Not much to report here, I busted out pretty early against a new player when my pocket queens ran into his kings. I certainly blame myself first, but I also recognize that against other players that I knew better I might have had a fighting chance.
He min-raised pre-flop from the cutoff (which is always a red flag in my mind, donk alert!) and I popped it a good chunky raise, I got one caller behind me and new guy flat called. The flop came ragged 8 high, he led out another pitiful min-bet. I pounced with a pot sized bet. The player behind me folded and the new guy insta-shoved.
I tanked for a bit, but I knew I couldn't get away from it. My big fear was that he had flopped a set. I was praying for some stupid thing like an A8os. I thought there was a fairly good chance he was pushing with Jacks, tens or nines. I had committed enough chips already, that I would be down to less than 1K from a starting stack of 1500 if I laid it down. Surely he would raise more than the minimum pre-flop with cowboys or rockets.
Since most of the players in our league who splash around with min-bets and raises tend to suck, I figured new guy did too. I called and his kings smacked my bitch ass silly. Ah well. As I railed the rest of the tourney, I watched his play pretty closely. Yep, he was tighter than a dolphin's ass - a nit as they say. He overbet his made hands (but always min-bet or raised pre-flop) and folded to the merest hint of a continuation bet.
In hindsight, I don't like either of our plays. An over pair in this league, or anywhere I suppose, isn't the automatic stone cold nuts. Yes, if an overcard, King or Ace, had come - I probably would have folded in this instance based simply on lack of information about the player; why I didn't fold in this case was simply a case of aggressive instincts against a ragged board.
One more regular tourney, then it's the TOC. Hopefully I can at least cash in this next one, and preserve my substantial discount into the final Championship.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
T18 Flatline 2008.1 5/12/08
Had a fine time with a "mere" 16 players last night. Busted out in seventh place, and it was pretty much an implosion of my own making.
Early on I had fun crippling "crippe", a very aggressive player who has yet to discover that aggression works only with selection. It doesn't do to fire into someone who has close to the nuts, when all you have is squa-doosh.
So with a big healthy stack of 4K plus as we took our places at the final table, I was ready to protect my chips and hopefully pick up a blind here and there to get to the money.
Now when I tell you I lost nearly half of my stack with the starting cards K2os, you may say - Chris, you're an idiot. Well, I'd have to say you'd be right.
Mistake one was even getting involved with these cards to begin with. It's one thing to be on the button or cut off or even hijack seat and take a shot at a blind steal; but I was in the small blind and limped. BIG error.
With only the big blind and button checking and limping, I got frisky and led out with a pot sized bet when I paired my two on an ugly flop. I was guessing I had the best hand at the moment, and it turned out I was right, but my big mistake wasn't firing a bet (it's a minor mistake, I should have just check folded, out of position and against two calling station types) - no, I can live with trying to take down a pot; my big mistake was overbetting. A slightly more than half the pot bet would have done the same thing and I would have saved me some chips. The BB folded, the button called. Error.
Two hearts on the board, so I figured he was on a flush draw. Turn came a ragged club, putting two clubs on the board. Great, something else for him to draw to. My opponent, Dinero, is a fair player who has cashed some and generally exhibits solid tendencies; he's not one to chase too often. Still, I knew what he was doing. His stack was dwindling and he was throwing up the hail Mary. My third mistake here was firing a big ass second barrel - I gave him a little too much credit as a poker player, because he insta-called. I knew he was drawing, and that he had made a shit call. But it was my own doing, and I felt deflated even before the river hit.
Now came what was ultimately the biggest mistake of the hand. The river came a seven of clubs. I should have trusted my initial read, heart draw, and gone all in on the river. I do that, he leaves. Instead I meekly checked. He was happy to turn over a 79 of hearts. Yes he had spiked middle pair on the river, and it beat my lousy deuces. Trash hand, trashy play. Bad call on the turn, questionable call on the flop. It was still my fault.
I know these guys well enough to recognize almost exactly the situation I'm in, yet when push came to shove I didn't have the heart this time to fire that third barrel. Again- my more easily correctable mistakes were early on, getting involved with garbage and leading out into two donkish players. But the lesson learned is, that though my reads were right on, it didn't matter because I didn't man up an do what needed to be done once I was committed to the hand - which was clearly on the turn. He wants my chips, he's got to put his tournament life on the line right now. Next time, if I'm stupid enough to bluff out of position with garbage, I will at least be able to look back and say - I fucking followed through.
On a lighter note, with a stack a former shell of itself, I still felt okay about my chances. I was in the lower half of the middle of the pack, but everyone below me was on life support. If I could bust some of these dinky guys, I'd be right back in it.
Then I ran into doyouphilme, another middle level player in our group who has mostly been off my radar. With him in the BB and a dinky stack on the button, I raised pre-flop with QJ suited from the hijack. The dinky stack called (nearly a quarter of his stack, I don't like that) and Phil defended. Three players.
Flop came Q x 10 with two spades. Phil checked. I did something stupid. With less than 2K in my stack and nearly 1K in the pot, I went all in. Years of playing with free chips have screwed up my game a bit here - betting for value in a free roll basically means punishing the super donkeys by betting for MAXIMUM value. That is, you are aiming to double through the idiots. Well, Phil is no idiot.
Dinky stack folded (probably a mistake, but hey, he lasted longer than me as you'll see.) Phil insta-called. He had Q 10. I was toast. My stack was now on life support. I would exit at his hands shortly thereafter.
I said this was a lighter note, and it actually is. Phil seriously outplayed me here, and I have to say though it stung at the time it does my heart good to see such a good poker play in our league. I have to give him much more mad respect now, though to be honest I never really caught too much of a whiff of donk from his direction. As I said, he's been mostly off my radar.
Phil went on, with solid play and good reads, to take the whole thing down. He made Cali his bitch in heads up. Cali had a decent night, though he confided in me that he felt off - and used good aggression towards the bubble and the end to build his stack. But when he got heads up he was waiting for good cards only. Phil picked up on this and managed to steal Cali blind.
Then Cali finally got a hand, pocket queens, and managed to slow play himself into oblivion - giving Phil the right prices to call all the way down to hit his gut shot on the river.
Cest' le poker'. I do love it so.
Early on I had fun crippling "crippe", a very aggressive player who has yet to discover that aggression works only with selection. It doesn't do to fire into someone who has close to the nuts, when all you have is squa-doosh.
So with a big healthy stack of 4K plus as we took our places at the final table, I was ready to protect my chips and hopefully pick up a blind here and there to get to the money.
Now when I tell you I lost nearly half of my stack with the starting cards K2os, you may say - Chris, you're an idiot. Well, I'd have to say you'd be right.
Mistake one was even getting involved with these cards to begin with. It's one thing to be on the button or cut off or even hijack seat and take a shot at a blind steal; but I was in the small blind and limped. BIG error.
With only the big blind and button checking and limping, I got frisky and led out with a pot sized bet when I paired my two on an ugly flop. I was guessing I had the best hand at the moment, and it turned out I was right, but my big mistake wasn't firing a bet (it's a minor mistake, I should have just check folded, out of position and against two calling station types) - no, I can live with trying to take down a pot; my big mistake was overbetting. A slightly more than half the pot bet would have done the same thing and I would have saved me some chips. The BB folded, the button called. Error.
Two hearts on the board, so I figured he was on a flush draw. Turn came a ragged club, putting two clubs on the board. Great, something else for him to draw to. My opponent, Dinero, is a fair player who has cashed some and generally exhibits solid tendencies; he's not one to chase too often. Still, I knew what he was doing. His stack was dwindling and he was throwing up the hail Mary. My third mistake here was firing a big ass second barrel - I gave him a little too much credit as a poker player, because he insta-called. I knew he was drawing, and that he had made a shit call. But it was my own doing, and I felt deflated even before the river hit.
Now came what was ultimately the biggest mistake of the hand. The river came a seven of clubs. I should have trusted my initial read, heart draw, and gone all in on the river. I do that, he leaves. Instead I meekly checked. He was happy to turn over a 79 of hearts. Yes he had spiked middle pair on the river, and it beat my lousy deuces. Trash hand, trashy play. Bad call on the turn, questionable call on the flop. It was still my fault.
I know these guys well enough to recognize almost exactly the situation I'm in, yet when push came to shove I didn't have the heart this time to fire that third barrel. Again- my more easily correctable mistakes were early on, getting involved with garbage and leading out into two donkish players. But the lesson learned is, that though my reads were right on, it didn't matter because I didn't man up an do what needed to be done once I was committed to the hand - which was clearly on the turn. He wants my chips, he's got to put his tournament life on the line right now. Next time, if I'm stupid enough to bluff out of position with garbage, I will at least be able to look back and say - I fucking followed through.
On a lighter note, with a stack a former shell of itself, I still felt okay about my chances. I was in the lower half of the middle of the pack, but everyone below me was on life support. If I could bust some of these dinky guys, I'd be right back in it.
Then I ran into doyouphilme, another middle level player in our group who has mostly been off my radar. With him in the BB and a dinky stack on the button, I raised pre-flop with QJ suited from the hijack. The dinky stack called (nearly a quarter of his stack, I don't like that) and Phil defended. Three players.
Flop came Q x 10 with two spades. Phil checked. I did something stupid. With less than 2K in my stack and nearly 1K in the pot, I went all in. Years of playing with free chips have screwed up my game a bit here - betting for value in a free roll basically means punishing the super donkeys by betting for MAXIMUM value. That is, you are aiming to double through the idiots. Well, Phil is no idiot.
Dinky stack folded (probably a mistake, but hey, he lasted longer than me as you'll see.) Phil insta-called. He had Q 10. I was toast. My stack was now on life support. I would exit at his hands shortly thereafter.
I said this was a lighter note, and it actually is. Phil seriously outplayed me here, and I have to say though it stung at the time it does my heart good to see such a good poker play in our league. I have to give him much more mad respect now, though to be honest I never really caught too much of a whiff of donk from his direction. As I said, he's been mostly off my radar.
