Play the Player

$20.00 buy in and I start off smokin’.  Just getting hand after hand and building up a sizable chip stack.  The cards start cooling so I back off.  Guys starting going all in on next to nothing so I really start slowing down.  (Blinds are increasing every 10 minutes.  The tourney is a feeder for the cash game.)

Memorable hand.  I’m in Seat 1.  Big blind is in Seat 5.  Eight players.  Blinds are at 100 and 200.  I’m looking at 5 /5.  I wanna play.  Seat 8 over the last few hands has been all-inning it with big cards but not (typically) all in hands.  Definitely not, for example, Queens, Kings or Aces.

Action is on Seat 6.  He folds.  Seat 7 folds.  Seat 8 goes all in.  About 1500.  I know this guy.  I know how he plays.  I figure he’s got two big cards, K / Q maybe J / Q.  I like my chances.  The 1500 is maybe a third of my stack, maybe less.  I think I can dodge his cards.  I’m playing the player.  This is not (ordinarily) a top-notch move.  I call with my pocket 5′s.  Seat 2, 3, 4 (little blind) all fold.  Seat 5 calls.

Flop comes x, x, Q.  Not worried about the all inner.  If I’m beat I’m beat.  I’m already in it.  Concerned about Seat 5, the other live player.  I’m ready to fold if necessary since I didn’t see a 5 on the flop.   I check.  He checks.  Hmmmm.

Turn is a Q.  Action is on me.  He checked on the first flopped Queen.  If he had a pair, I would think he would have pushed.  The second Q, if he missed the flop (and it appears that he did),  is no help to him.  That’s my theory anyway.  I test my theory.  I bet out around 1,000.00.  He thinks about it.  Folds.

Heads up, no more betting.  Seat 8 flips Ah 2h.  He has no flush draw and only one card can help him.  I have my little pair.  The river is no help.  He is gone.  I’m smiling and stacking.

Final results.  As it turns out the last four players split the pot.  The dominant player (not me) gets half and the rest of us three split the remaining.  My cut is $56.00  Not bad for a few hours “work.”

More later!  Many happy catches.  In the mean time, play the player!

The Bodog 10 Goal Update

My streak is over at 7.  But, as Sarah Palin says, it’s not time to retreat, it’s time to reload! (Or was that Nugent?)  Either way, starting back at Game 1.

The Bodog 10 Goal

Still have that goal of 10 games in a row. I am off the money tables and on the free money tables. Play money $10,000 tables. Yes, play money. Anyway I am up to 6 consecutive wins. More later.

Bar Poker

So, uh, yea, due to unforeseen circumstances, I have severely curtailed my for-money poker playing. I will say, however, that, while in Austin, I found a “for fun” only “cash” only game at an eating / drinking establishment. For ten bucks, you would get around 5,000 chips and stay as long as you wanted / could. I started playing probably close to 9 or so on Friday night and just intended to stay for an hour or so and damn if I didn’t start winning like crazy. It helped that most of the other players were novices. So it looked like the guy running the table wasn’t associated with the bar, he just came in on spec. The beauty of it for him was that the 10 bucks or whatever (Players could buy in for more or continue to re-buy indefinitely.) was pure profit. (I guess the bar got a slice.) For me, the fun was, hell, for 10 bucks I can play like I’m in Vegas. And it was similar, there were good players, bad players, players coming in, players leaving. But, since there was no real money outcome at stack, the rules were, shall we say, “loose.”

I guess this was this a new venture so the table was brand new, custom built I believe is what the guy said, and the chips were denominated and new.

Guy sitting next to me kept telling his bud how aggressive he was was. But every time I put in a pre-flop raise he b*tched about it and folded his hand. The blinds were 100 and 200 so if I got a good hand, KK, AK, etc., I would put in $1,200.00. It was fine if I got called and fine if everyone folded. One memorable hand I got quad Kings with the guy finally folding at the river to a big bet. Good fold. I showed.

I amassed a sizable stack and played for 3 hours. It was getting close to midnight and I had to finish a board meeting the next day so I was like, I gotta go. I guess I could have just left the chips there but I got a little too aggressive with pocket 8′s (8 on the flop) with the dealer holding a flush and within the next few hands I went all in with KQ with another player holding KK and I was done.

