his worst enemy to become a professional poker player.  You know I love you, big Al, and thanks for this last piece of advice –but I’m sure glad I didn’t listen!