When I left off in my previous blog, I had just doubled my extreme short-stack, when K7 held up against 98 of clubs. Blinds at 300/600/a50 with a stack of 7400. Ready to fight it out.


Hand #150
I was once again bleeding chips and when I did get them all in the pot with AJ, the BB called with AJ and we split it. This hand shows how desperate I was. I’m in the SB with 26 (stack 6812) and blinds at 400/800/a75. It folds to me and I push all-in. The BB thought – for like FOREVER! – but finally folded his hand and I was back to a 10BB stack.


Hand #151
This very next hand I folded pockets 4s. One of the big stacks (well, everyone had a big stack compared to me) raised it up to 1900 and I just had a bad feeling, even holding a pair. Perhaps I thought I was “due” for a big hand or something, or maybe it was just the old maxim of “being the first in the pot” that made me lay it down – I don’t know. We’ll never know what the big stack had.


Sidenote. We reach the money exactly with hand number 154. I remember it so clearly, because the shortest stack at our table (and 2nd shortest of the field) was in the BB with 3116 chips to his name. It folds to the SB who pushes all-in for 20 thousand and change. You can see the clock winding down on the BB. He then requests ‘TIME’ and lets that run down as well. FINALLY, he decides to call and shows KINGS! LOL… Somebody REALLY wanted to cash! He was WAY ahead of the SB who had 95 and never posed a threat. LOL.


Hand #158
I finally pick up a big hand, when AQ lands in front of me in the BB. My stack is still embarrassingly small at 7687 and blinds remain at 400/800/a75. It folds to the CO, whose stack is even smaller and he pushes in for 4610 total. Folds to me, I call and knock him out when his AT fails to improve.


Hand #159
Finally it would seem my prayers for decent starting hands have been answered. In the SB I pick up AK (stack 13297) and manage to get my money in against villain (stack 40746) in the CO. A bit peculiar though or at least, I thought so. Blinds now 500/1000/a100.

Folds to the CO who raises to 2385. Fold to me and I cram my stack in there. Fold back to the CO, who elects to call almost 11K more with 58. Huh??

He almost gets away with it too! The flop is fine when it comes K 9 8, but when the 5 hit on the turn I almost punched the screen. Fortunately one of my 800 outs came in on the river and I move up to a playable stack.


Hand #160
Having put myself back in decent shape, I wasn’t going to let my stack erode like that again and A8 on the button was therefore too good an opportunity to pass up. My stack is 28194, it folds to the CO who raises to 3000, fold to me – I call and the blinds fold.

(Pot 8400) FLOP: 4 8 J
Villain checks to me and that’s all she wrote. I instantly bet 4900 and he folds.


Hand #164
All of a sudden I realize that I’m now the biggest stack at the table – although far from being one of the chip leaders of the tournament. With my tight image, I take advantage and raise 56 from UTG+1 to take down the blinds and antes.


All the while – in fact during the past 10-15 hands – there’s been a lively discussion in the table chat about a hand that I wasn’t involved in. In the end, they’re all daring each other to look up each other’s OPR stats, as if that would settle anything. Basically a dick-measuring contest in cyberspace which I’m an unwilling observer of! I do however take a few of them up on it and check their latest cashes, overall profit etc. It’s something I do occasionally and might do a bit more. Although rather ambiguous for most players, for some there’s a definite correlation between “overall profit” and “skill to be expected”.


Hand #171
I get a little out of line at this point when I pick up 69 in the HJ (stack 33294) and elect to raise to 2450. We’re 8-handed at this point and blinds are still 500/1000/a100. The BB (stack 13139) calls.

(Pot 6200) FLOP: 3 T 5
The BB checks to me and I decide to bet at the rather innocent looking flop. I put out 3600. Immediately, the BB check-raises all-in and I fold like the dope I am. With his stack, the preflop flatcall should have made my internal alarm go off.


Hand #174
I’m UTG+1 with AK (stack 26944) and villain is UTG (stack 13493). Villain minraises to 2000, I make it 6100 – it folds back to villain, he shoves, I call and I outrun his 22. I really don’t love his play there – he could have found a better spot.


Hand #176
I figure it’s about time I start using my chip-advantage a little bit and start putting some people under pressure. When UTG (stack 24844) opens the pot to 3000 and it folds around to me in the SB (stack 41537), I consider 3-betting my 66 but don’t want to have to call an all-in yet. I elect to call. BB folds.

(Pot 7900) FLOP: 8 2 T
I check to villain and figure I’ll find out pretty quickly, whether my 6’s are any good. He bets 3000. Well, ok then – I guess they are. Let’s just end the hand here, shall we. I raise to 9400 and he mucks instantly. This game is so easy sometimes.


Hand #177
I’m feeling very confident all of a sudden and have a firm understanding of who the bad players at the table are (OPR stats actually helped there, confirmed a few suspicions I had). When one of the bad players limps UTG+1 (stack 19389), I’m thrilled to have a playable hand on the button. With A6 (stack 49237) I elect to just call, the SB completes and the BB checks.

In hindsight, I obviously should’ve raised and don’t know now why I didn’t. There might have been a reason or perhaps I just felt my image wouldn’t be able to ‘take it’. Anyway.

(Pot 4900) FLOP: 6 9 4
They both check to the bad player, who bets 2800. I call of course with my 6’s and so does the BB.

(Pot 13300) TURN: A
I’m first to act and with two flush-draws out there, I almost move all-in. I take time to reconsider though and instead size up a bet of 8000 – pure value. Unfortunately, I forget how scared bad players become, when an ace pops up and they all fold.


Hand #184
I stay active and in the hand that precedes this one, I raise A9 offsuit only to have the player on my immediate left cram all-in with about 18BBs. I fold. The very next hand however I pick up 24 (stack 53687) and decide to raise it. It’s the same principal I discussed in “Part1” and it works astonishingly well. Folds all around and I pick up blinds and antes.


