After watching spring training baseball in Phoenix with my mom, her husband and my brother and his wife for three days, I was ready for Vegas.
No problems with the flight, the car or checking in to the fabulous (and by fabulous I mean shitty) Imperial Palace. I arrived about 15 minutes late to the 7pm $120 nightly at the Venetian.
First bad beat - the Venetian is renovating it's poker room and currently is holding it's tournaments on the casino floor amid the smoke and the noise. Blech.
Otherwise, it was great. The table was fairly soft, but I was fairly tired. A couple of dudes, who yes indeed, were in town for the NASCAR race. I was hoping to meet many more.
53 runners, $1700 for first. The Venetian, along with most Vegas dailies, doesn't have prize pool guarantees, but it doesn't matter a whole lot, as the 5 majors in town (Venetian, Aria, Bellagio, Caesar's, and Wynn) easily make 10K on Fridays and the weekends, while their smaller weekday events typically come in at 4K to 5K.
I was drastically card dead, and not focused enough to chip up sufficiently with stealing - I did double up when my 10 bigs shove with KQ got called by 88 and I hit two pair on the flop.
With my chips a bit above average I stumbled a bit when I paid off the nut flush's thin river value bet with my the third best flush.
Reached the second break with 8 bigs, on the big blind it was folded around and I had to shove on a small blind who limped. He snapped called with K10, oh well. The fact that I had 10 8 was of course not really relevant, but it still stung a bit.
Really wanted to play some more, but I was beat after a day in the sun watching the A's beat the Reds.
Let me just say, I remember my last Imperial Palace experience as being fairly horrific, but I figured I must have been mis-membering a bit. It couldn't have been that bad, right?
Wrong.
The room was simply gross and there was no hot water. Shudder.
After an icey shower the next morning I checked out and headed for a Sunday morning tradition with me - the always awesome 9am Monte Carlo $50 splashament.
Alas, no players (save for me and 2 others) were there - they were all at the race. And so the tournament didn't go. I hit the road and made a bee-line for the Harrah's 10am donkament for $60.
At first I thought it might not go too, it was a pretty empty room. But by the time it was time to shuffle up and deal we had two full tables.
My table was sooper soft and touristy - no NASCAR people, they would be hootin' and a hollerin' at the race, but more than a few delightfully nice every day Vegas visitors showed up and best of all no nasty Vegas degenerates appeared. The latter tend to spring up at turbo events; because the tournies are so soft, they (rightly) assume that they have a big advantage over the fields. Unfortunately they are generally too stupid to know that the juice and the structure makes the tournaments unbeatable.
Neither point really concerns me, as I am here mainly to have fun - and for $60 you can't get a much better chance to practice moves and try out different things.
And that's just what I did. After the antes kicked in I'd say my VPIP (money Voluntarily Put In the Pot) was probably near 75%. I was an absolute beast and bludgeoned the limpers like red-headed step children.
But backing up - earlier I had lost 5 of the 6K in my starting stack by making a fairly bad read against a guy who seemed really uncomfortable - and of course was Hollywooding with the nuts. It always seems really obvious afterwards, but I do fall for the act some times.
Anyway, I didn't despair, probably because it was $60, and I happily went back to work with 10 bigs.
A few well timed shoves later I had chipped up substantially, and by the time I shoved with AA on the button after a couple of limpers, I was primed to get paid off - and I did.
By the time the break rolled around I was the tournament chip leader and was stealing at will. I had identified the proper targets, and I simply man handled them.
After the break the antes and monstro blinds did their job, and by the time we were 5 handed it was me and one other big stack.
The third biggest stack had probably a dozen blinds while I was sitting on almost 30. He shoved and I looked down at queens. Insta-call.
His AQ spiked an Ace on the flop and all of the sudden I was hurt fairly bad. I didn't steam and stayed focused, two players busted in hands that I wasn't involved in, and we were 3 handed and on the bubble.
I had enough chips to do some serious damage to the second largest stack, and it wouldn't feel good to the chip leader either. He raised on the button and I had 10 3 in the small blind.
I really thought for some reason that I could get him off his ace. This was a mistake. Of course he insta called and spiked top pair for good measure.
At about a dozen big blinds, with an objectively stupid blind structure by this point, I don't think my shove was the worst play in the world. I was ready to be the 40 in a 60/40 for a chance to double up, and that's exactly what I was. I didn't have time to wait to be snap called with any two cards.
But in hindsight, I probably could have picked a better spot, especially against a fairly rudimentary opponent who was on vacation from across the pond and seemed to be not particularly concerned about risking a third of his stack with a baby ace.
I should also qualify that my image at the final table was a bit different than the ass beating maniac that I had been at my starting table. I had been much less active, and only shown down premiums at this new locale. Still, I take responsibility for the ill-advised move.
It hurt for a little bit walking out to the car, but only a little bit. By the time I pulled into the Aria parking lot for the 1pm, I felt a lot better. I had been fairly merciless with the table at Harrah's, and I was happy and excited about my play on the whole and the prospect of more poker.
I was a bit late for this event, and sat down when the blinds were 50-100 with a full starting stack of 10K.
I immediately got into trouble - on the sixth hand I was on the big blind. Across from me a muscle bound older gentleman in a baseball cap, big obnoxious mirror glasses and an ipod with an Ed Hurley t-shirt had played in half of the hands so far, he raised it up to 3x the BB.
I looked down at QJ. Judging by his active betting and his appearance, I figured I was probably ahead of him at this point, but I called to see a flop. It came xJx with two spades. I checked, he fired a bit less than half the pot. Easy call. Pot was 900.
The turn was a 10h, I checked, he fired quite a bit bigger, almost a full pot sized bet, 800. I called again, which in hindsight I hate.
At the time I'm thinking he's full of shit - betting patterns + behavior = super LAG. I'm letting him hang himself.
But even if this is so, and if I think I have the best hand I should be check raising here, because what happens if the river comes a scare card? I'm paying off a value bet if he gets there and I'm going away if he bluffs at it with a large enough bet. Might as well use my chips now that I would have paid him off with and give him a chance to fold or make a mistake by drawing.
The river does indeed come a spade, and I know I'm in trouble. I could fire a blocking bet, but that would probably be wasted chips as he is likely to fire big and get me to lay down or worse spew more and pay him off.
I check. He checks. Crap.
He turns over aces. I had completely misread him based on my all of 10 minutes at the table.
The biggest mistake here by me? Getting involved with QJ off suit in the big blind.
A jack came. Great. What if he had AJ? KJ? QQ. KK. AA. Or, what if he had J10? A ten came on the turn remember? What if he had 1010? I had misplayed this hand from the beginning, when I should have jettisoned it right into the muck so early in the tournament. Out of position is so deadly, especially when there's no reason, early in a tournament, to be risking so much with top pair third best kicker.
Out of position with a trouble hand. Stupid. And not at the table long enough to know that this "LAG" would in fact turn out to be a classic TAG who barely played a hand after he dragged this pot.
But I wasn't too damaged, down to a bit less than 8K. The implosion came an orbit or two later.
I had won a few pots here and there, even gone after Ed Hurley's blinds twice and come out on top. Then this occurred. He really was a true TAG after all.
From the hijack I woke up with queens. I had one limper behind me, so I popped it to 5x the BB. Blinds were now 100-200, so I fired 1K.
The SB, from my observations (on his play so far) seemed to be a typical TAG grinder who was probably local - defended. He had a big stack and I'm guessing he figured the limper, also a big stack, would likely call as well. But the limper went away. The pot was almost 3K.
Flop was something like 6c 10h 4c. He checked, I bet half the pot and he called, bringing the pot to about 6K. I had 5K behind.
The turn was a deuce of spades. He checked and so did I.
This might have been a mistake - if I had been in the zone I would have made him pay much bigger to keep drawing. But I took the line that I typically take with top pair, for that's basically what I had here. Pot control and a check on the turn, induce a bluff on the river.
The problem was though, that I should have bet much closer to a pot size bullet on the flop, then I could justify giving him a "free" card on the turn. He would have already made a big mistake by calling with the wrong price on the flop, and if he got there on the river then he was calling the turn anyway. Better to save chips and keep the damage minimal early in a tournament. Not to mention, I was in position and should have been to evaluate with ease and get away from a big bet, which is what he fired on the river when it was indeed a third club.
I had planned on calling a value bet, but the problem here was that it was so large, almost 3K. Ugh. Fold and keep my viable stack or get the money in. I can't call off 3 out of 5K here. I stupidly chose to shove and he snap called and turned up 10c 3c for the crap top pair that had turned into the crap flush.
On twitter I said "I did everything right." Obviously, based on my story, that was a lie. Or at least tilted indignation. I boned it pretty hard here. On the one hand I like everything up to my turn check. In hindsight, if I had a good read on his cards, pretty obvious he was drawing, the correct thing to do would be to shove the turn. If he has a set, I got unlucky. Anything less, and he's making a big mistake by calling.
Also I should point out, that he had a pretty fantastic read on me here, to put out a big chunky value bet on the river. Knowing basically what I had (an overpair) and putting me in a very difficult position and leaving just enough behind to contemplate making a bad call, but an "okay" call in the minds of many recreational players like me. Or, if I happened to be a bit more knowledgable I was still likely to not know I was beat and in a best case scenario for him shove for all the marbles with him being forced to call. And that's just what I was, smart but not smart enough to know that I'm beat there every time.
So I was out, and foolishly re-entered. I was the 12th alternate, and by the time I got in it was 150-300. Just over 30 bigs. Not that great at a table with big stacks, which is where I found myself sitting down.
The good news was, there were two total recreational players on my right who had next to zero clue what they were doing but had accumulated big stacks by getting lucky, not knowing when to fold and by getting lucky. That was the story the chatty Kathy on my left was telling me at least.
The bad news was, I was unable to really get involved and take advantage. My cards were crap, but worse than that I only had 30 bigs and didn't have the ammo to 3 bet or check-raise large enough to get them off hands, especially since they didn't believe anyone at the table anyway.
By the time the table broke I was under 20 bigs, chatty Kathy was super happy to leave the table. I was dumbfounded by her idiocy. She had a decent stack, all she had to do was wake up with a strong hand, stick the money in and double up.
I was moved to the first table I had sat at in the tournament. Ed Hurley was long gone, the small blind who had busted me was on my immediate right.
I got a chance to watch him quite a bit more - he was clearly the best player at the table. He was easy to avoid.
I chipped up a bit when a short stack shoved into me and I had Kings. But then I was grounded down again, as I simply wasn't deep enough to make headway without more good cards which were next to nil.
