Where is My Mind?

Let's just say that I'm having a bit of trouble focusing on my day job monkey work this morning. I'm sure I'm alone in this feeling, amongst all the peeps returning to work after a long, extended holiday weekend.

Got lots of Webby stuff done this weekend on assorted projects. If any of you folks don't have an UltimateBet account yet, I'm running a contest this month over on BonusBug for people creating new UB accounts, giving away a poker chip set and Copag cards. Gotta be a new account, though, and you've gotta click through the links there to be in the running.

I finally broke down and got a nice 11.5g chip set for myself last week. I'd grabbed a big stack of chips and had just been clinking them together neurotically while playing/working at the computer for a day or two, when my wife pointed out that not only was it cute, but that it was funny that I was playing with $1 chips, when I had a whole rack of $100 chips that would look much more impressive. Good point. So now I neurotically clink together a stack of $100 chips. Because I'm cool like that.

While I'm getting a goodly bit out of Ciaffone Middle Limit Holdem Poker, there are a few points where I'm left scratching my head, thinking the advice is horribly tight. Especially in regards to blinds play, as far as the range of hands he reccommends to play. I still don't have a good feel for that aspect of play, but at 15/30 (or any limit where the small blind is 2/3 of the big blind) I have to think you should liberally call from the SB with just about anything, especially if there are a few limpers in front of you.

The chapter on bluffing is pretty interesting, though, as far as particular situations in which to check-call flop bets in order to set up a check-raise bluff on the turn, regardless of what card actually comes. The main point isn't that bluffing is cool and fun but that if you sit there and play tight, aggressive poker, you're leaving money on the table if you don't take a few stabs here and there with complete bluffs when the opportunities are ripe. You're doing all the hard work, playing tight and disciplined, so it's a waste not to take advantage of some of the side benefits of respect that you'll get when you check-raise on a scary looking board.