Played the Hustler tournament again last night. Bounced out in 40th. Ugh.
Couple of hands from the tournament and the ring game play afterward.
#1 The tournament
The tournament starts with 2000 chips, 25/25 blinds and 25 minute levels. You can see the structure here...
http://www.tworags.com/files/hustlerwed.htm
As you can see, you really need to speculate a little in the first few rounds and try to build chips because after level 4, it turns into a crapshoot for those without a stack.
It was a 9-handed table and interestingly, three of my key hands involved a stoic, active Asian guy three to my left. In the first one, I'm in the BB with Q2o. Table limps to me (four players including the Asian Guy...aka AG). Flop is Q94 rainbow. SB checks, I check, AG bets two hundred into the $400 pot...button fold, SB folds. AG has been active, stabbing at pots, and I think my Q is probably good so I reraise to $600. AG thinks and calls. I'm thinking he may have a Q but he hates his kicker or fears possible 2-pr BB special from me. Turn is a heart, two hearts on the board. I push for my last $1200, hoping he's got a kicker he hates or a draw. AG goes into the tank and calls with T9h, 2nd pair and flush draw. River is a blank and I take down the pot.
On the one hand, I was happy to take the pot and the table commented on what they perceived to be an aggressive, successful play with top pair, no kicker. But I definitely felt a little awkward because I knew I had to have a hand next time I pushed, because any top pair would probably call me. Not such a good thing if you need to start stealing pots and blinds in 20 minutes.
A few hands later, blinds are at $50/$100 and I was in the cut off with 88. And EP (utg + 2) raiser to $300 had one caller to me. We each had roughly $3000 in chips. I called to see a flop, hoping for an 8...QJT...two clubs. Ugh. EP bets outs, table folds. In retrospect, I think the better play would be to reraise, maybe even all-in. The EP raiser showed and earlier EP raise with AJo and another with KTs. I don't think either guy would've called my push, and if they did I was likely to be 55/45 at worst. Then again, after my Q2 play less than 30 minutes earlier, I'm not sure how much fold equity I had at the table.
Went card dead for 20 minutes or so...blinds are still $50/$100 and the table folds to me with AQo in the cut off. I was a little distracted by table service (server was giving me a bottled water and I was tipping him), and I tossed out a $500 chip, intending to raise, but it was taken as a call since I didn't say "raise" before I acted. AG is in BB and raises another $200. I call. Flop comes Axx rainbow. AG checks. I bet the pot. He pushes (he's got me covered). I call, hoping he doesn't have 2 pr...maybe A9 or AT-ish. Sure enough, he instacalls and shows A8o; he doesn't improve and is now short-stacked. In retrospect, the muffed PF raise probably helped me. AG obviously didn't put me on a bigger A.
About 30-40 minutes later, blinds are at 100/200 with an ante and the herd is getting weeded out. I was in the SB with A8h. Guy two to my left min-raises to $500. AG (now with $1800 or so), pushes. Table folds to me in SB. I'm thinking that guys have to get active, but UTG min-raised and AG pushed...someone has something better than A8h. Plus the UTG guy is still to act, so I fold. UTG looks sheepish and calls with 47c (for $1300 in a $3000 pot) and AG turns over KQo. Of course, an A and pretty much every heart in the deck hit the board. Ugh. Neither guy improved and AG took the pot with K-high. Interestingly, I can understand AG's play, but the other guy was making a stupid move. Note to self, the more garish the sunglasses, headphones and football jersey get up, the stupider the player.
A few hands later, the blinds have increased to $200/$400, and with only $2400, I've got problems. Blinds are hitting me in 2 hands. UTG (a smaller stack than me pushes). I push behind him with AJo, hoping he's moving in with a small pair, KQ or a weaker A. Player behind me calls. Uh oh. Table folds...UTG turns over 88...ok...guy behind me turns over TT...not as bad as it could have been. Unfortunately, I got no help and was out in 40th or so.
In retrospect, if I play the tournament again, I'll be VERY active from hand 1. I was more active this time than last, but I think you pretty much need to get busy from the start. You want to have a nice stack when the blinds hit $200/$400 and the shorties start pushing with anything. Like AJo.