Quad Aces — Again! Seriously?

I am on the cusp of being kicked off the month-end tournament at Scoreboard.  For the second week in a row, I didn’t make it to the final table.  (In a previous post, quad aces beat my full house.)

Two bad hands.  One, I had 7-7 and raised to 300.  Dwayne re-raised all  in for an additional 325.  Everyone else folded, I called.  Dwayne flips 6, 10 unsuited.  (I have been known to joke, but that’s not a joke.)

The flop is Q Q J.  I’m still good.  The turn is a J.  I think I’m still good.  The river is a duece.  As I prepare to scoop the chips, Dwayne says “split pot.”  I have no idea what he is talking about.  Then he says no, no I get it all and starts to scoop.  I’m like, what ? and it dawns on me, two pair on the board, we just played High Card.  My pair is useless.  His ten beat my seven.  I sit in stunned silence while someone calls Dwayne an ***hole.  Finally, about the middle of the next deal, I say, “I’m glad I cried this morning so I don’t have to now.”  A few people laugh.

I am now down to 700 chips.  I wait and wait and wait and finally get pocket Queens.  That’s an instant All In.  Everyone folds except for a fairly decent player a few chairs behind me.  He thinks and ponders and finally decides to call.  He’s got Ace-something.  I’m OK with his call, I think it’s a good decision, good race.  The flop is x, x Ace.  The turn is Ace.  The river is Ace.  I must have angered the poker gods in a previous life.

See ya next week.

FTP Meltdown

I find my aspirational goal of winning 10 games in a row (any forum) shattered to bits, having lost four (4) $1.20 sit-n-go games in a row on Full Tilt Poker.  Lack of concentration; lack of patience.  And a good time to remind oneself that the top 10 hands are AA, KK, AK, QQ, JJ, AQ, 10′s, 9′s, 8′s and 7′s.  Hellmuth suggests you raise and re-raise with these hands pre-flop and fold all others.  That’s right FOLD ALL OTHERS.  Another suggestion is that you should play no more than 50% of your hole cards.  That’s probably a little high.  Disgusted with myself but you can lose more money faster playing roulette.

Burning the House

I usually use these posts to brag.  However, this time I have to give kudos to a fellow player.  For the first time in about a month, I did not reach the final table at Scoreboard.

The game started with roughly six players at each of four tables.  The blinds were 25 / 50.  I was playing some goofy hands and getting paid off, for example, I raised with 7 / 10 and got a straight on the river.  So, I was having fun, building up a quite-nice size stack when I pulled pocket 10′s.  The blinds are now up to 50 /100 and I raise to 300.  Lady across the table re-raises to 600.  I call.  I don’t recall seeing her before and am not sure of her style of play.  She looks peeved.  I had beat her out of a pot before with a big raise on the river (that straight I mentioned, although no one ever saw the hole cards) and I had noticed she was making some huge raises and re-raises.  It came down to only us two players on this hand.

The flop is two aces and a four or nine, something insignificant.  I put a feeler bet out there and she called, seemingly reluctantly to me.  Seemed kind of ticked off.  The turn brought a ten, which is what I was waiting for and I bet around 1200.  She mulled it over and called.  I have a FULL HOUSE now, keep in mind, tens full of aces.  The river is a blank and she bets a thousand.  I have her out-gunned so I count out a thousand and I am having a really hard time figuring out how to put her all in when the guy next to me says 1325.  So, I’m like OK, and add 325.  She calls.

I am quite happy.  I figured she has A-x and she thinks her trip Aces are good.  I (somewhat proudly) turn my cards over and say Full House.  She flips her cards and YEP she has an ace  . . . and another ace.  Pocket rockets burned down the house.  I think she apologized and I said no, no, that is the way you are supposed to play it, good hand.  (Good acting, too.)

I slowed down after that and was eliminated one or two spots from the final table after about 90 minutes of play.  I think I played as well as possible.  Just never considered the possibility of quad aces.  Perhaps I should have slowed down, she certainly could have had an Ace-x with the “x” matching one of the cards on the board to give her a bigger full house, also.  In any event, I got a little too cocky and loose with the chips, over-confident and got burned.  All in a day’s work.