Hand #217
I have to wait quite a bit before I get involved again. In the meantime I’ve only had one playable hand – QQ – which I raised and picked up blinds/antes with. In this hand I’ve got TT (stack 46437) in the SB. Blinds are now 1000/2000/a200 and villain is on the button (stack 46580). Folds to the button and he raises to 4475. Players who just call here are committing a crime in my opinion – you’re just setting yourselves up for failure! I raise it up and make it 11290. He considers briefly, but folds.


Hand #223
I find AQ in UTG+1 (stack 53512) and raise to 4800. It folds around to the button who shoves for a total of 21014. I do a quick calculation, but already know I’m priced in. I call.

FLOP: Q T 7
TURN: J
RIVER: 2

I outsmart his 9’s and pad my stack a little bit.


Hand #227
The guy immediately to my right has been very active for the past 20 hands or so. It’s the same guy I 3-bet with TT a little while back and once again I decide to get involved with him. 8-handed and with blinds still at 1000/2000/a200, I hold JT (stack 75526) on the button. Villain is in the CO (stack 42002). It folds to him and he raises to 5000. I actually want to 3-bet him, but have a vague suspicion he might see it as a move (too soon after my last 3-bet) and re-shove. I therefore, controversially, elect to just call. The blinds both fold.

(Pot 14600) FLOP: 2 8 3
He sits there for a while (probably a little confused by my flatcall) and then checks. All the encouragement I need. I bet 8000 and he insta-mucks.


Hand #237
Twiddle-dee, twiddle-dum and twiddle-dumbER are seated next to each other at the bottom of the screen. We’re 8-handed and the remaining five (yours truly included) are playing pretty solid, whereas these 3 morons are making every mistake there is. I’m not sure if the other good players have noticed this quite as much as I have, but I’m currently using every excuse to get involved with one of them.

I’m in the HJ with JT (stack 80026) and blinds have now moved up to 1250/2500/a250. UTG (twiddle-dee) limps and it folds around to me. I raise to 7850 total. Folds back to twiddle-dee who calls.

(Pot 21450) FLOP: 6 Q 2
He checks to me and I bet 11500 to take it down. Low risk, high reward.


Hand #244
In the CO with the blinds the same, I pick up AK (stack 88126). Twiddle-dum (stack 78092) starts the party off by limping (!) UTG+1. Folds to me and I make it 8750 (bad – should be consistent with my raise sizes). Folds back and twiddle-dum calls.

(Pot 23250) FLOP: A 7 6
Twiddle-dum checks and I decide I’m ok with giving this player a free card at this point. He was that bad and I figured I’d lose him, if I just c-bet the flop like I normally would. I checked behind.

(Pot 23250) TURN: 9
Not a great card, but I suppose I only had myself to blame. Twiddle-dum bets 7500. I make a mistake at this point by just calling that bet. I remember thinking “Oh no, he’s got A9” which is just stupid. I wasn’t supposed to play the entire hand passively – just the flop, to get him to come along.

(Pot 38250) RIVER: 8
Well, that’s just about the worst card isn’t it? Fuck me. Villain bets 12500 and I make a crying call only to have him show me As5c.

Talk about bad play. I was absolutely furious with myself and actually exploded out of my seat, huffing and puffing. Twiddle-dum hadn’t done anything wrong except for the UTG+1 limp with A5 offsuit (LOL). My stack wasn’t decimated, so there was nothing else for me to do, but just keep it together and forget about the hand.


Hand #245
I would have LOVED it if the next few hands were insta-folds. It’s just easier to calm yourself, if you don’t have to play at the same time. No such luck. I pick up AQ in MP2 position (stack 59126) and once again twiddle-dum limps, this time from UTG. Once again, I raise it up – again to 8750, folds back to him and he calls.

(Pot 23250) FLOP: 9 4 7
Twiddle-dum shoves for a little more than 100K and I have an easy fold. Still, I was so tempted to call there. Steaming? Oh yeah… ever so slightly!


Hand #253
I find the spot I’m looking for an orbit later. We’re still 8-handed and in MP2 position I once again find a decent hand. 99 with a stack of 44626 and blinds at 1250/2500/a250. PREPOSTOROUSLY, twiddle-dum decides to limp once again from UTG. I don’t really care what he does, as I’m getting ready to raise, but I do make a mental note that I’ll probably have to fold if he re-raises all-in. I make it 8500. The player right after me (stack 116090) calls this time and when it gets to twiddle-dum, he just calls.

(Pot 31250) FLOP: 9 2 6
I feel slightly aroused when I see the flop. Twiddle-dum leads for 15000 and I have a simple all-in, shoving my remaining chips – 35876 in total – into the pot. The 3rd player folds and twiddle-dum ponders briefly before he makes the call.

I’m kind of expecting a flush-draw and my elation is therefore considerable when he flips over JJ.

(Pot 103002) TURN: J
(Pot 103002) RIVER: K


Twiddle-dum outsmarted me in two key pots. One (AK vs A5) I had the right idea, but didn’t pull the trigger on the turn and in the second/last one, I clearly should’ve seen it coming. You’ve gotta be careful out there boys and girls – when you get your money in as a clear favorite, make sure you win!

;-)

I went out in 48th place. Ah well, there’s always next time.


Thanks for reading.


Bankroll: USD 5,881.05
Days left until Aussie Millions 2010: 253

Very recently, a friend of mine – who’ll be playing at one of the lower buy-in WSOP events this summer – asked me to offer him some constructive advice, by looking through hand histories from some of the online tournaments he had recently been playing. I know he respects my opinion and definitely wanted my input, but was probably also just looking for a different point-of-view, realizing there’s rarely ONE “right” way to play a certain hand.