Phil went on, with solid play and good reads, to take the whole thing down. He made Cali his bitch in heads up. Cali had a decent night, though he confided in me that he felt off - and used good aggression towards the bubble and the end to build his stack. But when he got heads up he was waiting for good cards only. Phil picked up on this and managed to steal Cali blind.
Then Cali finally got a hand, pocket queens, and managed to slow play himself into oblivion - giving Phil the right prices to call all the way down to hit his gut shot on the river.
Cest' le poker'. I do love it so.
Friday, May 9, 2008
T17 Flatline 2008.1 5/5/08
Haven't gotten around to going over this tourney yet, and don't know that I'll have time. I usually review the entire thing through the hand histories and replay feature of my poker software, but this week's been a blur of work and home obligations.
So allow me this brief recap without exact hands. Yes, I am posting at work - but after two extra long shifts and during a particularly long rendering session.
I finished third, in a field of 20 players. 20! That's our biggest group ever, and I must say it was a grueling and VERY fun time. I had great reads all night long, as well as fairly decent runs of starting cards. The third element, which is also required to do well, I'm glad to say was with me enough to make a difference. You guessed it, the element is luck.
I sucked out a couple of people here and there, and got runner-runnered myself a few times (thankfully no real devastating blows). I was able to crawl back into contention, and as the bubble approached I was grateful that players like Chipper would call off a quarter of their stack pre-flop and then fold to a too small continuation bet.
Cali of course had to send me into fits of tilt with his cold call of my raise with a 73 in his hand. But it was soooted! His flush draw didn't hit on the river, and thankfully I have learned to just check his passive ass down all the way, even though I was in position. Took the pot, and avoided giving myself a chance to go broke against a trash hand. Yay!
Sven, as we were down to four players; moved all in and Chipper insta called with A4. Yes that wasn't a typo. But it was soooooooted. Busto Chipper.
With three players, on the very next hand I believe I looked down at AK. I popped it, and Sven moved all in again. Time to put a stop to this crap. I guessed he probably had something like a middle pair or a suited baby ace. Hadn't he learned from Chipper not to put your tournament life at risk out of position with no information on what your opponent was holding?
Insta-call.
He turned over pocket tens. Again.
Whoops. Naturally I didn't hit, and that was all folks. I vigorously defended my call in the chat box from the regularly scheduled ridiculing railbird Ytrabbit. After a weeks reflection, I still like my move - but I'm not as in love with it as I was on the night.
Factors in my favor - the payoff was heavily weighted for first place. The difference between second and third? A mere $20! Sven was clearly the more dangerous of the two remaining opponents. (No offense Cali, but I also think Sven is better than me in a lot of ways). Better to bust him now than drag it out.
Factors against me - AK is a drawing hand plain and simple. I was gambling for my tournament life against the new big stack - with an unmade hand.
I'd probably make the same move again, but I would tank a bit more and give myself a chance to see how I really saw things. If this was a more serious $ stakes tourney, there's no doubt I would tank long and hard - and really think through all that I knew about my opponent.
If I could miraculously see his cards somehow, I wouldn't call AA, KK, QQ, JJ or 1010. I'm a huge dog to AA and KK, and the others take away outs from a possible straight. 9's or lower, I'm calling. AK is only a tiny underdog to these, and dominates any other combination of different cards with a king or ace.
Itching to play next monday. Live home cash game coming up on the 24th.
So allow me this brief recap without exact hands. Yes, I am posting at work - but after two extra long shifts and during a particularly long rendering session.
I finished third, in a field of 20 players. 20! That's our biggest group ever, and I must say it was a grueling and VERY fun time. I had great reads all night long, as well as fairly decent runs of starting cards. The third element, which is also required to do well, I'm glad to say was with me enough to make a difference. You guessed it, the element is luck.
I sucked out a couple of people here and there, and got runner-runnered myself a few times (thankfully no real devastating blows). I was able to crawl back into contention, and as the bubble approached I was grateful that players like Chipper would call off a quarter of their stack pre-flop and then fold to a too small continuation bet.
Cali of course had to send me into fits of tilt with his cold call of my raise with a 73 in his hand. But it was soooted! His flush draw didn't hit on the river, and thankfully I have learned to just check his passive ass down all the way, even though I was in position. Took the pot, and avoided giving myself a chance to go broke against a trash hand. Yay!
Sven, as we were down to four players; moved all in and Chipper insta called with A4. Yes that wasn't a typo. But it was soooooooted. Busto Chipper.
With three players, on the very next hand I believe I looked down at AK. I popped it, and Sven moved all in again. Time to put a stop to this crap. I guessed he probably had something like a middle pair or a suited baby ace. Hadn't he learned from Chipper not to put your tournament life at risk out of position with no information on what your opponent was holding?
Insta-call.
He turned over pocket tens. Again.
Whoops. Naturally I didn't hit, and that was all folks. I vigorously defended my call in the chat box from the regularly scheduled ridiculing railbird Ytrabbit. After a weeks reflection, I still like my move - but I'm not as in love with it as I was on the night.
Factors in my favor - the payoff was heavily weighted for first place. The difference between second and third? A mere $20! Sven was clearly the more dangerous of the two remaining opponents. (No offense Cali, but I also think Sven is better than me in a lot of ways). Better to bust him now than drag it out.
Factors against me - AK is a drawing hand plain and simple. I was gambling for my tournament life against the new big stack - with an unmade hand.
I'd probably make the same move again, but I would tank a bit more and give myself a chance to see how I really saw things. If this was a more serious $ stakes tourney, there's no doubt I would tank long and hard - and really think through all that I knew about my opponent.
If I could miraculously see his cards somehow, I wouldn't call AA, KK, QQ, JJ or 1010. I'm a huge dog to AA and KK, and the others take away outs from a possible straight. 9's or lower, I'm calling. AK is only a tiny underdog to these, and dominates any other combination of different cards with a king or ace.
Itching to play next monday. Live home cash game coming up on the 24th.
Monday, May 5, 2008
PSP Home Game Tourney 5/3/08
Good times. 14 players, my usual mix of decent players and newbies; ultra low stakes which keeps the mood light and social.
A $10 buy-in with multi-rebuys and a single add-on let's those on a budget play tight and save - while allowing the action junkies to push.
The world's most perfect home tourney blind structure (polished by me after years and years of doing this) guarantees everyone but the craziest player a good 90 minutes of play time, whilst also making sure that everyone gets the hell out by 1130 or so.
Costco cookies, plenty of cheep beer, two nifty poker table tops, mood lighting courtesy of my work; all encased in a roomy enough garage = a great night of low stakes, low stress home poker.
The game was what everybody plays (NLHE natch) but we also have been alternating by month, in June it'll be a H.O.R.S.E. limit tourney (that would be Hold-em, Omaha/8, Razz [seven stud low only], Seven Stud, and Seven Stud/8). I'm also even squeezing in a cash game before that! We'll see how long this lasts (how long the wife will put up with it that is).
And I'm happy to say I played about my best ever at one of my events; finishing second for a whopping $90 in prize money. I got lucky a few times, cracked someone's aces near the bubble (I felt for him) and otherwise dodged a few bullets; but my reads really felt great - especially against the smattering of VERY green players in the bunch. I think my years of playing free poker have really helped me weed out the poker-deficient players early - and play them differently than those with some modicum of skill
Of mild interest, were it not for the fickle mistress that is variance, I would have taken down the trophy. I played pretty darn brilliantly when it got to heads up, my opponent (Sven from the Flatline league) had a monster chip lead. And I managed to bob and weave, giving him walks when I was in the SB just often enough to make him think I was playing only solid hands, smacking him hard with bluffs and semi-bluffs to build my stack to the point where I actually had him covered.
I limped on the button pre-flop, he then min-raised and I called with K8s. The flop came rag-8-rag. He lead out with an all-in. I insta-called (must have been a subconscious read, I knew he didn't connect and I knew he didn't have a pair) and he grimaced at my cards. He had a middling ace, and of course he spiked it on the river.
I still managed to get my chips in with the best of it on the last hand, and he hit his flush draw on the turn. Ah well, I still felt really good - which says a lot about how far I've come as a poker player. That I'm now able to recognize, truthfully (not just because I'm pissed about losing) that I've made decent decisions and it's not in my control if Sven hits a 3 outer on the river - AND be at peace with it; gets me excited about playing the game for the long haul.
I"m afraid I'll have to flake out about recounting the last two online tournaments; let's just say I played horribly in the one two weeks ago (went out very early) and better but still not so great last week. After Saturday night's game, I know I'll be much more enthusiastic about posting tonight's go-round, no matter how I finish.
A $10 buy-in with multi-rebuys and a single add-on let's those on a budget play tight and save - while allowing the action junkies to push.
The world's most perfect home tourney blind structure (polished by me after years and years of doing this) guarantees everyone but the craziest player a good 90 minutes of play time, whilst also making sure that everyone gets the hell out by 1130 or so.
Costco cookies, plenty of cheep beer, two nifty poker table tops, mood lighting courtesy of my work; all encased in a roomy enough garage = a great night of low stakes, low stress home poker.
The game was what everybody plays (NLHE natch) but we also have been alternating by month, in June it'll be a H.O.R.S.E. limit tourney (that would be Hold-em, Omaha/8, Razz [seven stud low only], Seven Stud, and Seven Stud/8). I'm also even squeezing in a cash game before that! We'll see how long this lasts (how long the wife will put up with it that is).
And I'm happy to say I played about my best ever at one of my events; finishing second for a whopping $90 in prize money. I got lucky a few times, cracked someone's aces near the bubble (I felt for him) and otherwise dodged a few bullets; but my reads really felt great - especially against the smattering of VERY green players in the bunch. I think my years of playing free poker have really helped me weed out the poker-deficient players early - and play them differently than those with some modicum of skill
Of mild interest, were it not for the fickle mistress that is variance, I would have taken down the trophy. I played pretty darn brilliantly when it got to heads up, my opponent (Sven from the Flatline league) had a monster chip lead. And I managed to bob and weave, giving him walks when I was in the SB just often enough to make him think I was playing only solid hands, smacking him hard with bluffs and semi-bluffs to build my stack to the point where I actually had him covered.
