Thinking Poker

Jorge “Baalshin” Limon is a member of Team PokerStars Online, a regular in some of the biggest no-limit games on the site, a rally car driver, and one of the most prominent players on Mexico’s poker scene. In this interview he talks about his unconventional hobby, his unconventional profession, how he stays competitive in some of the toughest games on the internet, and the psychological toll that poker has taken on him.

Note: As a high stakes player, Jorge will surely be directly affected by the recently announced changes at PokerStars. I don’t know how much he’d be able to address them, as a PokerStars representative, but in any event this interview was recorded before they were announced, so unfortunately we didn’t have the opportunity to ask him.

You can follow Jorge on Twitter and watch his Team Online short film here. If you can handle the Spanish, you can watch him on Twitch as well.

Timestamps

0:30 – hello

8:19 – AT in 3b pot

39:16 – talkin with Jorge

Strategy

Very loose agro player on my immediate right raises a straddle 3x to 30 in LoJack, I make it 90 in hijack with A10o. The main villain pretty quickly calls on button. Loose player folds.

Flop (221) Ad 4d Ah. Hero thinks for about 15 seconds and bets 115. This player snap shoves for about a pot sized bet.

Assani Fisher is a poker pro turned Daily Fantasy Sports player. He talks about his career in poker, his transition to DFS, and some of the recent news and controversies surrounding that industry. He also discusses his unique comedic contributions to the Two Plus Two forums, including The Boiling Oats Runner and A 101 Man Onslaught. For more of Assani’s DFS insights, check out his vlog and follow @AssaniFisher on Twitter.

Support the Thinking Poker Podcast this holiday season by using our affiliate links when shopping on Amazon. You might also consider making a donation to the Bay Area Urban Debate League.

Timestamps

0:30 – Hello and welcome

17:25 – Strat

32:39 – Assani

Strategy

$1/$2 NLHE, $300 effective stacks. Villain opens for $12, Hero calls next to act with 88.

Flop 865r. Villain bets $30, Hero calls.

Turn 4d , putting a second diamond. Villain bets 30 again, Hero shoves for $220 more. Villain folds QQ face up.

Clayton Fletcher, who first appeared on Episode 74, is back to discuss his 96th place finish in the 2015 WSOP Main Event. Hear how he celebrated, how he dealt with a sudden reversal of fortune, and how his other career in stand-up comedy helps him withstand the challenges of a multi-day poker tournament.

Follow Clayton on Twitter@claytoncomic and learn more about his upcoming shows from his website. His podcast is Broadway Comedy Club Radio.

Timestamps

0:30 Hello and Welcome

34:44 Main Event Strategy

Strategy

Hand 1

Blinds 800/1600/200 effective stack 80K

Hero opens to 3500 with Qd Jd in 3rd position, Button 3bets to 8500, Hero calls

Flop QT7 with one diamond.

Hero checks, Button bets 9500, Hero calls

Turn Ks. Hero checks, Button bets 11,500 into 40,200, Hero calls.

River 9s. Hero checks, Button shoves

Hand 2

Blinds 100/200 effective stack 30K.

Villain opens to 450, one call, Hero raises to 1300 with Jc 8c on the Button, Villain calls, other player folds.

Flop (3200) Ac Jh 7c. Villain checks, Hero bets 1500, Villain raises to 4000, Hero calls.

Turn (11K) 9d. Villain bets 5000, Hero calls.

Rivers (21,300) 8s. Villain bets 7000 into 21000.

Hand  3

Blinds 1K/2K/300 effective stacks 160K. Villain opens to 4K, Hero has QQ in the SB and raises 11K, V raises to 33K.

Sam Grafton, who previously joined us on Episode 75, is back to talk about the unique format of Shark Cage, why he skipped the WSOP, why he moved to Prague, and why he has trouble reading literature during WCOOP. We also found time to discuss Salinger, Casino, and some of Scorsese’s lesser-known works.

Sam’s first appearance on Shark Cage is available on Youtube. Follow @squidpoker on Twitter!

Mailbag

0:30 hello and welcome

48:57 strategy

Strategy

Our discussion was a continuation of this hand from Episode 143:

PokerStars – $1000+$50|8000/16000 Ante 2000 NL (6 max) – Holdem – 5 players

Hand converted by PokerTracker 4: http://www.pokertracker.com

UTG: 61.6 BB (VPIP: 26.46, PFR: 18.59, 3Bet Preflop: 11.72, Hands: 359)

CO: 60.1 BB (VPIP: 40.00, PFR: 27.50, 3Bet Preflop: 15.38, Hands: 40)

BTN: 90.5 BB (VPIP: 19.22, PFR: 15.56, 3Bet Preflop: 6.07, Hands: 591)

SB: 61.46 BB (VPIP: 19.31, PFR: 15.97, 3Bet Preflop: 10.32, Hands: 295)

Hero (BB): 63.17 BB

5 players post ante of 0.13 BB, SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.13 BB) Hero has 9c Jc

UTG raises to 2.19 BB, fold, fold, fold, Hero calls 1.19 BB

Flop : (5.51 BB, 2 players) Jd 3c Ks

Hero checks, UTG bets 2.41 BB, Hero calls 2.41 BB

Turn : (10.33 BB, 2 players) Ac

Hero checks, UTG checks

River : (10.33 BB, 2 players) 7s

Hero checks, UTG bets 4.65 BB, Hero?