If you’ve never tried it, I highly recommend it to anyone reading this. Ask a buddy to send you the hand history from one of his sessions and then just plow your way through it, hand for hand. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a friend who’s a “worse” poker player than you are, ‘cause there’s a lot of learning in there for you as well. I for one picked up a very profitable way of playing certain hands from the blinds, which I’ve now incorporated into my range.


As for my own play, I finally feel like I’m back to playing the sort of power poker that I know I’m capable of and in this blog, I’ll be sharing my progress a bit. As with some of my previous blogs, I’ve decided to go back to a tournament analysis, so this entry will entail a whole bunch of hands from one of my recent tourneys. I’ll try to be inclusive rather than exclusive when it comes to picking hands, as I feel a lot of my success can sometimes be attributed to the hands I DON’T play as well as the ones which would never make for great TV, but are a key reason for doing well. Off we go.


This tourney was on Stars – a $55 freezeout with 1413 players to start and a first-place prize of approximately $12.5K. As is standard for this type of tourney, it starts you out with 3000 in chips and blinds of 10/20. I get involved fairly quickly.


Hand #10
At an 8-handed table I pick up 9T in UTG+1 (stack 2970) and raise to 50. The next player calls after a bit of thought and everyone else folds. Blinds 10/20.

(Pot 130) FLOP: 9 6 Q
Even though I’m out of position, I’m c-betting almost all flops and the fact that I’ve made a pair just makes it a lot easier. I bet 90. Again, the guy thinks for a bit and then raises to 310 total. That’s a pretty big raise. I remember thinking I could very possibly be ahead in this spot, but with no reads on the guy (too early), I felt there was no need to get further involved here, out of position and possibly up against a legitimate hand. I let the seconds run off for what I thought suggested “appropriate deep contemplation” and then folded.


Hand #11
The very next hand I’m UTG (stack 2830) and pick up KQ. I’m a little nuts for this hand and have trouble folding it (EVER! LOL) and I did raise it here as well, but just as much for a different reason. If I have to give up a hand the way I just did (or – as is most common – folding to a 3-bet preflop), I like raising again with the very next hand. It’s a little bit of a “don’t fuck with me – I’ll just keep on pounding you” thing which I have a tendency of doing and which I’ve found – has a very high success rate. The general train of thought seems to be, “This guy must know about table-image, so it’s unlikely he’d raise AGAIN, without a very big hand”. I made it 50 again from UTG, was called by the SB and took it down with a c-bet on the 6-high flop.


Hand #14
The table had filled up by now and we were back to 9-handed. Blinds still 10/20. I’m on the button with QT (stack 2860) and villain is UTG (stack 2925). UTG limps, folds to MP1 who limps as well, folds to me – I raise to 90 total, folds back to the limpers who both call.

(Pot 300) FLOP: K 4 3
Ok, so I didn’t exactly flop great, but that’s not overly relevant here. My preflop play is designed to punish the limpers with a show of strength preflop, which in turn wins the hand a lot of the time when I c-bet the flop. They both check to me and I bet 200. UTG calls and MP1 folds.

(Pot 700) TURN: 9
The UTG-limp-call preflop is very often a small to medium pair in my experience. Too many players still don’t feel comfortable raising 55 from UTG (or – god forbid – folding it!) and therefore elect to go with the limp-call instead. I guess that puts 33 and 44 in his range here, but it also includes a lot of others that will fold when the “scary” 3rd heart hits on the turn. Besides, I’ve got 13 pretty solid outs – so when he checks to me, betting is like 2nd nature. I make it 475. He flat-calls.

(Pot 1650) RIVER: K
When he called me on the turn, I was pretty sure I’d have to give up the hand. When the king hit, I pretty much knew I wouldn’t be bluffing. If he was in there with two black sevens, then credit to him and a virtual tap on the table. Never got a chance to not bluff though as he led for 700 on the river. 4s full of kings? Definitely plausible. I decide to push all-in and put him to the test.

…

For fucks sake! Of course I didn’t do anything stupid like that! LOL. Not that there wasn’t a time where I WAS foolish enough to attempt something along those lines! Oh yeah, those were the days – me playing deep theory poker, advanced to the 9th degree! If he thinks, that I think, that he thinks, that I think… - some of the most shameful moments of my life took place back then. A true massacre. Not pretty.


Hand #15
Sometimes you just can’t control when the playable hands find their way into your ‘pocket’ and this was a case thereof. Having just folded on the river, I really didn’t want to play a hand again right away. When I do that I feel like I’m too easily exploited by other players, mostly because they started doubting your starting hand requirements. Seriously, for some of your opponents, that’s all it’s gonna take – 2 hands in a row and they’ve got you marked down as Gus Hansen’s cousin. Just be aware.

I’m in the CO with 56 (stack 2095) and villain is MP1 (stack 2900). Folds to MP1 who raises 3xBB to 60, folds to me – I call, button and the blinds fold.

(Pot 150) FLOP: 9 5 2
Villain leads for 80 which in my book is a bit small, but for some players it’s standard. Later on in the tourney, this is a prime raising-spot as long as we’re at least 35BBs deep, but given my new table-image, I don’t want to get pushed off the hand, so I elect to just call. I mean, I might be up against aces – who knows?

(Pot 310) TURN: 8
Villain leads again and this time for 140. Now, it’s not a case of him betting small as a standard, unless he’s got 76 (and pretty much only that hand). I picked up a gutshot to go with my pair, so I raise and make it 340. Villain folds and I pick up a nice little pot, in a situation that I feel was pretty much risk-free.


Hand #21
Between the last hand and this, I’ve deliberately folded semi-playable hands such as JT and A9 from middle and early position, simply to regain a tighter table image. The way I play simply works better, when my opponents give me credit for hands and with a loosy-goosy image, that ain’t gonna happen.

I’m in the BB with T2 (stack 2405) and blinds at 15/30. Folds to the HJ who limps, CO limps, button limps, SB completes and I’m happy to just check my option.

