I have been hosting my own poker games, mostly tournaments, about once a month for the last 2 years. In all of my tournaments until last night I have failed to cash. Yet for a mere $10 buy in (with multi-rebuys and an add-on) my home game tournies (PSP - Pepper St. Poker) have been more than worth their entertainment value. I've got a great stable of about 30 players, which insures about 15 to 20 bodies crammed into my garage on any given month. There is not a jerk in the bunch, though a few (including myself) have a grumpy moment now and again.
Ultimately, as much as I want to fancy myself a "serious" player - I play mostly for fun. I've kept good records for awhile now, and I do happen to turn a profit in every venue I play (save my home tournaments) but I know I'm in this game for enjoyment first and foremost. Otherwise I would only host cash games.
Last night I finished in second place; helped in great part by a rush of good cards as the bubble approached. I knocked out two players and more than doubled up at once when my all in aces pre-flop was called by two pocket pairs. I slow played my brother two perfection when my middling ace became trips and he pegged me as weak and pushed. Overall I'm very pleased with my play; but I can't help be disappointed that my 5 to 1 chip lead heads up at the end, fell by the wayside thanks to my impatience and loss of focus.
I played Alex pretty much perfectly for about half an hour, giving up my lost causes quickly, keeping the pot small except when I was committed with good cards and generally reading him first and looking at my cards second. He was getting rags and so was I, yet I was getting chips from him steadily simply by capitalizing on his frustration at not being able to go all-in. If he min-raised or flat called, I was able to raise him out about 2/3 of the time. Result - more chips were coming my way.
My problem was that I got excited ahead of time and lost track of his chip count; so that when I called his all in with j6 suited in my hand - I thought he only had a few hundred; in reality he still had over 1K. After the hand finished, he had me covered. It was my turn to bleed chips for a bit, as the momentum had clearly shifted to him. With time winding down, and the blinds pretty big I donked off the last hand with Q6 suited against his K10os. He deserved to win; the only reason I didn't take down the title was my own inability to stay focused and hungry for victory.
MOST important; both of these losses (the big blow to my stack, and the final hand) came from CALLING decisions on my end that were made FAR too quickly. When I had been all in in the past, both against him and against others earlier; I always had taken the time to assess stack sizes either in advance or before my decision. My big lesson last night - take my time. Decide AFTER thinking things through.
I guess it seems a little late in the game that is my poker enthusiast's career, to be reminding myself to be patient and thoughtful; but really it needs to be said out loud (or I guess typed out loud) officially so hopefully it will sink in.
I still had a fantastic time last night, and I know I'm really blessed to be running such a great game with good people involved. There probably won't be a tournament next month, I'm off to China, but there's a small possibility of a cash game. In April it looks like we'll have an Omaha/8 tournament. A game that I love, but I know will be a bit more of a pain to TD than good old Texas.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
T6 Flatline 2008.1 2/18/08
Only 14 players this week; not as "fun" to play - but easier. Oh so easier.
Happily enough, of the two tables, I started out at the fishier of the two; with my more feared opponents - Sven and ytrabbit nowhere to be seen. Still I managed to clumsily try to steal in the early rounds, and failed. Frustrated at the min-raising and passive play around me, I started limping with marginal hands for what probably weren't the right prices. But I did get to see flops and I knew it might just pay off.
I waited patiently for the right moment, making good use of my time observing the hands I wasn't in. I particularly noticed that Crippe was aggressive with min bets, and also calling people down with middle pair and the like. A tempting combination. The timing for a lame ass limp by me couldn't have been better when I picked up 8 7 os in the small blind.
1} Manzoni $990 8s 7d
2) Viking Joe $880 ?? ??
4) crippe $2,545 9h 7h
5) ISAIAS41 $2,835 ?? ??
8) Mad_Maxx $390 ?? ??
10) scamp2 * $2,860 ?? ??
Manzoni posts small blind $15
Viking Joe posts big blind $30
crippe calls $30
ISAIAS41 calls $30
Mad_Maxx folds
scamp2 calls $30
Manzoni calls $15
Viking Joe checks
FLOP: 3h 7c 8d
Manzoni bets $150 A HALF POT BET, which I've been trying to make as a standard lead out or continuation bet. I like using the 1/2 or full pot buttons, it let's me bet at the same speed every time, and the same amount every time - camouflaging my holdings and making it tougher for opponents to read. Plus, I'm a bit lazy and dragging the slider or typing in an amount requires more effort and thought.
Viking Joe calls $150
crippe raises $450 NOW IF HE'S FLOPPED A SET, which is very possible with his weak call pre-flop, I'M GOING BROKE on this hand. But something doesn't smell right, if he has trips he's going to call or raise small. Still, I have under 800 left, with 180 already committed, nearly a quarter of my original stack. Time to lose all my chips.
ISAIAS41 folds
scamp2 folds
Manzoni raises $360 (all-in)
Viking Joe folds
crippe calls $360
Manzoni shows 8s 7d
crippe shows 9h 7h THAT IS RETARDED. One of the lamest over bet bluffs I can remember. True, it scared me - but I'm not going anywhere with such a ragged board and two pair.
TURN: 3h 7c 8d Qd
RIVER: 3h 7c 8d Qd 3d
Manzoni wins $2,220 with Two Pair, Eights and Sevens
The funny part is, he defended his bad call to my all-in bet in the chat box. Yes, he did have the right odds to call, but he had made a HUGE mistake by raising in the first place on my flop bet with middle pair and no draw. I reminded him politely that he could have avoided having to call my all-in if he had simply folded. His response - something to the effect of "I gotta keep you honest." Simply awesome.
With a big healthy stack, I was now the chip leader and would remain so for the bulk of the evening. Then I got frisky and thought J Q soooted looked awesome from the cut off.