I limped on the button pre-flop, he then min-raised and I called with K8s. The flop came rag-8-rag. He lead out with an all-in. I insta-called (must have been a subconscious read, I knew he didn't connect and I knew he didn't have a pair) and he grimaced at my cards. He had a middling ace, and of course he spiked it on the river.
I still managed to get my chips in with the best of it on the last hand, and he hit his flush draw on the turn. Ah well, I still felt really good - which says a lot about how far I've come as a poker player. That I'm now able to recognize, truthfully (not just because I'm pissed about losing) that I've made decent decisions and it's not in my control if Sven hits a 3 outer on the river - AND be at peace with it; gets me excited about playing the game for the long haul.
I"m afraid I'll have to flake out about recounting the last two online tournaments; let's just say I played horribly in the one two weeks ago (went out very early) and better but still not so great last week. After Saturday night's game, I know I'll be much more enthusiastic about posting tonight's go-round, no matter how I finish.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
T14 Flatline 2008.1 4/14/08
Boy I've been neglecting this blog, but not as much as you might think. If you read manzoniman, you'll know that I was in China for the last half of March and the first week of May.
No poker overseas I'm afraid, it's illegal in China and even in Hong Kong! Though they do have horse racing, sports betting and a lottery of course. The only place where a legal casino exists over there is the island city of Macau, and we didn't get to go there.
I missed T11 and T12. Upon my return I promptly slept, literally, through T13. Even though I was back in the US, I didn't play. My brain was awash in a fearsome haze of jet lag. The following week T14 turned out a little better.
I started off slow, but felt good even as I stole a little and lost a little more; I was surprised at how easy it was to get back in the flow. One thing I didn't like was that ytrabbit was on my right. Normally, you want stronger players on your right - so you can see what they do. But rabbit's style is so similar to mine, that he often pulls moves pre-flop (raises and steals on the button, cutoff or hijak) and I have to discard mediumish hands that I normally like to see cheap flops with.
To my left was perhaps the biggest donk in the whole league, Vikingjoe. (I don't mean this in any personal way, it's just that I consistently see really bad poker decisions by him. I'm sure he's a good guy). Though I didn't fear him, I was wary of his inability to recognize when he was being given the absolute wrong odds to call and draw. Thankfully ytrabbit took care of him early on.
1} Manzoni $1,110 4s 9c
3) Viking Joe $1,319 Kd Jc
5) ISAIAS41 $2,045 ?? ??
6) crippe $245 ?? ??
7) nacl $2,170 ?? ??
9) Sammy Ro $1,335 ?? ??
10) ytrabbit * $2,276 7s 7c
Manzoni posts small blind $15
Viking Joe posts big blind $30
ISAIAS41 folds
crippe folds
nacl folds
Sammy Ro folds
ytrabbit raises $60
Manzoni folds
Viking Joe calls $60
FLOP: 7h 5d Js
Viking Joe bets $30
ytrabbit calls $30
This is classic Viking, min betting and raising are his forte'. He fails to protect his top pair and gains zero information on rabbit's holdings - rabbit has the right price to call with just about any two cards - he's also a savvy enough player not to reveal that he's spiked trips. Interestingly, on the flip side, the min bet actually reveals a lot about Viking - since he always bets this way; Rabbit knows that Viking has something, and probably top pair.
TURN: 7h 5d Js 9s
Viking Joe bets $130
ytrabbit raises $515
Viking Joe calls $515
Rabbit springs the trap and Viking insta-calls. Thanks to Viking's min bet on third street, he has zero clue that his top pair with a less than perfect kicker is toast at this point. Incidentally, Rabbit is properly protecting his hand here just in case Viking has a flush draw.
RIVER: 7h 5d Js 9s 6c
Viking Joe checks
ytrabbit bets $1,511 (all-in)
Viking Joe calls $554 (all-in)
ytrabbit shows 7s 7c
Viking Joe mucks
Easy decision for Rabbit as to how much to bet, he knows Viking is unsophisticated and will probably think that his jack is the still the best hand. Rabbit also risks going broke over Viking backing into some weird gut-shot (J8 is a very probably holding for Viking believe it or not) but that's what you have to do against min-raising calling stations who have no clue how the game is played.
ytrabbit wins $2,653 with Three of a Kind, Sevens
So with uber-donk out of the way (a good thing in an ultra-turbo tournament) I was free to try and get Rabbit's chips. Easier said than done.
And before I could do that I had to win against Nacl. A good player who gets better every time I play him. Paradoxically, unlike Viking and his ilk, Nacl and Rabbit respect my play - so I'm able to get away with an occasional move. Case in point was the very next hand. Scary stuff.
1} Manzoni * $1,095 4d Jh
3) Miles 2 Go (sitting out)
5) ISAIAS41 $2,045 ?? ??
6) crippe $245 ?? ??
7) nacl $2,170 ?? ??
9) Sammy Ro $1,335 ?? ??
10) ytrabbit $3,610 ?? ??
ISAIAS41 posts big blind $30
crippe folds
nacl calls $30
Sammy Ro folds
ytrabbit folds
Manzoni calls $30
ISAIAS41 checks
FLOP: 9s Ac Jd
ISAIAS41 checks
nacl bets $90
I'm very sure at this point that Nacl has an Ace with a lame or even medium kicker. Since ISA didn't raise before the flop I can pretty much put him on not having big cards. Knowing that Nacl is capable of folding if he thinks he's beat, I make a move.
Manzoni raises $270
ISAIAS41 folds
nacl calls $270
Not crazy about the call, with only 700 left, I'm committed. I decide to move all in if he checks, before the turn card comes.
TURN: 9s Ac Jd 9c
nacl checks
Manzoni bets $705 (all-in)
nacl folds
Manzoni wins $810 uncontested
He did tank for what seemed an eternity, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief when he finally let his ace go. Thank goodness for players who know what they're doing. My betting was a lie, but it was a lie that said I had AK or AQ, or even AJ. He would be crippled if he was beaten; he rightfully respected my position and got away from a small (for him) pot.
Now if most of the rest of the players in the league, whom are fine fellas, but mostly poker retards, would just get on the ball - I could steal them blind! Well, probably not; the key in this game I've found is not only target selection, but circumstance selection as well. Nacl had just recently won a large pot, I had lost a third of my stack - I know his nature is to tighten up when he builds a chip lead; subconsciously I just knew it was time to go.
I coasted for awhile, keeping my stack up by stealing and hitting occasionally and winning most of my pots uncontested. Then, as is often the case in our league; lady luck smiled and my opponent made a colossally bad decision.
1} Manzoni $1,890 Qc Jc
3) Miles 2 Go * $1,365 Ad Jh
5) ISAIAS41 $2,303 ?? ??
9) Sammy Ro $1,038 ?? ??
10) ytrabbit $2,147 ?? ??
ISAIAS41 posts small blind $50
Sammy Ro posts big blind $100
ytrabbit folds
Manzoni raises $125
I'm in the cutoff five handed, so QJ suited is a nice healthy set of cards to pop it with. Even if I'd had rags, I might try to steal here - Miles is probably the tightest player in the league.
Miles 2 Go calls $225
I don't like this. Miles probably has AK or similar. Maybe a chunky middle pair or even 10's or Jacks - though at this point he'd be likely to push with those. I'm out of position against him, and I'm pre-planning in my mind now that I'm ready to give up the hand if it's not a favorable flop.
ISAIAS41 folds
Sammy Ro folds
FLOP: Th 8s 9c
Bingo bango bongo. Against most of the monkeys in this league, I would ABC here - check raise. But Miles is a good player, and sharp to my ways. So leading out with a pot sized bet seems pretty deceptive here. I typically continuation bet 2/3 or the full pot even if I don't hit. I know he knows this, he's liable to think I'm pulling my typical full of shit move.
Manzoni bets $600
Miles 2 Go raises $540 (all-in)
Manzoni calls $540
Wow, he's come over the top of my nuts. For a moment I'm guessing he has the same two cards as me, then I figure he's gotta have a set. The low end of the straight he's folding pre-flop. I'm shocked to see...
Manzoni shows Qc Jc
Miles 2 Go shows Ad Jh
Open ended straight draw? He must really think I had nothing and was pulling my usual steal stuff. He failed to notice my $600 raise was basically committing me to the pot. I would never have pulled the trigger that big if I didn't have something. The great thing about being aggressive, and stealing and seeing a lot of flops - is that perceptive players like Miles eventually realize that you're splashing around chips a lot of times when you shouldn't be; and then they lower their standards.
I also think in this particular case, with Miles down to just over 1K, he realized it was time for him to get some chips or get out. Still, I think if he had stopped to really think it through - if I have two pair (a raise pre-flop with a suited connecter is very likely by me) or even trips (even more likely) he is getting the absolute wrong odds to draw to eight outs. He also can't seriously think that I'm firing with a pair of nines and a good kicker - I've got two pair minimum; and in that case he can't count the three remaining aces (or the potentially three remaining jacks) as outs and should fold. Ah well, glad he screwed up.
TURN: Th 8s 9c 5s
RIVER: Th 8s 9c 5s Kd
Manzoni wins $2,880 with a King High Straight
So then I have almost 3K and we're down to one table and that's when the fun begins. Somebody has donated to Nacl (who left our first table a while back) he now has 3K+. Somebody else (probably a super-donk) has given a boatload of chips to perhaps the most dangerous donkey in the leaugue. Rowser, he has over 4K in chips. Yikes.
I've said it before in this blog; Rowser is blessed with an uncanny ability to read where he is in a hand and mostly stay out of trouble; but he has no concept of what pot odds are or even the thought of what an idiot end of a straight or flush is. His natural aggression as a poker player, makes him deadly though if he gets some ammunition.
As the blinds escelated, I slowly drifted down to 2500K, while Rabbit got crippled playing a big blind special (K3) that spiked top pair out of position against a semi-bluff by Rowser that hit for the nuts on the turn. Fold K3 please, even as a big blind special that hits - it's just such a crap kicker; even Rowser isn't likely to be firing without something that can damage you.
