Ill advised.
Those are the best words I could use to describe the maneuver I tried to pull after our 17 players had been whittled down to just 9, about halfway through last nights tournament.
I'd had a great night so far, building a stack simply by stealing the blinds on occasion and reading people correctly and pushing them off of hands. I hadn't caught any cards to speak of - it was pure intuitive skill that saw my stack grow to 2500+ from a starting stack of 1500.
When we got to a single table, a couple of moves I made - plus a couple of decent hands I started with, didn't pan out. So I was around my starting stack when I woke up on the button with pocket fours. My standard raise of 2.5x the big blind had been working well, so I popped it. The big blind, Cali, flat called. He had folded at least twice before to me, so I knew he had something.
Flop came 89k rainbow. Cali lead out with 300. A terrible bet that told me immediately he hadn't connected with the flop. He hits with his KJ he'll bet less, fearful of my kicker. If he has AK he'll value bet more to punish me for staying. (As an aside, if he had AK pre-flop he should have raised then, but he is pretty passive with drawing hands - even the best one in the deck). He runs into a set with 8's or 9's he'll check and try to slow play. This was clearly a "leading" bet, trying to take the pot right then and there. I pondered, and decided he had a smaller pair, or possibly he was semi-bluffing with an open ended straight draw. Either way, I'm getting him off of this hand.
To his credit, he did tank long and hard when I pushed all-in over the top; but eventually he did call with pocket sixes. So much for Doyle Brunson 101 poker. I put the tough decision to him, he wasn't nearly committed to the hand, he could have easily (and should have as far as I'm concerned) figured it out and folded. If I was him, I would have put me on AK or even a middle pocket pair, respected the power of position and laid it down.
But therein lies my biggest mistake. I'm not him. He was willing to risk almost the entirety of his stack because he's fallen in love with a pair of sixes, out of position. And he thinks I'm always trying to steal, cause he reads this blog.
A small part of me does give him credit for reading me well, and there's no doubt that he had information on me. But unless you're Patrick Antonius, you have no idea if I have pocket 4's or pocket 7's. I know he was tilting from his poor play earlier (calling pre-flop with J7os out of position is one lovely play that springs to mind) and I knew that as long as he couldn't get away when he was beaten, he was not long for this tournament. He busted out in sixth place.
Once again, I have learned the lesson to play the player and not just the cards. I've had my biggest successes with Cali simply by having the a very strong hand and moving all in. He is, as far as I can see, unable to discern a good position bet from the stone cold nuts. As long as he keeps calling me down when he gets just a piece of the flop or a pocket pair, I stand to crush him on a regular basis.
Next week; more patient with Cali and his ilk. Stay frosty with the tricksters.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Sunday, March 2, 2008
T8 Flatline 2008.1 2/25/08
Fifth hand of the night.
1} Manzoni $1,500 Ac Ad
2) crippe * $1,455 ?? ??
3) timmytimmy $1,440 ?? ??
4) cali Al $1,360 ?? ??
5) Miles 2 Go $1,500 ?? ??
7) rowser $1,500 ?? ??
8) The Rubin $1,795 ?? ??
10) YourDinero $1,450 ?? ??
timmytimmy posts small blind $10
cali Al posts big blind $20
Miles 2 Go folds
rowser folds
The Rubin calls $20
YourDinero folds
Manzoni raises $70
crippe folds
timmytimmy folds
cali Al calls $70
The Rubin calls $70
FLOP: 7d 2h 9d
cali Al bets $140
The Rubin folds
Manzoni raises $210
cali Al calls $210
TURN: 7d 2h 9d Jd
cali Al bets $920 (all-in)
Manzoni folds
cali Al wins $980 uncontested
I'm not crazy with my play here, my raise pre-flop is fair against sensible players - but the two calling stations Cali and Ruben (who was actually Ruben's wife) felt they were getting the right price to call. I like making my bets Ferguson style, keeping the bets the same based on position, rather than on what cards I have - it makes me tougher to read I think. In late position I need to be firing 4 or 5x BB, not 2.5.
I was surprised Cali lead out on the flop - I put him on a semi-bluff with a flush draw; again my mistake here was not raising enough; I should have fired at least a bit more than half the pot 300 or so to give Cali the absolutely wrong odds to call. When Cali's diamond hit on the turn I still could have gotten away for a bit more chips, but he likely might have laid it down with a bigger flop raise from me.
Three hands later it was my turn to outplay Cali.
1} Manzoni $1,270 2h 2s
2) crippe $1,455 ?? ??
3) timmytimmy $1,400 ?? ??
4) cali Al $1,820 Kd Kh
5) Miles 2 Go $1,180 ?? ??
7) rowser * $1,410 ?? ??
8) The Rubin $1,635 ?? ??
10) YourDinero $1,830 ?? ??
The Rubin posts small blind $10
YourDinero posts big blind $20
Manzoni calls $20
crippe calls $20
timmytimmy folds
cali Al raises $90
Miles 2 Go folds
rowser folds
The Rubin folds
YourDinero folds
Manzoni calls $90
crippe folds
FLOP: 3c 5d 2d
Manzoni checks
cali Al bets $270
Manzoni raises $890 (all-in)
cali Al calls $890
Manzoni shows 2h 2s
cali Al shows Kd Kh
TURN: 3c 5d 2d Jc
RIVER: 3c 5d 2d Jc 4s
Manzoni wins $2,590 with Three of a Kind, Twos
Knowing Cali's propensity to overvalue premium cards was a great boon here; I actually put him on aces with his bigger than usual raise pre-flop and was happy to call him with a chance to hurt him if I hit. The flop I knew had nothing to do with his holdings, so I was able to ABC poker him into a check raise and collect.
Was feeling great until the next hand.
1} Manzoni $2,590 4h 3s
2) crippe $1,435 ?? ??
3) timmytimmy $1,400 ?? ??
4) cali Al $550 As 9c
5) Miles 2 Go $1,180 ?? ??
7) rowser $1,410 ?? ??
8) The Rubin * $1,625 ?? ??
10) YourDinero $1,810 4d 4c
YourDinero posts small blind $10
Manzoni posts big blind $20
crippe calls $20
timmytimmy calls $20
cali Al calls $20
Miles 2 Go folds
rowser calls $20
The Rubin calls $20
YourDinero calls $10
Manzoni checks
FLOP: 9s 4s 3c
YourDinero checks
Manzoni bets $140
crippe folds
timmytimmy folds
cali Al raises $390 (all-in)
rowser folds
The Rubin folds
YourDinero calls $530
Manzoni raises $2,040 (all-in)
YourDinero calls $1,260 (all-in)
Manzoni shows 4h 3s
cali Al shows As 9c
YourDinero shows 4d 4c
TURN: 9s 4s 3c 7c
RIVER: 9s 4s 3c 7c 3d
YourDinero wins $2,520 with a Full House, Fours over Threes
YourDinero wins $1,730 with a Full House, Fours over Threes
I forgot to respect Dinero's smooth call; and in my overeagerness to felt Cali I failed to recognize that in the texture of the board, it was HIGHLY unlikely that Dinero was on a draw - it was obvious in hindsight that his hand was made. I felt like an idiot. Dinero is a typical tight passive type, there should have been big red warning bells when he called Cali's bet; I should have just flat called behind him and been content to potentially check it down and probably have the best hand. There was no good reason to get greedy with only two pair after what I failed to recognize as a scary call.
I still had enough chips left to steal blinds a couple of times; and found myself at 790 when I looked down at tens.
1} Manzoni $790 Ts Td
3) timmytimmy $1,420 ?? ??
5) Miles 2 Go $1,165 ?? ??
7) rowser $820 8d 8c
8) The Rubin $2,125 ?? ??
10) YourDinero * $5,680 Jd Jh
Manzoni posts small blind $15
timmytimmy posts big blind $30
Miles 2 Go folds
rowser raises $30
The Rubin folds
YourDinero raises $300
Manzoni raises $430 (all-in)
timmytimmy folds
rowser raises $30 (all-in)
YourDinero calls $460
Manzoni shows Ts Td
rowser shows 8d 8c
YourDinero shows Jd Jh
FLOP: Qs 2h 3d
TURN: Qs 2h 3d Th
RIVER: Qs 2h 3d Th 3h
YourDinero wins $60 with Two Pair, Jacks and Threes
Manzoni wins $2,400 with a Full House, Tens over Threes
With the other short stack min-raising, I knew he had a pocket pair - and probably not a very good one. Dinero's raise screamed out as an isolation move - he probably had a couple of face cards or some such and had read Rowser as I had - and wanted to put him down now. This was an easy all in move for me, especially since I was still a bit tilted at my misplaced aggression a few hands back.
I was not happy when he turned up Jacks, but oh so relieved at my luck on the turn. Better lucky than good sometimes, especially with our tournament structure.
I hovered at 2K+ for awhile, picking up an occasional small pot until...
Mad_Maxx posts small blind $50
Manzoni posts big blind $100
nacl folds
SvenGolly folds
ytrabbit folds
The Rubin folds
The_Chipper folds
Miles 2 Go folds
YourDinero folds
timmytimmy folds
Mad_Maxx raises $100
Manzoni calls $100
FLOP: Jc 6s Js
Mad_Maxx bets $400
Manzoni calls $400
TURN: Jc 6s Js 6h
Mad_Maxx checks
Manzoni bets $300
Mad_Maxx raises $725 (all-in)
Manzoni calls $725
Manzoni shows 6c Jd
Mad_Maxx shows As Ac
RIVER: Jc 6s Js 6h 7d
Manzoni wins $3,250 with a Full House, Jacks over Sixes
Ah the delightfully dreadful min-raise! No matter how many times these guys get creamed by it, they still do it. I had the right price to call pre-flop with any two random cards. Spiking a boat on the flop was a great bonus, and yet Max still made a good bet, big enough to get rid of me with any draws, yet small enough to get away from. Fortunately he was a man who had fallen in love with the prettiest pocket pair in the deck. He didn't bother to read my smooth call as a BIG warning sign; especially someone like me who hardly ever calls with the wrong price on a draw.
The truly retarded part of his play, even more so than the min-raise; was his check raise on the turn. He appeared to have slowed down, but even with my flat call, he still thought he had the best hand. Pocket rockets are sooo seductive. I guess.
Now I was in great shape, with a big chip lead. I could have coasted into the money. Nah. (Donk alert!)
nacl posts small blind $50
SvenGolly posts big blind $100
ytrabbit folds
The Rubin calls $100
The_Chipper folds
Miles 2 Go folds
YourDinero folds
timmytimmy folds
Manzoni calls $100
nacl calls $50
SvenGolly checks
FLOP: 4c 9d Ks
nacl bets $200
SvenGolly folds
The Rubin calls $200
Manzoni raises $3,775 (all-in)
nacl folds
The Rubin calls $1,725 (all-in)
Manzoni shows Jd Kd
The Rubin shows 9h 9s
TURN: 4c 9d Ks Qh
RIVER: 4c 9d Ks Qh Jh
The Rubin wins $4,450 with Three of a Kind, Nines
Mistake #1 - limping on the button. HUGE mistake. I must make Rubin pay for sticking around with a middle pocket pair out of position.
