Friday, January 15, 2016
Tuesday, June 02, 2015
Friday, June 13, 2014
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Stud/8 - Folding 4th When Catching Bad
In this hand we catch a T and should fold. But in this hypothetical the first question is why did we start with that hand? #thisaintRazz
Verbal Poker Tells
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Mini-meltdown in level 3, and other stuff, WSOP Stud/8
http://twodimes.net/poker/?g=7s8&b=&d=Jc+7d+3h+9s&h=As+ac+5s%0D%0AQc+qh+kd
In level 3 I lost three pots at showdown in about five minutes which to that point had done exactly once. It started with a short-stacked Russian dude who opened a queen up in front of me when I had As5s/Ac, and of course I made it two bets and we got it all in. He ran out two pair and I didn't improve, and it tilted me up a little.
It's funny how people just give away their chips in these when they get low. There was a guy last night next to be who took it to the extreme. He folded everything until he was down to an ante-chip and maybe one more chip (once it was just the ante). He did this no less than four times before finally busting and probably lasted another level. Ann finally put him out of his misery (she is a whole other story).
There is still lots of bad play in this, despite pros who insist on tapping the glass when people play poorly against them (I - perish the thought - was even a target of a couple of such comments). There is much more calling raises against aces than any book would advise, and people wouldn't fold when they bricked off until late in the day when not doing so was costly relative to the average stack.
In level 3 I lost three pots at showdown in about five minutes which to that point had done exactly once. It started with a short-stacked Russian dude who opened a queen up in front of me when I had As5s/Ac, and of course I made it two bets and we got it all in. He ran out two pair and I didn't improve, and it tilted me up a little.
It's funny how people just give away their chips in these when they get low. There was a guy last night next to be who took it to the extreme. He folded everything until he was down to an ante-chip and maybe one more chip (once it was just the ante). He did this no less than four times before finally busting and probably lasted another level. Ann finally put him out of his misery (she is a whole other story).
There is still lots of bad play in this, despite pros who insist on tapping the glass when people play poorly against them (I - perish the thought - was even a target of a couple of such comments). There is much more calling raises against aces than any book would advise, and people wouldn't fold when they bricked off until late in the day when not doing so was costly relative to the average stack.
Sunday, June 09, 2013
Great Moments in 74
From WSOP HU:
Hand #6: A limped pot saw the 
fall on the flop. Radoja check-raised Hellmuth's bet of 25,000, pushing a stack of green T25000 tournament chips forward, and forcing the "Poker Brat" to release. Hellmuth flashed the 
while tossing his hand away, telling Radoja "that's all i'm betting with there, just the ace-jack." Radoja responded with a poker player's preferred retort, flipping over his 
bluff and dragging the pot.
fall on the flop. Radoja check-raised Hellmuth's bet of 25,000, pushing a stack of green T25000 tournament chips forward, and forcing the "Poker Brat" to release. Hellmuth flashed the while tossing his hand away, telling Radoja "that's all i'm betting with there, just the ace-jack." Radoja responded with a poker player's preferred retort, flipping over his bluff and dragging the pot.Saturday, June 16, 2012
KCL - Number 53
This update reminded me - http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2012-world-series-of-poker/event-30-2-7-draw-lowball/chips.30289.htm
Folded to my SB with E-Dog in the BB I have a one-card ten draw and he has about 1200 in chips so I put him in (actually he gave his count to Pham and think he gave him behind, but I raised enough to effectively put him AI). We each drew one and I hit my ten and he hit #53 - ten-perfect. I got to use #53 but not in he winning context I imagined.
Sent from my iPad
Folded to my SB with E-Dog in the BB I have a one-card ten draw and he has about 1200 in chips so I put him in (actually he gave his count to Pham and think he gave him behind, but I raised enough to effectively put him AI). We each drew one and I hit my ten and he hit #53 - ten-perfect. I got to use #53 but not in he winning context I imagined.
Sent from my iPad
WSOP Event 30
Today began my WSOP with KCL, a game I've wanted to play since I began coming to the Series in 2007. I've played TDL, HORSE, and 8-Game Mixed but KCL never fell on the schedule when I could play. This was my first live KCL and really only my second real one ever - the only other one being a Stars Sunday $215 about two weeks before the curtain came down for on-line poker.
I actually had a pretty lucky table draw. John Pham was on it, which meant the table played super-slow (which in retrospect probably helped me). However, he was to my immediate right and I had the best seat at the table. I was in the 4-seat and John Juanda was in the 7-seat. He and Pham tangled often. I had two hands with Juanda - one he raised to 150 at the 25/50 level and I flatted in the BB with 237 and drew two. I hit a #2 and shoved and he looked me up after his one-card draw. The second I opened for 150 he made it 500 and I insta-mucked. Pham took him out, opening and then calling a shove with Luckbox drawing one and Pham standing pat on a jack. For a while there was only one legit lowball player at the table, and he was on my immediate right. The only downside is I probably called loose in spots where Pham was put and I was confident I wouldn't get outplayed after the draw. Misses add up. It was soft but it wasn't this soft: http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2012-world-series-of-poker/event-30-2-7-draw-lowball/post.205502.htm
I played a pretty uneven game - it's not that I played too tight or too loose - I did both at different times and generally the wrong times. The most mortifying thing happened after the Italian Stars pro (an obvious NLHE player) busted and Eric Lindgren took his seat. I had been getting pairs and sets and even straights dealt to me and after I folded 4468T in early position E-Dog says "I'm not trying to look at your cards but I can see them when you fan them." I think I got lazy with the little Italian dude next to me - E-Dog is not a small guy and sits tall. To make matters worse, he added "and you're throwing away some really good hands." I felt like the teenage girl who gets her period at the school dance while wearing a white dress.
