Wow, I really haven't written since the beginning of the fall Series, eh? Well, just to recap, the only real noteworthy play was when Caesars spread the $5-10 HORSE table. It was a great experience, and I really held my own with the cream-of-the-crop poker players at the boat. I was even in Holdem, I beat Omaha HiLo, got crushed in Razz, but rallied in the Studs. Awesome game; and I hope to play it again soon.
In other news, the "Prodigy" has been doing well lately. It seems that he's come into a bad run lately, but his smallball is getting better, and he's really starting to find his style.
Finally, after playing in so many different situations over the years, I realized one thing this evening during an impromptu; there is nothing like social poker during the holidays! Its full of laughs and good times. Bad beats are funny, not frustrating. It's much more about having a good time then it is winning money. So, my advice to you over the holidays is to take a break from the stresses of competitive poker and play with friends and family!
Thanks to all of you for reading my blog this year! I hope you've had a good run this year; I hope you're up; and I hope that the tables treat you well in the future. See you all next year!
May your rivers be full of boats!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Day 1 2008 WSOP Circuit @ Horseshoe: Walk of Shame
Yesterday (10/3) was the first day of the fall WSOP event at the Horseshoe. All of the conditions were set for a great day at the tables. They opened a new $1-2NLH table and I was one of the first to sit. I was full stacked. There were multiple people sitting at the table with small stacks and white chips. Everything was seemingly perfect... except the cards that were dealt.
Under the gun, I was dealt KsQs. I chose not to raise since the table was new and we had only played a few hands with each other. 2 limp behind me to this guy named "Max," who raises to $10. The guy (herein, cowboy), sitting to the left of Max calls, BB calls, and I call. All others fold to Max. $50 in the pot. Flop comes with a disjoint 3 spades (at the time, I couldn't make out the cards... stupid contacts). I check. Max bets $30. Cowboy re-raises to $60. Quick thinking, I put one of them on a naked As, and the other on a set. I call and Max calls. Turn comes red. I check again. Max bets. Cowboy pushes all-in. I have him covered with the 2nd nut flush, so I call. Max goes into the tank. Once he goes into the tank, everything seems to fall into place. Max has the set and is wondering whether he should draw to the boat. I now begin to think cowboy has a made nut flush, but it's too late. Max folds, and cowboy shows As2s. This, dear friends, is when I go on tilt.
Many of you who I play with know that I don't tilt like the stereotypical "tilter." I don't yell or scream, or call people names. Instead, I focus on you and try to beat you, and you alone. Bad idea. In poker, I've learned that many *perfect storm* situations come up, and you just have to hope that you're on the winning end of the storm. Sometimes you are, sometimes you're not. But, when you're on the bad end of the perfect storm, it's not the fault of the person playing you, nor is it your fault. Instead, it's just the way the cards land. That's it and that's all.
I was on tilt. Learn from my mistake; don't change your gameplan. You still need to play opposites, and play situational poker. Win money regardless of who or where it came from. Cowboy was an aggressive, and instead of playing him tight, I tried to out-aggressive him (is out-aggressive even a viable English phrase?). He was a decent enough player that he knew how to put me to the test. He made the right moves to make me fold the best hand (AK high v. 777), and put all my money in when I had the worst of it (donkey straight v. QQ77). Am I mad at him? No. I'm frustrated that I let one hand throw my game off. I went against a lot of the things that I've wrote about in the past. And, I went into the game knowing that I hadn't played in weeks. My skills are rusty to say the least, and I let myself get away from good, fundamental situational play.
What's the remedy? Well, I think it's twofold. First and foremost, if I want to get back to the level I was at 2 years ago, I need to play more hands. I need to play 3-4 times per week. Maybe I should start going to the freerolls again. Second, I need to get back to fundamental play. Play patiently. Know the situation and play the situation. Play the player. I think my fundamental poker is good, but rusty. If you look at the last sentence in the first paragraph, you'll see my problem. "...except the cards that were dealt..." The cards that are dealt are meaningless. You know that, I know that, and I preach that. Unfortunately for me and my ever-shrinking bankroll, I've reverted to Level 1 Poker. That's ok, though. Now that I know where I am, I can start rebuilding.
A couple of side notes. First, congrats to my new poker friend, "Stone." He has been working on his game for the past 6-7 weeks, and is now starting to reap the benefits. He was out last evening playing $4-8LH and beat the game for about $120. Nicely done!
Also, it seems that the state of KY is attempting to ban online poker. The PPA has sent the following email to all PPA members:
As you know, Kentucky is attempting to seize the domain names of 141 Internet poker and Internet gambling websites. This seizure could result in the state blocking your access to your favorite poker sites! The PPA has been engaged in the fight against this action from the start, and now others are joining the effort.
On Monday, the non-partisan Bluegrass Institute is hosting an "Emergency Summit" in Frankfort to discuss the dangerous and far-reaching implications of the state's action. The PPA and others groups, including the Internet Commerce Association and Americans for Tax Reform, will participate in this important meeting. It is open to the public, so I hope you will attend to show your support for poker and to learn how you will be affected if the state is successful in its action.
