Vegas Bender Spring 2017 - March Madness! PART 1 of 2

So if you've read this blog you've likely read this post which detailed my plan of attack for Vegas on the first weekend of March Madness, the NCAA Basketball tournament where anyone with gamble in the veins throws down for drunken degeneracy.

Well I'm happy to say that for the most part I stuck to my plan, and the good news is it worked like a charm.  I played in seven tournaments and cashed in four of them, for a grand total of $920 in pure profit - which is my best Vegas bender on record.  The number would have been over $400 higher had I adhered entirely to my plan - I played in two larger buy in tournaments and failed to cash in both.

But in both larger events I played well, and in fact I bubbled in the second event, more on that later - so in hindsight I don't really regret deviating from the plan.

Thursday night I arrived and took the very first Uber of my life from the airport to Harrah's.

Harrah's - home of Buck and Winnie.  I love this so much.

I have to say, why on earth would anyone ever take a taxi like, ever?  It was $11 with no tip required or expected, a friendly driver who got me there quickly in his lovely Hyundai accent.  I had also eschewed a rental car, as the hotels have now decided to start charging for parking.  So Budget rental got screwed out of my business, so there's that.

I wandered up to my room at about a quarter to 10 and was all set to get a good night's rest, but as you all probably know there was a gambling itch I needed to scratch, and a tournament just so happened to be starting in 15 minutes right downstairs in the very hotel I was staying at.

Harrah's 10pm tournament, well, all their tournaments actually, are positively terrible in structure and in rake.  27% juice plus 20 minute levels that literally double with each step so tournaments are all done in about 3 1/2 hours.  Just what I needed though if I was to start at 10pm and have any chance at being coherent the next day.

I figured this was just to get my feet wet, to shake the rust off and to have some silly fun.  I sat down right into the middle of a heated conversation about the NCAA brackets.  Yes, I was in the right place.

In an effort to avoid sounding like a broken record - I will state this once here, and then at the end of this post.

SOFT PLAYERS > GOOD STRUCTURE  

PERIOD.

Everyone was limping.  Everyone was passive.  Everyone was weak.

There was not one regular at the table, or at the next table when mine broke.  I was in poker heaven.  Except I'm guessing in poker heaven the chips don't look like this...

So nasty.

The chips would give The Bike a run for it's money in terms of grossness.  Still, I didn't shy away from scooping up a load of them quickly - when a fine fellow stacked off to my flopped two pair with a gut shot draw on the turn that mercifully missed on the river.    Drawing to a 3 outer for your tournament life on the fifth hand of the night?   Absolutely.  Who doesn't do that?

There were other similar hands over the next hour and by the first break I was the chip leader in a tournament with 54 entries.  Then the blinds got absolutely preposterous and I had to get it in light a few times as people were shoving left and right and even by opening a pot I would be committed to call.   A few times I hit and busted people, a handful of times I took a hit.

A super active player let it rip for the umpteenth time and I found an easy call with AJ, he of course had AK which held.  This was my first substantial hit, and two orbits later I was under 10 big binds.  I woke up with 1010 and got it in, unfortunately my opponent had queens which held.  Now I had 3 big blinds.

I stuck my chips in when I saw one ace and got 3 other callers!  The board ran out all low cards, with everyone checking it down of course, including two sixes, I didn't know what sort of shape I was in until I turned up my kicker, it was a six.  Quadruple up baby!

Now I had 12 bigs, which was a lot for the table, though I still wasn't the chip leader.  They were only paying 3 with 6 of us remaining.

The very next hand I got it in with AQ and ran into AK, but a queen popped up as the middle card in the flop and held.  Now I was the chip leader by quite a bit, the fellow I sucked out on was crippled and out thereafter.

Then another player busted on the very next hand that I wasn't in, a short stack collision.

Someone proposed a bubble safety - I looked around and saw everyone was about even, but I had  a two to one chip lead over all 3 of them.  So I said this -

"I'm good with that.  But what if we just chop it evenly right now? We each get $290.  There's only 45 big blinds on this entire table right now."

The other players looked at each other, a bit stunned.  In turbos I always make it routine to use my phone calculator to know exactly how many bigs are on the table and what an even chop will bring everyone.   One by one the other guys nodded in agreement.  It was a great deal for them, especially I knew because they were all tourists who played passively and had all been simply waiting for big hands and folding way too much.   It was also a good deal for me, as even though I had 20 big blinds, in one or two bad hands I could be out with nothing but my money back.

So we all shook hands and collected our monies, I toked $10 and went upstairs to bed.   Already in the positive!  It was great to get that out of the way so quickly.  It was 2am.

********

The morning came early and I was up with the sun despite my short hours of sleep.  My good friend A8Fold was arriving soon and we had agreed to meet up at the Aria for their 11am $240 tournament.

Similar to Harrah's - NOT.

I love the room at Aria, I love the structure and the payout of their tournaments.  It's class and quality all the way.  Plus the dealers and floor are generally very friendly.  Unfortunately someone had pissed in the young lady's cornflakes at the registration cage - "Um, just give me a minute.  Anyone in line here to cash out for a live game?" she said gruffly.   Silence from the line, here we were at one of Vegas' most popular dailies and I wasn't surprised given what time it was that everyone was here to donk it up in the tourney.

So she stood there for literally a minute.  Then she screamed at the floor across the room  "Lonny you ready?"  Pause.  "Are you ready for tournament players?"  Pause.   She stood there popping her gum for another 30 seconds or so.  Finally she took my money with a sigh and nary a smile in sight.

Normally not worth mentioning - but it was very out of character for Aria.  Thankfully everyone else I encountered was the usual friendly and top notch efficient.

I chipped up early and was very comfy at my table.  Once again the topic of conversation was pretty much all basketball.  Bettors were starting to feel the pain of busted brackets and I was hoping they would also feel the pain of the back o' me hand.   Hey, it's a poker metaphor ok?  Also it was St. Paddy's day.

This was the tournament where I took the most detailed notes so here are 3 interesting-ish hands.

With blinds at 50/100 and my stack at about 80 bigs I raised from the high-jack 3x with 9d10d.  The big blind had just sat down, a younger fellow with dark sunglasses and a surly demeanor, and he defended.

Flop was 7h8hAd.  With 650 in the pot he checked and I c-bet for 500.  He flat called.  Honestly it's so silly to see someone scowling behind dark sunglasses in a $200 tournament.  I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.

Turn was a great card, the 5 of diamonds giving me a flush draw to go with my open ender and giving him a chance to hit the bottom end if a ten or a six came.  He checked I bet 1500 into 1650, he - wait for it... check raised me to 4500!  If I called I would have invested 6800 with less than 1500 behind.  It was a fold or jam moment, that I didn't think too long about at all.  I got it in and he snap called frighteningly fast.

He had 68o, he had top pair and he also had a six which was one of my outs, and a 9 was no good for me as he was open ended.  Still, there were 13 cards I could hit (I think) and the river was one of them - another 6 to give me a higher straight.  He looked disgusted.  I happily raked the chips.

I'm okay with my line, I don't think there's any getting away from that turn regardless of how deep we were to start when he bombs it with the check raise.  There is some argument for me checking back the turn for a free card, I don't know how good he was but I suspect (to be entirely results oriented) that I wouldn't have gotten much value on the river.

So I had double up and the future was bright.

The next hand of note took place on the next level - 100/200, I had over a hundred big blinds.  Middle position player opened for 3x, the cutoff called and so did I on the button with Kh10h.  The big blind defended. Flop was 10d 6h 4c, the big blind led out for 1000, there was 2500 in the pot to start.  All folded to me, I called.  Turn was a 3 of hearts, big blind led again this time for 1500 into 4500, a terribly undersized bet that reeked of weakness.  I called again and the river peeled off a beautiful 8h. With a 7500 pot the big blind shockingly fired a third barrel, this time for 8K!  I didn't take long, just a beat, but I jammed the rest of my stack in - I had him covered, he had another 8 thousand behind after investing 10500 so far, I figured there was no way he could fold.  I was wrong.  He let it go and I scooped the pot.

No grime on these bad boys.

Somewhere in the midst of this I doubled up again with quad nines.  The hand itself wasn't too interesting, but I did slow play it and had the good fortune to run into a flush draw that got there on the river and paid me off.

