I have noticed the powerful effect of repeating an amount when spoken out loud in a cash game. Saying an amount that is "yours" repeatedly will quickly earn you a reputation as a a loose aggressive player. People remember it - especially if you emphasize it. E.g. "Raise. Forty Five Dollars!" when spoken 5 times in < 30 minutes starts to really get people's attention

I played a little live poker over the weekend. My friend's son invited me to a local $2/$5 game that rotates and, apparently, happens 7 days a week in a certain local small town.

I was both lucky and a better player than the table and so did really well. I won about $1,200 by playing tight aggressive ABC poker. Pocket kings arrived 4 times in 2 short nights - approximately 8 hrs of poker total.

On my 2nd night, I had only been playing for 5 or 10 minutes. However in that time I had been involved in 3 quick pots which, for various reasons, had me betting and included $45 raises 3 times. These included an outside draw with overcard, a top pair with a flush draw on the flop etc. I noticed the game was loose and it seemed like large pre-flop raises were common and always got lots of callers.

So, I was in seat 4 and look down at

Halleluljah. They all think I am crazy at this point. So I size my bet instantly, subconsciously and say "$45" I get 3 late position callers including the gent to my left. OK. I would've preferred 1 or 2 but I am happy when the flop comes;

I bet $45. the sizing of the bet has to be heard. In live poker it rings out. When you hear someone repeating themselves, saying "Forty Five Dollars" 6 times in 15 minutes - at a low stakes game, incl pre-flop , makes one assume the player is loose, certainly aggressive - the opposite of my true style. So - I get play back from the gent to my left. He raises $45 more. Fold, Fold and I flat call. Pot now $367 the turn came;

This could be a disaster for me if he is drawing. I have bet the pot up until now and so don't know if my opponent has a Queen pair maybe with a flush draw  or straight draw i.e. a Ten. Perhaps he has a set. I suspect that if I show any weakness I will get raised so I am determined to bet something. I bet the same amount as before but this time more for blocking and exploratory reasons. Will he raise me ? If he has a set he might. If he fears that I am drawing he might. Anyway, I bet $45. He flat-called me. One book I read says I made a mistake here because I gave him the odds to draw. Another book I read said that this play can be justified as a de-leveraging bet, or pot-minimzing bet. If I bet 1/2 pot here, say $200, we are both basically pot committed for whatever remains from the $1200 total in front of us that we started the hand with. I specifically bought in for $1200 because of this guy too. He had every one at the table out-stacked by a fair bit. but do I want to risk $1200 on a pair of Kings ? The river came;

A total blank. So - If he has a set I am screwed. Likewise 2 pair. But If he has a pair of Queens he loses. I guessed he was betting a Queen pair with some kind of draw and so I lead out $250. He insta-calls me and I insta-flip my cards over - not wanting to slow roll. He mucks. I take down $957. 3 people ask him what he had and guess e.g.

He never said.