Mistake #2 - (Bigger than Mistake #1) risking the health of my stack with an over-bet that is only going to be called down by a hand that can beat me. BAD BAD BAD POKER. I knew Nacl was fooling around, and I SHOULD have known that another smooth call by an ABC Poker player like Rubin's wife, was a HUGE signal for me to either get out or pop it just enough to confirm the obvious. The correct play in hindsight was to fold with top pair and a big chip lead. Failing that, the next correct play would have been to raise a bit more than half the pot (or even min-raise for that matter) to at least give my stupid self a chance to recognize that Rubinita had a made hand.
NO REASON to put all of my chips into play with top pair and third best kicker.
From this point on my timing was lousy and my cards were worse. After three or four failed steal attempts, I found myself with an M of 4 and decided to try and steal the blinds.
1} Manzoni $1,000 8h Qc
2) nacl $2,356 Jd Ah
3) SvenGolly $2,160 ?? ??
5) The Rubin * $4,157 ?? ??
6) The_Chipper $2,462 ?? ??
7) Miles 2 Go $3,280 ?? ??
8) YourDinero $4,920 ?? ??
9) timmytimmy $2,165 ?? ??
The_Chipper posts small blind $100
Miles 2 Go posts big blind $200
YourDinero folds
timmytimmy folds
Manzoni raises $800 (all-in)
nacl raises $1,356 (all-in)
SvenGolly folds
The Rubin folds
The_Chipper folds
Miles 2 Go folds
Manzoni shows 8h Qc
nacl shows Jd Ah
FLOP: Ks 5c 4s
TURN: Ks 5c 4s 9h
RIVER: Ks 5c 4s 9h 3c
nacl wins $2,300 with Ace High
Not nearly the worst of my mistakes this evening; but I guess I could have held on for another blind or two. Actually, I'm really not that displeased with this hand. I gave myself the best chance to win by moving all-in first - giving the remaining stacks a true pause for thought and putting most starting cards on the wrong end of the gap principle. AJ even is a borderline hand to risk 1K in chips, if it weren't for the fact that Nacl was also short stacked - I likely would have played the same as he.
Next time; I promise to beware the smooth call; especially by opponents that I know I can outplay in other hands - even when they have better starting cards.
Incidentally, Rubinella took this one down, thanks to the generous donations of the final four players. She was on a rush, but she was also playing a very simple style, and very similar to her husband. I wish the other guys were able to read her as good as I could - but then again, it's always easier to read from the rail.
1} Manzoni $1,500 Ac Ad
2) crippe * $1,455 ?? ??
3) timmytimmy $1,440 ?? ??
4) cali Al $1,360 ?? ??
5) Miles 2 Go $1,500 ?? ??
7) rowser $1,500 ?? ??
8) The Rubin $1,795 ?? ??
10) YourDinero $1,450 ?? ??
timmytimmy posts small blind $10
cali Al posts big blind $20
Miles 2 Go folds
rowser folds
The Rubin calls $20
YourDinero folds
Manzoni raises $70
crippe folds
timmytimmy folds
cali Al calls $70
The Rubin calls $70
FLOP: 7d 2h 9d
cali Al bets $140
The Rubin folds
Manzoni raises $210
cali Al calls $210
TURN: 7d 2h 9d Jd
cali Al bets $920 (all-in)
Manzoni folds
cali Al wins $980 uncontested
I'm not crazy with my play here, my raise pre-flop is fair against sensible players - but the two calling stations Cali and Ruben (who was actually Ruben's wife) felt they were getting the right price to call. I like making my bets Ferguson style, keeping the bets the same based on position, rather than on what cards I have - it makes me tougher to read I think. In late position I need to be firing 4 or 5x BB, not 2.5.
I was surprised Cali lead out on the flop - I put him on a semi-bluff with a flush draw; again my mistake here was not raising enough; I should have fired at least a bit more than half the pot 300 or so to give Cali the absolutely wrong odds to call. When Cali's diamond hit on the turn I still could have gotten away for a bit more chips, but he likely might have laid it down with a bigger flop raise from me.
Three hands later it was my turn to outplay Cali.
1} Manzoni $1,270 2h 2s
2) crippe $1,455 ?? ??
3) timmytimmy $1,400 ?? ??
4) cali Al $1,820 Kd Kh
5) Miles 2 Go $1,180 ?? ??
7) rowser * $1,410 ?? ??
8) The Rubin $1,635 ?? ??
10) YourDinero $1,830 ?? ??
The Rubin posts small blind $10
YourDinero posts big blind $20
Manzoni calls $20
crippe calls $20
timmytimmy folds
cali Al raises $90
Miles 2 Go folds
rowser folds
The Rubin folds
YourDinero folds
Manzoni calls $90
crippe folds
FLOP: 3c 5d 2d
Manzoni checks
cali Al bets $270
Manzoni raises $890 (all-in)
cali Al calls $890
Manzoni shows 2h 2s
cali Al shows Kd Kh
TURN: 3c 5d 2d Jc
RIVER: 3c 5d 2d Jc 4s
Manzoni wins $2,590 with Three of a Kind, Twos
Knowing Cali's propensity to overvalue premium cards was a great boon here; I actually put him on aces with his bigger than usual raise pre-flop and was happy to call him with a chance to hurt him if I hit. The flop I knew had nothing to do with his holdings, so I was able to ABC poker him into a check raise and collect.
Was feeling great until the next hand.
1} Manzoni $2,590 4h 3s
2) crippe $1,435 ?? ??
3) timmytimmy $1,400 ?? ??
4) cali Al $550 As 9c
5) Miles 2 Go $1,180 ?? ??
7) rowser $1,410 ?? ??
8) The Rubin * $1,625 ?? ??
10) YourDinero $1,810 4d 4c
YourDinero posts small blind $10
Manzoni posts big blind $20
crippe calls $20
timmytimmy calls $20
cali Al calls $20
Miles 2 Go folds
rowser calls $20
The Rubin calls $20
YourDinero calls $10
Manzoni checks
FLOP: 9s 4s 3c
YourDinero checks
Manzoni bets $140
crippe folds
timmytimmy folds
cali Al raises $390 (all-in)
rowser folds
The Rubin folds
YourDinero calls $530
Manzoni raises $2,040 (all-in)
YourDinero calls $1,260 (all-in)
Manzoni shows 4h 3s
cali Al shows As 9c
YourDinero shows 4d 4c
TURN: 9s 4s 3c 7c
RIVER: 9s 4s 3c 7c 3d
YourDinero wins $2,520 with a Full House, Fours over Threes
YourDinero wins $1,730 with a Full House, Fours over Threes
I forgot to respect Dinero's smooth call; and in my overeagerness to felt Cali I failed to recognize that in the texture of the board, it was HIGHLY unlikely that Dinero was on a draw - it was obvious in hindsight that his hand was made. I felt like an idiot. Dinero is a typical tight passive type, there should have been big red warning bells when he called Cali's bet; I should have just flat called behind him and been content to potentially check it down and probably have the best hand. There was no good reason to get greedy with only two pair after what I failed to recognize as a scary call.
I still had enough chips left to steal blinds a couple of times; and found myself at 790 when I looked down at tens.
1} Manzoni $790 Ts Td
3) timmytimmy $1,420 ?? ??
5) Miles 2 Go $1,165 ?? ??
7) rowser $820 8d 8c
8) The Rubin $2,125 ?? ??
10) YourDinero * $5,680 Jd Jh
Manzoni posts small blind $15
timmytimmy posts big blind $30
Miles 2 Go folds
rowser raises $30
The Rubin folds
YourDinero raises $300
Manzoni raises $430 (all-in)
timmytimmy folds
rowser raises $30 (all-in)
YourDinero calls $460
Manzoni shows Ts Td
rowser shows 8d 8c
YourDinero shows Jd Jh
FLOP: Qs 2h 3d
TURN: Qs 2h 3d Th
RIVER: Qs 2h 3d Th 3h
YourDinero wins $60 with Two Pair, Jacks and Threes
Manzoni wins $2,400 with a Full House, Tens over Threes
With the other short stack min-raising, I knew he had a pocket pair - and probably not a very good one. Dinero's raise screamed out as an isolation move - he probably had a couple of face cards or some such and had read Rowser as I had - and wanted to put him down now. This was an easy all in move for me, especially since I was still a bit tilted at my misplaced aggression a few hands back.
I was not happy when he turned up Jacks, but oh so relieved at my luck on the turn. Better lucky than good sometimes, especially with our tournament structure.
I hovered at 2K+ for awhile, picking up an occasional small pot until...
Mad_Maxx posts small blind $50
Manzoni posts big blind $100
nacl folds
SvenGolly folds
ytrabbit folds
The Rubin folds
The_Chipper folds
Miles 2 Go folds
YourDinero folds
timmytimmy folds
Mad_Maxx raises $100
Manzoni calls $100
FLOP: Jc 6s Js
Mad_Maxx bets $400
Manzoni calls $400
TURN: Jc 6s Js 6h
Mad_Maxx checks
Manzoni bets $300
Mad_Maxx raises $725 (all-in)
Manzoni calls $725
Manzoni shows 6c Jd
Mad_Maxx shows As Ac
RIVER: Jc 6s Js 6h 7d
Manzoni wins $3,250 with a Full House, Jacks over Sixes
Ah the delightfully dreadful min-raise! No matter how many times these guys get creamed by it, they still do it. I had the right price to call pre-flop with any two random cards. Spiking a boat on the flop was a great bonus, and yet Max still made a good bet, big enough to get rid of me with any draws, yet small enough to get away from. Fortunately he was a man who had fallen in love with the prettiest pocket pair in the deck. He didn't bother to read my smooth call as a BIG warning sign; especially someone like me who hardly ever calls with the wrong price on a draw.
The truly retarded part of his play, even more so than the min-raise; was his check raise on the turn. He appeared to have slowed down, but even with my flat call, he still thought he had the best hand. Pocket rockets are sooo seductive. I guess.
Now I was in great shape, with a big chip lead. I could have coasted into the money. Nah. (Donk alert!)
nacl posts small blind $50
SvenGolly posts big blind $100
ytrabbit folds
The Rubin calls $100
The_Chipper folds
Miles 2 Go folds
YourDinero folds
timmytimmy folds
Manzoni calls $100
nacl calls $50
SvenGolly checks
FLOP: 4c 9d Ks
nacl bets $200
SvenGolly folds
The Rubin calls $200
Manzoni raises $3,775 (all-in)
nacl folds
The Rubin calls $1,725 (all-in)
Manzoni shows Jd Kd
The Rubin shows 9h 9s
TURN: 4c 9d Ks Qh
RIVER: 4c 9d Ks Qh Jh
The Rubin wins $4,450 with Three of a Kind, Nines
Mistake #1 - limping on the button. HUGE mistake. I must make Rubin pay for sticking around with a middle pocket pair out of position.
