Billy Kopp
Tuesday, November 17, 2009 - Billy Kopp
Recently while playing in a WPT event, the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods, I came across a very interesting scenario. The blinds were 100 200 with a 25 ante at a full table of 9 players. The starting stack was 30,000 chips and by this level (level 2) I had managed to increase my stack to around 69,000 chips. Early position raised to 600, (a known younger successful live and online player) and has been playing reckless early on trying to build a stack. This is a standard three times the big blind opening raise at this point. A European man to his direct left that had been playing many pots but not 3-betting often or anything too crazy just calls the raise. The action folds around to me on the button and I look down at QQ.
Typically, QQ warrants a raise a good majority of the time but early on in the tournament I elected to just call as well for multiple reasons.
1. I had not 3 bet yet and in doing so may show great strength and cause both opponents to fold.
2. The aggressive player who I know was continuation betting more than 75% of the time and I figured the same would happen here as he was out of position and I could extract more chips that way on a good flop.
3. By just calling I am completely under representing the value of my hand and can get in cheap but create a great pot post flop on great boards due to the hidden strength of my hand.
The flop comes 2 3 9 rainbow.
This is a great flop for my hand a good majority of the time. Hands like A9 suited, 45 suited, 910 suited, 1010,jj, etc. are all dogs in the hand. Surprisingly the aggressive initial raiser just checks. The European man leads for 1,000 chips into a 2,325 chip pot. I decided to raise it up to 3,000 even. The initial raiser quickly folds and the European man thinks before making it 8325….. This is the point in the hand where several things start going through my mind: 1. The European was playing lots of pots, had not shown down a monster hand and would probably re-raise a big pair pre-flop so I don’t feel that KK or AA is very likely. 2. He also knows that the aggressive player was splashing around a bit and if he called to hit a set, he may get paid off so 22 33 and 99 are all in his range for sure. 3. He could also have 1010 or JJ which he may put in another raise with, which I do beat. If I elect to call his raise here, the pot is going to be the 2325 pre-flop + 16,650 which is around 19,000 chips. He is out of position and will likely be betting anywhere from 9,000-15,000 give or take. If the turn is another blank and I call a bet the pot is now 40,000 at minimum and I would have a bit more than a pot size bet left. I believe he only started the hand with 50,000 so if he decides to not shut down, I am going to be confronted with calling off most of my 350 big blinds in a beyond marginal spot on a board that may look great originally but more than likely drawing to two outs.
In retrospect, I should have never raised QQ on the flop with the intent to fold if he came over the top. I didn’t plan in my mind what I would do in the event that the worst case scenario happened and it did. I was more worried about the initial raiser with a super wide range of hands potentially getting there on the turn and ended up raising the European to force the aggressor out. I played it slow pre-flop and should have just called the flop bet and played in position and reevaluated on other streets.
Maybe I had the best hand, who knows. It was not worth finding out with one pair for around 350 big blinds in this early marginal spot. The bottom line is that I cost myself a decent amount of chips and maybe a great pot by making a small mistake on the flop. By not thinking one step ahead and thinking about potential moves on future streets, I forced myself into having to fold a very valuable showdown hand if he has merely an unimproved 9 or the other potential hands that I have stated besides a set.
Take your time with decisions like this in tournaments and try to reason all possibilities out. Try to put your opponent on a range of hands and the best way to play yours against it in the most unpredictable way. Think strategy, and THINK AHEAD.
-Billy Kopp
Tags: Foxwoods, Poker Poker Poker, World Poker Finals, WPT
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Sunday, September 27, 2009 - Billy Kopp
Well, the golf has been put on hold a few times due to some rainy days here in the bluegrass state. However, there are a lot of other things going on right now. It was a crazy and exciting weekend as it will be my last here in Kentucky for some time. First I would like to mention my good friend and fellow poker player Doug who was not able to take part in the festivities due to having heart surgery sometime this week. It’s never the same when one of the biggest partiers I know is stuck in a hospital, and we all have to worry about his health. We got word Friday night that things are looking up and can’t wait until he can get back on his feet.
This weekend was a big one in Lexington due to the football game. Kentucky played Louisville which is only about 80 miles from here. This is always a huge and exciting game because many of us at Kentucky have friends from high school who went or go to Louisville. Everyone we know from there came up for the game and was a blast. My friend James from Boston even came down to get a glimpse of what it’s all about here. This is always a huge rivalry in football and basketball. Kentucky was the favorite by almost 14 points and barely sneaked out a victory. We had way too many turnovers but somehow managed to win. This is crucial because the apartment that I rented before I decided to move is on the biggest party street near campus. It’s so wild that I usually watch the game on TV and party with lots of people around here. That may also be due to the fact that in the SEC you can’t purchase alcohol at collegiate sporting events, but that’s debatable! Also, the partying and bar scene is never the same after a loss, so I was glad we managed to get a win my last weekend here.