With blinds and antes at 50/200/400 UTG+1 threw out a 1K chip but forgot to say 'raise' and so he found himself with 4 callers, myself included in the SB with KQo.  A king and two rags hit the flop and he took me to value town on all three streets, his bets were pretty thin but I for sure should have gotten away from the river bet of 5K - absolutely terrible call by myself.  All the pieces of the puzzle were there, I just didn't think to put them together.  The player had been super inactive, he was clearly recreational and not angel shooting with his 'oops I meant to raise' call, and the sizing was a very big indicator of a good but not great hand on each street.  I called with top pair, but with a 10 kicker, there are so many ways he could have AK or AQ there, not to mention the AA that he actually had.

Levels at 75/300/600, with 60 big blinds or so, active player UTG+2 opened for 2.5x, I called on the button with JJ, both blinds defended.  7K in the pot.  Flop was 466o, UTG+2 c-bet 3500, I flatted, both blinds folded.  Turn was a 10, opponent flicked out a 5K chip.  Here's where I took a read and made the call, based on him being so active, and now getting almost 3 to 1.  River was another 10 and he whipped out another 5K chip.  So tiny I had an easy decision and quickly said call, expecting to be good and fast rolling my JJ.  I was good indeed, he showed 99.   A relatively easy hand for me, in which I based my decisions about 80% because of his sizing and the other 20% because he had been so active.  Again, if a rock had taken this same line with me, I probably still would have paid off his AA, KK or QQ only because the bets were so small.  I look forward to the day when I can sniff out strong hands that are backed by weak and small bets, but these days I am pretty helpless in the face of bets that allow me to chase draws and see the next card for cheap.

By this stage in the tournament nearly all the soft players at my table had busted or moved, and I was surrounded by capable every-days.  I was forced to tighten my range of hands, because I knew getting tangled up with speculative holdings, even in position, could very quickly see me spewing off chips.  So naturally, when I shifted gears to be more selective, I became massively card dead.  Finally I caught a pair of jacks.  I raised it from the button and the big blind, a brand new player at our table - a woman with a massive stack who had just sat down - flat called me.  The board came 8x8 and I c-bet.  The turn was a blank, and I really wanted to value bet her hard because I had quickly sized her up as a fish based on her demeanor and chip handling.  She sighed and called my sizable c-bet rather quickly.  A bad sign, I knew I was being Hollywood-ed.  I knew I was in trouble when she carved out 20K and slid it forward, about a third of my remaining chips.  This was going to suck.  I winced and paid her off - she rolled over quad 8's.

Boo.  Getting over 2 to 1 on the call I was incapable of letting it go.  Again, in hindsight, all the signs were there that should have let me get away with less damage.

An orbit or so later I woke up with QQ.  MP raised, the highjack flat called and I 3-bet from the cutoff.  MP shipped it and the high jack snap called.  Crap.  The highjack had been very inactive, even as the table had ramped up the aggression overall.  A voice deep inside me told me I was no good.  I let it go.  MP had 1010, the highjack had KK.   Yay me.

From that point on though. it was down hill, I had gone from 60 to 35 blinds in one hand and after my 3 bet with queens I rapidly got grounded down into a shove or fold stack.  I got through a couple of times, and then I got snapped off by AA.  Good game me.

So the day wasn't a total loss.  I had played for 4 1/2 hours, and for the most part had done fine.  I was pretty mad at myself for a handful of hands, especially paying off AA on all three streets, but I resolved not to sweat it.  The Mirage, aka The Timewarp, was next.

Up until after the Aria tournament I had been shooting short videos of myself during breaks, giving updates to my future YouTube audience on a channel that right now only exists in my mind.  After I busted the tournament with no money to speak of, I decided that I would blow off the video shooting after all.  Not because I had failed to cash, but because I had come to realize that shooting video and eventually editing it is something that I have been doing my entire adult life, as it is my job, and I didn't want to work on something that felt like work on what was supposed to be a mini-vacation.  Still, I love watching poker vlogs these days, there are some truly great ones out there - maybe someday I will really go for it and finish what I start in documenting a poker bender.  Maybe.  In the meantime, here's one of my favorite vloggers, Andrew Neeme - filming on the same weekend that I was in Vegas, and showing off the Monte Carlo before it it goes away forever.

         

I settled into my chair for the 7pm Mirage, there had been time to grab a quick bite at Earl of Sandwhich on the way back - no line and my favorite "The Original" a dope ass sandwich that tasted hella good.   I was ready to go.  It wasn't until the first player at our table busted out that I realized that once again I had inadvertantly entered a bounty tournament.  Bleh.  The last time I played this tournament I had recouped half of my buy-in back.  This time I hoped to do more.

I was off to a good start on the very next orbit - my twitter feed documented my progress.

1st bounty. #rockintheturbo pic.twitter.com/MzVg8CQDfq

— Christopher Manzoni (@PepperStChrisM) March 18, 2017

Numero dos. #halfwaythere pic.twitter.com/lDYMZnHllf

— Christopher Manzoni (@PepperStChrisM) March 18, 2017

Hat trick. #25fromafreeroll pic.twitter.com/VaW3ekw85n

— Christopher Manzoni (@PepperStChrisM) March 18, 2017

Free roll baby. pic.twitter.com/8GZiwB7Fsl

— Christopher Manzoni (@PepperStChrisM) March 18, 2017

I played exceptionally well, and yes, the Mirage lived up to the nickname I've given it.  It was indeed the Timewarp, even as the evening wore on - the table didn't fill up with regulars, it was more and more recreationals, and most of them had been drinking.   There was one guy who was clearly at least a semi-pro.  We both avoided each other as much as we could.  When I three bet him I made sure to show my KK.  When he did the same he flashed me AQ.  There was for sure an unspoken mutual understanding between us.  Why go to war with another tree when we could both pick low hanging fruit all around us?

The final table approached, and then we were there.  I was the chip leader, but took a hit when I got it all in pre with KK vs. 77 against a stack about half my size - yep, he spiked a set on the flop.

So I was down but not out.  Back to the grind.  Turned out, it wasn't a grind.  The very next hand I looked down at 22 in the small blind.  I limped, as four others had as well.  I flopped a set and check called the flop and turn against a single opponent and shipped it in, a perfectly sized 3/4 pot bet on the river.  My opponent looked deep into his soul and found a call with top pair Jack kicker.  Well done sir.

Time marched on, but even as blinds escalated to absurd levels and the pressure mounted to make the money, I didn't panic.  I truly did not give a shit about a min-cash and was still able to exert pressure by three bet shoving in a couple of good spots to apply pressure and pick up dead money.

41 players, they were paying 4.  Normally I would mention a bubble safety at 5, but the 'pro' managed a double knock-out and we were into the cash.  I didn't bother to mention a chop because he had about a 2 to 1 chip lead over the rest of us.  We played for a bit, and someone mentioned that maybe we should just get our bounties back.  Actually, it was the dealer.  Good idea!  The 'pro' said no.

All good.   We kept going, eventually I got tangled up with the big stack and managed to put a considerable dent in it when my small flush draw got there on the turn and I check-called two streets of tasty value from his weak probe bets.  If I had been a pimp I would have check raised him, but I'm a bit chicken shit in getting thin value sometimes.

So now was the moment.  I was well prepared.  "There's 38 big blinds total on the table right now.  In five minutes there will be just over 30.  How about we look at numbers for a chop?"  The two short stacks were excited.  The pro's response?  "I'll take first place and the rest of you divide up the remainder."   Back in the day I might have agreed to this.  But he didn't have a 2 to 1 chip lead anymore.  He had about 5 more big blinds than I did.  "Let's just play." I said.

At this point we played, but one of the short stacks, in tandem with the dealer oddly enough, kept chirping about how it was all bingo at this point and that we were flipping for hundreds of dollars for no reason.  I couldn't help but agree out loud more than once.

Then big stack took a hit from one of the shorties, the very one that had been chirping, and I was the chip leader.

"Alright, I'll chop just so I don't have to hear it any more."  Really?  I thought to myself.  "Okay sounds good.  We get $575 apiece including our own bounties  if we divide it evenly.  I'm happy to do that as this could all go away in a hand very easily."  He sighed, rolled his eyes, and agreed.  The other two players were ecstatic and we divvied up the monies.  Grand total for me with five bounties total - $650.

