I suppose primarily my friends back home are to blame, since they’re the ones who encouraged my writing to begin with. There were roughly 16 of us, who would alternately play 10-man-sit’n’gos at my place, on a pretty regular once-a-month basis. USD20 buy-ins, unlimited re-buys, an add-on as well as a USD10 per-player-per-night compulsory contribution for the player-of-the-year pool. So basically “fun stakes” and in reality it was all about bragging rights – outwitting your friends, hero-calling with the slimmest of hands and bluff-check-raising the river if possible.

I’ll paint you a picture of that last possibility. The bluffer wouldn’t subsequently just show the bluffee his cards. Hell no, the person would be getting up – slamming the cards down on the table, double-fistpumping the air and high-fiving anyone willing to back him up. Shit, one of the guys even had an obscene little dance – a pretty annoying pelvis-thrusting-Ricky-Martin-ain’t-got-nothing-on-me looking act you’d be forced to observe if he ever got the better of you. Fuck, those were the good days…!

It was the type of the game, where you were likely to see the typical math-geek (that would be yours truly) rambling about, “…27% equity! – No, hang on, you’ve got 11 outs and you’ve got a possible re-draw, must be 43.71%. Any jack, deuce or spade! Ok, deal the turn!” I was such a poker-dork. You might also run into a player, who – during a hand – would be frantically sifting through PokerForDummies, trying to see whether a straight beats a flush. True story.

Back to the writing bit: Since there were 16 of us, but only one 10-person table, not everyone could play each time, which is why I started putting together tourney reports after each monthly session. At first, this was just an outlet for me, getting the opportunity to trash-talk about everyone, name-call (“uber-donk” & “dim-witted retard” still come to mind) but ultimately also summarize the action as accurately and humorously as I could. The reporting caught on and soon a summary email was expected from me, leading to disconcerted emails, if I didn’t deliver within a day or two.

And finally, here we are – present day. I still love writing about poker, still love it when other people enjoy what I write and only wish that I can keep up both playing and writing forever. Speaking of which, I’ve come up with a new blog topic which I’ll delve into as soon as I finish up this one. It’ll be an account of sorts, in which I try to detail what I do and don’t do well in poker. Obviously, one should be a hell of a lot longer than the other. Until next time.

Bankroll: USD 6,553.13
Days left until Aussie Millions 2010: 226

For those of you who have been following this blog and my progress, thanks a lot for your interest and support. For anyone just coming into this blog, I thought it might be a good idea to briefly re-cap my goals, rules and progress thus far. As stated, I’ll keep the re-cap short and focus more on stats & profit.

It’s been approximately 2 months since my first blog and from the rather detailed excel spreadsheet that I use to keep score, I can see that I – in that time - have entered a total of 198 MTT & STTs. Time to see whether I’m even semi-decent at this poker-thing. First a bullet-point-look at the challenge and the rules:


CHALLENGE DETAILS + PROGRESS

a) Overall Goal: Win enough money to buy into Aussie Millions (main event, obviously – but prelims as well)

b) Starting bankroll: USD 5K (this is my ‘own’ money – i.e. not money won playing poker)

c) Game selection: Only MTTs and STTs. No turbo tourneys though. No cash games.

d) Bankroll Mngt: “100 BUY-IN RULE”. This refers to overall investment, i.e. 5K bankroll does not permit $50+5 tourneys, nor does it allow for $20 rebuys (I don’t NOT rebuy/addon). Strict adherence hereto.

e) Focus: No more than 3 tables at a time

f) Writing: Twice-a-week blog report



I’ve been pretty happy with the way things have gone so far. I’ve stuck to all of my rules with one exception – the focus part. I admit that I have at times played more than 3 tables simultaneously and fortunately, so far, with just as much success as 3 tables. 5 is however my limit. I don’t have double-monitors set up in my office, so all my play is on a laptop screen and that sets a natural limit.


The frequency of my blog-reports has been fairly unstable, but the overall number (once I post this) stands at 15 in this – my 8th week of the challenge, so I’m pretty happy with that. Sometimes there’s just nothing interesting to blog about.