(Pot 150) FLOP: 2 J 7
YAHTZEE! A pair and a back-door str8+flush draw. Opportunities like these only come along every so often! (LOL). SB checks to me and I bet 100 confidently. HJ folds, CO calls and the rest fold.

(Pot 350) TURN: Q
Time to let him know we really have the jack, so he can fold his 7. I bet 235 and villain folds. Note: I think that if a 5 hits and he in fact has a 7 in his hand, he’ll go to the river with us, but as soon as the queen hits, most players don’t understand its insignificance – they just see two overcards and figure “they must be beat”.


Hand #22
I folded this hand and I think I was correct in doing so, but after reading through my buddy’s hand history, I know that’s it’s not necessarily the standard.

I’m in the SB with AT (stack 2625) with blinds at 15/30 still. Folds to MP1 who min-raises to 60, 1 fold and now the HJ min-re-raises to 120. Folds to me and I confidently fold. Some might argue that this kind of donkish min-raising at the beginning of a tournament suggests my ace is good here, but I see no reason to get involved in an effort to win what is currently a 225-chip pot. Just seems futile.


Hand #37
I fold for quite a bit and don’t really mind it, ‘cause – as I stated before – it gives me a chance to re-establish my tight table image. In this hand I’m in the BB with KQ (stack 2580) with blinds now at 25/50. Villain is UTG (stack 2385). No specific reads at this point. UTG min-raises to 100, folds to me – I call.

(Pot 225) FLOP: J 3 7
I check to villain and he bets out 50. Hmmm… was actually thinking I’d check-fold the flop, but that bet is pretty much an invitation to float. I’m not quite sure what it means yet, but call and we go to the turn.

(Pot 325) TURN: 9
I check to the villain again and now he bets 250. Uh-uh pal. It don’t make no sense yo! Mainly because of his incoherent story, I decide to raise him and make it 700 – but the fact that I’ve picked up numerous draws does help. He folds almost immediately. What an absurdly strange way for him to play that hand, regardless of his holding.


Hand #40
In the CO, I pick up KQ (stack 2980) and blinds at 25/50. UTG limps, folds to MP1 who also limps and fold to me. I raise and make it 230 to go. It folds to the BB who calls, as do both limpers. The BB calling is of a slight concern to me and I’m now hoping to flop big.

(Pot 945) FLOP: 6 5 8
I whiff big-time and when everyone checks to me I decide to check behind. I don’t see the value in bluffing into 3 players (which I’d be doing) and the pot is so big, that I don’t wanna be committing myself.

(Pot 945) TURN: 2
The BB immediately leads 300. The rest of us fold. Well played me.


Hand #41
Another one of those hands, that has so much post-flop potential, I simply have to play it – tight image or not. I have 87 in the HJ (stack 2750) and when it folds to me I raise to 130. Folds to the button who calls – as does the BB.

(Pot 415) FLOP: Q 8 3
The BB checks to me and I bet 310 with my middle-pair. My c-bet is 75% of the pot and more than I’d normally make it (which I can’t explain…), but of no relevance as they both fold. The fact that I JUST checked in the last hand after having raised preflop, probably added credibility to my hand here.


Hand #48
I’ve been quiet again for a little bit, so when it folds to me on the button with 78 (stack 2885), I figure I’ve gotta raise it up. Blinds have gone up to 50/100 and I make it 270. Both SB and BB call.

(Pot 810) FLOP: 6 2 2
The SB leads at the pot with 200 and the BB folds. If you’ve read any of my previous entries, you’ll know I only have one response to that. RAISE. The minimum-lead-out-into-the-raiser is just always weakness. I make it 700 and the SB folds. Some of the easiest chips you’ll ever pick up in a tournament.


Hand #56
Again I’ve been quiet for almost a full orbit and I’m in the SB this time with J8 (stack 3525) and blinds now up to 75/150. It folds to the button (stack 2090) who has been pretty weak so far and he just calls. I complete and the BB (stack 2796) checks.

(Pot 450) FLOP: Q 2 2
It checks all the way around.

(Pot 450) TURN: J
Seems like I’m probably best here, unless the BB has a deuce (don’t see button limping any kind of deuce) so I bet 225. BB folds and the button calls.

(Pot 900) RIVER: A
When the ace hits I instinctively put out another bet – again half the pot. However, checking might be a better option. I think two things are possible here: a) we both have a jack and will split the pot b) button has a draw that didn’t hit and will probably check, so I win – but he just MIGHT try to steal the pot with a bluff and I’d be there to pick him off. In the situation, it doesn’t matter. He folds and I take the pot.


Hand #69
By the time we get to this hand, I’ve raised two others – both times with A3. The first I took down preflop and the second I was called by the SB who bet the flop and I folded. I’m this time in MP2 with 66 (stack 3650) and blinds still 75/150. A new player has just arrived at our table and this is his first hand. He is sitting in UTG+1 (stack 11240) and limps when UTG folds. Because he’s unknown and has a big stack, I don’t raise him, but elect to flat when it folds to me. This creates a true limping-frenzy as the next 3 players also just call. When it gets to the SB, he pushes all-in for a total of 1080. I’m actually ready to call with my sixes, but Mr. Big Stack needs to get out of the way first. He doesn’t and instead min-raises to 2010. It turns out UTG+1 had AK and my decision to limp behind probably saved me some chips, but it’s marginal. By the way, SB showed AT and spiked a 10 on the river to stay in the game.


Hand #84
Apart from a small pot that I picked up out of the blinds, I’ve been pretty card-dead for a while and blinds have started to take their toll on me. They’re now 100/200 and my stack is dwindling. Meanwhile, the big stack who limped the AK hand has been trying to push everybody around, but it seems like he’s only got one gear and I’ve been waiting to exploit him. In this hand I hold A8 on the button (stack 3250) and villain is in the HJ seat (stack 10630). It folds to him and he raises to 600, which has been his standard. I think for 2 seconds and then cram my stack over the top. Blinds fold and he only considers for a few seconds, before folding also.

