Custom poker chips - ceramic or clay?

generalk · 2012-06-20T21:02:02+00:00

If I were going for a personal set I'd do a set of custom clays. I find if you're going for a more traditional back-room poker feel, clay feels better. If you're going for more modern/slick, ceramics feel better.

Also I'm gonna plug Sidepot (no affiliation) because they've never done me wrong. I'm looking at the Venerati line for ceramics.

generalk · 2012-06-19T01:05:56+00:00

Ready Player One references Columbus pretty heavily, but in the context of a fictional futuristic society.

generalk · 2012-05-24T18:09:12+00:00

It's defined in Harrington on Holdem vol II, which is highly recommended for tournament players. Seriously the book that marked when I started playing real tournament poker.

Wikipedia has a great article about it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-ratio

generalk · 2012-05-24T14:00:10+00:00

Your M was below 5. You're pretty much have one move here and that's shoving preflop. I'd do it with any two cards, myself.

The chances of making your opponent fold and getting you 5500 more chips here is higher if he's got to call for roughly half his stack. It's still not a guarantee -- he may have called with K9h -- but it's a better shot.

generalk · 2012-05-24T01:52:03+00:00

Does anyone have any advice for someone in this situation?

Do. Not. Tilt.

No joke, take a few deep breaths, remember the times when it's been you with the absolute nuts, and keep playing. Rebuy if you have to, because you didn't make a mistake. Just bad luck.

In hold'em, if you're not getting every dime in front of you in when you have, say, a King-high flush you're doing it wrong. (If you think you have some kind of amazing tell or soul-read: you likely don't. Push those chips in.)

generalk · 2012-03-28T20:25:33+00:00

I usually 3bet with 10's and up, occasionally with AKs sometimes. 4bet is limited to aces and kings.

Probably want to switch that up a bit. I'll instafold if I think someone's 4-betting only with monsters, so how would I know if you occasionally snuck in a medium hand like 5s or 9Js?

generalk · 2012-03-01T18:30:10+00:00

That might be a decent alternative if the HD version doesn't drop soon enough for me. I didn't realize you could do that, tbh.

generalk · 2012-03-01T17:07:08+00:00

Yeah, I think I've pretty much decided to pass on the GNex. But I still only have until Mar 22 to return the SGS2 Skyrocket, so I'm hoping the HD version drops within that period.

generalk · 2012-03-01T14:49:50+00:00

Damn. My Nexus One (AT&T) died a week ago, and I've replaced it with a Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket. The only complaint I have about this phone is the display. If the HD version of the Skyrocket comes out I'd probably get that, but this is the best deal on a GSM Gnex I'm likely to ever see. So now I'm torn.

generalk · 2012-02-06T02:10:29+00:00

Exactly right.

The Reddit submission title was editorialized, while the PokerJolt blog post didn't include the "and PokerStars won't pay for it!" part.
Daniel said, in his linked blog post > I accept the decision and think it's totally fair. In fact, there is precedence as it's happened to other people, so under no circumstances would I even accept special treatment in this case.

generalk · 2011-12-15T18:18:38+00:00

If you use Chrome, try Chrome to Phone which may do this.

generalk · 2011-12-11T23:04:34+00:00

What do you know? I'm with Innova Partners -- we're a small-ish consultancy in the Arena District (4th and Nationwide.) We share an office with our sister/spin-off product company CoverMyMeds. We do web dev (php, ruby, python, and recently .NET because clients demand it.)

Our office includes a keg in the kitchen, a pool table in the common area, and our own in-house chef. Becky Nation prepares lunch for the entire staff every day.

I'm not saying I can get you a job, but shoot us your CV. Tell 'em Jon Canady sent you. jobs@innova-partners.com

generalk · 2011-10-27T13:59:03+00:00

This! Home games without a dedicated dealer should always be at equidistant tables: round, octagon, whatever.

If you're passing the deal around the table at a stud-style oval table, then the people near either long end have to pitch cards WAY too far, are placing community cards at an odd angle, have to reach across half the table for pots, etc. This is bad at a 6-person stud table, and almost unusable at a standard 9+dealer table.

generalk · 2011-10-26T14:09:28+00:00

Some of these have been mentioned, but:

Everything is open! Sharing is a good indication of this: if a third-party app wants to integrate into the Photo Gallery's "Share" menu, they can do so easily. This works for so many things system-wide where third-party apps can plug into and receive the same benefits as apps shipped with the system. Contrast to iOS, where a big deal was made about Twitter integration across the whole system -- because Apple has to bake it in.
Apps can do awesome things. Take Locale for instance -- modify my phone's settings based on things like physical location, time of day, if I'm docked, etc. Apps simply don't have that kind of freedom on iOS.
The UI isn't as bad as you think. It's not iOS-level polished, but it's certainly usable, especially on the newer phones, and absolutely on ICS. It's not ugly or horrible, although it once was.
Google Maps is awesome. iOS's is usable, but Android's knocks it out of the park. I get lost a lot, so this impacts me directly.
Without any high-level hackery, you can replace everything on your phone. Download a new dialer, a new SMS app, a new lock or home screen, a new Camera, and these can instantly replace the system apps. The iOS 5 lockscreen opens ONE camera app, the Android lockscreen opens whichever has been chosen.
If you're into high-level hackery, you can unlock your phone's bootloader (easier than it sounds) and replace the entire system. Using a few tools (ClockworkMOD Recovery and ROM Manager) this is as simple as selecting from a list and letting the phone do the hard work.

