That pretty much sums up the extent of my play last night at the riverchasers live game in Chalfont. Since the normal TD could not make it, Griff took over the game and used it as another field test for the modified structure to be rolled out in 2008.
Basically, starting stacks are doubled, and the blind increases are a little less severe, especially between levels 4 and 7. Currently, blinds increase from 5/10 to 10/20 to 20/40 to 30/60 over the course of the second 90 minutes of play. The new design would see them go from 5/10 to 10/20 to 15/30 to 25/50 over those same 90 minutes.
This is great for a conservative player like myself as I have time to be patient. But, oh boy, does it create even looser play during the first hour. I don't think I even got significantly involved in a hand until 5/10 when I found J♦9♦ in the SB. I completed the bet and BB checked his option and it was 6 to the flop of 865 with two diamonds. Now this is an absolutely HUGE draw for my hand, so my plan is to check-raise shove, hopefully with a bunch of dead money trapped in the center. Unfortunately, only one player bet out relatively smallish (45% of pot) before the action got back to me. Now there is 85 in the pot and I'm sitting on 150 so I shove. Only the flop bettor called for most of his stack with TPTK. I think I'm actually close to a 2:1 favorite as I have 18 outs twice. Turn gives me top pair and river doesn't hurt.
That was it for 45 minutes. Blinds go to 25/50. I get AKo UTG and raise all-in for 5x BB. SB calls with JJ and wins the race. Whatever. It was a night out, and even though I was completely card dead the whole night, I took 5th out of 20.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
A Tale Of Two Tables
Talk about contrasting styles of play...
I played in the Riverchasers live freeroll in Hatboro Sunday afternoon. We started promptly at 1 PM with 5 full tables, and it was obvious right from the start that my starting group was going to be playing good smart poker. I started off pretty good after seeing a flop out of the BB with A8o and check raising a MP bettor when I flopped top 2. The 2 LP callers of the flop bet dropped after the raise (which MP called), and when I bet the turn strong, I took down a nice early pot.
We go to 2/4 and I find A♠Q♠ on the button. Now I make it a habit of playing hands like this pretty soft pre-flop in the hopes of flopping something that it well disguised. When the flop came 663 with 2 spades, I was a little leery that one of the blinds was slow playing a 6. So, when both blinds check, I took the free card which was the T♠. It checked around again, so I bet about 75% of the pot which knocked out everyone but the BB. The river brought an offsuit K, at which point, BB made a pretty small bet. (I think about 12 into a 40 pot) I decided that discretion should rule here and just called. Good thing I did, as he turned over two red sixes. Ouch. One guy commented that he was astounded that more money was not made on that hand.
After I pick up a pot with AK♣, raised preflop with 2 callers, a few hands later a player UTG min raises. This is someone who hasn't raised preflop once prior to this, so the radar goes on just a bit. I look down and find JJ and call. No need to go crazy. I have position, so let's see what the flop brings and what the action looks like before I need to make another decision. Everyone else folds except for the BB, who also calls the raise and it's 3 to the flop. AJ3 rainbow. Yahtzee. Maybe. BB immediately bets out a little over half the pot. Original raiser looks disgusted, and mucks. I'm thinking it was probably T's, Q's, or K's.
Now, maybe I'm actually giving people too much credit, but my thinking at this point is this: We have a player, who never raises, raise preflop. An A comes out on the flop, yet the BB still bets right into 2 players, including that raiser. Bells go off in my head. I massively overbet the pot and shove. My read was correct and he insta calls with top and bottom pair. I manage to avoid the 2 other aces, and double up plus a little.
Now the wheels fall off the bus. Our table is broken up and I am moved to a place where $1 rebuy madness must have been taking place. Every hand was raised to 3.5x BB preflop, many times in the dark, and called by at least 2 other players. Then, someone was shoving on the flop. Every. Single. Hand.
I decide to call once with 99 to see if I can flop the set as I know I'm going to double up if hits. It doesn't. Fold fold fold fold. Then AKo UTG and I call the 10 BB. I figure there is going to be a raise and a call or 2 and then I'm going to shove. Yup, there's the raise, and there's the... oh, crap. BB shoved. No way do I think I am worse than a coin flip, and very possibly well ahead. I call, and the initial raiser eventually also calls. He says he just can't lay his hand down with all that money sitting in the pot. He flips 8♠9♠. BB flips the JackAce. Flop is J high, turn is the A, and no love on the river.
Sheesh. It was either do what I did, or try to wait until the table broke, but since people were coming to our table, I didn't see that happening. All you can do at a table like that is try to get your money in good. As usual, for me, that wasn't good enough.
I played in the Riverchasers live freeroll in Hatboro Sunday afternoon. We started promptly at 1 PM with 5 full tables, and it was obvious right from the start that my starting group was going to be playing good smart poker. I started off pretty good after seeing a flop out of the BB with A8o and check raising a MP bettor when I flopped top 2. The 2 LP callers of the flop bet dropped after the raise (which MP called), and when I bet the turn strong, I took down a nice early pot.
We go to 2/4 and I find A♠Q♠ on the button. Now I make it a habit of playing hands like this pretty soft pre-flop in the hopes of flopping something that it well disguised. When the flop came 663 with 2 spades, I was a little leery that one of the blinds was slow playing a 6. So, when both blinds check, I took the free card which was the T♠. It checked around again, so I bet about 75% of the pot which knocked out everyone but the BB. The river brought an offsuit K, at which point, BB made a pretty small bet. (I think about 12 into a 40 pot) I decided that discretion should rule here and just called. Good thing I did, as he turned over two red sixes. Ouch. One guy commented that he was astounded that more money was not made on that hand.