When: Monday, October 6th at 1:00 pm
Where: Capital Plaza Hotel – Frankfort
405 Wilkinson Blvd, Frankfort, KY 40601
Who: Bluegrass Institute
The Poker Players Alliance
Internet Commerce Association
Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Assoc.
Americans for Tax Reform
Others expected to participate but not yet confirmed.
RSVP by email: kysummit |at| pokerplayersalliance dot org
The PPA also invites you to attend the court hearing on Tuesday. Several PPA members attended the previous hearing on Sept. 26th, and their presence had a big impact. The hearing is open to the public, so let’s fill the courtroom with poker supporters!
When: Tuesday, October 7th at 9:30am
Where: The Franklin County Courthouse
218 St. Clair Street
Frankfort, KY 40601
I know you are busy, but your attendance at both of these events is important to show Kentucky that we care about our rights. I hope you will join the PPA at these events next week.
For all the latest news and updates, check out this special PPA page: http://pokerplayersalliance.org/special/kentucky-poker
That's all for today. Good luck at the tables!
Under the gun, I was dealt KsQs. I chose not to raise since the table was new and we had only played a few hands with each other. 2 limp behind me to this guy named "Max," who raises to $10. The guy (herein, cowboy), sitting to the left of Max calls, BB calls, and I call. All others fold to Max. $50 in the pot. Flop comes with a disjoint 3 spades (at the time, I couldn't make out the cards... stupid contacts). I check. Max bets $30. Cowboy re-raises to $60. Quick thinking, I put one of them on a naked As, and the other on a set. I call and Max calls. Turn comes red. I check again. Max bets. Cowboy pushes all-in. I have him covered with the 2nd nut flush, so I call. Max goes into the tank. Once he goes into the tank, everything seems to fall into place. Max has the set and is wondering whether he should draw to the boat. I now begin to think cowboy has a made nut flush, but it's too late. Max folds, and cowboy shows As2s. This, dear friends, is when I go on tilt.
Many of you who I play with know that I don't tilt like the stereotypical "tilter." I don't yell or scream, or call people names. Instead, I focus on you and try to beat you, and you alone. Bad idea. In poker, I've learned that many *perfect storm* situations come up, and you just have to hope that you're on the winning end of the storm. Sometimes you are, sometimes you're not. But, when you're on the bad end of the perfect storm, it's not the fault of the person playing you, nor is it your fault. Instead, it's just the way the cards land. That's it and that's all.
I was on tilt. Learn from my mistake; don't change your gameplan. You still need to play opposites, and play situational poker. Win money regardless of who or where it came from. Cowboy was an aggressive, and instead of playing him tight, I tried to out-aggressive him (is out-aggressive even a viable English phrase?). He was a decent enough player that he knew how to put me to the test. He made the right moves to make me fold the best hand (AK high v. 777), and put all my money in when I had the worst of it (donkey straight v. QQ77). Am I mad at him? No. I'm frustrated that I let one hand throw my game off. I went against a lot of the things that I've wrote about in the past. And, I went into the game knowing that I hadn't played in weeks. My skills are rusty to say the least, and I let myself get away from good, fundamental situational play.
What's the remedy? Well, I think it's twofold. First and foremost, if I want to get back to the level I was at 2 years ago, I need to play more hands. I need to play 3-4 times per week. Maybe I should start going to the freerolls again. Second, I need to get back to fundamental play. Play patiently. Know the situation and play the situation. Play the player. I think my fundamental poker is good, but rusty. If you look at the last sentence in the first paragraph, you'll see my problem. "...except the cards that were dealt..." The cards that are dealt are meaningless. You know that, I know that, and I preach that. Unfortunately for me and my ever-shrinking bankroll, I've reverted to Level 1 Poker. That's ok, though. Now that I know where I am, I can start rebuilding.
A couple of side notes. First, congrats to my new poker friend, "Stone." He has been working on his game for the past 6-7 weeks, and is now starting to reap the benefits. He was out last evening playing $4-8LH and beat the game for about $120. Nicely done!
Also, it seems that the state of KY is attempting to ban online poker. The PPA has sent the following email to all PPA members:
As you know, Kentucky is attempting to seize the domain names of 141 Internet poker and Internet gambling websites. This seizure could result in the state blocking your access to your favorite poker sites! The PPA has been engaged in the fight against this action from the start, and now others are joining the effort.
On Monday, the non-partisan Bluegrass Institute is hosting an "Emergency Summit" in Frankfort to discuss the dangerous and far-reaching implications of the state's action. The PPA and others groups, including the Internet Commerce Association and Americans for Tax Reform, will participate in this important meeting. It is open to the public, so I hope you will attend to show your support for poker and to learn how you will be affected if the state is successful in its action.