He was crippled with the blinds at 100/200 when...
1} Manzoni $3,605 9d 9s
3) nacl * $3,532 ?? ??
5) ytrabbit $1,449 Js As
6) rowser $8,358 ?? ??
7) cali Al $4,003 ?? ??
8) ISAIAS41 $1,553 ?? ??
ytrabbit posts small blind $100
rowser posts big blind $200
cali Al folds
ISAIAS41 folds
Manzoni calls $200
nacl folds
ytrabbit raises $1,249 (all-in)
rowser folds
He's desperate, 300 is a lot, a third of his stack. Worth a steal. This is an easy insta-call for me.
Manzoni calls $1,249
Manzoni shows 9d 9s
ytrabbit shows Js As
FLOP: 3c Ah 8c
TURN: 3c Ah 8c 5s
RIVER: 3c Ah 8c 5s Qd
ytrabbit wins $3,098 with a Pair of Aces
Cali, who had luck-boxed his way into 4K+ by this point, was incredulous in the chat box. Cali, who reads this, should know that if I have a chance to bust the most dangerous player at the table with not too much damage to my stack - I'm taking it, EVERY TIME. A third of my stack is a lot - but I knew I could still steal and get by with just over 2K if I had to.
And that's what I did for quite a few hands afterwards. I stole a bit, with all in moves against the right targets at the right time; and even managed to "steal" by getting no callers with Kings and Aces on two different occasions. (I was hoping my thieving reputation would get looked up, but the table definitely played tight.)
Then ISA had a brain fart.
1} Manzoni $2,556 Js Jc
3) nacl $3,982 ?? ??
5) ytrabbit $2,898 ?? ??
6) rowser $8,108 ?? ??
7) cali Al $3,403 ?? ??
8) ISAIAS41 * $1,553 8c Tc
Manzoni posts small blind $100
nacl posts big blind $200
ytrabbit folds
rowser folds
cali Al folds
ISAIAS41 raises $800
Manzoni raises $1,556 (all-in)
nacl folds
ISAIAS41 calls $553 (all-in)
Manzoni shows Js Jc
ISAIAS41 shows 8c Tc
FLOP: 5c Jh 4d
TURN: 5c Jh 4d Kh
RIVER: 5c Jh 4d Kh 4c
Manzoni wins $3,306 with a Full House, Jacks over Fours
First of all, yes, I'm short stacked with the blinds at 100/200, so Jacks I'm going all in with even if it's calling another all-in. (Two all-in's behind me, I have to think about it.) But this bizarre behavior of betting over half of your stack doesn't make any sense to me. Yes, it alerts me that you're committing to the hand just as an all in would - but it gives a larger stack a chance to call and then possibly hit something on the flop. If you move all your chips in, you've put your fear and fold equity to the max and given yourself the best chance to win the pot right then and there. I really hope ISA and his pot-raising while short stacked ilk don't read this and catch on.
Now my stack is muck healthier, 4K+; time to shift gears and tighten up. Most of the table were not long for this world. Rowser, as the big stack, did exactly what he should have - pumped up the aggression. Taking pot after pot uncontested. It really took it's toll on the smaller stacks. Eventually Nacl pushed with sevens, and Cali made an ill-advised call with sixes. Hey Cali, google "Sklansky's Gap Principle". Love ya man!
Cali actually stuck around even though crippled (as he is wont to do) and built his stack up quite a bit. Helped by me when he
donked it up calling my big bet with 83. But it was soooted. Naturally he flopped trips. It's okay, I don't want to discourage this kind of play, but it is a bit hard on the blood pressure. In all fairness, the blinds were a third of his stack at this point - he had little choice but to hold his nose and call.
Happily, I got it all back and more on the next two pots - even doubling up against Rowser who was unlucky enough to be holding JQos (a monster set of starting cards in his mind) when I caught A10 and pushed. Cali had to contend with Rowsers love of all cards when his pre-flop push with 9's got called down by a baby ace by Rowser - who naturally hit on the flop.
Four players left. Bubble time. We all had 4kish, except for Rowser who had luck on his side and parlayed his less than selective aggression into a 2 to 1 chip lead. He continued his aggression, raising blindly and getting away with it until...
1} Manzoni $3,517 6d Kd
3) nacl $2,768 ?? ??
5) ytrabbit * $4,179 ?? ??
6) rowser $12,036 ?? ??
Manzoni antes $25
nacl antes $25
ytrabbit antes $25
rowser antes $25
rowser posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
nacl folds
ytrabbit folds
rowser raises $1,200
I've had it, the blinds are gi-normous. I pre planned this one, knowing I was going to shove after Rowser's crap (but at this stage) effective min-raise. I clicked the Jam box (all-in) ahead of time and waited for the donk to pop it. .
Manzoni raises $1,692 (all-in)
He was alarmed in the chat box, with the auto-selection I basically beat him into the pot. He tanked all the way down and auto-folded
rowser folds
Manzoni wins $3,700 uncontested
This is perhaps one of the single greatest examples ever of Rowser's utter inability to grasp the math of the game. A chance to eliminate one of the most dangerous players at the table, without ANY real damage to his stack; plus the right odds to call with basically ANY two cards.
And he folds.
Jesus H. I knew he would call my jam ahead of time, I was just praying for two live cards and a chance to suck him out - ala' Cali with his 83 against me.
And instead he folded.
Ohhhhhkay. I had to laugh, and collect my chips. Back in it, with an excellent chance to cash - now I had over 5K in chips.
Thanks man! Love you!
Allow me to stop here, and say that for all my disdain for Rowser's play, because it is very different from mine; let me just say that honestly - he has a gift and a feel for the game that no matter how hard I study and practice, I will probably never get. It's hard wired with him, and I really do respect his game, if not his technical play. He runs very hot and cold in the league, he has what they call a high variance. When it is down to 3 or 4 handed and he has some chips, he is without a doubt the very BIGGEST threat at the table. He is also my oldest and dearest friend, and FAR smarter than me in so many areas it's not even funny.
I sat back and was fully prepared to fold my way to the money. I had bubbled out twice before this season, and did not want that sting again. I expected to see Rowser bludgeon the two shorter stacks then myself until one took a stand and hopefully busted. Turned out, the two short stacks turned on each other; Rabbit busted Nacl's pocket fives by calling down his shove with a baby ace and spiking on the flop.
And then there were 3. Now I was the shortest stack, and frankly I didn't like my chances. I was just glad to have cashed.
Rowser continued to bully, we submitted. Then Rabbit got a little bit unlucky when his Jacks fell to Rowsers (correct) call with QKos.
Heads up baby. No time for niceties; I pushed in every hand when I was on the button. It was going to be a coin flip, my stack was just two small. For several hands, much to my surprise, he folded to my raises. Then I got unlucky. I had JK on the button, more than good enough. Push.
He slow rolled me with Aces. I had to laugh as Rabbit railed him for his dick move. His hand held up, and completely oblivious to his faux-pas' he signed off with a smarmy farwell. I chuckled, I know Rowser had no idea that he had done anything wrong. What he had done right, was play with tremendous aggression in the last half hour of play; entering nearly every pot with a raise. Well done sir! I salute your game!
And I'm pleased as punch I got second. Next week - an early exit.
No poker overseas I'm afraid, it's illegal in China and even in Hong Kong! Though they do have horse racing, sports betting and a lottery of course. The only place where a legal casino exists over there is the island city of Macau, and we didn't get to go there.
I missed T11 and T12. Upon my return I promptly slept, literally, through T13. Even though I was back in the US, I didn't play. My brain was awash in a fearsome haze of jet lag. The following week T14 turned out a little better.
I started off slow, but felt good even as I stole a little and lost a little more; I was surprised at how easy it was to get back in the flow. One thing I didn't like was that ytrabbit was on my right. Normally, you want stronger players on your right - so you can see what they do. But rabbit's style is so similar to mine, that he often pulls moves pre-flop (raises and steals on the button, cutoff or hijak) and I have to discard mediumish hands that I normally like to see cheap flops with.
To my left was perhaps the biggest donk in the whole league, Vikingjoe. (I don't mean this in any personal way, it's just that I consistently see really bad poker decisions by him. I'm sure he's a good guy). Though I didn't fear him, I was wary of his inability to recognize when he was being given the absolute wrong odds to call and draw. Thankfully ytrabbit took care of him early on.
1} Manzoni $1,110 4s 9c
3) Viking Joe $1,319 Kd Jc
5) ISAIAS41 $2,045 ?? ??
6) crippe $245 ?? ??
7) nacl $2,170 ?? ??
9) Sammy Ro $1,335 ?? ??
10) ytrabbit * $2,276 7s 7c
Manzoni posts small blind $15
Viking Joe posts big blind $30
ISAIAS41 folds
crippe folds
nacl folds
Sammy Ro folds
ytrabbit raises $60
Manzoni folds
Viking Joe calls $60
FLOP: 7h 5d Js
Viking Joe bets $30
ytrabbit calls $30
This is classic Viking, min betting and raising are his forte'. He fails to protect his top pair and gains zero information on rabbit's holdings - rabbit has the right price to call with just about any two cards - he's also a savvy enough player not to reveal that he's spiked trips. Interestingly, on the flip side, the min bet actually reveals a lot about Viking - since he always bets this way; Rabbit knows that Viking has something, and probably top pair.
TURN: 7h 5d Js 9s
Viking Joe bets $130
ytrabbit raises $515
Viking Joe calls $515
Rabbit springs the trap and Viking insta-calls. Thanks to Viking's min bet on third street, he has zero clue that his top pair with a less than perfect kicker is toast at this point. Incidentally, Rabbit is properly protecting his hand here just in case Viking has a flush draw.
RIVER: 7h 5d Js 9s 6c
Viking Joe checks
ytrabbit bets $1,511 (all-in)
Viking Joe calls $554 (all-in)
ytrabbit shows 7s 7c
Viking Joe mucks
Easy decision for Rabbit as to how much to bet, he knows Viking is unsophisticated and will probably think that his jack is the still the best hand. Rabbit also risks going broke over Viking backing into some weird gut-shot (J8 is a very probably holding for Viking believe it or not) but that's what you have to do against min-raising calling stations who have no clue how the game is played.
ytrabbit wins $2,653 with Three of a Kind, Sevens
So with uber-donk out of the way (a good thing in an ultra-turbo tournament) I was free to try and get Rabbit's chips. Easier said than done.
