I have been playing a bit more online poker as of late. Nothing big, just micro stakes limit poker. It's fun and you can't lose much money. I had been battling a very cold run of cards when this hand came up...
PokerStars Game #17944719380: Hold'em Limit ($0.05/$0.10) - 2008/06/05 - 22:21:10 (ET)
Table 'Ismene III' 10-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: reissmgr ($2.80 in chips)
Seat 3: ppokerly ($2.30 in chips)
Seat 4: Sabc237 ($2.23 in chips)
Seat 5: Old Ollif ($6.93 in chips)
Seat 6: jollarocker ($1.10 in chips)
Seat 7: certify84 ($9.88 in chips)
Seat 8: subatomicone ($1.71 in chips)
Seat 9: K-man 561 ($3.08 in chips)
Seat 10: brianb10 ($0.47 in chips)
Old Ollif: posts small blind $0.02
jollarocker: posts big blind $0.05
Nut-Hand: sits out
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to brianb10 [Ks Qs]
certify84: calls $0.05
subatomicone: folds
K-man 561: folds
brianb10: calls $0.05
reissmgr: calls $0.05
ppokerly: calls $0.05
Sabc237: folds
Old Ollif: calls $0.03
jollarocker: checks
*** FLOP *** [As 7c Ts]
Old Ollif: checks
jollarocker: checks
certify84: bets $0.05
brianb10: calls $0.05
reissmgr: calls $0.05
ppokerly: calls $0.05
Old Ollif: folds
jollarocker: calls $0.05
*** TURN *** [As 7c Ts] [Js]
jollarocker: bets $0.10
certify84: raises $0.10 to $0.20
brianb10: raises $0.10 to $0.30
reissmgr: folds
ppokerly: folds
jollarocker: calls $0.20
certify84: folds
*** RIVER *** [As 7c Ts Js] [3h]
jollarocker: checks
brianb10: checks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
jollarocker: shows [Qc Kh] (a straight, Ten to Ace)
brianb10: shows [Ks Qs] (a Royal Flush)
brianb10 collected $1.29 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $1.35 | Rake $0.06
Board [As 7c Ts Js 3h]
Seat 1: reissmgr folded on the Turn
Seat 3: ppokerly folded on the Turn
Seat 4: Sabc237 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: Old Ollif (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 6: jollarocker (big blind) showed [Qc Kh] and lost with a straight, Ten to Ace
Seat 7: certify84 folded on the Turn
Seat 8: subatomicone folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: K-man 561 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 10: brianb10 showed [Ks Qs] and won ($1.29) with a Royal Flush
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
What a time to be card dead!
My wonderful wife took me to Vegas this past week for my birthday, God bless her! Only problem was that someone forgot to tell Vegas it was my birthday. I have never seen such a run of bad cards in my life. I was even down at Pai Gow! Who does that, especially when it’s a push game? Anyways there were some highlights to my trip that I thought I would share.
Flew in Sunday morning on Southwest and checked in at the Monte Carlo for the first of 3 nights. I like flying Southwest even more so now with their new boarding process. They also seem to be on time, certainly more so than United who is the dominant carrier from Denver. The Monte Carlo has been our home away from home more often than not when in Vegas as we usually get pretty good rates here. I know places like Hooters and IP can be cheaper, but when you travel with your wife your trip is a better trip if your wife has a comfortable room to relax in while you gamble. I am not sure if the $20 trick worked for us or not but we did get offered a spa room for an extra $60. What wife (and husband for that matterJ) is not excited by a hot tub in the room? Again, if you wife is happy, you are happy. $80 well spent I say!
As the title suggests, there was not much to write home about concerning poker. I played a lot this trip in the Monte Carlo poker room. For some reason I really like this room. It is friendly; the competition a mix of tourists/beginners and some older locals. The opportunity to make big money is not there like some of the bigger rooms but I like the fact that I can play there for 8-10 hours and be neither significantly up or down. I did play some ½ no limit here and had one memorable hand. Had been playing for about an hour when 2 new guys sit down and immediately start to try and run the table. At least the one guy (villain) was showing down decent hands but folks were getting tired of his raises on every pot. I had noticed that he was an Ace magnet and he tended to overplay Ace rag. This time around I was 2 off the button and there was a live straddle. I look down at QQ. 3 callers around to me and I raise it to $15. Cut off, button and small blind fold. Big Blind, straddle and villain and his buddy all call and the rest of the table folds. Flop comes A 9 Q all diamonds. Not what I wanted but everyone checks to me. I fire out $50 which is just over half the pot. BB folds, straddle calls and villain calls. Next card is a rag but not a diamond and the straddle checks and the villain bets out $50 which I think is odd, especially if he already had the flush. I ponder for a good 2 minutes and re-raise him all in. The straddle guy folds and villain goes into the tank. I have him covered and he finally calls. He tables A 9 of hearts and when the river is junk my set of Queens take the pot. I am feeling pretty good at this point until I give most of it back to him when he plays 7 9 suited and backs into a flush against my flopped straight. He was impossible to chase from a pot and I consoled myself in the fact that I played it right and got the money in with the best hand. This would be the first of many times I was rivered on this trip.