Three tournaments - two cashes, including one for first place, at least in my mind, I count it as first if I have the chip lead when play ends!

Chip leader with 35 big blinds lol. #turbogangsta #allskill pic.twitter.com/YuFF7i3uS7

— Christopher Manzoni (@PepperStChrisM) March 18, 2017

But truly, it was anyone's tournament at that point, luck would be heavily involved if we had continued.

So A8Fold, who had decided to play cash games, and I went to the burger place in Mirage to celebrate.  I had a salted caramel shake that kicked all KINDS of ass.   Good times.

I crawled into bed about half past midnight - exhausted but ecstatic to have binked such a nice score. Images of flops and rivers filled my head as I drifted off to sleep.

A history of me.

Using some of the clues from this blog and my home game blog, along with my ever increasingly foggy memories - I'm going to try and reconstruct a timeline of my relationship with this game known as teh pokerz.

My earliest memory of the game comes at around 13 or 14 - I can remember gathering with my buddies in my friend Jay's house on Ashby St. in Berkeley around a round wooden dining room table to throw down with literal nickels, dimes and quarters.  Or was it those plastic Bicycle chips?

I dimly recall trying to learn what beat what, and then trying to keep up with how the betting worked.  The games we played were almost all permutations of 7-card stud and without exception they all had wild cards and/or some wacky twist.

Follow the Queen, Hi or Lo Chicago, Black Mariah, Anaconda and Baseball just to name a few.  Most fun was Night Baseball in the Rain, which involved rolling your cards one by one, not knowing what your down cards were (I think) and craziest of all if you had the Queen of Spades in the hole you automatically got half the pot.   Good times.  All skill.

So poker as I was introduced to it and played it through high school was a blast, but truthfully it was only one thing on a pretty decent sized list of fun things to do with my buds.  I would say we averaged maybe 3 or 4 poker nights a year, increasing by one or two nights every year as time went by.

Through college poker was this way for me.  Then out of school finally, my work took me to Tucson Arizona and then Portland Oregon from 1993-1995 until I finally moved to LA in December of 95.

During this time it's safe to say that I only played poker at Christmas time when I would reunite with my compadres.  I was deeply in like with this game that I thought was poker - but I had no problem abstaining for most of the year.

This continued in Los Angeles through the new millennium.  At one stage, I dimly recall I bought a round octagonal poker table for almost $200 at a mall.  Total impulse buy, I think I played maybe 2 or 3 times on it total in my apartment.

One particular game on it sticks out - it was with my good friend Tobias and his fiancee' visiting from out of town along with another good friend Tom from across the hall.  We played our usual game, and the fiancee' (who come to find out had been playing card games since she could walk) basically cleaned everyone's clocks.  Good times.

So I would play when I could, again usually around the holidays back home.  When I would go back I would hear stories around the table of my friend Daniel's regular game in Oakland.  It sounded fantastic - higher stakes, super crazy games, matching the pot games like Guts, dealers having to throw in a dollar when they misdealt, etc.  I never got to play in the game, but I always wish I had.

My company (that I had joined in 1995) moved to a bigger office building on Wilshire Blvd. in 2000. Talking with Sven and another poker compatriot/co-worker Dan, I believe it was in 2003 when somehow Dan had gotten wind that I liked poker and he invited me to a game in Hancock Park, literally just a few blocks from work.

The game was every other Wednesday night from 7:30 to 10:30 without fail, and it was fantastic.  This is where I fell in love with poker.  It's also where I met Sven, Tony, Tommy and Fred - four of what would be my good friends.  Fred passed away a few years back, click here to read about him.

I was familiar with a lot of the game already - it was also nickel/dime/quarter and plenty of the games were wacky, although many with the same names as the ones I knew had substantial variations to them.   But new to me was Texas Hold-em and Omaha High-Low.

These two games we played full orbits of, and we played strictly fixed limit.  50c bets pre and on the flop, a dollar on the turn and 2 dollars on the river.  This is where the mild crush blossomed into full blown passion.  It was also inflamed because of two other things happening at the same time.

One - the World Series of Poker began to broadcast on ESPN.  This was the year that saw amateur Chris Moneymaker turn an $86 online satellite seat into a 3 million dollar payday at the Main Event.  It changed the game forever and it certainly changed me as well.

Two - online poker started to boom in the US, and I was completely hooked.  I never deposited, and you can read pretty much my whole online experience at the beginning of this blog.  A lot of it involved a private game between my friends down here and up north on a site called Poker Academy, but I also went on quite a run on Full Tilt, getting into real money play by cashing for a few bucks in a free roll and then being lucky enough to grind up to several hundred dollars.

With the Hancock game, the WSOP on tv and online action - I was well and truly hooked.

Of these three things, which happened pretty much in this order, it was the first thing - the Hancock Park game - that really got me into it, because after about a year of playing, which was always a ton of fun anyways, I started winning.  A lot.   Okay, so I wasn't walking away rich, but I remember pretty well turning profit after profit week after week.

A lot of this profit (on average being up anywhere from $40 to over $100 in profits every game) came at the expense of the host, who had always seen himself as God's gift to poker and who was so set in his ways that he didn't adjust his game when I and Sven and a few others started figuring him out.

And so it came to pass that one particularly memorable night Tony brought a female friend of his to the game, and it turned out she was an actual poker player with a lot of casino experience - and she basically bludgeoned our host.  The game was supposed to end at 10:30, but about an hour before that time  after he lost a particularly large pot, the host stated abruptly "Okay, that's it!"  Everyone looked at each other.  Awkward silence followed.  Yes, he really did want the game to end and everyone to GTFO.

Not only that, but he emailed the next day and said that the game was over, most likely for good.

This was 2006.  Coincidentally at my house we had begun construction on a brand new detached garage.  I knew right from the moment we started building that it would make for a great poker palace.  Now I knew that I would have to host fairly regularly to get my fix, and I knew it would mostly be tournaments instead of cash game.

Side note about the Hancock Park game - as crazy as it sounds, we never played Hold-em or Omaha correctly.  After the flop we would start the action with the last player to bet or raise, instead of simply starting to the left of the button.  Crazy right?

Somewhere, sometime just before my after work game ended - I attended a friend of a friend's home poker tournament in an apartment in Westwood.  I still remember the hand I went out on - I overplayed my QQ and my friend Stephen took all of my chips when I shoved on a board with a King on it that he of course had paired.

The reason I remember this so vividly no doubt is because I was absolutely inspired by the way the host had put everything together.  He had put the chips in individual baggies at each seat, he had a timer, he had snacks, and everyone had a great time.   I knew this was the kind of game I wanted to have at my garage.

I believe my first tournament took place toward the end of 2006.  We had one of those shitty oval poker table toppers set upon a banquet table - and there were 11 of us crammed in.   Of course the host of the Hancock game won it, but the evening was still a blast.

In early 2007 I attended my first poker tournament at Hollywood Park Casino.  It was great.  I didn't come anywhere near the money.  But I promptly structured my own tournament after theirs.  $20 buy in, unlimited $10 re-buys.  A lot of work for me but a whole lot of fun.

Over the next year, all of my regulars who weren't already there came into my game.  My neighbor Mike from down the street, another Mike aka P-Money on this blog, the inimitable Rooster and of course the one and only Barb who made the game so much more fun than I ever imagined by setting the best example of how to behave at the table.

Before this year ended I had banned the host from the Hancock game, a thoroughly unpleasant experience that taught me a lot on how to deal with players that get out of line.  Nipping it in the bud is 100% always the way to go, by the way.

I also found blogger and timidly posted this.

You'll notice that the post says "coming up in 2009".  This is because I didn't post at all in 2008.  But 2008 was a great year in poker for me and the game at Pepper Street.  It was the year we worked out all the kinks, the year when I discovered that my numbers doubled when I hosted a Hold-Em tournament as opposed to H.O.R.S.E.  It was a great, great time.  Everyone still pretty much sucked, myself included, and everything felt fresh.

In the meantime, I WAS posting nearly every month on the blog that you are reading now, meticulously chronicling my trials and tribulations in my online home game.

My appearances at HPC increased, including a 2K+ score.  I still remember dropping all those hundreds into my wife's lap afterwards.  A great day.

And from 2009 on out Pepper Street became and remains pretty much what it is today.  I built my own poker table in 2012, and got custom chips then - shortly thereafter I made the game a $40 freeze out and started everyone with 20K in chips.  The format hasn't changed since.

