Just took down a $55 Stars tourney for $3300 or so. Sweet. Had one donk play early on where I shoved 88 into KK on an underboard and rivered a set. Other than that, got it in good and held.
Yesterday won my WSOP seat on the Stars $650 qualifier. 1100 entries or so, 55 seats. The bubble was insanely brutal. For the most part people played well. I got pretty short, hovering around 54 out of 60 or so for awhile. One hand its folded to the button who has 22900 at 2000-4000 blinds. I have about 34000. He shoves, its folded to me holding AKs and I tank and muck. I'd call with Aces, but that's about it I think. If a math geek looks at it I'm pretty sure a fold is correct there. My big hand was when I as down to 17K with blinds at 2500-5000 and its folded to me in the SB and I shove 62o. I get called (?) by Q9o and I catch a 6 to double up and get to a safe spot from there. Why the BB, who barely had me covered, would call with Q9 there is bizarre.
So I'm excited to play the Main Event, as I haven't played since 2006. Pokerstars has rooms for its qualifiers at the Palms and I've never stayed there so that's cool also. And for the next two months I'm going to dream of going deep and then do this doctor thing as a hobby or missionary work.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Yet another Poker Post! whoot!
No happy ending for those of you who want to skip to the end....
So I play the $200+$30 NL at the Hilton, eh, Grand Sierra again. 6000 starting chips. Here's a few hands:
Early on 25-50 I get QQ and raise, to be called by the BB. Flop J-9-4 and I must be good. He checks, I bet 2/3 pot. Turn is a little rainbow card and he check-calls 3/4 pot this time. River is another brick and he checks again. Now what? I tell myself he's got AJ or KJ and I must be good, but I ate a big bowl of "Nitties" for breakfast so I check behind. He tables JT and I steam a bit for not getting another 1200 out of him.
I get QThh in the CO and raise, the BB calls. Flop comes Kh-Qs-Jh. Wow. OK, count at home with me-
Ah/2h/3h/4h/5h/6h/7h/8h/9h/9d/9c/9s/Ts/Tc/Td/Qc/Qd/As/Ac/Ad
yep, 20 outs. Especially good to know when the BB check-raises me all-in with K6o. Turn 4c. River 9d and I'm a winna.
I move tables and my unfortunate tendency to raise at will causes my opponents to 3-bet me often. Since I don't have much in the way of cards, this blows.
Then I play a hand very badly. Like KK vs Aaron Kantor badly. I have T7hh in mid-position and limp after a couple limpers. The button has a monster stack and he comes along. Flop is T-9-9 with one heart. I bet when it gets to me and I'm headsup with the bigstack. Now here's the weird part. I'm thinking to myself "I need an 8-- an 8 would give me an OESD- that would be good" So the turn is another heart, giving me the flush draw as well as top pair. I check, button bets, I call. I have about 15K left at this point. He has a zillion chips. The river is the 8c. I check, he bets 2000. Now this is the part where I have to do a piss test or something. See, my brain is still on the turn. I'm still thinking "I need an 8 (or a heart" In fact, I'm pretty sure that I have a straight at this point. I snap-raise to 5K. He shoves. Holy crap. That was unexpected. F word. Well, my straight is hidden and might be good. Let me think about this. OK, whats the board? T-9-9-4-8. What's my hand again? T7. 7-8-9-T-- oh shit. Well kiss my gritz if I didn't just turn my hand into a bluff without even knowing it! I fold. Please to be taking 1/3 of my stack Mr. Don't-need-anymore-chips-from-me.
At one point my BB of 300 is raised by the CO to 1200. He has another 3500 behind, and I'm sitting with about 10-11K. I have ATs. So I ponder my options here. I could just push, or I could wait for the flop and then push. I tank awhile so he must know I have a hand. Its sort of strange, because I know all my chips are getting in the middle, but for the life of me I can't decide if it should be now or later. I call. Flop Q-T-5. Before I can act, the CO shoves. Dude, your stop-and-go is all backasswards here. So he pulls his stack back. Now I ask the dealer, just to make it clear, that if I shove he can still fold. She agrees. I say "OK, I'll give you another chance, I'm all in" Snap-call with the mighty Q4 off suit.
I drift below average. At 400-800 a short stack shoves for 2450. The Q4 guy calls. Another shorty goes all in. Action to me. I look down at AA. Got to get the rest of Q4's money in, so I make a neon-sign blasting raise to 5000. Q4 either can't see the danger, or is overcome with the pot odds and calls. Flop 6-2-2. Q4 shoves with 77. I snap and hold, knocking out the two shorties and putting Q4 on life support. Above average at this point.
After this I suppose the best description is that I failed to change gears. I went from 35K in chips down to 17,100 at the dinner break, with blinds at 800-1600/300. I did this not with any big hands, but by raising and then getting re-popped, or having my C-bets raised or just plain old playing shitty. With a low M after dinner I really just wanted a double up opportunity. There were 37 left, paying 18. We re-drew at 3 tables and one of the guys from the previous table who knows I'm somewhat maniacal is in the SB. I have him covered by 5500 chips. (How do I know this you ask? Silly rabbit...) At 1000-2000/400 its folded to me in the CO with AQo. I consider shoving, but I make it 6000. The SB shoves and there is really no way I can fold this spot so I call. He has 66 and turns a set and rivers a boat and I bust out 25th.
Playing the charity kidney jen harmon tourney on wednesday, the 3K on thursday, and I'm holding my decision on the 5K after that.