Mistake #2 - (Bigger than Mistake #1) risking the health of my stack with an over-bet that is only going to be called down by a hand that can beat me. BAD BAD BAD POKER. I knew Nacl was fooling around, and I SHOULD have known that another smooth call by an ABC Poker player like Rubin's wife, was a HUGE signal for me to either get out or pop it just enough to confirm the obvious. The correct play in hindsight was to fold with top pair and a big chip lead. Failing that, the next correct play would have been to raise a bit more than half the pot (or even min-raise for that matter) to at least give my stupid self a chance to recognize that Rubinita had a made hand.
NO REASON to put all of my chips into play with top pair and third best kicker.
From this point on my timing was lousy and my cards were worse. After three or four failed steal attempts, I found myself with an M of 4 and decided to try and steal the blinds.
1} Manzoni $1,000 8h Qc
2) nacl $2,356 Jd Ah
3) SvenGolly $2,160 ?? ??
5) The Rubin * $4,157 ?? ??
6) The_Chipper $2,462 ?? ??
7) Miles 2 Go $3,280 ?? ??
8) YourDinero $4,920 ?? ??
9) timmytimmy $2,165 ?? ??
The_Chipper posts small blind $100
Miles 2 Go posts big blind $200
YourDinero folds
timmytimmy folds
Manzoni raises $800 (all-in)
nacl raises $1,356 (all-in)
SvenGolly folds
The Rubin folds
The_Chipper folds
Miles 2 Go folds
Manzoni shows 8h Qc
nacl shows Jd Ah
FLOP: Ks 5c 4s
TURN: Ks 5c 4s 9h
RIVER: Ks 5c 4s 9h 3c
nacl wins $2,300 with Ace High
Not nearly the worst of my mistakes this evening; but I guess I could have held on for another blind or two. Actually, I'm really not that displeased with this hand. I gave myself the best chance to win by moving all-in first - giving the remaining stacks a true pause for thought and putting most starting cards on the wrong end of the gap principle. AJ even is a borderline hand to risk 1K in chips, if it weren't for the fact that Nacl was also short stacked - I likely would have played the same as he.
Next time; I promise to beware the smooth call; especially by opponents that I know I can outplay in other hands - even when they have better starting cards.
Incidentally, Rubinella took this one down, thanks to the generous donations of the final four players. She was on a rush, but she was also playing a very simple style, and very similar to her husband. I wish the other guys were able to read her as good as I could - but then again, it's always easier to read from the rail.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
PSP Home Game 2/23/08
I have been hosting my own poker games, mostly tournaments, about once a month for the last 2 years. In all of my tournaments until last night I have failed to cash. Yet for a mere $10 buy in (with multi-rebuys and an add-on) my home game tournies (PSP - Pepper St. Poker) have been more than worth their entertainment value. I've got a great stable of about 30 players, which insures about 15 to 20 bodies crammed into my garage on any given month. There is not a jerk in the bunch, though a few (including myself) have a grumpy moment now and again.
Ultimately, as much as I want to fancy myself a "serious" player - I play mostly for fun. I've kept good records for awhile now, and I do happen to turn a profit in every venue I play (save my home tournaments) but I know I'm in this game for enjoyment first and foremost. Otherwise I would only host cash games.
Last night I finished in second place; helped in great part by a rush of good cards as the bubble approached. I knocked out two players and more than doubled up at once when my all in aces pre-flop was called by two pocket pairs. I slow played my brother two perfection when my middling ace became trips and he pegged me as weak and pushed. Overall I'm very pleased with my play; but I can't help be disappointed that my 5 to 1 chip lead heads up at the end, fell by the wayside thanks to my impatience and loss of focus.
I played Alex pretty much perfectly for about half an hour, giving up my lost causes quickly, keeping the pot small except when I was committed with good cards and generally reading him first and looking at my cards second. He was getting rags and so was I, yet I was getting chips from him steadily simply by capitalizing on his frustration at not being able to go all-in. If he min-raised or flat called, I was able to raise him out about 2/3 of the time. Result - more chips were coming my way.
My problem was that I got excited ahead of time and lost track of his chip count; so that when I called his all in with j6 suited in my hand - I thought he only had a few hundred; in reality he still had over 1K. After the hand finished, he had me covered. It was my turn to bleed chips for a bit, as the momentum had clearly shifted to him. With time winding down, and the blinds pretty big I donked off the last hand with Q6 suited against his K10os. He deserved to win; the only reason I didn't take down the title was my own inability to stay focused and hungry for victory.
MOST important; both of these losses (the big blow to my stack, and the final hand) came from CALLING decisions on my end that were made FAR too quickly. When I had been all in in the past, both against him and against others earlier; I always had taken the time to assess stack sizes either in advance or before my decision. My big lesson last night - take my time. Decide AFTER thinking things through.
I guess it seems a little late in the game that is my poker enthusiast's career, to be reminding myself to be patient and thoughtful; but really it needs to be said out loud (or I guess typed out loud) officially so hopefully it will sink in.
I still had a fantastic time last night, and I know I'm really blessed to be running such a great game with good people involved. There probably won't be a tournament next month, I'm off to China, but there's a small possibility of a cash game. In April it looks like we'll have an Omaha/8 tournament. A game that I love, but I know will be a bit more of a pain to TD than good old Texas.
Ultimately, as much as I want to fancy myself a "serious" player - I play mostly for fun. I've kept good records for awhile now, and I do happen to turn a profit in every venue I play (save my home tournaments) but I know I'm in this game for enjoyment first and foremost. Otherwise I would only host cash games.
Last night I finished in second place; helped in great part by a rush of good cards as the bubble approached. I knocked out two players and more than doubled up at once when my all in aces pre-flop was called by two pocket pairs. I slow played my brother two perfection when my middling ace became trips and he pegged me as weak and pushed. Overall I'm very pleased with my play; but I can't help be disappointed that my 5 to 1 chip lead heads up at the end, fell by the wayside thanks to my impatience and loss of focus.
I played Alex pretty much perfectly for about half an hour, giving up my lost causes quickly, keeping the pot small except when I was committed with good cards and generally reading him first and looking at my cards second. He was getting rags and so was I, yet I was getting chips from him steadily simply by capitalizing on his frustration at not being able to go all-in. If he min-raised or flat called, I was able to raise him out about 2/3 of the time. Result - more chips were coming my way.
My problem was that I got excited ahead of time and lost track of his chip count; so that when I called his all in with j6 suited in my hand - I thought he only had a few hundred; in reality he still had over 1K. After the hand finished, he had me covered. It was my turn to bleed chips for a bit, as the momentum had clearly shifted to him. With time winding down, and the blinds pretty big I donked off the last hand with Q6 suited against his K10os. He deserved to win; the only reason I didn't take down the title was my own inability to stay focused and hungry for victory.
MOST important; both of these losses (the big blow to my stack, and the final hand) came from CALLING decisions on my end that were made FAR too quickly. When I had been all in in the past, both against him and against others earlier; I always had taken the time to assess stack sizes either in advance or before my decision. My big lesson last night - take my time. Decide AFTER thinking things through.
I guess it seems a little late in the game that is my poker enthusiast's career, to be reminding myself to be patient and thoughtful; but really it needs to be said out loud (or I guess typed out loud) officially so hopefully it will sink in.
I still had a fantastic time last night, and I know I'm really blessed to be running such a great game with good people involved. There probably won't be a tournament next month, I'm off to China, but there's a small possibility of a cash game. In April it looks like we'll have an Omaha/8 tournament. A game that I love, but I know will be a bit more of a pain to TD than good old Texas.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
T6 Flatline 2008.1 2/18/08
Only 14 players this week; not as "fun" to play - but easier. Oh so easier.
Happily enough, of the two tables, I started out at the fishier of the two; with my more feared opponents - Sven and ytrabbit nowhere to be seen. Still I managed to clumsily try to steal in the early rounds, and failed. Frustrated at the min-raising and passive play around me, I started limping with marginal hands for what probably weren't the right prices. But I did get to see flops and I knew it might just pay off.
I waited patiently for the right moment, making good use of my time observing the hands I wasn't in. I particularly noticed that Crippe was aggressive with min bets, and also calling people down with middle pair and the like. A tempting combination. The timing for a lame ass limp by me couldn't have been better when I picked up 8 7 os in the small blind.
1} Manzoni $990 8s 7d
2) Viking Joe $880 ?? ??
4) crippe $2,545 9h 7h
5) ISAIAS41 $2,835 ?? ??
8) Mad_Maxx $390 ?? ??
10) scamp2 * $2,860 ?? ??
Manzoni posts small blind $15
Viking Joe posts big blind $30
crippe calls $30
ISAIAS41 calls $30
Mad_Maxx folds
scamp2 calls $30
Manzoni calls $15
Viking Joe checks
FLOP: 3h 7c 8d
Manzoni bets $150 A HALF POT BET, which I've been trying to make as a standard lead out or continuation bet. I like using the 1/2 or full pot buttons, it let's me bet at the same speed every time, and the same amount every time - camouflaging my holdings and making it tougher for opponents to read. Plus, I'm a bit lazy and dragging the slider or typing in an amount requires more effort and thought.
Viking Joe calls $150
crippe raises $450 NOW IF HE'S FLOPPED A SET, which is very possible with his weak call pre-flop, I'M GOING BROKE on this hand. But something doesn't smell right, if he has trips he's going to call or raise small. Still, I have under 800 left, with 180 already committed, nearly a quarter of my original stack. Time to lose all my chips.
ISAIAS41 folds
scamp2 folds
Manzoni raises $360 (all-in)
Viking Joe folds
crippe calls $360
Manzoni shows 8s 7d
crippe shows 9h 7h THAT IS RETARDED. One of the lamest over bet bluffs I can remember. True, it scared me - but I'm not going anywhere with such a ragged board and two pair.
TURN: 3h 7c 8d Qd
RIVER: 3h 7c 8d Qd 3d
Manzoni wins $2,220 with Two Pair, Eights and Sevens
The funny part is, he defended his bad call to my all-in bet in the chat box. Yes, he did have the right odds to call, but he had made a HUGE mistake by raising in the first place on my flop bet with middle pair and no draw. I reminded him politely that he could have avoided having to call my all-in if he had simply folded. His response - something to the effect of "I gotta keep you honest." Simply awesome.
With a big healthy stack, I was now the chip leader and would remain so for the bulk of the evening. Then I got frisky and thought J Q soooted looked awesome from the cut off.