In 2011 I played in the WSOP for the first time after only visiting the year before.  I've gone back almost every year since.

Starting at around that time I also started making yearly excursions to Vegas just to play poker.  The very first time I did this I had my best results, no doubt because players were worse and we were also there on NASCAR weekend.  A great trip.

And it's been a mostly great, mostly healthy relationship with the game ever since.  Yes, I've overindulged at times, but I feel like I'm in a pretty good place these days.  I still yearn to go deep in a big event, but no doubt that will come, as long as I keep working on my game.

I'm glad I took the time to do this - I know my brain won't be firing on all cylinders forever and I'm grateful to have this post at the very least too stumble across and remember how I fell in love back in the day.

Home Game TOC 2017 - Bink!

I guess the title of this post is a spoiler alert - but allow me to break down the particulars.

For the third year in a row in my decade old home game, I hosted a January Tournament of Champions in my garage - where winners from the previous years dozen or so tournaments all sit down in a freeroll to play for the season championship and a $1000 prize pool.  Click here for a brief rundown of the day and some pictures.  Read on for a more detailed and poker-centric analysis.

The pool is collected over the course of the year from each regular tournament - 10% of the total entries or $100, whichever amount is smaller.  I stop pulling from each prize pool when we reach 1K, though I still do not pay my own $40 entry so I can buy snacks, cheap trophies and occasional goodies for the players.  In other words - there is ZERO rake on my home game, all funds get back to the players either in cash payouts from the TOC or in Oreo cookies, trophies and small fun stuff.  This, and the fact that the entry is small, makes for a 100% legal and almost 100% drama free home game.

This year there were ten of us.  Or rather, there were supposed to be.  Pepper Street beast P-Money had scheduled a family vacation for the week and obviously couldn't change his plans, especially since he won his seat only a month ago.

This was good and bad news.  Bad as a friend and competitor, good news for my bankroll.  Lately I would have to say that P-Money is for sure my biggest nemesis on the home game felt.  He recently moved from the Valley to Belle (right near the Bike) and has been playing at the Bike a lot more.  His game has shown it, the guy is good.  Money-wise of course I was happy he wasn't there, but as a friend and admirer of his game I felt bad that he had to miss it.

We each started with 25K in chips.  I was the only player among us to have won two tournaments during the year, so I got an extra 5K to start.  In 2015 I had won three tournaments during the year and also managed to take down the TOC, so there was pressure on the returning champ to defend his title!

I'm going to try and remember some hands and action - my memory is a bit foggy after this much time has gone by.  As always on this blog, I try to be as honest as possible about my own play and the play of my opponents.  As the players discussed herein are also all my good friends, I will take pains to avoid any disparaging terms like "fish" or "donkey" or "calling station" or "card rack" or "luck box" (all of these terms by the way certainly apply to me as well on occasion) but I will be absolutely honest about what I think of their play.

If any of you happen to read this - please know I am solely commenting on your play, it has nothing to do with you as a person of course.  Also remember that the person I am most critical of is myself, so you are in good company.

We started at 1pm, it was an absolutely stunning day.  Saturated blue sky and white puffy clouds, like a painting.  After so much rain, it was great to get a brisk and beautiful afternoon.

Everyone was in good spirits and it quickly became evident that this exuberance was translating into a desire to play big pots.  With over 400 big blinds at our disposal and half hour levels and a flatter structure than usual, I was absolutely shocked that the very first hand had a bloated pot.  And the hand after that, and the hand after that.

I would say the table on the whole was well balanced between solid/experienced and softer/less experienced players.  But everyone seemed eager to go to war right off the bat.

Of course, they are all used to my monthly Saturday night tournament which has 20 minute levels  and skips the 250/500, 400/800, 1200/2400 and 4000/8000 levels.  In these events, yes, you have to get involved right away and chip up, as the structure is fast (so I can get upwards of 30 people out of my garage by 1am at the latest) and rapid chip accumulation is essential.

But this event, I am fully aware, is an entirely different beast.  First of all it's a Sit-N-Go, which rewards players for being tight early and super aggressive late by it's very nature.  And second of course, it's a marathon not a sprint.  The structure is designed with 10 people to last about 7-8 hours.  This day it would end in just over 6 hours, which tells you just how aggressive people were.

So I sat and smiled as folks slugged it out.  We took a break after three levels and through the dust I could see a couple of truly short stacks (amazing since our starting chips would still amount to 100 big blinds on level four) and a couple of chip mountain ranges.  My stack had grown, but just by a third or so. Almost all of the chips I gathered were without showdown, mostly on the flop with a simple C-bet.  Occasionally on the turn with a second barrel if I had no show down value.

I confess it is a genuine struggle to remember any specifics on the hands I was involved in at this stage, but I can say with certainty that the first fellow to bust out, Bob, did so by applying his usual strategy engaging in binary mode when determining whether to call pre-flop or not.  Call or fold - regardless of the size of the bet or number of other players in the hand.

Robby, a smart but newer player who is part of our study group, woke up with an overpair at one point and raised it up pre with a 5 or 6x.  A not so great sizing for a tournament as he is basically playing his hand face up and Bob snapped called without hesitation.  I believe he had 86 suited.  He flopped top pair and called off all three streets, even with an Ace turning and a ten hitting the river.  Robby's post flop betting sizes were all correct or close to it, so he dragged a substantial pot at showdown.  Bob's early exit was assured because of his boundless optimism and pervasive feeling of disbelief.

In my opinion he was for sure one of the softer players at the table, but I have played cash with him before and he can be pretty formidable.  Because his supply of chips at our lower stakes are easily replenished, he uses them as tools pretty effectively. His propensity to not believe folks betting into him also makes him sticky (and therefore tilting) and because it's not a tournament he doesn't go away until I kick everyone out.  So I fear him on my left in a cash game, in a tournament - not so much.

The aforementioned Robby would bust out an hour later, after getting tangled up in some big pots and getting the worst of it.  One hand in particular stands out that was especially devastating for him, both chip-wise and emotionally.

Directly to his left was the formidable G-Bone, who was likely the 2nd or 3rd best player at the table besides me of course ha ha ha.  Seriously, G-Bone is a damn good poker player who like me works very hard on his game.  On any given night he can take me to school and everyone else in the garage. We do talk poker together, and I try to be completely transparent as I gain a lot of insight from him.  Sven is my other closest poker confidant, more on him later.

So anyways, Robby three bet, an okay but not great sizing that I thought was too small, from the button after one limper.  This again narrows his range of holdings, as we now have eliminated overpair premiums.  His three bet range in general is narrow to begin with.  We can eliminate medium and lower pairs also as he would never three bet with them.  Also broadway cards are out except for AK or AQ and maybe a suited AJ but probably not.  So based on his sizing and actions alone, we know pretty much what he is holding.  Very likely AK, perhaps AQ, possible but not likely AJ.

G-Bone defended his small blind because he knew both the big blind and original limper were calling, and for the reasons mentioned above no doubt.

I forget the action almost entirely, but I do remember that Robby indeed had AQ and had flopped or turned top pair and G-Bone had flopped a huge draw that improved on the turn and hit on the river for a baby flush.  Robby bet all three streets.  His C-bet was small, his turn bet was quite a bit larger (he had hit the board) and his river bet was again on the small side - indicating a medium strength hand that he felt obligated to bet for value but didn't want to lose too much if he was beat.  I also doubt very much that he considered what he would be called with that he could beat.

In any case, G-Bone thought briefly and of course called with his flush.  Robby was aghast at his "luck" and from that moment on was tilted until his exit.  I remember afterwards he pushed with KK pre-flop with a stack size that was completely wrong for such an action.  Then he declared (I'm para-phrasing) "From now on that's how I'm playing good cards, it's the only way to win with them."

I was a bit surprised to hear this coming from him, though I know he was being a bit faecetous.  We will all have to discuss it for sure at our next strategy group meeting, which at this point is a bit overdue.

Play continued and at this point the next shortest stack was my poker pal and dear friend Sven, who is often a poker mentor to me as I am to him on occasion.  He too was in tilts-ville, brought about (he told me later) by being not just card dead but so card dead that he couldn't come in with two tough and one sticky players on his immediate left.  So we're talking not just a lack of premiums and pairs, but a lack of broadway cards and suited-connectors and suited aces.

