Played a wild session last night in the 2-5 pot-limit, ending down $170.
Lost my first buy-in with top pair vs. someone who had limped AA. OK.
Buy back in for 700. Hanging around. Open Q2c in late position. New player in big blind only caller. Flop T96, two clubs. Not too bad. Check, I bet 40. He calls, probably with top pair or a draw.
Turn offsuit 8. He checks. He has only about 160 left and has been playing pretty conservatively. I believe he will save his last money and fold top pair or a draw if I bet the pot again, representing a big pair.
I bet 120, and he tanks for about 30 seconds. Then, he confidently raises all-in for his last 40 or so. I'm caught, but I call, of course, and river nothing. He turns over A7.
Wow. How can he call 40 on the flop with a gutshot with only 160 or so behind? Even if he thinks the ace is good, he's not going to get action from me if the ace comes and he bets. An ace or 8 were the only cards that could lose the pot for me, and the 8 was the only one that could double him up.
My hole cards are irrelevant. It's not like he's going to call the turn with A-high, and it was kind of sick that his gin card turned off. I also didn't like that he "fake tanked" when he should have known that I would have to call his last money no matter what.
Right after this hand, the game breaks from two 6-handed tables to one full game. I have about 300 or so left.
As anyone reading this blog knows, I have not been a happy poker camper lately. The game does not excite me anymore. When we broke down to one table, the host called me into another room to confront me. He said I'm the only one in the game he cares about, and he hates to see me just "dwindle away."
He references a few hands that he thinks I played badly. I don't think his analysis of all the hands is correct, but he does have a point, I think, that I have been playing too passively, especially before the flop. It is making it harder for me to represent big hands after the flop and take down some nice pots with a bet. I am also not building pots with my best hands.
Earlier in the conversation, I said, "I couldn't care less if I ever play another hand." He's a little shocked by this and says, "What's stopping you? If you want to quit, then quit. If you're going to play, then fucking PLAY."
I return to the table from the pep talk and immediately double through the host, set over set. We both smile.
Then my other friend in the game, who is also a dealer, joins the game after his shift is over. We have spent a good deal of time talking about poker, and I have really tried to help his game. He has rarely played above 1-2 no-limit. He is in his mid-20s and has mostly worked a string of shitty jobs to stay afloat.
He wants to be a professional player so bad, but he has never had the money to dream of putting a plan into action. Once he started dealing a couple months ago, he finally has the money to play some bigger games (for him) and try to build a real bankroll.
He loses a couple pots and has about 220 when this hand starts. The host straddles to 10, and I open 99 for 40. My friend cold-calls, and everyone else folds. The flop comes TT8, I bet 60, and my friend goes all-in. I'm pretty sure he would reraise JJ or better before the flop to ensure we got heads up. He could also easily put me on AK or AQ and raise with a lower pocket pair than mine. In other words, if he doesn't have the T, I think I'm good, and it's only another 100 or so.
I call. The board rolls out 6, Q. "I have a queen," he says, and tables QJo. I'm a little stunned, stunned he cold-called before the flop with QJo, and stunned he decided to try and put a move on me after the flop, when he should have realized he didn't have a lot of fold equity.
So, I'm back down to about 500. A couple hands later, I double through another player with a set against his flush draw, to draw slightly ahead for the night at 1100. I'm also bemoaning the fact that I lost the pot vs. QJ because I would have had more money to double through the big stack with the set.
Now, my friend opens UTG+1, and I defend the big blind with 86h. Flop comes J86. Check, he bets 40, I make it 160, expecting to take it down right there.
There is no softplay in poker and no friends at the poker table. That is a rule I believe in. But I also don't mind letting my friend know that he is beat. Not verbally, of course, but with my bet. He calls, and I think, "Well, his overpair is toast."
Turn 7, and I bet close to the whole pot, 325. I'm not trying to price him in, look weak, anything. I am screaming (in poker terms), "Get out!" He goes all-in for about 400 more. (He had won some more pots in between the hands we played.)
I call, expecting to beat AA, KK or QQ, or maybe lose to JJ. River is a 9. "Two pair," I say. "Straight," he says, and tables 75o.
I'm shocked. I have just lost 800 to him and am now back to 300. I shake my head, visibly pissed.
I have about given up and am ready to steam off my last money. But the game is now 6-handed, and my aggression actually makes me play better. I make some hands, take some down with raises after the flop, bust one player and finish with 870, down just 130.
I talk to my friend after the game. He apologizes right away, and we have it out. It's every man for himself in a poker game. He put his money in, and I had every chance to take it. (I was almost a 3-1 favorite in the QJ hand and nearly a 3.5-1 fave in the 75o hand.)
What I explained to him was that this was not our .25-.50 home game. I was not going to check-raise him, make him fold and then show a bluff and laugh.
I'm not upset that he put his money in against me. If he had a big pair and drew out against the 86, I wouldn't have been upset at all, other than the frustration of losing a big pot.
I was upset that he personalized the game, shoving twice with what he knew for a fact was the worst hand, trying to suck out on me, just so that I wouldn't been seen bluffing or bullying him.
He is not an expert. (And, of course, neither am I, though I am more sophisticated than him.) His thought process in the first hand was "Two overcards and gutshot, maybe he has nothing, push." In the second hand, it was, "Mix it up, raise 75. Flop straight draw, have to call raise, turn pair, now can't give up, I have too many outs, suckout, winner."
What he failed to realize was his lack of fold equity, and especially in the second hand, the fact that I would not bet that much on the turn without a very strong hand. He stands to lose a lot of money in that game if he doesn't analyze each situation, instead of just looking at his hand.
He was so sorry, he offered to give the money back to me. Of course, I laughed and declined. He's a good guy, and I hope he makes it.