I am officially leaving on Thursday to live with my friend in Las Vegas until I close on my house there. I have been rushing to get lots of things finished up here in Kentucky before the big move. I’m actually going to the post office right now. I realized that I have lost my passport, great timing About 12 days from now I will be in glorious Aruba taking part in the best poker tournament of the year. I’m going to cut this a big short so I can get some other errands finished as well. I hope all of you are running satellites or steps so that you can win a seat to the Aruba Classic. I would love to meet all of you out there in October. Best of luck!
Billy Kopp
Tags: Aruba, aruba classic, basketball, Football, Golf, Kentucky, las vegas, Poker Poker Poker, poker tournaments, Satellites, STEPS
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Friday, September 18, 2009 - Billy Kopp
Since my last blog, I have been playing more cash games and less multi table tournaments on Ultimate Bet. I really want to play cash games more often, especially live when I get to Vegas. The intense volume I am able to put in online is great practice and I am still turning a nice profit. The rest of the time that I haven’t been playing or blogging, I have been spending playing golf.
I’m trying to get back into the game of golf after not playing for about three years. I played golf in high school at a very small private school and was fairly decent. I remember buying my first set of irons for about $250. I wasn’t completely satisfied with them but they were new and what I could afford at the time. Throughout the four years I played in high school I felt that I was an inferior player partially because of the equipment I was using. The whole set of clubs that I bought in 2000 were still in my garage at the beginning of this year. Deciding to get back into the game, I told myself that I needed new equipment because mine was outdated and hindering my performance on the course. Clearly the reason why I was subpar in high school was because I had mediocre clubs and the small mark in my driver was definitely affecting how straight my drives were and was causing me to hit it in the rough more often (or so I thought).
One of my high school golf teammates now owns golf shop. I contacted him and got fitted for my new equipment that was going to make me a scratch golfer for sure. I got a whole new setup: custom bag, irons, woods, wedges, tees, balls, shoes, gloves, you name it. Man I looked good on the course the first day I got back out. I laced up my comfortable Adidas shoes, and strapped on my new leather glove. I’m on the first tee with my ProV1 golf ball (the best ball on the tour so they say, also to note the most expensive) teed up on a high 4 inch tee about to be sent a million miles down the fairway from the strike of this amazing new Taylor Made R9 driver that had just come out at the time. I address the ball and line up my shot. I take a proud swing and looked for the ball that should be straight down the middle of the fairway; however it is nowhere near there. I see the ball bouncing about 45 yards to left. Apparently I got too excited and pulled my head up and topped the ball. No problem, I haven’t played in three years I’ll just take a mulligan. I re-tee another one and address the ball. I crushed it! I crushed it 260yards to the left AGAIN but ending up in the rough an entire hole over. I continued to play and hacked up the course pretty badly. How could this be?? I have the best/ most expensive equipment and I played worse than when I was in high school with mediocre equipment.
All jokes aside, the equipment I now have is amazing and of better quality than the equipment of my past. It has already helped me in small ways the little that I have played. The main point is that regardless of how great or how poor your equipment is, the over bearing factor is more importantly the person or the user. Looking back, I loved golf but I didn’t really put in the time and effort to become a great golfer. I recall skipping the chipping and putting practices to rush to the driving range to crush drives. I didn’t practice correctly to improve myself throughout the years, but I was satisfied with being a “decent” player. I started back into the game recently with the wrong approach once again but didn’t realize it until now. I expected to go out and be just as decent or better than I was 6-10 years ago and then improve very quickly. Equipment aside, I am not in as good of shape and I also hit my clubs different distances now. I had not gone to the range multiple times before I got back on the course to get distances down on the clubs or to practice putting and chipping. Coming into the game blind after three years of no practice or coaching and expecting to do well was highly unrealistic.
In high school I played better than I do now due to some coaching and the help of my peers. I also put in more time walking on the course and reading greens in practice rounds than now and I was only merely decent then. Although I ride in a cart now because I’m too lazy to walk the course, I’m still capable of studying the course, greens, etc. and need to, to become remotely decent at the game of golf. I played years and years of online poker tournaments to put in intense volume to gain experience. I met other successful players (peers) to talk to about hands and gain advice and more experience. I sacrificed sleep, school, outings with friends, joining a fraternity, and even my health at times to get to where I am today but it has paid off!
I put 100% of my competitive spirit into poker and made it a large part of my life. To become the golfer I want to be, I would have to put in the same hours and practice and make the same sacrifices as I did for poker to be classified as a professional in another field by my peers. Realistically, I can’t devote that amount of time to golf as I have and do to poker to become great at golf at this time in my life. I am satisfied being am amateur golfer but no longer just a decent golfer. I want to be a good golfer and I am going to need to spend lots more time preparing myself to play on the course. Currently I am only finding time to get in a quick 9 or 18 holes and it has been a major waste of time. The relaxation part of golf has become stressful and counterproductive due to playing poorly. I am going to the range tomorrow to start the process of preparing myself to become a good golfer. I need to get a few golf lessons in, so let me know if someone out there reading this wants to trade a few golf secrets for a few poker secrets!
Until next time, hit ‘em straight and hope to see you joining me in the cash games on UB.