Finally, with the antes in full effect I was down to 9 bigs in the small blind when it was open folded to me, I had A9 sooted. I shipped it and was called fairly quickly by the big blind who had KQos.
It should be noted that he didn't have that much bigger a stack than me. It is tough to put the SB on a real hand I know, but I had been very patient for the last hour or so, I think he made a pretty bad decision. But then he seemed to have been card dead as well.
A king came on the river and that was that. Sigh.
At about 4:30pm I high tailed it back to Harrah's, not to play but to check in. I had booked my second night at Harrah's (correctly guessing that one night in the IP would be all I could take).
I have to say I was quite pleased with the room which was actually very clean and not 30 years old.
Jumped back in the rental and took Koval Rd. all the way down to the MGM.
First of all, the tournament was really good for $80. Cool room - loud and somewhat smokey since it's open air, but less smokey than the Venetian or Aria.
2 orbits in, I limped with 5's, set mining at what I had quickly and correctly deduced was a very passive table.
Several other limpers, flop was 2h 5c 8h. I checked, guy to my immediate left donked. Folded around to me, I check raised 3x his bet, he re-re-raised me.
I was only worried about one hand that he could have, so my only goal and the correct goal right then and there was to get all the money in. I five bet him, he six bet shoved.
Hey, how about that... he didn't have A8, 22, 82, 52, 85, K8 or a heart draw. Imagine that. 88 was the one I had to consider, but based on how many hands I could beat, and the necessity of doubling up, as soon as I flopped a set I had no choice but to get it in.
In this hand I can truly say I was mistake-free. Not typical for me or most poker players.
I re-entered. Sigh.
Had a really fun time for about 90 minutes, dragged a few pots, but eventually was whittled to 9 bigs. It was a mild turbo, but I was good with it. Again I shoved with A9, this time from the button, the big blind had a gargantuan stack so I was hoping to get called. I did. He had queens.
Bed time.
Despite my rantings here, overall I had been very pleased with my play. Lessons learned -
Don't enter anything $100 or more after 7. The Venetian was fun, but it was a mistake to play so tired.
Set a rigid criteria for re-entering a tournament. I will never say I should never re-enter, but it was a mistake to do so at the Aria. To come in to a big deep event with only 30 bigs, and having busted earlier from poor play, bad idea every time.
The MGM was fine. I was coolered and it was a fun $80 event that wasn't going to go for more than 4 or 5 hours tops.
My rules for re-entering are:
1. Serious event? ($125+ with a good structure and 50+ runners). Only re-enter if completely coolered AND I can do so with a MINIMUM of 50 big blinds. Do not bother if hands were questionable and there is any chance mistakes might have been made on my part.
2. Moderate event? ($75-$100, fair to decent structure and at least 4 tables. Like Binion's $100 2pm or Orleans $75 nooners). Only re-enter if coolered and I can do so with a minimum of 30 bigs. Do NOT re-enter if I spewed away my chips.
3. Silly event? (Turbo to Ultra Turbo, <$60) Up to 3 re-entries allowed for any reason, unless budget for the day has been exceeded or I'm entering with less than 15 bigs.
I had to fly out early for work, so I went up to bed, got a good nights rest, not even watching television or having an unhealthy snack.
Yeah right.
Across the road (a good 20 minutes across the road, mind you it's Vegas) I made my way, ending up plunking down $50 for the best super turbo in town at Treasure Island.
I fucking crushed this tournament.
And I'm glad I did, I felt a whole lot better about the trip after I cashed in a 3 way even chop for $350.
Much like Harrah's in the morning, I was genuinely one of the better players. There were several sunburnt NASCAR fellows who delighted in trying to be aggressive and then spewed away their stacks to me.
I mercilessly 3 bet limpers once I had enough bullets.
I beautifully avoided the one drunk Vegas degenerate who joined us. He quickly chipped up by playing very stupidly, then just as quickly spewed it away before stalking off, re-entering and then doing it all again, busting for good just after the break.
At this point I became table captain, for reals. I knew who to pick on, who to avoid. I was a machine.
With 2 tables left, we were 6 handed. On the button I popped it for the umpteenth time with A6. The serious poker hobbyist, who I had been pummeling for an hour, had had enough and shipped it. Problem was, she had about 8 bigs. I had 60.
She had K8 and was incredulous at my "baby ace." "I knew you were light" she said after my hand held and she gathered her purse. I wasn't light sweetie. I'm pre-planning to call you if you ship it, as that's what I would do with any 2 if I was you. If you happen to have a better hand then me, then I just got unlucky. Odds are - YOU DON'T.
Our table finally broke, and we were at the final table.
In the end, I had to get lucky, we were basically flipping coins. I cracked a poor fellows aces, calling off with 88 to his shove. I got unlucky initially, but I'm NEVER folding with blinds where they were. When an 8 hit the river AFTER all the money had long gone in he was beside himself. I was emotionless. The hand played itself, I truly cared very little for the result. It was nice that I could make the money, but it had nothing to do with my mental state.
But I will confess it was hard not to smile inwardly when, to add insult to injury, my A10 cracked his AK two hands later with a delightful 10 on the turn. But again, it was just automatic button pushing - the hands played themselves.
Happy to say though, in every single other instance in the tournament, I was a favorite when the chips went in.
I lost with my A7 against a smaller stack's A5 when we were 3 handed. It was at this point, when I was no longer the chip leader that I suggested we all split it evenly. And as it was 1am and my opponents were smart enough to recognize that we were merely rolling dice at this point, they readily agreed.
Ship it.
Getting up on 4 hours of sleep was tough, but I'd do it again for sure. Very glad to have some nice results after 1 day and 2 nights of degeneracy.
Won't be playing live again for awhile, the fam and I are off to Hawaii!
Hosting a home game tournament the day after we get back though. :)
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Gearing up...
Played the 11:30am Hollywood Park Casino Sunday 10K yesterday, aka "Re-buy Madness" and managed to play well and only add-on before busting, spending a mere $80 for what typically can play as a $250+ event.
I was happy enough to get unlucky about 3 hours in; with 8 bigs when my first in shove of AJ ran into AQ (who had the courtesy to delay turning his hand over after I fast rolled mine). No major mistakes in the tournament save for one - about an hour earlier, sitting on about 30 bigs (well above average for this fast tournament) I got impatient and opened a pot in middle position with a 2.5x raise when all I had was Kh9h. I know by now that in this situation (with these players) this is a muck, even with an incredibly soft and passive table which this was.
A monster stack button flatted and the big blind took his discount. The flop came all black AK7 with two spades. A perfect flop for a c-bet from someone like me to represent a big ace or even AK. Up until this open raise I had been very patient and probably had a VPIP around 10%.
But the big blind donked, which always tilts me a bit, and of course it was some stupidly small amount - probably less than a quarter of the pot.
I called because of the price, and waited to see if the monster stacken behind would go away, which of course he didn't.
Up until this point, my only mistake (playing K9 soooted) was minor and forgivable. It was when the BB checked the 8 of clubs turn and I then fired a big ass chunky bet (almost a quarter of my stack and well over half the pot) that a second and much larger mistake reared it's ugly head.
The big ass stack on the button of course called - and then the big blind check raised!
I was done with the hand, but I was a bit steamed - remarking out loud at how I "don't understand this advanced poker shit..."
The largely stacked button called after I folded. I had him on a stupid (baby or middling) ace, likely a spade ace - but I figured the big blind had gotten lucky and hit 2 pair with his A8 or something similar.
The river was a low spade, so I guessed that the button got there or could very easily represent getting there and figured the big blind for a check call as long as big stack bet thin like he had been doing all morning.
Nope. Big blind led out a bit less than half the pot. A blocking bet? The button pondered for a moment and then paid him off with a fucking red A3!
Even sweeter, the big blind also had a fucking red Ace and a fucking red 10! 10 plays, ship it!
I should have known better.
The table was super soft, and I had gotten impatient and clumsy (I won't even give myself credit and say I was being tricky.) ABC was big time +EV at this table, and I had let my dearth of cards push me into getting frisky for no reason. So instead of having 30 bigs by releasing my Kh9h like I should have, I was down to a bit over 22.
Idiot.
Anyway, it wasn't that big of a deal, but it is illustrative how playing emotionally (ie, tired and tilted from shit cards) can do a surprising amount of damage to the precious meter of one's tournament life.
So after busting I was looking to kill time before 4pm, which is when my friend Dog from my home game was scheduled to start day 2 of Hollywood Park Casino's Winter Series event. This was an impressive feat on his part, besting nearly 2000 other players to finish in the top 1% and get a guaranteed $500 on his $150 investment with a shot at 50K for first place.
But it was only 2:30 and I still wanted to play. I put my name in for $100 NL, but then noticed there was a $60 Sit-N-Go forming.
It was a stupid turbo, 1500 chips with 10 minute levels, but I enjoy tournament style so much more than cash, it was an easy decision.
It was after 3 when we finally had enough players to start. The table went apeshit early on with pushes, two players busted on the very first hand! A couple more quickly followed and before I knew it we were 5 handed.
When we were 7 handed I managed to bust a player when I limped in early position with AK and got the shove I was looking for, he had A10. Easy game, when one pays attention to how people are betting.
I also busted player number 5 when he defended his big blind to my 2.5x raise and decided that middle pair was good enough to shove when I c-bet my top pair.
I was almost chip leader at 4 handed, then slipped a bit when I released top pair middle kicker on a chunky turn bet from the guy on my right. He had been pretty darn tight up until then, and it wasn't till an orbit or two later that I realized he had shifted gears.
I then got lucky and got into the money when the same guy on my right and the other chip leader busted the 4th player by checking it down, one of them binking bottom pair on the river. I was guaranteed $90.
I offered a 3 way chop, as I was sitting on about 5K, the other guys on 4 and 6 respectively. The 6K refused, despite my mentioning that we all had less than 10 bigs and were essentially flipping coins.
No worries - it was his right to think that he had an enormous chip and skill lead over us.
The very next hand he limped from the small blind and I checked my 82. If I'd had heart, I would've shoved, but I'm chicken shit so what can you do.
The flop came a delightful 82x. He donked, I flatted. The turn brought a third diamond, a ten, but I didn't care. He checked, I checked behind hoping to get it in on the river. Probably a mistake, but I had very little to lose as whatever bet came would be stack altering.