I saw five-card draw hands all day. It's only a 20-to-1 shot to get dealt two-pair so no big deal. Even trips will happen about once every 47 hands. Now, since I played most of the night with John Pham I doubt I was getting 15 hands an hour. I counted sets at least six times but more amazingly, dealt straights five times - including broadway once. Dealt straights should happen about once every 250 hands - I had it five fucking times. All poker players complain, but I complain with statistics.
When our table finally broke I wasn't disappointed. As I said, it was relatively soft because two other players were not only rookies like me they were complete lowball n00bs (not that this stopped me from paying off one of them holding a Q8). My one real misstep was early when I had two bullets behind and raised a 2357 draw. A semi-pro in the 1-seat who was competent but not particularly creative called. We each drew one and I just decided to do a go-and-go and shove anything. At the last second I remembered something Greenstein wrote about lowball and I checked for paint and didn't see it. I shoved and the dude snapped me off with a jack. I said I haven't looked yet but it's not paint, as I turned over my draw. My new card was a queen. Whoops. With that I used my second bullet (had some chips left as I had him covered). My last bullet lasted until we had to put it in after level 4. I also turned a hand early against the same dude because he flatted a raise and left himself 200 total. It didn't matter, I was never folding my ten for 200 and he paired eights. Still, I should have 3-bet enough to put him in even with many behind me left to act (as it happens I may not have gotten value since he was playing to stick around - all in and drawing is like a drug).
The new table started off slow but I figured out the two aggro players just listening to conversation and took a pot off of each. Once we started talking it got riotous and was good fun. Johnathan in the 3-seat was funny and is the dude that took out Ivey (http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2012-world-series-of-poker/event-30-2-7-draw-lowball/chips.30212.htm). The table behind us had a bunch of drunk dudes, one in particular who we got to hear say, after he pitched the wrong card, "I kept the ace and threw the deuce!" This he said no less than eight times. When the day was almost over he yells "I'm coming back tomorrow sober!" and I responded back "verbal" which cracked up his table. I thought I knew mixed games until I listened to two Cali semi-pros talk about Commerce. It was like another language.
Anyway, with 15 minutes left I had a couple of spots at 200/400-100 where I could have pressed it. But my last two steal attempts had been met with 3-bets that folded me out and I didn't want to risk it. For me, making day 2 was kind of a big deal even if I will wind up shoving early. Also, I'm pretty superstitious and I honestly believe I was getting a range of hands that was horrid to a statistically implausible degree. A new day is just what I need. That said, I am not packing a bag tomorrow.
I actually had a pretty lucky table draw. John Pham was on it, which meant the table played super-slow (which in retrospect probably helped me). However, he was to my immediate right and I had the best seat at the table. I was in the 4-seat and John Juanda was in the 7-seat. He and Pham tangled often. I had two hands with Juanda - one he raised to 150 at the 25/50 level and I flatted in the BB with 237 and drew two. I hit a #2 and shoved and he looked me up after his one-card draw. The second I opened for 150 he made it 500 and I insta-mucked. Pham took him out, opening and then calling a shove with Luckbox drawing one and Pham standing pat on a jack. For a while there was only one legit lowball player at the table, and he was on my immediate right. The only downside is I probably called loose in spots where Pham was put and I was confident I wouldn't get outplayed after the draw. Misses add up. It was soft but it wasn't this soft: http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2012-world-series-of-poker/event-30-2-7-draw-lowball/post.205502.htm
I played a pretty uneven game - it's not that I played too tight or too loose - I did both at different times and generally the wrong times. The most mortifying thing happened after the Italian Stars pro (an obvious NLHE player) busted and Eric Lindgren took his seat. I had been getting pairs and sets and even straights dealt to me and after I folded 4468T in early position E-Dog says "I'm not trying to look at your cards but I can see them when you fan them." I think I got lazy with the little Italian dude next to me - E-Dog is not a small guy and sits tall. To make matters worse, he added "and you're throwing away some really good hands." I felt like the teenage girl who gets her period at the school dance while wearing a white dress.
I saw five-card draw hands all day. It's only a 20-to-1 shot to get dealt two-pair so no big deal. Even trips will happen about once every 47 hands. Now, since I played most of the night with John Pham I doubt I was getting 15 hands an hour. I counted sets at least six times but more amazingly, dealt straights five times - including broadway once. Dealt straights should happen about once every 250 hands - I had it five fucking times. All poker players complain, but I complain with statistics.
