Rush Poker

I'm not sure how much I'm typing today. I'm pretty much doing this one handed. My left hand seems to have a tendon (or the Exterior Indicsis Proprius) that is hurting every time I use the finger next to mt pinky finger.Probebly due to to much raising at Rush Poker last night!

DJ walked into the photo room about 9:30 and she said "you must be having a good night".  I said why do you say that, a little too loudly and she said I sort of had wild eyes.

In Rush Poker you play in a pool of players on one table. In a short handed game the pool is perhaps 300. As SOON as you fold, or win or lose a hand 5 new players are zipped to your table and cards are dealt.  Typically I play 5 hands per minute.  You never see the outcome of any hand you fold. As soon as you fold 5 new players and two new cards. BAM!

The weird thing are blinds! They are sort of random.  I have payed the small blind 3 hands in a row.  What I have learned is  you'll post the big blind upon joining a table. After that, the big blind is assigned to the player who has gone the most hands without posting.  I'm going to look to see how that evens out in the long run.  More on that soon.

Well back to the story - the reason was I  had JUST gotten down with a hand where I had QQ and some VERY deep stack was trying to push me around.  I knew the only hand he could have to beat me was AA or KK and since I raised him, he reraise me, I re reraise him and he stopped! So I took him off those two hands.

The flop is sort of garbage and I bet into him - he goes ALL IN.  Only thing I see is is MAYBE a set?  but it would be a low set and he would not be pushing me around pre flop with a low pocket pair . . . . unless that is why he backed down pre flop.  DAMN IT!

BUT - then I remember he is a VERY deep stacked and typically people with a ton of money are either bullies or bad players that got lucky!  SO - he pushes all $180 into the middle of the virtual table.  I follow suit with my much much smaller stack.  I have to think I surprised him as MOST players at Rush Poker are tight/weak meaning they only play good hands, push the money out but if they get resistance they fold.

Not me! I know he is just being a bully.  FU bully!  We show our cards.  I have QQ and he has an inside straight draw . . . nothing else.  All the money flows to me and DJ walks in and says I look a little  . . wild!

What I have found at Rush is that you can not read players for the most part but you can read the group as a whole. Do they come back at you when your reraise? Do they fold to blind steals or give resistance? Also since most are playing MUCH tighter then a normal short handed table you know they are playing any ace high cards or pocket pairs.

So this leaves all sorts of possibilities. Anytime I get checked too auto bet for me. He who blinks first loses! IF I get raised and I have a good hand - I reraise and normally the aggressor folds.  Since MOST people are there for FAST games they do not want to get into a pissing match with inferior cards or with someone who wants the hand more then they do.  The speed of the game works against them. It makes them not want to have to draw to win (which is a good strategy actually).

I feel I'm once again in a situation where I am a better player then most - or at least I know how to play THIS game at THIS time. Before people figure out how to play.  

The short handed games are averaging about 27% pre flop which is WAY tight for a short handed game.  But the fish stay in the hand. 27% seems like a good number because you can get SO many hands in an hour.  Pots are about 12 Big Blinds and there are 300 per hour meaning 3600 big blinds per hour are flashing buy your seat.

I'm liking it! So far.

Rod