The river was an ace and he checked. The best card I could have seen - I bet 1500, half of my remaining stack and a devastating amount for him. I figured if he had hit the ace (not likely since he didn't bet pre) a pair of 8's or a medium pocket pair (also unlikely, but possible) he might pay me off. He also might have a bluff catcher. He folded.
I had chipped up another 2K. Now he was the short stack, though only by a couple K.
"$180 apiece for a three way chop..." I piped in again. He agreed. Easy game.
Nice to be up $40 for a full day of playing - I enjoyed railing Dog, which you can read some account of on @PepperStChrisM on twitter.
I will mention that he busted in 36th place, the day starting with 7 tables. He got all his chips (about 8 blinds I'm guessing) in the middle pre-flop with kings and yes, ran into aces. Unavoidable in most situations, let alone a short stacked one. He took home $990, which he happily plans to parlay into a seat in the senior's event (he just turned 50) at the WSOP.
As for me, also flush with cash (well maybe not, but at least I'm happy about my game) I'm planning to hit the WSOP as well, but first I'm gearing up for a short blast of poker in Vegas this weekend. Thursday through Saturday I'll be in Phoenix watching the boys of summer (that would be the Oakland A's) get ready for the new season. But on my way back on Saturday night instead of coming home like I should, I'll be taking a detour to hit up some donkaments with some good ol' boys.
That's right, it's NASCAR weekend in Vegas; last time I played during this time frame (2 years ago) in Sin City I had my biggest weekend ever, almost 2K in profits. Here's hoping for a repeat!
I do recognize that everyone who plays poker, even those who spit into a dixie up, has improved greatly even in the space of 24 months - so I'm not expecting the world; but I do feel pretty confident that if I can fade 2 outers and such, I'll be a shoo-in for some monies.
On Saturday night when I arrive I'm planning to hit the 7pm Venetian and maybe a late night donkament (where I got all my profits last time) if I don't go deep.
The next day I'll of course hit my early Sunday morning tradition - the 9am Monte Carlo, which likely will be rife with some hungover (or maybe still drunk) rubes.
Then if I bust early and have time to kill I'll splash around with the tourists (who won't be NASCAR, they'll be at the race) at the Mirage at 11am.
I should be busted by the time 2pm rolls around, and that's where I'm going to go super negative EV and play in my first ever Bellagio tournament. They've dropped the buy in just enough to where I feel comfortable now - it's a fantastic weekend major, and though I'll likely be outclassed, I just can't resist playing in such a bad ass tournament.
In the evening I'll try not to exhaust myself, but I can't resist to win some of my money back at the newest hot spot in poker tournaments (which again, should have a lot of that down home flavor that I'm looking for, since the race will be over) - the MGM.
Last year they overhauled their tournament structure, and I've read nothing but good things about it since. Reasonable juice, and a good amount of chips in a structure that isn't completely shit. For $80 and loaded with rednecks? Big time +EV!
No late night turbos after that, I'm afraid I depart at the crack of "holy shit it's early" - and from there drive straight to work. But it should be a grand old time!
Can't wait!
I was happy enough to get unlucky about 3 hours in; with 8 bigs when my first in shove of AJ ran into AQ (who had the courtesy to delay turning his hand over after I fast rolled mine). No major mistakes in the tournament save for one - about an hour earlier, sitting on about 30 bigs (well above average for this fast tournament) I got impatient and opened a pot in middle position with a 2.5x raise when all I had was Kh9h. I know by now that in this situation (with these players) this is a muck, even with an incredibly soft and passive table which this was.
A monster stack button flatted and the big blind took his discount. The flop came all black AK7 with two spades. A perfect flop for a c-bet from someone like me to represent a big ace or even AK. Up until this open raise I had been very patient and probably had a VPIP around 10%.
But the big blind donked, which always tilts me a bit, and of course it was some stupidly small amount - probably less than a quarter of the pot.
I called because of the price, and waited to see if the monster stacken behind would go away, which of course he didn't.
Up until this point, my only mistake (playing K9 soooted) was minor and forgivable. It was when the BB checked the 8 of clubs turn and I then fired a big ass chunky bet (almost a quarter of my stack and well over half the pot) that a second and much larger mistake reared it's ugly head.
The big ass stack on the button of course called - and then the big blind check raised!
I was done with the hand, but I was a bit steamed - remarking out loud at how I "don't understand this advanced poker shit..."
The largely stacked button called after I folded. I had him on a stupid (baby or middling) ace, likely a spade ace - but I figured the big blind had gotten lucky and hit 2 pair with his A8 or something similar.
The river was a low spade, so I guessed that the button got there or could very easily represent getting there and figured the big blind for a check call as long as big stack bet thin like he had been doing all morning.
Nope. Big blind led out a bit less than half the pot. A blocking bet? The button pondered for a moment and then paid him off with a fucking red A3!
Even sweeter, the big blind also had a fucking red Ace and a fucking red 10! 10 plays, ship it!
I should have known better.
The table was super soft, and I had gotten impatient and clumsy (I won't even give myself credit and say I was being tricky.) ABC was big time +EV at this table, and I had let my dearth of cards push me into getting frisky for no reason. So instead of having 30 bigs by releasing my Kh9h like I should have, I was down to a bit over 22.
Idiot.
Anyway, it wasn't that big of a deal, but it is illustrative how playing emotionally (ie, tired and tilted from shit cards) can do a surprising amount of damage to the precious meter of one's tournament life.
So after busting I was looking to kill time before 4pm, which is when my friend Dog from my home game was scheduled to start day 2 of Hollywood Park Casino's Winter Series event. This was an impressive feat on his part, besting nearly 2000 other players to finish in the top 1% and get a guaranteed $500 on his $150 investment with a shot at 50K for first place.
But it was only 2:30 and I still wanted to play. I put my name in for $100 NL, but then noticed there was a $60 Sit-N-Go forming.
It was a stupid turbo, 1500 chips with 10 minute levels, but I enjoy tournament style so much more than cash, it was an easy decision.
It was after 3 when we finally had enough players to start. The table went apeshit early on with pushes, two players busted on the very first hand! A couple more quickly followed and before I knew it we were 5 handed.
When we were 7 handed I managed to bust a player when I limped in early position with AK and got the shove I was looking for, he had A10. Easy game, when one pays attention to how people are betting.
I also busted player number 5 when he defended his big blind to my 2.5x raise and decided that middle pair was good enough to shove when I c-bet my top pair.
I was almost chip leader at 4 handed, then slipped a bit when I released top pair middle kicker on a chunky turn bet from the guy on my right. He had been pretty darn tight up until then, and it wasn't till an orbit or two later that I realized he had shifted gears.
I then got lucky and got into the money when the same guy on my right and the other chip leader busted the 4th player by checking it down, one of them binking bottom pair on the river. I was guaranteed $90.
I offered a 3 way chop, as I was sitting on about 5K, the other guys on 4 and 6 respectively. The 6K refused, despite my mentioning that we all had less than 10 bigs and were essentially flipping coins.
No worries - it was his right to think that he had an enormous chip and skill lead over us.
The very next hand he limped from the small blind and I checked my 82. If I'd had heart, I would've shoved, but I'm chicken shit so what can you do.
The flop came a delightful 82x. He donked, I flatted. The turn brought a third diamond, a ten, but I didn't care. He checked, I checked behind hoping to get it in on the river. Probably a mistake, but I had very little to lose as whatever bet came would be stack altering.
The river was an ace and he checked. The best card I could have seen - I bet 1500, half of my remaining stack and a devastating amount for him. I figured if he had hit the ace (not likely since he didn't bet pre) a pair of 8's or a medium pocket pair (also unlikely, but possible) he might pay me off. He also might have a bluff catcher. He folded.
I had chipped up another 2K. Now he was the short stack, though only by a couple K.
"$180 apiece for a three way chop..." I piped in again. He agreed. Easy game.
Nice to be up $40 for a full day of playing - I enjoyed railing Dog, which you can read some account of on @PepperStChrisM on twitter.
I will mention that he busted in 36th place, the day starting with 7 tables. He got all his chips (about 8 blinds I'm guessing) in the middle pre-flop with kings and yes, ran into aces. Unavoidable in most situations, let alone a short stacked one. He took home $990, which he happily plans to parlay into a seat in the senior's event (he just turned 50) at the WSOP.
As for me, also flush with cash (well maybe not, but at least I'm happy about my game) I'm planning to hit the WSOP as well, but first I'm gearing up for a short blast of poker in Vegas this weekend. Thursday through Saturday I'll be in Phoenix watching the boys of summer (that would be the Oakland A's) get ready for the new season. But on my way back on Saturday night instead of coming home like I should, I'll be taking a detour to hit up some donkaments with some good ol' boys.
That's right, it's NASCAR weekend in Vegas; last time I played during this time frame (2 years ago) in Sin City I had my biggest weekend ever, almost 2K in profits. Here's hoping for a repeat!
I do recognize that everyone who plays poker, even those who spit into a dixie up, has improved greatly even in the space of 24 months - so I'm not expecting the world; but I do feel pretty confident that if I can fade 2 outers and such, I'll be a shoo-in for some monies.
On Saturday night when I arrive I'm planning to hit the 7pm Venetian and maybe a late night donkament (where I got all my profits last time) if I don't go deep.
The next day I'll of course hit my early Sunday morning tradition - the 9am Monte Carlo, which likely will be rife with some hungover (or maybe still drunk) rubes.
Then if I bust early and have time to kill I'll splash around with the tourists (who won't be NASCAR, they'll be at the race) at the Mirage at 11am.
I should be busted by the time 2pm rolls around, and that's where I'm going to go super negative EV and play in my first ever Bellagio tournament. They've dropped the buy in just enough to where I feel comfortable now - it's a fantastic weekend major, and though I'll likely be outclassed, I just can't resist playing in such a bad ass tournament.
In the evening I'll try not to exhaust myself, but I can't resist to win some of my money back at the newest hot spot in poker tournaments (which again, should have a lot of that down home flavor that I'm looking for, since the race will be over) - the MGM.
Last year they overhauled their tournament structure, and I've read nothing but good things about it since. Reasonable juice, and a good amount of chips in a structure that isn't completely shit. For $80 and loaded with rednecks? Big time +EV!
No late night turbos after that, I'm afraid I depart at the crack of "holy shit it's early" - and from there drive straight to work. But it should be a grand old time!
Can't wait!
Friday, February 24, 2012
Quick thought...
Cashed in a live tournament for the second time this year at my own home game the other night. Played just about perfect poker, lost two 60/40s where I was the 60, AIPF - and I lost a third one where I was dominated with A8 vs A10.