I had planned to play quite a few tournaments this trip and that is what had me down overall for the trip. I played tournaments at Planet Hollywood, Caesars, and Monte Carlo and I never last more than an hour at any one of them. I could not pick up any hands. The few I did pick up I was out of position and facing a raise and sometimes multiple reraises. Unless I have AA or KK I am not getting involved. When I did get a hand in position I would run into a bigger hand. That’s poker I guess. For example, at the 9am Caesars after being moved to a new table I pick up JJ. Not my favorite hand especially when I know nothing about the table. Everyone either folds or limps to me and I raise. I get two callers one of them is the BB. Flop comes X Q J. Check Check and I bet and the two remaining players call. Turn is the 10. BB bets and the second guy asks me what I have left which is not much, about $1300. He goes all in. I smell a rat and think and think and think before finally folding. BB who is also short stacked calls and tables J 10 and all in guy tables AK for the straight. Can’t tell you how hard it was to lay down trips but I am glad I did. It pays to listen to your guy sometimes. I replayed this hand quite a bit and thought that I should have pushed after the flop but I don’t think AK would have folded and I would have still lost. I figured I lost the minimum with the jacks and could try again with another hand. The other hand came up next hand when I got 10 10. I did push this time and ran into KK. See you next time everyone!
The rest of my time was spent just whittling away the hours playing 2/4 limit at the Monte Carlo. To me this is the best deal in the casino. You can waste 10 hours, drink all you want and not lose your shirt to the casino. The Monte Carlo has this promotion in May called splash the pot where at certain points in the day, they draw a table number and add money to the pot of the next hand. This is where the poker Gods really took it to me. As you can imagine these pots get pretty big because everyone will chase hoping to cash in. Well the first one I was involved in I picked up 6 4. I had just finished rolling my eyes when the flop came X 4 4. Jackpot! I bet everyone calls, turn is an Ace. I bet everyone calls. River is the 2 and I lose to the guy with 5 3 offsuit. Next time I am in the splash pot I have K 10 suited. Pretty nice start. Flop comes X 10 10. I am excited once again and properly bet my hand but again everyone calls. Turn is a rag and everyone calls. River is an 8 and the guy next to me takes the pot with his pocket 8’s. The guy on the other side of me tries to console me by saying that the problem with limit is that you can’t protect your hand but I told him that someone is not going to throw away pocket 8’s in a pot like that. I mean I am not math expert but I think they guys was actually getting the 22 to 1 or so odds on his one outer that he needed with a pot that size. That’s poker I guess. I just wish the gods had remembered it was my birthday.
The wife did take me to Prime steakhouse at the Bellagio for my birthday dinner. This place while very expensive was fantastic. I am a foodie so I don’t mind paying for service and good food and Prime delivers on both. I got a complimentary desert and we had a table overlooking the fountain show. If you like steak and fancy restaurants I highly recommend Prime.
That is about it for this post. I hadn’t planned on writing one since it is not very exciting to write about being card dead and coming home down but I figured it was important to show that not everyone wins when they go to Vegas and you have to be able to accept that as a gambler. I was up after my last two trips to Vegas so I was due. Hope you enjoyed the report.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
I'm back!
It certainly has been awhile since I last posted. I have not been playing much poker lately except online and nothing happened there that was of note. I have been back at my usual Monday game at Parkway the last few weeks and I thought it was time to post some observations.
Two weeks in a row now I have gone out on the bubble in fourth place. As frustrating as it is to finish that close to the money, I look at it as a sign that I am consistently becoming one of the better players who can expect to go deep each time we play. I much prefer that reputation to that of a one hit wonder or someone who is more lucky than good.
What do I expect to happen each time I play poker? It is a question I have asked before and not just with poker. What does one expect anytime they set of on a new endeavour? Concerning poker I think I finally have the answer. Of course I expect to win. You can't have success in anything competitive unless you expect to win each time you play. You're not going to win every time but if you don't expect to you are destined to fail. Beyond that, I expect to a) learn something and b) play well.
Learn something each day is a pretty simple concept. To do it ensures that you will be successful in all you do. To play well each time deserves some additional discussion. My definition of playing well is to be solid tight-aggressive. Play position and get my money in when I have the best hand. This does not mean that I will not occasionally outdraw someone but rather it means that when I enter a pot I enter it as the solid favorite to win. If I do that then no matter what position I finish in I will still have had a good game. The best part is with that style of play I should win more often than not and I think I am seeing that by come to fruition now as week after week I am there at the end rather than out in the first hour.
A couple of hands of note from last night. First one came pretty early, hand 9 to be exact. I am in the big blind and pick up a pair of sevens. 4 people call and I check because I know how aggressive some of callers are and if I catch the flop I can count on them doing the betting for me. Flop comes Q 7 3 all different suits. I check and UTG bets out $100 (blinds are $10/$20). Villain raises to $500 and the rest fold around to me. This is a dream scenario for me. I look at the raiser and say "really? $500?" I take a look at my cards once more for show and re raise him all in which at that point is a little over $1000. UTG folds to the villain who I have covered. Feeling pot committed since he has over half his stack in the pot he calls. He shows Q 8 off suit and I show my pocket 7's for the set. He gets no help on the turn and river and he is out. He looks at me dumbfounded and makes a few comments like he has just suffered some bad beat. I asked him if he really thought I would fold a set and he replied that he could have easily had a set of Queens. I told him that it was not believable for him to have pocket queens since he did not raise before the flop and then goes in for $500 after the flop. That was a "I really don't want any callers so I will try and win the pot right here" kind of bet. Plus I told him that the odds of one set losing to a higher set on the same hand is very slim and if it happens I am OK with that.