1} Manzoni $3,225.00 Jc Qc
3) cali Al * $1,185.00 ?? ??
4) SvenGolly $2,912.50 ?? ??
5) ISAIAS41 $1,905.00 ?? ??
6) Miles 2 Go $1,590.00 ?? ??
7) The Rubin $3,857.50 ?? ??
8) Mad_Maxx $305.00 ?? ??
9) ytrabbit $2,940.00 ?? ??
10) scamp2 $3,080.00 ?? ??
SvenGolly posts small blind $75
ISAIAS41 posts big blind $150
Miles 2 Go folds
The Rubin folds
Mad_Maxx folds
ytrabbit folds
scamp2 calls $150
Manzoni raises $525 (MISTAKE ALERT!!!, RAISE IS TOO BIG WITH THE BLINDS THIS HIGH, a 250 raise would let me get away from this hand super easy on the flop if it missed me. I hit the "pot" raise, and forgot there was another caller, result = much too big a raise. Now I am committed, over a third of my stack is in the pot. Those buttons are convenient, but sometimes I need to take the time to bet the correct amount. )
cali Al folds
SvenGolly folds
ISAIAS41 folds
scamp2 calls $525
FLOP: Qd 7d Ac
scamp2 bets $800
Manzoni raises $1,750 (all-in) (I actually put a lot of thought into this move; I thought it very likely that Scamp had an ace, but perhaps it was a baby. From what I had seen this night, I was almost sure it was - OR it could be a high but not great pair 10 10, or JJ. Not a suited connector, not two face cards. I'm glad I put him on the correct range - because he....
scamp2 folds
Manzoni wins $3,175 uncontested BIG POT. Now I had an even bigger chip lead with almost 5K. Better lucky than good sometimes. I turned a big mistake to my advantage with a decent (maybe just lucky) read. I was also helped out by the fact that though Scamp was also practically committed to the pot by his call pre flop, and then CERTAINLY WAS committed with his 800 raise on the flop - HE STILL FOLDED AWAY HALF HIS STACK!!! Awesome.
I then proceeded to tighten up quite a bit, especially in early and middle posititon - I didn't mess around with suited gap connecters or unsuited face cards, or even small pairs - I just folded them. I hung tight, and my stack was stable, but the two players I feared most managed to surpass me in chips.
Then I managed to kneecap Sven with a nice slow play. The transcription doesn't do justice to my delayed betting. I tried to ooze weakness through the keyboard, and he fell for it.
1} Manzoni $4,552.50 9h Td
4) SvenGolly $5,565.00 6d Kd
6) Miles 2 Go $3,690.00 ?? ??
9) ytrabbit * $7,192.50 ?? ??
Manzoni posts small blind $200
SvenGolly posts big blind $400
Miles 2 Go folds
ytrabbit folds
Manzoni calls $200
SvenGolly bets $400
Manzoni calls $400 (This was a mistake by Sven, a x2 bb raise or greater and I'm gone. The min-rase SUCKS!)
FLOP: Th Tc Jc
Manzoni checks
SvenGolly bets $1,600
Manzoni calls $1,600 (After a long, but not too long delay. The clubs are a small concern, but he's not semi bluffing away a quarter of his stack - he's either hit the jack or is on a pure continuation bluff.)
TURN: Th Tc Jc Qc
Manzoni checks (Yes, I know the board is now officially terrifying, but I've decided he's not on a draw; I'm committed if he fires.)
SvenGolly bets $3,165 (all-in)
Manzoni calls $2,152.50 (all-in)
Manzoni shows 9h Td
SvenGolly shows 6d Kd (Yikes, I let him back into potentially 8 outs, thankfully I have one of them so he only has seven)
RIVER: Th Tc Jc Qc Kh
Manzoni wins $9,105 with a King High Straight (Trips would have been enough - I"m glad he didn't realize at any point that he was being slow played; I also take his "move" as a compliment. He respects my play enough to know I'll fold with a mere two pair or a low end straight draw. Now my stack is ginormous. Yay.
Sven managed to claw his way back up a bit. I again, stayed out of most hands. Then came the toughest decision I faced all night.
1} Manzoni $9,555.00 Ad Kd
4) SvenGolly $4,875.00 Jh As
6) Miles 2 Go * $2,127.50 ?? ??
9) ytrabbit $4,442.50 ?? ??
Manzoni antes $25
SvenGolly antes $25
Miles 2 Go antes $25
ytrabbit antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
SvenGolly raises $4,250 (all-in)
Miles 2 Go folds
ytrabbit folds
Manzoni calls $4,250 Simple math: there's only two starting hands that I'm a huge underdog to, AA and KK. Everything else I'm at the very worst, a coin flip. Antes have kicked in, and with the blinds they represent a quarter of Svens stack. He has a GREAT incentive to take them with position and decent cards. There's a good chance I could have him dominated. There's also a big chance for a coin flip - if I win it, I could put this thing away. You have to win races to win super fast sit-n-gos. That's just a fact.
Manzoni shows Ad Kd
SvenGolly shows Jh As
FLOP: Qs 2h Kc
TURN: Qs 2h Kc Qd
RIVER: Qs 2h Kc Qd Qh
Manzoni wins $10,100 with a Full House, Queens over Kings
Tasty.
Miles (who was on a drip all night) went out shortly thereafter, and me with a mondo chip stack found my lone opponent in good shape to seriously hurt me if I didn't stay frosty.
I often talk about cards not mattering so much as position and selective aggression. That said, in a heads up situation in our league, the blinds are at best PROHIBITIVE. Translation = without at least some face cards and aces, you stand about a snow balls chance in hell of winning.
Here are the starting cards I received for the first 6 hands of heads up play.
4d 8h
3h 8s
10s 6d
6s 3h
8h 2c
2c 6s
Not a lot of hands, but in this super fast structure the blinds and antes represented a tenth of my stack, and after the next hand, I would be seriously damaged.
1} ytrabbit * $9,445 9h Jd
3) Manzoni $11,555 8h Js (NOTE: MY FIRST FACE CARD SINCE HEADS UP BEGAN)
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
ytrabbit raises $625
Manzoni calls $625
FLOP: Jc 9c 2c
Manzoni bets $2,500
ytrabbit raises $5,695 (all-in)
Manzoni calls $5,695 (NOT the best call of my life, but with top pair, I have to follow through with a healthy bet - so healthy that it basically commits me. Though I suppose I COULD have checked and then folded away 1000 chips with top pair, it's just not how I roll!
ytrabbit shows 9h Jd
Manzoni shows 8h Js OUTKICKED!
TURN: Jc 9c 2c 4h
RIVER: Jc 9c 2c 4h 6c
ytrabbit wins $18,890 with Two Pair, Jacks and Nines
LIFE SUPPORT! YUCK!
1} ytrabbit $18,890 Ad 8c
3) Manzoni * $2,110 7h 4s A SINGLE BETTING ROUND IS ALMOST HALF OF MY STACK. THIS SUCKS!
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Manzoni posts small blind $300
ytrabbit posts big blind $600
Manzoni folds
ytrabbit wins $650 uncontested
NOW I'm screwed. I'm basically all in on the blind on the next one - any decent card I MUST push.
1} ytrabbit * $19,215 Qd Js
3) Manzoni $1,785 3h 6s OKAY, these cards suck. But I still don't have a choice with over a third of my stack already going in. Dang. I had such a great chip lead. This sucks.
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
ytrabbit raises $18,590 (all-in) I JUST CAN'T DO IT!!!! AAAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!! One more hand.
Manzoni folds
ytrabbit wins $1,250 uncontested
I'VE BLOWN IT. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALL IN TWO HANDS AGO. NOW HALF OF MY STACK IS GONE. This hand, no matter the cards, I'm all in.
1} ytrabbit $19,840 Ts 3c
3) Manzoni * $1,160 Jh Ah (SECOND FACE CARD, FIRST ACE IN HEADS UP! HEY NOT TOO BAD!)
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Manzoni posts small blind $300
ytrabbit posts big blind $600
Manzoni raises $535 (all-in)
ytrabbit calls $535
ytrabbit shows Ts 3c
Manzoni shows Jh Ah
FLOP: 8h 6d 4d
TURN: 8h 6d 4d Jc
RIVER: 8h 6d 4d Jc 9c
Manzoni wins $2,320 with a Pair of Jacks BEST HAND HOLDS UP! I'm still on life support though. Back where I was two hands ago when I got crippled in the first place. I can't be patient this time.
1} ytrabbit * $18,680 Kh 8s
3) Manzoni $2,320 4c 5d It's a connecter, but I wish it was sooooted. NOT WAITING FOOLISHLY THIS TIME.
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
ytrabbit raises $18,055 (all-in)
Manzoni calls $1,695 (all-in) NO CHOICE. I'M SCREWED.
ytrabbit shows Kh 8s
Manzoni shows 4c 5d
FLOP: 6s 5h 4h
TURN: 6s 5h 4h 2d
RIVER: 6s 5h 4h 2d Qs
Manzoni wins $4,640 with Two Pair, Fives and Fours Hey, I'm alive! What happened? I got lucky, though 45os is barely a worse hand than k8os.
1} ytrabbit $16,360 Jc 4h
3) Manzoni * $4,640 7c 3s
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Manzoni posts small blind $300
ytrabbit posts big blind $600 BACK TO MY USUAL RUN I SEE, well now I have the ability to at least fold trash. For one or two hands anyway.
Manzoni folds
ytrabbit wins $650 uncontested
1} ytrabbit * $16,685 9d 9c
3) Manzoni $4,315 Ts Ac (LOOKS LIKE AA TO ME!)
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
ytrabbit calls $300
Manzoni bets $3,690 (all-in) LET'S DANCE!
ytrabbit calls $3,690 YAY! A CALL!
ytrabbit shows 9d 9c RACE!
Manzoni shows Ts Ac
FLOP: Kd Ks 2d
TURN: Kd Ks 2d As (GIDDY!)
RIVER: Kd Ks 2d As 8c
Manzoni wins $8,630 with Two Pair, Aces and Kings BACK IN IT BABY! You have to win races to win these things. Now I have momentum too, he must be reeling.
1} ytrabbit $12,370 Jc 7c
3) Manzoni * $8,630 Ah As (OKAY, NOW I'M CATCHING CARDS)
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Manzoni posts small blind $300
ytrabbit posts big blind $600
Manzoni raises $8,005 (all-in)
ytrabbit folds
Manzoni wins $1,250 uncontested FIGURES. Still happy to steal 950 in chips.