Really felt I would have taken it down if I could have faded those 6 outers and/or for once been the sucker instead of the suckee.
Last night I took down the tournament in my WSOP online satty series - and played great poker while also running fairly hot. Learned one big thing -
Showing cards is essential in NLHE tournaments.
Every book will say the opposite - but I really believe to get into people's heads, it is very necessary to showski at some point. Allow me to explain.
My image among my friends, live and online, these days is pretty aggro / spewey - last night I used this to a full advantage and hammered home the point by SHOWING when I had successfully bluffed two different players off of better hands.
I firmly believe if I hadn't stuck the needle in, in these two hands, I would not have gotten paid off like I did later on. I got paid with quad 3s for God's sake! How often does that happen? Next to never if you don't demonstrate that you can fire with air.
I really believe, if you have any understanding of the psychology of the game, that showing cards at the exact right time is just too powerful a tool in the arsenal to ignore.
I also showed a few times when I open shoved and everyone folded - in those instances I had a pair of jacks, and two times AK suited. It seems like this wouldn't work, but later I was able to shove and get folds with much trashier hands.
When I lucked out and more than tripled up in a 3 way pot, after being short stacked for a long time, I had some ammo and was able to show a few bluffs to these same players - and then they couldn't help but call me down with top pair when I turned a monster full house or flushed up.
So every poker book I've read is essentially full of shit. Showing cards, when you have the experience and understanding of how other players are thinking, is not only okay - it's basically required in tournament play. AND you can show both good hands and bad hands at different times on the same players and they will not necessarily be savvy enough to know that they are being manipulated.
Now, as Annie Duke likes to point out - there really are no absolutes in poker. If I'm at a table where I'm seriously outclassed by most of the players at my table, such as if I were to run deep in a WSOP event, I would seriously consider not ever showing my cards if I didn't have to. But in my home game, online with friends, and even at Commerce with a softish table draw - I'm certainly going to be whipping my cards out more often now that I've come to this conclusion.
Really felt I would have taken it down if I could have faded those 6 outers and/or for once been the sucker instead of the suckee.
Last night I took down the tournament in my WSOP online satty series - and played great poker while also running fairly hot. Learned one big thing -
Showing cards is essential in NLHE tournaments.
Every book will say the opposite - but I really believe to get into people's heads, it is very necessary to showski at some point. Allow me to explain.
My image among my friends, live and online, these days is pretty aggro / spewey - last night I used this to a full advantage and hammered home the point by SHOWING when I had successfully bluffed two different players off of better hands.
I firmly believe if I hadn't stuck the needle in, in these two hands, I would not have gotten paid off like I did later on. I got paid with quad 3s for God's sake! How often does that happen? Next to never if you don't demonstrate that you can fire with air.
I really believe, if you have any understanding of the psychology of the game, that showing cards at the exact right time is just too powerful a tool in the arsenal to ignore.
I also showed a few times when I open shoved and everyone folded - in those instances I had a pair of jacks, and two times AK suited. It seems like this wouldn't work, but later I was able to shove and get folds with much trashier hands.
When I lucked out and more than tripled up in a 3 way pot, after being short stacked for a long time, I had some ammo and was able to show a few bluffs to these same players - and then they couldn't help but call me down with top pair when I turned a monster full house or flushed up.
So every poker book I've read is essentially full of shit. Showing cards, when you have the experience and understanding of how other players are thinking, is not only okay - it's basically required in tournament play. AND you can show both good hands and bad hands at different times on the same players and they will not necessarily be savvy enough to know that they are being manipulated.
Now, as Annie Duke likes to point out - there really are no absolutes in poker. If I'm at a table where I'm seriously outclassed by most of the players at my table, such as if I were to run deep in a WSOP event, I would seriously consider not ever showing my cards if I didn't have to. But in my home game, online with friends, and even at Commerce with a softish table draw - I'm certainly going to be whipping my cards out more often now that I've come to this conclusion.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Honesty Sucks
It's tough to know where I'm at in my game right now; I still love tournament poker, but it sure is hard. And since I've been tracking my results accurately, for really the first time ever in my 5+ years of seriously playing this game, I find myself with way more questions than answers.
I've played in 13 events in January and the first part of February 2012. I have cashed once. Once.
Somehow it doesn't feel that unusual or bad, but when I look at the raw numbers - I'm stuck just over 700 bucks, it is a bit unsettling.
Now, to be fair, four of the events were $40 satellites at the LAPC, and these truly are super-turbos. We start with 1000 in chips and blinds double every 15 minutes. Ridiculous really, and the only reason I played them was because I busted out of other bigger events early and was still itching to play.
So I take those four events out, and it's 9 events and cashing once, stuck just over 500.
I can certainly live with that, and attribute a good part of it to variance.
But, and this is a good thing - there is also the nagging feeling that a few costly mistakes on either crucial or tournament ending hands, have put me in this negative.
I can distinctly remember an event at HPC where I had a decent amount of chips and I was second in (not first) with QJ suited. I wound up in a three way pot with the third best hand, double dominated (my QJ vs. AJ and KQ - yuck!) I can definitely say that I was a bit tilted from being so card dead, and even rationalized it at the time as I walked out to my car.
Thinking back, it was pretty much a horseshit move. Not knowing how to fold broadway cards, especially suited ones, in early to mid position, even when the M is dwindling, is a leak that I can see that I have that needs plugging.
I did the same thing, calling off a shove by shoving, the other night in a fairly soft home game with KJ suited - ran into AQ and a small pair which held. I didn't need to do that. I had around 15 bigs, and in a tournament with no antes there was absolutely no excuse for it. Additionally there was a station monster stack in front of me, yes he called - who would've probably looked me up with A2, let alone a shitty pocket pair.
There have been a couple of bust out hands where I was first in, and I'm a lot more comfy with those moves, that just didn't work out.
And then there was my last satellite at Commerce (wait, wasn't I not including those?) where I shoved over an UTG raiser and a limper with pocket tens. Not that good, but really in a super turbo with 6 bigs I don't know that I'm ever folding tens. Funny result, the original UTG raiser let it go (stupid) and the limper called off most of his chips with J10, which of course hit a three outer on the river. I'm okay with this, results notwithstanding.
Other funny story, in the previous satellite on the same evening. Psycho Asian guy to my right (I've played with him before and he truly is emotionally unhinged, he kicked a chair over at HPC when he busted one time, but anyway...) lost his shit when I called his SB shove blind. The big blind was a third of my stack, so I thought nothing of calling - it was correct regardless of my holdings. I had J2 he had A9. The river brought a runner runner wheel and he really lost his shit, swearing at me up and down in Mandarin. My only response was a raised eyebrow and an "Oookay..." as I scooped up the chips. Later I did ask him if this was the first time he'd ever played poker, to which he swore again and again in his native tongue. Good times.
Then there was a disastrous end on Saturday - I was sitting on about 25 bigs, with the blinds ratcheting up. I knew it was time to start stealing when I could. I had a good tight image, and had truly been playing ABC for over 2 hours.
Blinds 200/400. Two limpers behind me, I raised it up to 2500 with K7os. This is not really an overbet here, it's a 3x plus the two limpers and a little bit more. The talky HPC regular who was a nice enough guy in the SB looked me up with what he called a "spite" call. I laughed as the other limpers and BB folded.
Flop was Q58 rainbow, he led out with a third of the pot sized bet.
I hate donking, it puts me on tilt. I need to learn to do it myself effectively, because it can be a great weapon against the right opponent (like me for instance). But anyways, this player I knew was decent and could be tricky against another player he recognized as decent too (that would be me).
So I flatted to reevaluate on the turn, which was a 6 to complete the rainbow. I was now open ended, plus I was guessing that any kings that hit would be good. 11 outs.
He led out again, this time a substantial bet that would commit me to the hand. It was jam or fold time.
I don't hate my jam here, because he tanked forever and complimented me on a good play before calling off over half of his stack to my shove. He had top pair, 10 kicker and it held.
At the time I hated his call, but on reflection I really blame myself every which way for this hand.
For starters, until I'm Daniel Negraneau, I really have zero business fucking around with K7os. I can see trying to steal pre-flop if I've been super dead and it's open folded to me, but I shouldn't be dicking around with it if I have to raise higher than 2.5x to get rid of limpers. Way too much money into a pot with a garbage hand.
And then, as Annie Duke likes to say, what if the king hits? Am I happy? Fuuuuck. Now I've got too much of my stack involved to ever really consider folding. And when I blank, as the hand shows, I can still get into trouble - even (or perhaps especially) if I'm reading my opponent right and put the right pressure on him. He could and did still read me for a bullshitter and make a hero call.
All of this could have been avoided - simply by being a bit more patient and waiting for better starting cards and a better situation.
As I drove home I couldn't help thinking to myself "Damn. I could be still playing poker, sitting on 16 bigs if I had just folded to that big turn bet. I knew he had top pair. Was he really a good enough player to lay it down? In my heart I knew the answer was hells no."
I'm excited for the future of my game, despite my lumps - if I can truly look at myself objectively. Tracking my bankroll to the last cent accurately is a phenomenal way of doing this. I had no idea that it would sharpen the picture of my game so drastically. I'm happy that it has, because I feel that with this more detailed view of my results, I'll be able to adjust quicker and more productively.
********
Quick update - Sven and I are Vegas bound on the third weekend of July for the WSOP. VERY excited. Haven't decided if I'm going to save up for a bracelet event, but I'm leaning heavily towards a few satellite entries instead.
I've played in 13 events in January and the first part of February 2012. I have cashed once. Once.
Somehow it doesn't feel that unusual or bad, but when I look at the raw numbers - I'm stuck just over 700 bucks, it is a bit unsettling.
Now, to be fair, four of the events were $40 satellites at the LAPC, and these truly are super-turbos. We start with 1000 in chips and blinds double every 15 minutes. Ridiculous really, and the only reason I played them was because I busted out of other bigger events early and was still itching to play.
So I take those four events out, and it's 9 events and cashing once, stuck just over 500.
I can certainly live with that, and attribute a good part of it to variance.
But, and this is a good thing - there is also the nagging feeling that a few costly mistakes on either crucial or tournament ending hands, have put me in this negative.
I can distinctly remember an event at HPC where I had a decent amount of chips and I was second in (not first) with QJ suited. I wound up in a three way pot with the third best hand, double dominated (my QJ vs. AJ and KQ - yuck!) I can definitely say that I was a bit tilted from being so card dead, and even rationalized it at the time as I walked out to my car.