Other hands were not too dramatic. I rivered a straight on another small blind special where I had A 4 suited and the flop came 2 3 X with a blank on the turn and the 5 on the river. There was not too much betting going on so it was easy to stay in the pot. What was perfect was that the betting started after the river with the straight draw sitting out there folks started betting. I raise when it gets back around to me and get paid off. Other hand of note did not have a good result for me but it taught me about the dangers of chasing. It also showed me a good way to play a hand when you know someone is chasing. I was on the button and had J 3 suited. Flop is low with 2 hearts one of them being the Ace. Everyone checks to the villain and she bets $100 which I call with my flush draw. I am big stack at this point and can afford the call. Everyone else folds. Turn is no help on the flush but ends up giving me a straight draw to go with my flush. I can now win with a 5 or a heart. Villain bets $150 which is just too hard to pass up. River is nothing I can use, she bets $150 again and I fold. Villain told me later she had pocket 10's and I believe her. I think she played the hand well since she maximized the value of her hand. By betting an amount that was too good to pass up she kept me chasing. Had I caught the heart I would have crushed her but that's gambling. I got some chuckles from the table though when I said "this is why my daughter will go to community college" as I mucked my hand.
Now my mistake hand of the night. We are at the final table and I am either in the chip lead of very close. I came to the final table as the second shortest stack but managed to double up by flopping a set of 6's against the short stack and pick up the blinds with some timely all in's in position. I am on the button and have pocket 8's. I don't know why but I don't go all in, I raise 3x the blind to $2400. Small blind folds and big blind calls. Flop is X A Q. Big Blind bets $2000 and I go into thinking mode. I really doubt he hit the flop with a bet like that. My instinct tells me that he has correctly put me on a small or medium pair and he is just trying to represent either the Ace or the Queen. I really don't think he has it. My reads have been better than usual tonight. Not all perfect, but it is something I have been working on and I am seeing marked improvement. Back and forth I go when I finally decide to listen to my instincts and gamble that the cards will once again be good to me like they were earlier with the pocket 6's. I re raise all in and he insta-calls. He asks if I have an Ace which without seeing his cards yet tells me he has an Ace with what he deems is a weak kicker. He has A 8 which is a killer for me in two ways. I am already beat and he has one of the two outs that would give me a set. I get no help on the turn or river and just like that I am now crippled and the short stack.
Hindsight being 20/20 of course I played the hand bad. I could have went all in from the start and probably should have but pocket 8's while four handed is a big hand and I thought I would try to get some action. After the flop came 2 over cards I should have let the hand go but I really wanted to listen to my instincts. Too often I don't think we listen enough to that voice in our head. Most of the champion players will tell you that you have to trust your instincts to be successful and I was giving mine a chance.
I tripled up the next hand with a nice suck out, but was down and out the hand after that when my A 8 got no help.
Again I am happy with my play. Sure I did not cash but I went a long way to developing a reputation as a solid player which is what I want. Now I just hope my success the last two weeks translates to Vegas when I go there next week for my birthday. Stay tuned for a full report!
Two weeks in a row now I have gone out on the bubble in fourth place. As frustrating as it is to finish that close to the money, I look at it as a sign that I am consistently becoming one of the better players who can expect to go deep each time we play. I much prefer that reputation to that of a one hit wonder or someone who is more lucky than good.
What do I expect to happen each time I play poker? It is a question I have asked before and not just with poker. What does one expect anytime they set of on a new endeavour? Concerning poker I think I finally have the answer. Of course I expect to win. You can't have success in anything competitive unless you expect to win each time you play. You're not going to win every time but if you don't expect to you are destined to fail. Beyond that, I expect to a) learn something and b) play well.
Learn something each day is a pretty simple concept. To do it ensures that you will be successful in all you do. To play well each time deserves some additional discussion. My definition of playing well is to be solid tight-aggressive. Play position and get my money in when I have the best hand. This does not mean that I will not occasionally outdraw someone but rather it means that when I enter a pot I enter it as the solid favorite to win. If I do that then no matter what position I finish in I will still have had a good game. The best part is with that style of play I should win more often than not and I think I am seeing that by come to fruition now as week after week I am there at the end rather than out in the first hour.