1} Manzoni $3,225.00 Jc Qc
3) cali Al * $1,185.00 ?? ??
4) SvenGolly $2,912.50 ?? ??
5) ISAIAS41 $1,905.00 ?? ??
6) Miles 2 Go $1,590.00 ?? ??
7) The Rubin $3,857.50 ?? ??
8) Mad_Maxx $305.00 ?? ??
9) ytrabbit $2,940.00 ?? ??
10) scamp2 $3,080.00 ?? ??
SvenGolly posts small blind $75
ISAIAS41 posts big blind $150
Miles 2 Go folds
The Rubin folds
Mad_Maxx folds
ytrabbit folds
scamp2 calls $150
Manzoni raises $525 (MISTAKE ALERT!!!, RAISE IS TOO BIG WITH THE BLINDS THIS HIGH, a 250 raise would let me get away from this hand super easy on the flop if it missed me. I hit the "pot" raise, and forgot there was another caller, result = much too big a raise. Now I am committed, over a third of my stack is in the pot. Those buttons are convenient, but sometimes I need to take the time to bet the correct amount. )
cali Al folds
SvenGolly folds
ISAIAS41 folds
scamp2 calls $525
FLOP: Qd 7d Ac
scamp2 bets $800
Manzoni raises $1,750 (all-in) (I actually put a lot of thought into this move; I thought it very likely that Scamp had an ace, but perhaps it was a baby. From what I had seen this night, I was almost sure it was - OR it could be a high but not great pair 10 10, or JJ. Not a suited connector, not two face cards. I'm glad I put him on the correct range - because he....
scamp2 folds
Manzoni wins $3,175 uncontested BIG POT. Now I had an even bigger chip lead with almost 5K. Better lucky than good sometimes. I turned a big mistake to my advantage with a decent (maybe just lucky) read. I was also helped out by the fact that though Scamp was also practically committed to the pot by his call pre flop, and then CERTAINLY WAS committed with his 800 raise on the flop - HE STILL FOLDED AWAY HALF HIS STACK!!! Awesome.
I then proceeded to tighten up quite a bit, especially in early and middle posititon - I didn't mess around with suited gap connecters or unsuited face cards, or even small pairs - I just folded them. I hung tight, and my stack was stable, but the two players I feared most managed to surpass me in chips.
Then I managed to kneecap Sven with a nice slow play. The transcription doesn't do justice to my delayed betting. I tried to ooze weakness through the keyboard, and he fell for it.
1} Manzoni $4,552.50 9h Td
4) SvenGolly $5,565.00 6d Kd
6) Miles 2 Go $3,690.00 ?? ??
9) ytrabbit * $7,192.50 ?? ??
Manzoni posts small blind $200
SvenGolly posts big blind $400
Miles 2 Go folds
ytrabbit folds
Manzoni calls $200
SvenGolly bets $400
Manzoni calls $400 (This was a mistake by Sven, a x2 bb raise or greater and I'm gone. The min-rase SUCKS!)
FLOP: Th Tc Jc
Manzoni checks
SvenGolly bets $1,600
Manzoni calls $1,600 (After a long, but not too long delay. The clubs are a small concern, but he's not semi bluffing away a quarter of his stack - he's either hit the jack or is on a pure continuation bluff.)
TURN: Th Tc Jc Qc
Manzoni checks (Yes, I know the board is now officially terrifying, but I've decided he's not on a draw; I'm committed if he fires.)
SvenGolly bets $3,165 (all-in)
Manzoni calls $2,152.50 (all-in)
Manzoni shows 9h Td
SvenGolly shows 6d Kd (Yikes, I let him back into potentially 8 outs, thankfully I have one of them so he only has seven)
RIVER: Th Tc Jc Qc Kh
Manzoni wins $9,105 with a King High Straight (Trips would have been enough - I"m glad he didn't realize at any point that he was being slow played; I also take his "move" as a compliment. He respects my play enough to know I'll fold with a mere two pair or a low end straight draw. Now my stack is ginormous. Yay.
Sven managed to claw his way back up a bit. I again, stayed out of most hands. Then came the toughest decision I faced all night.
1} Manzoni $9,555.00 Ad Kd
4) SvenGolly $4,875.00 Jh As
6) Miles 2 Go * $2,127.50 ?? ??
9) ytrabbit $4,442.50 ?? ??
Manzoni antes $25
SvenGolly antes $25
Miles 2 Go antes $25
ytrabbit antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
SvenGolly raises $4,250 (all-in)
Miles 2 Go folds
ytrabbit folds
Manzoni calls $4,250 Simple math: there's only two starting hands that I'm a huge underdog to, AA and KK. Everything else I'm at the very worst, a coin flip. Antes have kicked in, and with the blinds they represent a quarter of Svens stack. He has a GREAT incentive to take them with position and decent cards. There's a good chance I could have him dominated. There's also a big chance for a coin flip - if I win it, I could put this thing away. You have to win races to win super fast sit-n-gos. That's just a fact.
Manzoni shows Ad Kd
SvenGolly shows Jh As
FLOP: Qs 2h Kc
TURN: Qs 2h Kc Qd
RIVER: Qs 2h Kc Qd Qh
Manzoni wins $10,100 with a Full House, Queens over Kings
Tasty.
Miles (who was on a drip all night) went out shortly thereafter, and me with a mondo chip stack found my lone opponent in good shape to seriously hurt me if I didn't stay frosty.
I often talk about cards not mattering so much as position and selective aggression. That said, in a heads up situation in our league, the blinds are at best PROHIBITIVE. Translation = without at least some face cards and aces, you stand about a snow balls chance in hell of winning.