When our table finally broke I wasn't disappointed. As I said, it was relatively soft because two other players were not only rookies like me they were complete lowball n00bs (not that this stopped me from paying off one of them holding a Q8). My one real misstep was early when I had two bullets behind and raised a 2357 draw. A semi-pro in the 1-seat who was competent but not particularly creative called. We each drew one and I just decided to do a go-and-go and shove anything. At the last second I remembered something Greenstein wrote about lowball and I checked for paint and didn't see it. I shoved and the dude snapped me off with a jack. I said I haven't looked yet but it's not paint, as I turned over my draw. My new card was a queen. Whoops. With that I used my second bullet (had some chips left as I had him covered). My last bullet lasted until we had to put it in after level 4. I also turned a hand early against the same dude because he flatted a raise and left himself 200 total. It didn't matter, I was never folding my ten for 200 and he paired eights. Still, I should have 3-bet enough to put him in even with many behind me left to act (as it happens I may not have gotten value since he was playing to stick around - all in and drawing is like a drug).
The new table started off slow but I figured out the two aggro players just listening to conversation and took a pot off of each. Once we started talking it got riotous and was good fun. Johnathan in the 3-seat was funny and is the dude that took out Ivey (http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2012-world-series-of-poker/event-30-2-7-draw-lowball/chips.30212.htm). The table behind us had a bunch of drunk dudes, one in particular who we got to hear say, after he pitched the wrong card, "I kept the ace and threw the deuce!" This he said no less than eight times. When the day was almost over he yells "I'm coming back tomorrow sober!" and I responded back "verbal" which cracked up his table. I thought I knew mixed games until I listened to two Cali semi-pros talk about Commerce. It was like another language.
Anyway, with 15 minutes left I had a couple of spots at 200/400-100 where I could have pressed it. But my last two steal attempts had been met with 3-bets that folded me out and I didn't want to risk it. For me, making day 2 was kind of a big deal even if I will wind up shoving early. Also, I'm pretty superstitious and I honestly believe I was getting a range of hands that was horrid to a statistically implausible degree. A new day is just what I need. That said, I am not packing a bag tomorrow.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Caesars Deep Stack warm-up
Early levels - before first break
Range-Finder
I raise in position with Q8. Flop is 868. My OOP caller who I haven't seen lose a hand checks, I c-bet (because I would have done that HU on basically any flop) and he raises. This, I like. I call. Turn is a 7 an he leads and I call again. The river is a 9 an it's offsuit but I'm a bit less confident now. It's a big rover bet.
Let's recap. I raise with a sorta junky hand and my opponent check-raises the flop, leads the turn, and leads the river. The hands I'm losing to on the flop are A8, K8, and wired 6s. Would he check-raise any of those? World class players might against other world class players precisely because it's such an odd line to take with such a strong hand. But this is the minor leagues kids - there's no way that is happening here.
Now he leads the turn. My flat looks weak to him and he's probably taking a stab. Now the river completes some draws. However, would he check-raise the flop and lead the turn with the draws that a 9 completes? I highly doubt it. So folding is out of the question. This is a classic spot of a polarized range - he's taken a hyper line with a monster or has air, but the pot is so large any raise from me has to be a shove and obviously he can't call with anything but the unlikely monster.
I say "the only way that river could be worse is if it was a 9 of clubs" (because it would have put a flush on board - also unlikely for his line but still). He immediately looks away which is just one last confirmation that I'm winning and I say call immediately. He shows Q6 for queen high - he had a straight draw if hold'em featured a sixth street. I pull in the chips and am feeling pretty good about myself.
I Don't Vant To I Hav To (Call)
Around level 4 I'm in the BB an the loose Russian to my left limps in. Three more limp in including the SB, my new French friend (more on him later). I look down at two queens and raise, the Russian and one other limper calls. The flop is AKx (6 I think). This is an auto C-bet HU but three-way I decide to check and it checks around. The turn is a black 3 and I lead for about 2/3 pot. Only the Russian calls. The river was another blank and I decide to check. The Russian bets 1k which means I'm getting like 7-to-1. By this point I'm so sure I'm beat but can't bring myself to fold for that amount. I call and he rolls over A9. I change my view of his UTG limping range as well as what he will bet on the flop.
Folding 5s
Someone opens and I flat 900 with pocket 5. A total rock makes it 5k and there's a caller in front of me. When the guy calls the rock winces. I don't mean subtly - I mean super exaggerated so everyone sees how "unhappy" he is at his "bluff" getting called. I don't consider myself good at tells at all - I'm paying more attention but it's not an A-part of my game by any stretch (if I have any).
I fold confident that I'm way behind. The flop is 588. That's unfortunate of course but the rock had 15k behind - there was no way to get paid for hitting out against aces or kings. They check the flop and the faker leads a Q on the turn and wins. In a results-oriented framework this makes you sick but it was without question correct to fold. The faker later got busted when he bet and got raised and said AI with a chip-count less than the guy who raised him put in the pot. Which means it was a call. Oh, he had 5-high for no pair and no draw. Awesome, good game sir.
Monster T8
A different old rock raises and I have T8 suited and think about calling since I doubt he outplays me on the flop. But I don't. Flop is T89 - lol. There are four people in the hand and I'm thinking even if I was good it wouldn't last. The rock gets it in with JJ vs someone holding JT - "I can't believe I'm losing to these guys." Jacks hold.