When: Monday, October 6th at 1:00 pm
Where: Capital Plaza Hotel – Frankfort
405 Wilkinson Blvd, Frankfort, KY 40601
Who: Bluegrass Institute
The Poker Players Alliance
Internet Commerce Association
Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Assoc.
Americans for Tax Reform
Others expected to participate but not yet confirmed.
RSVP by email: kysummit |at| pokerplayersalliance dot org
The PPA also invites you to attend the court hearing on Tuesday. Several PPA members attended the previous hearing on Sept. 26th, and their presence had a big impact. The hearing is open to the public, so let’s fill the courtroom with poker supporters!
When: Tuesday, October 7th at 9:30am
Where: The Franklin County Courthouse
218 St. Clair Street
Frankfort, KY 40601
I know you are busy, but your attendance at both of these events is important to show Kentucky that we care about our rights. I hope you will join the PPA at these events next week.
For all the latest news and updates, check out this special PPA page: http://pokerplayersalliance.org/special/kentucky-poker
That's all for today. Good luck at the tables!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Poker v. GMAT study
Unfortunately, for now, poker will have to take a backseat to GMAT study. Yes, it's sad, but true. I'm hoping to still average 5 small tournaments per week and focus on HORSE and Kansas City. The real goal is to finish all of my grad school applications by mid October, but play enough online (and select weekends) to be ready for the Fall WSOP at the Horseshoe. We'll see.
As far as *interesting* hands or situations go, I can't remember anything that just sticks out in my head. I broke down and played $2-4-4-8 this past week with my auntie, we'll call her AC. She did well pre-dinner break, but donked off most of her stack post-dinner break. To me, it looked like she got caught up in her cards and not on what others could have which, at the $2-4-4-8, could have been anything. The rest of the regulars were playing $1-2, and one of my buddies had moved up to the $5-10, and I don't think he's good enough to play there, but whatever.
So, for the near future, good luck to everyone on the tables!
As far as *interesting* hands or situations go, I can't remember anything that just sticks out in my head. I broke down and played $2-4-4-8 this past week with my auntie, we'll call her AC. She did well pre-dinner break, but donked off most of her stack post-dinner break. To me, it looked like she got caught up in her cards and not on what others could have which, at the $2-4-4-8, could have been anything. The rest of the regulars were playing $1-2, and one of my buddies had moved up to the $5-10, and I don't think he's good enough to play there, but whatever.
So, for the near future, good luck to everyone on the tables!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
FullTilt, PokerStars, PokerTracker and $2-4-4-8
Due to rising gas prices (and the cumbersome antennae on my car), I have been playing almost exclusively online poker this past month. I've been playing mostly SNGs with the occasional MTT (I'm loving that FT $3 + $0.30 Double Stack Turbo Knockout) and cash games (mostly HORSE, O, R, S, E, PLO and a little NLH).
So, first things first: I almost had to reload on FT trying that Chris Ferguson "Challenge" as I call it. Fortunately, the 1-Table SNGs brought me back to respectability.
In other news, I've recently put money on PokerStars. I'm not a fan of their layout selection as compared to FullTilt. Otherwise, it's good. I like the selection of games, especially that 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw... which I'm having an interesting time figuring out. I'm not sure if I rate the players better or worse. They seem more likely to call than fold at the limits I play, which means it's harder to bluff, but easier to trap.
I did see some very interesting play on a PS $5 + $0.50 I recently played. The player in question never preflop raised. NEVER. The player always called preflop, but would bet out on the following streets. I found it hard to play this person because I would have to constantly bet to see where my hand stood. Ultimately, this person busted out, but it was very noteworthy play. IMHO, though, it's bad play because you'd never know where your opponent stood if it was a limp pot and you had a premium hand. Nonetheless, I tried to stay away from that player as much as possible.
I have also acquired a license for the PokerTracker software. I find this software very useful, not so much in playing against other players, but more so for evaluating my own play. Over a sample of several thousand hands in the past month, I've been able to quantify, in real dollars, where the strengths and weaknesses of my game lie. It's great! I only wish that they would come out with a Mac version sooner rather than later. I'd definitely recommend it for your online play.
Lastly, limit hold'em. Ugh. On a recent trip to the new poker room at the Horseshoe, AA convinced me to only play $2-4-4-8 limit hold'em for the evening. If you follow my blog, you'll know about my profound love for limit poker *rolls eyes.* AA, however, was very persuasive, and the $600+ he made the previous evening helped sway my decision. His argument was, that, at the NLH tables, you have to play poker against people of your skill level. You have to make moves, read, evaluate, etc. If however, you play the lowest limit poker, you will, more than likely, be the most skilled player at the table.