The host called me today to tell me how much better I played after I lost those big pots. I'm not sure how true that is, but it's nice to hear.
Poker can be a very lonely thing, but it helps to have friends, at and away from the table.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
Devastation
I have taken some time to write about Sunday's disaster.
All of my Saturday night optimism and then some were wiped out over short tournament and LONG cash sessions Sunday.
A field of 44 players entered the $400 tournament. We had five rebuys for a total first prize of $7,000. This was something worth winning.
But I never got any traction. My high point was 10,400. We started with 10,000, by the way. I got unlucky in some hands and played a couple hands poorly.
Quick synopsis:
1. 50-100. Limp in multi-way pot on button with 64h. Flop 962, two hearts. Bingo. Loose but stubborn player bets out near pot size from big blind. Everyone else folds, and I decide to call, thinking he will not fold top pair. Turn is an offsuit ace, and he bets about the same amount. I raise, thinking he is weak, then he minimum re-raises me.
I am pissed that I have now built a large pot on the turn with a drawing hand, but I have to call now. River blank. He thinks, then checks. I don't think I can make him fold. I check, and he shows AJo. I misread the hand because I couldn't believe he would lead out with just A-high, no draw, into four opponents on the flop. Oh well.
2. 50-100. Last hand of the level, last hand for rebuys. With about 7K, I raise to 300 UTG with AKs. One caller on the button. Flop A82, rainbow. I bet 500, she calls. Turn 8. I check-call 600. River 3 (no flush possible). I check-call 800. She has A8. Christ. Lost the minimum, though.
3. 100-200. Folded to me, raise in middle position to 500 with KTh. Player from hand 1 makes it 1000. He doesn't raise a lot preflop, so I am looking to flop a monster on him. Heads-up to flop. It comes T-high, and I choose to forgo my clear read preflop and check-call two moderate bets from him on the flop and turn, and probably would have again on the river, except he checked his AA.
Blah. Just convinced myself he could have 99 or AK. Stupid.
4. 100-200. Two limpers to me, I jam 2050 on button with A8h. Blinds fold, first limper folds, second limper with decent amount of chips says, "I'll double you up," and calls with 76o. 7 on turn ends my day, 37th of 44.
So, things definitely did not go well. But I calm myself down and start the 2-5 pot-limit game with a good field I can expect to do well against.
I proceed to have one of the coldest runs to start a session I have had in a while. We are playing 6-handed, and I have barely seen a playable hand. The ones I do open with or call with miss the flop. Sometimes I take it with a bet, sometimes not. I dwindle to about 225 from my 300 starting stack, then open AK UTG. Two callers. Flop AQT, two spades. I bet 75, one caller, who could easily have Ax or a draw. Turn offsuit 7. I go all-in. He has the complete joint, KJs. No chop for me on river.
Rebuy for 300. Same as first buy-in, finally making a stand, squeezing a raiser and two callers with 77. I haven't played a hand in a while, so I'm shocked when both call. I ship my last 50 in on a 9-high flop, both call. Turn A. One of callers has AK.
Little mad now. Stacks are deep, so I rebuy for 1000. I did not plan to be 1600 deep in this game. Play and play and play and play, finally getting up to more than 1300, leaving me about 300 short from even.
Open AK UTG. Three callers. Flop AK4, two diamonds. I bet 80, call, call, fold. Turn offsuit 2. I bet 350. Fold, call from the tightest player in the game.
I am shocked by this. This guy is squeaky tight. On the flop, I assumed he had AQ or AJ, thinking I was making a continuation bet and the player in between was on a flush draw. Now, that is out the window. He would not make this call without two pair or better, and he wouldn't have K4. All he can have is AK, 44 or A4 suited. One crushes me, one ties me, one I crush him.
Just because he doesn't move in doesn't mean he couldn't have 44, either. He would give me lots of credit for this big turn bet, and would be afraid of AA or KK.
River 6. I check, he jams for 506. I yell, "FUCK!" shocking the rest of the table. I give it a good two-minute think. Thinking clearly, I don't think he would bet A4 here, maybe not AK.
I say out loud a couple times, "It must be a set of fours." I call anyway, and he shows me a set of fours.
I haven't been that devastated in a long time. I played all day to take a cooler, but the worst part was, I read the situation right and didn't have the psychological strength to save that 500. That 500 meant something to me, and I threw it away, trying to convince myself that he could have AK or maybe, in my wildest, hopeful dream, A4.
My emotions have been going up and down a lot lately, and right now it's hard to go too much lower.
I'm playing tonight. I'm either going to book a win or go broke in my seat.
I have to make something happen.
All of my Saturday night optimism and then some were wiped out over short tournament and LONG cash sessions Sunday.
A field of 44 players entered the $400 tournament. We had five rebuys for a total first prize of $7,000. This was something worth winning.
But I never got any traction. My high point was 10,400. We started with 10,000, by the way. I got unlucky in some hands and played a couple hands poorly.
Quick synopsis:
1. 50-100. Limp in multi-way pot on button with 64h. Flop 962, two hearts. Bingo. Loose but stubborn player bets out near pot size from big blind. Everyone else folds, and I decide to call, thinking he will not fold top pair. Turn is an offsuit ace, and he bets about the same amount. I raise, thinking he is weak, then he minimum re-raises me.
I am pissed that I have now built a large pot on the turn with a drawing hand, but I have to call now. River blank. He thinks, then checks. I don't think I can make him fold. I check, and he shows AJo. I misread the hand because I couldn't believe he would lead out with just A-high, no draw, into four opponents on the flop. Oh well.
2. 50-100. Last hand of the level, last hand for rebuys. With about 7K, I raise to 300 UTG with AKs. One caller on the button. Flop A82, rainbow. I bet 500, she calls. Turn 8. I check-call 600. River 3 (no flush possible). I check-call 800. She has A8. Christ. Lost the minimum, though.