A couple of hands of note from last night. First one came pretty early, hand 9 to be exact. I am in the big blind and pick up a pair of sevens. 4 people call and I check because I know how aggressive some of callers are and if I catch the flop I can count on them doing the betting for me. Flop comes Q 7 3 all different suits. I check and UTG bets out $100 (blinds are $10/$20). Villain raises to $500 and the rest fold around to me. This is a dream scenario for me. I look at the raiser and say "really? $500?" I take a look at my cards once more for show and re raise him all in which at that point is a little over $1000. UTG folds to the villain who I have covered. Feeling pot committed since he has over half his stack in the pot he calls. He shows Q 8 off suit and I show my pocket 7's for the set. He gets no help on the turn and river and he is out. He looks at me dumbfounded and makes a few comments like he has just suffered some bad beat. I asked him if he really thought I would fold a set and he replied that he could have easily had a set of Queens. I told him that it was not believable for him to have pocket queens since he did not raise before the flop and then goes in for $500 after the flop. That was a "I really don't want any callers so I will try and win the pot right here" kind of bet. Plus I told him that the odds of one set losing to a higher set on the same hand is very slim and if it happens I am OK with that.
Other hands were not too dramatic. I rivered a straight on another small blind special where I had A 4 suited and the flop came 2 3 X with a blank on the turn and the 5 on the river. There was not too much betting going on so it was easy to stay in the pot. What was perfect was that the betting started after the river with the straight draw sitting out there folks started betting. I raise when it gets back around to me and get paid off. Other hand of note did not have a good result for me but it taught me about the dangers of chasing. It also showed me a good way to play a hand when you know someone is chasing. I was on the button and had J 3 suited. Flop is low with 2 hearts one of them being the Ace. Everyone checks to the villain and she bets $100 which I call with my flush draw. I am big stack at this point and can afford the call. Everyone else folds. Turn is no help on the flush but ends up giving me a straight draw to go with my flush. I can now win with a 5 or a heart. Villain bets $150 which is just too hard to pass up. River is nothing I can use, she bets $150 again and I fold. Villain told me later she had pocket 10's and I believe her. I think she played the hand well since she maximized the value of her hand. By betting an amount that was too good to pass up she kept me chasing. Had I caught the heart I would have crushed her but that's gambling. I got some chuckles from the table though when I said "this is why my daughter will go to community college" as I mucked my hand.
Now my mistake hand of the night. We are at the final table and I am either in the chip lead of very close. I came to the final table as the second shortest stack but managed to double up by flopping a set of 6's against the short stack and pick up the blinds with some timely all in's in position. I am on the button and have pocket 8's. I don't know why but I don't go all in, I raise 3x the blind to $2400. Small blind folds and big blind calls. Flop is X A Q. Big Blind bets $2000 and I go into thinking mode. I really doubt he hit the flop with a bet like that. My instinct tells me that he has correctly put me on a small or medium pair and he is just trying to represent either the Ace or the Queen. I really don't think he has it. My reads have been better than usual tonight. Not all perfect, but it is something I have been working on and I am seeing marked improvement. Back and forth I go when I finally decide to listen to my instincts and gamble that the cards will once again be good to me like they were earlier with the pocket 6's. I re raise all in and he insta-calls. He asks if I have an Ace which without seeing his cards yet tells me he has an Ace with what he deems is a weak kicker. He has A 8 which is a killer for me in two ways. I am already beat and he has one of the two outs that would give me a set. I get no help on the turn or river and just like that I am now crippled and the short stack.
Hindsight being 20/20 of course I played the hand bad. I could have went all in from the start and probably should have but pocket 8's while four handed is a big hand and I thought I would try to get some action. After the flop came 2 over cards I should have let the hand go but I really wanted to listen to my instincts. Too often I don't think we listen enough to that voice in our head. Most of the champion players will tell you that you have to trust your instincts to be successful and I was giving mine a chance.
I tripled up the next hand with a nice suck out, but was down and out the hand after that when my A 8 got no help.
Again I am happy with my play. Sure I did not cash but I went a long way to developing a reputation as a solid player which is what I want. Now I just hope my success the last two weeks translates to Vegas when I go there next week for my birthday. Stay tuned for a full report!
Monday, March 3, 2008
20 Mile Poker Club
I have been trying to come up with a catchy name for a local poker club. I have the table and the chips and am trying to start some regular games but I need a cool name for the club.
I originally wanted to go with ManCave Poker Club, but a quick search on the Internet showed me that someone had beaten me to it. I saw that a lot of catchy names were derived from something unique about the location, for example a poker club in the Pittsburgh area might be named three rivers poker club. I live in Parker, Colorado and a quick Google search brought me the entire history or my little town.
From the official town website, www.parkeronline.org
Parker can trace its colorful recent history to the establishment of the Pine Grove Post Office by Alfred Butters around 1863. Prior to that time, the area was used for hunting by Indians, including the ancients (prehistoric), the Plains-Woodland Indians, and later (1800s) mostly Arapaho, Cheyenne and Ute Indians.
Now I just need to decide how involved I want my club to be. I just love projects like this.
I originally wanted to go with ManCave Poker Club, but a quick search on the Internet showed me that someone had beaten me to it. I saw that a lot of catchy names were derived from something unique about the location, for example a poker club in the Pittsburgh area might be named three rivers poker club. I live in Parker, Colorado and a quick Google search brought me the entire history or my little town.
From the official town website, www.parkeronline.org
Parker can trace its colorful recent history to the establishment of the Pine Grove Post Office by Alfred Butters around 1863. Prior to that time, the area was used for hunting by Indians, including the ancients (prehistoric), the Plains-Woodland Indians, and later (1800s) mostly Arapaho, Cheyenne and Ute Indians.