1} ytrabbit * $11,745 Ks 9h
3) Manzoni $9,255 3s 4s
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
ytrabbit raises $625
Manzoni calls $625
FLOP: 3d 4d 6d
Manzoni bets $8,005 (all-in) I SHOULD HAVE SLOW PLAYED, though he probably wouldn't have stuck around unless he hit a king (just 3 outs).
ytrabbit folds
Manzoni wins $2,500 uncontested
SOMEHOW, I have the chip lead again. By the way, ytrabbit's mucked cards are courtesy of HIS hand history, he was kind enough to forward it to the group. Mainly because he's steamed over our heads up battle and wanted a little input on how he could have played better. I returned the courtesy and posted my mucks to the group as well. As far as I can tell, we both played pretty well. My biggest mistake was folding two hands after I got crippled (nearly half my stack) but somehow I managed to go on a good run and pull it out. As you can see....
1} ytrabbit $10,495 7h Ah
3) Manzoni * $10,505 3d As (OKAY, THIS IS THE FIRST REAL SUCKOUT)
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Manzoni posts small blind $300
ytrabbit posts big blind $600
Manzoni raises $9,880 (all-in)
ytrabbit calls $9,870 (all-in)
ytrabbit shows 7h Ah
Manzoni shows 3d As
FLOP: 8s 3c 9h
TURN: 8s 3c 9h Kc
RIVER: 8s 3c 9h Kc Ks
Manzoni wins $20,990 with Two Pair, Kings and Threes
THAT LAST HAND was BRUTAL - but I know it was not just the deck that was soley responsible for his fate. I can look at this tournament at a whole, and see that I had runs of bad cards that pale in comparison to his at points - and I can also see BIG MISTAKES that I made. The same holds true for ytrabbit - his game was at least as good as mine, better in parts, but nowhere near perfect. I think what makes poker so great is that delicious combination of skill and luck. Clearly on this night I had both, and so did he.
Happily enough, of the two tables, I started out at the fishier of the two; with my more feared opponents - Sven and ytrabbit nowhere to be seen. Still I managed to clumsily try to steal in the early rounds, and failed. Frustrated at the min-raising and passive play around me, I started limping with marginal hands for what probably weren't the right prices. But I did get to see flops and I knew it might just pay off.
I waited patiently for the right moment, making good use of my time observing the hands I wasn't in. I particularly noticed that Crippe was aggressive with min bets, and also calling people down with middle pair and the like. A tempting combination. The timing for a lame ass limp by me couldn't have been better when I picked up 8 7 os in the small blind.
1} Manzoni $990 8s 7d
2) Viking Joe $880 ?? ??
4) crippe $2,545 9h 7h
5) ISAIAS41 $2,835 ?? ??
8) Mad_Maxx $390 ?? ??
10) scamp2 * $2,860 ?? ??
Manzoni posts small blind $15
Viking Joe posts big blind $30
crippe calls $30
ISAIAS41 calls $30
Mad_Maxx folds
scamp2 calls $30
Manzoni calls $15
Viking Joe checks
FLOP: 3h 7c 8d
Manzoni bets $150 A HALF POT BET, which I've been trying to make as a standard lead out or continuation bet. I like using the 1/2 or full pot buttons, it let's me bet at the same speed every time, and the same amount every time - camouflaging my holdings and making it tougher for opponents to read. Plus, I'm a bit lazy and dragging the slider or typing in an amount requires more effort and thought.
Viking Joe calls $150
crippe raises $450 NOW IF HE'S FLOPPED A SET, which is very possible with his weak call pre-flop, I'M GOING BROKE on this hand. But something doesn't smell right, if he has trips he's going to call or raise small. Still, I have under 800 left, with 180 already committed, nearly a quarter of my original stack. Time to lose all my chips.
ISAIAS41 folds
scamp2 folds
Manzoni raises $360 (all-in)
Viking Joe folds
crippe calls $360
Manzoni shows 8s 7d
crippe shows 9h 7h THAT IS RETARDED. One of the lamest over bet bluffs I can remember. True, it scared me - but I'm not going anywhere with such a ragged board and two pair.
TURN: 3h 7c 8d Qd
RIVER: 3h 7c 8d Qd 3d
Manzoni wins $2,220 with Two Pair, Eights and Sevens
The funny part is, he defended his bad call to my all-in bet in the chat box. Yes, he did have the right odds to call, but he had made a HUGE mistake by raising in the first place on my flop bet with middle pair and no draw. I reminded him politely that he could have avoided having to call my all-in if he had simply folded. His response - something to the effect of "I gotta keep you honest." Simply awesome.
With a big healthy stack, I was now the chip leader and would remain so for the bulk of the evening. Then I got frisky and thought J Q soooted looked awesome from the cut off.
1} Manzoni $3,225.00 Jc Qc
3) cali Al * $1,185.00 ?? ??
4) SvenGolly $2,912.50 ?? ??
5) ISAIAS41 $1,905.00 ?? ??
6) Miles 2 Go $1,590.00 ?? ??
7) The Rubin $3,857.50 ?? ??
8) Mad_Maxx $305.00 ?? ??
9) ytrabbit $2,940.00 ?? ??
10) scamp2 $3,080.00 ?? ??
SvenGolly posts small blind $75
ISAIAS41 posts big blind $150
Miles 2 Go folds
The Rubin folds
Mad_Maxx folds
ytrabbit folds
scamp2 calls $150
Manzoni raises $525 (MISTAKE ALERT!!!, RAISE IS TOO BIG WITH THE BLINDS THIS HIGH, a 250 raise would let me get away from this hand super easy on the flop if it missed me. I hit the "pot" raise, and forgot there was another caller, result = much too big a raise. Now I am committed, over a third of my stack is in the pot. Those buttons are convenient, but sometimes I need to take the time to bet the correct amount. )
cali Al folds
SvenGolly folds
ISAIAS41 folds
scamp2 calls $525
FLOP: Qd 7d Ac
scamp2 bets $800
Manzoni raises $1,750 (all-in) (I actually put a lot of thought into this move; I thought it very likely that Scamp had an ace, but perhaps it was a baby. From what I had seen this night, I was almost sure it was - OR it could be a high but not great pair 10 10, or JJ. Not a suited connector, not two face cards. I'm glad I put him on the correct range - because he....
scamp2 folds
Manzoni wins $3,175 uncontested BIG POT. Now I had an even bigger chip lead with almost 5K. Better lucky than good sometimes. I turned a big mistake to my advantage with a decent (maybe just lucky) read. I was also helped out by the fact that though Scamp was also practically committed to the pot by his call pre flop, and then CERTAINLY WAS committed with his 800 raise on the flop - HE STILL FOLDED AWAY HALF HIS STACK!!! Awesome.
I then proceeded to tighten up quite a bit, especially in early and middle posititon - I didn't mess around with suited gap connecters or unsuited face cards, or even small pairs - I just folded them. I hung tight, and my stack was stable, but the two players I feared most managed to surpass me in chips.
Then I managed to kneecap Sven with a nice slow play. The transcription doesn't do justice to my delayed betting. I tried to ooze weakness through the keyboard, and he fell for it.
1} Manzoni $4,552.50 9h Td
4) SvenGolly $5,565.00 6d Kd
6) Miles 2 Go $3,690.00 ?? ??
9) ytrabbit * $7,192.50 ?? ??
Manzoni posts small blind $200
SvenGolly posts big blind $400
Miles 2 Go folds
ytrabbit folds
Manzoni calls $200
SvenGolly bets $400
Manzoni calls $400 (This was a mistake by Sven, a x2 bb raise or greater and I'm gone. The min-rase SUCKS!)
FLOP: Th Tc Jc
Manzoni checks
SvenGolly bets $1,600
Manzoni calls $1,600 (After a long, but not too long delay. The clubs are a small concern, but he's not semi bluffing away a quarter of his stack - he's either hit the jack or is on a pure continuation bluff.)
TURN: Th Tc Jc Qc
Manzoni checks (Yes, I know the board is now officially terrifying, but I've decided he's not on a draw; I'm committed if he fires.)
SvenGolly bets $3,165 (all-in)
Manzoni calls $2,152.50 (all-in)
Manzoni shows 9h Td
SvenGolly shows 6d Kd (Yikes, I let him back into potentially 8 outs, thankfully I have one of them so he only has seven)
RIVER: Th Tc Jc Qc Kh
Manzoni wins $9,105 with a King High Straight (Trips would have been enough - I"m glad he didn't realize at any point that he was being slow played; I also take his "move" as a compliment. He respects my play enough to know I'll fold with a mere two pair or a low end straight draw. Now my stack is ginormous. Yay.
Sven managed to claw his way back up a bit. I again, stayed out of most hands. Then came the toughest decision I faced all night.
1} Manzoni $9,555.00 Ad Kd
4) SvenGolly $4,875.00 Jh As
6) Miles 2 Go * $2,127.50 ?? ??
9) ytrabbit $4,442.50 ?? ??
Manzoni antes $25
SvenGolly antes $25
Miles 2 Go antes $25
ytrabbit antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
SvenGolly raises $4,250 (all-in)
Miles 2 Go folds
ytrabbit folds
Manzoni calls $4,250 Simple math: there's only two starting hands that I'm a huge underdog to, AA and KK. Everything else I'm at the very worst, a coin flip. Antes have kicked in, and with the blinds they represent a quarter of Svens stack. He has a GREAT incentive to take them with position and decent cards. There's a good chance I could have him dominated. There's also a big chance for a coin flip - if I win it, I could put this thing away. You have to win races to win super fast sit-n-gos. That's just a fact.
Manzoni shows Ad Kd
SvenGolly shows Jh As
FLOP: Qs 2h Kc
TURN: Qs 2h Kc Qd
RIVER: Qs 2h Kc Qd Qh
Manzoni wins $10,100 with a Full House, Queens over Kings
Tasty.
Miles (who was on a drip all night) went out shortly thereafter, and me with a mondo chip stack found my lone opponent in good shape to seriously hurt me if I didn't stay frosty.
I often talk about cards not mattering so much as position and selective aggression. That said, in a heads up situation in our league, the blinds are at best PROHIBITIVE. Translation = without at least some face cards and aces, you stand about a snow balls chance in hell of winning.
Here are the starting cards I received for the first 6 hands of heads up play.
4d 8h
3h 8s
10s 6d
6s 3h
8h 2c
2c 6s
Not a lot of hands, but in this super fast structure the blinds and antes represented a tenth of my stack, and after the next hand, I would be seriously damaged.
1} ytrabbit * $9,445 9h Jd
3) Manzoni $11,555 8h Js (NOTE: MY FIRST FACE CARD SINCE HEADS UP BEGAN)
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
ytrabbit raises $625
Manzoni calls $625
FLOP: Jc 9c 2c
Manzoni bets $2,500
ytrabbit raises $5,695 (all-in)
Manzoni calls $5,695 (NOT the best call of my life, but with top pair, I have to follow through with a healthy bet - so healthy that it basically commits me. Though I suppose I COULD have checked and then folded away 1000 chips with top pair, it's just not how I roll!
ytrabbit shows 9h Jd
Manzoni shows 8h Js OUTKICKED!