3. 100-200. Folded to me, raise in middle position to 500 with KTh. Player from hand 1 makes it 1000. He doesn't raise a lot preflop, so I am looking to flop a monster on him. Heads-up to flop. It comes T-high, and I choose to forgo my clear read preflop and check-call two moderate bets from him on the flop and turn, and probably would have again on the river, except he checked his AA.
Blah. Just convinced myself he could have 99 or AK. Stupid.
4. 100-200. Two limpers to me, I jam 2050 on button with A8h. Blinds fold, first limper folds, second limper with decent amount of chips says, "I'll double you up," and calls with 76o. 7 on turn ends my day, 37th of 44.
So, things definitely did not go well. But I calm myself down and start the 2-5 pot-limit game with a good field I can expect to do well against.
I proceed to have one of the coldest runs to start a session I have had in a while. We are playing 6-handed, and I have barely seen a playable hand. The ones I do open with or call with miss the flop. Sometimes I take it with a bet, sometimes not. I dwindle to about 225 from my 300 starting stack, then open AK UTG. Two callers. Flop AQT, two spades. I bet 75, one caller, who could easily have Ax or a draw. Turn offsuit 7. I go all-in. He has the complete joint, KJs. No chop for me on river.
Rebuy for 300. Same as first buy-in, finally making a stand, squeezing a raiser and two callers with 77. I haven't played a hand in a while, so I'm shocked when both call. I ship my last 50 in on a 9-high flop, both call. Turn A. One of callers has AK.
Little mad now. Stacks are deep, so I rebuy for 1000. I did not plan to be 1600 deep in this game. Play and play and play and play, finally getting up to more than 1300, leaving me about 300 short from even.
Open AK UTG. Three callers. Flop AK4, two diamonds. I bet 80, call, call, fold. Turn offsuit 2. I bet 350. Fold, call from the tightest player in the game.
I am shocked by this. This guy is squeaky tight. On the flop, I assumed he had AQ or AJ, thinking I was making a continuation bet and the player in between was on a flush draw. Now, that is out the window. He would not make this call without two pair or better, and he wouldn't have K4. All he can have is AK, 44 or A4 suited. One crushes me, one ties me, one I crush him.
Just because he doesn't move in doesn't mean he couldn't have 44, either. He would give me lots of credit for this big turn bet, and would be afraid of AA or KK.
River 6. I check, he jams for 506. I yell, "FUCK!" shocking the rest of the table. I give it a good two-minute think. Thinking clearly, I don't think he would bet A4 here, maybe not AK.
I say out loud a couple times, "It must be a set of fours." I call anyway, and he shows me a set of fours.
I haven't been that devastated in a long time. I played all day to take a cooler, but the worst part was, I read the situation right and didn't have the psychological strength to save that 500. That 500 meant something to me, and I threw it away, trying to convince myself that he could have AK or maybe, in my wildest, hopeful dream, A4.
My emotions have been going up and down a lot lately, and right now it's hard to go too much lower.
I'm playing tonight. I'm either going to book a win or go broke in my seat.
I have to make something happen.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Satellite MANIA!!
Just kidding. Going for a dramatic effect there.
But I did take down a satellite for tomorrow's $400 tournament on my second try today. The single-table satellites are $90 with two winners receiving $400 each or a seat in tomorrow's event.
I went out 7th in the first one, running AJc into A9o for nearly a quarter of the chips in play, all-in preflop. Turn 9.
Built up beautifully in the second one. Blinds 25/50, an aggressive player overbets under the gun to 300. Three people call ahead of me, and I am thinking, "What the fuck are all these people calling nearly a quarter of their stacks with in the first round?"
Then I look down at 88 and join the party. With everyone in, I am playing, "no set, no bet," but looking to bust the UTG player. Flop comes a glorious Q84 with two hearts. The UTG player bets out 600 into the 1575 pot. Everyone folds to me.
The UTG player and I have some history of playing each other hard, and he knows I am willing to bluff-raise, and especially semi-bluff-raise with my draws. He will do the same to me.
So I have an easy all-in for 1100 more. When he hesitates, I am a little pissed because I think now he might save the last half of his stack, fold AK and play on.
Instead, he shrugs his shoulders and calls with A9c. The one club on the flop gives me visions of a runner-runner nightmare, but he is dead on the turn when he makes a pair, 9d.
I now have more than a quarter of the chips in play and plan to be here for a while. I fold for a round, then knock out 40 percent of my stack when I raise with KQ, then set a caller all-in for 1600 on a 9-high flop. He makes a good? call with AQ and I miss the three-outer.
I am not down for long, however. I pick up JJ and bust my friend when he comes over the top of me with KQ, hoping I am weak. I win the race, and he's where he belongs, on the rail. (Nothing like playing your friends in poker)
I let the short stacks settle themselves out when we are 6-handed, picking up the blinds at least once a round to make sure my stack doesn't go down. I get three-handed with the aggressive UTG player (who made a huge comeback with just a couple hundred chips after losing the early hand to me) and one of the house dealers, who had filled a seat in the satellite.
The dealer is outchipped, but gets the aggressive player to double him up drawing dead with king-high vs. the dealer's flush.
These two are bound to collide, and I make sure to just maintain my stack until the dealer finally finishes the guy off to give us both the win.
So, long post short, I'm in the $400 tournament for $180. Not bad.
Hoping to run well tomorrow and pick up the big score.
But I did take down a satellite for tomorrow's $400 tournament on my second try today. The single-table satellites are $90 with two winners receiving $400 each or a seat in tomorrow's event.
I went out 7th in the first one, running AJc into A9o for nearly a quarter of the chips in play, all-in preflop. Turn 9.