Thinking back, it was pretty much a horseshit move. Not knowing how to fold broadway cards, especially suited ones, in early to mid position, even when the M is dwindling, is a leak that I can see that I have that needs plugging.
I did the same thing, calling off a shove by shoving, the other night in a fairly soft home game with KJ suited - ran into AQ and a small pair which held. I didn't need to do that. I had around 15 bigs, and in a tournament with no antes there was absolutely no excuse for it. Additionally there was a station monster stack in front of me, yes he called - who would've probably looked me up with A2, let alone a shitty pocket pair.
There have been a couple of bust out hands where I was first in, and I'm a lot more comfy with those moves, that just didn't work out.
And then there was my last satellite at Commerce (wait, wasn't I not including those?) where I shoved over an UTG raiser and a limper with pocket tens. Not that good, but really in a super turbo with 6 bigs I don't know that I'm ever folding tens. Funny result, the original UTG raiser let it go (stupid) and the limper called off most of his chips with J10, which of course hit a three outer on the river. I'm okay with this, results notwithstanding.
Other funny story, in the previous satellite on the same evening. Psycho Asian guy to my right (I've played with him before and he truly is emotionally unhinged, he kicked a chair over at HPC when he busted one time, but anyway...) lost his shit when I called his SB shove blind. The big blind was a third of my stack, so I thought nothing of calling - it was correct regardless of my holdings. I had J2 he had A9. The river brought a runner runner wheel and he really lost his shit, swearing at me up and down in Mandarin. My only response was a raised eyebrow and an "Oookay..." as I scooped up the chips. Later I did ask him if this was the first time he'd ever played poker, to which he swore again and again in his native tongue. Good times.
Then there was a disastrous end on Saturday - I was sitting on about 25 bigs, with the blinds ratcheting up. I knew it was time to start stealing when I could. I had a good tight image, and had truly been playing ABC for over 2 hours.
Blinds 200/400. Two limpers behind me, I raised it up to 2500 with K7os. This is not really an overbet here, it's a 3x plus the two limpers and a little bit more. The talky HPC regular who was a nice enough guy in the SB looked me up with what he called a "spite" call. I laughed as the other limpers and BB folded.
Flop was Q58 rainbow, he led out with a third of the pot sized bet.
I hate donking, it puts me on tilt. I need to learn to do it myself effectively, because it can be a great weapon against the right opponent (like me for instance). But anyways, this player I knew was decent and could be tricky against another player he recognized as decent too (that would be me).
So I flatted to reevaluate on the turn, which was a 6 to complete the rainbow. I was now open ended, plus I was guessing that any kings that hit would be good. 11 outs.
He led out again, this time a substantial bet that would commit me to the hand. It was jam or fold time.
I don't hate my jam here, because he tanked forever and complimented me on a good play before calling off over half of his stack to my shove. He had top pair, 10 kicker and it held.
At the time I hated his call, but on reflection I really blame myself every which way for this hand.
For starters, until I'm Daniel Negraneau, I really have zero business fucking around with K7os. I can see trying to steal pre-flop if I've been super dead and it's open folded to me, but I shouldn't be dicking around with it if I have to raise higher than 2.5x to get rid of limpers. Way too much money into a pot with a garbage hand.
And then, as Annie Duke likes to say, what if the king hits? Am I happy? Fuuuuck. Now I've got too much of my stack involved to ever really consider folding. And when I blank, as the hand shows, I can still get into trouble - even (or perhaps especially) if I'm reading my opponent right and put the right pressure on him. He could and did still read me for a bullshitter and make a hero call.
All of this could have been avoided - simply by being a bit more patient and waiting for better starting cards and a better situation.
As I drove home I couldn't help thinking to myself "Damn. I could be still playing poker, sitting on 16 bigs if I had just folded to that big turn bet. I knew he had top pair. Was he really a good enough player to lay it down? In my heart I knew the answer was hells no."
I'm excited for the future of my game, despite my lumps - if I can truly look at myself objectively. Tracking my bankroll to the last cent accurately is a phenomenal way of doing this. I had no idea that it would sharpen the picture of my game so drastically. I'm happy that it has, because I feel that with this more detailed view of my results, I'll be able to adjust quicker and more productively.
********
Quick update - Sven and I are Vegas bound on the third weekend of July for the WSOP. VERY excited. Haven't decided if I'm going to save up for a bracelet event, but I'm leaning heavily towards a few satellite entries instead.
Monday, January 23, 2012
The Pumpkin
One of my favorite scenes in one of my favorite movies goes like this -
Frodo and his hobbit friends have returned to the Shire after a 13 month long harrowing adventure battling evil in the land of Mordor. They return mostly physically unscathed, but mentally they have been battered and bruised, some of them (Frodo) beyond repair. They have been to Mordor and seen the face of true evil and they will never be the same.
So they gather together in the Green Dragon pub, and as they sit down a rowdy bunch of hobbits enter with an enormous pumpkin. The pumpkin's presumptive owner is very proud and polishes it lustily, glaring at Frodo who gets in his way.
In the scene you can read the farmers mind - "Can't they see that this is important? This is a prize winning pumpkin after all!"
The hobbits just give a reflective smile to each other and toast their friendship. They, unlike most of the hobbits in the shire, can see the big picture. The world is a vast place, full of danger and wonder, and until you step out into it, you really have no idea.
Until you have been to the mountain top, a giant pumpkin seems really important.
It's all about perspective, and even though I have very little in the world of poker - I am a thoughtful enough person to recognize that I and most of the players in card rooms I sit down with, have no idea what it is to be a true professional in the sport.
So when, at Hollywood Park Casino, I look across at a loud mouthed grinder, who seems intent on letting the whole poker floor know that he is the table captain by God - all I actually see is a giant pumpkin.
Most of the arrogant players I've encountered are as self-important and delusional as that hobbit farmer, and have no idea how much more they have to learn about the game.
At my table in the World Series of Poker there was a bit of a chatterbox, who was maybe a four out of ten on the douche scale - who berated a player a bit who slow played his aces and got out flopped and lost his stack.
At this the chatterbox, who wasn't even in the hand, couldn't help himself and made a snide comment that actually contained the world "donk" in it. The berated player simply smiled and wished everyone else luck as he left. He then reappeared a few minutes later at the first break, up on the stage accepting his WSOP bracelet for the previous day's 10K H.O.R.S.E. event.
Fabrice Soulier, the "donkey" in question knows a pumpkin when he sees it, and he doesn't even bat an eye when it pops up at the table. I would like very much to follow his lead on this, since I see a fair amount of pumpkins at most larger events I play in.
One was the other night in the LAPC, he was seated on my left.
In small chit chat I had ascertained that he was a recreational cash game player. As a douche he was strictly minor league, maybe a 2 or 3 out of 10 - but I have to admit, his arrogance did tilt me a fair amount and probably led to my implosion on the last hand before the break.
But let's back up.
Earlier I had nearly tripled up in a three way pot, that believe it or not rattled me quite a bit.
Blinds were at 50/75 (an odd level to be sure, it gave the SB irresistable odds on every limped pot).
I was steaming from a long run of rag cards coupled with the fact that the table entire, douche included, seemed to be very passive and very soft. I knew if I got some ammo I could take control, and with only 3K chips to start with that I had already spewed off a bit, I was itching to get my 2300 stack in.
I was in middle position, utg limped, as did utg+1 to my right. I looked down at K5cc, which as we all know is a trash hand - but I rationalized a chunky three bet (from the limped 75 up to 300) because there had been very few of them so far and zero from me. Also, the players who had re-raised had taken down their pots pre-flop. That was really my plan here, though in hindsight I recognize that I didn't really have much of a plan if I got flatted.
And that's just what happened with the button, a weak female player that I had tangled with and won a pot with a bluff earlier. There are more than a few problems with my questionable re-raise, but the biggest one is that there were so many players in front of me yet to act. I'm lucky that it was only the button who stuck around.
But also, though the blinds and the utg player folded, the utg+1 called. Utg+1 was probably the biggest fish at the table, I had him pegged as a classic super passive home gamer. He was a level 1 station who had won a couple of big pots just by being stubborn and either hitting or calling off light with the best hand. He had me well covered. I covered the button by just a bit.
The flop came KK6 rainbow. Yahtzee.
I had already made up my mind, and I think I was correct, that I was never folding with this board, not in most tournaments, but certainly not in a 1000 player event for $65 with a shot at 30K in first place money. Most of all, I only have 1400 behind with roughly 1200 in the pot.
Utg+1 checked, I c-bet about 600, which of course commits me. The button, who was likely very tilted by my earlier aggression, reluctantly stuck her remaining chips in. It's what I figured she would do with a pocket pair. I wasn't worried.
Utg+1 tanked intently. Uh-oh. He has a king and for sure has me out kicked. Well that sucks, mostly because I'm never ever folding here, and only a station with no concept of pot odds would bother to Hollywood to get the rest of my chips when any decent player knows they're going in anyway.
He abruptly announced all-in, and I called fully expecting to be out kicked and hoping for a lucky run of cards to chop.
He had AK and I was all but out the door. I stood up, which I never do, and was putting on my jacket, which I also never do, when a five hit the river.
I didn't even notice that I had hit my 3 outer. He was 94% after a blank on the turn. I wasn't supposed to spike it - that would be (gasp!) like Mercier! The pot got pushed to me and I blinked in disbelief. An experienced player across from me picked right up on my bewilderment - "You won bro!"
"Oh shit." was my only response. I was now at 8500+ and well above average. I was also thoroughly rattled.
I had misplayed that hand dreadfully pre-flop, done okay afterwards, even calling off my tournament life because the numbers demanded it, but there really was no excuse for my pre-flop monkey business. And yet here I was, being hugely rewarded for bad behavior.
That's poker. I took a walk to cool off - because I was pretty mad at myself for playing so shitty and emotionally. I returned to the table, still shaking a bit, but ready to use my new found ammo to it's fullest.
So anyway - my implosion.
Instead of small balling smartly and grinding upwards, I managed to spew away much of my chips with sub-premium holdings. I even tilt-3-bet with 63os at one point, lol. I was down to 5500 and after the break we would be at 100/200 with a 25 ante. Not the worst place to be, but I was very aggravated at having bled so many chips. I had not been playing well at all.
On the last hand before the break - I defended my big blind from the minor league pumpkin on my left who raised UTG. I had KJcc. I have no problem with my call, which was for 200 more, I will defend my big blind with suited broadway cards most of the time - since with rags I relinquish it fairly frequently, I know people observe this and try to make me a target. If I have cards with decent equity I try to defend at least 1 in 4 times if I can so I don't become a magnet for bigger stacks.