So, I decided to try this theory. I got to the poker room and put my name on 2 lists, $1-2 PLO, and the $2-4-4-8. Fortunately, seats always seem to be open on the $2-4-4-8, so I got a table immediately. When I sat down, I kept telling myself what AA's mantra was: "Don't get creative, don't make moves. Just read them and play accordingly." I was actually taken aback by the straight-forwardness of the play. I always knew where I was in the hand when no one else bothered to pay attention. Unfortunately for me, variance took over and I was on the losing end of 1-outers and 4-outers all night long. I left being down a few dollars. In summary, it's a good gameplan if the cards are rolling well for you, though I missed having the ability to charge someone for bad play. It was also hard to keep paying attention to the game because you really couldn't bluff; either you had it or you didn't, and you weren't going to push someone out of the hand for another $8. Conclusion: I'd try it again, especially if I didn't have the time to get *into* a game properly.
So, first things first: I almost had to reload on FT trying that Chris Ferguson "Challenge" as I call it. Fortunately, the 1-Table SNGs brought me back to respectability.
In other news, I've recently put money on PokerStars. I'm not a fan of their layout selection as compared to FullTilt. Otherwise, it's good. I like the selection of games, especially that 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw... which I'm having an interesting time figuring out. I'm not sure if I rate the players better or worse. They seem more likely to call than fold at the limits I play, which means it's harder to bluff, but easier to trap.
I did see some very interesting play on a PS $5 + $0.50 I recently played. The player in question never preflop raised. NEVER. The player always called preflop, but would bet out on the following streets. I found it hard to play this person because I would have to constantly bet to see where my hand stood. Ultimately, this person busted out, but it was very noteworthy play. IMHO, though, it's bad play because you'd never know where your opponent stood if it was a limp pot and you had a premium hand. Nonetheless, I tried to stay away from that player as much as possible.
I have also acquired a license for the PokerTracker software. I find this software very useful, not so much in playing against other players, but more so for evaluating my own play. Over a sample of several thousand hands in the past month, I've been able to quantify, in real dollars, where the strengths and weaknesses of my game lie. It's great! I only wish that they would come out with a Mac version sooner rather than later. I'd definitely recommend it for your online play.
Lastly, limit hold'em. Ugh. On a recent trip to the new poker room at the Horseshoe, AA convinced me to only play $2-4-4-8 limit hold'em for the evening. If you follow my blog, you'll know about my profound love for limit poker *rolls eyes.* AA, however, was very persuasive, and the $600+ he made the previous evening helped sway my decision. His argument was, that, at the NLH tables, you have to play poker against people of your skill level. You have to make moves, read, evaluate, etc. If however, you play the lowest limit poker, you will, more than likely, be the most skilled player at the table.
So, I decided to try this theory. I got to the poker room and put my name on 2 lists, $1-2 PLO, and the $2-4-4-8. Fortunately, seats always seem to be open on the $2-4-4-8, so I got a table immediately. When I sat down, I kept telling myself what AA's mantra was: "Don't get creative, don't make moves. Just read them and play accordingly." I was actually taken aback by the straight-forwardness of the play. I always knew where I was in the hand when no one else bothered to pay attention. Unfortunately for me, variance took over and I was on the losing end of 1-outers and 4-outers all night long. I left being down a few dollars. In summary, it's a good gameplan if the cards are rolling well for you, though I missed having the ability to charge someone for bad play. It was also hard to keep paying attention to the game because you really couldn't bluff; either you had it or you didn't, and you weren't going to push someone out of the hand for another $8. Conclusion: I'd try it again, especially if I didn't have the time to get *into* a game properly.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
First Play at the Horseshoe Southern Indiana
This past weekend was the Caesars/Horseshoe changeover (technically, the Horseshoe's grand opening). The new digs are actually pretty nice; everything is very upscale and has more of a casino-y feel, if that makes sense. After watching a free Barenaked Ladies concert (put on by Horseshoe), AA and I decended to the newly renovated poker floor. Not much changed except the high stakes area "cage" was replaced by a 1/4 wall. Also, at the high stakes tables, there are nicer chairs. On the regular floor, everything else was the same; same tables (33 now, and no blackjack tables), same WSOP chairs, cupholders, quasi-old chips (the Horseshoe chips replaced the Caesars chips some time before the grand opening), and, yes, same donkey players.
With AA and JA (AA's wife) playing slots/roulette the money we received for attending the free concert ($5 each), I sat for 2 dealers at the $1-2 NLH table. The only interesting hand I remember was:
$1-2 NHL
SB - $155
BB - $85
UTG - $500
UTG + 1 - $575
UTG + 2 (Villain) - $350
UTG + 3 - $110
UTG + 4 - $300
UTG + 5 - $700 (maybe 800)
UTG + 6 - $300
CO (Hero) - $200
Hero is dealt QcQs
Blinds post. UTG - UTG + 6 limp for $2. Pot is $17. Hero raises to $15. All fold to Villain, who calls $15. Pot is $47.
Flop - Jc2c9s
Villain checks. Hero bets $30. Villain calls. Pot is $107.
Turn - Ts
Villain checks. Hero bets $70. Villain thinks, then calls. Pot is $247.
River - 8c
Villain pushes all in. Hero folds.