Anyway, on the the ring game.
#2 The Ring Game.
$500 min buy-in NL; no max. Blinds are $5/$10. Table is just spreading, and I sit with $1000. A grey haired guy (aka GHG) I'd seen in the tournament and last week's ring game sits directly to my left when there were at least 3 other seats open. I'm thinking he's got some read on me from the prior week and wants to be right behind me. The rest of the table is a mix of young guys, 1-2 older guys, 1 girl. 8-9 handed.
Table is pretty loose...4-5 to a flop...raises are getting called all around. Everyone pretty much came to play. I see the guy to my left (GHG) show down and win an $800 pot with K7...top pair, no kicker. Everyone else was on draws. I want in those pots but restrain myself. A few hands later I'm UTG + 2 with AJs. I raise to $40 and GHG calls me. Flop comes J84 one club. I bet out $100. GHG reraises me a $100 more. I'm thinking he wants to see where I am with my hand. If he has a set of 4s, 8s, he probably just calls. KJ, QJ, JT, A4 or even 54s, he might be just feeling me out. I call...which, of course, was probably the worst thing I could do. Turn is another 4. I bet out for $200. He pushes instantly. I think for a moment and fold. Kinda pissed me off because I dumped off $500 on the hand, but I didn't want to call an all-in with TPTK to a guy who might have a read on me.
Playing the hand as he did (given the calling range I've seen from him), he could've had
J8s...2 pr
54s...trip 4s
A4s...trip 4s
KJ...thinking I was on AK or AQ
maybe a set of 8s or pockets Qs
Of the group...I was only good against KJ.
In retrospect, the better play would have been to re-raise his raise on my flop bet or fold. On the other hand, I didn't want him thinking he could just reraise my flop bets with impunity. I wanted him to know I could fire a 2nd bullet. Comments?
A few hand later, I'm in MP with KQ clubs. One limper to me. I raise to $40. SB and BB call, original limper calls. Flop is K74 two spades. SB bets $100, BB calls, UTG folds. I reraise to $250. SB folds, BB calls...wtf? I'm thinking he hit a better K or two pair (AK, K7 calling from the BB would not be an unlikely hand at this table) or, more likely, he's on a flush draw since he called the SB post-flop bet with ok implied odds for his flush and then called my re-raise. Turn is, of course, a spade. He checks. I figure I don't want to bet into a made flush, and if he draws out on me so be it...so I check. River is an A. He checks. I check. He shows A3d and takes the pot. In retrospect, I could've reraised harder on the flop or bet the turn, but, other than the bummer result, I'm ok with the hand. If I bet the turn, I have to fold to a reraise, and as it was, he was drawing to 3 outs. Comments?
I did have a couple of fun hands. K4s in the BB. Flop was 744. I would usually bet that flop from the BB but I didn't want to scare off the action so I checked. Table checked around. Turn is the case 4. I checked. GHG bets $80. Table folds around. I call. I bet $100 on the river. He folded.
A few hands later, I had A5h in the big blind. A EP min-raise to $20 got F=five callers in the hand. I call for another $10, $100+ in the pot. Flop brought broadway cards and two hearts. I check. Two betters to me...about $200 in the pot and $60 for me to call...I've got good odds with my 12 outs (3 As, 9 hearts)...so I call. Turn is a heart. I check. One guy pushes for his last $130. Other guy folds. I call. He shows a straight and I take the pot with the nut flush.
After that I was card and position dead for the remainder of the night. Finished the night down $500 or so. Second guessing myself somewhat on the two ring game hands (the AJc and the KQc) but happy I didn't get stacked with marginal hands. Interestingly, I felt more comfortable in the ring game than in the tournament (other than, of course, vomiting a little with GHG pushed on me in the AJs hand!). In the ring game, I repeatedly saw people make big bets with marginal hands or call with lousy drawing odds. Of the 9 people at the table, I'd sit with 6-7 of them anytime with the following strategy...
Tread carefully in multi-way pots, but don't be afraid to play the second nuts. I saw two pr and straights betting into flush boards. Sets betting into 4-card straight boards. Etc.
Bet hard on boards with possible draws.
Don't let GHG sit to my left!
Comments welcomed.
K
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