Acey-Deucy Never Loosey
This was a weird one and I wound up making a tight fold. A limped A2 of spades UTG because the table had been playing passive, I had been raising, and I actually thought limping in UTG would look scarier than raising.
Flop is 345. Now this is interesting. Had I raising pre-flop I can be really confident I have the best hand - I think that anyway of course, but in this limped pot no one has had to define their hand.
I'm led into by the BB - the most dangerous hand against me since 67 or 56 are definite possibilities (though most players won't lead with the former). One other player calls.
The turn pairs 3s. I hate this card. I wanted paint to fall so badly I could taste it. The BB leads for 4800. I have 23k which is an awkward stack in this spot. I have a player behind me and if I raise I'm committed to the hand. I decide to go with the better part of valor in part because I feel like I shouldn't be in this hand anyway and I've played it goofy. I fold.
I can't remember the riv but there's and bet an a call an both guys have trip-3s - I folded the winner. The BB flopped a pair and OE straight draw an lead it - good for him. I'm still in good shape chip-wise.
Based on this it sounds like I didn't do much but I actually had a decent stack going into the break, 30k from 20k starting.
Level 5
After the first break a Brit showed up that was new to the table. Because of Ads I tend to assume Brits are aggro and with only five people back from the break and me in the SB he raised and I flatted. I check-folded to a c-bet. The next hand I opened with 46s and he 4-bets to 4800. I decide to flat. That's pretty loose for me obv but he was new to the table and I didn't want him to think he could run me over. The fact we were playing five-handed would naturally speed him up so I wanted to draw a line in the sand early.
The flop comes 232 and he leads for 7300 and I instantly announced all-in. What's funny is for a split second I thought I flopped trips so my mind was already in shove-mode. I knew by the time he bet that wasn't the case but I still went with it. I actually thought I shoved too fast. If I'm him, I'm thinking would he really insta-shove trip-2s? No way. Would he have flatted pre-flop with aces or kings? Not likely. All in all I didn't like my play in retrospect. Shoving is not terrible but I acted to fast. He labored over it for at least four minutes - I literally almost called clock. He took so long I actually had a hard time holding my pose. I knew if he called I was pretty dead (though I had him covered) and at one point I had to tilt my head to keep from physically shaking. I'm not as good a bluffer as I am a liar.
He folded and I dragged a nice pot. Oh, and I showed the bluff. I know some people say never do that and I never would against pros. But the whole point of playing this hand was to send a message so he needed to see my cards to do that. What's funny is later he was was pretty nitty. I don't know if that's because he was short-stacked or I just took my poker stereotypes a little too far and got away with it.
Level 6 Shove
UTG with ATs I make it 1600 at 300/600 blinds. A new loose guy and a passive guy call me. I wouldn't know until later that our new loose guy was bullet proof. I didn't write down every time he won an unlikely pot but it was a dozen or so. Anyway, I C-bet a JTx flop and the new loose player called. I check an offsuit 7 turn for pot control but then he bets 4200. I thought I had the best hand but his bet was too much to flat. If I call I'm committed so I just shoved and hoped he doesn't show up with a jack. He insta-folds. I later see him make the lightest calls for huge chips and realize I was lucky - whatever "x" was on the flop if he had it he would have called and it probably hit the river for trips. Bullet proof, I says.
AK Fastplay
At 400/800 three people limp and my French friend to my right makes it 2500. I squeeze AKc and make it 7500. He calls after some thought. The flop is AK with the 6 of clubs. He checks and I bet 8,000 because I C-bet there HU anyway. I also think if I can get him to call one street I have him, whereas a check looks suspicious. Since he folded I wish I had checked but since I C-bet almost every time HU I'm in the habit of doing the same with big hands. Against weaker competition I should probably be more inclined to slowplay.
First Beat
After the second break at 800/1600 our table finally broke. Within a few hands at the new table I got jacks and opened and the guy right after me shoved. I insta-called and he turned over A6 of diamonds. On the flop a jack came right in the door but followed by KT. Everyone was looking at the jack and thinking the hand was over. I said "queen" and it peeled off the turn. To be fair, I said "good luck all-in" before the flop so I kinda asked for it. I didn't boat up on the river and lost about 20k. I actually think I may have lost more because I wasn't watching the dealer closely - I think my 4k initial raise got scooped up into the pot (the dealers on balance were horrid - you can tell there's a shortage this time of year).
After this hand I had about 40k which wasn't great but plenty to play with. In tournaments you'll always take some beats and the key is to have chips after that. When you hear someone bitch about how they got bounced from a tournament with aces, chances are they're a nit who folded every hand and then had so little chips they got called light and lost. Not to mention they probably min-raised and let someone flop the world on them. Accumulating chips is what keeps you from getting bounced after a bad beat (and it's not even that big a beat in this case - he's not quite a 3-to-1 dog when the money goes in).