And before I could do that I had to win against Nacl. A good player who gets better every time I play him. Paradoxically, unlike Viking and his ilk, Nacl and Rabbit respect my play - so I'm able to get away with an occasional move. Case in point was the very next hand. Scary stuff.
1} Manzoni * $1,095 4d Jh
3) Miles 2 Go (sitting out)
5) ISAIAS41 $2,045 ?? ??
6) crippe $245 ?? ??
7) nacl $2,170 ?? ??
9) Sammy Ro $1,335 ?? ??
10) ytrabbit $3,610 ?? ??
ISAIAS41 posts big blind $30
crippe folds
nacl calls $30
Sammy Ro folds
ytrabbit folds
Manzoni calls $30
ISAIAS41 checks
FLOP: 9s Ac Jd
ISAIAS41 checks
nacl bets $90
I'm very sure at this point that Nacl has an Ace with a lame or even medium kicker. Since ISA didn't raise before the flop I can pretty much put him on not having big cards. Knowing that Nacl is capable of folding if he thinks he's beat, I make a move.
Manzoni raises $270
ISAIAS41 folds
nacl calls $270
Not crazy about the call, with only 700 left, I'm committed. I decide to move all in if he checks, before the turn card comes.
TURN: 9s Ac Jd 9c
nacl checks
Manzoni bets $705 (all-in)
nacl folds
Manzoni wins $810 uncontested
He did tank for what seemed an eternity, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief when he finally let his ace go. Thank goodness for players who know what they're doing. My betting was a lie, but it was a lie that said I had AK or AQ, or even AJ. He would be crippled if he was beaten; he rightfully respected my position and got away from a small (for him) pot.
Now if most of the rest of the players in the league, whom are fine fellas, but mostly poker retards, would just get on the ball - I could steal them blind! Well, probably not; the key in this game I've found is not only target selection, but circumstance selection as well. Nacl had just recently won a large pot, I had lost a third of my stack - I know his nature is to tighten up when he builds a chip lead; subconsciously I just knew it was time to go.
I coasted for awhile, keeping my stack up by stealing and hitting occasionally and winning most of my pots uncontested. Then, as is often the case in our league; lady luck smiled and my opponent made a colossally bad decision.
1} Manzoni $1,890 Qc Jc
3) Miles 2 Go * $1,365 Ad Jh
5) ISAIAS41 $2,303 ?? ??
9) Sammy Ro $1,038 ?? ??
10) ytrabbit $2,147 ?? ??
ISAIAS41 posts small blind $50
Sammy Ro posts big blind $100
ytrabbit folds
Manzoni raises $125
I'm in the cutoff five handed, so QJ suited is a nice healthy set of cards to pop it with. Even if I'd had rags, I might try to steal here - Miles is probably the tightest player in the league.
Miles 2 Go calls $225
I don't like this. Miles probably has AK or similar. Maybe a chunky middle pair or even 10's or Jacks - though at this point he'd be likely to push with those. I'm out of position against him, and I'm pre-planning in my mind now that I'm ready to give up the hand if it's not a favorable flop.
ISAIAS41 folds
Sammy Ro folds
FLOP: Th 8s 9c
Bingo bango bongo. Against most of the monkeys in this league, I would ABC here - check raise. But Miles is a good player, and sharp to my ways. So leading out with a pot sized bet seems pretty deceptive here. I typically continuation bet 2/3 or the full pot even if I don't hit. I know he knows this, he's liable to think I'm pulling my typical full of shit move.
Manzoni bets $600
Miles 2 Go raises $540 (all-in)
Manzoni calls $540
Wow, he's come over the top of my nuts. For a moment I'm guessing he has the same two cards as me, then I figure he's gotta have a set. The low end of the straight he's folding pre-flop. I'm shocked to see...
Manzoni shows Qc Jc
Miles 2 Go shows Ad Jh
Open ended straight draw? He must really think I had nothing and was pulling my usual steal stuff. He failed to notice my $600 raise was basically committing me to the pot. I would never have pulled the trigger that big if I didn't have something. The great thing about being aggressive, and stealing and seeing a lot of flops - is that perceptive players like Miles eventually realize that you're splashing around chips a lot of times when you shouldn't be; and then they lower their standards.
I also think in this particular case, with Miles down to just over 1K, he realized it was time for him to get some chips or get out. Still, I think if he had stopped to really think it through - if I have two pair (a raise pre-flop with a suited connecter is very likely by me) or even trips (even more likely) he is getting the absolute wrong odds to draw to eight outs. He also can't seriously think that I'm firing with a pair of nines and a good kicker - I've got two pair minimum; and in that case he can't count the three remaining aces (or the potentially three remaining jacks) as outs and should fold. Ah well, glad he screwed up.
TURN: Th 8s 9c 5s
RIVER: Th 8s 9c 5s Kd
Manzoni wins $2,880 with a King High Straight
So then I have almost 3K and we're down to one table and that's when the fun begins. Somebody has donated to Nacl (who left our first table a while back) he now has 3K+. Somebody else (probably a super-donk) has given a boatload of chips to perhaps the most dangerous donkey in the leaugue. Rowser, he has over 4K in chips. Yikes.
I've said it before in this blog; Rowser is blessed with an uncanny ability to read where he is in a hand and mostly stay out of trouble; but he has no concept of what pot odds are or even the thought of what an idiot end of a straight or flush is. His natural aggression as a poker player, makes him deadly though if he gets some ammunition.
As the blinds escelated, I slowly drifted down to 2500K, while Rabbit got crippled playing a big blind special (K3) that spiked top pair out of position against a semi-bluff by Rowser that hit for the nuts on the turn. Fold K3 please, even as a big blind special that hits - it's just such a crap kicker; even Rowser isn't likely to be firing without something that can damage you.
He was crippled with the blinds at 100/200 when...
1} Manzoni $3,605 9d 9s
3) nacl * $3,532 ?? ??
5) ytrabbit $1,449 Js As
6) rowser $8,358 ?? ??
7) cali Al $4,003 ?? ??
8) ISAIAS41 $1,553 ?? ??
ytrabbit posts small blind $100
rowser posts big blind $200
cali Al folds
ISAIAS41 folds
Manzoni calls $200
nacl folds
ytrabbit raises $1,249 (all-in)
rowser folds
He's desperate, 300 is a lot, a third of his stack. Worth a steal. This is an easy insta-call for me.
Manzoni calls $1,249
Manzoni shows 9d 9s
ytrabbit shows Js As
FLOP: 3c Ah 8c
TURN: 3c Ah 8c 5s
RIVER: 3c Ah 8c 5s Qd
ytrabbit wins $3,098 with a Pair of Aces
Cali, who had luck-boxed his way into 4K+ by this point, was incredulous in the chat box. Cali, who reads this, should know that if I have a chance to bust the most dangerous player at the table with not too much damage to my stack - I'm taking it, EVERY TIME. A third of my stack is a lot - but I knew I could still steal and get by with just over 2K if I had to.
And that's what I did for quite a few hands afterwards. I stole a bit, with all in moves against the right targets at the right time; and even managed to "steal" by getting no callers with Kings and Aces on two different occasions. (I was hoping my thieving reputation would get looked up, but the table definitely played tight.)
Then ISA had a brain fart.
1} Manzoni $2,556 Js Jc
3) nacl $3,982 ?? ??
5) ytrabbit $2,898 ?? ??
6) rowser $8,108 ?? ??
7) cali Al $3,403 ?? ??
8) ISAIAS41 * $1,553 8c Tc
Manzoni posts small blind $100
nacl posts big blind $200
ytrabbit folds
rowser folds
cali Al folds
ISAIAS41 raises $800
Manzoni raises $1,556 (all-in)
nacl folds
ISAIAS41 calls $553 (all-in)
Manzoni shows Js Jc
ISAIAS41 shows 8c Tc
FLOP: 5c Jh 4d
TURN: 5c Jh 4d Kh
RIVER: 5c Jh 4d Kh 4c
Manzoni wins $3,306 with a Full House, Jacks over Fours
First of all, yes, I'm short stacked with the blinds at 100/200, so Jacks I'm going all in with even if it's calling another all-in. (Two all-in's behind me, I have to think about it.) But this bizarre behavior of betting over half of your stack doesn't make any sense to me. Yes, it alerts me that you're committing to the hand just as an all in would - but it gives a larger stack a chance to call and then possibly hit something on the flop. If you move all your chips in, you've put your fear and fold equity to the max and given yourself the best chance to win the pot right then and there. I really hope ISA and his pot-raising while short stacked ilk don't read this and catch on.
Now my stack is muck healthier, 4K+; time to shift gears and tighten up. Most of the table were not long for this world. Rowser, as the big stack, did exactly what he should have - pumped up the aggression. Taking pot after pot uncontested. It really took it's toll on the smaller stacks. Eventually Nacl pushed with sevens, and Cali made an ill-advised call with sixes. Hey Cali, google "Sklansky's Gap Principle". Love ya man!
Cali actually stuck around even though crippled (as he is wont to do) and built his stack up quite a bit. Helped by me when he
donked it up calling my big bet with 83. But it was soooted. Naturally he flopped trips. It's okay, I don't want to discourage this kind of play, but it is a bit hard on the blood pressure. In all fairness, the blinds were a third of his stack at this point - he had little choice but to hold his nose and call.
Happily, I got it all back and more on the next two pots - even doubling up against Rowser who was unlucky enough to be holding JQos (a monster set of starting cards in his mind) when I caught A10 and pushed. Cali had to contend with Rowsers love of all cards when his pre-flop push with 9's got called down by a baby ace by Rowser - who naturally hit on the flop.
Four players left. Bubble time. We all had 4kish, except for Rowser who had luck on his side and parlayed his less than selective aggression into a 2 to 1 chip lead. He continued his aggression, raising blindly and getting away with it until...