TURN: Jc 9c 2c 4h
RIVER: Jc 9c 2c 4h 6c
ytrabbit wins $18,890 with Two Pair, Jacks and Nines
LIFE SUPPORT! YUCK!
1} ytrabbit $18,890 Ad 8c
3) Manzoni * $2,110 7h 4s A SINGLE BETTING ROUND IS ALMOST HALF OF MY STACK. THIS SUCKS!
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Manzoni posts small blind $300
ytrabbit posts big blind $600
Manzoni folds
ytrabbit wins $650 uncontested
NOW I'm screwed. I'm basically all in on the blind on the next one - any decent card I MUST push.
1} ytrabbit * $19,215 Qd Js
3) Manzoni $1,785 3h 6s OKAY, these cards suck. But I still don't have a choice with over a third of my stack already going in. Dang. I had such a great chip lead. This sucks.
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
ytrabbit raises $18,590 (all-in) I JUST CAN'T DO IT!!!! AAAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!! One more hand.
Manzoni folds
ytrabbit wins $1,250 uncontested
I'VE BLOWN IT. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALL IN TWO HANDS AGO. NOW HALF OF MY STACK IS GONE. This hand, no matter the cards, I'm all in.
1} ytrabbit $19,840 Ts 3c
3) Manzoni * $1,160 Jh Ah (SECOND FACE CARD, FIRST ACE IN HEADS UP! HEY NOT TOO BAD!)
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Manzoni posts small blind $300
ytrabbit posts big blind $600
Manzoni raises $535 (all-in)
ytrabbit calls $535
ytrabbit shows Ts 3c
Manzoni shows Jh Ah
FLOP: 8h 6d 4d
TURN: 8h 6d 4d Jc
RIVER: 8h 6d 4d Jc 9c
Manzoni wins $2,320 with a Pair of Jacks BEST HAND HOLDS UP! I'm still on life support though. Back where I was two hands ago when I got crippled in the first place. I can't be patient this time.
1} ytrabbit * $18,680 Kh 8s
3) Manzoni $2,320 4c 5d It's a connecter, but I wish it was sooooted. NOT WAITING FOOLISHLY THIS TIME.
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
ytrabbit raises $18,055 (all-in)
Manzoni calls $1,695 (all-in) NO CHOICE. I'M SCREWED.
ytrabbit shows Kh 8s
Manzoni shows 4c 5d
FLOP: 6s 5h 4h
TURN: 6s 5h 4h 2d
RIVER: 6s 5h 4h 2d Qs
Manzoni wins $4,640 with Two Pair, Fives and Fours Hey, I'm alive! What happened? I got lucky, though 45os is barely a worse hand than k8os.
1} ytrabbit $16,360 Jc 4h
3) Manzoni * $4,640 7c 3s
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Manzoni posts small blind $300
ytrabbit posts big blind $600 BACK TO MY USUAL RUN I SEE, well now I have the ability to at least fold trash. For one or two hands anyway.
Manzoni folds
ytrabbit wins $650 uncontested
1} ytrabbit * $16,685 9d 9c
3) Manzoni $4,315 Ts Ac (LOOKS LIKE AA TO ME!)
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
ytrabbit calls $300
Manzoni bets $3,690 (all-in) LET'S DANCE!
ytrabbit calls $3,690 YAY! A CALL!
ytrabbit shows 9d 9c RACE!
Manzoni shows Ts Ac
FLOP: Kd Ks 2d
TURN: Kd Ks 2d As (GIDDY!)
RIVER: Kd Ks 2d As 8c
Manzoni wins $8,630 with Two Pair, Aces and Kings BACK IN IT BABY! You have to win races to win these things. Now I have momentum too, he must be reeling.
1} ytrabbit $12,370 Jc 7c
3) Manzoni * $8,630 Ah As (OKAY, NOW I'M CATCHING CARDS)
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Manzoni posts small blind $300
ytrabbit posts big blind $600
Manzoni raises $8,005 (all-in)
ytrabbit folds
Manzoni wins $1,250 uncontested FIGURES. Still happy to steal 950 in chips.
1} ytrabbit * $11,745 Ks 9h
3) Manzoni $9,255 3s 4s
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $300
Manzoni posts big blind $600
ytrabbit raises $625
Manzoni calls $625
FLOP: 3d 4d 6d
Manzoni bets $8,005 (all-in) I SHOULD HAVE SLOW PLAYED, though he probably wouldn't have stuck around unless he hit a king (just 3 outs).
ytrabbit folds
Manzoni wins $2,500 uncontested
SOMEHOW, I have the chip lead again. By the way, ytrabbit's mucked cards are courtesy of HIS hand history, he was kind enough to forward it to the group. Mainly because he's steamed over our heads up battle and wanted a little input on how he could have played better. I returned the courtesy and posted my mucks to the group as well. As far as I can tell, we both played pretty well. My biggest mistake was folding two hands after I got crippled (nearly half my stack) but somehow I managed to go on a good run and pull it out. As you can see....
1} ytrabbit $10,495 7h Ah
3) Manzoni * $10,505 3d As (OKAY, THIS IS THE FIRST REAL SUCKOUT)
ytrabbit antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Manzoni posts small blind $300
ytrabbit posts big blind $600
Manzoni raises $9,880 (all-in)
ytrabbit calls $9,870 (all-in)
ytrabbit shows 7h Ah
Manzoni shows 3d As
FLOP: 8s 3c 9h
TURN: 8s 3c 9h Kc
RIVER: 8s 3c 9h Kc Ks
Manzoni wins $20,990 with Two Pair, Kings and Threes
THAT LAST HAND was BRUTAL - but I know it was not just the deck that was soley responsible for his fate. I can look at this tournament at a whole, and see that I had runs of bad cards that pale in comparison to his at points - and I can also see BIG MISTAKES that I made. The same holds true for ytrabbit - his game was at least as good as mine, better in parts, but nowhere near perfect. I think what makes poker so great is that delicious combination of skill and luck. Clearly on this night I had both, and so did he.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
T5 Flatline 2008.1 2/11/08
Just call me bubble boy.
For the second time in five tournaments I finished one out of the money, aka - the bubble.
Disappointed? Naturally, yes. Did I play badly? Hardly.
This tournament, more than any other so far, demonstrated to me just how big a factor luck really is with this structure and this many players. The blinds worked great last season, with only 8 to 10 players on average. You could afford to wait a bit, and pick your spots to steal or catch some cards. Now, with an average of over 15 players, the pressure is ON. Every hand.
If you wait for good cards you WILL get blinded out; whittled down to the nub so far that opponents are right to call your all- in with any two cards.
If you try to steal, you have to be perfect in your timing and selection of targets or your opponents will absolutely look you up.
It's a much tougher road this season, and players who finished high up the standings last year by being rocks; are nowhere to be found on the leader board so far. It is an entirely different ball game so to speak, and they'd better start changing gears if they hope to be factors this time around.
On the other side of the coin, we don't have any true maniacs among us - but the more aggressive players (myself included) have to be far more selective in the battles they pick. You can't simply bully with big bets, there must be much more of a method behind the madness.
Target selection is critical; who is playing tight? Who is a good enough player to respect my raise and recognize they have incorrect odds to call? Who is on a medium stack? (A big stack can't be robbed, a small stack is desperate and just may call and damage you.)
I feel that I've managed both sides of this equation well so far. And last night was no exception. I stole enough (with good timing) to keep ahead of the blinds. But I didn't run into any premium cards, so I had to bow out of fights with those who were catching cards and hitting flops.
The Rubin seemed to be the luck box of the night, but he also played a good tight aggressive game. He is pretty readable, generally when he fires he has something. Best of all, he will fold to a micro bet pre-flop if he has trash, even when the numbers make a call correct.
Throughout the night I was up a little, I was down a little. I knew I was not long for this world as the end approached, but I also had faith that good decisions would see me through to a respectable finish.
I had some major fantastic steals in the last 15 minutes, and then perched on the bubble....
No Limit Texas Holdem ($200/$400 NL)
3) The Rubin $12,490 ?? ??
4) Manzoni $2,220 Qc Ks
5) Sammy Ro $2,635 ?? ??
6) Deepster * $3,075 ?? ??
10) ytrabbit $5,080 Qh Qd
The Rubin antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Sammy Ro antes $25
Deepster antes $25
ytrabbit antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $200
The Rubin posts big blind $400
Manzoni raises $1,795 (all-in)
Sammy Ro folds
Deepster folds
ytrabbit raises $2,860 (all-in)
The Rubin folds
Manzoni shows Qc Ks
ytrabbit shows Qh Qd
FLOP: Kd 7h Qs
TURN: Kd 7h Qs Tc
RIVER: Kd 7h Qs Tc 8s
ytrabbit wins $4,915 with Three of a Kind, Queens
Personally, I'm okay with the way I played this. Everyone at the table except Rubin is desperately short stacked, and it's bubble time. A GREAT time to get aggressive, because no one wants to fall just short. As long as I make correct decisions, I'm happy to bust out in the short run, because in the long run I will cash and finish first more often. People wake up with pocket queens VERY far and few between. I can't let that dampen my aggression here.
In this situation, even though I'm UTG, it's 5 handed and it's VERY worth going after blinds and antes at this point ($725, is over a third of my stack) by being first in I have a lot of fold/fear equity, plus I just can't wait for better cards - lest I get whittled down to where my stack is ineffective (as other players did).
Nope, the bubble doesn't bother me too much, I'd rather go out fighting. And I'm not going to avoid getting my chips in with what I think is the best of it, simply out of fear that someone might wake up with premium starting cards. There's big time negative EV in that train of thought.
For the second time in five tournaments I finished one out of the money, aka - the bubble.
Disappointed? Naturally, yes. Did I play badly? Hardly.
This tournament, more than any other so far, demonstrated to me just how big a factor luck really is with this structure and this many players. The blinds worked great last season, with only 8 to 10 players on average. You could afford to wait a bit, and pick your spots to steal or catch some cards. Now, with an average of over 15 players, the pressure is ON. Every hand.
If you wait for good cards you WILL get blinded out; whittled down to the nub so far that opponents are right to call your all- in with any two cards.
If you try to steal, you have to be perfect in your timing and selection of targets or your opponents will absolutely look you up.
It's a much tougher road this season, and players who finished high up the standings last year by being rocks; are nowhere to be found on the leader board so far. It is an entirely different ball game so to speak, and they'd better start changing gears if they hope to be factors this time around.
On the other side of the coin, we don't have any true maniacs among us - but the more aggressive players (myself included) have to be far more selective in the battles they pick. You can't simply bully with big bets, there must be much more of a method behind the madness.