Here are the starting cards I received for the first 6 hands of heads up play.
4d 8h
3h 8s
10s 6d
6s 3h
8h 2c
2c 6s
Not a lot of hands, but in this super fast structure the blinds and antes represented a tenth of my stack, and after the next hand, I would be seriously damaged.
1} ytrabbit * $9,445 9h Jd
3) Manzoni $11,555 8h Js (NOTE: MY FIRST FACE CARD SINCE HEADS UP BEGAN)
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
ytrabbit raises $625
Manzoni calls $625
FLOP: Jc 9c 2c
Manzoni bets $2,500
ytrabbit raises $5,695 (all-in)
Manzoni calls $5,695 (NOT the best call of my life, but with top pair, I have to follow through with a healthy bet - so healthy that it basically commits me. Though I suppose I COULD have checked and then folded away 1000 chips with top pair, it's just not how I roll!
ytrabbit shows 9h Jd
Manzoni shows 8h Js OUTKICKED!
TURN: Jc 9c 2c 4h
RIVER: Jc 9c 2c 4h 6c
ytrabbit wins $18,890 with Two Pair, Jacks and Nines
LIFE SUPPORT! YUCK!
1} ytrabbit $18,890 Ad 8c
3) Manzoni * $2,110 7h 4s A SINGLE BETTING ROUND IS ALMOST HALF OF MY STACK. THIS SUCKS!
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Manzoni posts small blind $300
ytrabbit posts big blind $600
Manzoni folds
ytrabbit wins $650 uncontested
NOW I'm screwed. I'm basically all in on the blind on the next one - any decent card I MUST push.
1} ytrabbit * $19,215 Qd Js
3) Manzoni $1,785 3h 6s OKAY, these cards suck. But I still don't have a choice with over a third of my stack already going in. Dang. I had such a great chip lead. This sucks.
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
ytrabbit raises $18,590 (all-in) I JUST CAN'T DO IT!!!! AAAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!! One more hand.
Manzoni folds
ytrabbit wins $1,250 uncontested
I'VE BLOWN IT. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALL IN TWO HANDS AGO. NOW HALF OF MY STACK IS GONE. This hand, no matter the cards, I'm all in.
1} ytrabbit $19,840 Ts 3c
3) Manzoni * $1,160 Jh Ah (SECOND FACE CARD, FIRST ACE IN HEADS UP! HEY NOT TOO BAD!)
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Manzoni posts small blind $300
ytrabbit posts big blind $600
Manzoni raises $535 (all-in)
ytrabbit calls $535
ytrabbit shows Ts 3c
Manzoni shows Jh Ah
FLOP: 8h 6d 4d
TURN: 8h 6d 4d Jc
RIVER: 8h 6d 4d Jc 9c
Manzoni wins $2,320 with a Pair of Jacks BEST HAND HOLDS UP! I'm still on life support though. Back where I was two hands ago when I got crippled in the first place. I can't be patient this time.
1} ytrabbit * $18,680 Kh 8s
3) Manzoni $2,320 4c 5d It's a connecter, but I wish it was sooooted. NOT WAITING FOOLISHLY THIS TIME.
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
ytrabbit raises $18,055 (all-in)
Manzoni calls $1,695 (all-in) NO CHOICE. I'M SCREWED.
ytrabbit shows Kh 8s
Manzoni shows 4c 5d
FLOP: 6s 5h 4h
TURN: 6s 5h 4h 2d
RIVER: 6s 5h 4h 2d Qs
Manzoni wins $4,640 with Two Pair, Fives and Fours Hey, I'm alive! What happened? I got lucky, though 45os is barely a worse hand than k8os.
1} ytrabbit $16,360 Jc 4h
3) Manzoni * $4,640 7c 3s
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Manzoni posts small blind $300
ytrabbit posts big blind $600 BACK TO MY USUAL RUN I SEE, well now I have the ability to at least fold trash. For one or two hands anyway.
Manzoni folds
ytrabbit wins $650 uncontested
1} ytrabbit * $16,685 9d 9c
3) Manzoni $4,315 Ts Ac (LOOKS LIKE AA TO ME!)
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
ytrabbit calls $300
Manzoni bets $3,690 (all-in) LET'S DANCE!
ytrabbit calls $3,690 YAY! A CALL!
ytrabbit shows 9d 9c RACE!
Manzoni shows Ts Ac
FLOP: Kd Ks 2d
TURN: Kd Ks 2d As (GIDDY!)
RIVER: Kd Ks 2d As 8c
Manzoni wins $8,630 with Two Pair, Aces and Kings BACK IN IT BABY! You have to win races to win these things. Now I have momentum too, he must be reeling.
1} ytrabbit $12,370 Jc 7c
3) Manzoni * $8,630 Ah As (OKAY, NOW I'M CATCHING CARDS)
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Manzoni posts small blind $300
ytrabbit posts big blind $600
Manzoni raises $8,005 (all-in)
ytrabbit folds
Manzoni wins $1,250 uncontested FIGURES. Still happy to steal 950 in chips.
1} ytrabbit * $11,745 Ks 9h
3) Manzoni $9,255 3s 4s
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
ytrabbit raises $625
Manzoni calls $625
FLOP: 3d 4d 6d
Manzoni bets $8,005 (all-in) I SHOULD HAVE SLOW PLAYED, though he probably wouldn't have stuck around unless he hit a king (just 3 outs).
ytrabbit folds
Manzoni wins $2,500 uncontested
SOMEHOW, I have the chip lead again. By the way, ytrabbit's mucked cards are courtesy of HIS hand history, he was kind enough to forward it to the group. Mainly because he's steamed over our heads up battle and wanted a little input on how he could have played better. I returned the courtesy and posted my mucks to the group as well. As far as I can tell, we both played pretty well. My biggest mistake was folding two hands after I got crippled (nearly half my stack) but somehow I managed to go on a good run and pull it out. As you can see....