1} Manzoni $3,517 6d Kd
3) nacl $2,768 ?? ??
5) ytrabbit * $4,179 ?? ??
6) rowser $12,036 ?? ??
Manzoni antes $25
nacl antes $25
ytrabbit antes $25
rowser antes $25
rowser posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
nacl folds
ytrabbit folds
rowser raises $1,200
I've had it, the blinds are gi-normous. I pre planned this one, knowing I was going to shove after Rowser's crap (but at this stage) effective min-raise. I clicked the Jam box (all-in) ahead of time and waited for the donk to pop it. .
Manzoni raises $1,692 (all-in)
He was alarmed in the chat box, with the auto-selection I basically beat him into the pot. He tanked all the way down and auto-folded
rowser folds
Manzoni wins $3,700 uncontested
This is perhaps one of the single greatest examples ever of Rowser's utter inability to grasp the math of the game. A chance to eliminate one of the most dangerous players at the table, without ANY real damage to his stack; plus the right odds to call with basically ANY two cards.
And he folds.
Jesus H. I knew he would call my jam ahead of time, I was just praying for two live cards and a chance to suck him out - ala' Cali with his 83 against me.
And instead he folded.
Ohhhhhkay. I had to laugh, and collect my chips. Back in it, with an excellent chance to cash - now I had over 5K in chips.
Thanks man! Love you!
Allow me to stop here, and say that for all my disdain for Rowser's play, because it is very different from mine; let me just say that honestly - he has a gift and a feel for the game that no matter how hard I study and practice, I will probably never get. It's hard wired with him, and I really do respect his game, if not his technical play. He runs very hot and cold in the league, he has what they call a high variance. When it is down to 3 or 4 handed and he has some chips, he is without a doubt the very BIGGEST threat at the table. He is also my oldest and dearest friend, and FAR smarter than me in so many areas it's not even funny.
I sat back and was fully prepared to fold my way to the money. I had bubbled out twice before this season, and did not want that sting again. I expected to see Rowser bludgeon the two shorter stacks then myself until one took a stand and hopefully busted. Turned out, the two short stacks turned on each other; Rabbit busted Nacl's pocket fives by calling down his shove with a baby ace and spiking on the flop.
And then there were 3. Now I was the shortest stack, and frankly I didn't like my chances. I was just glad to have cashed.
Rowser continued to bully, we submitted. Then Rabbit got a little bit unlucky when his Jacks fell to Rowsers (correct) call with QKos.
Heads up baby. No time for niceties; I pushed in every hand when I was on the button. It was going to be a coin flip, my stack was just two small. For several hands, much to my surprise, he folded to my raises. Then I got unlucky. I had JK on the button, more than good enough. Push.
He slow rolled me with Aces. I had to laugh as Rabbit railed him for his dick move. His hand held up, and completely oblivious to his faux-pas' he signed off with a smarmy farwell. I chuckled, I know Rowser had no idea that he had done anything wrong. What he had done right, was play with tremendous aggression in the last half hour of play; entering nearly every pot with a raise. Well done sir! I salute your game!
And I'm pleased as punch I got second. Next week - an early exit.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
T9 Flatline 2008.1 3/4/08
Ill advised.
Those are the best words I could use to describe the maneuver I tried to pull after our 17 players had been whittled down to just 9, about halfway through last nights tournament.
I'd had a great night so far, building a stack simply by stealing the blinds on occasion and reading people correctly and pushing them off of hands. I hadn't caught any cards to speak of - it was pure intuitive skill that saw my stack grow to 2500+ from a starting stack of 1500.
When we got to a single table, a couple of moves I made - plus a couple of decent hands I started with, didn't pan out. So I was around my starting stack when I woke up on the button with pocket fours. My standard raise of 2.5x the big blind had been working well, so I popped it. The big blind, Cali, flat called. He had folded at least twice before to me, so I knew he had something.
Flop came 89k rainbow. Cali lead out with 300. A terrible bet that told me immediately he hadn't connected with the flop. He hits with his KJ he'll bet less, fearful of my kicker. If he has AK he'll value bet more to punish me for staying. (As an aside, if he had AK pre-flop he should have raised then, but he is pretty passive with drawing hands - even the best one in the deck). He runs into a set with 8's or 9's he'll check and try to slow play. This was clearly a "leading" bet, trying to take the pot right then and there. I pondered, and decided he had a smaller pair, or possibly he was semi-bluffing with an open ended straight draw. Either way, I'm getting him off of this hand.
To his credit, he did tank long and hard when I pushed all-in over the top; but eventually he did call with pocket sixes. So much for Doyle Brunson 101 poker. I put the tough decision to him, he wasn't nearly committed to the hand, he could have easily (and should have as far as I'm concerned) figured it out and folded. If I was him, I would have put me on AK or even a middle pocket pair, respected the power of position and laid it down.
But therein lies my biggest mistake. I'm not him. He was willing to risk almost the entirety of his stack because he's fallen in love with a pair of sixes, out of position. And he thinks I'm always trying to steal, cause he reads this blog.
A small part of me does give him credit for reading me well, and there's no doubt that he had information on me. But unless you're Patrick Antonius, you have no idea if I have pocket 4's or pocket 7's. I know he was tilting from his poor play earlier (calling pre-flop with J7os out of position is one lovely play that springs to mind) and I knew that as long as he couldn't get away when he was beaten, he was not long for this tournament. He busted out in sixth place.
Once again, I have learned the lesson to play the player and not just the cards. I've had my biggest successes with Cali simply by having the a very strong hand and moving all in. He is, as far as I can see, unable to discern a good position bet from the stone cold nuts. As long as he keeps calling me down when he gets just a piece of the flop or a pocket pair, I stand to crush him on a regular basis.
Next week; more patient with Cali and his ilk. Stay frosty with the tricksters.
Those are the best words I could use to describe the maneuver I tried to pull after our 17 players had been whittled down to just 9, about halfway through last nights tournament.
I'd had a great night so far, building a stack simply by stealing the blinds on occasion and reading people correctly and pushing them off of hands. I hadn't caught any cards to speak of - it was pure intuitive skill that saw my stack grow to 2500+ from a starting stack of 1500.
When we got to a single table, a couple of moves I made - plus a couple of decent hands I started with, didn't pan out. So I was around my starting stack when I woke up on the button with pocket fours. My standard raise of 2.5x the big blind had been working well, so I popped it. The big blind, Cali, flat called. He had folded at least twice before to me, so I knew he had something.
Flop came 89k rainbow. Cali lead out with 300. A terrible bet that told me immediately he hadn't connected with the flop. He hits with his KJ he'll bet less, fearful of my kicker. If he has AK he'll value bet more to punish me for staying. (As an aside, if he had AK pre-flop he should have raised then, but he is pretty passive with drawing hands - even the best one in the deck). He runs into a set with 8's or 9's he'll check and try to slow play. This was clearly a "leading" bet, trying to take the pot right then and there. I pondered, and decided he had a smaller pair, or possibly he was semi-bluffing with an open ended straight draw. Either way, I'm getting him off of this hand.
To his credit, he did tank long and hard when I pushed all-in over the top; but eventually he did call with pocket sixes. So much for Doyle Brunson 101 poker. I put the tough decision to him, he wasn't nearly committed to the hand, he could have easily (and should have as far as I'm concerned) figured it out and folded. If I was him, I would have put me on AK or even a middle pocket pair, respected the power of position and laid it down.
But therein lies my biggest mistake. I'm not him. He was willing to risk almost the entirety of his stack because he's fallen in love with a pair of sixes, out of position. And he thinks I'm always trying to steal, cause he reads this blog.
A small part of me does give him credit for reading me well, and there's no doubt that he had information on me. But unless you're Patrick Antonius, you have no idea if I have pocket 4's or pocket 7's. I know he was tilting from his poor play earlier (calling pre-flop with J7os out of position is one lovely play that springs to mind) and I knew that as long as he couldn't get away when he was beaten, he was not long for this tournament. He busted out in sixth place.
Once again, I have learned the lesson to play the player and not just the cards. I've had my biggest successes with Cali simply by having the a very strong hand and moving all in. He is, as far as I can see, unable to discern a good position bet from the stone cold nuts. As long as he keeps calling me down when he gets just a piece of the flop or a pocket pair, I stand to crush him on a regular basis.
Next week; more patient with Cali and his ilk. Stay frosty with the tricksters.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
T8 Flatline 2008.1 2/25/08
Fifth hand of the night.
1} Manzoni $1,500 Ac Ad
2) crippe * $1,455 ?? ??
3) timmytimmy $1,440 ?? ??
4) cali Al $1,360 ?? ??
5) Miles 2 Go $1,500 ?? ??
7) rowser $1,500 ?? ??
8) The Rubin $1,795 ?? ??
10) YourDinero $1,450 ?? ??
timmytimmy posts small blind $10
cali Al posts big blind $20
Miles 2 Go folds
rowser folds
The Rubin calls $20
YourDinero folds
Manzoni raises $70
crippe folds
timmytimmy folds
cali Al calls $70
The Rubin calls $70
FLOP: 7d 2h 9d
cali Al bets $140
The Rubin folds
Manzoni raises $210
cali Al calls $210
TURN: 7d 2h 9d Jd
cali Al bets $920 (all-in)
Manzoni folds
cali Al wins $980 uncontested
I'm not crazy with my play here, my raise pre-flop is fair against sensible players - but the two calling stations Cali and Ruben (who was actually Ruben's wife) felt they were getting the right price to call. I like making my bets Ferguson style, keeping the bets the same based on position, rather than on what cards I have - it makes me tougher to read I think. In late position I need to be firing 4 or 5x BB, not 2.5.
I was surprised Cali lead out on the flop - I put him on a semi-bluff with a flush draw; again my mistake here was not raising enough; I should have fired at least a bit more than half the pot 300 or so to give Cali the absolutely wrong odds to call. When Cali's diamond hit on the turn I still could have gotten away for a bit more chips, but he likely might have laid it down with a bigger flop raise from me.
Three hands later it was my turn to outplay Cali.