Built up beautifully in the second one. Blinds 25/50, an aggressive player overbets under the gun to 300. Three people call ahead of me, and I am thinking, "What the fuck are all these people calling nearly a quarter of their stacks with in the first round?"
Then I look down at 88 and join the party. With everyone in, I am playing, "no set, no bet," but looking to bust the UTG player. Flop comes a glorious Q84 with two hearts. The UTG player bets out 600 into the 1575 pot. Everyone folds to me.
The UTG player and I have some history of playing each other hard, and he knows I am willing to bluff-raise, and especially semi-bluff-raise with my draws. He will do the same to me.
So I have an easy all-in for 1100 more. When he hesitates, I am a little pissed because I think now he might save the last half of his stack, fold AK and play on.
Instead, he shrugs his shoulders and calls with A9c. The one club on the flop gives me visions of a runner-runner nightmare, but he is dead on the turn when he makes a pair, 9d.
I now have more than a quarter of the chips in play and plan to be here for a while. I fold for a round, then knock out 40 percent of my stack when I raise with KQ, then set a caller all-in for 1600 on a 9-high flop. He makes a good? call with AQ and I miss the three-outer.
I am not down for long, however. I pick up JJ and bust my friend when he comes over the top of me with KQ, hoping I am weak. I win the race, and he's where he belongs, on the rail. (Nothing like playing your friends in poker)
I let the short stacks settle themselves out when we are 6-handed, picking up the blinds at least once a round to make sure my stack doesn't go down. I get three-handed with the aggressive UTG player (who made a huge comeback with just a couple hundred chips after losing the early hand to me) and one of the house dealers, who had filled a seat in the satellite.
The dealer is outchipped, but gets the aggressive player to double him up drawing dead with king-high vs. the dealer's flush.
These two are bound to collide, and I make sure to just maintain my stack until the dealer finally finishes the guy off to give us both the win.
So, long post short, I'm in the $400 tournament for $180. Not bad.
Hoping to run well tomorrow and pick up the big score.
A flush draw gets there
Good step in the right direction tonight.
After donking off a nice stack in the rebuy tournament, I came back to book a $940 win in the 2-5 game. That takes the pressure off putting up $400 for Sunday's big tournament.
I won a couple pots and lost a couple to start the game and was hanging around even. I limped in a straddled pot with the field with 87h. The flop came down K53 with two hearts. Three players checked to me, and I tried to take down the pot with a $55 bet into the $70 pot.
A loose player behind me raised most of his stack, and then another player moved all-in. We all started the hand with around $300. I was prepared to fold to the one player, but getting them both in there changed things.
Now I would be getting over 3-1 on my money. (Having to call about $220 into a pot of about $670.) I called my money off, the raiser followed suit, as I expected, and I rivered the 6 of hearts to beat their two pair. (K5 for the original raiser, 53 for the other player)
That put me nicely in the win column. I held steady and won a couple small pots before putting the cherry on top of my win.
One player limped, and I raised ATc. Two players behind me called, along with the limper. The flop came A43 rainbow. The first player checked, and I did something I almost never do and checked as well.
I am a regular continuation bettor (betting on the flop after raising before the flop, regardless of what the flop is). And my opponents may not know this, but I have almost never raised before the flop, then checked on the flop when it helped me.
The few times I have not made a continuation bet, I have always had nothing and had given up the pot.
I changed that up in this pot. One player behind me checked, and the last player, who is also the most likely to know that I always make continuation bets if I have something, bet the whole pot, $85.
He could very well just call my raise with AQ or AJ, but he would also call with a lot of smaller suited aces as well. When I check, he is also capable of trying to take the pot away from me.
I was his only caller. The turn was a K, completing the rainbow. I checked and he checked. The river was an A. If I bet, he will call me with any ace, but he will also raise me with full houses that I will probably pay off, given how the hand was played. If he was bluffing on the flop, he will obviously fold.
I checked, and he bet the whole pot, $255. I studied for about half a minute (mainly to make it appear that I would consider folding to big river bluffs in the future), then called.
He didn't say anything, and I knew I was good. "Full house?" I asked. He shook his head, and I tabled my hand.
So he was definitely bluffing, and my river check turned out to be the absolute best play on this hand.
I'm feeling good. I'm going to try and win this son of a bitch on Sunday.
After donking off a nice stack in the rebuy tournament, I came back to book a $940 win in the 2-5 game. That takes the pressure off putting up $400 for Sunday's big tournament.
I won a couple pots and lost a couple to start the game and was hanging around even. I limped in a straddled pot with the field with 87h. The flop came down K53 with two hearts. Three players checked to me, and I tried to take down the pot with a $55 bet into the $70 pot.
A loose player behind me raised most of his stack, and then another player moved all-in. We all started the hand with around $300. I was prepared to fold to the one player, but getting them both in there changed things.
Now I would be getting over 3-1 on my money. (Having to call about $220 into a pot of about $670.) I called my money off, the raiser followed suit, as I expected, and I rivered the 6 of hearts to beat their two pair. (K5 for the original raiser, 53 for the other player)
That put me nicely in the win column. I held steady and won a couple small pots before putting the cherry on top of my win.
One player limped, and I raised ATc. Two players behind me called, along with the limper. The flop came A43 rainbow. The first player checked, and I did something I almost never do and checked as well.
I am a regular continuation bettor (betting on the flop after raising before the flop, regardless of what the flop is). And my opponents may not know this, but I have almost never raised before the flop, then checked on the flop when it helped me.
The few times I have not made a continuation bet, I have always had nothing and had given up the pot.
I changed that up in this pot. One player behind me checked, and the last player, who is also the most likely to know that I always make continuation bets if I have something, bet the whole pot, $85.