Second Beat
The 1k/2k 300 ante level was uneventful for me. I chopped around for some small pots and basically paid for my blinds and antes (mostly). During 1550/3000 the table to our right broke which meant we were next. I had a decent idea of how this table played and since I had no more than 12 or 13 big blinds the last thing I wanted to do was go to a new table and play for my life. So, I was looking for a re-shove spot with 35k or so. After some antes I had 33,800 and looked down at jacks. There was no raiser but thankfully two limpers. I shove obv and the button contemplates before folding. The BB rechecks his cards and folds. The first limper is my French friend from the first table (I know, but he was alright despite being French). He folds and the other limper calls right away.
I flip my hand over and say "jacks are my hand at this table" and the guy to my left who hit out with A6 laughs along with me. The caller has tens and the nice but nerdy guy to my right tells me "nice hand."
Brief aside. This guy had the worst halitosis I've run into at a table in years. What's worse he wanted to tell me about how he had a deuce like four hands in a row (I care not at all, but feign interest). His friend comes up and complains about not having a hand in three hours; nerdy guy understands. File this user "how I know you suck." tourneys require playing without hands. Correct play involve plenty of raising with position, C-betting when you miss, semi-bluffs when you still have nothing, etc. The guys who show up repeatedly in the winners circle are not there because they get aces and kings all day (though that will help). Yes, I've had strings of face-rag that are frustrating but even that is a raising hand in the right situation; deal with it.
Where was I? Oh yeah, nerdy guy jinxing me. My response was "we'll see." the flop comes out 565 and there's no flush possibility. The old guy who called me is getting up from the table. I like this about as much as "nice hand." The turn is a 6 and nerdy guy says "you chop with a 5 or a 6." Um, nice try, no. I'm too nice to call him an idiot. But without question he is.
What comes next I saw before it hit the felt. I won't lie - it hurt. I took it like a man but inside I was thinking about the hours I spent at the table. Tourneys have long since lost their pure entertainment value for me. I care not at all about seeing how long I last or counting success in hours played or drinks consumed (I actually drank nothing but water today. OK, save for one IPA with lunch before the tourney started. Vegas requires a Hemingway lunch almost no matter what I'm doing).
The inevitable ten hit the river and my table all let out "whoa"s. I think after my good-natured response to my welcoming to the table with the jacks cracked by A6 meant everyone but the old guy with tens was rooting for me. I also think they were much more surprised than i was. I smiled, stood, shared a knowing nod with my new French friend (yes, he was cute - Margot's sister should have been around) and told him good luck and quietly made my exit. If I had to make a living at this I might be more Phil Hellmuth after beats than a Shawn Deeb - but I'd like to think not. That's poker.
Tomorrow is my first WSOP of the year, and my first live Deuce-to-Seven NL tournament (other than GPT, obv).
Range-Finder
I raise in position with Q8. Flop is 868. My OOP caller who I haven't seen lose a hand checks, I c-bet (because I would have done that HU on basically any flop) and he raises. This, I like. I call. Turn is a 7 an he leads and I call again. The river is a 9 an it's offsuit but I'm a bit less confident now. It's a big rover bet.
Let's recap. I raise with a sorta junky hand and my opponent check-raises the flop, leads the turn, and leads the river. The hands I'm losing to on the flop are A8, K8, and wired 6s. Would he check-raise any of those? World class players might against other world class players precisely because it's such an odd line to take with such a strong hand. But this is the minor leagues kids - there's no way that is happening here.
Now he leads the turn. My flat looks weak to him and he's probably taking a stab. Now the river completes some draws. However, would he check-raise the flop and lead the turn with the draws that a 9 completes? I highly doubt it. So folding is out of the question. This is a classic spot of a polarized range - he's taken a hyper line with a monster or has air, but the pot is so large any raise from me has to be a shove and obviously he can't call with anything but the unlikely monster.
I say "the only way that river could be worse is if it was a 9 of clubs" (because it would have put a flush on board - also unlikely for his line but still). He immediately looks away which is just one last confirmation that I'm winning and I say call immediately. He shows Q6 for queen high - he had a straight draw if hold'em featured a sixth street. I pull in the chips and am feeling pretty good about myself.
I Don't Vant To I Hav To (Call)
Around level 4 I'm in the BB an the loose Russian to my left limps in. Three more limp in including the SB, my new French friend (more on him later). I look down at two queens and raise, the Russian and one other limper calls. The flop is AKx (6 I think). This is an auto C-bet HU but three-way I decide to check and it checks around. The turn is a black 3 and I lead for about 2/3 pot. Only the Russian calls. The river was another blank and I decide to check. The Russian bets 1k which means I'm getting like 7-to-1. By this point I'm so sure I'm beat but can't bring myself to fold for that amount. I call and he rolls over A9. I change my view of his UTG limping range as well as what he will bet on the flop.
Folding 5s
Someone opens and I flat 900 with pocket 5. A total rock makes it 5k and there's a caller in front of me. When the guy calls the rock winces. I don't mean subtly - I mean super exaggerated so everyone sees how "unhappy" he is at his "bluff" getting called. I don't consider myself good at tells at all - I'm paying more attention but it's not an A-part of my game by any stretch (if I have any).
I fold confident that I'm way behind. The flop is 588. That's unfortunate of course but the rock had 15k behind - there was no way to get paid for hitting out against aces or kings. They check the flop and the faker leads a Q on the turn and wins. In a results-oriented framework this makes you sick but it was without question correct to fold. The faker later got busted when he bet and got raised and said AI with a chip-count less than the guy who raised him put in the pot. Which means it was a call. Oh, he had 5-high for no pair and no draw. Awesome, good game sir.