After I pick up a pot with AK♣, raised preflop with 2 callers, a few hands later a player UTG min raises. This is someone who hasn't raised preflop once prior to this, so the radar goes on just a bit. I look down and find JJ and call. No need to go crazy. I have position, so let's see what the flop brings and what the action looks like before I need to make another decision. Everyone else folds except for the BB, who also calls the raise and it's 3 to the flop. AJ3 rainbow. Yahtzee. Maybe. BB immediately bets out a little over half the pot. Original raiser looks disgusted, and mucks. I'm thinking it was probably T's, Q's, or K's.
Now, maybe I'm actually giving people too much credit, but my thinking at this point is this: We have a player, who never raises, raise preflop. An A comes out on the flop, yet the BB still bets right into 2 players, including that raiser. Bells go off in my head. I massively overbet the pot and shove. My read was correct and he insta calls with top and bottom pair. I manage to avoid the 2 other aces, and double up plus a little.
Now the wheels fall off the bus. Our table is broken up and I am moved to a place where $1 rebuy madness must have been taking place. Every hand was raised to 3.5x BB preflop, many times in the dark, and called by at least 2 other players. Then, someone was shoving on the flop. Every. Single. Hand.
I decide to call once with 99 to see if I can flop the set as I know I'm going to double up if hits. It doesn't. Fold fold fold fold. Then AKo UTG and I call the 10 BB. I figure there is going to be a raise and a call or 2 and then I'm going to shove. Yup, there's the raise, and there's the... oh, crap. BB shoved. No way do I think I am worse than a coin flip, and very possibly well ahead. I call, and the initial raiser eventually also calls. He says he just can't lay his hand down with all that money sitting in the pot. He flips 8♠9♠. BB flips the JackAce. Flop is J high, turn is the A, and no love on the river.
Sheesh. It was either do what I did, or try to wait until the table broke, but since people were coming to our table, I didn't see that happening. All you can do at a table like that is try to get your money in good. As usual, for me, that wasn't good enough.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Still Sucking
About 40 riverchasers gathered in Blue Bell last night and the cards flew just after 8:30. Less than 10 minutes in, I pick up A♣8♣ in the BB and check my option. On the J high flop, I pick up second pair and the nut flush draw. I make a mistake already, as instead of betting it out strongly, I meekly check-call all the way to the river, miss my draw, and fold to an all-in bet. So many outs... Draws are death. Unless you're the one drawing against me, then it'll always come in.
I managed to pick up a couple small pots along the way, but got blinded down to less than 60 at 3/6. It was a pretty aggressive table, and my cards were beyond crappy. Finally I see A♦K♦ UTG and raise 3X BB. Everyone folds except the SB, who seems to really like her hand based on my read. When the flop comes with 3 rags and 2 clubs, she starts playing with her chips and really eyeing my stack. (Not that there was much of it left) Eventually, she decided to check and looked a bit disappointed when I checked behind her. Then the 9♣ fell and she bet me all-in. Yuck. I fold, nice bet. I'm such a wimp.
We go to 5/10 and I am on life support with 3.5 BB left. It folds around to me in the SB and I find K9o. BB only has me covered by a few chips, so I shove. He didn't fold right away, but did fold, so now I have 4.5 BB. Joy.
After paying another round of blinds, we go to level 5 (10/20) and I am UTG. This hand or next hand... A8 off is much better than what I'll probably see next hand in the BB so I'm all-in for 30. UTG+1 decides to shove for 150+ and everyone else folds. He flips TT so I'm about 30% to triple up. Flop trips my 8's, but a ten on the turn fills his boat and I'm done.
After a really good start to the quarter, things have certainly returned to normal. Maybe someday I'll actually learn how to play this game.
I managed to pick up a couple small pots along the way, but got blinded down to less than 60 at 3/6. It was a pretty aggressive table, and my cards were beyond crappy. Finally I see A♦K♦ UTG and raise 3X BB. Everyone folds except the SB, who seems to really like her hand based on my read. When the flop comes with 3 rags and 2 clubs, she starts playing with her chips and really eyeing my stack. (Not that there was much of it left) Eventually, she decided to check and looked a bit disappointed when I checked behind her. Then the 9♣ fell and she bet me all-in. Yuck. I fold, nice bet. I'm such a wimp.
We go to 5/10 and I am on life support with 3.5 BB left. It folds around to me in the SB and I find K9o. BB only has me covered by a few chips, so I shove. He didn't fold right away, but did fold, so now I have 4.5 BB. Joy.
After paying another round of blinds, we go to level 5 (10/20) and I am UTG. This hand or next hand... A8 off is much better than what I'll probably see next hand in the BB so I'm all-in for 30. UTG+1 decides to shove for 150+ and everyone else folds. He flips TT so I'm about 30% to triple up. Flop trips my 8's, but a ten on the turn fills his boat and I'm done.
After a really good start to the quarter, things have certainly returned to normal. Maybe someday I'll actually learn how to play this game.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Poker or FFL... Which One Am I Worse At?
So the Eagles blew a late 4th quarter lead at home to Brian Griese? Ok, whatever, moving on.
I played the afternoon RPT event in Hatboro on Sunday. Things got going at 1 PM with 6 full tables, and mine was a nice mix of styles. Since I couldn't find a good spot early, I folded almost every hand for the first half hour. But shortly into level 2 (2/4), I picked up QQ in MP and open raised 3x BB which was called by only SB and BB. After the flop came 6 high with 2 hearts, both blinds check-called my 15 bet. The 7 of hearts came off on the turn and the SB shoved. After the BB folded, I was left with a decision for the rest of my stack. Now, I have played with the SB many times and know that he could be full of it. On the other hand, he also frequently plays middle and suited cards regardless of position. Did he chase down the flush or turn 2 pair? Or was he still drawing at a straight or flush, which he will also play the same way. I absolutely hate calling off my entire stack that early, especially when I could very well have been drawing dead. So I laid it down.
He showed TPSK with no hearts and asked quite sarcastically if I was beat. Well played sir.
Fast forward a bit and I pick up 23o in the SB and complete with pot odds and flop bottom 2 pair. With 2 spades on the flop and 4 people in the hand, I just shove and increase my stack 50%. That's as good as it got as I made it as far as the final 2 tables, but then busted out in 15th on a non-eventful hand.