Flop came low with a single club ace and another club. I checked to UTG who c-bet about a quarter of the pot.
This is another thing that had me pretty tilted on the day - an "expert" pumpkin who wanted to talk strategy with me and fancied himself God's gift to NLHE, didn't know how to bet size properly.
I called, which was a HUGE mistake. It's ship it or fold here.
He's likely got an ace or an over pair. If I shove now, he's likely to call with an ace and I'll have 9 outs, which puts me at the 40% end of a 60/40 "flip". Not great, but I could live with it. If I had been thinking clearly, I could easily rationalize a shove here.
Unfortunately I wasn't thinking very clearly; after the hand was over I erroneously concluded at the time that that my K or J or both might be good overs. If this was the case then I for sure should have shoved as he would be likely to relinquish and even if he didn't I would then be the favorite with two cards to come. This is bad reasoning - he was very likely to have an ace, and it was fairly likely, even with ginned outs, to be AK or AJ.
Anyway, I called which was terrible, and then I check raise shoved the blank turn which was also dreadful (got my money in as the 20 in an 80/20) and he snap called with a baby ace for most of his stack. A pretty bad call, but not too terrible considering my table image at that time which was that of a LAGtard on crack.
The river blanked and I was gone, he got all my chips with a naked off suit baby ace that he had raised with UTG.
He was fairly terrible - but I had let my own emotions, my own sense of importance, guide me. I had become a pumpkin on that hand.
Poker is a humbling sport for sure, but I find that lessons like these only make me better. The good news is that I am properly bankrolled these days for a $65 tournament, and I can truly look at it as a cheap price for a good learning experience.
I'm anxious to play another event that's similar in scope - you can't really do better than a 100K shot for $65. I'll have to look long and hard at the LAPC schedule, most of the remaining buy-ins are significantly higher, but if I can satellite into one of them, I think it would be well worth it.
Frodo and his hobbit friends have returned to the Shire after a 13 month long harrowing adventure battling evil in the land of Mordor. They return mostly physically unscathed, but mentally they have been battered and bruised, some of them (Frodo) beyond repair. They have been to Mordor and seen the face of true evil and they will never be the same.
So they gather together in the Green Dragon pub, and as they sit down a rowdy bunch of hobbits enter with an enormous pumpkin. The pumpkin's presumptive owner is very proud and polishes it lustily, glaring at Frodo who gets in his way.
In the scene you can read the farmers mind - "Can't they see that this is important? This is a prize winning pumpkin after all!"
The hobbits just give a reflective smile to each other and toast their friendship. They, unlike most of the hobbits in the shire, can see the big picture. The world is a vast place, full of danger and wonder, and until you step out into it, you really have no idea.
Until you have been to the mountain top, a giant pumpkin seems really important.
It's all about perspective, and even though I have very little in the world of poker - I am a thoughtful enough person to recognize that I and most of the players in card rooms I sit down with, have no idea what it is to be a true professional in the sport.
So when, at Hollywood Park Casino, I look across at a loud mouthed grinder, who seems intent on letting the whole poker floor know that he is the table captain by God - all I actually see is a giant pumpkin.
Most of the arrogant players I've encountered are as self-important and delusional as that hobbit farmer, and have no idea how much more they have to learn about the game.
At my table in the World Series of Poker there was a bit of a chatterbox, who was maybe a four out of ten on the douche scale - who berated a player a bit who slow played his aces and got out flopped and lost his stack.
At this the chatterbox, who wasn't even in the hand, couldn't help himself and made a snide comment that actually contained the world "donk" in it. The berated player simply smiled and wished everyone else luck as he left. He then reappeared a few minutes later at the first break, up on the stage accepting his WSOP bracelet for the previous day's 10K H.O.R.S.E. event.
Fabrice Soulier, the "donkey" in question knows a pumpkin when he sees it, and he doesn't even bat an eye when it pops up at the table. I would like very much to follow his lead on this, since I see a fair amount of pumpkins at most larger events I play in.
One was the other night in the LAPC, he was seated on my left.
In small chit chat I had ascertained that he was a recreational cash game player. As a douche he was strictly minor league, maybe a 2 or 3 out of 10 - but I have to admit, his arrogance did tilt me a fair amount and probably led to my implosion on the last hand before the break.
But let's back up.
Earlier I had nearly tripled up in a three way pot, that believe it or not rattled me quite a bit.
Blinds were at 50/75 (an odd level to be sure, it gave the SB irresistable odds on every limped pot).
I was steaming from a long run of rag cards coupled with the fact that the table entire, douche included, seemed to be very passive and very soft. I knew if I got some ammo I could take control, and with only 3K chips to start with that I had already spewed off a bit, I was itching to get my 2300 stack in.
I was in middle position, utg limped, as did utg+1 to my right. I looked down at K5cc, which as we all know is a trash hand - but I rationalized a chunky three bet (from the limped 75 up to 300) because there had been very few of them so far and zero from me. Also, the players who had re-raised had taken down their pots pre-flop. That was really my plan here, though in hindsight I recognize that I didn't really have much of a plan if I got flatted.
And that's just what happened with the button, a weak female player that I had tangled with and won a pot with a bluff earlier. There are more than a few problems with my questionable re-raise, but the biggest one is that there were so many players in front of me yet to act. I'm lucky that it was only the button who stuck around.
But also, though the blinds and the utg player folded, the utg+1 called. Utg+1 was probably the biggest fish at the table, I had him pegged as a classic super passive home gamer. He was a level 1 station who had won a couple of big pots just by being stubborn and either hitting or calling off light with the best hand. He had me well covered. I covered the button by just a bit.
The flop came KK6 rainbow. Yahtzee.
I had already made up my mind, and I think I was correct, that I was never folding with this board, not in most tournaments, but certainly not in a 1000 player event for $65 with a shot at 30K in first place money. Most of all, I only have 1400 behind with roughly 1200 in the pot.
Utg+1 checked, I c-bet about 600, which of course commits me. The button, who was likely very tilted by my earlier aggression, reluctantly stuck her remaining chips in. It's what I figured she would do with a pocket pair. I wasn't worried.
Utg+1 tanked intently. Uh-oh. He has a king and for sure has me out kicked. Well that sucks, mostly because I'm never ever folding here, and only a station with no concept of pot odds would bother to Hollywood to get the rest of my chips when any decent player knows they're going in anyway.
He abruptly announced all-in, and I called fully expecting to be out kicked and hoping for a lucky run of cards to chop.
He had AK and I was all but out the door. I stood up, which I never do, and was putting on my jacket, which I also never do, when a five hit the river.
I didn't even notice that I had hit my 3 outer. He was 94% after a blank on the turn. I wasn't supposed to spike it - that would be (gasp!) like Mercier! The pot got pushed to me and I blinked in disbelief. An experienced player across from me picked right up on my bewilderment - "You won bro!"
"Oh shit." was my only response. I was now at 8500+ and well above average. I was also thoroughly rattled.
I had misplayed that hand dreadfully pre-flop, done okay afterwards, even calling off my tournament life because the numbers demanded it, but there really was no excuse for my pre-flop monkey business. And yet here I was, being hugely rewarded for bad behavior.
That's poker. I took a walk to cool off - because I was pretty mad at myself for playing so shitty and emotionally. I returned to the table, still shaking a bit, but ready to use my new found ammo to it's fullest.
So anyway - my implosion.
Instead of small balling smartly and grinding upwards, I managed to spew away much of my chips with sub-premium holdings. I even tilt-3-bet with 63os at one point, lol. I was down to 5500 and after the break we would be at 100/200 with a 25 ante. Not the worst place to be, but I was very aggravated at having bled so many chips. I had not been playing well at all.
On the last hand before the break - I defended my big blind from the minor league pumpkin on my left who raised UTG. I had KJcc. I have no problem with my call, which was for 200 more, I will defend my big blind with suited broadway cards most of the time - since with rags I relinquish it fairly frequently, I know people observe this and try to make me a target. If I have cards with decent equity I try to defend at least 1 in 4 times if I can so I don't become a magnet for bigger stacks.
Flop came low with a single club ace and another club. I checked to UTG who c-bet about a quarter of the pot.
This is another thing that had me pretty tilted on the day - an "expert" pumpkin who wanted to talk strategy with me and fancied himself God's gift to NLHE, didn't know how to bet size properly.
I called, which was a HUGE mistake. It's ship it or fold here.
He's likely got an ace or an over pair. If I shove now, he's likely to call with an ace and I'll have 9 outs, which puts me at the 40% end of a 60/40 "flip". Not great, but I could live with it. If I had been thinking clearly, I could easily rationalize a shove here.
Unfortunately I wasn't thinking very clearly; after the hand was over I erroneously concluded at the time that that my K or J or both might be good overs. If this was the case then I for sure should have shoved as he would be likely to relinquish and even if he didn't I would then be the favorite with two cards to come. This is bad reasoning - he was very likely to have an ace, and it was fairly likely, even with ginned outs, to be AK or AJ.
Anyway, I called which was terrible, and then I check raise shoved the blank turn which was also dreadful (got my money in as the 20 in an 80/20) and he snap called with a baby ace for most of his stack. A pretty bad call, but not too terrible considering my table image at that time which was that of a LAGtard on crack.
The river blanked and I was gone, he got all my chips with a naked off suit baby ace that he had raised with UTG.
He was fairly terrible - but I had let my own emotions, my own sense of importance, guide me. I had become a pumpkin on that hand.
Poker is a humbling sport for sure, but I find that lessons like these only make me better. The good news is that I am properly bankrolled these days for a $65 tournament, and I can truly look at it as a cheap price for a good learning experience.
I'm anxious to play another event that's similar in scope - you can't really do better than a 100K shot for $65. I'll have to look long and hard at the LAPC schedule, most of the remaining buy-ins are significantly higher, but if I can satellite into one of them, I think it would be well worth it.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
More Run Bad but looking forward to 2012
Random recap of the year since the last post.
Played quite a bit of live poker in the last months of 2011 - cashed a handful of times, but mostly failed to fade 2 outers and inevitably made moves when I was crushed.
Finished out the Flatline season without cashing, save for a money-back chop that I negotiated at 1:30 in the morning on a bat-shit insane 8-game mix of my own design. Anxious to start again in mid-January.
I will also be running and participating in "Worldline" our annual World Series of Poker satellite series. This year it's 20 tournaments, scored as usual, with all of them counting towards a 1K seat.