The old Indian trail that ran next to Cherry Creek near Parker was utilized by early traders, trappers, frontiersmen and gold seekers such as: John Beck, Captain R. B. Marcy, William Green Russell, Thomas Fitzpatrick, Jim Baker, "Uncle Dick" Wooten (Wootton) and Kit Carson.
The trail became known by several names, such as Cherokee Trail, the South Branch of the Smoky Hill Trail, and a branch of Trapper's Trail. When stage lines rolled into Colorado, it became known also as the West Cherry Creek Stage Road, and the Denver-Santa Fe Stage Road.
Gold was discovered in Colorado in 1858 and in the next year over 100,000 people followed the trails here in search of their fortunes. Small towns and settlements sprang up as the focus changed from gold to land. A man named Alfred Butters built a one room building in the pines south of the present day Hilltop Road (now known as Rampart Station) around 1863. Butters handled mail, provided provisions and a place to leave messages. Butters named this refuge for travelers Pine Grove.
Butters traded the building to a Mr. Goldsmith for a yoke of oxen. Goldsmith, in turn, sold it to Mr. and Mrs. George Long in 1864. The Longs moved the structure to the site of present day Town of Parker, made a rough addition and some other buildings were added to accommodate animals and wagons. The building was referred to as the 20 Mile House since it was located 20 miles south of Denver. it was a way station that provided meals, lodging and provisions.
There was all sorts of catchy names in there but the one I liked the most was 20 Mile. I have heard that around town before and one of our major streets in named twenty mile. I never knew what the significance was until now. It is settled that my poker club will be the 20 Mile Poker Club.Now I just need to decide how involved I want my club to be. I just love projects like this.
My New Poker Table
Well, sort of new anyways. This past Christmas, my dear and wonderful wife bought me a poker table. We got it from one of the furniture chains here in Colorado and it was a very nice table at a good price.
After playing on it a few times I noticed that the felt was shedding. My cards would be covered in this fine black dust and it really annoyed me. In addition the felt would catch the cards as you dealt and it made it difficult to get the cards down to the far end of the table when dealing. I researched the net and found that replacing the felt did not seem to be a difficult nor expensive endeavour.
A place called YourAutoTrim.com sells poker speed cloth, which is the same material used on almost all poker tables found in casinos. After much deliberation I decided on the pine green color. My table is a dark cherry wood and I figured the green would stand out nicely against the dark wood.
My neighbor helped me put it one which was pretty easy. After removing the rail, the table top was a separate insert that had the felt stapled on. I put the speed cloth right on top of the existing felt and glued it down. The ends were tricky but my neighbors wife who is a craft guru was able to pleat it and glue it down with ease.
Here is a picture of the finished project. I am very happy with how well it turned out.
Original Table
Same Table with new felt
After playing on it a few times I noticed that the felt was shedding. My cards would be covered in this fine black dust and it really annoyed me. In addition the felt would catch the cards as you dealt and it made it difficult to get the cards down to the far end of the table when dealing. I researched the net and found that replacing the felt did not seem to be a difficult nor expensive endeavour.
A place called YourAutoTrim.com sells poker speed cloth, which is the same material used on almost all poker tables found in casinos. After much deliberation I decided on the pine green color. My table is a dark cherry wood and I figured the green would stand out nicely against the dark wood.
My neighbor helped me put it one which was pretty easy. After removing the rail, the table top was a separate insert that had the felt stapled on. I put the speed cloth right on top of the existing felt and glued it down. The ends were tricky but my neighbors wife who is a craft guru was able to pleat it and glue it down with ease.
Here is a picture of the finished project. I am very happy with how well it turned out.
Original Table
Same Table with new felt
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Parkway Bar & Grill 2/25
Tonight was my regular Monday game at Parkway. This was the first game I played in on the DPT and remains my favorite. I have placed 3rd twice and can consistently make the final table which is usually my first goal. There are some pretty good players here which helps my game as you don't get better unless you play against superior competition.
I was feeling good about tonight's game after my profitable Saturday and my good game on Sunday. I did not finish in the "money" on Sunday but I was very happy with my play and felt like that I was getting my confidence back. I had been in the middle of a long run of dead cards and was beginning to wonder if I really knew how to play this game.
I had decided to play a bit more aggressive from now on. Even though I can usually make the final table I am usually the short stack or very close to the short stack when I get there. I figured that I needed to be more aggressive earlier in the tournament and build up my chip stack even if it meant making a mistake and busting out early I had to alter my style. I also figured that if I thought my play had become to predictable that surely everyone else at the table had me figured out.