Target selection is critical; who is playing tight? Who is a good enough player to respect my raise and recognize they have incorrect odds to call? Who is on a medium stack? (A big stack can't be robbed, a small stack is desperate and just may call and damage you.)
I feel that I've managed both sides of this equation well so far. And last night was no exception. I stole enough (with good timing) to keep ahead of the blinds. But I didn't run into any premium cards, so I had to bow out of fights with those who were catching cards and hitting flops.
The Rubin seemed to be the luck box of the night, but he also played a good tight aggressive game. He is pretty readable, generally when he fires he has something. Best of all, he will fold to a micro bet pre-flop if he has trash, even when the numbers make a call correct.
Throughout the night I was up a little, I was down a little. I knew I was not long for this world as the end approached, but I also had faith that good decisions would see me through to a respectable finish.
I had some major fantastic steals in the last 15 minutes, and then perched on the bubble....
No Limit Texas Holdem ($200/$400 NL)
3) The Rubin $12,490 ?? ??
4) Manzoni $2,220 Qc Ks
5) Sammy Ro $2,635 ?? ??
6) Deepster * $3,075 ?? ??
10) ytrabbit $5,080 Qh Qd
The Rubin antes $25
Manzoni antes $25
Sammy Ro antes $25
Deepster antes $25
ytrabbit antes $25
ytrabbit posts small blind $200
The Rubin posts big blind $400
Manzoni raises $1,795 (all-in)
Sammy Ro folds
Deepster folds
ytrabbit raises $2,860 (all-in)
The Rubin folds
Manzoni shows Qc Ks
ytrabbit shows Qh Qd
FLOP: Kd 7h Qs
TURN: Kd 7h Qs Tc
RIVER: Kd 7h Qs Tc 8s
ytrabbit wins $4,915 with Three of a Kind, Queens
Personally, I'm okay with the way I played this. Everyone at the table except Rubin is desperately short stacked, and it's bubble time. A GREAT time to get aggressive, because no one wants to fall just short. As long as I make correct decisions, I'm happy to bust out in the short run, because in the long run I will cash and finish first more often. People wake up with pocket queens VERY far and few between. I can't let that dampen my aggression here.
In this situation, even though I'm UTG, it's 5 handed and it's VERY worth going after blinds and antes at this point ($725, is over a third of my stack) by being first in I have a lot of fold/fear equity, plus I just can't wait for better cards - lest I get whittled down to where my stack is ineffective (as other players did).
Nope, the bubble doesn't bother me too much, I'd rather go out fighting. And I'm not going to avoid getting my chips in with what I think is the best of it, simply out of fear that someone might wake up with premium starting cards. There's big time negative EV in that train of thought.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
T4 Flatline 2008.1 2/4/08
Good times!
Some people didn't make it, but we still had 15 players. Very fun. As predicted, I came in cocky and went out early - BUT, I didn't donk my chips away; I actually got my money in with the best hand and my opponent who had the right odds to go up against me, picked a very marginal set of starting cards and hit a 3 outer to knock me out.
The player on my left was Sven, who has just recently joined our league. But I have been playing live with him going on for 6 years, first at a low stakes "wacky" home game and more recently at my own home tournaments and occasional cash games. He is not the most technically skilled player, but his ability to shift gears and remain unpredictable has flustered me for years. I'd say in the live home games that I've played, he's my black cat - the number one guy I don't want to tangle with (or even have sitting on my left for that matter).
He's been a non-factor so far online, but last Monday he emerged as I knew he would - a bullying and chip devouring monster. He was catching cards, but his timing also seemed to be right on; and he punished the usual min-raiser donks in our group severely when they tried to draw out on him. It was a pretty cool thing.
I did well myself, stealing enough to keep well ahead of the blinds and even put myself near the top of the standings. Then I looked down at pocket kings. In Arnold Snyder's book "The Poker Tournament Formula" the single best piece of advice it offers is "In a fast tournament, it's the good cards that get you into trouble." There are no absolute truths in poker it seems sometimes, but this piece of knowledge is pretty right on.
It was folded to me and I led out on the button with my standard raise of a "pot sized" bet x3BB (which for some odd reason seems to be a great amount for this group, especially when the blinds are at 50/100). Sven in the SB must have thought I was stealing, as I actually had been up to this point from the button and the cutoff - so he went all in. He had over 5K at this point; and could easily afford to get heads up with me with such a large lead. It was an automatic call for me, only against AA am I a big dog, and if he has that, then that's poker. He had A10os. Guess what card spiked on the turn.
I know I'm growing as a poker player, when I can actually almost be happy when I make a correct decision and yet "lose" the hand. He took a chance, with a prohibitive chip lead against me, and hit his three outer. I know I'm actually winning overall, and I have to look at this poker thang as one long game. I know that I made 100% the correct decision, I'm going broke with cowboys pre-flop if I'm raised in almost every situation, certainly in this one with a great chance of doubling through the chip leader.
Can't wait for next week.
Some people didn't make it, but we still had 15 players. Very fun. As predicted, I came in cocky and went out early - BUT, I didn't donk my chips away; I actually got my money in with the best hand and my opponent who had the right odds to go up against me, picked a very marginal set of starting cards and hit a 3 outer to knock me out.
The player on my left was Sven, who has just recently joined our league. But I have been playing live with him going on for 6 years, first at a low stakes "wacky" home game and more recently at my own home tournaments and occasional cash games. He is not the most technically skilled player, but his ability to shift gears and remain unpredictable has flustered me for years. I'd say in the live home games that I've played, he's my black cat - the number one guy I don't want to tangle with (or even have sitting on my left for that matter).
He's been a non-factor so far online, but last Monday he emerged as I knew he would - a bullying and chip devouring monster. He was catching cards, but his timing also seemed to be right on; and he punished the usual min-raiser donks in our group severely when they tried to draw out on him. It was a pretty cool thing.
I did well myself, stealing enough to keep well ahead of the blinds and even put myself near the top of the standings. Then I looked down at pocket kings. In Arnold Snyder's book "The Poker Tournament Formula" the single best piece of advice it offers is "In a fast tournament, it's the good cards that get you into trouble." There are no absolute truths in poker it seems sometimes, but this piece of knowledge is pretty right on.
It was folded to me and I led out on the button with my standard raise of a "pot sized" bet x3BB (which for some odd reason seems to be a great amount for this group, especially when the blinds are at 50/100). Sven in the SB must have thought I was stealing, as I actually had been up to this point from the button and the cutoff - so he went all in. He had over 5K at this point; and could easily afford to get heads up with me with such a large lead. It was an automatic call for me, only against AA am I a big dog, and if he has that, then that's poker. He had A10os. Guess what card spiked on the turn.
I know I'm growing as a poker player, when I can actually almost be happy when I make a correct decision and yet "lose" the hand. He took a chance, with a prohibitive chip lead against me, and hit his three outer. I know I'm actually winning overall, and I have to look at this poker thang as one long game. I know that I made 100% the correct decision, I'm going broke with cowboys pre-flop if I'm raised in almost every situation, certainly in this one with a great chance of doubling through the chip leader.
Can't wait for next week.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
T3 Flatline 2008.1 1/29
19 players. I must say, our league is way more fun with way more people!
I was feeling fine and good - raising on the button with nothing, and sometimes in the cutoff as well, and believe it or not people were folding to me. I found myself at a slightly above average chip stack (2K+) as the blinds made the big jump from 30/60 to 50/100.
In the past when I've found myself near the top of the heap, I've shifted gears and tightened up - translation; I've stopped trying to steal entirely and waited for good cards. This time, I DID tighten up - but I didn't stop stealing. How, you say? Instead of automatically popping a pot sized bet on the button, cutoff or hijack seat EVERY time in a limped or unraised pot, I carefully considered the players who were limping AND who was behind me. I also gave great thought to chip stack sizes.
Who was going to fight me? Who was going to lay it down? Who was ready to go to war? As the tourney progressed, I wasn't always right; but it was a noticeable improvement in my game to actually play the players, and finally, FINALLY, be SELECTIVE with my aggression.
I was relentless. But more importantly, every single aggressive move had a thought and purpose behind it - rather than just blind scrapping, I was picking my targets carefully.
The player to my right, Chipper, I had pegged early on (and in previous tournaments) as pretty much a rock. A guy who only played solid hands. He raised pre-flop only a handful of times, and every time I got out of the way. The few showdowns he got to proved my analysis.
The player to my left, Cali, I knew pretty well. He also was pretty darn tight, and he hated to go to war without at least a piece of the flop. So I stole him blind all night long.
Besides Chipper, there were also two other new guys at my first table; Sammy and Viking. Both struck me as very typical Play Chip Style Internet Donkeys. Any two cards will do, raise with nothing, give absolutely no consideration to bet size or position.
That said, they have both cashed this season; so don't think I completely wrote them off. But I knew they were both crushable, simply from their lack of understanding fundamental poker. They may think they are "maniacs" or "unpredictable", but actually they're VERY predictable and remind me of myself when I lose the selecting part of selective aggression.
I read Sammy perfectly early on. As I had been aggressive in late position, he had been routinely smooth calling me, and then folding when I bet the flop after his check. Finally, he'd had enough. I raised in the cutoff, he called in the BB. Flop came a big blank for me. He checked, I fired half the pot. He min raised. I thought for a minute and then popped him with a pot sized bet.
I honestly didn't know what he had, but I also knew that now was the time to show him who was in charge. If he had hit the flop solidly, he would push all in and I could still get away with an okay amount of damage (the chips I had put in were under 20% of my stack), if he had a piece of the flop (middle pair or such) even he would be hard pressed to call such a large amount. If he blanked, even he would have to fold.
He folded.
Let me side track and point out that this was another big difference in my game the other night; PRE-PLANNING my hands. Just a nugget I picked up from a book on NL Cash games (Professional No Limit Hold-Em), a completely simple but also revolutionary idea. Pre-plan, your hand. Think in advance, what you are going to do and how far you are going to commit depending on what happens.
Again, it sounds simple; but it really helped me. I knew every time going in, before I fired a bet, what I was going to do if someone fired back. If I had premium cards, I was going to get all my chips in as quick as possible. If I had two overs, I was going to be cautious about who I called - and make sure that I was in position. Much of this pre-planning was subconscious, but I was AWARE that I was anticipating the possible scenarios and exactly what I was going to do.
The other new guy, Viking, didn't need my help to get smacked down rather early on. Rabbit, the solid player from last season who's also a good friend and going to be playing in a live cash game at my garage this Friday, schooled Viking on the dangers of trying to be aggressive with someone who has next to the stone cold nuts.
And so we got down to the final table. As I mentioned, my tendency at this stage had always been to tighten up. I still tightened up, but I didn't lose my aggression at all; rather I was more SELECTIVE about which pots to fight for and which to let go. Paramount in my mind, even more than the cards, was position and who I was up against.