My friend with the hand history asked me one specific question and it was related to metaphysics of the game, table image etc. This is a perfect example of pulling off a squeeze-move, when you’ve got the right image. I’m not really looking for a call here (doh!) as I think villain’s range includes a whole bunch of hands that beat me: 22 through 77, A9/AT as well as hands that I don’t fare too well against: lots of suited broadway combinations etc. However, I think his calling range against me is pretty narrow. I have been biding my time and unless he’s got TT+/JJ+, he’s probably folding.


Hand #85
In the CO with KJ (stack 4150) I elect to raise to 500 (blinds 100/200 still) and hope to get heads-up with one of the blinds. The dealer and SB fold and the BB (stack 7060) obliges by calling. Two to the flop:

(Pot 1100) FLOP: 5 T 3
The BB checks and I think this is a good time to check behind. I just re-raised all-in the hand before and the BB might feel this is the right time to play back at me. Add to the mix that he could easily have hit or have me beat with a small pocket-pair and I think checking makes sense some of the time.

(Pot 1100) TURN: T
The BB now leads 800 into me, as I expected he would – regardless of his holding. Because the bet is rather large, I instinctively decide to call him (looks more like a draw or shaky hand, than a 10) and look to move him off the hand on the river. Reviewing it now, it might not be the best idea, but again – pretty marginal and sometimes you’ve gotta go with your gut.

(Pot 2700) RIVER: J
Well, that made my life a lot easier. I’m cramming all-in no matter what. He bets 1200 and I instantaneously move my remaining 2850 into the pot. He folds immediately.


Hand #109
All of a sudden I go EXTREMELY card-dead and the few spots that were semi-playable becoming insta-folds when I’ve got re-raises or all-ins in front of me. In this hand I find AJ (stack 4475) on the button and in the meantime blinds have gone up to 150/300/a25. It folds to the CO who just limps and I only have one move, which is to shove over the top. Everyone folds and I pick up a small pot.


Hand #110
Very next hand and I pick up 77. It folds to me and I raise to 800. Everybody folds. *sigh* - not gonna be winning too many tournaments if this continues.


Hand #114
I finally get a bit of action when I look down at JJ in the BB. Boo-yaa! My first big pocket-pair! – I do a little dance to celebrate. My stack is 6000 and blinds are still 150/300a25. It folds to the SB (stack 43550) who just calls 300. I decided to raise substantially so as not to give away the strength of my hand and make it 975 to go. He thinks briefly and calls.

(Pot 2150) FLOP: 6 8 4
He checks to me and I put out a bet of 1500. He folds and I pick up the pot. (Who the fuck knows what I would’ve done, if he had moved all-in on me. Hmmm…)


Hand # 144
Between this and the last hand I’ve actually seen KJ three times (always in EP), but with the blinds having gone up, my stack was too small to open with semi-strong hands like that and I had to let them go. I also picked up 77 on the button, but had a raise and a re-raise-allin in front of me. Basically, every single hand I held was unplayable because of the situation or the position. As a result, the blinds have just been going up and my stack has dwindled.

This hand I’ve got a meager K7 (stack 3375) in the HJ with blinds at 300/600/a50. I would normally never let my stack get to such a level, but after reviewing now it confirmed the belief I had when I was playing – unavoidable. I believe in maintaining healthy stack sizes, but I'm not suicidal either - I always pick a good spot, if it might be my "last stand". It folds to me and I push all-in. The BB (stack 25150) feels committed to call (which he is) and shows 98. One time dealer. The flop brings two clubs (always a sweat), but I dodge the rest and manage to double up. Phew. Still in jeopardy, but with a stack of 7400 and a fighting chance.


TO BE CONTINUED…


Thanks for reading.

Self confidence is a huge asset to have with you, when you’re playing, whereas cockiness is usually the first step on the way to self-destructing. I just added up my rolls on all the sites I play and was dumbfounded to discover that I’m in the red, since my last blog update. I knew I hadn’t been making a killing lately, but still – a loss? – damn. Time for a reality check.


As I write this, I’ve requested tournament statistics from stars and am reviewing stats from other sites as well – I seriously need to find out whether my loss was the result of poor play, variance or bad beats. I’m happy to fess up to any shortcomings, once I get all the facts – yet I hope I won’t have to.


This is a compounded overview of my latest results:

MTTs
Number played: 13
Average buy-in: $ 21.84
Cashed: 4 (31%)
Result: $ -155.33

180-person $4.40 sitngos
Number played: 17
Cashed: 2 (12%)
Result: $ -8.16

Other Sitngos
Number played: 10
Average buy-in: $ 15.20
Cashed: 3 (30%)
Result: $ 13.60


Pretty discouraging results, if I have to say so myself. MTTs will always be fickle in the sense that, even though I’m cashing in a substantial number of them, if that elusive big score keeps escaping me, all of my minimum cashes will do nothing but delay me on the road to becoming a pauper.
The 180-person-sitngos are new to me. The above 17 are literally the first 17 I’ve ever played and I feel I might need to make some adjustments, if I want to do well. I’m beginning to think the buy-in-amount skewed my perception of the opposition and perhaps I need to start giving them more credit for hands, when I’m in marginal situation.
As for the remaining sitngos, the profit gives me an ROI of 9% which is lower than the figure I aspire to, but overall I suppose I can’t complain – especially in the context of my other “body of work”.


As promised, I’ve gone through all of my tournaments and looked at especially my final hands (or the ones in which I lost the bulk of my stack). A large percentage is actually bad-beats and coin-flips/marginal +EV spots, which was a relief. Not all though. I’ll take you through a few of them here and give you my comments along the way.