Found a new home game this year, Eric T. hosts it. Lots of fun, a 20K stack tournament SNG single table with no antes and soft players. Have cashed 3 out of 6 times, and they are getting wise to me, but it still seems like it will be profitable.
HPC has been fairly cruel - either super card dead, or again (as I alluded above) I have been unable to dodge the requisite cards from hell. Haven't cashed there in ages - probably close to 10 tournaments.
Also dabbled the other night at the Bike, found it soft and a good structure for $60, but the inmates are running the asylum over there. Far worse than HPC in terms of dealer abuse and out of control regulars. The Bike makes HPC look positively civilized. Much cleaner card room, but much nastier people.
Had my aces cracked by A10 AIPF at PSP the other night. Delightful, but typical.
I'm ready to start running like Mercier any day now. All set and prepared.
Of course, as a good player Matthew S. pointed out to me in a recent e-mail, when we run bad we tend to play bad in tandem, because we get tilted and our decisions are poor. This is largely true, but of course I'm not playing THAT bad - not nearly as bad as my results in the last six months have shown.
I was up over 1K in winnings from Flatline over 3 years - now I'm just under 800. Stuck 200 for the season. Ready to step back, readjust, and get more patient there. Sven gave me the best advice ever for that league, and this reminds me - I've had dry stretches there before - his advice was, "Good cards will come". This is super true now, with so many new fishy stations swimming about.
Two resolutions:
1
Must must MUST finally get an accurate spread sheet (now that I know how to do them) and keep track of my bank roll in all forms of poker. Hopefully by the end of 2012 I will be able to add back online play (besides Flatline) as there are rumblings of sanity returning to our government.
2
Am going to take the plunge more often into cash game play in card rooms.
Busted in a sick manner one Sunday at HPC and had the afternoon to kill before the 430 second chance - took the opportunity to play $100 NL. HPC's version of small stakes cash game No Limit Hold-Em, blinds at $2 and $3, 100 maximum buy in with $150 max reload. I was shocked, shocked, SHOCKED at how timid the table was and at how SOFT it was. There was one maniac who had no idea what he was doing, I managed to get all his chips and mine in the middle after the turn and he was dead to 3 cards, which of course he hit. Unfazed, I reloaded and promptly stacked him once, twice, three times to finish up over $200 in profit. That, was amazing and a wake up call to me. The word about Vegas cash games is that they are WAY softer than SoCal. Oh really? Looks like I'll have to find out.
For a $100 max buy in table, I figure to budget 3 buy-ins. If I'm felted 3 times, just like a tourney, I walk and wait for the next tournament to begin. It simply appears to be way too profitable to pass up.
********
Very excited about 2012 actually - I can't run any worse, and hopefully with a fresh slate I'll be centered enough to make half decent decisions, so when the good cards do finally come, I can make them profitable.
Played quite a bit of live poker in the last months of 2011 - cashed a handful of times, but mostly failed to fade 2 outers and inevitably made moves when I was crushed.
Finished out the Flatline season without cashing, save for a money-back chop that I negotiated at 1:30 in the morning on a bat-shit insane 8-game mix of my own design. Anxious to start again in mid-January.
I will also be running and participating in "Worldline" our annual World Series of Poker satellite series. This year it's 20 tournaments, scored as usual, with all of them counting towards a 1K seat.
Found a new home game this year, Eric T. hosts it. Lots of fun, a 20K stack tournament SNG single table with no antes and soft players. Have cashed 3 out of 6 times, and they are getting wise to me, but it still seems like it will be profitable.
HPC has been fairly cruel - either super card dead, or again (as I alluded above) I have been unable to dodge the requisite cards from hell. Haven't cashed there in ages - probably close to 10 tournaments.
Also dabbled the other night at the Bike, found it soft and a good structure for $60, but the inmates are running the asylum over there. Far worse than HPC in terms of dealer abuse and out of control regulars. The Bike makes HPC look positively civilized. Much cleaner card room, but much nastier people.
Had my aces cracked by A10 AIPF at PSP the other night. Delightful, but typical.
I'm ready to start running like Mercier any day now. All set and prepared.
Of course, as a good player Matthew S. pointed out to me in a recent e-mail, when we run bad we tend to play bad in tandem, because we get tilted and our decisions are poor. This is largely true, but of course I'm not playing THAT bad - not nearly as bad as my results in the last six months have shown.
I was up over 1K in winnings from Flatline over 3 years - now I'm just under 800. Stuck 200 for the season. Ready to step back, readjust, and get more patient there. Sven gave me the best advice ever for that league, and this reminds me - I've had dry stretches there before - his advice was, "Good cards will come". This is super true now, with so many new fishy stations swimming about.
Two resolutions:
1
Must must MUST finally get an accurate spread sheet (now that I know how to do them) and keep track of my bank roll in all forms of poker. Hopefully by the end of 2012 I will be able to add back online play (besides Flatline) as there are rumblings of sanity returning to our government.
2
Am going to take the plunge more often into cash game play in card rooms.
Busted in a sick manner one Sunday at HPC and had the afternoon to kill before the 430 second chance - took the opportunity to play $100 NL. HPC's version of small stakes cash game No Limit Hold-Em, blinds at $2 and $3, 100 maximum buy in with $150 max reload. I was shocked, shocked, SHOCKED at how timid the table was and at how SOFT it was. There was one maniac who had no idea what he was doing, I managed to get all his chips and mine in the middle after the turn and he was dead to 3 cards, which of course he hit. Unfazed, I reloaded and promptly stacked him once, twice, three times to finish up over $200 in profit. That, was amazing and a wake up call to me. The word about Vegas cash games is that they are WAY softer than SoCal. Oh really? Looks like I'll have to find out.
For a $100 max buy in table, I figure to budget 3 buy-ins. If I'm felted 3 times, just like a tourney, I walk and wait for the next tournament to begin. It simply appears to be way too profitable to pass up.
********
Very excited about 2012 actually - I can't run any worse, and hopefully with a fresh slate I'll be centered enough to make half decent decisions, so when the good cards do finally come, I can make them profitable.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Spontaneous Vegas
So it turns out one of the major regulars, who's also a great guy, in my Pepper Street Poker home game had a 50th birthday celebration planned for the first weekend in October and extended an invitation to me and a few others to join him with his rather large family and a few other friends.
Afterwards I played blackjack for the FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE. I was a bit scared, but thanks to Mike's expert advice, which apparently you can give freely without penalty in black jack (a good indication that the house can't be beat), I cashed out with $50 in profit. Nice.
Bet he didn't think I'd take him up on it!
For Mike (the birthday boy) it wasn't really about cards, but he did join me for one tournament. (More on that in a minute).
For me, it turned out to be mostly about teh pokerz, but I also made a really good faith effort to share in the celebration and be around for the major birthday events.
The first such good time after my arrival was on Friday night; the entire group, including all but 2 of Mike's 6 siblings (wow) and his folks and his lady companion (who is as groovy as he is) joined a smattering of friends (including me) for sausage and schnitzel at the massive Hofbrauhaus restaurant across from the Hard Rock.
The food was decent (you really can't go wrong with comfort cuisine) but the music and atmosphere was off the chain and a spanking good time was had by all. No, literally, it was spanking good - as the waitresses brought around giant wooden paddles and shots. The birthday boy knocked one back and then assumed the position to have his ass smacked hella hard. Those wacky Germans.
Afterwards I played blackjack for the FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE. I was a bit scared, but thanks to Mike's expert advice, which apparently you can give freely without penalty in black jack (a good indication that the house can't be beat), I cashed out with $50 in profit. Nice.
The following night it was Nikki Lee's Sports Bar where all of us, including another sister who just arrived (the 5th of Mike's 6 sibs) had an absolute blast (at least for the first quarter and a bit beyond) cheering on the Nebraska Cornhuskers as they faced off against the hated Wisconsin Badgers.
Now I know as much about College Football as a fish knows about a bicycle, but I quickly learned the Nebraska chants and got into the spirit very easily. It got a little tougher later on when Wisconsin decided to beat up on the big red (the nickname for Nebraska) like a proverbial red-headed step-child. Even the die hard fans didn't stick around for the entire slaughter, but it was still a heck of a lot of fun.
Sunday evening Mike and his brood were planning to see the "Love" Cirque show, I explained to him that my wife would have me tracked down and killed were I to see it without her; but we still had the morning and early afternoon for poker. I was very pleased to buy-in for the birthday boy (I figured he had a good chance of turning it into more anyway) and we both settled in to the same table (he in the 3, me in the 8, just about right) for a $50 splash-a-ment at Treasure Island.
This thing played out as many of these events do. I'm proud to say that Mike and I both were basically the only open raisers in the first phases of the 3 table tournament, and clearly also the best players. Not bragging really, no judgement - that's just how it was.
I did manage to tangle with him on a couple of hands. Nothing serious - but early on I did bluff him off a blind defense with a c-bet even though I blanked on a favorable board. Later when I tried to steal again he 3 bet me off my marginal starting cards on my follow up bet on the flop.
The most memorable hand between us is rapidly fading from my memory, it was in the middle of the tournament, we were still at our first table. I do believe he was drawing to a big hand and I fired a second barrel to get him off of it. I don't think I connected with the flop at all, but I honestly can't remember too much beyond that.
The good news was, we both made it to the final four. Less good for him was that he was on a teeny stack and they only paid 3. Luckily he was able to double up and I pounced on the opportunity to suggest that we all agree to take some $ off of 1st and 2nd to get the bubble (whoever it may be) his buy in back.
The other guys agreed, so when Mike unfortunately did get knocked out, he at least got a 50 spot for his efforts.
But backing up, before we were 4 we were 6. A home game hero to my right was the big stack but I wasn't too far behind. To my left was a familiar villain (not personal, just a poker geek term) - a passive station who had no concept of chip stack sizes or commitment thresholds.
To preface this silliness - we all had less than 20 bigs, the station had about 8.
I had been raising a fair amount and looked down at AK on the button after it was folded to me. After a 2.5x raise station defended his small blind, Mike in the big let his cards go.
Flop came Ax10 - and station check shoved my C-bet. Committed to the hand with about 40% of my stack, I knew I was dead, but had to call. He had A10.
Unremarkable hand really, but it was a noteworthy companion to a very similar hand a bit later after Station had been eliminated.
Home Game Hero still had a monster stacken - I had managed to accumulate back up, after a few well timed shoves and then a few chunky raises to get laydowns pre-flop. But I was still under 15 big blinds, ready to pull the trigger if the timing was right.