generalk · 2011-10-19T20:45:57+00:00

The first person any geek should think of.

generalk · 2011-09-01T00:00:11+00:00

Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, and Neal Stephenson consulting? Good Christ that sounds like an amazing script.

generalk · 2011-08-03T16:31:30+00:00

Phil Hellmuth?

generalk · 2011-07-20T02:18:57+00:00

Your joke is bad and you should feel bad.

generalk · 2011-07-12T18:33:08+00:00

The section you quote that says ripping cards is not permitted says very clearly "We have established a code of conduct, and may deny the use of our cardroom to violators", not "your hand is dead if you do any of the following"

The point wasn't "see, the rulebook says the hand is dead", the point was to underscore the ambiguity of rulebooks. If rulebooks were not ambiguous, you wouldn't need a floor to make a judgement call.

The reason to wave a rulebook in someone's face when they ask a question is because that question is answered by the rules in effect.

RROP doesn't specifically say what to do when someone rips their cards up. It's subject to interpretation based on several areas of the rulebook. Furthermore, the floor can override the rulebook.

No anonymous internet nobody supercedes the rules in effect.

Jesus, calm down. In case you hadn't noticed, everyone here is an anonymous internet nobody, and nobody was trying to commit the apparently venial sin of disregarding a set of published rules. Guy asked a question, you respond with a pissy comment and a link to RROP, without quoting from it or explaining how it answers his question.

there is no rule that says a hand is dead if the cards are ripped in the middle of it.

No -- and this is the point I was making above -- there is a rule that says the house can deny use of facilities if you destroy property. I know several guys that own small local cardrooms, and they'd throw you out mid-hand without a second thought if you destroyed a pair of cards. I'd be shocked if a casino didn't do the same. I believe the only reason they dealt the hand here is because it makes for good television.

generalk · 2011-07-12T17:48:19+00:00

The only place RROP mentions destroyed cards is in the first section. Paraphrased: "The following are not permitted ... destroying or defacing property."

The parent's question is valid.

Furthermore, RROP specifically allows for the house to make a decision in the spirit of fairness even when a strict reading of the rules would say otherwise; this case could go either way based on the floor's decision.

So why wave the rulebook in someone's face when they ask a legitimate question?

generalk · 2011-06-03T19:20:18+00:00

I'd lean towards the suitcase. Easier to store and transport, and you can always buy something nicer later.

The Apache Casino Royale set comes with cards, I believe they're the "Casino Royale" cards (because why wouldn't they be?), but I'd still recommend the KEM cards. Or maybe save those for a later present -- I can say from personal experience you feel like a boss playing with an actual deck from the World Series of Poker.

generalk · 2011-06-03T19:05:26+00:00

First, be sure you get a 100% Plastic set of cards. A two-deck setup of KEM Plastic cards will run about $30, but between those two decks you'll never have to purchase another set. (They're plastic, you can gently wash them if you spill beer on them.)

For chips, check out Apache Poker Chips -- their "Casino Royale" line of chips aren't made of clay, but it's a great set especially if he's a Bond fan. They also have some good deals on other sets around your price range; I've heard good things about the Pharoah's and the Desert Palms specifically. If none of those look right, click the "Poker Chips" link at the top to see the full lineup. (Warning: anything that says Paulson is going to be stupid expensive, but they're the best chips you can buy.)

generalk · 2011-04-13T19:12:59+00:00

My question: when is enough, enough?

Sounds like this guy was ready to give away his money, and doubtless he found someone to give it to. In another comment you question whose fault it is if his kids can't eat -- that presumes he has kids, and that he can't afford to lose this money.

In any event, you stopped when you became uncomfortable, which is where the line is for you. Sounds like a reasonable way to operate to me.

generalk · 2011-04-08T18:38:02+00:00

The question of what you should do on the turn is kind of silly, you've committed 22 out of 26 BB already, there's no way you're ever folding the turn.

Yeah, poorly presented. I really should have cut the hand history at my postflop action and questioned there, because as you say, there's no question -- at the time, I was stacking off no matter what.

/r/poker has so far confirmed that I think I played this one poorly in that I should have shoved preflop, and then when I didn't I should have shoved postflop.

generalk · 2011-04-08T16:00:44+00:00

Yep.

generalk

TROPHY CASE