1} ytrabbit $10,495 7h Ah
3) Manzoni * $10,505 3d As (OKAY, THIS IS THE FIRST REAL SUCKOUT)
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Manzoni posts small blind $300
ytrabbit posts big blind $600
Manzoni raises $9,880 (all-in)
ytrabbit calls $9,870 (all-in)
ytrabbit shows 7h Ah
Manzoni shows 3d As
FLOP: 8s 3c 9h
TURN: 8s 3c 9h Kc
RIVER: 8s 3c 9h Kc Ks
Manzoni wins $20,990 with Two Pair, Kings and Threes
THAT LAST HAND was BRUTAL - but I know it was not just the deck that was soley responsible for his fate. I can look at this tournament at a whole, and see that I had runs of bad cards that pale in comparison to his at points - and I can also see BIG MISTAKES that I made. The same holds true for ytrabbit - his game was at least as good as mine, better in parts, but nowhere near perfect. I think what makes poker so great is that delicious combination of skill and luck. Clearly on this night I had both, and so did he.
Happily enough, of the two tables, I started out at the fishier of the two; with my more feared opponents - Sven and ytrabbit nowhere to be seen. Still I managed to clumsily try to steal in the early rounds, and failed. Frustrated at the min-raising and passive play around me, I started limping with marginal hands for what probably weren't the right prices. But I did get to see flops and I knew it might just pay off.
I waited patiently for the right moment, making good use of my time observing the hands I wasn't in. I particularly noticed that Crippe was aggressive with min bets, and also calling people down with middle pair and the like. A tempting combination. The timing for a lame ass limp by me couldn't have been better when I picked up 8 7 os in the small blind.
1} Manzoni $990 8s 7d
2) Viking Joe $880 ?? ??
4) crippe $2,545 9h 7h
5) ISAIAS41 $2,835 ?? ??
8) Mad_Maxx $390 ?? ??
10) scamp2 * $2,860 ?? ??
Manzoni posts small blind $15
Viking Joe posts big blind $30
crippe calls $30
ISAIAS41 calls $30
Mad_Maxx folds
scamp2 calls $30
Manzoni calls $15
Viking Joe checks
FLOP: 3h 7c 8d
Manzoni bets $150 A HALF POT BET, which I've been trying to make as a standard lead out or continuation bet. I like using the 1/2 or full pot buttons, it let's me bet at the same speed every time, and the same amount every time - camouflaging my holdings and making it tougher for opponents to read. Plus, I'm a bit lazy and dragging the slider or typing in an amount requires more effort and thought.
Viking Joe calls $150
crippe raises $450 NOW IF HE'S FLOPPED A SET, which is very possible with his weak call pre-flop, I'M GOING BROKE on this hand. But something doesn't smell right, if he has trips he's going to call or raise small. Still, I have under 800 left, with 180 already committed, nearly a quarter of my original stack. Time to lose all my chips.
ISAIAS41 folds
scamp2 folds
Manzoni raises $360 (all-in)
Viking Joe folds
crippe calls $360
Manzoni shows 8s 7d
crippe shows 9h 7h THAT IS RETARDED. One of the lamest over bet bluffs I can remember. True, it scared me - but I'm not going anywhere with such a ragged board and two pair.
TURN: 3h 7c 8d Qd
RIVER: 3h 7c 8d Qd 3d
Manzoni wins $2,220 with Two Pair, Eights and Sevens
The funny part is, he defended his bad call to my all-in bet in the chat box. Yes, he did have the right odds to call, but he had made a HUGE mistake by raising in the first place on my flop bet with middle pair and no draw. I reminded him politely that he could have avoided having to call my all-in if he had simply folded. His response - something to the effect of "I gotta keep you honest." Simply awesome.
With a big healthy stack, I was now the chip leader and would remain so for the bulk of the evening. Then I got frisky and thought J Q soooted looked awesome from the cut off.
1} Manzoni $3,225.00 Jc Qc
3) cali Al * $1,185.00 ?? ??
4) SvenGolly $2,912.50 ?? ??
5) ISAIAS41 $1,905.00 ?? ??
6) Miles 2 Go $1,590.00 ?? ??
7) The Rubin $3,857.50 ?? ??
8) Mad_Maxx $305.00 ?? ??
9) ytrabbit $2,940.00 ?? ??
10) scamp2 $3,080.00 ?? ??
SvenGolly posts small blind $75
ISAIAS41 posts big blind $150
Miles 2 Go folds
The Rubin folds
Mad_Maxx folds
ytrabbit folds
scamp2 calls $150
Manzoni raises $525 (MISTAKE ALERT!!!, RAISE IS TOO BIG WITH THE BLINDS THIS HIGH, a 250 raise would let me get away from this hand super easy on the flop if it missed me. I hit the "pot" raise, and forgot there was another caller, result = much too big a raise. Now I am committed, over a third of my stack is in the pot. Those buttons are convenient, but sometimes I need to take the time to bet the correct amount. )
cali Al folds
SvenGolly folds
ISAIAS41 folds
scamp2 calls $525
FLOP: Qd 7d Ac
scamp2 bets $800
Manzoni raises $1,750 (all-in) (I actually put a lot of thought into this move; I thought it very likely that Scamp had an ace, but perhaps it was a baby. From what I had seen this night, I was almost sure it was - OR it could be a high but not great pair 10 10, or JJ. Not a suited connector, not two face cards. I'm glad I put him on the correct range - because he....
scamp2 folds
Manzoni wins $3,175 uncontested BIG POT. Now I had an even bigger chip lead with almost 5K. Better lucky than good sometimes. I turned a big mistake to my advantage with a decent (maybe just lucky) read. I was also helped out by the fact that though Scamp was also practically committed to the pot by his call pre flop, and then CERTAINLY WAS committed with his 800 raise on the flop - HE STILL FOLDED AWAY HALF HIS STACK!!! Awesome.
