My
regular Tuesday home game finished at a reasonable hour last week. Finishing
the washing-up at only 2am, I had time on my hands. And what better way to
unwind before bed than with a $100 online heads-up match?
Actually, it's
a terrible thing to do before sleep. Putting money at risk, combined with
staring at a colourful screen, makes your brain zip and fizz when you
eventually lie down. Another problem is the likelihood of being shouted at in
the "chat box"; nobody ever slept better for being annoyed.
In this case, my opponent started
hammering his keyboard (amazing, the spellings they come up with to get swear
words past the censor) because I won a pot with QJ against
his A7 when we were all in before the flop.
I typed back: "You do
realise that's a 50/50?"
"GAWWWDS SAKES", he typed back (addressing, I
think, the universe rather than me). "THESE FISH BEAT ME WEN THEY DONT EVEN
KNOW WOT A RACE IS!!! I AM CLEAR FAVORIT."
"OK," I replied.
Most people refer to AK against a pair as "a 50/50" - which is close
enough, although the pair is more like a 55% favourite. But, oddly, few
recreational players realize that a big card and a small card against two
middling connectors is an even closer race: his A7 was just a shade over 50% to
win.
If you sometimes find yourself swearing at opponents for
outdrawing you in these spots, go to www.cardplayer.com, and run a few hands
through the odds calculator in their "Tools and Tips" list. It's a great way to
study the prices of starting hands.
And if you're having trouble
getting to sleep, forget online poker and go back to the old bath-and-book
routine. I think I might. More poker commentary at
www.biggerdeal.com
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he Guardian G2 Poker Column 
J
when we were all in before the flop.