1} Manzoni $1,270 2h 2s
2) crippe $1,455 ?? ??
3) timmytimmy $1,400 ?? ??
4) cali Al $1,820 Kd Kh
5) Miles 2 Go $1,180 ?? ??
7) rowser * $1,410 ?? ??
8) The Rubin $1,635 ?? ??
10) YourDinero $1,830 ?? ??
The Rubin posts small blind $10
YourDinero posts big blind $20
Manzoni calls $20
crippe calls $20
timmytimmy folds
cali Al raises $90
Miles 2 Go folds
rowser folds
The Rubin folds
YourDinero folds
Manzoni calls $90
crippe folds
FLOP: 3c 5d 2d
Manzoni checks
cali Al bets $270
Manzoni raises $890 (all-in)
cali Al calls $890
Manzoni shows 2h 2s
cali Al shows Kd Kh
TURN: 3c 5d 2d Jc
RIVER: 3c 5d 2d Jc 4s
Manzoni wins $2,590 with Three of a Kind, Twos
Knowing Cali's propensity to overvalue premium cards was a great boon here; I actually put him on aces with his bigger than usual raise pre-flop and was happy to call him with a chance to hurt him if I hit. The flop I knew had nothing to do with his holdings, so I was able to ABC poker him into a check raise and collect.
Was feeling great until the next hand.
1} Manzoni $2,590 4h 3s
2) crippe $1,435 ?? ??
3) timmytimmy $1,400 ?? ??
4) cali Al $550 As 9c
5) Miles 2 Go $1,180 ?? ??
7) rowser $1,410 ?? ??
8) The Rubin * $1,625 ?? ??
10) YourDinero $1,810 4d 4c
YourDinero posts small blind $10
Manzoni posts big blind $20
crippe calls $20
timmytimmy calls $20
cali Al calls $20
Miles 2 Go folds
rowser calls $20
The Rubin calls $20
YourDinero calls $10
Manzoni checks
FLOP: 9s 4s 3c
YourDinero checks
Manzoni bets $140
crippe folds
timmytimmy folds
cali Al raises $390 (all-in)
rowser folds
The Rubin folds
YourDinero calls $530
Manzoni raises $2,040 (all-in)
YourDinero calls $1,260 (all-in)
Manzoni shows 4h 3s
cali Al shows As 9c
YourDinero shows 4d 4c
TURN: 9s 4s 3c 7c
RIVER: 9s 4s 3c 7c 3d
YourDinero wins $2,520 with a Full House, Fours over Threes
YourDinero wins $1,730 with a Full House, Fours over Threes
I forgot to respect Dinero's smooth call; and in my overeagerness to felt Cali I failed to recognize that in the texture of the board, it was HIGHLY unlikely that Dinero was on a draw - it was obvious in hindsight that his hand was made. I felt like an idiot. Dinero is a typical tight passive type, there should have been big red warning bells when he called Cali's bet; I should have just flat called behind him and been content to potentially check it down and probably have the best hand. There was no good reason to get greedy with only two pair after what I failed to recognize as a scary call.
I still had enough chips left to steal blinds a couple of times; and found myself at 790 when I looked down at tens.
1} Manzoni $790 Ts Td
3) timmytimmy $1,420 ?? ??
5) Miles 2 Go $1,165 ?? ??
7) rowser $820 8d 8c
8) The Rubin $2,125 ?? ??
10) YourDinero * $5,680 Jd Jh
Manzoni posts small blind $15
timmytimmy posts big blind $30
Miles 2 Go folds
rowser raises $30
The Rubin folds
YourDinero raises $300
Manzoni raises $430 (all-in)
timmytimmy folds
rowser raises $30 (all-in)
YourDinero calls $460
Manzoni shows Ts Td
rowser shows 8d 8c
YourDinero shows Jd Jh
FLOP: Qs 2h 3d
TURN: Qs 2h 3d Th
RIVER: Qs 2h 3d Th 3h
YourDinero wins $60 with Two Pair, Jacks and Threes
Manzoni wins $2,400 with a Full House, Tens over Threes
With the other short stack min-raising, I knew he had a pocket pair - and probably not a very good one. Dinero's raise screamed out as an isolation move - he probably had a couple of face cards or some such and had read Rowser as I had - and wanted to put him down now. This was an easy all in move for me, especially since I was still a bit tilted at my misplaced aggression a few hands back.
I was not happy when he turned up Jacks, but oh so relieved at my luck on the turn. Better lucky than good sometimes, especially with our tournament structure.
I hovered at 2K+ for awhile, picking up an occasional small pot until...
Mad_Maxx posts small blind $50
Manzoni posts big blind $100
nacl folds
SvenGolly folds
ytrabbit folds
The Rubin folds
The_Chipper folds
Miles 2 Go folds
YourDinero folds
timmytimmy folds
Mad_Maxx raises $100
Manzoni calls $100
FLOP: Jc 6s Js
Mad_Maxx bets $400
Manzoni calls $400
TURN: Jc 6s Js 6h
Mad_Maxx checks
Manzoni bets $300
Mad_Maxx raises $725 (all-in)
Manzoni calls $725
Manzoni shows 6c Jd
Mad_Maxx shows As Ac
RIVER: Jc 6s Js 6h 7d
Manzoni wins $3,250 with a Full House, Jacks over Sixes
Ah the delightfully dreadful min-raise! No matter how many times these guys get creamed by it, they still do it. I had the right price to call pre-flop with any two random cards. Spiking a boat on the flop was a great bonus, and yet Max still made a good bet, big enough to get rid of me with any draws, yet small enough to get away from. Fortunately he was a man who had fallen in love with the prettiest pocket pair in the deck. He didn't bother to read my smooth call as a BIG warning sign; especially someone like me who hardly ever calls with the wrong price on a draw.
The truly retarded part of his play, even more so than the min-raise; was his check raise on the turn. He appeared to have slowed down, but even with my flat call, he still thought he had the best hand. Pocket rockets are sooo seductive. I guess.
Now I was in great shape, with a big chip lead. I could have coasted into the money. Nah. (Donk alert!)
nacl posts small blind $50
SvenGolly posts big blind $100
ytrabbit folds
The Rubin calls $100
The_Chipper folds
Miles 2 Go folds
YourDinero folds
timmytimmy folds
Manzoni calls $100
nacl calls $50
SvenGolly checks
FLOP: 4c 9d Ks
nacl bets $200
SvenGolly folds
The Rubin calls $200
Manzoni raises $3,775 (all-in)
nacl folds
The Rubin calls $1,725 (all-in)
Manzoni shows Jd Kd
The Rubin shows 9h 9s
TURN: 4c 9d Ks Qh
RIVER: 4c 9d Ks Qh Jh
The Rubin wins $4,450 with Three of a Kind, Nines
Mistake #1 - limping on the button. HUGE mistake. I must make Rubin pay for sticking around with a middle pocket pair out of position.
Mistake #2 - (Bigger than Mistake #1) risking the health of my stack with an over-bet that is only going to be called down by a hand that can beat me. BAD BAD BAD POKER. I knew Nacl was fooling around, and I SHOULD have known that another smooth call by an ABC Poker player like Rubin's wife, was a HUGE signal for me to either get out or pop it just enough to confirm the obvious. The correct play in hindsight was to fold with top pair and a big chip lead. Failing that, the next correct play would have been to raise a bit more than half the pot (or even min-raise for that matter) to at least give my stupid self a chance to recognize that Rubinita had a made hand.
NO REASON to put all of my chips into play with top pair and third best kicker.
From this point on my timing was lousy and my cards were worse. After three or four failed steal attempts, I found myself with an M of 4 and decided to try and steal the blinds.
1} Manzoni $1,000 8h Qc
2) nacl $2,356 Jd Ah
3) SvenGolly $2,160 ?? ??
5) The Rubin * $4,157 ?? ??
6) The_Chipper $2,462 ?? ??
7) Miles 2 Go $3,280 ?? ??
8) YourDinero $4,920 ?? ??
9) timmytimmy $2,165 ?? ??
The_Chipper posts small blind $100
Miles 2 Go posts big blind $200
YourDinero folds
timmytimmy folds
Manzoni raises $800 (all-in)
nacl raises $1,356 (all-in)
SvenGolly folds
The Rubin folds
The_Chipper folds
Miles 2 Go folds
Manzoni shows 8h Qc
nacl shows Jd Ah
FLOP: Ks 5c 4s
TURN: Ks 5c 4s 9h
RIVER: Ks 5c 4s 9h 3c
nacl wins $2,300 with Ace High
Not nearly the worst of my mistakes this evening; but I guess I could have held on for another blind or two. Actually, I'm really not that displeased with this hand. I gave myself the best chance to win by moving all-in first - giving the remaining stacks a true pause for thought and putting most starting cards on the wrong end of the gap principle. AJ even is a borderline hand to risk 1K in chips, if it weren't for the fact that Nacl was also short stacked - I likely would have played the same as he.
Next time; I promise to beware the smooth call; especially by opponents that I know I can outplay in other hands - even when they have better starting cards.
Incidentally, Rubinella took this one down, thanks to the generous donations of the final four players. She was on a rush, but she was also playing a very simple style, and very similar to her husband. I wish the other guys were able to read her as good as I could - but then again, it's always easier to read from the rail.
1} Manzoni $1,500 Ac Ad
2) crippe * $1,455 ?? ??
3) timmytimmy $1,440 ?? ??
4) cali Al $1,360 ?? ??
5) Miles 2 Go $1,500 ?? ??
7) rowser $1,500 ?? ??
8) The Rubin $1,795 ?? ??
10) YourDinero $1,450 ?? ??
timmytimmy posts small blind $10
cali Al posts big blind $20
Miles 2 Go folds
rowser folds
The Rubin calls $20
YourDinero folds
Manzoni raises $70
crippe folds
timmytimmy folds
cali Al calls $70
The Rubin calls $70
FLOP: 7d 2h 9d
cali Al bets $140
The Rubin folds
Manzoni raises $210
cali Al calls $210
TURN: 7d 2h 9d Jd
cali Al bets $920 (all-in)
Manzoni folds
cali Al wins $980 uncontested
I'm not crazy with my play here, my raise pre-flop is fair against sensible players - but the two calling stations Cali and Ruben (who was actually Ruben's wife) felt they were getting the right price to call. I like making my bets Ferguson style, keeping the bets the same based on position, rather than on what cards I have - it makes me tougher to read I think. In late position I need to be firing 4 or 5x BB, not 2.5.
