Womens Poker Club

Chat with Cat Hulbert - April 28, 2004

Questions below are from various WPC members during chat.

I am from Los Angeles and lose consistently playing poker - especially against women. What can I do? What advantages do women have when playing poker with men? What disadvantages?
Aren't you the person who asked me what I was wearing? Maybe you should dress sexier. Kidding. Women have many advantages. I'll list a few. A pretty young thing can take advantage of getting men to check when ordinarily they would bet. It's OK to play helpless if it saves your money. But most of us are aggressive and competitive women and that strategy doesn't work, hence ...If you are obnoxious like myself, you can talk men into calling when they should fold by taunting them. I play with a majority of Middle Eastern men who aren't used to losing to a woman. Check-raising is a great weapon here because it's as if you lightly slapped their face.

Remember if they are being too nice to you it's because they think they can get your money. I find that if men see you know how to play they don't mind playing with you Or maybe you've already earned their respect.

How do you feel bout chopping up at final table in tournies
Play the Tournament Out. Let the best person win. Anything else is being a sissy.

So financial is not the only purpose to play, chopping instead of chancing seems financially sound
Financial is the only reason to play if you are doing so professionally.

Do you know if online...if the random hands are pre programed in and there are just certan pre programed hands dealt...reason asked someone implyed they knew what was coming in the cards
Internet poker constantly perplexes me. I play all the time. But I'm constantly worried if the hands are really random and how much cheating exists. For example. The chance of getting set under set if you play 40 hours a week for a year is approx once. Yesterday I got set under three times in an hour. I believe WITH ABSOLUTELY NO SCIENTIFIC PROOF that some sites use hyped up software.

What do you mean by hyped up
meaning kings versus aces will occur more often. There will be more flushes and straights made. In order to keep customers stimulated they stimulate the software to produce more hands.

Let's talk about taxes... If the casino doesn't give me a 1099 (i.e. for a tourney win $600 or more) is there ANY way the IRS has a clue what I've made? Do the casinos track/report anything other than 1099s?
Yes. If you cash out over 10K the casino is obligated to inform the IRS without your knowledge.

In a year or in one session?
Five years ago floormen were told to inform the cage of people making big wins so they could be reported. One session cash-out. Many people use deposit boxes or player's banks for that reason. We are talking two different subjects. Side game wins and tournament wins. Tournament wins - the number is $600.

In hold em, do you stay for the flop everytime if the betting is reasonable...or do you not play rags ever?
Y ou are asking a judgment question. If I took a raise with Ace/10 clubs and the board hits K, 10, 3 - I am betting. Always depends upon the number of opponents.
Whether you bet the flop with 3rd pair.

How important do you consider position?
CRUCIAL. A hand I might fold with under-the-gun might be raisable at the cut-off spot. Cut-off is the hand left of the button.

Here's a tip for playing Ace/baby suited. Your main goal is to play it without a raise so limp only in late positions. If you are liberal with calling you will get tied up when an ace hits the flop and now you're unsure whether you have the best hand. You have to be disciplined enough to fold that ace - yes, you must in some spots. The goal is to hit a flush, not the ace. So don't get too attached to Ace/baby suited. Of course you can raise with it if everyone has folded and you are the button.

What do you do when you raise with kings and an ace hits?
If multiple players called the raise you check. If you are up against one person bet. If you get raised use your judgment as to who is raising you. It's a very frustrating hand to lose. Be capable of folding will increase your poker earn considerably.

Hard to tell on line...folks LIE! lol
On-line, I agree, it's a nightmare. Be more prone to call.

I am hooked on omaho poker.. do you play it.. .like it.. do you think it may become as popular as holdem?
Right now no game can compete with hold'em because of the World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel. Omaha poker is rigid. There are rules to follow and the better players are more apt to win. It appears to be a big gambler's game, but it isn't.

I find myself avoiding omaha unless jackpot is big, because too many don't really know how to play, play everything and suck out on you
Don't worry about people sucking out. You want to play with bad players. Your big hands won't win as frequently, but when they do, you'll win bigger pots.

How exactly did you qualify for The World Series of Blackjack?
I was hand-picked because of my reputation. And of course being a women didn't hurt. There wasn't an entry fee. It was my freeroll.

We have a lot of ladies in our club who find it hard to deal with people who play rags and win against a good hand.... how do you deal with it
I love rag playing people. One way to deal with it is value your flush draws more.
do not raise with middle pairs, limp even calling with Ace/K is recommended in wild games. Remember ace/k is still a drawing hand. People who say they do better against good players are simply not adjusting to the game.

When playing stud you are re raised to cap point then realize its heads up no cap point. You have straight he has apparently nothing do you go all the way betting him in or just call when he raises in case he has a boat
If she has no pair on board or no 3 flush, yes. Keep raising. Be fearless. If you have a straight and your opponent has trips you are the favorite - so of course raise him all in.

At the beginning they said you teach classes?
Yes. I love teaching. Teach two classes a week at the table at Hollywood Park Casino in LA. Maximum of 9 women. Learning is by people experiencing their own hands.

What is your favorite poker book?
It depends upon the game and the limit. For middle limit hold'em I like Bob Ciaffone. For advanced players Sklansky and Malmuth. For psychology John Vorhaus.
Howard Lederer just made a tape for No-limit players.

How about for statistical analysis of hold 'em? Any good numbers books?
There is little literature I respect on no-limit. Ciaffone's book is sketchy and jumps around from Pot-Limit to No-Limit. Anything Sklansky writes is golden. Statistics for Stud - Othmar

Which game suits which personality?
Stud is for the analytical mind.
Hold'em is for the adventurous and risk takers.

What is the average time to sit and play at the tables when not playing tourney b4 you are stretching your "luck"
As long as you are winning, play as long as your table image is strong. If you are losing, do not play past 8 hours. All your decisions need to be made before you step inside of the casino. What's your stop-loss, how long to play, etc. Do not play if you have somewhere to go and are running out of time. You'll screw up and push mediocre hands.

There was mention of a book you were writing. What is it?
It is a book for social players trying to form home poker games.

That sounds great Cat! Thank you again.

Cat's website about her classes is at http://www.poker4girls.com