I really felt my game had stepped up a notch, as I won pot after pot WITHOUT showdowns. My stats at the end of the night showed I played about 30% of all the hands, and won nearly 20%! Most amazing, almost two thirds of those winning hands never made it to the river. I think I may have taken another small but significant step in my poker evolution.
Maybe best of all, by pre-planning and being highly aware of my chip stack in relation to my opponents, I was even able to weather the occasional suck-out well (especially one against Sammy who I had dominated on the flop, he hit a runner runner straight) and use my selective aggression immediately after to get right back in the game.
But before I pat myself on the back too hard, I need to mention that variance was on my side last night as well. I won a half dozen pots or so by being on the winning side of races, a simple but necessary fact of life in finishing well in a small and very fast sit-n-go tournament. The good news is, that nearly all the races I was in were pre-planned.
And then there were a few mistakes, most of them minor, but one major that could have been fatal.
I found myself UTG five handed with A7os. With blinds in big and scary territory, I fired a "pot sized" raise (x1.5 BB). Everyone folded around to chipper on the BB, who called. I put him on 2 overs, AJ or similar. With any pair (except maybe deuces or threes) he would have likely pushed all in. My semi-subconscious pre-plan for missing the flop was: if he checks I fire, if he leads out 'm gone. If he checks, I fire and he calls - he's hit it big and I'm gone. Likewise, if he check raises me; I'm done.
Flop came Q x x rainbow. He checked. I bet the pot, which was 3K, almost a third of my stack. This was my BIG mistake. I was essentially committing myself to the hand with nothing - no draws and only one over card. In hindsight, if I had bet half the pot, or even less, I could have gained information AND been able to get away. With such a large bet I had all but sealed my fate to getting all my chips in.
He then re-raised (but not all of his chips). Strange bet that told me he didn't have a set, but was trying to convince me that he had top pair OR he actually did have top pair and had slow played me! Nah, he wasn't that good. I smelled BS! And there was too much of my chips in the pot to leave crippled; I pushed all in. He called me with QJ. Wow! I was outplayed. He really did have TP big Kicker, and respected my play enough (and was skilled enough) to trap me out of my chips. Well done sir.
An ace spiked on the turn.
Thank God he didn't have AQ, I would have been crushed. But thankfully he had played a good but not great couple of cards (QJ) out of position. A small but costly mistake on his part , that in spite of my much bigger mistake - led to his elimination.
With the bubble burst, I cranked up the aggression. I had been shifting gears all night, but the only thing I was focused on changing was the SELECTION of my aggression. The aggression itself had been with me all night.
Needless to say, when we cashed; the pressure lifted (though I had been pretty good about APPLYING pressure during the bubble period) and I really cut loose with stealing.
As Harrington has pointed out, when your chips give you the right odds, you only need win a steal 1 out of 3 times to make money; and in the tournaments last half hour this is basically what happened. I managed to thieve mercilessly, and also catch sweet cards on occasion to keep the other guys off balance. I had KK, that I showed to great effect; I had QQ that busted a player who went all in against me with A8os.
I pushed relentlessly against Miles, my tricky nemesis from last season, who was on my left. When he called or bet I simply folded - he played way too tight and I was finally able to read him like a book.
Finally, after pillaging and pillaging my stack grew so large that any two cards would do. I was able to almost relinquish the selection of my aggression and bully my way to victory. That's right kids, I took this one down.
Of course I sucked out to win on the final hand, but hey: the damage by me had already been done. I fucking bludgeoned that table.
Next week I imagine I'll come in cocky, and go out early. But if I can somehow maintain both SELECTION and AGGRESSION in just the right harmony, this could be a very profitable season.
I was feeling fine and good - raising on the button with nothing, and sometimes in the cutoff as well, and believe it or not people were folding to me. I found myself at a slightly above average chip stack (2K+) as the blinds made the big jump from 30/60 to 50/100.
In the past when I've found myself near the top of the heap, I've shifted gears and tightened up - translation; I've stopped trying to steal entirely and waited for good cards. This time, I DID tighten up - but I didn't stop stealing. How, you say? Instead of automatically popping a pot sized bet on the button, cutoff or hijack seat EVERY time in a limped or unraised pot, I carefully considered the players who were limping AND who was behind me. I also gave great thought to chip stack sizes.
Who was going to fight me? Who was going to lay it down? Who was ready to go to war? As the tourney progressed, I wasn't always right; but it was a noticeable improvement in my game to actually play the players, and finally, FINALLY, be SELECTIVE with my aggression.
I was relentless. But more importantly, every single aggressive move had a thought and purpose behind it - rather than just blind scrapping, I was picking my targets carefully.
The player to my right, Chipper, I had pegged early on (and in previous tournaments) as pretty much a rock. A guy who only played solid hands. He raised pre-flop only a handful of times, and every time I got out of the way. The few showdowns he got to proved my analysis.
The player to my left, Cali, I knew pretty well. He also was pretty darn tight, and he hated to go to war without at least a piece of the flop. So I stole him blind all night long.
Besides Chipper, there were also two other new guys at my first table; Sammy and Viking. Both struck me as very typical Play Chip Style Internet Donkeys. Any two cards will do, raise with nothing, give absolutely no consideration to bet size or position.
That said, they have both cashed this season; so don't think I completely wrote them off. But I knew they were both crushable, simply from their lack of understanding fundamental poker. They may think they are "maniacs" or "unpredictable", but actually they're VERY predictable and remind me of myself when I lose the selecting part of selective aggression.
I read Sammy perfectly early on. As I had been aggressive in late position, he had been routinely smooth calling me, and then folding when I bet the flop after his check. Finally, he'd had enough. I raised in the cutoff, he called in the BB. Flop came a big blank for me. He checked, I fired half the pot. He min raised. I thought for a minute and then popped him with a pot sized bet.
I honestly didn't know what he had, but I also knew that now was the time to show him who was in charge. If he had hit the flop solidly, he would push all in and I could still get away with an okay amount of damage (the chips I had put in were under 20% of my stack), if he had a piece of the flop (middle pair or such) even he would be hard pressed to call such a large amount. If he blanked, even he would have to fold.
He folded.
Let me side track and point out that this was another big difference in my game the other night; PRE-PLANNING my hands. Just a nugget I picked up from a book on NL Cash games (Professional No Limit Hold-Em), a completely simple but also revolutionary idea. Pre-plan, your hand. Think in advance, what you are going to do and how far you are going to commit depending on what happens.
Again, it sounds simple; but it really helped me. I knew every time going in, before I fired a bet, what I was going to do if someone fired back. If I had premium cards, I was going to get all my chips in as quick as possible. If I had two overs, I was going to be cautious about who I called - and make sure that I was in position. Much of this pre-planning was subconscious, but I was AWARE that I was anticipating the possible scenarios and exactly what I was going to do.
The other new guy, Viking, didn't need my help to get smacked down rather early on. Rabbit, the solid player from last season who's also a good friend and going to be playing in a live cash game at my garage this Friday, schooled Viking on the dangers of trying to be aggressive with someone who has next to the stone cold nuts.
And so we got down to the final table. As I mentioned, my tendency at this stage had always been to tighten up. I still tightened up, but I didn't lose my aggression at all; rather I was more SELECTIVE about which pots to fight for and which to let go. Paramount in my mind, even more than the cards, was position and who I was up against.
I really felt my game had stepped up a notch, as I won pot after pot WITHOUT showdowns. My stats at the end of the night showed I played about 30% of all the hands, and won nearly 20%! Most amazing, almost two thirds of those winning hands never made it to the river. I think I may have taken another small but significant step in my poker evolution.
Maybe best of all, by pre-planning and being highly aware of my chip stack in relation to my opponents, I was even able to weather the occasional suck-out well (especially one against Sammy who I had dominated on the flop, he hit a runner runner straight) and use my selective aggression immediately after to get right back in the game.
But before I pat myself on the back too hard, I need to mention that variance was on my side last night as well. I won a half dozen pots or so by being on the winning side of races, a simple but necessary fact of life in finishing well in a small and very fast sit-n-go tournament. The good news is, that nearly all the races I was in were pre-planned.
And then there were a few mistakes, most of them minor, but one major that could have been fatal.
I found myself UTG five handed with A7os. With blinds in big and scary territory, I fired a "pot sized" raise (x1.5 BB). Everyone folded around to chipper on the BB, who called. I put him on 2 overs, AJ or similar. With any pair (except maybe deuces or threes) he would have likely pushed all in. My semi-subconscious pre-plan for missing the flop was: if he checks I fire, if he leads out 'm gone. If he checks, I fire and he calls - he's hit it big and I'm gone. Likewise, if he check raises me; I'm done.
Flop came Q x x rainbow. He checked. I bet the pot, which was 3K, almost a third of my stack. This was my BIG mistake. I was essentially committing myself to the hand with nothing - no draws and only one over card. In hindsight, if I had bet half the pot, or even less, I could have gained information AND been able to get away. With such a large bet I had all but sealed my fate to getting all my chips in.
He then re-raised (but not all of his chips). Strange bet that told me he didn't have a set, but was trying to convince me that he had top pair OR he actually did have top pair and had slow played me! Nah, he wasn't that good. I smelled BS! And there was too much of my chips in the pot to leave crippled; I pushed all in. He called me with QJ. Wow! I was outplayed. He really did have TP big Kicker, and respected my play enough (and was skilled enough) to trap me out of my chips. Well done sir.
An ace spiked on the turn.
Thank God he didn't have AQ, I would have been crushed. But thankfully he had played a good but not great couple of cards (QJ) out of position. A small but costly mistake on his part , that in spite of my much bigger mistake - led to his elimination.
With the bubble burst, I cranked up the aggression. I had been shifting gears all night, but the only thing I was focused on changing was the SELECTION of my aggression. The aggression itself had been with me all night.
Needless to say, when we cashed; the pressure lifted (though I had been pretty good about APPLYING pressure during the bubble period) and I really cut loose with stealing.
As Harrington has pointed out, when your chips give you the right odds, you only need win a steal 1 out of 3 times to make money; and in the tournaments last half hour this is basically what happened. I managed to thieve mercilessly, and also catch sweet cards on occasion to keep the other guys off balance. I had KK, that I showed to great effect; I had QQ that busted a player who went all in against me with A8os.
I pushed relentlessly against Miles, my tricky nemesis from last season, who was on my left. When he called or bet I simply folded - he played way too tight and I was finally able to read him like a book.
Finally, after pillaging and pillaging my stack grew so large that any two cards would do. I was able to almost relinquish the selection of my aggression and bully my way to victory. That's right kids, I took this one down.
Of course I sucked out to win on the final hand, but hey: the damage by me had already been done. I fucking bludgeoned that table.
Next week I imagine I'll come in cocky, and go out early. But if I can somehow maintain both SELECTION and AGGRESSION in just the right harmony, this could be a very profitable season.
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