5 handed, HGH flat called UTG. He had been doing this all day with QJ, 77, K10, etc. I looked down at A10 and I shipped it, he called with AK.
I have no problem with how I played the hand really. Blinds were ridonkulous and there was no reason to play for 3rd or 2nd as the big jump was for 1st only. I'm either folding or shoving in that spot, and it's just not in my nature to let go of a big ace if I've been card dead for awhile, and I'm facing a passive player with an undeserved mountain in front of him.
The sick part of this hand was the results - and HGH's reaction.
I felt really good that I had managed to stay relatively placid in the face of a 3 outer deflating my own AK on the flop; Mike had to be amazed. I am much more demonstrative in the garage, no doubt because I am among friends and am not going to war the way I do in a card club. There it's all about having fun, and part of the fun is venting a bit.
No, I was completely zen about it, and proud that the Station who sucked out on me was far more emotive than me, even in trying to be a gracious winner.
So when a ten came on the turn after a blank flop on this AK vs. A10 round two, HGH pretty much lost his shit (not mad at me but exasperated) and once again - I was as flat as a mill pond.
Tommy Angelo would have been proud.
To finish up on the results - Mike did indeed "bubble" but got $50 of birthday money so he could get a Beatles T-shirt. I myself did finish third, I just couldn't accumulate enough to overcome my dearth of cards at end game. I don't think I misplayed my exit hand, I probably would remember if I did. But I do know I was silky chill with handshakes all around when the chip leader (who in the end was NOT the home game hero, he was eliminated shortly after his AK got sucked out on) knocked both of us remaining players out on the final hand.
As long as we're still talking about my tilt, which by the way to me was the highlight of my trip (birthday festivities excepted of course), let me tell you about the only real tournament of the three days.
The Wynn $125 nooner. Tough four table tournament, with 30 minute levels and deep blinds. I lasted over 3 hours.
Allen R. stopped in for a quick howdy, another PSP regular who coincidentally was in town for some debauchery with his youngster buddies.
He barely missed my exit, he was off playing 1/3.
My image was slightly loose / aggressive. Earlier I had been seated right next to an older fellow who was a bit of a character, but in a good way. He was a very good conversationalist and I enjoyed chatting it up with him, about movies and the business and in turn, my work.
He watched a hand go down with me and the table "pro" in the 1 seat early on.
This "pro" was the whole nine yards - hoody, sunglasses, i-pod, stone-cold killer (lol).
He had been pretty aggro early on, he seemed to have only one gear and that was pedal to the medal "I don't give a fuck, this is a re-entry event" aggressiveness.
But I have now played with these guys before quite a bit, and I know their game - it's all about image, and crafting it so that you think "Wow, this asshole is crazy. I'm never folding top pair to him!" And then they wake up with aces or kings and you pay them off with AJ all in pre-flop.
I am very grateful that I play tournament poker in Southern California, I really do feel comfortable against any kind of opponent, and I wasn't too worried about this guy. Not that I wasn't avoiding him, I pretty much was.
Anyway, blinds are low, we're all fairly deep at 80 blinds or so.
He raises in EP (again) and two people behind me call. I do as well on the button with Ac 5c sooooted. (I know, I know, but pot odds right?)
Flop comes middling cards with 2 clubs. He fires about a third of the rather bloated pot. The two stations release and I'm faced with better than 4 to 1. Insta-float.
The turn bricks with a face card unrelated to the texture so far. This time he stops his rhythm and tanks on the bet size.
He either hit his queen or blanked, because all the time he is taking, he is crafting how to best achieve his goal. He fires over half the pot, a HUGE c-bet for him (based on his bet sizing on previous hands) and a bet that just screams GO AWAY.
I really tanked a bit myself on this (something that I'm finally starting to do more, rather than just snap-decide) and did decipher what his bet size meant. It was the wrong price, no doubt, but I still had plenty of chips behind, and if I hit I stood to stack him because he was likely to fire a third barrel regardless - if he had indeed hit. If he had hit his queen, I'm guessing he would have done what he did earlier when his AK hit the turn, he bet for value on a fairly wet board against an ABC player (which is no doubt how he perceived me).
Annie Duke, my mentor these days with her incredible new book "Decide to Play Great Poker" would have had me either fold or 3 bet here (that is, shove) rather than call. His second barrel is so large here, that if I'm planning to bet the river I might as well put the chips to use now. He is likely to fold TPGK or even TPTK based on my image at the table thus far.
But I fucked up and called, planning to fold a giant third barrel if I blanked.
The river was a red Ace.
Hmmmmm..... was it good?
He bet. Another big bet, but not as big as it should have been mathematically. Probably under 1/3 of the pot.
Was it for value?
Not necessarily. On the river earlier with the goods, he had just stuck it in, and got looked up by an inferior bottom two pair to his set. Hugely profitable line if he's convinced he has the best hand against a station.
This time, he bet just enough to leave his remaining stack viable.
This is what convinced me to call. He shook his head and looked pissed. I fast rolled my A5, as is my custom, and this steamed him even more.
Big ass pot, ship it.
Old Friendly went on and on about "How could you make that call? You turned it over like you knew it was the best hand!" Actually, that's just a by-product of my fast-rolling technique. I can't stand reluctant show downs, it's infected my home game pretty badly, it just rubs me the wrong way. I never show if I don't have to, but if there is any delay on the dude I'm calling, I flip em quick as a courtesy to other players, on whose time we are wasting by sitting there staring at each other.
Anyway, it was the best decision I made all trip by far, based on a bunch of factors, and it was a shining moment for me. The turn, not so much, it's a ship it or fold situation (leaning towards fold) but I'm glad I didn't lose my nerve, heart or brains when the "pro" stuck in the maximum he could without seriously hurting his remaining bullets.
Flash forward 2 hours.
Old friendly had long since busted (in a nice manner btw) and I assumed he had departed. But when our table broke, there he was at my new home two seats to my left, and he gave me a friendly nod. He had re-entered.
Since his departure I had played the role of classic TAG, c-betting my raises after the flop nearly 100% of the time, only shutting down with multiple opponents in front, and as a result my chips were around average.
Time wore on and then I dipped into what I consider the danger zone (under 15 bigs) as the antes started to take their toll.
Over the next 3 orbits I shoved in position once, twice, three, times. Win, win, win, no showdowns. And with all those dead chippies adding no small amount to my stack. I was now at 16K with blinds at 400/800 and 100 antes. 20 bigs was well above average at this point as we had only been given 7500 to start.
I finally had just enough for a standard 2.5x raise. I did it twice, the second time I had to c-bet a single opponent with nothing (scary) but I knew he was a super nit and thankfully he released.
Still at around 16K a little later (the antes really were relentless) I looked down at KQos in the hijack. Standard raise.
Old Friendly on the button called. Blinds released.
Flop came Q79 rainbow. I c-bet and he wasn't going anywhere, calling quickly.
Turn was a beautiful K completing the rainbow. I checked, as is the line Ms. Duke approves of.
Old Friendly rapidly bet out a random hunk of chips that was nearly but not quite all I had behind.
I immediately said "All-In" figuring there was a fairly decent chance I had run into a set, but not really caring based on the math.
Old Friendly was flummoxed and asked for a count. When he realized it was just under 3K more (into a bloated 30k pot) he sheepishly called, practically before I had already turned up my top top.
"I need a miracle card on the river..." he muttered as he revealed his pocket sixes.
We all know the end to this story.
********
"Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright. The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light, And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout. But there is no joy in Mudville — mighty Casey has FAILED TO FADE A FUCKING TWO OUTER!!!!"
I can make light here, because I was expressionless when the card from hell hit. I was a little more demonstrative after I had graciously said goodbye, when Allen R. came over and consoled me.
"I don't play this game often enough for it not to sting..." I confessed. To him. And it did hurt, only because a double up in that spot would have put me right back in it with 40 bigs.
Anyway, I am proud of my demeanor in falling to the short end of a 96% equation.
I'm less proud of my tilt that manifested at the 9am Monte Carlo on the same day, where I had basically run over 2 tables worth of home game dopes for a good 90 minutes, only to get coolered twice and bubble.
I was nice enough on the outside, but inward I was rattled (especially by the way players insisted on still limping after I had quite effectively punished them for it over and over again) and I know this tilt was responsible for my last bit of spew that I probably could have prevented with a moment of reflection.
I said cursory goodbyes, and even gave a "See ya! Good luck!" (of the sarcastic eye-rolling variety) over my shoulder on my way out.
Not my finest moment.
But I was good for the remainder, until that grotesque poker exercise known as H.O.R.S.E. on my final night at the Orleans.
I said it pretty well at the table shortly before my demise...
"Razz is not a very difficult game, but it sure is sadistic."
Needless to say, in the midst of my tilt after a particularly massive draw at O8 that failed to materialize, and therefore did great damage to my already middling stack, I was faced with having to fast play my Razz starting cards.
We all know what fun that is.
With the king and ten showing big stack reraised me all in, it was inevitable that I would pair and brick off, my J6 losing to her 109 in typical razz fashion.
I was pretty nice on my exit, but by the time I reached my car (I went out to fill the tank with gas) I was fuming.
I think I'm done staying at the Orleans for awhile. It is a truly great room, and by great I literally mean one of the best poker rooms in the world, no exaggeration. The only place on the planet that regularly spreads 7+ table HORSE and Omaha/8 tournaments. The best value for structure NLHE daily I've ever played in; and a potentially huge cash game jackpot (six figure plus) that has seen me playing 2/4 for hours simply to possibly hit a big payday.
But the room is SoCal tough - nitty and savvy regulars. In over half a decade of making the Orleans my home base, I have never cashed in a tournament there.
Much as it pains me, it is time to move on and stick with NLHE in softer pastures.
I think my new room of choice is going to be Harrah's.
Harrah's room is quiet, closed off, and unlike Orleans which is one of the worst offenders in Vegas, entirely smoke free. Best of all the clientele is very soft, and they run 5 tournaments every day! True, they are turbos, but how can I beat 8am, 10am, 3pm, 8pm and 1am? The PERFECT times for filling up in between the more typical Vegas tourney times of noon and 7pm.
My hotel room is booked for early February. I am NOT going to rent a car for once, all the poker goodness at Harrah's is super close.
I plan to get in four full days, I will definitely hit at least 3 majors - for sure the Wynn, probably the V and/or A, and maybe, just maybe my first ever event at the B.
Very much looking forward to it!
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