What Would Hank Do?

I don't try to be a tricky razz player - pretty straight forward. You get a lot of action from people drawing with face cards up on 4th and 5th so why bother? The only thing I do on a occasion is try to "bet through" a card or two behind me when there are a lot of high cards out to take down the bring-in and antes.

In this hand the straight-forward answer on 4th is just fold.

PokerStars Game #26909700473: Tournament #200904151, $40+$4 8-Game (Razz Limit) - Level XX (400/800) - 2009/04/09 17:24:19 ET
Table '200904151 138' 6-max
Seat 1: marty310 (12346 in chips)
Seat 2: bobvegàs (8476 in chips)
Seat 3: JackJoker (7932 in chips)
Seat 4: charly441 (13015 in chips)
Seat 5: brf007 (5428 in chips)
Seat 6: KidGrind61 (12594 in chips)
JackJoker: posts the ante 80
charly441: posts the ante 80
brf007: posts the ante 80
KidGrind61: posts the ante 80
marty310: posts the ante 80
bobvegàs: posts the ante 80
*** 3rd STREET ***
Dealt to marty310


Dealt to bobvegàs


Dealt to JackJoker


Dealt to charly441

Dealt to brf007

Dealt to KidGrind61

JackJoker: brings in for 120
charly441: calls 120
brf007: calls 120
KidGrind61: folds
marty310: folds
bobvegàs: folds

So I have no interest in this hand. I expected a raise somewhere and of course I insta-fold. But, no raise. A limp right behind me and another stragler.

*** 4th STREET ***
Dealt to JackJoker

Dealt to charly441

Dealt to brf007

charly441: bets 400
brf007: folds

Now I'm suspicious. He limped right behind the bring-in but this isn't usually a game where people get tricky and go for a limp-re-raise. So, if he had a great hand why limp behind and then come out firing? It seems most likely that he's just betting his board, which with my ten up and the other straggler catching a jack, is a good play. If he has 87 down, about the best I can hope for, I'm still 44%. I decided to take a card off and see if he bricked and if I catch.

JackJoker: calls 400
*** 5th STREET ***
Dealt to JackJoker

Dealt to charly441


charly441: bets 800

Not according to plan. I catch but so does he. If I put him 87 I know I'm a favorite because I'm drawing to a smooth 8, but I can't call one bet. If I call 5th I have to run this out and likely call 2400, not easy with my stack. The other problem is he could have a 9 made and be drawing to a 7 - I could improve and still lose. I didn't know the exact numbers at the time but I knew it wasn't good (I would be 31% if he's drawing to a 7). I decided to fold because I didn't want to call-off 2400 with my stack, and I felt like if I called here I had to commit to the hand.

JackJoker: folds
Uncalled bet (800) returned to charly441
charly441 collected 1640 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1640 | Rake 0
Seat 1: marty310 folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)
Seat 2: bobvegàs folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)
Seat 3: JackJoker folded on the 5th Street
Seat 4: charly441 collected (1640)
Seat 5: brf007 folded on the 4th Street
Seat 6: KidGrind61 folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)


Probably the best play was just fold on fourth when he bet. He could be making a move but why would he limp after the bring-in with less than an 8-draw on third? Again, I'm a slight favorite if he has exactly 87 buried. If he manages to have one of the two remaining sixes I'm a three-to-one dog. By the numbers, I could take off a card and hope to hit my 8 and that he bricks hard. I didn't realize it at the time, but if I hit a 3,4,6, or 7 and he hits a ten or pairs (visibly or otherwise) then the hand is over and I have it won. Of course, I didn't realize that at the time, and in any event I had seen three of my outs folded already.

I am no Hellmuth

I am not good enough to show up late. Running bad and playing bad. I got moved and was glad but got moved to a crazy-fast table. 8s raise into an ace without pause. At 907 with it about to start back up at 60 ante, 300/600. If I'm the bring-in I almost have to go with it.

First Bad Bet of SCOOP Stud/8

I decided not to risk it by late registering even though I'd miss about an hour of the tournament. Bad decision. I got home one minute before the break ended and they were still registering. So instead of 5k chips to start I have 4250. I got my hand history for the last hour - 60 hands. I'm stunned that many hands were dealt in an hour.