Monster T8
A different old rock raises and I have T8 suited and think about calling since I doubt he outplays me on the flop. But I don't. Flop is T89 - lol. There are four people in the hand and I'm thinking even if I was good it wouldn't last. The rock gets it in with JJ vs someone holding JT - "I can't believe I'm losing to these guys." Jacks hold.
Acey-Deucy Never Loosey
This was a weird one and I wound up making a tight fold. A limped A2 of spades UTG because the table had been playing passive, I had been raising, and I actually thought limping in UTG would look scarier than raising.
Flop is 345. Now this is interesting. Had I raising pre-flop I can be really confident I have the best hand - I think that anyway of course, but in this limped pot no one has had to define their hand.
I'm led into by the BB - the most dangerous hand against me since 67 or 56 are definite possibilities (though most players won't lead with the former). One other player calls.
The turn pairs 3s. I hate this card. I wanted paint to fall so badly I could taste it. The BB leads for 4800. I have 23k which is an awkward stack in this spot. I have a player behind me and if I raise I'm committed to the hand. I decide to go with the better part of valor in part because I feel like I shouldn't be in this hand anyway and I've played it goofy. I fold.
I can't remember the riv but there's and bet an a call an both guys have trip-3s - I folded the winner. The BB flopped a pair and OE straight draw an lead it - good for him. I'm still in good shape chip-wise.
Based on this it sounds like I didn't do much but I actually had a decent stack going into the break, 30k from 20k starting.
Level 5
After the first break a Brit showed up that was new to the table. Because of Ads I tend to assume Brits are aggro and with only five people back from the break and me in the SB he raised and I flatted. I check-folded to a c-bet. The next hand I opened with 46s and he 4-bets to 4800. I decide to flat. That's pretty loose for me obv but he was new to the table and I didn't want him to think he could run me over. The fact we were playing five-handed would naturally speed him up so I wanted to draw a line in the sand early.
The flop comes 232 and he leads for 7300 and I instantly announced all-in. What's funny is for a split second I thought I flopped trips so my mind was already in shove-mode. I knew by the time he bet that wasn't the case but I still went with it. I actually thought I shoved too fast. If I'm him, I'm thinking would he really insta-shove trip-2s? No way. Would he have flatted pre-flop with aces or kings? Not likely. All in all I didn't like my play in retrospect. Shoving is not terrible but I acted to fast. He labored over it for at least four minutes - I literally almost called clock. He took so long I actually had a hard time holding my pose. I knew if he called I was pretty dead (though I had him covered) and at one point I had to tilt my head to keep from physically shaking. I'm not as good a bluffer as I am a liar.
He folded and I dragged a nice pot. Oh, and I showed the bluff. I know some people say never do that and I never would against pros. But the whole point of playing this hand was to send a message so he needed to see my cards to do that. What's funny is later he was was pretty nitty. I don't know if that's because he was short-stacked or I just took my poker stereotypes a little too far and got away with it.
Level 6 Shove
UTG with ATs I make it 1600 at 300/600 blinds. A new loose guy and a passive guy call me. I wouldn't know until later that our new loose guy was bullet proof. I didn't write down every time he won an unlikely pot but it was a dozen or so. Anyway, I C-bet a JTx flop and the new loose player called. I check an offsuit 7 turn for pot control but then he bets 4200. I thought I had the best hand but his bet was too much to flat. If I call I'm committed so I just shoved and hoped he doesn't show up with a jack. He insta-folds. I later see him make the lightest calls for huge chips and realize I was lucky - whatever "x" was on the flop if he had it he would have called and it probably hit the river for trips. Bullet proof, I says.
AK Fastplay
At 400/800 three people limp and my French friend to my right makes it 2500. I squeeze AKc and make it 7500. He calls after some thought. The flop is AK with the 6 of clubs. He checks and I bet 8,000 because I C-bet there HU anyway. I also think if I can get him to call one street I have him, whereas a check looks suspicious. Since he folded I wish I had checked but since I C-bet almost every time HU I'm in the habit of doing the same with big hands. Against weaker competition I should probably be more inclined to slowplay.
First Beat
After the second break at 800/1600 our table finally broke. Within a few hands at the new table I got jacks and opened and the guy right after me shoved. I insta-called and he turned over A6 of diamonds. On the flop a jack came right in the door but followed by KT. Everyone was looking at the jack and thinking the hand was over. I said "queen" and it peeled off the turn. To be fair, I said "good luck all-in" before the flop so I kinda asked for it. I didn't boat up on the river and lost about 20k. I actually think I may have lost more because I wasn't watching the dealer closely - I think my 4k initial raise got scooped up into the pot (the dealers on balance were horrid - you can tell there's a shortage this time of year).
After this hand I had about 40k which wasn't great but plenty to play with. In tournaments you'll always take some beats and the key is to have chips after that. When you hear someone bitch about how they got bounced from a tournament with aces, chances are they're a nit who folded every hand and then had so little chips they got called light and lost. Not to mention they probably min-raised and let someone flop the world on them. Accumulating chips is what keeps you from getting bounced after a bad beat (and it's not even that big a beat in this case - he's not quite a 3-to-1 dog when the money goes in).