With around 50 big blinds effective he three bet me correctly, it was folded to G-Bone who carved out a slightly oversized 4-bet.  I believe it was 4x the three bet, I would've preferred a 2.5x (especially considering what he had) but at any rate I speed-ejected my cards and Sven tanked a bit before flatting.

Now not being in the hand, it was easy for me to deduce that G-Bone had AA or KK.  He was never doing this with any other holding this deep against this particular opponent. (He loathes QQ.)  There were still too many softer targets available at this stage.  Sven told me afterwards that this too was his instinct.  But in the heat of the moment, an ever bloating pot combined with the card-dead-itus strain of tilt that was coursing through his veins - with a safe board he planned to check raise, which would commit him to the hand.  He indeed carried through when the board was all low cards and was forced to call off when G-Bone snap-pushed the CR.

Of course Sven had KK, G-Bone AA.  In my mind, even this deep, this is a bit of a cooler - as both players are aggressive and very capable of bluffing a lot if the opponents and situations are right.  Sven of course was in agony as he rose and said his farewells.  He added half-jokingly "Well, I guess that's all the poker for me in 2017."

So the good news for me (or at least my wallet) was that two solid players had both tilted their way out the door.  The bad news was, there were still several capables remaining.

One of them in particular, James, who has always been a solid player but has lately turned into a bit of a beast, was correctly cranking up the aggression and was bludgeoning the table with well timed aggression.  Raising nearly every time it was open folded to him and following through with good sized c-bets.  Because his sizing was so perfect, 2.5 or less pre and 1/2 pot post, he didn't have to win every pot and yet he still was turning a profit.

I must say, when James played his very first game in the garage he was very green.  He obviously had played poker before, but I wouldn't be surprised if he had never played a no-limit tournament in his life.  I have seen this before in my garage from other folks, and they almost always don't come back or if they do it's for a handful of tournaments over six months and then I never see them again.  I always try to make it super friendly and fun for them and so do my other regulars, but as light and as relaxed as we all usually are - we are unavoidably a very card-focused and sober group.  I have been told more than once "Everyone's cool and all, but you guys are some serious players."

So I was a bit surprised that James showed up for the very next tournament and during a break came to me and asked what book he should read first to get better.  I of course said then what I would still say to an inexperienced player "The tournament poker Bible, Harrington on Hold-em Vol. 1"

So I'm assuming James read it, and took my advice as to what to absorb/apply and what to take with a grain of salt as the game has evolved (even then) significantly since the book was released. I assume this because he showed up a significantly different player and improved every time he came back.  He cashed a bunch that year and yes even took down a tournament, something I had done only rarely at that point.

And so he was solid from then on, cashing fairly regularly, not taking any more down (as the room figured him out a bit, as is always the case) - but holding his own with everyone and gaining immediate respect from all of the vets.

BUT, and this is the point of all this long winded exposition, over the last year James has cranked it up and is now on another level of selective aggression and thoughtful decisions.  He has joined a somewhat elite group of folks at Pepper Street who are capable of opening with any two cards and barreling again and again with air if the need arises.

So, with him on my right - which was good because I didn't get tangled up too often with him and when I did I had position - I was hamstrung a bit with 6 players still remaining as I was reluctant to three bet with several short stacks behind me that I didn't want to call off.

However on literally three separate occasions I woke up with JJ when James had opened to my right. Once I was on the button, once I was small blind and the third time I believe I was the big blind.  The first time he simply let it go.  The second time of course he flat called and I believe I got him to fold the flop or turn as the board missed both of our ranges.  The third time I remember very well because the player on the big blind - Rooster, let it rip with A10 and I of course snapped and my hand held.

Rooster probably has more live poker experience than the rest of the table combined.  He is quite capable of bluffing, and did so with relish early on in the tournament when he seized on an opportunity to get me off my overpair (which he likely had deduced I had since I had been so inactive early on) with a nice and large lead out (or was it a check-raise) on the river with air.  He gleefully showed and I was genuinely impressed but not discouraged as he had position on me and I had no desire to call his oversized bet regardless of whether he had the goods or not when all I had was one pair.  I am all but certain that he never ever bluffs with a bet that size.  Of course if he's reading now he might want to take note ha ha.

5 players remained.  We were paying the top 3 spots, $500, $300 & $200 respectively.  The winner would also get this...

Immediately to my right was Junior - a newer player to my game but a long time regular at G-Bone's.  Junior is a fun player to go against (or tilting if you let him be) because he is for sure an "any two will do" type of guy who enjoys trapping a great deal and also getting into his opponents heads with unorthodox betting patterns and sizes.  I've had a few years to dial in on him, so he is not the scariest opponent for me, but I absolutely respect his game and recognize that what he is doing is not random whatsoever.  There is a method to the madness of a maniac as we know, and if one of them knows what they are doing, they can be deadly.

Immediately to my left was last year's TOC second place finisher Sharon.  She had moved to Chicago a few months after winning her seat - but had used her Southwest flier points to return to Pepper Street to "Win my bracelet this time".  I admired her confidence and my heart was especially warmed that she would go to all of that effort to come play poker with us.

Sharon's game hasn't changed too much since her TOC finish last year.  I might venture to guess that she plays a little more cautiously, which was good for me this time around as she was on my immediate left for the entire tournament.  She folded a ton early, then shifted to a bit more active later - but just a bit.   In general she knows what she is doing, but her monster bet size tells are still present and her tendency to call off with medium strength holdings was once again her undoing this time around.

Between not getting any value with her premiums, yes people tend to fold to 10x pre-flop, and overplaying AK and AQ respectively twice, she had a tough time accumulating chips. With AK she hit top pair but that was it and paid off her opponent who rivered 2 pair.  With AQ she simply didn't fold with Ace high and G-Bone fired two big barrels before finally checking back the river with trips.  I wonder, and I'm sure so did G after she showed her cards, if he could've gotten value on the river.  Probably.

But as is often the case, she did have quite a bit of the run good - which allowed her to gain a sizable stack in one particular hand where she hit runner runner to suck out against Rooster, I think.  I wasn't actually in the garage, I just came back from the bathroom and saw the chip transfer and heard the story.

Her stack got whittled down after that a little bit, when her Ax's failed to connect a few times and she was out-played post flop by G-Bone and James and Junior on separate occasions.  But then she got all of her chips in as a huge favorite against James who couldn't find a fold (and probably should have) to her shove on the flop.  Again, her monster over-bet told everyone what we needed to know, big bet = big hand.  James was dead to 2 cards, one of which spiked immediately on the turn.

So long Sharon, thanks so so much for making the journey.  I was a little sad inside that she didn't make the money, both because I genuinely like her a lot and because I would rather have her to contend with than the three fellows that were remaining.

At this point I got very active, as I had enough chips to maneuver quite a bit after the flop.  I believe G-Bone and James both had me covered initially but by just a little.  Junior was the shortest stack but by no means was he out of it.  However, I picked up super fast that all three of my opponents really, really, REALLY didn't want to walk away empty handed.  The only one who I thought might be a little okay with it was Junior, as he has a lot of gamble in him and is also degenerate enough and savvy enough to know that it was time to get going.

As I raised and barreled and barreled again, my stack grew.  Much to my surprise, even Junior was letting go of his weak and medium strength holdings post-flop and shockingly even pre sometimes.

Occasionally I had the goods, most of the time I did not.  The Matrix was in full view as I knew now was the time to crank it up and get chips.  I was so much in the zone that I truthfully barely noticed when Junior busted.  I believe it was me that did the deed, but honestly, I was so focused that I barely remember that he was gracious and hung out to watch.

I was so oblivious to anything outside the game in fact that I incorrectly first reported him as the third place finisher over on the Pepper Street blog!  James had to e-mail me after the post went up to kindly remind me that it was he that finished third.

Of the three of us it was James who got whittled down the most, as he was very active in opening from the button and I just wasn't having it.  I called just about every single one of his raises, probably with 80% or so of my holdings, and looked for ways to take the lead and the pot.  I also was ruthless from my button.  For an orbit or two after the bubble burst I relaxed just a bit, then when I realized neither James nor G-Bone was going crazy, I resumed the punishment - this time literally not looking at my cards when I was on the button until after the flop.  And sometimes not even then.  Shhhhh...