Baklava-esque Tournament

One that lasts forever for a little bit of money. This one ended the hand after I went out third, so almost four hours long.

This is a strange game. Right before it started I worked out some of the math in Excel and played a lot tighter than the first two times I tried it. This game also is made for snowing.

Most of my bluffs were pre-draw steals but I picked up on some really good spots for the future. One is when both you and an opponent draw one and you have position and the first draw is checked. If you have a really good three card hand (say, to a 6) and you both draw one the second time and don't improve, it's a good spot to bet and then if your opponent calls-draws (common) stand pat. If you draw and miss often you'll face a bet and you may have the best hand, but tough to call when you brick. When you stand pat it's very unlikely you'll have a bet on the end unless someone holds a strong Badugi. So, rapping pat gives up your 10% to 17% chance of improving but it's much more likely you get to a showdown with no further betting and a strong three-card hand.

Anyway, I figured this out as soon as I bet and then broke and faced a bet on the end. Also if you have a good three-card hand and you're both drawing one, really you should be betting in position. In my case it was late in the tourney, blinds were huge, and it was pot limit so I risked getting blown off the hand and checked after the first draw for pot control. I bet after the second fairly sure I had the best draw. Unfortunately I went for on the end and faced a big bet and decided to fold. That's when rapping-pat and checking down occured to me as an interesting play.

SCOOP - TDL

With 138 hands dealt, there were 902 people left (half) and I was 48th in chips. I had drawn in 25% of the hands and won 45%, and won 69% of showdown hands and seven hands without a showdown.

Then the downward spiral began.

With nothing to fight with over the next 51 hands I played nine (which basically equates to a hand for every orbit) and won not a single one.

This is what it looks like to go card dead at high blinds.

150/300 blinds
Dealt to JackJoker [2d Ad 3d 4d 8h]
This was the last hand I won in the tournament and had 20,980 chips and led my table by a 3-to-1 margin over the next biggest stack. Someone later replaced a bust-out and had about 25k.
Dealt to JackJoker [7d 9c Qd Qh 5c]

200/400 blinds
Dealt to JackJoker [4s Qc 9d 6h Kd]
Dealt to JackJoker [2h Ts 9c 7h 8s]
Dealt to JackJoker [3s Jh Js 9d 2d]
Dealt to JackJoker [Ah As Qd Ts 9s]
Dealt to JackJoker [2s 6h Qh 7h 2d]
I called a raise here and drew twice and folded before the last draw against a pat hand. Questionable all the way wound including my fold when I had a 4 and had seen another 4.
Dealt to JackJoker [7d 2h 4h 5s 8d]
Raised got one caller and he drew one so I put him on a nut draw and broke the 8. We checked the first, he bet and I called the second, and I called a bet on the end when I hit a 9. He had 86. Questionable break but I think he chases me down here.
Dealt to JackJoker [2d Ts Th 5d Kc]
Dealt to JackJoker [9d Ah Td Ad Kd]
Dealt to JackJoker [5h Tc 7h 4d Kc]
Dealt to JackJoker [6c Td 9c 4d As]
Dealt to JackJoker [Jd Kd 9s 9c 8s]
Dealt to JackJoker [7s Ad 2h 5s 8d]
I raised and got one caller and drew to the nuts in position. We both drew one on the end and he checked and I wound up with 2457 – 2. I bluffed and he called with a 97.
Dealt to JackJoker [9h 9c 3c 8c 6d]
Dealt to JackJoker [6c 5d As 3h 4c]
I folded first in. If I knew what the next 30 hands would look like I may have acted differently.
Dealt to JackJoker [3c 8h Ts Ac Ad]