He could very well just call my raise with AQ or AJ, but he would also call with a lot of smaller suited aces as well. When I check, he is also capable of trying to take the pot away from me.
I was his only caller. The turn was a K, completing the rainbow. I checked and he checked. The river was an A. If I bet, he will call me with any ace, but he will also raise me with full houses that I will probably pay off, given how the hand was played. If he was bluffing on the flop, he will obviously fold.
I checked, and he bet the whole pot, $255. I studied for about half a minute (mainly to make it appear that I would consider folding to big river bluffs in the future), then called.
He didn't say anything, and I knew I was good. "Full house?" I asked. He shook his head, and I tabled my hand.
So he was definitely bluffing, and my river check turned out to be the absolute best play on this hand.
I'm feeling good. I'm going to try and win this son of a bitch on Sunday.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Kissing your sister
Well, the Last Gasp 2007 tour didn't exactly get off to a rousing start, but it could have been worse.
I finished a 3 1/2-hour session of 2-5 pot-limit hold 'em down $5, which was better than it seems after being stuck $300 in my first 10 minutes of play. I got stacked right off the bat when someone flopped a set on my overpair. I still had an opportunity to play well and get away from it, but I didn't.
I rebought and began a slow climb back to even. One interesting hand that I won, but I probably misplayed, perhaps badly:
Playing 7-handed, everyone limps and I come along on the button with 76d. Flop is gin, Q54 with two diamonds. A bad player in the big blind leads into the $35 pot for $10. I am prepared to raise him through the roof, but everyone folds to the cutoff, the tightest player in the game, who raises it to $30.
I'm obviously not going anywhere, but what should I do? Based on the cutoff's previous play and this small raise, he could easily have a set. Of course, I am not in bad shape at all against a set, but I would prefer not to make a big raise and put all my money in as a (small) dog against a hand that will definitely call me.
I cold-call $30, and the big blind comes along. I make my hand on the turn, Kd. I'm waiting for them both to check to me, but the tight player shocks me and leads out for $40.
What is going on? Did he raise on the flop with the nut flush draw? I think calling is the right play here. I don't think I can make a better hand fold or a worse hand call if I raise (maybe a non-nut flush will fold since I have a tight image, but I doubt it). I call, big blind folds.
The board pairs with the Qs on the river. The tight player thinks, then checks. I still feel like I could be beat here. He could have the nut flush and have checked thinking I might have filled up after calling him twice.
I wuss out and check. He reluctantly says, "Queens and ..." and I cut him off and show my flush.
So it turns out he was way weaker than I thought and I may have given a hand like 88, 99 or TT with a diamond a chance to outdraw me. But he didn't.
Might make an appearance at an old game I used to play in Dallas on Thursday. Will definitely play my regular home game Friday, looking forward to our big $400 tournament on Sunday.
Going to keep fighting the good fight.
I finished a 3 1/2-hour session of 2-5 pot-limit hold 'em down $5, which was better than it seems after being stuck $300 in my first 10 minutes of play. I got stacked right off the bat when someone flopped a set on my overpair. I still had an opportunity to play well and get away from it, but I didn't.
I rebought and began a slow climb back to even. One interesting hand that I won, but I probably misplayed, perhaps badly:
Playing 7-handed, everyone limps and I come along on the button with 76d. Flop is gin, Q54 with two diamonds. A bad player in the big blind leads into the $35 pot for $10. I am prepared to raise him through the roof, but everyone folds to the cutoff, the tightest player in the game, who raises it to $30.
I'm obviously not going anywhere, but what should I do? Based on the cutoff's previous play and this small raise, he could easily have a set. Of course, I am not in bad shape at all against a set, but I would prefer not to make a big raise and put all my money in as a (small) dog against a hand that will definitely call me.
I cold-call $30, and the big blind comes along. I make my hand on the turn, Kd. I'm waiting for them both to check to me, but the tight player shocks me and leads out for $40.
What is going on? Did he raise on the flop with the nut flush draw? I think calling is the right play here. I don't think I can make a better hand fold or a worse hand call if I raise (maybe a non-nut flush will fold since I have a tight image, but I doubt it). I call, big blind folds.
The board pairs with the Qs on the river. The tight player thinks, then checks. I still feel like I could be beat here. He could have the nut flush and have checked thinking I might have filled up after calling him twice.
I wuss out and check. He reluctantly says, "Queens and ..." and I cut him off and show my flush.
So it turns out he was way weaker than I thought and I may have given a hand like 88, 99 or TT with a diamond a chance to outdraw me. But he didn't.
Might make an appearance at an old game I used to play in Dallas on Thursday. Will definitely play my regular home game Friday, looking forward to our big $400 tournament on Sunday.
Going to keep fighting the good fight.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
You have to go to work
No one wants to hear a poker player complain about having to go to work.
But I haven't been excited about going to the tables in a while. In late March, I took a shot and rounded up most of my capital and went to Vegas to play cash games.
After two weeks, I left with my tail between my legs and a good portion of my bankroll knocked out due to a combination of bad luck and bad play. Also hobbling me was a general lack of desire to put in the hours necessary to win.
I tried to set a schedule. Wake up, exercise, eat, play four hours, come back to the hotel, rest, then go back for a four-hour night session. Over two weeks, I completed that regimen maybe three times.
If I booked a decent win in the early session, I was more than happy to call it a day. Sometimes, I would just end the session as soon as I got up $200-$300 (which was just a couple pots in the 2-5 NLHE or 15-30 LHE games I was playing). Of course, this meant playing longer if I got stuck early to try to at least get even.
A sure-fire way to lose money is to quit early when you're ahead and stay forever if you're stuck.
I mentioned in a previous post that I have waffled on my commitment to poker. I don't know if this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.
But if I'm not ready to get a job, then I need to go to work at this one.