On the fantasy football front, I decided to swap out Earnest Graham for Michael Bennett prior to the early games. Good move. Graham had 90+ yards each rushing and receiving, but failed to get in the end zone. Unfortunately, I was also faced with a tough decision as it seemed better than likely that Marvin Harrison was not going to play Monday night. And since Driver and Chambers were on a bye, I needed to fill in his spot. I knew I should have picked up Toomer, but I went with Engram instead. Could have been worse.
Actually it was. My opponent had Randy Moss who found the end zone twice before the coin flip even came down, and a bye week replacement in the Redskins DST who also scored in the first half against Zona. I was down 26 points going into the late games and unfortunately was only able to make back about half that deficit. If Marvin does play tonight and scores 22 points or more... I just don't want to think about it. I did what I had to do. I couldn't afford to take chance at a zero point result out of one of my WR's. The worst move, though, was riding Stover and sitting Gould. Although, that would have only gotten me within 2 (9 if you take out Engram's numbers) and even more pissy if Harrison plays. Looks like I'll be playing the spoiler role for the second half.
At least Penn State hung on for the win. I won't have that to fall back on this coming weekend (vs OSU), so something else better change...
I played the afternoon RPT event in Hatboro on Sunday. Things got going at 1 PM with 6 full tables, and mine was a nice mix of styles. Since I couldn't find a good spot early, I folded almost every hand for the first half hour. But shortly into level 2 (2/4), I picked up QQ in MP and open raised 3x BB which was called by only SB and BB. After the flop came 6 high with 2 hearts, both blinds check-called my 15 bet. The 7 of hearts came off on the turn and the SB shoved. After the BB folded, I was left with a decision for the rest of my stack. Now, I have played with the SB many times and know that he could be full of it. On the other hand, he also frequently plays middle and suited cards regardless of position. Did he chase down the flush or turn 2 pair? Or was he still drawing at a straight or flush, which he will also play the same way. I absolutely hate calling off my entire stack that early, especially when I could very well have been drawing dead. So I laid it down.
He showed TPSK with no hearts and asked quite sarcastically if I was beat. Well played sir.
Fast forward a bit and I pick up 23o in the SB and complete with pot odds and flop bottom 2 pair. With 2 spades on the flop and 4 people in the hand, I just shove and increase my stack 50%. That's as good as it got as I made it as far as the final 2 tables, but then busted out in 15th on a non-eventful hand.
On the fantasy football front, I decided to swap out Earnest Graham for Michael Bennett prior to the early games. Good move. Graham had 90+ yards each rushing and receiving, but failed to get in the end zone. Unfortunately, I was also faced with a tough decision as it seemed better than likely that Marvin Harrison was not going to play Monday night. And since Driver and Chambers were on a bye, I needed to fill in his spot. I knew I should have picked up Toomer, but I went with Engram instead. Could have been worse.
Actually it was. My opponent had Randy Moss who found the end zone twice before the coin flip even came down, and a bye week replacement in the Redskins DST who also scored in the first half against Zona. I was down 26 points going into the late games and unfortunately was only able to make back about half that deficit. If Marvin does play tonight and scores 22 points or more... I just don't want to think about it. I did what I had to do. I couldn't afford to take chance at a zero point result out of one of my WR's. The worst move, though, was riding Stover and sitting Gould. Although, that would have only gotten me within 2 (9 if you take out Engram's numbers) and even more pissy if Harrison plays. Looks like I'll be playing the spoiler role for the second half.
At least Penn State hung on for the win. I won't have that to fall back on this coming weekend (vs OSU), so something else better change...
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Fantasy Football Thursday - Week 7 Edition
Let me preface this by saying that this is, by far, my worst year ever of fantasy football. It didn't look so bad on draft day...
QB: Palmer, Favre
RB: LJ, McAllister, B. Jackson, D. Foster, Bennett
WR: Harrison, Driver, Chambers, S. Moss
TE: Gonzo
K: Gould
DST: Steelers
We play a 10 team league with standard yardage + TD scoring. I didn't really like my RB situation, but every team needs a weakness somewhere. Unless you completely luck out.
Anyway LJ started out in the crapper, Marvin is losing too many balls to Wayne, and then McAllister goes down for the year. Hopefully, Harrison's knee won't keep him out any more than the 1 game he lost, plus last week's bye. Anyway, if he comes back this week and LJ and Gonzo keep playing like they have of late, I might be able to climb out of this hole. But 1-5 is a pretty big hole.
Brandon Jackson, Deuce, Gould, and Moss are no longer on the roster. Bennett was dropped when I needed to clear some room for bye week subs, but now that he has been traded to Tampa, I brought him back. I also picked up Kevin Faulk, probably for this week only, if that. I'm hoping that Maroney isn't ready to come back so that Faulk will get the start against the fins and I don't have to start Bennett right away.
When Chicago was on a bye, I picked up Stover for the week. Now, I think I'm just going to make him my every week starter. Baltimore can move the ball, but all they do it put up 3's. Of course, with Chambers moving to SD (on a bye) this week and Driver also on a bye, I was short a WR to start with Harrison. Someone beat me to Welker, so I was stuck with picking up Cotchery. Hopefully, the Jets will be able to torch the Cincy D for 4 or 5 through the air like everyone else. And maybe Jericho will land one.
So, I guess my lineup for this week will look like:
Palmer (vs. NYJ), LJ (vs. OAK), Faulk, if he starts (vs. MIA) or Bennett (vs. DET), Harrison (vs. JAX), Cotchery (vs. CIN), Gonzalez (vs. OAK), Stover (vs. BUF), and PITT DST (vs. DEN).
My opponent this week is the other 1-5 owner in the league, whose team features McNabb, Willie Parker and Randy Moss. A win this week will get me out of the cellar and one step closer to a miraculous run at the playoffs. One game at a time, though.