250/500 blinds
Dealt to JackJoker [Qd 4c 7c 3s Jd]
3-bet before it got to me – no chance to even steal.
Dealt to JackJoker [Jh Td 3s Qc 7s]
Dealt to JackJoker [3s Tc Jc 9c 4h]
Dealt to JackJoker [Ah Kh 8c Jd 8s]
Dealt to JackJoker [Jh Kd Th Qs 7d]
Dealt to JackJoker [9c 7s Td 5d 8h]
Dealt to JackJoker [5s 6d 6s 5d Tc]
Dealt to JackJoker [2d 4h 7s Ks Ah]
Flat called a raise and BB called and drew one. Picked up another AK, BB bet me and the raiser called and BB stood pat. I hit Q8, BB bet and original raiser raised and I folded.
Dealt to JackJoker [Jh Ks As Kd Qs]
Dealt to JackJoker [Jd Qc 5c 8h Kc]
Dealt to JackJoker [9h 4c Ad 7d 8s]
Dealt to JackJoker [Ah 3c 6s Qs 7c]
Dealt to JackJoker [6d Jh 6h Kc Kh]
Dealt to JackJoker [Td 9h 4d Js 8h]
Dealt to JackJoker [5c 7s Kc Js 6c]
Dealt to JackJoker [4h 4c 7h Ks Ah]
Dealt to JackJoker [3c 6s 6h 5s 2c]
9730 when this hand came up. I raised first-in and was RR, I capped it because RR was a short stack with 1-1/2 more bets). We both drew 2 then 1 then 1 and I wound up with a pair of 3s vs. a jack.
Dealt to JackJoker [As Td 6d Jd 4h]
Dealt to JackJoker [Ah 7s Js Qs Jd]
Dealt to JackJoker [Jc 7d Kd Tc 6h]

300/600 blinds
Dealt to JackJoker [Qh 3c 4h 8s Kd]
Raise in front or I might have tried stealing with this one.
Dealt to JackJoker [Ad 9d 9h 4s 6s]
Dealt to JackJoker [Qs Kh 7h Jc Qc]
Dealt to JackJoker [As 5d Ac Jd 8d]
Dealt to JackJoker [3h 8d 9h Td Ts]
Dealt to JackJoker [9s Qs 8c Qh 4c]
Dealt to JackJoker [7d Jc 9h Jh 5s]
Dealt to JackJoker [5h 5s As Jc Tc]
Dealt to JackJoker [7c Qs 3h Qd 4c]
Dealt to JackJoker [Td Th 2s 6s Kh]
Dealt to JackJoker [7s 3h 2s Qc 7c]
I three bet this one and was called by a one-draw. I checked behind after bricking and he checked and I drew two again and bricked. I checked, be bet, and I folded. I would have stuck it all in with this draw but once I got through two draws with no betting and no hand there was nothing else to do.
Dealt to JackJoker [As Jd 2c Qh 6c]
Dealt to JackJoker [4h 9c 2h As 6d]
Dealt to JackJoker [9d 4h Kc 8d Ac]
Dealt to JackJoker [As 2s 4d Jd 8h]
With the BB coming on the next hand I decided to just try and get it in with this hand since I had about six big blinds. I bricked off the first draw then pulled a 9 on the second draw with him drawing one in position. I stood pat and he stood pat behind – with the nuts. This was the same guy I had all-in earlier and doubled him up. Awesome.

Who says you can't have a big edge in O8?

I don't play this game much (as the limits indicate). I thought this was interesting because I had a startlingly big edge pre-flop (74%), on the flop (68%), and on the turn (68%). I'm not used to that being the case in this game. The funny thing is I didn't even consider raising the turn-lead, and I considered folding the river. Obviously he picked up a flush draw and OE straight draw on the turn and probably thought I had raised with A2XX.

PokerStars, $0.25/0.50 Fixed limit Omaha Hi Limit Cash Games, 9 Players

Hand Converter by the Pokerhand.org community

Board:

Liratia (CO): $23.20

SWMVP (Button): $14.40

jtrain9 (SB): $16.60

JackJoker (BB): $20.20

fishy111 (UTG): $19.10

GoAskAlice2 (UTG+1): $23.80

EddBones (MP1): $30.30

Vinman910 (MP2): $19.20

camman (MP4): $25.85

 

Dealt to: JackJoker

Pre-flop:

(7 folds), jtrain9 calls $.25, JackJoker raises to $1, jtrain9 calls $.50,

Flop:($2.50) (2 Players)

jtrain9 checks, JackJoker bets $.50, jtrain9 calls $.50,

Turn: ($3.50) (2 Players)

jtrain9 bets $1, JackJoker calls $1,

River: ($5.50) (2 Players)

jtrain9 bets $1, JackJoker calls $1,

Results:

jtrain9 Showed

JackJoker Showed

JackJoker wins $6.70

Talk Too Much...