$27.50 MTT Freezeout - VARIANCE
I’m in the BB with A4 (stack 5827) and the villain is UTG+1 (stack 7942). Blinds 100/200. Folds to UTG+1 who limps, folds to HJ who limps as well and fold to me – I check. 3 players:

(Pot 700) FLOP: 4 T 3
I think I’m best here A LOT and I fire 450 at the flop. UTG+1 calls and HJ folds.

(Pot 1600) TURN: 4
I don’t see how I’m getting away from this hand now, considering the tournament I’m in, the structure and the time-spent/reward ratio it offers.

I decide that if UTG+1 has anything other than a flush, I’ll probably lose him if I bet and I still feel there’s a good chance I’m ahead here, so I check to him. He bets 2000 fairly quickly. Hmmm… from experience I think he has a flush in this spot very often, which I was kind of hoping he didn’t.

I use my time bank and consider my outs. The time bank running down is actually borderline stressful, to the extent that I’m having trouble counting all of my outs. I figure I’ve got so many though; that a shove is sufficiently +EV, if there’s only a 10% chance he doesn’t have a flush here. I shove for 5177 total and he snap-calls to show Q2 (limped from UTG+1 – LOL). I don’t manage to hit one of my – what I now know was – 17 outs and I go out in 734th place.

When I move in, he’s obviously got me, so I can’t consider this a bad beat. I still think I have to be happy with the hand though and after having reviewed it now, I’ve decided, I am. The 4d is a great card to bluff at and although my gut told me I was beat, it has been wrong before (!). (*shrug*)


$11 MTT re-buy – POOR PLAY
On the button, I pick up Q7 (stack 8910). Villain in the hand is the SB (stack 14647). Blinds 250/500/a60. 9-handed, it folds to me on the button, I raise to 1550, the SB calls and the BB folds.

(Pot 4140) FLOP: J 2 4
Villain checks to me and mysteriously I decide to bet 3000 (more than my standard, 2750 – again inexplicably) – meaning I’ve now committed 51% of my stack with Qh7h. Villain calls.

(Pot 10140) TURN: Q
Villain checks again. What do I do? Wait for it… I move all-in. For fucks sake, who was I trying to outsmart here – myself? Must have been (!) – seeing as I’m the ONLY one who’s paranoid enough to buy the elaborate hoax I was trying to sell here! Villain snaps with AQ and I’m out in 643rd place (1904 to start).

No further comments necessary. Completely avoidable.


$5.50 MTT re-buy – GOOD PLAY
Started out 645 for this tourney and at the beginning of this hand, we’re well into the money with approximately 36 left. I’m in the BB with A5 (stack 48731) and villain is the HJ (stack 93021) with blinds at 600/1200/a125. There’s a bit of history with villain (aggressive and semi-loose) as I’ve 3-bet him twice – one of which he folded pre-flop and the other where he folded to my c-bet on the flop. Also, the hand that preceded this saw me raising 77 from UTG and going up against the BB (BIG stack), which ended with me picking off a bluff on a 2-K-2-K-6 board.

It folds to the HJ who raises to 3600, folds to me – I call.

(Pot 8925) FLOP: 7 5 9
I decide to lead at this flop for some of the obvious reasons. Seems like a flop a player in the blinds would’ve hit, villain has been pretty loose and in case I was behind to AK-AT, I now have the best hand. I do however also see villain as a tricky player and don’t expect him to give up on the flop. I lead for 5500.

Villain ponders this for a little bit and minimum-raises me. I actually like my hand a lot now. Apart from a flopped straight, I don’t see what hands minimum-raise here. Some players might do this with a set, but most often they raise more to protect against draws. On the other hand, if I move all-in now, I’m turning my hand into a bluff, as I’m basically trying to sell the story of ME flopping a straight. I just call.

(Pot 30925) TURN: 7
This is a good card for me. I still like my hand, but again it doesn’t make sense for me to move in, when the board pairs like that. So, I check. Almost immediately, villain bets 7200. ??? I think this is him playing the player, with complete disregard for his own hand. It’s real situational poker. Basically a game of chicken and this is no time to flinch. NOW, was the time to sell my story. I moved all-in for 34006 total. He tanked (could’ve been fake-tanked) and finally mucked his hand. Table dynamics completely changed after that hand.


Adrenalin-surge for sure during this hand – In a live setting, I would’ve been giving off a million physical tells. Thank god for the comfort of online!


Starting bankroll: USD 6,025.95
Session result: USD -149.89
New bankroll: USD 5,876.06
Days left until Aussie Millions 2010: 265

Thanks for reading.

Nobody likes a whiner and that is exactly what I equate anyone in the poker community to, if they start telling me a bad-beat story.


Annoying Whiner (AW): “Hey there. It’s nice to meet you!”
Mindful & Enjoyable (ME): “Uhmm hi – likewise.”

AW: “So, how long’ you been playing?”
ME: “About 4 years or so. (feign interest) You?”

AW: “Umm yeah, something like that as well. What’s your favorite hand?”
ME: (sighing deeply and rolling eyes indiscreetly) “Suited aces, I guess. Listen, I’ve gotta go return some videotapes, so I can’t really…”

AW: (excessive laughing, knee-slapping and tears ensue) That’s a GOOD one! I’ve never heard that one before! No no, stick around! Listen, you’ll never believe what just happened to me. I pick up KK in MP and just smoothcall some donk who raised in earl…”
ME: (somebody shoot me now…)


Anyone who knows anything about the game, will know how frequently bad beats occur (yes, even 1-outers for any doubters still left among you – they happen on a daily basis) and how – as is the nature of bad beats – you usually played pretty well to get yourself into a potential bad-beat-spot. So be happy the next time you get sucked out on.