I folded on the river because I came to 2 conclusions: either the villain caught his flush, or he realized the situation, and executed the proper theatrics to bluff properly. I've played against this particular player a few months earlier and I remembered him being fairly weak, so, I ruled out the"making a move" option. Everything else seemed to point to hands that beat me. No sets because I would have expected him to repop the turn, and/or check the river (notice I'm really not giving this guy credit for being able to make moves). JT-J8 were all likely holdings, and they all beat me. All I could really beat was AX - JQ. I think, despite ignoring the pot odds at the end, I made the correct lay-down. I really didn't think he was a sophisticated player, and, he proved it a few times by continuing hands when he knew he was beat, and being caught in errant bluffs (that were not similarly played as compared to this hand).
I showed 1.1 to 1 preflop, 1.6 to 1 on the flop, and 1.5 to 1 on the turn. So, really, unless he had pocket aces preflop, he made mistakes on every street, which is exactly what you hope players do; make mistakes. So long as I keep playing those hands the same way, I'll make money in the long run... or I *hope* to make money in the long run.
In other news, I've picked up the Harrington on Cash Games (HOCG) Vol. 1 & 2. Hopefully, they'll be as good as the HOH series.
Finally, I squandered my Fulltilt winnings and have reloaded. Maybe this time, I'll be able to catch a "Ferguson" run to $10K.
EDIT: PS: 2 new goals. First, earn at least one Fulltilt Iron Man medal by December. Second: Due to the recent success of David Dao (old family friend from childhood days), I'd like to be listed as a ranked player in the player database on Poker Pages.
With AA and JA (AA's wife) playing slots/roulette the money we received for attending the free concert ($5 each), I sat for 2 dealers at the $1-2 NLH table. The only interesting hand I remember was:
$1-2 NHL
SB - $155
BB - $85
UTG - $500
UTG + 1 - $575
UTG + 2 (Villain) - $350
UTG + 3 - $110
UTG + 4 - $300
UTG + 5 - $700 (maybe 800)
UTG + 6 - $300
CO (Hero) - $200
Hero is dealt QcQs
Blinds post. UTG - UTG + 6 limp for $2. Pot is $17. Hero raises to $15. All fold to Villain, who calls $15. Pot is $47.
Flop - Jc2c9s
Villain checks. Hero bets $30. Villain calls. Pot is $107.
Turn - Ts
Villain checks. Hero bets $70. Villain thinks, then calls. Pot is $247.
River - 8c
Villain pushes all in. Hero folds.
I folded on the river because I came to 2 conclusions: either the villain caught his flush, or he realized the situation, and executed the proper theatrics to bluff properly. I've played against this particular player a few months earlier and I remembered him being fairly weak, so, I ruled out the"making a move" option. Everything else seemed to point to hands that beat me. No sets because I would have expected him to repop the turn, and/or check the river (notice I'm really not giving this guy credit for being able to make moves). JT-J8 were all likely holdings, and they all beat me. All I could really beat was AX - JQ. I think, despite ignoring the pot odds at the end, I made the correct lay-down. I really didn't think he was a sophisticated player, and, he proved it a few times by continuing hands when he knew he was beat, and being caught in errant bluffs (that were not similarly played as compared to this hand).
I showed 1.1 to 1 preflop, 1.6 to 1 on the flop, and 1.5 to 1 on the turn. So, really, unless he had pocket aces preflop, he made mistakes on every street, which is exactly what you hope players do; make mistakes. So long as I keep playing those hands the same way, I'll make money in the long run... or I *hope* to make money in the long run.
In other news, I've picked up the Harrington on Cash Games (HOCG) Vol. 1 & 2. Hopefully, they'll be as good as the HOH series.
Finally, I squandered my Fulltilt winnings and have reloaded. Maybe this time, I'll be able to catch a "Ferguson" run to $10K.
EDIT: PS: 2 new goals. First, earn at least one Fulltilt Iron Man medal by December. Second: Due to the recent success of David Dao (old family friend from childhood days), I'd like to be listed as a ranked player in the player database on Poker Pages.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Hand Analysis Ex Post Facto of Last Evening's Crowbar
Ok, now that I'm not tilting and am fully awake without headache, here is a hand analysis of my bust out last evening.
I sat at the table when it opened. Table limit is $300.
$1-$2 NLH Live Game
Button - $300
SB - $500
BB - $350
UTG - $275
Villain - $192
Hero - $250
Hero is dealt TT
Blinds post. Live straddle from the button for $7. SB, BB, UTG and Villain call $7. Pot is $28. Hero raises to $27. All fold to Villain, who calls. Pot is $75
Flop: 3 9 2, rainbow.
Villain checks, Hero bets $30, Villain calls. Pot is $135
Turn: 7
Villain bets $40. Hero raises to $100. Villain calls. Pot is $335
River: 8
Villain goes all in for $65 more. Hero calls. Villain shows 98os and wins with two pair.