QB: Palmer, Favre
RB: LJ, McAllister, B. Jackson, D. Foster, Bennett
WR: Harrison, Driver, Chambers, S. Moss
TE: Gonzo
K: Gould
DST: Steelers
We play a 10 team league with standard yardage + TD scoring. I didn't really like my RB situation, but every team needs a weakness somewhere. Unless you completely luck out.
Anyway LJ started out in the crapper, Marvin is losing too many balls to Wayne, and then McAllister goes down for the year. Hopefully, Harrison's knee won't keep him out any more than the 1 game he lost, plus last week's bye. Anyway, if he comes back this week and LJ and Gonzo keep playing like they have of late, I might be able to climb out of this hole. But 1-5 is a pretty big hole.
Brandon Jackson, Deuce, Gould, and Moss are no longer on the roster. Bennett was dropped when I needed to clear some room for bye week subs, but now that he has been traded to Tampa, I brought him back. I also picked up Kevin Faulk, probably for this week only, if that. I'm hoping that Maroney isn't ready to come back so that Faulk will get the start against the fins and I don't have to start Bennett right away.
When Chicago was on a bye, I picked up Stover for the week. Now, I think I'm just going to make him my every week starter. Baltimore can move the ball, but all they do it put up 3's. Of course, with Chambers moving to SD (on a bye) this week and Driver also on a bye, I was short a WR to start with Harrison. Someone beat me to Welker, so I was stuck with picking up Cotchery. Hopefully, the Jets will be able to torch the Cincy D for 4 or 5 through the air like everyone else. And maybe Jericho will land one.
So, I guess my lineup for this week will look like:
Palmer (vs. NYJ), LJ (vs. OAK), Faulk, if he starts (vs. MIA) or Bennett (vs. DET), Harrison (vs. JAX), Cotchery (vs. CIN), Gonzalez (vs. OAK), Stover (vs. BUF), and PITT DST (vs. DEN).
My opponent this week is the other 1-5 owner in the league, whose team features McNabb, Willie Parker and Randy Moss. A win this week will get me out of the cellar and one step closer to a miraculous run at the playoffs. One game at a time, though.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
I Like The Current Trend
Last night I destroyed the RPT game in Chalfont. It's such a great feeling to only be all-in against a larger stack once for an entire tournament. And I only got my money in bad once, but no way could I see it coming.
Now in true Wellesian fashion, let's go back to the beginning...
It was a pretty small game with only 19 runners as we got started around 7:30. I could tell pretty quickly that my table was going to be content with seeing cheap flops early on, with only the occasional pre-flop raise. Fine with me. As usual, I mostly folded except when I found cards that played pretty well multiway and could see a cheap flop in position. Problem was, I ended up bailing on the flop. Every. Time. Not a problem as I only burned through about 1/6 of my stack.
Until... (2/4 blinds) I pick up KK in the cutoff and raise a limper 4x BB. Then the button calls. And the SB. And the BB. And the limper. What the hell is going on? Anyway, flop comes Jxx (whew) so I only need to worry about a set. And if I'm up against a set, that's the way it goes, but I'm going to play it as if I have the best hand right now. SB checks and the BB shoves for his final 27 chips. UTG folds and I reraise to isolate and/or chase out the draws. After the SB considers and folds, BB shows me J9o (What??). Oh, he also had a flush draw. Thankfully, donkey's hand doesn't improve, he goes home, and I practically double up.
We go to 3/6 and see the JackAce UTG. I make my standard 2.5x BB raise from that position and get called by a MP player. After another Jxx flop, I bet out 20 and he shoves. I have him covered by quite a bit and, in this case, I'm pretty damn sure TPTK is good so I call. This one shows me J8o. Donkey 2 misses his 3 outer with 2 cards to come and I drag another nice pot.
Took a little bit of a hit the next time I was in the BB. A bunch of limpers and I check my option with K4o. Flop comes 567 all diamonds and I have the K♦. After everyone checks the flop, the board pairs the 5. I check call a bet of 12 and am now heads up. River brings the J♦. I'm not sure I made the right play here, but I checked again planning to call any smallish bet and laying down to anything significant. He bet out 16 and since there were many hands he could have had that I could beat I called. I figured he was putting me on either a busted straight draw (in which case I missed) or a flush draw (in which case I am now trapping). Of course, there was also the chance he was value betting on the end, which he was as he flipped the A♦T♥. Not so bad. I think I lost the minimum I could have as I don't think he was getting away from his A high flush draw no matter what I did.
At this point, we have 10 players left and I am moved to the other table to even things out at 5 each. At my previous table, I was second in chips to a massive chip leader. At my new table things were much more even, and I think I might have even been 4th out of 5. Things, though, were about to change.
I have 220 chips (blinds at 20/40) and see QQ UTG in my second hand at this table. I raise 3x BB and get one caller. Flop comes KJT and I figure that if I'm not good now, I still have the oesd to fall back on. In go the last 100 chips which are called quickly, but not instantly. JackAce. He called off over 60% of his stack with second pair and a gut shot. Turn bricks and the river pairs the king. Double up plus the blinds.
Very next hand, the player UTG+1 goes all-in for his last 110 and it folds around to my BB. A9o. Now I've played with this guy many times and know that I could very well be ahead. Pot is laying me 2.5-1 so, unless he's playing a bigger A, this is the right call. QJs. Best hand holds up, and it's time for the final table, with me and another guy almost even and way above anyone else.
A couple of hands later, 3 of the shorties got it all-in and 2 of them went broke. Ok, so we're down to 7, but now there are 3 of us up top.
I see 44 UTG and raise 3x BB to 120. Donkey 3 (JackAce boy) calls off his last 60 chips and the BB calls, leaving himself 80 chips left. Flop comes KJ4 rainbow. Check check. Turn brings a Q and the final 80 go in the pot from the BB. I call with bottom set and find that the Q gave him 2nd and 3rd pair. After the river pairs the K, my fours full beat trip K's and top 3 pair and there are 5 left with half the chips on the table in my stack.