I'm going to put in the hours over the next few weeks. If my results (and especially my attitude) don't improve by the end of the summer, I've got some thinking to do.
But I haven't been excited about going to the tables in a while. In late March, I took a shot and rounded up most of my capital and went to Vegas to play cash games.
After two weeks, I left with my tail between my legs and a good portion of my bankroll knocked out due to a combination of bad luck and bad play. Also hobbling me was a general lack of desire to put in the hours necessary to win.
I tried to set a schedule. Wake up, exercise, eat, play four hours, come back to the hotel, rest, then go back for a four-hour night session. Over two weeks, I completed that regimen maybe three times.
If I booked a decent win in the early session, I was more than happy to call it a day. Sometimes, I would just end the session as soon as I got up $200-$300 (which was just a couple pots in the 2-5 NLHE or 15-30 LHE games I was playing). Of course, this meant playing longer if I got stuck early to try to at least get even.
A sure-fire way to lose money is to quit early when you're ahead and stay forever if you're stuck.
I mentioned in a previous post that I have waffled on my commitment to poker. I don't know if this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.
But if I'm not ready to get a job, then I need to go to work at this one.
I'm going to put in the hours over the next few weeks. If my results (and especially my attitude) don't improve by the end of the summer, I've got some thinking to do.
Friday, June 15, 2007
I hate tournaments
I have had a love-hate relationship with poker tournaments my entire professional career.
It's almost time for a permanent separation.
Just busted out of my home game's Friday rebuy tournament. Never got anything going. Won one decent-sized pot with KK when I raised three limpers and one called and then folded on the flop. Lost most of my money jamming from the small blind against a tight big blind player who woke up to AQ.
These are not World Series of Poker or World Poker Tour events. You do not have four hours to patiently wait and chip up. The tournament is almost over after four hours.
The first three blind levels last 20 minutes, and levels last 15 minutes after that. Antes also kick in in the fourth level.
I am known to be squeaky tight in the cash games (and I adjust appropriately for that image), but I loosen up considerably in tournaments. Once the antes kick in, I am looking to open any pot with any hand that I would usually play in a cash game.
This includes premium hands, the so-called "trouble" broadway hands like KJ0, KTo, QJo, etc., and suited connectors, one-gappers and even two-gappers (T9s, 86c, 74h for example).
I won't open in early position with these very often, but from middle position and beyond, I am ready to play.
The problem comes when aggressive players are opening a lot of pots in front of me. Say blinds are 200-400 with a 50 ante. An aggressive player opens for 1200, and I have, say, KJ0 with 7000 behind. I know he's opening light, and chances are, he'll fold if I move in.
But I always feel a little silly if I move in and he calls with AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AK, hands that a player can very well have opening the pot, especially considering I have nearly 20 big blinds left. I think maybe I should be saying "fuck it" and doing this more often.
A bigger problem is that I allow tournaments and tournament players to put me on such tilt. It just kind of riles me a little bit when people who are frightened to death to put their money in when they play a cash game all of the sudden have no trouble coming over the top or calling all of their money with 66 because all they can lose is their $100 they put into the tournament.
Poker is based on people risking something of value (money) to win something of value (money). When that relationship is distorted, the poker is just not that interesting.
Good, big-time tournament players talk about the need to be fearless, which I understand. But I believe they mean making the right play whether it is risky or not. Not literally not giving a fuck and jamming their money in just because they want to try to beat a certain player or not "get run over" in their minds.
Everyone has to be trying to win, with the feeling that there is a real consequence to losing.
"Tournament courage" doesn't impress me much.
It's almost time for a permanent separation.
Just busted out of my home game's Friday rebuy tournament. Never got anything going. Won one decent-sized pot with KK when I raised three limpers and one called and then folded on the flop. Lost most of my money jamming from the small blind against a tight big blind player who woke up to AQ.
These are not World Series of Poker or World Poker Tour events. You do not have four hours to patiently wait and chip up. The tournament is almost over after four hours.
The first three blind levels last 20 minutes, and levels last 15 minutes after that. Antes also kick in in the fourth level.
I am known to be squeaky tight in the cash games (and I adjust appropriately for that image), but I loosen up considerably in tournaments. Once the antes kick in, I am looking to open any pot with any hand that I would usually play in a cash game.
This includes premium hands, the so-called "trouble" broadway hands like KJ0, KTo, QJo, etc., and suited connectors, one-gappers and even two-gappers (T9s, 86c, 74h for example).
I won't open in early position with these very often, but from middle position and beyond, I am ready to play.
The problem comes when aggressive players are opening a lot of pots in front of me. Say blinds are 200-400 with a 50 ante. An aggressive player opens for 1200, and I have, say, KJ0 with 7000 behind. I know he's opening light, and chances are, he'll fold if I move in.
But I always feel a little silly if I move in and he calls with AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AK, hands that a player can very well have opening the pot, especially considering I have nearly 20 big blinds left. I think maybe I should be saying "fuck it" and doing this more often.
A bigger problem is that I allow tournaments and tournament players to put me on such tilt. It just kind of riles me a little bit when people who are frightened to death to put their money in when they play a cash game all of the sudden have no trouble coming over the top or calling all of their money with 66 because all they can lose is their $100 they put into the tournament.
Poker is based on people risking something of value (money) to win something of value (money). When that relationship is distorted, the poker is just not that interesting.
Good, big-time tournament players talk about the need to be fearless, which I understand. But I believe they mean making the right play whether it is risky or not. Not literally not giving a fuck and jamming their money in just because they want to try to beat a certain player or not "get run over" in their minds.
Everyone has to be trying to win, with the feeling that there is a real consequence to losing.
"Tournament courage" doesn't impress me much.
Chan in the mix
Johnny Chan is among the leaders heading into final day of the $1,500 pot-limit Omaha event.