I picked up a couple of small uncontested pots early with some timely raises then I got my hand of the night. I was in the big blind and I picked up AQ offsuit. A total of 3 players call and so limp in rather than raise when the action comes back to me. The flop comes out K J x. I check because I am on the nut straight draw with 2 cards to go and the players behind me will probably bet and that will help me define their hands. The first player to act bets $200 and the
other 2 players both call. Now I am getting great odds on my draw and it is an easy call. The turn card is a blank and I again check. The next player goes all in for the remainder of his chips which was about $550. The player next to him folds and the small blind next to me calls. Even though my pot odds is low I call because of my plan to be more aggressive. Unless one of the other two players has more than a pair of Kings I have multiple outs. If I hit the 10 I have the nuts and will crush everyone. I call and the river is a 10 giving me the straight. The small blind checks to me and I go all in, which makes the player already all in to lose his mind as he now knows he is beat. Unbelievably the small behind calls my all in. The first player had top 2 pair K J and the small blind had a pair of jacks with a weak kicker card. I was shocked that she would call my all in based on the cards and my betting pattern but I did not care. I just knocked out one player and crippled another and now was the dominant chip leader.
I feel this hand was the poker gods squaring up with me after my clash with the pair of 4's on Sunday. In that case the player who beat me had the correct odds to call me and then got just the card he needed. I can't be mad at that and I have to realize that as a 3 to 1 favorite if he wins then the next 2 times it happens I should win. I guess tonight was more of a suck out on my part but it has happened to me plenty of times and I was due. I had a legitimate hand and I was playing more aggressive so it was a good play. Not sure my opponent felt the same way but hey thats poker right?
Other hands of note was my A 10 vs a pair of 7's. There was an older lady who came in late to the tournament off the wait list. We run two tables and the first 20 who sign up play and everyone else is on the wait list. As people are eliminated folks on the wait list take their seats. She came in and promptly played the "this is my first time" and "how much to call and how much is this chip game". I didn't buy it for a second. If you know enough to say you don't know what you are doing then you know what you are doing. She really changed the face of the table though with her crazy erratic play. She played and showed total crap and came over the top several times with crazy raises. It was enough for her to quickly build up some chips although I remained the chip leader. I had to play cautiously since she was so aggressive and I knew she would almost always raise so I wanted to have a good hand and then try to crush her. My A 10 suited presented such an opportunity. It played out just like I figured, I call she raises and I call. Flop comes out Q 10 x. I bet my middle pair and she calls. Turn is a blank, I bet bigger and she calls again. She is doing a good job of not giving me any information. I am praying for an A on the river in case she has the Q. River card is a jack and I check. She bets and I reraise to put her all in. She calls and I figure she has the Q but she has pocket 7's. My pair of 10's take her out and everyone at the table is relieved. I almost felt bad because she looked at me like I just robbed her. I admit I had set my sights on her because her play was just bringing down the table which was playing really well.
My two mistakes hands were when I did not call a big raise with A 10. Everyone else folded to me and I folded. I later looked back at this hand as a mistake because I am sure I had the best hand preflop because his raise was so high in comparison to the blinds that I am sure he was saying "I am raising this much because I really don't want a call". I think he had KQ or KJ. I should have called him because if the flop hit an Ace I would have been well ahead. My second mistake was when I got pocket 8's. There had been a raise in front of me and instead of just calling I tried to push back and I reraised. What I was not paying attention to was the fact that the original raiser was low on chips and my reraise just made him go all in in response. I called as it was good odds and another player called which spooked me. The original raiser had Q J and hit a queen on the turn and won. This pot tripled him up and he was healthy again. I was still doing well but this mistake would further cost me as this player would move to the final table with me as the chip leader. The only consolation I take is that the flop
would have saw me bet since they were all low cards under my 8's. I am sure he would have moved all in at that point as well so the result would have been the same.
We moved to the final table and my cards dried up. The blinds picked away at me since I had nothing to play and folks were raising me off of them. I made two costly mistakes here again and they cost me the tournament I am sure. The first was a minimal mistake but I wish I would have played the hand differently. I was in the big blind with 7 2 of spades. The other 2 players fold and the small blind calls. I check and the flop comes out with 2 spades but no 2 or 7. The small blind checks and so do I. The turn is a J and again the small blind checks and so do I. The river is a Q of spades which gives me a flush but it is a low flush for me. The small blind this time bets out $500. I call and he shows Q J for 2 pair which my flush crushes. My mistake was that I should have reraised him all in on his $500 bet. I just figured that he had made a higher straight than me. I had vowed to be aggressive and here was a perfect example of not taking a chance. I would have gone out in 4th had I lost but if I won I would have been chip healthy again. 4th place turns out to be how I went out anyways.
My next mistake was with A 10 again. I raise and get a caller who has been playing pretty loosed and winning a lot of pots drawing out. Flop comes out and does not hit me. He checks and so do I. Turn and river both miss and we have checked it down. He bets $1000 and I fold. He had shown down hands like K 3 earlier and I did not want to risk losing to a pair of 3's or 4's. He showed an Ace to indicate that he missed and was just playing Ace high. Again had I reraised him all in he may have folded. At worst we probably would have chopped the pot or my 10 kicker may have been enough. What was worse was that if he had called my all in and I won he would have been out and I would have made the money. Also had I eliminated him the next hand would not have happened.
I get pocket 10's and go all in as I am seriously short stack at this point after being blinded off. The same loose player calls me and shows pocket Q's. No 10 on the flop, turn or river and I am gone in 4th place. If only I had knocked him out when I possibly had the chance.