After subsequent knockouts of the 2 remaining short stacks, we have 3 players left. I am slightly ahead of 2nd place and blinds are 50/100. In one hand SB calls my BB and I raise with AK and he folds. In another, he calls my BB and I check with Q8. On a KQ9 flop, he checks and I bet out 250. He calls. Crap. Then a beautiful 8 falls on the turn. He checks and I bet the pot and he folds his Q3 face up.
Now it's my turn with the JackAce as the button calls and, in the SB, I raise to 400. The BB puts in his last 300 chips and flips AK. 88559 and we chop. In fact, we each take back our 400 and I get the 100 from the button being the player to the left of the dealer. Good deal.
Key hand of the final table sees me dealt AQ on the button and I raise enough to put either player all-in. SB folds, but the BB calls with QQ. Thankfully, I find an A on the flop and instead of being in 2nd place 3 handed with 550 chips, I have a greater than 4-1 chip lead heads up.
Blinds move to 100/200, I have 1700 chips and my opponent has 400. I get the button after dealing high card, see K9 and raise. Opponent calls with dismay and flips 83d. He catches his 3rd diamond on the turn and a 4th doesn't come to match up with my 9 and suddenly my lead is cut to 1300-800. Next hand, he is on the button and comes out raising for the first time in about a half hour. I really don't like what I see and fold. 1100-1000.
Finally, I pick up J8o on the button and call the 200. He bumps it to 400 and I call. Flop is Q87 and he checks. I'm pretty sure I'm good so I shove and he calls with J9o. I avoid his 7 outs and score my first RPT win in about 5 months. Of course, when you only play around once a week and don't win for so long you start you doubt yourself.
No money for this one as it was acting as one of the satellites to an invitation only tournament where 6 seats are being given away to a $2000 event at the Borgata. So I get a 1 in 25 shot at a $2000 buy in instead of a $50 gift certificate? I'll take that deal every time.
Now in true Wellesian fashion, let's go back to the beginning...
It was a pretty small game with only 19 runners as we got started around 7:30. I could tell pretty quickly that my table was going to be content with seeing cheap flops early on, with only the occasional pre-flop raise. Fine with me. As usual, I mostly folded except when I found cards that played pretty well multiway and could see a cheap flop in position. Problem was, I ended up bailing on the flop. Every. Time. Not a problem as I only burned through about 1/6 of my stack.
Until... (2/4 blinds) I pick up KK in the cutoff and raise a limper 4x BB. Then the button calls. And the SB. And the BB. And the limper. What the hell is going on? Anyway, flop comes Jxx (whew) so I only need to worry about a set. And if I'm up against a set, that's the way it goes, but I'm going to play it as if I have the best hand right now. SB checks and the BB shoves for his final 27 chips. UTG folds and I reraise to isolate and/or chase out the draws. After the SB considers and folds, BB shows me J9o (What??). Oh, he also had a flush draw. Thankfully, donkey's hand doesn't improve, he goes home, and I practically double up.
We go to 3/6 and see the JackAce UTG. I make my standard 2.5x BB raise from that position and get called by a MP player. After another Jxx flop, I bet out 20 and he shoves. I have him covered by quite a bit and, in this case, I'm pretty damn sure TPTK is good so I call. This one shows me J8o. Donkey 2 misses his 3 outer with 2 cards to come and I drag another nice pot.
Took a little bit of a hit the next time I was in the BB. A bunch of limpers and I check my option with K4o. Flop comes 567 all diamonds and I have the K♦. After everyone checks the flop, the board pairs the 5. I check call a bet of 12 and am now heads up. River brings the J♦. I'm not sure I made the right play here, but I checked again planning to call any smallish bet and laying down to anything significant. He bet out 16 and since there were many hands he could have had that I could beat I called. I figured he was putting me on either a busted straight draw (in which case I missed) or a flush draw (in which case I am now trapping). Of course, there was also the chance he was value betting on the end, which he was as he flipped the A♦T♥. Not so bad. I think I lost the minimum I could have as I don't think he was getting away from his A high flush draw no matter what I did.
At this point, we have 10 players left and I am moved to the other table to even things out at 5 each. At my previous table, I was second in chips to a massive chip leader. At my new table things were much more even, and I think I might have even been 4th out of 5. Things, though, were about to change.
I have 220 chips (blinds at 20/40) and see QQ UTG in my second hand at this table. I raise 3x BB and get one caller. Flop comes KJT and I figure that if I'm not good now, I still have the oesd to fall back on. In go the last 100 chips which are called quickly, but not instantly. JackAce. He called off over 60% of his stack with second pair and a gut shot. Turn bricks and the river pairs the king. Double up plus the blinds.
Very next hand, the player UTG+1 goes all-in for his last 110 and it folds around to my BB. A9o. Now I've played with this guy many times and know that I could very well be ahead. Pot is laying me 2.5-1 so, unless he's playing a bigger A, this is the right call. QJs. Best hand holds up, and it's time for the final table, with me and another guy almost even and way above anyone else.
A couple of hands later, 3 of the shorties got it all-in and 2 of them went broke. Ok, so we're down to 7, but now there are 3 of us up top.
I see 44 UTG and raise 3x BB to 120. Donkey 3 (JackAce boy) calls off his last 60 chips and the BB calls, leaving himself 80 chips left. Flop comes KJ4 rainbow. Check check. Turn brings a Q and the final 80 go in the pot from the BB. I call with bottom set and find that the Q gave him 2nd and 3rd pair. After the river pairs the K, my fours full beat trip K's and top 3 pair and there are 5 left with half the chips on the table in my stack.
After subsequent knockouts of the 2 remaining short stacks, we have 3 players left. I am slightly ahead of 2nd place and blinds are 50/100. In one hand SB calls my BB and I raise with AK and he folds. In another, he calls my BB and I check with Q8. On a KQ9 flop, he checks and I bet out 250. He calls. Crap. Then a beautiful 8 falls on the turn. He checks and I bet the pot and he folds his Q3 face up.