I then proceeded to tighten up quite a bit, especially in early and middle posititon - I didn't mess around with suited gap connecters or unsuited face cards, or even small pairs - I just folded them. I hung tight, and my stack was stable, but the two players I feared most managed to surpass me in chips.
Then I managed to kneecap Sven with a nice slow play. The transcription doesn't do justice to my delayed betting. I tried to ooze weakness through the keyboard, and he fell for it.
1} Manzoni $4,552.50 9h Td
4) SvenGolly $5,565.00 6d Kd
6) Miles 2 Go $3,690.00 ?? ??
9) ytrabbit * $7,192.50 ?? ??
Manzoni posts small blind $200
SvenGolly posts big blind $400
Miles 2 Go folds
ytrabbit folds
Manzoni calls $200
SvenGolly bets $400
Manzoni calls $400 (This was a mistake by Sven, a x2 bb raise or greater and I'm gone. The min-rase SUCKS!)
FLOP: Th Tc Jc
Manzoni checks
SvenGolly bets $1,600
Manzoni calls $1,600 (After a long, but not too long delay. The clubs are a small concern, but he's not semi bluffing away a quarter of his stack - he's either hit the jack or is on a pure continuation bluff.)
TURN: Th Tc Jc Qc
Manzoni checks (Yes, I know the board is now officially terrifying, but I've decided he's not on a draw; I'm committed if he fires.)
SvenGolly bets $3,165 (all-in)
Manzoni calls $2,152.50 (all-in)
Manzoni shows 9h Td
SvenGolly shows 6d Kd (Yikes, I let him back into potentially 8 outs, thankfully I have one of them so he only has seven)
RIVER: Th Tc Jc Qc Kh
Manzoni wins $9,105 with a King High Straight (Trips would have been enough - I"m glad he didn't realize at any point that he was being slow played; I also take his "move" as a compliment. He respects my play enough to know I'll fold with a mere two pair or a low end straight draw. Now my stack is ginormous. Yay.
Sven managed to claw his way back up a bit. I again, stayed out of most hands. Then came the toughest decision I faced all night.
1} Manzoni $9,555.00 Ad Kd
4) SvenGolly $4,875.00 Jh As
6) Miles 2 Go * $2,127.50 ?? ??
9) ytrabbit $4,442.50 ?? ??
Manzoni antes $25
SvenGolly antes $25
Miles 2 Go antes $25
ytrabbit antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
SvenGolly raises $4,250 (all-in)
Miles 2 Go folds
ytrabbit folds
Manzoni calls $4,250 Simple math: there's only two starting hands that I'm a huge underdog to, AA and KK. Everything else I'm at the very worst, a coin flip. Antes have kicked in, and with the blinds they represent a quarter of Svens stack. He has a GREAT incentive to take them with position and decent cards. There's a good chance I could have him dominated. There's also a big chance for a coin flip - if I win it, I could put this thing away. You have to win races to win super fast sit-n-gos. That's just a fact.
Manzoni shows Ad Kd
SvenGolly shows Jh As
FLOP: Qs 2h Kc
TURN: Qs 2h Kc Qd
RIVER: Qs 2h Kc Qd Qh
Manzoni wins $10,100 with a Full House, Queens over Kings
Tasty.
Miles (who was on a drip all night) went out shortly thereafter, and me with a mondo chip stack found my lone opponent in good shape to seriously hurt me if I didn't stay frosty.
I often talk about cards not mattering so much as position and selective aggression. That said, in a heads up situation in our league, the blinds are at best PROHIBITIVE. Translation = without at least some face cards and aces, you stand about a snow balls chance in hell of winning.
Here are the starting cards I received for the first 6 hands of heads up play.
4d 8h
3h 8s
10s 6d
6s 3h
8h 2c
2c 6s
Not a lot of hands, but in this super fast structure the blinds and antes represented a tenth of my stack, and after the next hand, I would be seriously damaged.
1} ytrabbit * $9,445 9h Jd
3) Manzoni $11,555 8h Js (NOTE: MY FIRST FACE CARD SINCE HEADS UP BEGAN)
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
ytrabbit raises $625
Manzoni calls $625
FLOP: Jc 9c 2c
Manzoni bets $2,500
ytrabbit raises $5,695 (all-in)
Manzoni calls $5,695 (NOT the best call of my life, but with top pair, I have to follow through with a healthy bet - so healthy that it basically commits me. Though I suppose I COULD have checked and then folded away 1000 chips with top pair, it's just not how I roll!
ytrabbit shows 9h Jd
Manzoni shows 8h Js OUTKICKED!
TURN: Jc 9c 2c 4h
RIVER: Jc 9c 2c 4h 6c
ytrabbit wins $18,890 with Two Pair, Jacks and Nines
LIFE SUPPORT! YUCK!
1} ytrabbit $18,890 Ad 8c
3) Manzoni * $2,110 7h 4s A SINGLE BETTING ROUND IS ALMOST HALF OF MY STACK. THIS SUCKS!
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Manzoni posts small blind $300
ytrabbit posts big blind $600
Manzoni folds
ytrabbit wins $650 uncontested
NOW I'm screwed. I'm basically all in on the blind on the next one - any decent card I MUST push.