Ok, so first, let's run the numbers. Villain calls a bet with 2-1 pot odds. He is a 2-1 dog to most raise-able drawing hands (AK-AT,KQ-KT,QT-QJ,JT) suited or unsuited, and a 5-1 dog to most raise-able pocket pairs (AA-TT). According to CardPlayer's Poker Odds Calculator, I was 84.87% to win versus his 14.75% with 0.37% tie rating, or a 5.8 - 1 favorite. So, I made my opponent call as a 5.8 - 1 dog, with only 2-1 pot odds; good move for me, bad move for him.
The flop comes and improves his odds. He's now 18.38% to win the hand, so he's improved to be a 4.4-1 dog instead of a 5.8-1 dog. Now, I bet $30 into a $75 pot, $105 total, giving him 3.5 - 1 pot odds. Still a mistake for him to call theoretically, but it's close. Marginal play on my part for letting him in so cheap.
Turn comes 7. The odds are now 7.8-1 for me to win the hand. He bets $40 into $135 pot, $175 total, and showing me 4.3-1 pot odds. A call would also be correct since I'm 7.8-1, but I reraise to $100. This makes the pot $275, and he has to call an extra $60, which is 4.6-1 pot odds. Mistake #2 for Villain.
River, he pushes the rest of his stack, $65, making the pot $400, and showing me 6.1-1 pot odds. As bad as I hated it, I had to call. The pot odds were just too good. No straight or flush possible. I couldn't put him on an overpair, or he would have raised preflop. There was the possibility of a set, but I think he would have fired earlier on the set, as I didn't give him credit for being able to slow play for so long.
So basically, he had 5 wins left in the deck, and he caught one of them. Bad luck for me, but I still think that the pot odds could not be denied. Pros would make this call all day long (I think). The math was correct the whole way. After hitting bingo on me, he totally fell apart, got too aggressive and lost what he took away from me. Maybe I should have reloaded, but I'm trying to save up for some other non-poker events coming up soon. :)
Aside from the numbers, in trying to recall the hand, I realized that I could not remember the flop properly, as in I don't remember the suits nor the third card on the flop. It seem that, contrary to what I have been preaching about "play the player," I need to be able to settle down a bit and focus on the cards again. I feel like I played the player well, but I also need to be able to remember the situation so that I may learn from it. I used to be able to remember every hand I played, along with every street, and every bet. Need to get back there.
Lastly, it was good to see some familiar faces at the tables. One guy, who used to be one of my partners in crime down there had moved back from NY, was there. Also, a couple of the more friendly high stakes players were there (thanks again BB for the candy). It was good to see that they are still rolling well, and were up more than down these days. Man, sometimes I wish I was still living that life. Maybe I will again some day, but nights like last night bring back memories of the stress that came with playing poker for a primary source of income.
I sat at the table when it opened. Table limit is $300.
$1-$2 NLH Live Game
Button - $300
SB - $500
BB - $350
UTG - $275
Villain - $192
Hero - $250
Hero is dealt TT
Blinds post. Live straddle from the button for $7. SB, BB, UTG and Villain call $7. Pot is $28. Hero raises to $27. All fold to Villain, who calls. Pot is $75
Flop: 3 9 2, rainbow.
Villain checks, Hero bets $30, Villain calls. Pot is $135
Turn: 7
Villain bets $40. Hero raises to $100. Villain calls. Pot is $335
River: 8
Villain goes all in for $65 more. Hero calls. Villain shows 98os and wins with two pair.
Ok, so first, let's run the numbers. Villain calls a bet with 2-1 pot odds. He is a 2-1 dog to most raise-able drawing hands (AK-AT,KQ-KT,QT-QJ,JT) suited or unsuited, and a 5-1 dog to most raise-able pocket pairs (AA-TT). According to CardPlayer's Poker Odds Calculator, I was 84.87% to win versus his 14.75% with 0.37% tie rating, or a 5.8 - 1 favorite. So, I made my opponent call as a 5.8 - 1 dog, with only 2-1 pot odds; good move for me, bad move for him.
The flop comes and improves his odds. He's now 18.38% to win the hand, so he's improved to be a 4.4-1 dog instead of a 5.8-1 dog. Now, I bet $30 into a $75 pot, $105 total, giving him 3.5 - 1 pot odds. Still a mistake for him to call theoretically, but it's close. Marginal play on my part for letting him in so cheap.
Turn comes 7. The odds are now 7.8-1 for me to win the hand. He bets $40 into $135 pot, $175 total, and showing me 4.3-1 pot odds. A call would also be correct since I'm 7.8-1, but I reraise to $100. This makes the pot $275, and he has to call an extra $60, which is 4.6-1 pot odds. Mistake #2 for Villain.
River, he pushes the rest of his stack, $65, making the pot $400, and showing me 6.1-1 pot odds. As bad as I hated it, I had to call. The pot odds were just too good. No straight or flush possible. I couldn't put him on an overpair, or he would have raised preflop. There was the possibility of a set, but I think he would have fired earlier on the set, as I didn't give him credit for being able to slow play for so long.