Andrew is in Montreal for the second half of the WCOOP, and he and Nate discuss some hands.

Strategy

Hand 1

2-4 PLO8 on Bovada. 4-handed.

I open to $12 with (AT)J7–I’m using Bill Chen’s notation where suited cards go in parentheses.

Only the BB calls. He’s playing $200ish, and I cover.

Flop KQ8 rainbow. BB checks; I bet half the pot ($13).

Turn pairs the 8 and puts up a flush draw (I have the 7 of the suit). BB checks.

Hand 2

1-2 NLHE 6max on Bovada. I have 220.98 (after posting BB). Folds to button who raises to $6. SB Calls

I raise to $24 (pot) with AA. Button calls

Flop ($54 in pot) Jh Qd 8s

I bet $54 and the button jams and covers me. So $307 in the pot and I have 145 giving me almost exactly 2:1.

Hand 3

PokerStars – $1000+$50|8000/16000 Ante 2000 NL (6 max) – Holdem – 5 players

Hand converted by PokerTracker 4: http://www.pokertracker.com

UTG: 61.6 BB (VPIP: 26.46, PFR: 18.59, 3Bet Preflop: 11.72, Hands: 359)

CO: 60.1 BB (VPIP: 40.00, PFR: 27.50, 3Bet Preflop: 15.38, Hands: 40)

BTN: 90.5 BB (VPIP: 19.22, PFR: 15.56, 3Bet Preflop: 6.07, Hands: 591)

SB: 61.46 BB (VPIP: 19.31, PFR: 15.97, 3Bet Preflop: 10.32, Hands: 295)

Hero (BB): 63.17 BB

5 players post ante of 0.13 BB, SB posts SB 0.5 BB, Hero posts BB 1 BB

Pre Flop: (pot: 2.13 BB) Hero has 9c Jc

UTG raises to 2.19 BB, fold, fold, fold, Hero calls 1.19 BB

Flop : (5.51 BB, 2 players) Jd 3c Ks

Hero checks, UTG bets 2.41 BB, Hero calls 2.41 BB

Turn : (10.33 BB, 2 players) Ac

Hero checks, UTG checks

River : (10.33 BB, 2 players) 7s

Hero checks, UTG bets 4.65 BB, Hero?

Gareth Chantler joins us from the Dominican Republic to talk about his new life as a writer (a discussion that began during his last appearance on the show) and his WCOOP so far (as of the time of this recording, that is).

Timestamps

0:30 Hello and Welcome

33:41 Strategy

Strategy

Hand 1

Hand 2

Nate and Andrew discuss a question of live card room ethics and procedure, then follow up a discussion of bluffing from Episode 140, then consider another bluff-turned-bluff-catcher!

Timestamps

0:30  Hello and welcome

14:24  Strategy

Chad Power just finished 26th in the WSOP Main Event, so if you haven’t seen him on ESPN yet, you probably will soon. His real claim to fame in the poker world, though, is as the manager of a large stable of live cash game players whom he coaches and backs, and as an organizer of some of the biggest games in Maryland. Chad talks to us about the logistics and complications of his backing enterprise and how a winning player can nevertheless be “good for the game”.

Before you ask, Chad is not taking staking applications at this time. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook though.

Timestamps

0:30 – Hello and welcome

12:16 – Strategy

46:33 – Interview

Strategy

Main V opens for 12 in EP (1100 eff). CO (350) calls. Hero flats with 3c 4c on the button.

Flop (37) Q42r with one club. EP bets 25, CO calls, Hero calls.

Turn (112) 6c. EP bets 60. CO folds, Hero raises to 165, EP calls.

River (442) 9d. EP checks, Hero bets $330

Neil Blumenfield is third in chips at the final table of the 2015 World Series of Poker Main Event. At 61, he is also the second-oldest player ever to final table this event (the oldest, Pierre Neuville, will be competing against him this year).

Neil talks to us about this dubious honor as well as the other challenges facing him as an amateur, albeit a serious and accomplished one, among professionals.

You can root for Neil in November when ESPN airs the final table of the WSOP Main Event. If you’re in San Francisco, check out his girlfriend’s store.

Our strategy hand comes to us from the author of A Main Event Rookie Lives the Dream.

Timestamps

:30 – hello and welcome

12:40 – strat

54:30 – interview

Strategy

Blinds 2000/4000/300. UTG2 (80K) limps. Hero has JJ in the HJ and raises to 12,000. BB calls and the limper folds.

Flop (34.5K in pot) Q-6-8r. BB checks, Hero bets 20K, BB calls.

Turn (75K in pot) Q86Jr. BB checks, Hero bets 65K, BB calls.

River (205K)  Q-6-8-J-10. BB shoves 70K.

Carlos Welch is on the show with his most aggressive cost-cutting idea yet: living in a van! Find out how he’s managing it and how his first few weeks have been, then be sure to watch him on Twitch and read his new blog for the latest updates.

Timestamps

0:30 Hello & Welcome

38:31 Strategy

Strategy

$5/$10 NLHE, $3000 effective stacks. UTG opens to $50, Hero calls 9d 7d UTG1, SB and BB call.

Flop ($200) 6h 5s 4c. Check, check, UTG bets $100, everyone calls.

Turn ($600) 8h. Three checks, Hero bets $300, SB raises to $1000, two folds, Hero shoves, SB calls.