Overall I am pleased with my more aggressive play but I made too many mistakes at the final table. At least I realize them which means I am learning and getting better. I just need to ensure I do not repeat them. I need to continue my aggressiveness and be more willing to gamble.
I was feeling good about tonight's game after my profitable Saturday and my good game on Sunday. I did not finish in the "money" on Sunday but I was very happy with my play and felt like that I was getting my confidence back. I had been in the middle of a long run of dead cards and was beginning to wonder if I really knew how to play this game.
I had decided to play a bit more aggressive from now on. Even though I can usually make the final table I am usually the short stack or very close to the short stack when I get there. I figured that I needed to be more aggressive earlier in the tournament and build up my chip stack even if it meant making a mistake and busting out early I had to alter my style. I also figured that if I thought my play had become to predictable that surely everyone else at the table had me figured out.
I picked up a couple of small uncontested pots early with some timely raises then I got my hand of the night. I was in the big blind and I picked up AQ offsuit. A total of 3 players call and so limp in rather than raise when the action comes back to me. The flop comes out K J x. I check because I am on the nut straight draw with 2 cards to go and the players behind me will probably bet and that will help me define their hands. The first player to act bets $200 and the
other 2 players both call. Now I am getting great odds on my draw and it is an easy call. The turn card is a blank and I again check. The next player goes all in for the remainder of his chips which was about $550. The player next to him folds and the small blind next to me calls. Even though my pot odds is low I call because of my plan to be more aggressive. Unless one of the other two players has more than a pair of Kings I have multiple outs. If I hit the 10 I have the nuts and will crush everyone. I call and the river is a 10 giving me the straight. The small blind checks to me and I go all in, which makes the player already all in to lose his mind as he now knows he is beat. Unbelievably the small behind calls my all in. The first player had top 2 pair K J and the small blind had a pair of jacks with a weak kicker card. I was shocked that she would call my all in based on the cards and my betting pattern but I did not care. I just knocked out one player and crippled another and now was the dominant chip leader.
I feel this hand was the poker gods squaring up with me after my clash with the pair of 4's on Sunday. In that case the player who beat me had the correct odds to call me and then got just the card he needed. I can't be mad at that and I have to realize that as a 3 to 1 favorite if he wins then the next 2 times it happens I should win. I guess tonight was more of a suck out on my part but it has happened to me plenty of times and I was due. I had a legitimate hand and I was playing more aggressive so it was a good play. Not sure my opponent felt the same way but hey thats poker right?
Other hands of note was my A 10 vs a pair of 7's. There was an older lady who came in late to the tournament off the wait list. We run two tables and the first 20 who sign up play and everyone else is on the wait list. As people are eliminated folks on the wait list take their seats. She came in and promptly played the "this is my first time" and "how much to call and how much is this chip game". I didn't buy it for a second. If you know enough to say you don't know what you are doing then you know what you are doing. She really changed the face of the table though with her crazy erratic play. She played and showed total crap and came over the top several times with crazy raises. It was enough for her to quickly build up some chips although I remained the chip leader. I had to play cautiously since she was so aggressive and I knew she would almost always raise so I wanted to have a good hand and then try to crush her. My A 10 suited presented such an opportunity. It played out just like I figured, I call she raises and I call. Flop comes out Q 10 x. I bet my middle pair and she calls. Turn is a blank, I bet bigger and she calls again. She is doing a good job of not giving me any information. I am praying for an A on the river in case she has the Q. River card is a jack and I check. She bets and I reraise to put her all in. She calls and I figure she has the Q but she has pocket 7's. My pair of 10's take her out and everyone at the table is relieved. I almost felt bad because she looked at me like I just robbed her. I admit I had set my sights on her because her play was just bringing down the table which was playing really well.
My two mistakes hands were when I did not call a big raise with A 10. Everyone else folded to me and I folded. I later looked back at this hand as a mistake because I am sure I had the best hand preflop because his raise was so high in comparison to the blinds that I am sure he was saying "I am raising this much because I really don't want a call". I think he had KQ or KJ. I should have called him because if the flop hit an Ace I would have been well ahead. My second mistake was when I got pocket 8's. There had been a raise in front of me and instead of just calling I tried to push back and I reraised. What I was not paying attention to was the fact that the original raiser was low on chips and my reraise just made him go all in in response. I called as it was good odds and another player called which spooked me. The original raiser had Q J and hit a queen on the turn and won. This pot tripled him up and he was healthy again. I was still doing well but this mistake would further cost me as this player would move to the final table with me as the chip leader. The only consolation I take is that the flop
would have saw me bet since they were all low cards under my 8's. I am sure he would have moved all in at that point as well so the result would have been the same.
We moved to the final table and my cards dried up. The blinds picked away at me since I had nothing to play and folks were raising me off of them. I made two costly mistakes here again and they cost me the tournament I am sure. The first was a minimal mistake but I wish I would have played the hand differently. I was in the big blind with 7 2 of spades. The other 2 players fold and the small blind calls. I check and the flop comes out with 2 spades but no 2 or 7. The small blind checks and so do I. The turn is a J and again the small blind checks and so do I. The river is a Q of spades which gives me a flush but it is a low flush for me. The small blind this time bets out $500. I call and he shows Q J for 2 pair which my flush crushes. My mistake was that I should have reraised him all in on his $500 bet. I just figured that he had made a higher straight than me. I had vowed to be aggressive and here was a perfect example of not taking a chance. I would have gone out in 4th had I lost but if I won I would have been chip healthy again. 4th place turns out to be how I went out anyways.