Second Beat
The 1k/2k 300 ante level was uneventful for me. I chopped around for some small pots and basically paid for my blinds and antes (mostly). During 1550/3000 the table to our right broke which meant we were next. I had a decent idea of how this table played and since I had no more than 12 or 13 big blinds the last thing I wanted to do was go to a new table and play for my life. So, I was looking for a re-shove spot with 35k or so. After some antes I had 33,800 and looked down at jacks. There was no raiser but thankfully two limpers. I shove obv and the button contemplates before folding. The BB rechecks his cards and folds. The first limper is my French friend from the first table (I know, but he was alright despite being French). He folds and the other limper calls right away.
I flip my hand over and say "jacks are my hand at this table" and the guy to my left who hit out with A6 laughs along with me. The caller has tens and the nice but nerdy guy to my right tells me "nice hand."
Brief aside. This guy had the worst halitosis I've run into at a table in years. What's worse he wanted to tell me about how he had a deuce like four hands in a row (I care not at all, but feign interest). His friend comes up and complains about not having a hand in three hours; nerdy guy understands. File this user "how I know you suck." tourneys require playing without hands. Correct play involve plenty of raising with position, C-betting when you miss, semi-bluffs when you still have nothing, etc. The guys who show up repeatedly in the winners circle are not there because they get aces and kings all day (though that will help). Yes, I've had strings of face-rag that are frustrating but even that is a raising hand in the right situation; deal with it.
Where was I? Oh yeah, nerdy guy jinxing me. My response was "we'll see." the flop comes out 565 and there's no flush possibility. The old guy who called me is getting up from the table. I like this about as much as "nice hand." The turn is a 6 and nerdy guy says "you chop with a 5 or a 6." Um, nice try, no. I'm too nice to call him an idiot. But without question he is.
What comes next I saw before it hit the felt. I won't lie - it hurt. I took it like a man but inside I was thinking about the hours I spent at the table. Tourneys have long since lost their pure entertainment value for me. I care not at all about seeing how long I last or counting success in hours played or drinks consumed (I actually drank nothing but water today. OK, save for one IPA with lunch before the tourney started. Vegas requires a Hemingway lunch almost no matter what I'm doing).
The inevitable ten hit the river and my table all let out "whoa"s. I think after my good-natured response to my welcoming to the table with the jacks cracked by A6 meant everyone but the old guy with tens was rooting for me. I also think they were much more surprised than i was. I smiled, stood, shared a knowing nod with my new French friend (yes, he was cute - Margot's sister should have been around) and told him good luck and quietly made my exit. If I had to make a living at this I might be more Phil Hellmuth after beats than a Shawn Deeb - but I'd like to think not. That's poker.
Tomorrow is my first WSOP of the year, and my first live Deuce-to-Seven NL tournament (other than GPT, obv).
Monday, June 04, 2012
Random WSOP Stuff
Jeweler: World Series of Poker bracelet most expensive sports prize ever
Jason of Beverly Hills
Shuffle Up and Ventie Live coverage from Starbucks
As profiled on the 2+2 Podcast - great find.
ESPN Coverage Week One at the WSOP
Jason of Beverly Hills
Shuffle Up and Ventie Live coverage from Starbucks
As profiled on the 2+2 Podcast - great find. ESPN Coverage Week One at the WSOP
Saturday, June 02, 2012
WSOP So Far
Event #2: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Champion ($517,725)
Brent Hanks
Event #3: Event 3: $3,000 Heads Up NLH/PLO ($207,708)
Leif Force
Event #4: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low 8-or-Better ($201,559) Cory Zeidman
Event #5: $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em ($189,818)
Nick Jivkov
PokerNews Live Updates
Event #3: Event 3: $3,000 Heads Up NLH/PLO ($207,708)
Leif Force
Event #4: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low 8-or-Better ($201,559) Cory Zeidman
Event #5: $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em ($189,818)
Nick Jivkov
PokerNews Live Updates
Gainesville's Fish
This is a little dated now - missed it when it first hit.
Strategy with Kristy: Darryll Fish on Preparing for the WSOP
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Bad Beats 2011 - Deeb's Aces
The 2+2Pokercast guys were doing their year-end review in episode 203 and then they got to the bad beats of the year it was...inspirational.
Although I knew them all I didn't see them all - but this one I did, and during the near-live coverage.
Deeb's Aces Cracked
There's so much that stands out about this, but the biggest all happen after the hand. First, the way Deeb takes it is professionalism on parade. Then when he busts shortly thereafter he described the hand in detail in his exit interview - it was some amazing inside baseball.
Afterthought - what in the world must Deeb's 5-bet range be like on-line?!
Although I knew them all I didn't see them all - but this one I did, and during the near-live coverage.
Deeb's Aces Cracked
There's so much that stands out about this, but the biggest all happen after the hand. First, the way Deeb takes it is professionalism on parade. Then when he busts shortly thereafter he described the hand in detail in his exit interview - it was some amazing inside baseball.