RESULTS

$4.40-180’s played: 21
Result: $-7.44
ITM finish: 3/21 = 14%
Final tables: 2/21 = 10%

- I wrote in a previous blog, that I’d never played these 180-person tourneys and a kind reader alerted me to the fact that the opposition is a lot better than the buy-in amount points to. I still think some of the plays I’ve seen were pretty atrocious, but it is true that the later stage of these tournaments has a very high percentage of good players, considering the stakes. I’m not exactly getting crushed over this puny sample size, but maybe I don’t need to prove myself in these tourneys? Think I’ll have to try a few more, before I throw in the towel.



STTs played: 82
Average buy-in: $15.89
Result: $+136.70
ITM finish: 26/82 = 32%

- So, I play quite a few STTs, as I don’t always have the time to commit to a full-length MTT. I will probably be playing more from now on, but will move to the higher buy-in ones, preferably the $20 and $30 tourneys. I definitely feel like my profitability should be more than a buck-sixty per game.



Double-stack STTs played: 6
Average buy-in: $11.67
Result: $+63.00
ITM finish: 4/6 = 66%

- I feel there’s a huge difference between a sitngo with a normal starting stack and the ones that start you off with double, so much that I’m not including the double-stacks in the STT stats. This is no sample size obviously, but I feel like my edge in these is pretty good. Unfortunately, not too many of them around.



MTTs played: 89
Average buy-in: $21.64 (includes rebuys+addons)
Result: $+1,360.87
ITM finish: 29/89 = 32%
Final tables: 11/89 = 12%

- I have been crushing. That’s what it feels like anyway. Especially in the last couple of weeks. I think my ITM-finish percentage is just about as good as anyone’s and my final table presence is obviously rock-fucking-solid. Yep, I’m bragging, but hell – I’ve deserved it! The next step will be to cover myself in run-good-lotion for the next final table and actually get another win soon.


OVERALL PROFIT: $1,553.13


Boys and girls, that’s it for me this time – hopefully more successful shenanigans and efficacious escapades to report about, next time I see you.

Till then – thanks for reading.


Bankroll: USD 6,553.13
Days left until Aussie Millions 2010: 239

I just finished watching the Cavs sweep the Hawks in the conference semifinals. I love watching the game, but to be quite honest my knowledge of it is limited, so any predictions I provide here are to be taken lightly. That being said, they sure do look like a championship team to me. I love that their big guy Ilgauskas has a 3-point jump shot in his arsenal, the tenacity with which Varejao gets the offensive rebounds is remarkable and the combo-threat of Williams and West is ridiculous. Oh yeah, their last player is supposedly pretty good as well... hmmm, big guy with tattoos on both arms – has a strange affinity for throwing chalk in the air. Damn it, name escapes me… what can you do.


Anyway, not what this blog entry is supposed to be about! As the title denotes, I went deep and collected some dough during one of my recent MTTs. At Mansion Poker I entered the $7.70, 5K guaranteed rebuy tournament and took 3rd from a starting field of 291. It provided a payday of 600 dollars and 60 cents. First place was actually within reach, but I chose a marginal spot for my last hand (was getting a little antsy) and oh well, couldn’t make it work.


I’m sifting through the hand history, looking for unusual/key hands and have found a few, but what really springs to mind about this tournament is the unusually short-stacked structure (considering it’s a rebuy). I guess you can attribute it to tight play around the bubble, but basically everyone was playing 15BB stacks by the time we got down to 3-4 tables and right up until the end. As many online pros have pointed out (articles I’ve read), it’s an element you need to master, but… hell – it’s just not as much fun as when you actually get to see a flop once in a while.


With this score – as well as a few timely STT money-spots I’ve been picking up recently, I’ve now moved my bankroll into the “$22 1R1A” range. When I started the challenge I declared my intention to maintain rigorous bankroll management policies and I’ve stuck to all of my rules so far. One key one was (and is) the 100 buy-in rule. As the $221R1A tourneys prompt a likely $62 investment, it requires at least $6200 in my roll and only now do I have the funds necessary to take that shot… - and I’m psyched to do so!


Key hands from the tournament:

Hand1: 10-handed and I’m MP1 with 58 (stack 3000). Blinds have just gone up to 15/30. At this point I’ve been quiet for the initial 10 hands of the tourney and have seen the typical outrageously poor play that characterizes early stages of low-buy-in rebuy tournaments. As a result, I decide to get involved in this spot.