So basically, he had 5 wins left in the deck, and he caught one of them. Bad luck for me, but I still think that the pot odds could not be denied. Pros would make this call all day long (I think). The math was correct the whole way. After hitting bingo on me, he totally fell apart, got too aggressive and lost what he took away from me. Maybe I should have reloaded, but I'm trying to save up for some other non-poker events coming up soon. :)
Aside from the numbers, in trying to recall the hand, I realized that I could not remember the flop properly, as in I don't remember the suits nor the third card on the flop. It seem that, contrary to what I have been preaching about "play the player," I need to be able to settle down a bit and focus on the cards again. I feel like I played the player well, but I also need to be able to remember the situation so that I may learn from it. I used to be able to remember every hand I played, along with every street, and every bet. Need to get back there.
Lastly, it was good to see some familiar faces at the tables. One guy, who used to be one of my partners in crime down there had moved back from NY, was there. Also, a couple of the more friendly high stakes players were there (thanks again BB for the candy). It was good to see that they are still rolling well, and were up more than down these days. Man, sometimes I wish I was still living that life. Maybe I will again some day, but nights like last night bring back memories of the stress that came with playing poker for a primary source of income.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Change of Focus
Man, lately it seems like I've been on the bad end of variance. Tonight, I was playing $1-$2 NLH at Caesars. It was a good night for my friends JG and AG because they're fairly new to poker; one came out even, and the other was ahead. When starting to play, it's always nice to have winning sessions. I've read, and have been told, that you should be happy with your play so long as you make correct decisions. This follows the thought that so long as you do the right thing, the money will come in the long run. I believe this is true, but, a poker player still needs to make money.
I laid down my TT when I ran up against an overpair. I laid down KK when I knew I was beat. I made good reads all night, only to lose my stack to some donk who couldn't lay down the worst hand (and caught 2 pair on the river).
I should probably shift to tournament poker until I can rebuild my stack. I needed to rebuy and sit and crush the (few) donks at my table, but my bankroll isn't there anymore. I only had one bullet. In tournament play, one can apply pressure to a player better than in a cash game (IMHO) because, in a cash game, players can buy back in if they can afford it. Also, for a little money, you can win a lot if you have the skill.
Anyway, enough of my rant. I'll be back Saturday!!!
BTW: Good luck to AA who is playing a PL Omaha Hi/Lo FullTilt Fantasy Freeroll Championship. He's the chip leader. Also congrats to AG and JG for their winnings tonight!
I laid down my TT when I ran up against an overpair. I laid down KK when I knew I was beat. I made good reads all night, only to lose my stack to some donk who couldn't lay down the worst hand (and caught 2 pair on the river).
I should probably shift to tournament poker until I can rebuild my stack. I needed to rebuy and sit and crush the (few) donks at my table, but my bankroll isn't there anymore. I only had one bullet. In tournament play, one can apply pressure to a player better than in a cash game (IMHO) because, in a cash game, players can buy back in if they can afford it. Also, for a little money, you can win a lot if you have the skill.
Anyway, enough of my rant. I'll be back Saturday!!!
BTW: Good luck to AA who is playing a PL Omaha Hi/Lo FullTilt Fantasy Freeroll Championship. He's the chip leader. Also congrats to AG and JG for their winnings tonight!
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Beware! Negreanu-esque blog
(continued from a tweet on 7/6/2008). Actually, I think I'm just tired of hold'em in general. BTW, I know it's been almost a year since my last post, and I had fallen off the wagon a bit poker-wise, but I have been playing. In the past year I've noticed that hold 'em has become more like bingo, especially at the lower limits. There's often no strategy employed at these limits because the people who sit across from you have NO concept of correct play.
I went to the boat on 9/15/07 and found myself at a very juicy $1-2NLH table. People would call with absolutely ridiculous cards, and I was just waiting to bust them. I actually employed a little Hellmuth strategy: PRF with a good hand, C-Bet, when people come over the top, fold to show that you'll fold to a bet. I've seen Hellmuth talk about this technique all of the time; portraying weakness as a set up for a big trap later. Well, I did pulled it off. Doubled through a few people like that at the tables, and in the 2 single table satellites I sat in. Strict conservative poker would have had me lose money, but employing smallball techniques, I didn't have to invest much to pull it off. I am still amazed at the number of donkeys that think they know what they're doing at the tables. I had a guy sit yesterday and tell us about all the "fish" at his other table... and he was only up like $150. Wow. Lots of fish there!