Afterthought - what in the world must Deeb's 5-bet range be like on-line?!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
My third poker site in a week...
Testing Doyles Room now. First hand was 47 and I raised, then took it down on the flop with a bluff c-bet.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Well, I found a site to play on...
1) Good news - I won the first thing I sat down at.
2) Bad news - I did something small to test the interface and it paid in VIP points. WTF?
3) Other - the winning screen is totally gay (NTTAWWT).
2) Bad news - I did something small to test the interface and it paid in VIP points. WTF?
3) Other - the winning screen is totally gay (NTTAWWT).
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Sunday, April 03, 2011
"I Knew It"
My hands from Stars. Haven't figured out how to get the Tilt hands because Tilt's interface sucks. But this is similar to what it felt like.
Kings twice - once at 20BB when it took down the blinds, and once at 200BB when I ran it into aces. If you're keeping score at home the normal QQ, KK, AA, AK frequency is about 2.5%.
I'm a smart poker player - I don't just whine, I complain with statistics...
Kings twice - once at 20BB when it took down the blinds, and once at 200BB when I ran it into aces. If you're keeping score at home the normal QQ, KK, AA, AK frequency is about 2.5%.
I'm a smart poker player - I don't just whine, I complain with statistics...
KCL Weekly $215
This is a hand where inexperience was a factor. He opened and I raised the button. If that 3 is a 2 then I can play this and see what he does. If he's pat I have to break, and then I'm hold a straight draw. I probably should have flatted and see what he did on the draw, although if I flat and pat after he draws I'm playing my hand face-up, which is why I three-bet pre-draw in the first place.
Converted by the cows of Feral Cow Poker
PokerStars No Limit Single Draw ($200+$15) t40/t80 ante t20 - 5 players
BB Sirens: t6,575
UTG BadLuk: t4,640
CO tunnny: t3,280
Button Hero: t3,560
SB monkeyboxes: t5,660
Dealing Hands: (t220)
(5 players)
BadLuk folds, tunnny raises to t160, Hero raises to t350, 2 folds, tunnny raises to t1360, Hero folds
tunnny collected t920
Converted by the cows of Feral Cow PokerPokerStars No Limit Single Draw ($200+$15) t40/t80 ante t20 - 5 players
BB Sirens: t6,575
UTG BadLuk: t4,640
CO tunnny: t3,280
Button Hero: t3,560
SB monkeyboxes: t5,660
Dealing Hands: (t220)
(5 players)BadLuk folds, tunnny raises to t160, Hero raises to t350, 2 folds, tunnny raises to t1360, Hero folds
tunnny collected t920
And here's what $215 KCL was like...
Now I need to know how to deposit money so I can play this every week...
Isildur1 challenge railbirding
This is pretty sick. Get the idea that after check-raising flop and check-calling turn he's shoving any rag river there.
Poker Stars $50/$100 No Limit Hold'em - 2 players - View hand 1261566
DeucesCracked Poker Videos Hand History Converter
urnotindangr (BTN/SB): $10000.00
Isildur1 (BB): $51175.00
Pre Flop: ($150.00)
urnotindangr raises to $300, Isildur1 calls $200
Flop: ($600.00) 4
3
7
(2 players)
Isildur1 checks, urnotindangr bets $400, Isildur1 raises to $1450, urnotindangr calls $1050
Turn: ($3500.00) Q (2 players)
Isildur1 checks, urnotindangr bets $2200, Isildur1 calls $2200
River: ($7900.00) 5 (2 players)
Isildur1 bets $47225 all in, urnotindangr folds
Final Pot: $7900.00
Isildur1 wins $7900.00
Poker Stars $50/$100 No Limit Hold'em - 2 players - View hand 1261566
DeucesCracked Poker Videos Hand History Converter
urnotindangr (BTN/SB): $10000.00
Isildur1 (BB): $51175.00
Pre Flop: ($150.00)
urnotindangr raises to $300, Isildur1 calls $200
Flop: ($600.00) 4
3 7 (2 players)Isildur1 checks, urnotindangr bets $400, Isildur1 raises to $1450, urnotindangr calls $1050
Turn: ($3500.00) Q
(2 players)Isildur1 checks, urnotindangr bets $2200, Isildur1 calls $2200
River: ($7900.00) 5
(2 players)Isildur1 bets $47225 all in, urnotindangr folds
Final Pot: $7900.00
Isildur1 wins $7900.00
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Finally
Determined to finish on a good note, played one SNG tonight. This was the last hand. Solid.
Hand converter-Pokerhand.org 
JackJoker wins $8,370
PokerStars, $100/200 NO Limit Texas Holdem Tournament, 2 Players
Board:
JackJoker (Button): $9,315
PokrPsycho09 (BB): $4,185
Dealt to: JackJoker
Pre-flop:
JackJoker raises to $400, PokrPsycho09 raises to $1,200, JackJoker raises to $9,290 and is all-in, PokrPsycho09 calls $2,960 and is all-in, JackJoker returns $5,130,
Flop:($8,620) (2 Players)
Turn: ($8,620) (2 Players) 
River: ($8,620) (2 Players) 
Results:
PokrPsycho09 Showed
JackJoker Showed
JackJoker wins $8,370
JackJoker Showed
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