Again, my mind is a blank when it comes to James' exit.  I know he was pretty short when it happened - and I know I was the one who busted him.  He was happy enough with a $200 prize in a free roll and I made sure to congratulate him and mention how much I think he has improved over the last year or so.

And then there were 2.  Junior was kind enough to snap a couple snaps before leaving - leaving the two gladiators to duke it out.

I kept with my plan right away of raising without looking from the button until after the flop.  But I balanced it, as I know G-Bone would pick up on what I was doing, with looking every third button and if it was in the bottom 20% of hands I would let it go.

I confess I didn't tell the truth on the Pepper Street blog to him - and I've been meaning to tell him face to face, but I didn't pick up any premiums during the entire battle, save for AK once and AQ twice.  The best I got was 99 which I flopped top set with and I was praying G-Bone would catch up and get stacked on the turn or river - but alas he made a nice laydown.  I don't know what he had, but I had been so active I was thinking that if he had any showdown value at all he would call.  But he thought about it, and finally released.  Ergo, it was a good ass laydown.

After hammering and hammering, and yes sometimes getting hammered back and having to release - G-Bone is a good player after all - G-Bone finally dipped down into the danger zone and began to use his stack to rip over the top.  I think he had about 20 big blinds, but regardless, I had him so out-chipped that I knew I would be forced to call pretty soon.   He climbed back out once so he could open with a regular raise.  I of course was defending incredibly wide - folding only with utter garbage which I probably should've been calling with at this point to balance my range entirely.   But soon he dipped back down again - and again I knew I would have to call pretty wide on most rips.

I hemmed and hawed and finally let it go with Q10o and 78 suited respectively.  Then I dragged a few more pots and then he shipped it pre and I looked down at precisely what I didn't want to see, a low pair.  The math told me what I had to do but I didn't like it, even though he wouldn't hurt me that bad if he doubled up - it just meant back to the grind.  I grimaced and called with 55.

He flopped top pair with his broadway cards, I turned a set and that was that.

I finally let my emotions back in and I was elated to have done this two years in a row.  I must say that if I could run and play as well in casinos as I do in my garage, I might actually give this poker thing a serious try as an income supplement. Maybe.

G-Bone was gracious as always in scooping up $300 - I am very much looking forward to attending his game as often as I can.  I owe him a lot for the players, inspirations for hosting and his helping me talk through hands.  He was so gracious that he said I out-played him, maybe so, but really I felt that I just carried the momentum I'd had since the bubble and was lucky enough that it stuck as I imagine we were all pretty card dead.  I felt super happy that I had played so well, but I also realized that all it would've taken for G-Bone, or James or Junior for that matter, to do the same thing I did would be a mini-heater at bubble time.  I have big respect for all of their games.

Speaking of G-Bone's game, did I mention I love it?  It is generally soft, he is for sure the best person who plays there (sorry Junior!) although Sven has been showing up lately ha ha to give us all a run for the money, and on any given night either of them can beat me like a red-headed step child, but I love mixing it up with the rest of his crew.  Most importantly they are all like my gang, which now has a lot of G-Bone's gang in it, extremely cool people.   The only negatives about his place are the distance to travel to get there, which actually is fine with the use of Waze on a Friday night, especially coming back and the super super flat structure (combined with a small prize pool) which means that we don't finish until 1, 2 or sometimes 3 in the morning, often only getting a hundred bucks or so in profit.  But really, I'm complaining about more poker to play and a deeper structure?  Maybe I should slap myself.

Yes,  I should.

Anyways, it was fun pounding this out - but at the moment, believe it or not, I'm pretty much out of things to say except I'm extremely happy with my game right now and I'm really hoping to work hard this year to make it even better, especially in Casinos.

I think one thing that has really helped me in my garage, is that I've told myself that it isn't my job to play super tricky and/or run all over the softer players - it's my job to be a good host, and be kind and gracious no matter what and simply just enjoy myself.  So without the pressure to win, I simply let go and focus on making good decisions and reading my opponents, without a thought to the trophy or the money, which deep down I wouldn't mind at all if someone else were to emerge on top.  The more a variety of people win, the more successful an event the game will be and that matters a whole helluva lot more than forty bucks.

I need to find a way to constructively carry this approach over to casinos.  Let's face it, when I plop down a Benjamin or more to play against complete strangers, I put my war face on and my super competitive juices get flowing.  I enjoy this no doubt, but it does create tension and stress sometimes where their likely shouldn't be.

When I am driving to Commerce or any of the LA card rooms, I always say aloud to myself something like -  "I'm going there to have fun, I'm not going for the money, I'm not going to outmaneuver or beat up on other players.  Just make good decisions."

I really need to take this to heart and try to get into the mental space where I am approaching Hollywood Park like I'm approaching the San Fernando Valley where there are no Casinos.  Where my main goal is to simply enjoy the experience by playing one hand at a time, with little or no thought to payouts and/or climbing the ladder.  Only when I can really envelop myself in this frame of mind, will I have a chance at actually wreaking havoc on a regular basis among the swarthy degenerates of LA and the blinged-out grinders in Vegas.

Tournament report 010917

With the wife and kid off doing Girl Scout business, I set out for the Bike's Quantum Reload 25K Gurantee Saturday tournament.  I arrived a few minutes early, registered, and sat down right as the tournament started.  I try to always register early if I can, and I'm almost always present for the first rounds - there are too many opportunities to chip up early, as this is when a table is likely to be the most full of softer players.

This particular tournament is a double edged sword as far as these things go.  On the one hand it is a TON of poker to play before you even get close to the money.  Typically on the Saturday 25K, the largest of these dailies, it will be 10 hours or more before the bubble bursts.  Then when we are in the money, it's typically a pitiful min-cash for another 2 hours or so before final table time.  The field is also inevitably packed with decent regulars, especially the deeper in the tournament you go.

On the positive side - the price point can't be beat at $60 with a $50 add-on - though the rake approaches 30% after you factor in a 1K chip bonus for $5.  You can also re-enter for each following flight of registration, which increases in price as the afternoon progresses.  I believe these re-entries are juiced as well. This means for the most part it doesn't play like a re-buy event, players can find a fold under pressure.  Sometimes.  Click here for format details.

I also, believe it or not, sometimes really want to play a lot of hands, if I feel that I'm rusty or I have another more important tournament coming up.  In this case there's the LAPC and also my own home game's Tournament of Champions next Saturday.  In this regard, there is no better value than the Quantum.

In the spirit of improving my game, I planned to work on staying focused, upbeat, patient, optimistic and most importantly - to remain oblivious and neutral to any anger that might come my way for the way I was playing.

It is a real thing at the poker table, a weird kind of entitlement that players have that no one is supposed to raise their blind.  And if they do, they aren't supposed to keep doing it.  Well I'm sorry, if I think it's profitable to target you, I'm going to target you.  If you are a soft spot at a table full of sharks, I'm going out of my way to get into a pot with you.  Players also get angry if you appear to be doing this.

I have had a difficult time over the years cultivating a fearless attitude towards players potential anger.  At times I have literally thought to myself, 'Okay I already 3 bet this guy and got away with it, I think I'll just call or fold so he doesn't get all worked up.'   That mental attitude, the attitude of gracious conciliation, is a terrible one to have at the poker table.  I have to be utterly fearless and ruthless with my chips - while of course being pleasant, kind and affable in my behavior.

With my add-on that I got as soon as I sat down, I was at over 100 big blinds to start, and I'm happy to say after two 2 hour levels I still had over 100 bigs at the break and had quadrupled my stack.

That's right, hour long levels - in a $60 tournament.  It remains this way for six hours, to allow people to keep registering.  If you are looking to get experience in live tournament poker quick, this is for sure one of the best options in the country.

Shortly after the break I found myself in a hand with a super friendly older gentleman who had struck me as the very best kind of country fellow.  I found myself limping on the button with a low suited gapper, and he led out on the flop QKJ rainbow.  The three other limpers in the pot folded and I flat called.  A blank rolled off on the turn and he checked.  I carved out a half pot sized bet and put it forward, he called rather quickly - a good indicator of a hand of medium strength.  The flop had for sure hit his range, but I was hoping it wasn't top two pair.