Now it's my turn with the JackAce as the button calls and, in the SB, I raise to 400. The BB puts in his last 300 chips and flips AK. 88559 and we chop. In fact, we each take back our 400 and I get the 100 from the button being the player to the left of the dealer. Good deal.
Key hand of the final table sees me dealt AQ on the button and I raise enough to put either player all-in. SB folds, but the BB calls with QQ. Thankfully, I find an A on the flop and instead of being in 2nd place 3 handed with 550 chips, I have a greater than 4-1 chip lead heads up.
Blinds move to 100/200, I have 1700 chips and my opponent has 400. I get the button after dealing high card, see K9 and raise. Opponent calls with dismay and flips 83d. He catches his 3rd diamond on the turn and a 4th doesn't come to match up with my 9 and suddenly my lead is cut to 1300-800. Next hand, he is on the button and comes out raising for the first time in about a half hour. I really don't like what I see and fold. 1100-1000.
Finally, I pick up J8o on the button and call the 200. He bumps it to 400 and I call. Flop is Q87 and he checks. I'm pretty sure I'm good so I shove and he calls with J9o. I avoid his 7 outs and score my first RPT win in about 5 months. Of course, when you only play around once a week and don't win for so long you start you doubt yourself.
No money for this one as it was acting as one of the satellites to an invitation only tournament where 6 seats are being given away to a $2000 event at the Borgata. So I get a 1 in 25 shot at a $2000 buy in instead of a $50 gift certificate? I'll take that deal every time.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Corporate Bureaucracy Sucks... or does it?
Currently, I'm on a filler contract (3-4 months) to pass the time until the next longer term gig is ready to go. The original contract was set for 3 months, but needed to be extended by a month due to circumstances beyond my control.
Of course, the original 3 months expired on Friday. No one told the admin or security people. Once I managed to get myself in the door (courtesy of a guest badge), I realized that my unix account had also expired. Now as far as my job description goes, no unix access means no work is getting done. Period.
Being that this is a Friday, the folks who actually had the position/authority to approve the reinstatement had decided to take a long weekend. Ok then.... It just so happened that there was a riverchasers freeroll starting at 1PM. Done and done.
I roll into Limerick just a few minutes before 1, and we start with 4 mostly full tables. By the time we reach the halfway point of level 1, a 5th table started and the final field is set at 37.
Early on and I'm grinding along when I find QQ in the SB at 2/4. Now, as far as I'm concerned, QQ needs to be played with kid gloves at these free rolls, especially early. So I complete. BB checks and 6 people see three cards. Flop comes jack high with 2 spades. At this point, with 5 people still to act, I opt for the check raise. EP player min bets into 2 folds and the button calls. I raise to 20 which causes the BB to fold. EP player under calls all-in and the button calls after some thought. Turn brings me top set, but also completes the flush if that's what button boy's thought was about. I'm not about to play scared and give the pot away, so I bet 20 again and the button folds. EP actually bet out BPTK on the flop and I drag a nice pot.
A short while later, I pick up JTs on the button and decide to see a flop. Out comes a double belly draw which doesn't fill and I fall back down to slightly better than when I started.
We go to 3/6 and an aggressive EP player raises to 16 on my BB. I find my nemesis, JJ, and decide to just call. I have won and lost more money with JJ over the years than any other single hand. Flop comes ten high, rainbow, and although EP is aggro, he's also fairly perceptive. If I bet right out, he might fold to the tight image. Instead I check. Expectedly, he c-bets and I decide that the pot is now sufficiently large compared to my stack and I shove. He folds, but I pick up the extra bet.
I'm feeling really good about the table I'm at. I have the image I want and the players are playing atypically non-donkey like. So, of course, our table breaks. Good news is that I realize pretty quickly that my new table is even better. Even though there is usually a call of a raise pre-flop by one player, it is usually followed by a check/fold if they miss the flop.
We go to 10/20 and I'm still slightly ahead. An EP player (the only big stack at the table) limps who I have seen limp just about every hand and fold to a raise. There is 50 in the pot and I have 120 left, so I shove with AKs. Folds all around.
I find KQs UTG and raise to 50. Only the BB calls. Flop is Q33, the BB checks, I min bet and the BB folds.
Then I get to see a free flop out of the BB with 2 limpers, the SB, and 84o. Flop comes 88x and it checks around. Turn comes with a 4 and it checks around again. Damn it!! Finally, no flush draws get there and no one seems to want to call my 50 down with A high, but I still drag a nice pot.
Alas, this table is now done and table #3 is mega-tight but most are pretty short-stacked and are in push mode. Mind you, short-stacked is a pretty relative term when there are only about 4000 chips total in play at 2 tables and blinds are 30/60. Of the 14 players left, probably only 3 or 4 have more than 10 BB in their stack. So with survival pushing left and right and no hand to even come close to playing, I pretty much fold for an entire orbit at which point a final table of 9 is started.
I only have 140 chips left now and have A4s in the cutoff. Everyone folds around, so I push, but the BB has TT and calls. I end up with a rivered wheel and the BB is not happy as he is just about crippled. Now my 310 gets chipped up to 350 as we start 50/100.
SB is all-in blind for 50 and the BB is sitting on a monster stack as I understand she had been a card rack for the last hour. When I see 88, here we go again... I shove, and everyone folds, including the big blind who actually had Q9s. SB actually had a dry ace and flopped an A, so I broke even. Would have doubled up through the BB if she would have called. Oh well.
Here come the blinds and I see A6d UTG and push. This time the BB does call with a suited Kx and spikes a K on the flop. A river 5 would have straightened me out, but instead paired my 6 and IGH in 7th place.
Bleh. Not as good as the last 2 times when I played there when I finished ITM (2nd and 3rd), but the live game seems to be coming along a bit. Hopefully the trend will continue during my weekly night out.