Neglect

Some people have actually read my postings and responded.  I have not been looking at this every day so several comments stacked up.  Sorry.  More poker stuff later.

Scoreboard

Bragging rights.  I play in this no entry fee tournament once a week.  The last four times, I have made it to the final table.  I don’t have an exact count but generally there are 3 tables when the tourney begins of 8 to 9 players.  There are always late-comers so I figure I am competing against roughly 30 players by the end of the night.  It’s difficult to gauge the skill level of the players, myself included.  The setting is a bar and the entry fee is 0.  Regardless, my finishes, in order, over the last 3 weeks have been 8th, 5th and 3rd.  This week (last night), I was determined to improve.

I made it to the final table.  I finished 2nd and finished “in the money.”  (The top two finishers are awarded prizes.)

I have this technique I use on line when I have a decent chip stack size.  Essentially, I stalk the low stack.  I will generally try to isolate the small stack so if I see an opportunity, I will double or triple the blind or just go all in if there are no intervening threats between me and the small stack and the action has folded to me.  I am not talking cards here.  This is just pure strategy.  So, when those elements are present:  action has folded to me, the players in between me and the small stack are non-threatening either because of previous betting patterns or stack size, then I’m going to push the small stack.  Generally, the SS will fold and fold and fold until it’s too late.  He has to go in on anything.  Keep in mind, I am doing this regardless of my hole cards.  Usually when we do flip, it’s two random cards against two random cards.  Usually, against all odds, I win.  I think, although I’m not a mathematician, that, because my potential losses are fairly small and limited, over time, it’s a profitable move.  Again, over time.

Last night was a great example, although it was the first time I tried it at a live table.  Eight at the table.  I’m in middle position.  The action folds to me.  The small stack in the big blind has a total of $600.00 behind, after posting the $100.00 big blind.  There are two players between me and him but I don’t think they’ll come in.  If they do, I will hope for the best.  If they go over the top, I’m out and the small stack will either fold or be in a closer race than what I have.  I have 2, 4.  I bet $700.00 to put the big blind (SS) all in.  I’m pretty much hoping he will fold. The intervening players fold.   He calls.  He has Qc, Jc.

The flop is nothing, FOUR, nothing.  I have to dodge a Jack and a Queen.  The flush draw is dead.  A blank comes on the turn.  The river is a TWO.  Why, thank you very much.   Couple of times I wanted to call big raises just for the “whatever” value but I kept my goal in mind and ended up in 2nd.

Goofy Hands

Every once in a while, I play what I have previously called a “goofy” hand.  I’m in the cut off with an 8, 5 and the guy in the big blind is an extremely loose player.  He has a reputation for it.  Oh, by the way, this is a live tournament, no buy in, kind of, you know, just for points / fun.

I raise with this really goofy hand, I mean, come on, 8 / 5 off suit, ha ha.  But sometimes, ah, sometimes.  Everyone folds except for the loose player in the big blind.

Here comes the flop.  2.  Whatever.  5.  Nice, I have a pair, maybe I can see the turn for free.  5.  Oh my God.  My miracle hit.  The loose player goes all in.  There are three possibilities.  He has a high pocket pair, he has a 5 with a bigger kicker, he has a 2 x.

He probably would have wet his pants if he had a high pocket pair in the big blind and gone all in.  Not that a big pair would bother me.  I think the LIKELIHOOD of him having the case 5 is minimal.  Most likely, he hit a piece of flop with a 2-nothing.  Not that he probably gave it any thought, but if he did, he surely would not have thought I would have raised with any hand that had a FIVE in it.  Again, he is probably not analyzing what I might have, so excited is he that he has TWO PAIR (never mind that one of them is shared) but he might think I’m bullying with two face cards or an A-nothing.

We each flip, I am showing my trips, he is showing his proud little 2.  I say “anything but a two” and someone points out that that would give me a full house so I say, “OK a two is fine.”  Nothing hits the turn or the river (for example, 2-2, ha ha) and I scoop up all his chips.  I lived off of those chips the rest of the night.  No more goofy hands.  Ended up in 3rd out of a starting field of 35 or so, I would estimate.  How you say in this country – good times, good times.