Tampa 2/5 I sat with $100 and four rebuys ready. I folded every hand and topped up to 100 after my BB and SB. On the button I got AT and it was raised to 15 and I called, flopped two pair, and raised AI and won against AK, getting to 240. I was never down.

So I had an interesting situation come up. Preceding the interesting hand I had AK and with one limper in early I raised to 20. The guy in the 10-seat was a soldier who was a pretty basic player. He min-raised to 40 and I immediately think aces. Then the limper flats him and I went into the tank. The limper was the guy who I won my first hand against when he had AK and he had me covered (I had about 350) while Army guy had just over 100 before his min-raise. I tanked and seriously considered folding. I actually almost said all-in and caught myself since I was covered by a limp-caller who probably had a pair and the best I can do is “isolate” myself against a guy who might have aces. But I didn’t fold and called 20 more. Flop came 9-high and the 10-seat led AI and the limper flatted, which I thought was an extremely strong call given the min-raise-lead and the fact I was the initial raiser and had a lot of chips. I folded. Ten seat had aces and the limper had 9s for a flopped set.

So a little later the ten seat asked me something about “saving you money.” Ironically I had thought after 30 minutes at the table that everyone talked too much – about their hands and why they played it a certain way, and talking shit. Several of guys smack-talked as bad as you, but they sucked. One guy made a comment about “small loans with a high interest rate” after losing a pot. Another after getting caught for like the third time said “advertising, just advertising.” You know, as if you can advertise while announcing that’s what you’re doing. But despite that I answered him and said actually the other guy’s call probably saved me money, and that I almost folded pre-flop when he min-raised.

So a half hour later I pick up queens and I have about 400. I raised and got called by two people including another big stack who had me slightly covered. He had been a big stack when I showed up at the table and in the entire time I was there I hadn’t seen one piece of evidence to suggest he was something other than lucky. He was the guy who made the “small loans” comment, plenty of jewelry, very full of himself. Flop came 6-high with two hearts. I bet 50 and Small Loans raised to 100, the other caller folded. Small Loans was in the 9-seat, right next to the guy who asked me about the earlier hand and I was sure he heard me say I almost folded. I was also fairly sure I had way the best hand – I put him either on a flush-draw or a set since he flatted pre-flop and let someone else come along with his call. Would he min-raise a set? Some people certainly will do that but I had a feeling he heard what I said earlier and thought a min-raise would scare me off.

I moved in and he tanked, which I didn’t expect (on that board he had a set or flush draw with two overs which he insta-calls, or air which shouldn't take long to fold). I actually had difficulty not swallowing hard – for some reason that happened to me several times this weekend. I was happy to take it down there – I didn’t want to see hours of work flushed away when he hit. He finally called – and showed 56o for a pair of sixes and only one heart so a little back-door draw. I honestly don’t remember but I think one of my queens was a heart leaving him five outs. A black nine paired the board leaving him two outs and he whiffed the river. That pot was over $800.

Sixth-Grade Gamblers Were Hyperactive at Young Age, Study Finds

Sixth-Grade Gamblers Were Hyperactive at Young Age, Study Finds
2009-03-02 21:00:00.3 GMT