Of course, the original 3 months expired on Friday. No one told the admin or security people. Once I managed to get myself in the door (courtesy of a guest badge), I realized that my unix account had also expired. Now as far as my job description goes, no unix access means no work is getting done. Period.
Being that this is a Friday, the folks who actually had the position/authority to approve the reinstatement had decided to take a long weekend. Ok then.... It just so happened that there was a riverchasers freeroll starting at 1PM. Done and done.
I roll into Limerick just a few minutes before 1, and we start with 4 mostly full tables. By the time we reach the halfway point of level 1, a 5th table started and the final field is set at 37.
Early on and I'm grinding along when I find QQ in the SB at 2/4. Now, as far as I'm concerned, QQ needs to be played with kid gloves at these free rolls, especially early. So I complete. BB checks and 6 people see three cards. Flop comes jack high with 2 spades. At this point, with 5 people still to act, I opt for the check raise. EP player min bets into 2 folds and the button calls. I raise to 20 which causes the BB to fold. EP player under calls all-in and the button calls after some thought. Turn brings me top set, but also completes the flush if that's what button boy's thought was about. I'm not about to play scared and give the pot away, so I bet 20 again and the button folds. EP actually bet out BPTK on the flop and I drag a nice pot.
A short while later, I pick up JTs on the button and decide to see a flop. Out comes a double belly draw which doesn't fill and I fall back down to slightly better than when I started.
We go to 3/6 and an aggressive EP player raises to 16 on my BB. I find my nemesis, JJ, and decide to just call. I have won and lost more money with JJ over the years than any other single hand. Flop comes ten high, rainbow, and although EP is aggro, he's also fairly perceptive. If I bet right out, he might fold to the tight image. Instead I check. Expectedly, he c-bets and I decide that the pot is now sufficiently large compared to my stack and I shove. He folds, but I pick up the extra bet.
I'm feeling really good about the table I'm at. I have the image I want and the players are playing atypically non-donkey like. So, of course, our table breaks. Good news is that I realize pretty quickly that my new table is even better. Even though there is usually a call of a raise pre-flop by one player, it is usually followed by a check/fold if they miss the flop.
We go to 10/20 and I'm still slightly ahead. An EP player (the only big stack at the table) limps who I have seen limp just about every hand and fold to a raise. There is 50 in the pot and I have 120 left, so I shove with AKs. Folds all around.
I find KQs UTG and raise to 50. Only the BB calls. Flop is Q33, the BB checks, I min bet and the BB folds.
Then I get to see a free flop out of the BB with 2 limpers, the SB, and 84o. Flop comes 88x and it checks around. Turn comes with a 4 and it checks around again. Damn it!! Finally, no flush draws get there and no one seems to want to call my 50 down with A high, but I still drag a nice pot.
Alas, this table is now done and table #3 is mega-tight but most are pretty short-stacked and are in push mode. Mind you, short-stacked is a pretty relative term when there are only about 4000 chips total in play at 2 tables and blinds are 30/60. Of the 14 players left, probably only 3 or 4 have more than 10 BB in their stack. So with survival pushing left and right and no hand to even come close to playing, I pretty much fold for an entire orbit at which point a final table of 9 is started.
I only have 140 chips left now and have A4s in the cutoff. Everyone folds around, so I push, but the BB has TT and calls. I end up with a rivered wheel and the BB is not happy as he is just about crippled. Now my 310 gets chipped up to 350 as we start 50/100.
SB is all-in blind for 50 and the BB is sitting on a monster stack as I understand she had been a card rack for the last hour. When I see 88, here we go again... I shove, and everyone folds, including the big blind who actually had Q9s. SB actually had a dry ace and flopped an A, so I broke even. Would have doubled up through the BB if she would have called. Oh well.
Here come the blinds and I see A6d UTG and push. This time the BB does call with a suited Kx and spikes a K on the flop. A river 5 would have straightened me out, but instead paired my 6 and IGH in 7th place.
Bleh. Not as good as the last 2 times when I played there when I finished ITM (2nd and 3rd), but the live game seems to be coming along a bit. Hopefully the trend will continue during my weekly night out.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Freeroll = Pay Off the Rock
Used my one night out for the week to play the Riverchasers event in Horsham. Cards were in the air at 7 PM with 6 full tables of 8. I'll do my best to recall chip stacks and blind levels from memory, so everything might not be exactly right.
Initial table was ridiculously loose and aggressive. Conveniently, I was also completely card dead. Not a good combination. Of course, every monster was getting paid off as these folks typically see a bluff behind every bet. I was able to find a couple of spots during the first 3 levels to pick up some small pots, but really only enough to barely survive.
Fast forward to level 4 ($10/$20, $100 starting stack) and I'm in the BB with a total of $50. Everyone folds around to UTG who is only slightly better than an ATC'er. His raise to 80 pushes out the button and SB, so now I have $30 in front of me and looking at an $80 pot. I look down and find K9o, and figure there's a much better than average chance that I'm either ahead or totally live. I call and he flips AQo, but the flop comes with a king and I double up plus a little.
Very next hand, everyone folds around to my SB and I find A4d. One all-in later followed by a fold (he showed J7o) and I'm up to $130. Blinds then go to $20/$40 and I find nothing until I'm BB again. Fold around to the SB who completes and I check my J8o. Flop comes 8-7-4 rainbow and when the SB checks I push and he lays down his gutshot. Whew, thankfully it wasn't the typical riverchaser.
Again, no cards or spots can be found until I'm in the BB again. Fold around, SB completes, and I check my 64o. Flop is 8-7-5 for a made straight. Check-check and the turn pairs the 7. SB checks again and I bet out $60. After some thought, I get a call and a river 3. SB checks again, so I push my final $80 or so and he folds the T6o face up. I show the straight to reinforce the image in case I need to push with air later.
