I’ve been talking a lot of trash about doing an analysis of a specific hold’em hand, and it’s time for me to put up or shut up. A few columns ago, I asked for suggestions on hands to analyze, and mentioned that Q-J (offsuit) might be a good starting point. Not surprisingly, Q-J turned out to be the leading vote getter. So, my short career as an objective pollster didn’t last long, but I do have a few observations to make about Q-J.

I’ve done two things with Q-J that I hope will be helpful. First, I’ve consulted the hold’em strategy books on my bookshelf, to find areas where there is a consensus about how the hand should be played preflop in limit games. Second, I’ve run some simulations to learn a little more about Q-J’s fate on the flop and beyond. There are other things we could do to learn more about when and how to play Q-J. These are just the two that fit in my column this month.

One of the reasons I picked Q-J is because it’s so tricky to play well. Every hand must pay its share of blinds, and even the worst hands will …

Any time a major star of the MLS decides to go on a winter loan, eyebrows are raised all throughout the country. There is that uneasy feeling that perhaps American soccer is not good enough to satisfy the player, there is concern that perhaps the loan could morph into a permanent move, and then there is always that fear that the player could suffer a traumatic injury. Such a tragic event forced David Beckham to miss an entire season for the LA Galaxy and the World Cup in 2010, when he was hurt on loan with AC Milan. But now Clint Dempsey, the shining beacon of American soccer, has decided to head out back across the pond to play for Fulham in the English Premier League again. What could this move possibly hold for the future of the player and the World Cup hopes for America?

Clint Dempsey leaves Spurs

At first glance the Clint Dempsey loan is a bit heartbreaking. Here is the finest player of the country, just 6 months removed from his massive big money move to Seattle Sounders, now turning his back on the club to play again at Fulham. You begin to wonder whether his …