Billy Kopp
Tags: Adidas, Billy Kopp, Golf, Poker Poker Poker, ub, Ultimate Bet, Vegas
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Wednesday, September 2, 2009 - Billy Kopp
Recently, I have been talking and meeting with different financial advisors to decide who to basically trust my life with. This is a very important yet exciting step in someone’s life. Fortunately for me, the time came sooner than I had ever planned. At just 23, I have been fortunate in many aspects of life. I received a great upbringing with instilled values and beliefs. The years of private schooling and years of college education that I was privileged to receive are now helping me to make the life decisions that I am being confronted with today.
The reason I am sharing this with you is because I firmly believe to make poker a profession, you are ultimately trying to better yourself and your lifestyle. This is made a reality through educated decisions and carefully planned investments. I am now seeing how poker and investing are so closely related.
In Poker, one WILL encounter times of downward variance in the short term. It is inevitable and unavoidable that this WILL occur at least once if not many times. This is the time in which you rely on your trusty bankroll management skills to help you through the tough times. This is exactly the same in investing. You trust the “professional advisors” to make educated decisions to get you the best return on your money (ROI). There are times of upward and downward swings in this field as well. By having capital to invest, being diversified, accessing and adapting to situations (as in poker), readjusting your position in companies, etc., you will see great profits in the long run as well.
When I began playing poker very seriously online I got a “backer”. This person invests in the player and is also a mentor to the player. They help the player to advance their game, analytical skills, and strategies as well as passing along other valuable tools and information. In return, you give them half of the profits for their services. Any skilled poker player can communicate to others the amount of short term luck that is present in the game. However, by making the proper strategic decisions all the time, in the long run you will eliminate most of the luck factor, resulting in great profits due to countless hours of experience and profitable play. Once this is complete and you are able to sustain a bankroll to play on your own and no longer need a backer, you have completed the first half of achieving the number one reason we play poker seriously or professionally to begin with: To better yourself as a person and your lifestyle.
By having great success and thus profits, you are able to set yourself up for the second half of the goal to experience and sustain an elevated style of life. In the second part of achieving the goal, you have to rely on help yet again. The backer is now gone, and you have to rely on a new mentor, the advisor.
Now the tables have turned: You are now the backer and the advisor is now the player. You put your money into their hands and invest in them to enable you to get the best return on your money. They take a small fee for their services and again, both parties (hopefully) profit from the relationship. Once you have established a well diversified portfolio that renders great returns, you will be well on your way to fulfilling the idea of bettering yourself as a person and your lifestyle. This is achieved through financial security, or satisfied states of mind that allow you to feel safe and secure for the future to come.
As you can see, there is an extremely close relationship between poker and investing. To play this game professionally, you must take part in both and in two strides. You must once be the player and once the investor. I hope these thoughts find you well and I look forward to the long road ahead of making part two a reality.
-Billy Kopp
Tags: advisor, backer, bankroll, bankroll management, Billy Kopp, Investments, Poker Poker Poker
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Tuesday, August 25, 2009 - Billy Kopp
As the newest Ultimate Bet team pro, I’m excited to share my first blog with all of you. For those of you who don’t know, my name is Billy Kopp and I reside in Erlanger, Kentucky. I am twenty three years old and have been playing online poker for the past five years. I got my start into poker by playing small home games with friends. While going to college at the University of Kentucky, I began to play primarily online. I had success and was able to meet other successful players online who helped me to advance my game.
This summer I made a transition into playing more live events. I had a second place finish in the 5k New Orleans WSOP Circuit event for a nice six figure score. After that I proceeded to play in several WSOP events. I was fortunate enough to get 8th in the 5k no limit event and then 11th in the 10k pot limit event. Finally, I finished in the summer out with a 12th place finish in the main event for a little under $900,000. I can proudly say that Ultimate Bet was by far the best site for me to represent. Due to the help of my agency, Suited Connections, I was able to land a long-term deal with the site. I have played on UB for years and have had success in the biggest multi table tournaments they have to offer including a win in their Sunday major. To date, I have never given substantial time to playing cash games. Now, I will be playing cash games along with multi-table tournaments on Ultimate Bet under the name “billy_kopp”.
Lots of people have been asking me what my next live event will be. I am currently in the process of moving to Las Vegas, so the next event for me will probably be the $5,000 main event in Biloxi, Mississippi at the Beau Rivage in September, followed by the Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic in October. Once everything is settled in Vegas I will be playing more live events. On a side note, I want to wish my friend and fellow colleague Adam “Roothlus” Levy good luck in the Legends of Poker tournament going on at the Bicycle Casino right now. Hopefully he can bring home another win for the UB team.
I can’t wait to meet the other team pros in Aruba. I have never played in the Aruba Classic and wish everyone who plays the best of luck. For all of you reading this, I hope to get to play with all of you on the site at some point soon!
Until next time,
Billy Kopp
Tags: Adam "Roothlus" Levy, Aruba, aruba classic, Billy Kopp, las vegas, Legends of Poker, Online Poker, ub, UB Team, Ultimate Bet, WSOP
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