1} ytrabbit * $19,215 Qd Js
3) Manzoni $1,785 3h 6s OKAY, these cards suck. But I still don't have a choice with over a third of my stack already going in. Dang. I had such a great chip lead. This sucks.
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
ytrabbit raises $18,590 (all-in) I JUST CAN'T DO IT!!!! AAAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!! One more hand.
Manzoni folds
ytrabbit wins $1,250 uncontested
I'VE BLOWN IT. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALL IN TWO HANDS AGO. NOW HALF OF MY STACK IS GONE. This hand, no matter the cards, I'm all in.
1} ytrabbit $19,840 Ts 3c
3) Manzoni * $1,160 Jh Ah (SECOND FACE CARD, FIRST ACE IN HEADS UP! HEY NOT TOO BAD!)
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Manzoni posts small blind $300
ytrabbit posts big blind $600
Manzoni raises $535 (all-in)
ytrabbit calls $535
ytrabbit shows Ts 3c
Manzoni shows Jh Ah
FLOP: 8h 6d 4d
TURN: 8h 6d 4d Jc
RIVER: 8h 6d 4d Jc 9c
Manzoni wins $2,320 with a Pair of Jacks BEST HAND HOLDS UP! I'm still on life support though. Back where I was two hands ago when I got crippled in the first place. I can't be patient this time.
1} ytrabbit * $18,680 Kh 8s
3) Manzoni $2,320 4c 5d It's a connecter, but I wish it was sooooted. NOT WAITING FOOLISHLY THIS TIME.
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
ytrabbit raises $18,055 (all-in)
Manzoni calls $1,695 (all-in) NO CHOICE. I'M SCREWED.
ytrabbit shows Kh 8s
Manzoni shows 4c 5d
FLOP: 6s 5h 4h
TURN: 6s 5h 4h 2d
RIVER: 6s 5h 4h 2d Qs
Manzoni wins $4,640 with Two Pair, Fives and Fours Hey, I'm alive! What happened? I got lucky, though 45os is barely a worse hand than k8os.
1} ytrabbit $16,360 Jc 4h
3) Manzoni * $4,640 7c 3s
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Manzoni posts small blind $300
ytrabbit posts big blind $600 BACK TO MY USUAL RUN I SEE, well now I have the ability to at least fold trash. For one or two hands anyway.
Manzoni folds
ytrabbit wins $650 uncontested
1} ytrabbit * $16,685 9d 9c
3) Manzoni $4,315 Ts Ac (LOOKS LIKE AA TO ME!)
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
ytrabbit calls $300
Manzoni bets $3,690 (all-in) LET'S DANCE!
ytrabbit calls $3,690 YAY! A CALL!
ytrabbit shows 9d 9c RACE!
Manzoni shows Ts Ac
FLOP: Kd Ks 2d
TURN: Kd Ks 2d As (GIDDY!)
RIVER: Kd Ks 2d As 8c
Manzoni wins $8,630 with Two Pair, Aces and Kings BACK IN IT BABY! You have to win races to win these things. Now I have momentum too, he must be reeling.
1} ytrabbit $12,370 Jc 7c
3) Manzoni * $8,630 Ah As (OKAY, NOW I'M CATCHING CARDS)
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Manzoni posts small blind $300
ytrabbit posts big blind $600
Manzoni raises $8,005 (all-in)
ytrabbit folds
Manzoni wins $1,250 uncontested FIGURES. Still happy to steal 950 in chips.
1} ytrabbit * $11,745 Ks 9h
3) Manzoni $9,255 3s 4s
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
ytrabbit raises $625
Manzoni calls $625
FLOP: 3d 4d 6d
Manzoni bets $8,005 (all-in) I SHOULD HAVE SLOW PLAYED, though he probably wouldn't have stuck around unless he hit a king (just 3 outs).
ytrabbit folds
Manzoni wins $2,500 uncontested
SOMEHOW, I have the chip lead again. By the way, ytrabbit's mucked cards are courtesy of HIS hand history, he was kind enough to forward it to the group. Mainly because he's steamed over our heads up battle and wanted a little input on how he could have played better. I returned the courtesy and posted my mucks to the group as well. As far as I can tell, we both played pretty well. My biggest mistake was folding two hands after I got crippled (nearly half my stack) but somehow I managed to go on a good run and pull it out. As you can see....
1} ytrabbit $10,495 7h Ah
3) Manzoni * $10,505 3d As (OKAY, THIS IS THE FIRST REAL SUCKOUT)
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Manzoni posts small blind $300
ytrabbit posts big blind $600
Manzoni raises $9,880 (all-in)
ytrabbit calls $9,870 (all-in)
ytrabbit shows 7h Ah
Manzoni shows 3d As
FLOP: 8s 3c 9h
TURN: 8s 3c 9h Kc
RIVER: 8s 3c 9h Kc Ks
Manzoni wins $20,990 with Two Pair, Kings and Threes
THAT LAST HAND was BRUTAL - but I know it was not just the deck that was soley responsible for his fate. I can look at this tournament at a whole, and see that I had runs of bad cards that pale in comparison to his at points - and I can also see BIG MISTAKES that I made. The same holds true for ytrabbit - his game was at least as good as mine, better in parts, but nowhere near perfect. I think what makes poker so great is that delicious combination of skill and luck. Clearly on this night I had both, and so did he.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
T5 Flatline 2008.1 2/11/08
Just call me bubble boy.
For the second time in five tournaments I finished one out of the money, aka - the bubble.
Disappointed? Naturally, yes. Did I play badly? Hardly.
This tournament, more than any other so far, demonstrated to me just how big a factor luck really is with this structure and this many players. The blinds worked great last season, with only 8 to 10 players on average. You could afford to wait a bit, and pick your spots to steal or catch some cards. Now, with an average of over 15 players, the pressure is ON. Every hand.
