Poker Decadence Conference

Twice a month I sit down in the restaurant of the casino I usually play at with a friend I met at the blackjack tables and now plays in the same poker room on a regular basis to talk poker. We discuss our results and talk about key losing and winning hands and about how we could had minimized losses or maximized wins on them…  It’s good, as it keeps us focussed on the game but also allows both of us to talk openly about playing hands badly and letting go of these hands once they’ve been discussed.

Anyway, this time we ended up discussing something that was clear to me but my friend wouldn’t believe/grasp — the huge difference between AT and A8 as a starting hand. He generally folds AT’s and A8’s in early position due to the difficulty of these hands after the flop, while I usually raise the AT and fold the A8 — why? Not only is the ten a kicker, it also opens straight possibilities. The Ace-Eight looks for an eight-high board or an ace. The Ace-ten looks for an ace, a ten-high board or even an ace with two high cards. It opens chances of sucking out on better aces with more than just your kicker-cards — the 3 out you have with the A8.

It might be a small difference, but to an aggressive player like me that’s enough to go ahead and raise it up.