The river was also inconsequential, he checked and I bombed it with a 3/4 size pot bet.  He grimaced and groaned, took a minute and finally said "I think you have me" and slid his cards forward.  I dragged a sizable pot (which also had 3 extra big blinds not to mention all the antes).  There is a reasonable chance he had 2 pair, but more likely the hand was AK, AQ or AJ.  Older home game players who have played a TON are savvy enough to not want to stack off with just top pair.  I was fairly proud of myself for formulating a plan (I'm never counting on hitting the board with low speculative cards) and sticking to it.  GG me.

Literally 2 hands later a different older fellow who was fairly tight, also to my left, opened for 5x UTG +1  I was in the hijack.  Such a large open is not unusual in this tournament, even in the later stages, but it does raise the possibility that we are looking at a strong over pair.  I had JJ and my plan was to flat and set mine, but when the one caller to my right was a seasoned regular in the cutoff, I decided to push - about 75 big blinds, to get rid of him (he had been speculating a ton in position).

I ripped, the raiser insta-pushed his chips in (about 30 big blinds).  I knew that he had AA, KK or maybe QQ.  Best case scenario AK, but his range had likely narrowed past that based on the blur that his chips became as they were shoved past the betting line.

It came around to the capable regular who sighed and tanked for about 30 seconds before he announced 'Call'.  Fuck.  He had me covered, I had about 2/3 of his stack size.

Disregard that I called him capable.  He turned up KQo.  The speedy shover had AA of course.

Turned a Jack and boated up on the river.  Ship it.

I like my isolation for a chance to go heads up and drag 30 bigs.  Absolutely horrific call by the regular, though he did stay in the tournament for awhile longer as he was able to grind his remaining chips back up a bit.

What I don't like about my move is that the initial raiser has a super tight opening range from early position.  He opened large, which is also an indicator.   Oh well, it worked out.  I think a better line would've been to flat in position and hope to flop a set and release if I didn't.

Now I was back up over 100 bigs.

I took a hit a little bit later from the player directly on my right, a younger fellow that I've played with before.  He's from Jersey and sounds like it, but he's nice enough.  Lol.  He told me he was strong with his big bet on the river, but I tanked a bit and called with marginal showdown value.  I should've known that he was betting for value, and I also should've remembered that he opens very wide in position.  His cards were low but suited and he connected well with the flop and improved on the river.

We were just past the second break, over four hours into the tournament when this took place.  Believe it or not, people were still calling very wide despite a lot of over raising pre-flop.  I had been card dead for awhile and figured I could flat a 4x on the button since there were 4 or 5 limpers and the blinds.

I had Ah6h, the blinds came along and the board flopped 6x6.  Both of the regulars I mentioned previously were in the hand and the one that called with KQ earlier donked. The other regular immediately to his left and my right raised it up!  There were a ton of chips out there at this point, I waited a beat or two and then pushed.

KQ guy tanked for a bit, and finally released.  The guy on my immediate right grumbled about being pot committed (he wasn't) and threw the rest of his chips in.  I had him covered by a bit but not a lot.
He turned up KK.  Another case of emotions getting the better of an every-day player.  A clear fold in a vacuum.

So now I had an ass-load of chips as we approached the end of registration.  I was one of only two players at my table that had been there since noon.  The other fellow was down at the other end, and he was a very loose passive player who had rivered himself into a big stack several times.  We were about even in chips for a lot of the tournament.

Sadly, almost all of the players who now surrounded me were decent or better players.  There was still a fair amount of limping, but 3 bets and squeezes started to appear more and more frequently.  I took a few stabs in position, but typically I would get 3 or 4 callers and completely whiff the flop, so I didn't c-bet a whole lot.

It's tough to make things happen when you are card dead and at a table full of every-days.   After registration closed and we took a 20 minute dinner break, 6 hours into the tournament and most likely about half way to the finish line, I took a few small hits, but also dragged some pots.   I tweeted after the dinner break that I had 135 big blinds, this was a math mistake - I realized after the tweet I was closer to 70 bigs, having doubled my calculation for whatever reason.    Still 70 bigs is a lot, well above average, and I was able to keep my head above water as the levels sped up from 55 minutes to 25.

Finally, much to my relief, our table broke.  The loose passive fellow had found the raise button and I have to say I didn't think much of how he got his initial chips, but I was impressed with how he used them.   Needless to say he made everyone's life difficult at the table, including mine, as he was limping into every pot and then outplaying people post with an aggressive mix of bluffs (that he eagerly showed whether they worked or not) and value betting.

But alas, my new table had the two tournament chip leaders sitting right next to each other and immediately on my left.  Sucky sucky.

They were fearless and super active, and without cards I had basically zero hope of getting involved with them, so I didn't bother.   I shut it down as the bubble approached, and enjoyed the show of them stealing pot after pot.  When we got to three 9 handed tables bubble safety was proposed (only 24 would get paid) and much to his credit, the biggest of the two stacks said 'Absolutely not.  I have to use the bubble as long as I can so I have the best shot at getting in the top 3.'  I really admired this, though it was easier to do so being a mid-size stack that was in very little danger of busting.

There was a ton of grumbling and some berating ("We are going to chop anyways, why deny three people their chance to break even?')  They did have a point, but I've come to realize, the game is filled with people who make a living on the felt - and as long as someone is friendly (as he was) and has a very good reason (he absolutely did) I don't think other players should say much about it.

The floor eventually stepped in and put the kibosh on the grousing.  And we played on.

The bubble period lasted another hour and a half.

I was so inactive, not by choice, that I got whittled down quite a bit.  I was around 30 bigs when the bubble finally burst.  I really didn't want to walk away with nothing after 10 hours of play, so I'm happy enough with my decision to play it safe - though I wouldn't hesitate to get my chips in with 10's or better, AK and AQ as well, especially against the aggros.

With a guaranteed payout of $275 I then set my sights on climbing the ladder.  I was utterly card dead, at the worst time of course, but I did manage to make one jump to $385 by the time my 4 1/2 big blinds stack finally got called by one of my shoves.  Me 99, he 66 and another 6 on the river of course.

All in all I'm very happy with my play.  I can't help but feel a little disappointed that I was unable to make any maneuvers against the big stack bullies on my left.  I just didn't have the gumption that close to the money after so many hours.  I'll give myself a pass for this - I'd much rather have almost 4 Benjamin''s in my bank roll than not.

I am eagerly looking forward to my TOC - the field has a couple of very good players, but the rest I should be able to handle.  I doubt I'll get another tournament in before that, but you never know.

The devil wins! (For now...)

Okay so with poker on my mind and my mind on poker, I've scheduled my first Vegas bender in over a year - outside of the WSOP of course.

I will be descending on the city of sin on the third weekend in March, just in time for one of the biggest gambling events in the city every year - NCAA Basketball tournament madness!  The first weekend of this annual frenzy of degeneracy is always by far the biggest, and as of this writing I have locked up a free Southwest flight, a reasonably priced room at Harrah's and a likely unnecessary car rental.

All told I've spent just under $600 so far, for four days and fabulous nights of poker goodness.  Looking at my tentative tournament schedule - I am likely to drop another $600 or so in entry fees.  The goal of this trip will be to recover that $1200 and hopefully notch a win big enough to go far beyond that amount.   I think I stand a very good chance of the trip paying for itself and a decent chance for a profit above and beyond that.

My plan of attack is centered at the north end of the strip.  I am staying away from the larger rooms like Aria, Venetian and Wynn, and their better structured tournaments because these events are typically loaded with Vegas regulars who are just as seasoned as their SoCal counterparts.

I have my sights set squarely on smaller buy in events that are likely to be loaded with drunken sports bettors.  I am avoiding the south strip rooms that have absolutely horrific tournament structures - Luxor, Excalibur, Mandalay Bay among others, and instead seeking out the rooms with only slightly terrible structures - T.I., Mirage and Caesar's.

The reason I'm slumming it, is because this is where the fish hopefully will be congregated, and be extra frenzied thanks to the big basketball games exploding everywhere.

I am hoping that the Mirage lives up to the nickname I gave it a long while ago - the timewarp. At it's best, the Mirage really is like journeying back to 2005, when players had narrow opening ranges even in late position, often folded to c-bets and defended their big blind 20% of the time instead of 80%.

And as for T.I. - Treasure Island, the later it is at night, the better it gets.  The drunken revelry can sometimes cross the line from amusing to exasperating, but in either case, there is lots of chips to be had at the expense of the intoxicated throng.  A very well run and most of the time fun room.  The have recently added more starting chips, which is great for fish who like to speculate early and tighten up later - I will be doing the opposite of course.