A little later, blinds go to $30/$60 and I find AKo UTG. I raise 2.5x BB and everyone folds to the BB who reraises for $30 more. I call, he flips A3 and I'm up to around $470 as we start the final table.
I get the first BB at $50/$100 (and a $500 stack with the chip up) and everyone folds to my 92o. Sweet! At this point, we're pretty much into push and pray mode as there are only about 50 BB on the entire table. Needless to say, I'm not calling off the rest of my chips with the garbage I was dealt, so I sat at $500 until I got the first BB at the new level ($100/$200).
MP pushes all in for $600 and everyone folds. So there is $800 in the pot, I have $300 left and look down at K6o. Have to call; don't want to, but have to. Raiser flips KTo (ouch) and I don't improve and IGH 7th.
Needless to say, I think I did just about as well as I could have given the nature of the players who were there and the cards I was getting. I think I saw AK just that one time, and nary a pocket pair above 7's. It's almost impossible to try to steal with air, when there are 2 or 3 players who will call almost any raise early on, and then I don't have enough chips to make moves when play tightens up a bit. I know, wah for me.
Initial table was ridiculously loose and aggressive. Conveniently, I was also completely card dead. Not a good combination. Of course, every monster was getting paid off as these folks typically see a bluff behind every bet. I was able to find a couple of spots during the first 3 levels to pick up some small pots, but really only enough to barely survive.
Fast forward to level 4 ($10/$20, $100 starting stack) and I'm in the BB with a total of $50. Everyone folds around to UTG who is only slightly better than an ATC'er. His raise to 80 pushes out the button and SB, so now I have $30 in front of me and looking at an $80 pot. I look down and find K9o, and figure there's a much better than average chance that I'm either ahead or totally live. I call and he flips AQo, but the flop comes with a king and I double up plus a little.
Very next hand, everyone folds around to my SB and I find A4d. One all-in later followed by a fold (he showed J7o) and I'm up to $130. Blinds then go to $20/$40 and I find nothing until I'm BB again. Fold around to the SB who completes and I check my J8o. Flop comes 8-7-4 rainbow and when the SB checks I push and he lays down his gutshot. Whew, thankfully it wasn't the typical riverchaser.
Again, no cards or spots can be found until I'm in the BB again. Fold around, SB completes, and I check my 64o. Flop is 8-7-5 for a made straight. Check-check and the turn pairs the 7. SB checks again and I bet out $60. After some thought, I get a call and a river 3. SB checks again, so I push my final $80 or so and he folds the T6o face up. I show the straight to reinforce the image in case I need to push with air later.
A little later, blinds go to $30/$60 and I find AKo UTG. I raise 2.5x BB and everyone folds to the BB who reraises for $30 more. I call, he flips A3 and I'm up to around $470 as we start the final table.
I get the first BB at $50/$100 (and a $500 stack with the chip up) and everyone folds to my 92o. Sweet! At this point, we're pretty much into push and pray mode as there are only about 50 BB on the entire table. Needless to say, I'm not calling off the rest of my chips with the garbage I was dealt, so I sat at $500 until I got the first BB at the new level ($100/$200).
MP pushes all in for $600 and everyone folds. So there is $800 in the pot, I have $300 left and look down at K6o. Have to call; don't want to, but have to. Raiser flips KTo (ouch) and I don't improve and IGH 7th.
Needless to say, I think I did just about as well as I could have given the nature of the players who were there and the cards I was getting. I think I saw AK just that one time, and nary a pocket pair above 7's. It's almost impossible to try to steal with air, when there are 2 or 3 players who will call almost any raise early on, and then I don't have enough chips to make moves when play tightens up a bit. I know, wah for me.
Friday, October 5, 2007
And So It Begins...
Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.
With this warning, I knowingly and assertively step through the gates into the first circle of hell, the blogosphere. So, without further ado... printf("Hello, world!!\n");
I am a husband, father, programmer, statistician/math geek and overall nerd. Oh, and I play poker. Badly. Really badly.
Problem is, I can't write worth a damn either. Plus I'm one of the more introverted souls you'll ever meet. If that doesn't sound like a combination for blogging gold, I don't know what would. So what's the point? I don't plan on posting regularly. I don't expect to have even one person ever read what I do write. And if anyone, to their dismay, happens to stumble upon this piece of drivel, any incite/inspiration/information gleaned from my words will be purely coincidental. Are we clear? Good, so let's proceed.
The penultimate impetus for my taking this step is the highly entertaining, head blogging degenerate over at Riverchasers, Sir AlCantHang. Mind you, I have never met Al and have never even communicated with him in any way. However, reading his blog and many of the others linked therein has, for some reason, sparked a curiosity in me.
So there you have it. I've officially gone from troll to noob. Yay. My over/under for first real visitor is, let's say, 94 days. Jan 7 2008. Truthfully, though, smart money would be on the over.
With this warning, I knowingly and assertively step through the gates into the first circle of hell, the blogosphere. So, without further ado... printf("Hello, world!!\n");
I am a husband, father, programmer, statistician/math geek and overall nerd. Oh, and I play poker. Badly. Really badly.
Problem is, I can't write worth a damn either. Plus I'm one of the more introverted souls you'll ever meet. If that doesn't sound like a combination for blogging gold, I don't know what would. So what's the point? I don't plan on posting regularly. I don't expect to have even one person ever read what I do write. And if anyone, to their dismay, happens to stumble upon this piece of drivel, any incite/inspiration/information gleaned from my words will be purely coincidental. Are we clear? Good, so let's proceed.
The penultimate impetus for my taking this step is the highly entertaining, head blogging degenerate over at Riverchasers, Sir AlCantHang. Mind you, I have never met Al and have never even communicated with him in any way. However, reading his blog and many of the others linked therein has, for some reason, sparked a curiosity in me.
So there you have it. I've officially gone from troll to noob. Yay. My over/under for first real visitor is, let's say, 94 days. Jan 7 2008. Truthfully, though, smart money would be on the over.
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