Will Hellmuth be caught already?
Will Hellmuth be caught already?
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
2-5 Pot-limit hands
Booked a nice win last night playing my regular home game, 2-5 pot-limit hold 'em.
Made a nice double up early. I raised QTh two off the button and got called by two players, including the host (my best friend in the game) on the button.
Flop came a sweet Qs Td 4s. I bet 40 into the 60 pot. Button raised to 150, blind folded. I go all-in for 250 or so more. He calls. Turn is pretty good for my hand, Qc.
Pretty sure he was on flush draw, maybe a big draw with J9s or something.
Lose a couple hundred calling down a guy who seemed nervous. Really he was just nervous about having bottom two pair.
On the key hand of the night, I don't know whether I played it well or just got lucky. Playing 7-handed, I make a loose raise UTG+1 with K9c. Very loose player on the button calls, as does the small blind, who is the best player in the game besides, ahem, me.
I get actually one of my better flops, Ad Qc Tc, giving me a gutshot and flush draw. I am surprised when the good player bets the pot into me, 65. He is just testing me here. If he had the straight, he would let me bet for him.
I decide not to dog it and reraise the pot, 195 more. I was the preflop raiser, and I am representing extreme strength here. I would not try this against virtually any other player in the game, but he respects my play and is capable of laying down.
To my great dismay, he calls reasonably quickly. I'm praying for a J or club, but the turn is an ugly 3h. He checks. The pot is 585, I have about 460 left.
Taking the free card means giving up the pot if I don't make my draw. He will definitely call a river bluff with two pair or maybe even the lone ace if I show weakness on the turn.
I decide to go all the way it. I feel his range is something like AT, QT, Ax of clubs, maybe some other random flush draw like J8c.
He tanks for literally two minutes. I am dying. He folds. "Set of aces?" he says.
"No," I say. "Queens."
Made a nice double up early. I raised QTh two off the button and got called by two players, including the host (my best friend in the game) on the button.
Flop came a sweet Qs Td 4s. I bet 40 into the 60 pot. Button raised to 150, blind folded. I go all-in for 250 or so more. He calls. Turn is pretty good for my hand, Qc.
Pretty sure he was on flush draw, maybe a big draw with J9s or something.
Lose a couple hundred calling down a guy who seemed nervous. Really he was just nervous about having bottom two pair.
On the key hand of the night, I don't know whether I played it well or just got lucky. Playing 7-handed, I make a loose raise UTG+1 with K9c. Very loose player on the button calls, as does the small blind, who is the best player in the game besides, ahem, me.
I get actually one of my better flops, Ad Qc Tc, giving me a gutshot and flush draw. I am surprised when the good player bets the pot into me, 65. He is just testing me here. If he had the straight, he would let me bet for him.
I decide not to dog it and reraise the pot, 195 more. I was the preflop raiser, and I am representing extreme strength here. I would not try this against virtually any other player in the game, but he respects my play and is capable of laying down.
To my great dismay, he calls reasonably quickly. I'm praying for a J or club, but the turn is an ugly 3h. He checks. The pot is 585, I have about 460 left.
Taking the free card means giving up the pot if I don't make my draw. He will definitely call a river bluff with two pair or maybe even the lone ace if I show weakness on the turn.
I decide to go all the way it. I feel his range is something like AT, QT, Ax of clubs, maybe some other random flush draw like J8c.
He tanks for literally two minutes. I am dying. He folds. "Set of aces?" he says.
"No," I say. "Queens."
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
How I got here
If you have somehow stumbled across this page, here's a brief story of my life.
Born and raised in Fort Worth. Parents still together, one younger brother. I was a good student. Majored in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin.
Summer of 2000, took first job as sports copy editor at Waco Tribune-Herald. Worked there for a little more than three years, picking up some writing assignments as well.
My friends (who are virtually all friends from high school) started playing poker while I worked at Waco. I started playing with them when I came into Fort Worth once a month or so and immediately was hooked. I bought Ken Warren's "Winner's Guide to Texas Hold 'em" and spent most of my free time working on my game.
I changed jobs, becoming a high school sports writer at The Dallas Morning News in the fall of 2003. I played more and more poker, and finally found a home at an underground game in Fort Worth.
When the Morning News laid off several sports writers in June 2005, I decided to become a professional poker player.
I have stayed afloat ever since. I am not rich, but I am not broke. There have been times where I have had more than $10,000 cash stashed in a drawer in my house and times where I have had to borrow money to play from a friend in the game.
I am somewhere in between right now. In many ways, I missed out on the poker boom while being right in the middle of it. I have never committed a substantial amount of time to playing online. I have taken several shots at big tournaments with money that probably would have been put to better use as savings and a bankroll builder.
I don't know whether poker is my life's work. There are days where I really enjoy it, and others where I almost pine to be back behind a desk in an office, editing stories.
I guess this wasn't really that brief. But it's where I'm at right now.
Born and raised in Fort Worth. Parents still together, one younger brother. I was a good student. Majored in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin.
Summer of 2000, took first job as sports copy editor at Waco Tribune-Herald. Worked there for a little more than three years, picking up some writing assignments as well.
My friends (who are virtually all friends from high school) started playing poker while I worked at Waco. I started playing with them when I came into Fort Worth once a month or so and immediately was hooked. I bought Ken Warren's "Winner's Guide to Texas Hold 'em" and spent most of my free time working on my game.
I changed jobs, becoming a high school sports writer at The Dallas Morning News in the fall of 2003. I played more and more poker, and finally found a home at an underground game in Fort Worth.
When the Morning News laid off several sports writers in June 2005, I decided to become a professional poker player.
I have stayed afloat ever since. I am not rich, but I am not broke. There have been times where I have had more than $10,000 cash stashed in a drawer in my house and times where I have had to borrow money to play from a friend in the game.