And finally Caesar's.  They have changed venues, from a completely closed off and expansive old school poker palace to a more typical smaller and open ended smoke catcher.  Having never played there before, I will have to see if I can stand it first before I commit to more than one tournament. If the room is enough to my liking, I will be sure to enjoy the slightly better than garbage structures and the usually fishy clientele.

Currently I have one compadre committed to joining me, A8Fold from back in the day (search this blog for Flatline and you'll get who he is).  Another Pepper St. regular has also said he will come along, Andrew the mack daddy who is a growing and smart poker player as well as one of my favorite 'new' people in my garage.   Hopefully they will both be able to follow through with their declarations and hopefully others will come along as well.

It should be a grand old time; in the meanwhile I have incentive to get a bit more active here at home with Casino play.  I have a home game tomorrow night, a single table tournament in my garage, but hopefully I can also find time to throw down in the LAPC this month or if not, at least partake in some dailies at the Bike or HPC.

The Road to Vegas Baby!

Ok so after a bit of thought I figured out that I don't want to waste time for the first half of this year playing for a Main Event seat in 2018.

Instead we will have a mini-series of Step 1 satellite tournaments, aimed at giving away as many $1500 bracelet event seats as possible.  Details can be found by clicking here.

Hopefully I will get at least 6 committed players besides myself and this will happen - by May we will have about a $2500 prize pool with this minimal amount of players, which will be enough to send two of us to the WSOP (one in a $1500 seat, the other in a 1K).

Of course there's a chance I may get 10 players or so - in which case we'll have over 3K to split among two players for two $1500 seats.

And let's not forget that there's a bigger chance that I won't get the minimal number of players I need - in which case I'm just going to cancel the whole thing which would suck and give me a lot less incentive to try again for the Main Event down the road.

ANYWAYS...

Thought I would post a little update on my home game satellite aspirations here and then also reflect on my own game as it stands in January of 2017.

Truthfully, I think I've regressed just a bit over the last six months or so - despite taking down two of my own tournaments in September and October and scoring $2600 at Hollywood Park in July.  This regression simply comes from playing less - I feel much less sharp and dialed in to 'the matrix' when I'm not playing every week.

This is okay, and I'm glad I can articulate this feeling here - because I definitely feel something's amiss lately when I'm at the table.  I'm either being far too tight to start, or I'm getting impatient when my stack get's down to 30 bigs or so.   Of course I always feel that I'm catching cards when I'm deep and utterly card dead when it's time to get it in for a double up.

Part of me feels like I should resolve to play more tournaments in 2017, and another part of me feels resigned to simply playing less and losing my edge in card rooms.  I still feel very capable in my own garage against most opponents that I've played with for years and (no disrespect intended) do not study or work on their games much if at all.

Part of my malaise / disinterest I can attribute to the medication I'm on (see here for the post about this) and yet I still get periodic hot flashes of desire to refocus and bear down again in pursuit of getting better and more comfortable with casino daily's and larger events.

Realistically, I don't think I will be able (or want) to return to playing every weekend.  With that in mind, I think I have to remember to go easier on myself when it comes to my results, especially in casinos.  I really believe that the very best way to get substantially better at poker, is to play poker all of the time.   While sometimes this seems like it would be a fun time, usually I understand that this would be dreadful - turning something I love into a job would be a very bad idea.

Still, as I pine for big results, I really can't and don't want to put in the work that is going to get me there, that is - playing every day or most days.  The second option then is to increase my study time, in the form of videos, books, live instruction and/or chatting with my poker compatriots like we did  in our first cabal meeting.

Cranking up the study time is something that I think is very achievable - but I have to temper my enthusiasm for the results that will come from this.  No doubt I will improve, but it simply won't be the level of improvement that playing full time (or even playing several evenings a week) would bring.  And this is okay.

So right now I'm on the lookout for another WSOP Academy type experience, the kind that I had two years ago.  Truthfully, that workshop was a great investment that I believe did indeed elevate my game to the next level.  I would love to do another immersion weekend of that nature.  Both the WSOP and the WPT have discontinued their poker instruction seminars of old, they now both run alternate versions that are much more infrequent, though no less expensive.   I will have to keep my ears and eyes open for an opportunity to sign up for something like this.

The other study option is the Cabal - I don't want to let this go by the wayside, as I think our first meeting last year was a very worthy endeavor.  I will have to reschedule again soon - this time I think I will aim for a weeknight and make it 7 to 10 or so.  I hope I get a similar turnout as the first time.

And finally there is a third study option - enrolling in a video training course.  I have tried most of them at one time or another.   I would say the one that helped my game the most was Tournament Poker Edge, specifically watching videos by the site leader Big Dog Pocket 5s - he was, and is, a great example to see how a successful maniac does his thing on the felt and most importantly his banter is entertaining.  Eventually I got tired of paying every month to watch only one or two videos, and moved on.

Other sights I was less enamored of, CardRunners and DeucesCracked both had some use but their instructors were much drier than Big Dog and really their sites amounedt to little more than watching other guys play and trying to stay awake as they drone on about hand ranges and equity.  Run It Once was more of the same thing, and quite a bit more expensive to get access to the top tier instructors.  All three of these sights were also less interesting to me because they emphasized cash game play and their tournament videos were far and few between.

Two video courses that I tried many years apart had very different approaches.  The WSOP Academy video poker school I took in 2010 (I think) was entertaining and somewhat helpful.  What I loved is that it was a curriculum that had a beginning, middle and end - it was like taking a live seminar but at my own pace and over several weeks.  Doug Polk's upswing poker that I took just last year has a similar approach and I was able to get through the bulk of the course rather quickly.

The two problems with these sights, WSOP Academy was run by old school instructors who gave old school advice which wasn't always the best.  Annie Duke's stuff was good fundamentals, but nothing earth shattering.  Phil Hellmuth's lectures were very outdated on the content.

Doug's site was pretty great, but unfortunately it was and I presume still is rather light on content.  I was done in a month and a half - and then the only option after that is to watch Doug play heads up or short handed cash games once a week on his new video posts.  Again, not really what I am playing - full ring tournament poker.  Thankfully Doug is very active in posting free videos, he is quite entertaining and his poker advice is fairly awesome, even though he doesn't focus on tournaments.

Right now I have my eyeballs set on a site called the poker academy .com which is run by Rep Porter, a two time bracelet winner with over 2.5 million in tournament earnings.  The thing that appeals to me about his course is that it places an emphasis on tournaments and the videos are reasonably watchable and again, are a full curriculum instead of simply watching someone play poker and commenting as he goes.

The stumbling blocks to me enrolling are the price (all told $500 for the full course) and my time.  I enjoy watching his free 7 minute snippets, and suspect there is great stuff beyond them, but the actual full course is literally 25 hours of video.  I don't know if I can sustain an interest.  I suppose I will if I pay for the entire course at once.   We will see.

Beyond this increased study time, I will have to wait and see if I push myself at all to play more this year.  I am for sure excited to get back to the WSOP again, so that's good I suppose.  I would be super enthused to sneak in a mini-Vegas bender before that in February, if I had been playing more recently and felt sharp about my game.  Right now, as I said, I don't feel super great about my game - so Vegas is unlikely to happen.

In the linked post above where I reveal that I am medicated and talk about how my priorities in life are now in the right order - and I do still believe that, but  confess I do still day dream about a deep run and a big score, but I know it is unlikely to materialize if I don't play more often.

It is a bit of a dilemma - but I have to let fate take it's course I suppose.  If I really want a 5 figure score or more, I have to play more - there is no short cut, I have to do the work.  And at the same time, I can't imagine ever going back to playing 100 tournaments a year like I did from 2010 to 2014.

At this moment as I type this, my heart is winning out over my brain - I am pumped to play cards this Friday night in my garage, and I am looking at the newly released LAPC schedule for the perfect event that I can register for that doesn't conflict with work or family obligations.   So yes, I guess right now - I'm old Chris.  Probably tomorrow I'll be less enthusiastic Chris, but who knows.  It appears that this will be an ongoing battle, I just have to remember that deep down one of these forces is a little angel and the other is a little devil, both perched on my shoulders.

Only time will tell which one will win out.