High Speed Slots

Heading to Foxwoods next Thursday to play 3-6 HE. Any advice on strategy, other than have a good time?

Answer 1:

I occasionally play 3-6 and 5-10 while waiting for seats in higher games. 3-6 holdem in Foxwoods is not like most 3-6 games; people are somewhat selective in starting hands and have some clue in post-flop play. The play is far from world-class, but there are many regular players and it isn’t a “no-foldem” game by any means. Foxwoods games are usually passive at 3-6 and 5-10, which is very different than low-limit at the Taj. There’s a mix of rocks and semi-calling stations, very few absolute fish, and no maniacs. Foxwoods 5-10 actually has some medium-skill players. There’s a kill in 5-10, and (some or all?) 3-6 games have kills.

Answer 2:

The 3-6 games at Foxwoods are pretty much the same as any place else in the country. Meaning, you couldn’t scare anybody out of a pot with a baseball bat! Strategy goes right out the window at this level. Just play premium hands in position and when you catch a flop, pray that your hand holds up. I would suggest that if your bankroll is sufficient; try the 5-10 game. 5-10 HE at Foxwoods is very beatable.

Answer 3:

I just got back from playing at Foxwoods this weekend and had a blast! All the games in hold ‘em while I was there were kill games. Once the pot reached $60 the player that won the $60 pot has to now put up a $5 big blind bet. The other blinds remain the same at $1 and $3. That round of play is now the same as a $5 and $10 game. I found the games during my weekend play to be very good with a few rocks in the game and yes, there were even a few novices in the game.  They do not offer a 2-4 hold ‘em and they didn’t not even have a 3-6 game with a no kill. I was VERY disappointed though with some of the quality of dealers that came thru the strings on swing shift. On a 3-6 game there should
be more than 10 dollars in white chips among all 10 players!! It got very annoying after awhile when dealer after dealer kept going in the rack and making change for that $5 chip and I finally had to say something to the floor man about why none of the dealers use white chips!  I spoke to a floor man names “Glenn” who was very polite and understood what I was talking about and he stood and watched the game for awhile and saw exactly what I was talking about.  Every dealer that came off that game he pulled aside and brought it to
their attention. I just kind of wished the dealers would keep all their own tips instead of pulling them. While I was there, I entered into a hold ‘em tournament on Saturday morning. The buy in is $20 with an option to rebuy before the second round. Really had a good time in the tournament and actually ended up in 3rd place for a victory of $230.  I then played on Sunday the stud tournament and almost cashed again but came just short of the final table. Overall, I had a great time and enjoyed playing the hold ‘em games. I only wish thatAtlantic City would have kill games…….

Is it better to keep just a pair and draw three, or is it better to keep the pair plus the high card (usually a face card), and draw two? What are your thoughts?

Answer 1:

This answer is, like most answers, it depends. What hand do you think you will need to improve to win the hand? If you just need a high two pair to win then the answer is, for the most part, draw two. Your odds of getting high two pair is better holding the kicker than not. But if you need to improve to trips then take three cards usually. A few other considerations which would change, possibly, your answer: what are your opponents like? Can they read you? What is your position? Will you see them draw first?  How many people stayed after the initial betting round? For the best answer, solicit Mike Caro’s opinion. For a good clear answer in a book, read Silberstang — though it is a little basic it will get you started in the right direction. By the way, many older books on poker which you can get in the library, are terrible on Stud and Hold Em but very good on draw. I’d suggest you make a trip and read their Draw sections.

Answer 2:

Purely speaking, I feel it depends on how many people are left to speak and if you think that 2 pair (assuming you pair the kicker) has a good chance to win. You can look the stats up in a book, but there is 1 intangible point that few ever mention and that is that cards tend to stick together from the previous hand.  Someone (I forget exactly who) wrote that for a truly random distribution, one would have to shuffle 7 times. Since dealers only shuffle 3 times and cut, your chances of getting trips or better might be increases depending on how the cards were distributed in the last hand. There are disagreements here. Over the long haul, I think the 3 card draw is better, but from a tactical position and if you are late to speak, a raise (representing low trips) and a 2 card draw might be effective.

Answer 3:

I can think of a few situations where you would draw differently as the opener. And I’m assuming old-style Gardenadraw, jacks or better to open. Where the opener acts first after the draw. But if you’re calling an opener, you should not be playing a pair less than aces. And in that case, what’s the point of a kicker? Draw three. Especially if there’s a joker that’s good for aces, straights, and flushes. As an opener, a couple weird situations come to mind. Say you open late with a pair of jacks. And a player “backs in” from early position and draws three in front of you. He probably has you beat. Draw one to your pair and bet out after the draw if you don’t improve. Or, you open late with a pair of aces, and one person backs in deep and draws one in front of you. Hence, he’s on-the-come. And he’s a person you would just as soon not pay off if he bets after the draw. Stand pat on your pair.  Check after the draw and fold if he bets. It’ll stop an occasional bluff.  Of course, if the one-card-draw is a bluffer, then you plan on calling after the draw if he bets. Draw three and “look sad” and encourage him to bluff as long as you were planning to call him regardless. Also, in the same situation where a player backs in deep and you are sure his one-card-draw is to a flush or straight and NOT two small pair.  For a cheap bluffing image, stand pat on your pair of jacks and bet into him after the draw. He’ll only complete and call approximately 1 in 4 times. Regardless, show your “pat” hand as a pair of jacks. You “bluffed”. There are usually exceptions to everything. But in early position, tend to open with aces. And draw three to them.  In early position, pass Kings and
smaller pairs and fold if someone opens. And if the pot is already opened, fold Kings and smaller. There are exceptions, but it won’t hurt your game to ALWAYS fold kings if someone else has opened. And as I’ve posted before, THE book on draw is Play Poker, Quit Work, and Sleep Till Noon, by John Fox. A bargain at $14.95. If there were only one copy left in the universe, I would gladly pay $200 for it.  $300! And I am not kidding. It is a very deep book. In fact, all serious players should study this book.  No matter what game you play. And there probably aren’t many people playing draw for a living anymore. That’s an understatement. Another weird play just occured to me.  Say you call the opener with a pair of aces.  And then he stands pat in front of you.  And the opener is not a tricky player and REALLY has a pat hand.  And you’ve already got a loose image. Go ahead and enhance that image by being “so carefree” and drawing FIVE CARDS. You didn’t have much of a chance to improve to beat him anyway. Draw five.