I remember playing the $1-3 NL Hold'em game at Argosy sometime in February '08 (before flying out for my MBA interview at Cornell) while waiting for a spot on a $2-5 NLH table. I was playing very tight to conserve my stack for the big game. I don't remember the exact hand, but I remember making a 10-15xBB PFR with a high suited connector in position (maybe KQ or KJ). One person called. Flop came and I flopped top pair (the other 2 were like a 5-8 or something), rainbow. She checks, I bet 2/3 pot and she calls without hesitation, so I start to think she has 2 pair, middle pair, or a medium pocket par. Turn gives me 2 pair. I fire again (1/2 pot), and she calls. River comes 7, only 2 cards to a flush. I'm not sure where I'm at, so I make a probe bet; like BBx2, only to get reraised. I called because I feel my 2 pair was good because I was only afraid of a set of 5s or 8s. I beat everything else, or so I thought. Apparently, the flop gave the girl a gutshot straight draw, which she caught on the river. Yeah. That's poker, right? The thing that bugs me the most is that she had the gall to say "yeah, I knew he had top pair at least, but sometimes I like to try to hit those." Yes, yes, I know that you want people to do that to you all day long, but it just bugs me that, afterward, she tried to justify her bad play to me. Consequently, I flopped a straight on her only for her to catch a flush at the end. Again, that's poker; I get it. Just save me the soliloquy.
Lately, though, hold 'em feels very much like the same ol' same ol'. I wish that Caesars (which is soon to be the Horseshoe) would spread other games, like an affordable Stud/Stud Hilo game, or more Omaha games. Tonight's session at Caesars was no exception to the usual donk poker at low limits. Nothing noteworthy hand-wise, but just a general reiteration of the wreckless nature of the low limit poker players, be it in limit or no-limit games.
I've been playing a lot of mixed games online such as HORSE/HOSE/HA, and I've recently revived my PokerStars account to try to learn Kansas City (2-7) Lowball Triple Draw. I'm becoming a big fan of 2-7, but I'm still having trouble figuring out the odds and the hand selection. Most recently, I've began to do the Chris Ferguson challenge. The challenge is: build up $10K from scratch by winning freerolls etc. I am now up to an astounding $4.68, mostly by playing mixed games or Omaha freerolls. I'll keep everyone posted as to the results.
Ok, that's all for now!
I went to the boat on 9/15/07 and found myself at a very juicy $1-2NLH table. People would call with absolutely ridiculous cards, and I was just waiting to bust them. I actually employed a little Hellmuth strategy: PRF with a good hand, C-Bet, when people come over the top, fold to show that you'll fold to a bet. I've seen Hellmuth talk about this technique all of the time; portraying weakness as a set up for a big trap later. Well, I did pulled it off. Doubled through a few people like that at the tables, and in the 2 single table satellites I sat in. Strict conservative poker would have had me lose money, but employing smallball techniques, I didn't have to invest much to pull it off. I am still amazed at the number of donkeys that think they know what they're doing at the tables. I had a guy sit yesterday and tell us about all the "fish" at his other table... and he was only up like $150. Wow. Lots of fish there!
I remember playing the $1-3 NL Hold'em game at Argosy sometime in February '08 (before flying out for my MBA interview at Cornell) while waiting for a spot on a $2-5 NLH table. I was playing very tight to conserve my stack for the big game. I don't remember the exact hand, but I remember making a 10-15xBB PFR with a high suited connector in position (maybe KQ or KJ). One person called. Flop came and I flopped top pair (the other 2 were like a 5-8 or something), rainbow. She checks, I bet 2/3 pot and she calls without hesitation, so I start to think she has 2 pair, middle pair, or a medium pocket par. Turn gives me 2 pair. I fire again (1/2 pot), and she calls. River comes 7, only 2 cards to a flush. I'm not sure where I'm at, so I make a probe bet; like BBx2, only to get reraised. I called because I feel my 2 pair was good because I was only afraid of a set of 5s or 8s. I beat everything else, or so I thought. Apparently, the flop gave the girl a gutshot straight draw, which she caught on the river. Yeah. That's poker, right? The thing that bugs me the most is that she had the gall to say "yeah, I knew he had top pair at least, but sometimes I like to try to hit those." Yes, yes, I know that you want people to do that to you all day long, but it just bugs me that, afterward, she tried to justify her bad play to me. Consequently, I flopped a straight on her only for her to catch a flush at the end. Again, that's poker; I get it. Just save me the soliloquy.
Lately, though, hold 'em feels very much like the same ol' same ol'. I wish that Caesars (which is soon to be the Horseshoe) would spread other games, like an affordable Stud/Stud Hilo game, or more Omaha games. Tonight's session at Caesars was no exception to the usual donk poker at low limits. Nothing noteworthy hand-wise, but just a general reiteration of the wreckless nature of the low limit poker players, be it in limit or no-limit games.
I've been playing a lot of mixed games online such as HORSE/HOSE/HA, and I've recently revived my PokerStars account to try to learn Kansas City (2-7) Lowball Triple Draw. I'm becoming a big fan of 2-7, but I'm still having trouble figuring out the odds and the hand selection. Most recently, I've began to do the Chris Ferguson challenge. The challenge is: build up $10K from scratch by winning freerolls etc. I am now up to an astounding $4.68, mostly by playing mixed games or Omaha freerolls. I'll keep everyone posted as to the results.
Ok, that's all for now!
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