If you wait for good cards you WILL get blinded out; whittled down to the nub so far that opponents are right to call your all- in with any two cards.
If you try to steal, you have to be perfect in your timing and selection of targets or your opponents will absolutely look you up.
It's a much tougher road this season, and players who finished high up the standings last year by being rocks; are nowhere to be found on the leader board so far. It is an entirely different ball game so to speak, and they'd better start changing gears if they hope to be factors this time around.
On the other side of the coin, we don't have any true maniacs among us - but the more aggressive players (myself included) have to be far more selective in the battles they pick. You can't simply bully with big bets, there must be much more of a method behind the madness.
Target selection is critical; who is playing tight? Who is a good enough player to respect my raise and recognize they have incorrect odds to call? Who is on a medium stack? (A big stack can't be robbed, a small stack is desperate and just may call and damage you.)
I feel that I've managed both sides of this equation well so far. And last night was no exception. I stole enough (with good timing) to keep ahead of the blinds. But I didn't run into any premium cards, so I had to bow out of fights with those who were catching cards and hitting flops.
The Rubin seemed to be the luck box of the night, but he also played a good tight aggressive game. He is pretty readable, generally when he fires he has something. Best of all, he will fold to a micro bet pre-flop if he has trash, even when the numbers make a call correct.
Throughout the night I was up a little, I was down a little. I knew I was not long for this world as the end approached, but I also had faith that good decisions would see me through to a respectable finish.
I had some major fantastic steals in the last 15 minutes, and then perched on the bubble....
No Limit Texas Holdem ($200/$400 NL)
3) The Rubin $12,490 ?? ??
4) Manzoni $2,220 Qc Ks
5) Sammy Ro $2,635 ?? ??
6) Deepster * $3,075 ?? ??
10) ytrabbit $5,080 Qh Qd
The Rubin antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Sammy Ro antes $25
Deepster antes $25
ytrabbit antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $200
The Rubin posts big blind $400
Manzoni raises $1,795 (all-in)
Sammy Ro folds
Deepster folds
ytrabbit raises $2,860 (all-in)
The Rubin folds
Manzoni shows Qc Ks
ytrabbit shows Qh Qd
FLOP: Kd 7h Qs
TURN: Kd 7h Qs Tc
RIVER: Kd 7h Qs Tc 8s
ytrabbit wins $4,915 with Three of a Kind, Queens
Personally, I'm okay with the way I played this. Everyone at the table except Rubin is desperately short stacked, and it's bubble time. A GREAT time to get aggressive, because no one wants to fall just short. As long as I make correct decisions, I'm happy to bust out in the short run, because in the long run I will cash and finish first more often. People wake up with pocket queens VERY far and few between. I can't let that dampen my aggression here.
In this situation, even though I'm UTG, it's 5 handed and it's VERY worth going after blinds and antes at this point ($725, is over a third of my stack) by being first in I have a lot of fold/fear equity, plus I just can't wait for better cards - lest I get whittled down to where my stack is ineffective (as other players did).
Nope, the bubble doesn't bother me too much, I'd rather go out fighting. And I'm not going to avoid getting my chips in with what I think is the best of it, simply out of fear that someone might wake up with premium starting cards. There's big time negative EV in that train of thought.
For the second time in five tournaments I finished one out of the money, aka - the bubble.
Disappointed? Naturally, yes. Did I play badly? Hardly.
This tournament, more than any other so far, demonstrated to me just how big a factor luck really is with this structure and this many players. The blinds worked great last season, with only 8 to 10 players on average. You could afford to wait a bit, and pick your spots to steal or catch some cards. Now, with an average of over 15 players, the pressure is ON. Every hand.
If you wait for good cards you WILL get blinded out; whittled down to the nub so far that opponents are right to call your all- in with any two cards.
If you try to steal, you have to be perfect in your timing and selection of targets or your opponents will absolutely look you up.
It's a much tougher road this season, and players who finished high up the standings last year by being rocks; are nowhere to be found on the leader board so far. It is an entirely different ball game so to speak, and they'd better start changing gears if they hope to be factors this time around.
On the other side of the coin, we don't have any true maniacs among us - but the more aggressive players (myself included) have to be far more selective in the battles they pick. You can't simply bully with big bets, there must be much more of a method behind the madness.
Target selection is critical; who is playing tight? Who is a good enough player to respect my raise and recognize they have incorrect odds to call? Who is on a medium stack? (A big stack can't be robbed, a small stack is desperate and just may call and damage you.)
I feel that I've managed both sides of this equation well so far. And last night was no exception. I stole enough (with good timing) to keep ahead of the blinds. But I didn't run into any premium cards, so I had to bow out of fights with those who were catching cards and hitting flops.
The Rubin seemed to be the luck box of the night, but he also played a good tight aggressive game. He is pretty readable, generally when he fires he has something. Best of all, he will fold to a micro bet pre-flop if he has trash, even when the numbers make a call correct.
Throughout the night I was up a little, I was down a little. I knew I was not long for this world as the end approached, but I also had faith that good decisions would see me through to a respectable finish.
I had some major fantastic steals in the last 15 minutes, and then perched on the bubble....
No Limit Texas Holdem ($200/$400 NL)
3) The Rubin $12,490 ?? ??
4) Manzoni $2,220 Qc Ks
5) Sammy Ro $2,635 ?? ??
6) Deepster * $3,075 ?? ??