My next mistake was with A 10 again. I raise and get a caller who has been playing pretty loosed and winning a lot of pots drawing out. Flop comes out and does not hit me. He checks and so do I. Turn and river both miss and we have checked it down. He bets $1000 and I fold. He had shown down hands like K 3 earlier and I did not want to risk losing to a pair of 3's or 4's. He showed an Ace to indicate that he missed and was just playing Ace high. Again had I reraised him all in he may have folded. At worst we probably would have chopped the pot or my 10 kicker may have been enough. What was worse was that if he had called my all in and I won he would have been out and I would have made the money. Also had I eliminated him the next hand would not have happened.
I get pocket 10's and go all in as I am seriously short stack at this point after being blinded off. The same loose player calls me and shows pocket Q's. No 10 on the flop, turn or river and I am gone in 4th place. If only I had knocked him out when I possibly had the chance.
Overall I am pleased with my more aggressive play but I made too many mistakes at the final table. At least I realize them which means I am learning and getting better. I just need to ensure I do not repeat them. I need to continue my aggressiveness and be more willing to gamble.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Spillway Bar and Grill 2/24
Today was a Denver Poker Tour event. This is becoming a regular game for me as it is on Sunday and in the afternoon. I have not had much success in this game and most of the players here are pretty good.
I was excited to play today after my success last night at the casino. I wanted to see if I had the ability to change my game from cash game back to tournament play.
Today started out slow for me. I was not getting any cards. The few hands I tried to limp in on were eventually raised and not worth me chasing. My blinds were being stolen as I was unwilling to call a raise and a re-raise with my weak hands. I finally started getting some cards and was able to take down several pots based on my table image which is tight and aggressive.
I had one memorable hand early where I got AK suited. I limped in with it only because I had just won two pots with big raises and I wanted to mix up my game. The player next to me raised and I called him. A king came out on the flop so I bet about half of my stack and he went all in. I called him since I had top pair with top kicker. Turns out he had AK as well. I guess that is one way not to lose with "Big Slick".
I made it to the final table which is generally my minimum goal each time I play. My stay there was short lived however. I raise 4 times the big blind with my pocket 9's and get two callers. Flop comes out 3 5 6 rainbow and I am first to act. I go all in and one of the two remaining players calls. He turns over pocket 4's which is good until the turn card is a 7 which gives him a straight. I need an 8 on the river for a higher straight but of course I do not get it.
Bad beat or a gutsy call? It's a bad beat by sheer definition as I got my money in with the best hand and had a dominate lead after the flop. I don't think I would have made the call he did with just pocket 4's but his style may be more aggressive than mine. Regardless I was not mad and wished him a good game and made my gracious exit.
Did I do anything wrong? I don't think so. I think all in was the move since the flop was all cars that were under my 9's. If anyone had 10's or higher I needed them to think I had hit the flop and now had trips. Any over cards on the flop and I probably would have thrown out a probe bet to see where I was at and what my hand might be worth. It was a dream flop for me except for the straight potential. I guess that this was just an example of poker and how sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.
I was excited to play today after my success last night at the casino. I wanted to see if I had the ability to change my game from cash game back to tournament play.
Today started out slow for me. I was not getting any cards. The few hands I tried to limp in on were eventually raised and not worth me chasing. My blinds were being stolen as I was unwilling to call a raise and a re-raise with my weak hands. I finally started getting some cards and was able to take down several pots based on my table image which is tight and aggressive.
I had one memorable hand early where I got AK suited. I limped in with it only because I had just won two pots with big raises and I wanted to mix up my game. The player next to me raised and I called him. A king came out on the flop so I bet about half of my stack and he went all in. I called him since I had top pair with top kicker. Turns out he had AK as well. I guess that is one way not to lose with "Big Slick".
I made it to the final table which is generally my minimum goal each time I play. My stay there was short lived however. I raise 4 times the big blind with my pocket 9's and get two callers. Flop comes out 3 5 6 rainbow and I am first to act. I go all in and one of the two remaining players calls. He turns over pocket 4's which is good until the turn card is a 7 which gives him a straight. I need an 8 on the river for a higher straight but of course I do not get it.
Bad beat or a gutsy call? It's a bad beat by sheer definition as I got my money in with the best hand and had a dominate lead after the flop. I don't think I would have made the call he did with just pocket 4's but his style may be more aggressive than mine. Regardless I was not mad and wished him a good game and made my gracious exit.
Did I do anything wrong? I don't think so. I think all in was the move since the flop was all cars that were under my 9's. If anyone had 10's or higher I needed them to think I had hit the flop and now had trips. Any over cards on the flop and I probably would have thrown out a probe bet to see where I was at and what my hand might be worth. It was a dream flop for me except for the straight potential. I guess that this was just an example of poker and how sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.
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