Flatline Poker League, TOC

Our first ever Tournament of Champions, conceived initially as a bonus tournament for the season's top ten finishers (it evolved into an open event - double stack, slower blinds) took place last night.

I was running great on all cylinders, I had a really great feel for the table. For the most part I was card dead, but it didn't matter. I was able to position bet my way to a healthy stack. My timing was just on, all night long.

On one hand I did wake up with Aces out of position and still managed to get all the chips in against the chip leader on a ragged flop. My opponent (the eventual winner of the night) had a pair of tens. Thankfully he blanked on his two outer on the turn and river - and I scooped a big pot. This would be the only time when he (hereafter known as Scamp) didn't have a monster suck-out against Aces or similar.

I was in great form, and I was paying particular attention to the hand history of one player (hereafter known as Rowser) who was donking it up in spectacular fashion with repeated semi-bluff betting out of position and on marginal draws. Because of his aggression, even though I thought it was pretty transparently bad aggression, he had a tasty stack that was ripe to be devoured.

My chance came in this hand I was in middle position, villain was on the BB.

3) scamp2 $12,212 ?? ??
4) Manzoni $5,850 Qs Kd
6) Miles 2 Go * $5,788 ?? ??
8) YourDinero $4,150 ?? ??
9) rowser $5,000 8c 9c

YourDinero posts small blind $150
rowser posts big blind $300
scamp2 folds
Manzoni raises $750
Miles 2 Go folds
YourDinero folds
rowser calls $750


This call of my 2 and a half times the BB raise is very typical of his passive and transparent "calling station" play. By calling, I know pretty much that he doesn't have a premium hand, or a higher to middle pair - he might have a small pair or two face cards. More than likely, based on his history, he has a suited or unsuited connecter. Whatever. I'm in position; I can read him like a book after the flop.


FLOP: 8h Jh 2c
rowser checks
Manzoni checks

Big fat blank of a flop for both of us. Top pair for him is probably out. He could be slow playing a set (88 in the hole). But with such a scary board (heart flush draw) even he is unlikely to get tricky. More than likely, based on his history, he has just what his check represents, a heart flush draw - and probably a bad one.

Now in all honesty I screwed up here. This is my one mistake in this hand, though it is a BIG one. I should have bit the bullet and fired a continuation bet of about half the pot here. By checking, I gave up the lead in the betting and allowed him to fire no matter what he had on the turn. I effectively told him that the flop missed me, and giving people information is just bad poker.

Turns out, that with the cards that he actually had (two low clubs) there is a somewhat reasonable chance that he would have gone away if I had made the correct continuation bet. A good player would have definitely gone away, but even more important - if he had flat called (AGAIN) I would have known for sure that he had what he had. And at least I wouldn't have had the second-guessing moment that I had after the turn card hit. I would have bet the same, but I would have been even more certain of my read.


TURN: 8h Jh 2c Kc
rowser bets $600

He bet. Hmmm. For most players, this is a poorly timed probe bet. He is out of position and hit a baby king (k5 in the hole) or some such nonsense. But I know Rowser, and I've been watching his stats all night. Time and time again he has bet "on the come" as old school home players like to say. He has a club flush draw, and again - probably a lousy one. I know it, I feel it, I AM ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. I also know at this point he won't respect any sort of half pot, or even full pot raise. I have top pair, big kicker, I know if he hit that king, the only thing that can beat me is AK which I know he doesn't have. I want those chips now, and the only way I'm likely to get them is to....

Manzoni raises $4,200 (all-in)
rowser calls $3,350 (all-in)

Great, an insta-call. Maybe I was wrong. Does he have a set? I just don't see it. He's risking his tournament life on a draw? No way. He must have a monster.

Manzoni shows Qs Kd
rowser shows 8c 9c

Oh, so he is a total donk and I was 100% right on my read. Still, I'm upset at the call even before the next inevitable card hits. How can he call, risk everything on a 1 in 4 shot plus 2 other outs? Bad play, bad poker. Yet totally consistent with his level of skill. I should have been happy he stuck his foot in it - regardless of the outcome.

RIVER: 8h Jh 2c Kc 3c
rowser wins $10,150 with a Flush, King High

That's poker. And in the long run it's very good news. Unless he reads this and really absorbs just how much I am onto his play (he might as well have his cards up half the time) I will absolutely crush him in the long run.

Still, I was a bit miffed that my shot at taking down this prestigious second chance tourney was foiled by such a level 1 play.

I have considered that maybe I need to lower my expectations on certain players; my hero Cali (who has crushed our game and recently 229 other players at a big live event) has demonstrated that he is a virtuoso at playing donkeys. He plays the players first and the cards second. He doesn't go for the giant moves, when he knows that eventually the fish will try stupid giant moves of their own and get clobbered by his stone cold nuts.

I do definitely try to emulate this as much as I can. But I don't think it will be beneficial to me to play with a fear of being drawn out on, especially If I KNOW with as much certainty as I can, what someone has. I must absolutely go for the jugular every time. Though I may get stung by other people's lack of skill on occasion, in the long run I will win out.