The point of this blog was not to provide yet another unnecessary commentary on how one ought to deal with bad beats. Seems to me, that’s been done enough as it is. It was actually to address a challenge I’m currently facing. Since I write a blog about poker, I’m forced to relay what happens to me and that goes for the good as well as the bad. Since I don’t want to be the “bearer of bad beats”, I’ve come up with the following alternate solution:


BadBeat Codes. I don’t think all bad beats are created equal and therefore propose that – for this blog at least, as an experiment – I begin to use the following codes to describe bad beats:

- “55/45”, preflop. Not sure many players would consider this a bad beat per se, but technically it is a hand with a statistical edge losing to the inferior counterpart. (We’ll call this BB1)
- “70/30”, preflop. You get it in with KK, get called by AQ and lose. (BB2)
- “80/20”, preflop. AA moves in, 66 calls and hits. (BB3)
- “3-outer”, postflop. You’ve made top-pair on the flop, move in and get called by an underpair. (BB4)


I’m sure I’ll think of a few others once I get this blog going, but the above should serve me well to begin with. The whole reason why I would even dream-up the above concoction is because it didn’t go very well for me the last time I played! I say this, even though I actually final-tabled one of the tournaments, a $10 rebuy event. We’ll kick things off there with my final hand:


3-handed and I find J2 in the BB (stack 15335). Villain is on the button (stack 46735) with the blinds at 600/1200/a120. Villain limps, SB completes and I check.

(Pot 3960) FLOP: J 4 J
SB checks and I check to the dealer who – as the chipleader – has been betting everything. He obliges and leads out for 1200. SB folds and I raise to 4800.

** ALERT ** BB4 ** ALERT ** BB4** ALERT ** BB4 ** ALERT ** BB4 ** ALERT **

I went out in 3rd place.


Another cute little hand happened deep in a Stars 180-man sitngo ($4.40). As follows:

33 players left. I’m in the SB with KK (stack 2220). Villain is in the CO seat (stack 13480). Blinds 100/200. UTG raises to 800, folds to villain who min-raises to 1400 (might be cautious here sometimes, but with my stack and this hand, my decision has been made for me). Folds to me and I push all-in for 2220 total. UTG folds, but villain calls.

** ALERT ** BB3 ** ALERT ** BB3** ALERT ** BB3 ** ALERT ** BB3 ** ALERT **

I go out in 33rd place.


This next one, I won’t be needing my BB-groups for, as it was more a cold-deck (not GREAT play either, that’s for sure) than anything else. Again, I’m deep in a 180 sitngo ($4.40) as only 26 players remain. I am in the BB with QQ (stack 7163). Villain is UTG (stack 21640) with blinds at 150/300/a25. Villain opens to 799 and at an 8-handed table it folds around to me. I usually don’t muck about here and I make it 2440. He considers briefly and calls.

(Pot 5230) FLOP: 10 4 7
I’ve got 4698 left and elect to push it all-in. Clearly the easiest option with no additional thinking required. However, even with additional thinking and I’m trying to keep myself honest here, I don’t think I’m ever folding in that spot. I think at this level a lot of players are still calling from his position with most of their pairs (55-JJ) looking to set-mine or pick off AK, QQ and KK re-shove and AA calls/re-shoves about 30/70. The better option might however have been to check to him, feign an unpaired AK and hope he bets with 99 or JJ.

Anyway, obviously he had me all along with a well-played AA and I went out on the hand. Well played sir.

Splashed around with sitngos a few low buy-in MTTs that never really got going and booked a miniature loss. Ah well – just one of those 'BB4 days'.

Starting bankroll: USD 6,042.95
Session result: USD -17.00
New bankroll: USD 6,025.95
Days left until Aussie Millions 2010: 273

Thanks for reading.

I’m hot – cause I’m fly;
You ain’t – cause you not;
This is why;
This is why;
This is why I’m hot!


So…uhmm, I’m running HOT right now, as the above summation denotes (wondering slightly now why I’m explaining a MIMS citation, which is as self-explanatory as those signs you see at the zoo, indicating crocodiles as ‘dangerous creatures’). This blog will encompass two playing sessions and both include TOURNAMENT WINS , albeit the first one feigns slightly in comparison to the second.


Was playing on Stars, looking for any tournaments that were about to begin, when I came upon a 6-handed Pot Limit Hold’Em, $11 rebuy. It was starting in 8 minutes and I signed up as only the 13th player – expecting it to fill up towards the end, like most tourneys do. When it got underway, I was genuinely surprised to see that only 18 had signed up.


Does the Pot Limit aspect scare off players? I never understood that. It’s not like all you do during NLHE tournaments is come over the top of others with MORE than a full pot bet? Mostly a pot bet is exactly what you need for a re-raise and sometimes even less will do, so if you feel the need to shove 40BBs over a 4BB raise, you probably don’t understand the concepts of stack sizes (Tony ‘bond18’ Dunst is happy to enlighten you on tworags.com about exactly that, if what I just wrote makes no sense to you at all). I’m not saying it never comes up, especially in late tournament play, spots do occur – just curious as to the apparent timidity from other players, when Pot Limit Hold’Em is concerned. I LIKE mixing it up with PLHE and what follows here goes to show that change is a definite good thing.


Unlimited rebuys until the first break and they were being taken advantage of, by pretty much everyone else but me. Kept it clean this time with my obligatory instant rebuy and of course the addon, but no I-just-got-felted-rebuys needed. As noted though, everyone else was generously adding to the total pot, so we ended up putting together a $220 1st place prize. Also, with all those rebuys, the amount of chips in play allowed for some serious deep-stack playing. By the time I made it to the final table, the average stack was roughly 60 BBs and I was sitting with more than 100 BBs – as the chip leader.