I was surprised Cali lead out on the flop - I put him on a semi-bluff with a flush draw; again my mistake here was not raising enough; I should have fired at least a bit more than half the pot 300 or so to give Cali the absolutely wrong odds to call. When Cali's diamond hit on the turn I still could have gotten away for a bit more chips, but he likely might have laid it down with a bigger flop raise from me.
Three hands later it was my turn to outplay Cali.
1} Manzoni $1,270 2h 2s
2) crippe $1,455 ?? ??
3) timmytimmy $1,400 ?? ??
4) cali Al $1,820 Kd Kh
5) Miles 2 Go $1,180 ?? ??
7) rowser * $1,410 ?? ??
8) The Rubin $1,635 ?? ??
10) YourDinero $1,830 ?? ??
The Rubin posts small blind $10
YourDinero posts big blind $20
Manzoni calls $20
crippe calls $20
timmytimmy folds
cali Al raises $90
Miles 2 Go folds
rowser folds
The Rubin folds
YourDinero folds
Manzoni calls $90
crippe folds
FLOP: 3c 5d 2d
Manzoni checks
cali Al bets $270
Manzoni raises $890 (all-in)
cali Al calls $890
Manzoni shows 2h 2s
cali Al shows Kd Kh
TURN: 3c 5d 2d Jc
RIVER: 3c 5d 2d Jc 4s
Manzoni wins $2,590 with Three of a Kind, Twos
Knowing Cali's propensity to overvalue premium cards was a great boon here; I actually put him on aces with his bigger than usual raise pre-flop and was happy to call him with a chance to hurt him if I hit. The flop I knew had nothing to do with his holdings, so I was able to ABC poker him into a check raise and collect.
Was feeling great until the next hand.
1} Manzoni $2,590 4h 3s
2) crippe $1,435 ?? ??
3) timmytimmy $1,400 ?? ??
4) cali Al $550 As 9c
5) Miles 2 Go $1,180 ?? ??
7) rowser $1,410 ?? ??
8) The Rubin * $1,625 ?? ??
10) YourDinero $1,810 4d 4c
YourDinero posts small blind $10
Manzoni posts big blind $20
crippe calls $20
timmytimmy calls $20
cali Al calls $20
Miles 2 Go folds
rowser calls $20
The Rubin calls $20
YourDinero calls $10
Manzoni checks
FLOP: 9s 4s 3c
YourDinero checks
Manzoni bets $140
crippe folds
timmytimmy folds
cali Al raises $390 (all-in)
rowser folds
The Rubin folds
YourDinero calls $530
Manzoni raises $2,040 (all-in)
YourDinero calls $1,260 (all-in)
Manzoni shows 4h 3s
cali Al shows As 9c
YourDinero shows 4d 4c
TURN: 9s 4s 3c 7c
RIVER: 9s 4s 3c 7c 3d
YourDinero wins $2,520 with a Full House, Fours over Threes
YourDinero wins $1,730 with a Full House, Fours over Threes
I forgot to respect Dinero's smooth call; and in my overeagerness to felt Cali I failed to recognize that in the texture of the board, it was HIGHLY unlikely that Dinero was on a draw - it was obvious in hindsight that his hand was made. I felt like an idiot. Dinero is a typical tight passive type, there should have been big red warning bells when he called Cali's bet; I should have just flat called behind him and been content to potentially check it down and probably have the best hand. There was no good reason to get greedy with only two pair after what I failed to recognize as a scary call.
I still had enough chips left to steal blinds a couple of times; and found myself at 790 when I looked down at tens.
1} Manzoni $790 Ts Td
3) timmytimmy $1,420 ?? ??
5) Miles 2 Go $1,165 ?? ??
7) rowser $820 8d 8c
8) The Rubin $2,125 ?? ??
10) YourDinero * $5,680 Jd Jh
Manzoni posts small blind $15
timmytimmy posts big blind $30
Miles 2 Go folds
rowser raises $30
The Rubin folds
YourDinero raises $300
Manzoni raises $430 (all-in)
timmytimmy folds
rowser raises $30 (all-in)
YourDinero calls $460
Manzoni shows Ts Td
rowser shows 8d 8c
YourDinero shows Jd Jh
FLOP: Qs 2h 3d
TURN: Qs 2h 3d Th
RIVER: Qs 2h 3d Th 3h
YourDinero wins $60 with Two Pair, Jacks and Threes
Manzoni wins $2,400 with a Full House, Tens over Threes
With the other short stack min-raising, I knew he had a pocket pair - and probably not a very good one. Dinero's raise screamed out as an isolation move - he probably had a couple of face cards or some such and had read Rowser as I had - and wanted to put him down now. This was an easy all in move for me, especially since I was still a bit tilted at my misplaced aggression a few hands back.
I was not happy when he turned up Jacks, but oh so relieved at my luck on the turn. Better lucky than good sometimes, especially with our tournament structure.
I hovered at 2K+ for awhile, picking up an occasional small pot until...
Mad_Maxx posts small blind $50
Manzoni posts big blind $100
nacl folds
SvenGolly folds
ytrabbit folds
The Rubin folds
The_Chipper folds
Miles 2 Go folds
YourDinero folds
timmytimmy folds
Mad_Maxx raises $100
Manzoni calls $100
FLOP: Jc 6s Js
Mad_Maxx bets $400
Manzoni calls $400
TURN: Jc 6s Js 6h
Mad_Maxx checks
Manzoni bets $300
Mad_Maxx raises $725 (all-in)
Manzoni calls $725
Manzoni shows 6c Jd
Mad_Maxx shows As Ac
RIVER: Jc 6s Js 6h 7d
Manzoni wins $3,250 with a Full House, Jacks over Sixes
Ah the delightfully dreadful min-raise! No matter how many times these guys get creamed by it, they still do it. I had the right price to call pre-flop with any two random cards. Spiking a boat on the flop was a great bonus, and yet Max still made a good bet, big enough to get rid of me with any draws, yet small enough to get away from. Fortunately he was a man who had fallen in love with the prettiest pocket pair in the deck. He didn't bother to read my smooth call as a BIG warning sign; especially someone like me who hardly ever calls with the wrong price on a draw.
The truly retarded part of his play, even more so than the min-raise; was his check raise on the turn. He appeared to have slowed down, but even with my flat call, he still thought he had the best hand. Pocket rockets are sooo seductive. I guess.
Now I was in great shape, with a big chip lead. I could have coasted into the money. Nah. (Donk alert!)
nacl posts small blind $50
SvenGolly posts big blind $100
ytrabbit folds
The Rubin calls $100
The_Chipper folds
Miles 2 Go folds
YourDinero folds
timmytimmy folds
Manzoni calls $100
nacl calls $50
SvenGolly checks
FLOP: 4c 9d Ks
nacl bets $200
SvenGolly folds
The Rubin calls $200
Manzoni raises $3,775 (all-in)
nacl folds
The Rubin calls $1,725 (all-in)
Manzoni shows Jd Kd
The Rubin shows 9h 9s
TURN: 4c 9d Ks Qh
RIVER: 4c 9d Ks Qh Jh
The Rubin wins $4,450 with Three of a Kind, Nines
Mistake #1 - limping on the button. HUGE mistake. I must make Rubin pay for sticking around with a middle pocket pair out of position.
Mistake #2 - (Bigger than Mistake #1) risking the health of my stack with an over-bet that is only going to be called down by a hand that can beat me. BAD BAD BAD POKER. I knew Nacl was fooling around, and I SHOULD have known that another smooth call by an ABC Poker player like Rubin's wife, was a HUGE signal for me to either get out or pop it just enough to confirm the obvious. The correct play in hindsight was to fold with top pair and a big chip lead. Failing that, the next correct play would have been to raise a bit more than half the pot (or even min-raise for that matter) to at least give my stupid self a chance to recognize that Rubinita had a made hand.
NO REASON to put all of my chips into play with top pair and third best kicker.
From this point on my timing was lousy and my cards were worse. After three or four failed steal attempts, I found myself with an M of 4 and decided to try and steal the blinds.
1} Manzoni $1,000 8h Qc
2) nacl $2,356 Jd Ah
3) SvenGolly $2,160 ?? ??
5) The Rubin * $4,157 ?? ??
6) The_Chipper $2,462 ?? ??
7) Miles 2 Go $3,280 ?? ??
8) YourDinero $4,920 ?? ??
9) timmytimmy $2,165 ?? ??
The_Chipper posts small blind $100
Miles 2 Go posts big blind $200
YourDinero folds
timmytimmy folds
Manzoni raises $800 (all-in)
nacl raises $1,356 (all-in)
SvenGolly folds
The Rubin folds
The_Chipper folds
Miles 2 Go folds
Manzoni shows 8h Qc
nacl shows Jd Ah
FLOP: Ks 5c 4s
TURN: Ks 5c 4s 9h
RIVER: Ks 5c 4s 9h 3c
nacl wins $2,300 with Ace High
Not nearly the worst of my mistakes this evening; but I guess I could have held on for another blind or two. Actually, I'm really not that displeased with this hand. I gave myself the best chance to win by moving all-in first - giving the remaining stacks a true pause for thought and putting most starting cards on the wrong end of the gap principle. AJ even is a borderline hand to risk 1K in chips, if it weren't for the fact that Nacl was also short stacked - I likely would have played the same as he.
Next time; I promise to beware the smooth call; especially by opponents that I know I can outplay in other hands - even when they have better starting cards.
Incidentally, Rubinella took this one down, thanks to the generous donations of the final four players. She was on a rush, but she was also playing a very simple style, and very similar to her husband. I wish the other guys were able to read her as good as I could - but then again, it's always easier to read from the rail.
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