10) ytrabbit $5,080 Qh Qd
The Rubin antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Sammy Ro antes $25
Deepster antes $25
ytrabbit antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $200
The Rubin posts big blind $400
Manzoni raises $1,795 (all-in)
Sammy Ro folds
Deepster folds
ytrabbit raises $2,860 (all-in)
The Rubin folds
Manzoni shows Qc Ks
ytrabbit shows Qh Qd
FLOP: Kd 7h Qs
TURN: Kd 7h Qs Tc
RIVER: Kd 7h Qs Tc 8s
ytrabbit wins $4,915 with Three of a Kind, Queens
Personally, I'm okay with the way I played this. Everyone at the table except Rubin is desperately short stacked, and it's bubble time. A GREAT time to get aggressive, because no one wants to fall just short. As long as I make correct decisions, I'm happy to bust out in the short run, because in the long run I will cash and finish first more often. People wake up with pocket queens VERY far and few between. I can't let that dampen my aggression here.
In this situation, even though I'm UTG, it's 5 handed and it's VERY worth going after blinds and antes at this point ($725, is over a third of my stack) by being first in I have a lot of fold/fear equity, plus I just can't wait for better cards - lest I get whittled down to where my stack is ineffective (as other players did).
Nope, the bubble doesn't bother me too much, I'd rather go out fighting. And I'm not going to avoid getting my chips in with what I think is the best of it, simply out of fear that someone might wake up with premium starting cards. There's big time negative EV in that train of thought.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
T4 Flatline 2008.1 2/4/08
Good times!
Some people didn't make it, but we still had 15 players. Very fun. As predicted, I came in cocky and went out early - BUT, I didn't donk my chips away; I actually got my money in with the best hand and my opponent who had the right odds to go up against me, picked a very marginal set of starting cards and hit a 3 outer to knock me out.
The player on my left was Sven, who has just recently joined our league. But I have been playing live with him going on for 6 years, first at a low stakes "wacky" home game and more recently at my own home tournaments and occasional cash games. He is not the most technically skilled player, but his ability to shift gears and remain unpredictable has flustered me for years. I'd say in the live home games that I've played, he's my black cat - the number one guy I don't want to tangle with (or even have sitting on my left for that matter).
He's been a non-factor so far online, but last Monday he emerged as I knew he would - a bullying and chip devouring monster. He was catching cards, but his timing also seemed to be right on; and he punished the usual min-raiser donks in our group severely when they tried to draw out on him. It was a pretty cool thing.
I did well myself, stealing enough to keep well ahead of the blinds and even put myself near the top of the standings. Then I looked down at pocket kings. In Arnold Snyder's book "The Poker Tournament Formula" the single best piece of advice it offers is "In a fast tournament, it's the good cards that get you into trouble." There are no absolute truths in poker it seems sometimes, but this piece of knowledge is pretty right on.
It was folded to me and I led out on the button with my standard raise of a "pot sized" bet x3BB (which for some odd reason seems to be a great amount for this group, especially when the blinds are at 50/100). Sven in the SB must have thought I was stealing, as I actually had been up to this point from the button and the cutoff - so he went all in. He had over 5K at this point; and could easily afford to get heads up with me with such a large lead. It was an automatic call for me, only against AA am I a big dog, and if he has that, then that's poker. He had A10os. Guess what card spiked on the turn.
I know I'm growing as a poker player, when I can actually almost be happy when I make a correct decision and yet "lose" the hand. He took a chance, with a prohibitive chip lead against me, and hit his three outer. I know I'm actually winning overall, and I have to look at this poker thang as one long game. I know that I made 100% the correct decision, I'm going broke with cowboys pre-flop if I'm raised in almost every situation, certainly in this one with a great chance of doubling through the chip leader.
Can't wait for next week.
Some people didn't make it, but we still had 15 players. Very fun. As predicted, I came in cocky and went out early - BUT, I didn't donk my chips away; I actually got my money in with the best hand and my opponent who had the right odds to go up against me, picked a very marginal set of starting cards and hit a 3 outer to knock me out.
The player on my left was Sven, who has just recently joined our league. But I have been playing live with him going on for 6 years, first at a low stakes "wacky" home game and more recently at my own home tournaments and occasional cash games. He is not the most technically skilled player, but his ability to shift gears and remain unpredictable has flustered me for years. I'd say in the live home games that I've played, he's my black cat - the number one guy I don't want to tangle with (or even have sitting on my left for that matter).
He's been a non-factor so far online, but last Monday he emerged as I knew he would - a bullying and chip devouring monster. He was catching cards, but his timing also seemed to be right on; and he punished the usual min-raiser donks in our group severely when they tried to draw out on him. It was a pretty cool thing.
I did well myself, stealing enough to keep well ahead of the blinds and even put myself near the top of the standings. Then I looked down at pocket kings. In Arnold Snyder's book "The Poker Tournament Formula" the single best piece of advice it offers is "In a fast tournament, it's the good cards that get you into trouble." There are no absolute truths in poker it seems sometimes, but this piece of knowledge is pretty right on.
It was folded to me and I led out on the button with my standard raise of a "pot sized" bet x3BB (which for some odd reason seems to be a great amount for this group, especially when the blinds are at 50/100). Sven in the SB must have thought I was stealing, as I actually had been up to this point from the button and the cutoff - so he went all in. He had over 5K at this point; and could easily afford to get heads up with me with such a large lead. It was an automatic call for me, only against AA am I a big dog, and if he has that, then that's poker. He had A10os. Guess what card spiked on the turn.
I know I'm growing as a poker player, when I can actually almost be happy when I make a correct decision and yet "lose" the hand. He took a chance, with a prohibitive chip lead against me, and hit his three outer. I know I'm actually winning overall, and I have to look at this poker thang as one long game. I know that I made 100% the correct decision, I'm going broke with cowboys pre-flop if I'm raised in almost every situation, certainly in this one with a great chance of doubling through the chip leader.
Can't wait for next week.
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