By Shannon Pettypiece
March 2 (Bloomberg) -- Children who gambled at age 11 were more
likely to have been hyperactive and impulsive 5-year-olds, suggesting
symptoms of risky behavior can be found early in life, researchers said.
In a study of 163 Canadian students, 14 percent of sixth graders
reported playing cards for money, 13 percent played video games for
money, 8 percent placed bets at sports venues or on games, such as pool
or bowling, and 4 percent bought lottery tickets. Previous interviews of
the children's kindergarten teachers found the kids ranked most
impulsive when they started school were more likely gamblers six years
later, according to the study published today in the Archives of
Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
The findings could alert parents to address hyperactivity and
attention problems at a young age, said Linda Pagani, an author of the
study and professor at the University of Montreal.
"These behaviors are already a risk factor for a lot of long-term
consequences, such as substance abuse, school performance and
unemployment," said Pagani in a telephone interview. "Our research
findings now add gambling behavior to that list of consequences."
The study started by interviewing kindergarten teachers, who were
asked to rank the behavior of their students. Six years later, the
researchers asked those students how often they played cards for money,
bingo, bought lottery tickets, played computer games for money or made
bets with friends at sports venues.

Divorce Effect

After analyzing the results, the researchers found that for every
1-unit increase in reported kindergarten impulsivity, children showed a
25 percent increase in later self-reported involvement in gambling. The
findings excluded those whose parents had divorced, because that can
also be a risk factor for such behavior. The researchers also factored
in parents'
gambling behavior to rule that out as an influence.
Previous research has shown that young people who compulsively
gamble have an increased risk of substance abuse, depression and
suicides, the study said.
Pagani suggested more resources be spent on treating hyperactivity
in preschool and elementary school. The study was funded by Canada's
Social Science and Humanities Research Council Standard Research Grants
Program.

6/12 HORSE at Venetian

Friday there was nothing but HE games up but Saturday there was a HORSE list with one name, Doug. I put Tyler down and went over to the Palazzo next door. Jill and I played 3-way Action Poker (like other things, 3way is the best form of vidpoker). We got a snack at Grand Luxe and went back over about 3 hours later.



The list had 9 names but the game wasn't running. I had a killer migraine (too many jello shots and cigars and not enough water I'm guessing) but I really wanted to play this game. They told me it was about to come together and it did about 20 minutes later.



I bought in for 300 and they used $3 chips which I had never seen there. My first HE hand was a walkover and the second I raised with QTo from the small and took the BB. Then it was a painful head and not much play. I quickly learned this games comes together every Saturday. I was one of two strangers at the table - they were holding seats for people including "Sarge" who apparently is the action player.

Unfortunately most of my action came in HE and O8. I had a good spot in razz and RR the completion with ace up and 47 down but I bricked off against 2 people catching good and had to dump it. In the second round of HE I limped behind a couple of limpers with Q8 spades. The flop came Q high and I bet after it was checked to me. I got one call from the only other stranger 2 spots behind. Turn was another queen and I led and he raised. I flat called because if he was bluffing a raise does little, there were no obvious draws (T and rag on board) and if he did happen to have a queen it likely would be better. River was a K and I checked to give a bluffing hand another chance, and to avoid losing another bet to a better queen. He bet, I called, and he showed ace-high saying "I was hoping you'd fold." Yeah, can't do that with three queens.



Only other big hand was O8 the second round when I limped AQd T5h. Flop was A and T one diamond and I raised an early lead. Called in two spots and by the better. At least two of these are going low. Turn was a 9d giving me two pair and the nut flush draw and bricking a low. Checked to me I bet and all 3 called. River was a diamond...oh, and a ten, so I have tens full. I probably have the high with the flush. First player bets and the one seat calls before Doug can act. Then Doug lifts his hand up and says that ten might have been bad for him, and I have to ask him to please protect his hand - the one seat is a friend of his, and although I don't think he's even looking, the cards are flashing him. The one seat never took the bet back but after Doug called I asked to be sure that that money was in the pot before I made the obvious raise to built the pot between me and the quarters. The lead called, Doug folded, and the one seat called. I announced tens-full and the nut-flush. In a home game might have been fun to do it the other way. The dealer actually announced my flush and I said no, I'll go with the boat. Either was good and it was a nice pot.



I packed up after a few razz hands - I just couldn't take it. Jill had brought me Advil and $160 of video poker winnings that she made off of a 20, but my head never got better.



I finished up a whole $4 - stud games are expensive when you have a lot of unplayable hands - or 0 after toking 1 and pocketing one 3-dollar souvenir. It sucked playing mostly flop games but it was nice to be up in my first HORSE game in a casino, and among a regulars' game.