Third Man Walking

Your correspondent reads the anthropologist David M. Hayano's "Poker Faces," a book that, 42 years since it was published, has much to say about modern poker culture.

FORUM DISCUSSION:

0:30…

Your correspondent struggles with his proximity to the recent Nick Vertucci scandal and wonders how long he should stay in the poker world. Then, he plays a $5/$5/$10 session.

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Your correspondent waits -- and waits -- for good opportunities at the table.

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0:22 On waiting for my turn

6:17 $5/$5/$10 hand history: AA preflop

10:20 $5/$5/$10(/$20/$40) ha…

Your correspondent defends "mandatory" under-the-gun straddles against recent criticism. Then, he plays a brief but fruitful $5/$10 session.

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0:16 Some not-so-obvious reason…

Your correspondent tries to fight off bad thoughts while playing $5/$10 and $5/$5 at two casinos.

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1:05 On the "dead zone" in late afternoon public poker games

2:32 $5/$10 NL…

Your correspondent talks to screenwriter and poker player Josh Wilcox, who wrote the upcoming poker movie "Dead Money." Your correspondent then reviews a recent $5/$10 session.

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Your correspondent offers a prescription for the recent controversy surrounding Jonathan Tamayo's victory in the Main Event of the World Series of Poker. He then discusses potential cheating in onlin…

Your correspondent reflects on the slowness of live poker and how it can make life feel very, very long.

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0:15 Variance & time in live poker
10:37 $5/$10 NLHE session

10:43 TT…

Your correspondent thinks back to how he thought about poker six years ago. Then, he plays a $5/$10 game where he tries to fend off some splashy, aggressive villains.

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0:15 L…

Your correspondent prepares for a brief trip to Las Vegas. He then thinks about what it means that the real action in cash games always seems to be happening somewhere else, hidden from view. He also…

Your correspondent reviews some of his recent activities, then journeys to the $5/$5 tables and tries to control for luck in evaluating his recent play.

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0:21 Thoughts on Hu…

Your correspondent meditates on banging his head against the wall. Featured topics include being surrounded at the table by people getting massages, trying and failing to assemble a cardboard box, mo…

Your correspondent reflects on getting slowrolled -- or something? -- in an annoying all-in pot, then reviews a $5/$10 session.

FORUM DISCUSSION:

0:21 A $5/$10 hand: 99 on J94xhh7x

12:30 $5/$…

Your correspondent returns to the subject of his downswing, which continues despite his best efforts to jinx it into going away by talking about it.

0:21 Downswing Part 2
1:31 Taking variance is part o…

Your correspondent discusses his thought process as he endures the worst downswing of his poker career. He also reviews a recent $5/$10 session.

0:17 Maintaining a healthy relationship to the game in …

Your correspondent visits poker rooms in the Bay Area and Sacramento, folding flopped straights and finding ways to lose ridiculous amounts of money with ace-king. Along the way, he compares live pok…

Your correspondent discusses Michael Craig's poker-boom-era classic "The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King." He follows up on how he finished in the tournament discussed in the last episode…

Your correspondent gets through Day 1 of a tournament for the first time in over five years. He reviews the tournament hands that brought him to Day 2 glory, then recaps a cash session of $5/$5/$10 (…

Your correspondent discusses why two thousand dollars is an important sum at $5/$10 and $10/$20. He also discusses his recent experiences playing $10/$20, then reviews a recent $5/$10 session.

FORUM D…

Your correspondent discusses how to filter poker strategy advice -- which advice should be ignored and which is worth taking? How can you tell them apart, and when should you feel satisfied with unce…