UTG folds, UTG+1 calls – so does UTG+2 and it’s on me. I decide to raise it up and make it 140. Raising limpers – especially from early-ish position – usually commands a ton of respect, so when we’re playing deep I tend to do it quite often. Folds to the HJ who calls and folds back to the two limpers, who both call.

(Pot 605) FLOP: K 5 4
This is about as good a flop as I can hope for. The king is very likely to have hit me, in the eyes of my opponents and if someone decides to call me on this flop, I actually have a little something with potential. I bet 400 and everyone folds.

Note: In this spot – with 3 callers – if I completely whiff the flop AND it hits in a way that is very likely to have hit my opponents range (say, QJ8) I’ll probably just check and give it up. This has the added advantage of me not becoming too predictable. The next time I raise with e.g. AQ, my c-bet on the K96 flop will probably garner enough respect for me to take it down.


I’m going through the hands and am currently at the 250/500/a50 blind level. NOT a single interesting hand played at this point. It’s completely standard play all the way. Raise AJ from MP, get a call from the blinds. Flop is KQ4 – he leads for 80% of the pot, so I fold. (*shrug*) Another hand, I raise QQ from LP when it’s folded to me (yeah, who fucking doesn’t!?!? – not interesting) and everyone folds. Yippee. I check my K9 hand from the BB with four limpers. Flop comes 726 and I lead at the pot. Short-stack shoves his remaining chips in and I obviously call (was being laid 8-1 to the pot) hit a king and outrun his J7. There you go. That represented about 90 minutes of play.


Yawn… Now I’ve gotten to the 500/1000/a100 level and all of a sudden I’m shoving A3 suited from the CO with a 9BB stack. Such a boring tournament, now that I’m reviewing it. No fun. Just paying attention to stack sizes, stealing and re-stealing when appropriate (and getting away with it – important to note) and generally waiting for a good spot.


Oops… wow. I had completely forgotten about this next hand. Guess that just corroborates what everyone always says – you remember the hands where someone sucks out on you, but for whatever reason – your brain decides to selectively delete the ones where you get lucky. This is one such hand.

Blinds are now at 800/1600/a160 and I’m sitting with a puny stack of 7700 chips. I’m in MP1 with Q9 and when it folds to me, I decide I can wait no longer. I’m all-in. The HJ insta-calls, everyone else folds and there it is – two kings. Fuck me. SPADES! Goooo SPADES!

Flop comes down: 54A. Well, no luck with the spades. If it were live, I would be up – out of my seat, probably already shaking everyone’s hand. Turn: 2. Could it be? Really? River: 3. Seeing the history has jogged my memory and I remember laughing out loud, when the river hit. Damn. I’m obviously a luck-box.


I proceed to pick up blinds & antes a few hands later with 77, then double up with AK vs KJ and ultimately I pick off a short-stack when I raise A9, he shoves and I call to beat his A5. How quickly things can change. My stack thereafter allows me to open-raise a bit wider, which – with the overall tight play – pads my stack nicely. No interesting hands until we get down to the last 2 tables – blinds now at 1500/3000/a300.


I’m in the BB with TT (stack approx. 64K) and am surprisingly one of the largest stacks at this 9-handed table. After UTG folds, UTG+1 shoves for 24K. It folds to the button who calls all-in for his 11K stack. I only really have UTG+1 to worry about and make what is essentially a very easy call. UTG+1 shows K8 and the button reveals 77. Even though it comes 586, disaster never strikes and I cruise to the final table from there.


And that’s it boys and girls. Nothing else happened that you haven’t heard about or seen a thousand times before. Anyone out there who doesn’t raise AK on the final table? Didn’t think so. Anyone not fold 6h3h UTG, 8-handed? I rest my case. Oh yeah – the last hand. Well, I’m in the SB with KT (blinds 15K/30K/a3K) and I shoved my 320K stack into the BB who was sitting on a 350K stack. There’s a bit of history behind this shove, but essentially I’ve got a fold-or-shove hand here I think. A min-raise might be effective against some timid players, but this guy wasn’t that at all. Anyway, he called with A8 and flopped an ace – guess I’d run out of luck at that point. :-)


May your upcoming sessions be fruitful. Thanks for reading.


Bankroll: USD 6,407.30
Days left until Aussie Millions 2010: 253

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.