Jason Kastner Poker Biography
Jason Kastner lives in Pasadena California and has been seriously playing poker at card rooms and casinos, online casinos, and in home games for over a decade. A skilled amateur in Texas Hold'em, he also plays some Omaha and HORSE just to mix it up. He holds a doctorate in applied mathematics from the California Institute of Technology, but thinks that his (usually) rational behavior and his observational abilities are what really keep his bankroll positive.
Let me just say right off the bat that I don't claim to be a great
poker player. I'm pretty good, but not great. Accordingly, if you're
reading this to learn more about what cards you should play in certain
position, the implied odds on a hand, tells, bankroll management, etc.
you're gonna be disappointed. That's not to say these things won't come
up from time to time, but it isn't my focus. There are some great books
out there that cover all these topics so you should look at those.
What you will find are tales of my experiences while playing poker. This will include observations about the people around me (either at the casino, home games, or online), histories of the hands I played, and thoughts about what I think I did well and where I need to improve. It is hoped that you will find this both entertaining and interesting, so let's get into it!
I usually play at the Commerce Casino, so let me start there.
Another Saturday afternoon and once again I found myself playing poker. I decided to play some limit and went to the $3/$6 table. I was the first one to arrive at the newly opened table and I picked seat 8. I don't really care where I sit but I have grown fond of the "corner" seats over the years because they have more room. There was a slight scuffle when one player tried to sit down and this old fellow said "that's my seat". It seems that neither one of them wanted to sit in 5 that was (along with the 7 that they were fighting over) the only seat left.
The first half-hour gave the table lots of aces; three pocket pairs (they won two of the three times) and at one point three of them on the board. Of course people were excitedly hoping for the jackpot, but that never happened. During all this time I didn't have any of the aces. My best pocket pairs were 10s but they didn't amount to anything.
In one hand I had Q,J of hearts and the flop came A,K,J with one heart. The turn gave another heart, but the flush didn't show on the river. However, a 10 did appear and that was enough to split the pot with a fellow who had flopped the straight. It wasn't very much money since after the turn it was just us playing. In another hand I was the big blind and that was the only reason I was playing my 52 offsuit. The flop gave us 5,2,K rainbow. I started betting strong but the turn was a second club. When the river put a third club on the board I just checked. It was bet by one fellow so I put my $6 into the pot and, of course, he turned over the flush.
Another hand that I'll mention is one that I'll be thinking about some. I started with K,J suited in early position. I raised and got four callers. The flop gave us 10,10,5 and it was a check all the way around. When a 7 came on the turn (no flush possibility for me), I bet it and everyone folded. I won the pot and can't feel bad about that, and I know that I would have folded if it had been raised. But should I have really been betting it in the first place? You can't win pots if you aren't aggressive, but I want to make sure I don't slide into stupid.
I did misplay a couple hands today though. Once again I went the entire distance with my pocket Aces only to have them lose to the straight that he made on the river. I should have folded when he raised me, but I had gone the distance and after previously watched him unsuccessfully bluff a number of times (he lost over $300 in the 3 hours I was there) so that's why I decided to call. In retrospect I don't think that it was a bad play, but it maybe wasn't great. In another example of a bad play, I bet my trips on the flop and everyone folded. I should have waited until the turn since there really wasn't much of a straight possibility out there and even there was two to a flush, you gotta take those chances sometimes.
The best hand of the day was when I had K,7 of hearts in late position. I decided to play it and the flop gave us two more hearts. There was a lot of action because of a straight draw possibility as well. The third heart fell on the river and I decided to raise it even though the ace was unaccounted for. I got called and took the pot. The fellow who called me, a 60 year old who had been playing fairly tight, started muttering to himself and slamming his chips around. He left for another table soon thereafter!
As for me, I left soon too. I played for over 4 hours and was now up $5. Better not quit my day job! I like playing on Saturday afternoons. I'm not feeling as rushed to get there after work, I can have a nice lunch before hand, and I am more awake and aware. I wasn't able to translate these pluses into a big winning session this time around, but at least I didn't lose anything.
What you will find are tales of my experiences while playing poker. This will include observations about the people around me (either at the casino, home games, or online), histories of the hands I played, and thoughts about what I think I did well and where I need to improve. It is hoped that you will find this both entertaining and interesting, so let's get into it!
I usually play at the Commerce Casino, so let me start there.
Another Saturday afternoon and once again I found myself playing poker. I decided to play some limit and went to the $3/$6 table. I was the first one to arrive at the newly opened table and I picked seat 8. I don't really care where I sit but I have grown fond of the "corner" seats over the years because they have more room. There was a slight scuffle when one player tried to sit down and this old fellow said "that's my seat". It seems that neither one of them wanted to sit in 5 that was (along with the 7 that they were fighting over) the only seat left.
The first half-hour gave the table lots of aces; three pocket pairs (they won two of the three times) and at one point three of them on the board. Of course people were excitedly hoping for the jackpot, but that never happened. During all this time I didn't have any of the aces. My best pocket pairs were 10s but they didn't amount to anything.
In one hand I had Q,J of hearts and the flop came A,K,J with one heart. The turn gave another heart, but the flush didn't show on the river. However, a 10 did appear and that was enough to split the pot with a fellow who had flopped the straight. It wasn't very much money since after the turn it was just us playing. In another hand I was the big blind and that was the only reason I was playing my 52 offsuit. The flop gave us 5,2,K rainbow. I started betting strong but the turn was a second club. When the river put a third club on the board I just checked. It was bet by one fellow so I put my $6 into the pot and, of course, he turned over the flush.
Another hand that I'll mention is one that I'll be thinking about some. I started with K,J suited in early position. I raised and got four callers. The flop gave us 10,10,5 and it was a check all the way around. When a 7 came on the turn (no flush possibility for me), I bet it and everyone folded. I won the pot and can't feel bad about that, and I know that I would have folded if it had been raised. But should I have really been betting it in the first place? You can't win pots if you aren't aggressive, but I want to make sure I don't slide into stupid.
I did misplay a couple hands today though. Once again I went the entire distance with my pocket Aces only to have them lose to the straight that he made on the river. I should have folded when he raised me, but I had gone the distance and after previously watched him unsuccessfully bluff a number of times (he lost over $300 in the 3 hours I was there) so that's why I decided to call. In retrospect I don't think that it was a bad play, but it maybe wasn't great. In another example of a bad play, I bet my trips on the flop and everyone folded. I should have waited until the turn since there really wasn't much of a straight possibility out there and even there was two to a flush, you gotta take those chances sometimes.
The best hand of the day was when I had K,7 of hearts in late position. I decided to play it and the flop gave us two more hearts. There was a lot of action because of a straight draw possibility as well. The third heart fell on the river and I decided to raise it even though the ace was unaccounted for. I got called and took the pot. The fellow who called me, a 60 year old who had been playing fairly tight, started muttering to himself and slamming his chips around. He left for another table soon thereafter!
As for me, I left soon too. I played for over 4 hours and was now up $5. Better not quit my day job! I like playing on Saturday afternoons. I'm not feeling as rushed to get there after work, I can have a nice lunch before hand, and I am more awake and aware. I wasn't able to translate these pluses into a big winning session this time around, but at least I didn't lose anything.