For once it was absolutely clear who the illustrious and highly sought after ‘table sucker’ was. This guy was – for lack of a better definition – heinously moronic when it came to poker. Suffice to say, I made sure I was in the pot almost every time he was. How he had managed to get to the FT only the sacrificial chicken, which I presume lay slaughtered in his backyard, will know. He would call anything on the flop with no pair, no draw (I’m talking J2 on an A73 board), would check-call all the way to the river if he was drawing and limp-call raises preflop & out of position with monsters such as K4 off suit. With every weak-tight play my bankroll smiled, while my poker-loving and fine-play-appreciating heart suffered a little each time.


When he busted I was delighted to find out that - in his absence - the others at the table were happy to fill his shoes. Especially one play seemed to be a favorite at this table (and largely prevalent in most tournaments online) – the “postflop minimum bet lead-out into the raiser”. Here’s the example:


We’re 4-handed. I’m first to act with 89 (stack 26370). Villain is in the SB (stack 6185). Blinds 100/200. I open to 550, folds to the SB who calls.

(Pot 1300) FLOP: Q 5 7
SB bets out 200.

Huh??? What do you mean you bet out 200? No, seriously – WHAT…IS…THAT…SUPPOSED…TO…MEAN? You’re trying to sell me on something, right? Is the bet supposed to scare me? I just don’t get it and my response is always the same. I RAISE! AL-FUCKING-WAYS! WHETHER I’VE GOT IT OR I HAVEN’T!

I made it 1200. SB folds. Such an easy way of picking up chips – when they’re practically giving them away.


I took the tournament down after 2 hours and 15 minutes and even though I’m small-ballin’ here, I was pretty excited about the win. I basically outplayed the 17 other guys and I felt it bode well for the future. I was about to find out just how right I was.


The second tournament win in two days happened when I saw a $5 NLHE rebuy event getting ready to start on Mansion Poker. A total of 159 players signed up and I was amongst them.


I got off to a crappy start though. No real hands and I was forced to fold through the first 15-20 hands, but it did give me an opportunity to witness an incredibly aggressive and overly spewy table. I mentally made notes on a few of the players who I thought were especially imbecilic and that would prove useful a bit later.


My first playable hand was A4 which I picked up in the BB (my stack 2935). The villain was in the HJ seat at a 9-handed table (stack 2875) with blinds at 20/40. My stacksize was due to an instant rebuy, whereas the villain had doubled up early – and quite fortuitously so – when his 66 pushed all-in on a flop of A52, was called by AK and then spiked a 6 on the river.

UTG+1 limped, UTG+2 limped along, then fold to villain who made it 240 and fold to me. Given his weak post-flop play and the fact that we were deep, I called here (normally wouldn’t) not giving him credit for much of a hand. UTG+1 called as well, whereas the second limper folded.

(Pot 780) FLOP: 10 6 2
UTG+1 checks, villain bets 600 and given the tournament structure I saw no reason not to shove here with my overcard and flush draw. All-in from me for a total of 2695. UTG+1 folded, but villain snap-called with two queens which held up. Guess I got schooled by the donk (*shrug*) although I’d probably do the same again if the situation were to arise like that once more.


I did a double rebuy and decided to sit back a little and wait for the good cards to find me. My restraint was working perfectly until I found myself in a situation – ripe for exploitation – and had to go for it.


I’m in the SB with 65 (stack 2910) and a whole range of villains are in there as well with varying stack sizes. 10-handed with blinds at 30/60. Went like this: UTG limps, UTG+1 limps, 1 fold, MP1 limps, 3 folds, button limps, I complete and BB checks. 6 players.

(POT 360) FLOP: 4 K 5
I check, BB minimum bets, UTG calls, UTG+1 folds, MP1 calls and the button folds. Back to me.

Something just didn’t feel right. The BB minimum bet lead out was strange. What hand does that I was asking myself and figured it had to be either a monster (set of 4’s possibly) or something weak. Everyone else I wasn’t too worried about. As I said before the table was generally weak and I had no doubts likely holdings for UTG and MP1 could be 22 and Q10. I therefore decided to raise, wanting to see how the BB was going to react. I made it 570 total. The BB folded immediately, whereas the two others called. Now I just needed a good card to follow through.

(POT 2190) TURN: 9
A fairly innocuous looking card and perfect for me to fire at again with my stack of 2280. I shipped it all in and both players folded fairly quickly. Paying attention pays off; apologies for the pun – and it was going to pay off for me again.


An orbit or so later I pick up KQ in MP2 (stack approximately 4500) with blinds at 40/80. It folds to me and I raise to 220 and am called solely by the SB with a stack of 1300. The SB was one of the feeble-minded opponents that I’d made mental notes on at the beginning. Since then he had re-bought twice, but refused to change gears. He had spunk, I'll give him that.

(POT 520) FLOP: 3 10 8
He checked to me and I put out a continuation-bet of 360. He called quickly.

(POT 1240) TURN: 10
He moves all-in for 720. I’m perplexed. Doesn’t make sense – truly doesn’t make sense dude. If you have a 10, I expect you to raise the flop considering your stack, so I can rule that out. If you have an 8, you’re probably not unhappy about the second 10, yet you should still be wary about my holding. I can’t have a 10? – or an overpair? You gain nothing from shoving here. Looks like a draw to me. I called with K-high and felt good about it. He showed Q9 for a gut-shot straight draw and one overcard to the flop. FISTPUMP ONCE! 7 on the river to ship me the pot with K-high = FISTPUMP TWICE!


I’m not going to take you through the rest of the hands that led to my #1 finish as none of them were quite that spectacular. Overall I benefited from everyone else’s mistakes throughout the tournament and played sound poker from start to finish. I came into the final table in 5th place and did actually go on a bit of sweet run, when we were down to 7 (picked up KK and flopped a set with 22) but other than that no suckouts and I attribute my win mainly to grinding it down and staying patient.

First place was $544.05. The first of hopefully many.


Starting bankroll: USD 5,399.22
Session result: USD +643.73
New bankroll: USD 6,042.95
Days left until Aussie Millions 2010: 276

Thanks for reading.