I am somewhere in between right now. In many ways, I missed out on the poker boom while being right in the middle of it. I have never committed a substantial amount of time to playing online. I have taken several shots at big tournaments with money that probably would have been put to better use as savings and a bankroll builder.
I don't know whether poker is my life's work. There are days where I really enjoy it, and others where I almost pine to be back behind a desk in an office, editing stories.
I guess this wasn't really that brief. But it's where I'm at right now.
Hellmuth wins again
Phil Hellmuth just won his 11th WSOP bracelet, beating a field of more than 2,600 in a $1,500 no-limit event.
It's actually not that surprising. Hellmuth went deep in several of the previous events, and he seems to have a "never give up" attitude at the WSOP that most of the established live tournament pros don't seem to have. Many of them talk about getting chips early or getting out, which is a fine strategy if their time could better be spent in a side game or another tournament.
But they aren't doing everything in their power to win THAT tournament. Hellmuth is.
I wouldn't be surprised to see him go deep again in the main event, something he hasn't done since 2003.
It's actually not that surprising. Hellmuth went deep in several of the previous events, and he seems to have a "never give up" attitude at the WSOP that most of the established live tournament pros don't seem to have. Many of them talk about getting chips early or getting out, which is a fine strategy if their time could better be spent in a side game or another tournament.
But they aren't doing everything in their power to win THAT tournament. Hellmuth is.
I wouldn't be surprised to see him go deep again in the main event, something he hasn't done since 2003.
Monday, June 11, 2007
World Series of Poker
This will mark the first time since 2003 that I will not attend the World Series of Poker.
In 2004, I was still working full-time and didn't know how to play poker very well. However, I nearly made the main event field, finishing 10th in a super satellite where 1st-7th won $10,000 seats and 8th-9th cashed for more than $1,000 (crazy money to me then).
My friends had already gone out and didn't even know I had went deep in the satellite. I remember wandering around Fremont alone after it was over, shellshocked.
I stayed at the El Cortez for nearly a week. That feels like so long ago.
In 2005, I was a player. My understanding of the game is far better now, but that summer saw me at the height of my love for poker and desire to improve each day, prove I could play with the best.
I plunked down $10,000 cash to enter the main event ($5,000 of my money, $4,000 from backers from my regular home game, $1,000 combined from various friends).
I stayed with several friends for two weeks at the Orleans. At the airport, I emptied my pockets to go through the metal detector, then got asked to take off my shoes. I watched, horrified, as my money clip with more than $5,000 sat on the conveyor belt. (A friend on a seperate flight had the other $5,000.)
When we all arrived at the Orleans, I laid all the cash out on a bed and we gawked at it, hardly believing that I was about to hand it all to a Rio cashier so I could play in a poker tournament.
I busted near the end of Day One, when a young Scandinavian raised all-in on the turn with a flush draw over the top of my pot-sized bet. I called with two pair, but a spade hit on the river to cripple me. (Hey, first bad-beat post in the blog!) I went out soon after with AK vs. TT.
In 2006, I didn't have the cash to buy in to the main event, but I played two preliminary events, the $1,000 no-limit hold 'em and $1,500 seven-card stud. Neither went well.
Again, I stayed for two weeks, this time at the Gold Coast, within walking distance of the Rio.
On one of the final days of the trip, I went deep in another super satellite for the main event, this time getting $907 for coming in 7th out of 87. Three players won seats.
I was content with not going out there this year (bankroll issues), but following all the updates every day really has me wishing I could make the trip.
Maybe I'll win the lottery Wednesday night.
In 2004, I was still working full-time and didn't know how to play poker very well. However, I nearly made the main event field, finishing 10th in a super satellite where 1st-7th won $10,000 seats and 8th-9th cashed for more than $1,000 (crazy money to me then).
My friends had already gone out and didn't even know I had went deep in the satellite. I remember wandering around Fremont alone after it was over, shellshocked.
I stayed at the El Cortez for nearly a week. That feels like so long ago.
In 2005, I was a player. My understanding of the game is far better now, but that summer saw me at the height of my love for poker and desire to improve each day, prove I could play with the best.
I plunked down $10,000 cash to enter the main event ($5,000 of my money, $4,000 from backers from my regular home game, $1,000 combined from various friends).
I stayed with several friends for two weeks at the Orleans. At the airport, I emptied my pockets to go through the metal detector, then got asked to take off my shoes. I watched, horrified, as my money clip with more than $5,000 sat on the conveyor belt. (A friend on a seperate flight had the other $5,000.)
When we all arrived at the Orleans, I laid all the cash out on a bed and we gawked at it, hardly believing that I was about to hand it all to a Rio cashier so I could play in a poker tournament.
I busted near the end of Day One, when a young Scandinavian raised all-in on the turn with a flush draw over the top of my pot-sized bet. I called with two pair, but a spade hit on the river to cripple me. (Hey, first bad-beat post in the blog!) I went out soon after with AK vs. TT.
In 2006, I didn't have the cash to buy in to the main event, but I played two preliminary events, the $1,000 no-limit hold 'em and $1,500 seven-card stud. Neither went well.
Again, I stayed for two weeks, this time at the Gold Coast, within walking distance of the Rio.
On one of the final days of the trip, I went deep in another super satellite for the main event, this time getting $907 for coming in 7th out of 87. Three players won seats.
I was content with not going out there this year (bankroll issues), but following all the updates every day really has me wishing I could make the trip.
Maybe I'll win the lottery Wednesday night.
Welcome
Starting a new journal. I'm a professional poker player from Fort Worth, Texas.
Will focus on poker, both my play and news from the poker world at large.
Welcome.
Will focus on poker, both my play and news from the poker world at large.
Welcome.
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