So I play the $200+$30 NL at the Hilton, eh, Grand Sierra again. 6000 starting chips. Here's a few hands:
Early on 25-50 I get QQ and raise, to be called by the BB. Flop J-9-4 and I must be good. He checks, I bet 2/3 pot. Turn is a little rainbow card and he check-calls 3/4 pot this time. River is another brick and he checks again. Now what? I tell myself he's got AJ or KJ and I must be good, but I ate a big bowl of "Nitties" for breakfast so I check behind. He tables JT and I steam a bit for not getting another 1200 out of him.
I get QThh in the CO and raise, the BB calls. Flop comes Kh-Qs-Jh. Wow. OK, count at home with me-
Ah/2h/3h/4h/5h/6h/7h/8h/9h/9d/9c/9s/Ts/Tc/Td/Qc/Qd/As/Ac/Ad
yep, 20 outs. Especially good to know when the BB check-raises me all-in with K6o. Turn 4c. River 9d and I'm a winna.
I move tables and my unfortunate tendency to raise at will causes my opponents to 3-bet me often. Since I don't have much in the way of cards, this blows.
Then I play a hand very badly. Like KK vs Aaron Kantor badly. I have T7hh in mid-position and limp after a couple limpers. The button has a monster stack and he comes along. Flop is T-9-9 with one heart. I bet when it gets to me and I'm headsup with the bigstack. Now here's the weird part. I'm thinking to myself "I need an 8-- an 8 would give me an OESD- that would be good" So the turn is another heart, giving me the flush draw as well as top pair. I check, button bets, I call. I have about 15K left at this point. He has a zillion chips. The river is the 8c. I check, he bets 2000. Now this is the part where I have to do a piss test or something. See, my brain is still on the turn. I'm still thinking "I need an 8 (or a heart" In fact, I'm pretty sure that I have a straight at this point. I snap-raise to 5K. He shoves. Holy crap. That was unexpected. F word. Well, my straight is hidden and might be good. Let me think about this. OK, whats the board? T-9-9-4-8. What's my hand again? T7. 7-8-9-T-- oh shit. Well kiss my gritz if I didn't just turn my hand into a bluff without even knowing it! I fold. Please to be taking 1/3 of my stack Mr. Don't-need-anymore-chips-from-me.
At one point my BB of 300 is raised by the CO to 1200. He has another 3500 behind, and I'm sitting with about 10-11K. I have ATs. So I ponder my options here. I could just push, or I could wait for the flop and then push. I tank awhile so he must know I have a hand. Its sort of strange, because I know all my chips are getting in the middle, but for the life of me I can't decide if it should be now or later. I call. Flop Q-T-5. Before I can act, the CO shoves. Dude, your stop-and-go is all backasswards here. So he pulls his stack back. Now I ask the dealer, just to make it clear, that if I shove he can still fold. She agrees. I say "OK, I'll give you another chance, I'm all in" Snap-call with the mighty Q4 off suit.
I drift below average. At 400-800 a short stack shoves for 2450. The Q4 guy calls. Another shorty goes all in. Action to me. I look down at AA. Got to get the rest of Q4's money in, so I make a neon-sign blasting raise to 5000. Q4 either can't see the danger, or is overcome with the pot odds and calls. Flop 6-2-2. Q4 shoves with 77. I snap and hold, knocking out the two shorties and putting Q4 on life support. Above average at this point.
After this I suppose the best description is that I failed to change gears. I went from 35K in chips down to 17,100 at the dinner break, with blinds at 800-1600/300. I did this not with any big hands, but by raising and then getting re-popped, or having my C-bets raised or just plain old playing shitty. With a low M after dinner I really just wanted a double up opportunity. There were 37 left, paying 18. We re-drew at 3 tables and one of the guys from the previous table who knows I'm somewhat maniacal is in the SB. I have him covered by 5500 chips. (How do I know this you ask? Silly rabbit...) At 1000-2000/400 its folded to me in the CO with AQo. I consider shoving, but I make it 6000. The SB shoves and there is really no way I can fold this spot so I call. He has 66 and turns a set and rivers a boat and I bust out 25th.
Playing the charity kidney jen harmon tourney on wednesday, the 3K on thursday, and I'm holding my decision on the 5K after that.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Quads is good.
So it seems there are at least two people out there who look at this blog from time to time and say "hey- haven't been playing cards lately?"
Been playing a lot actually, just not writing about it. I've been playing online once or twice a week. This consists of logging on sometime between 6 and 7 PST and playing all of the FTP tourneys between then and the Turbo Fifty at 10 PM. Sometimes later. If you look at the OPR site, you'll see that I've run pretty good for the most part, although there have been stretches that I would like to forget. And I have more evidence for the ultimate doomswitch-- I'm 8 tabling FTP tournies the other night with decent stacks in most of them and getting close to the bubble when I get in good on each table and lose to a 2-6 outer or runner runner about 6 times in a row over a 5-8 minute span. BAM! No soup for you!
Whatever.
So I'm at the Hilton (Grand Sierra) and I donk out of the Omaha tourney fairly early and decide to sit in the 3-5 NL game with $1500. The game is really good. There's an old guy in seat 3 who comes in for $20-$30 every single hand. Awesome. The guy directly to my right seems OK, but he's one level behind me I figure, as he'll fire out the flop but give up to my float steal on the turn. The people to my left are all stacked and solid, and for now I think that if they are repopping I can get out of the way. So I'm at this game for about an hour and I realize that its a school night and I better be getting home. Just stupid to even sit down really. I call up for some chinese take out, so I'm on my last orbit. On my 2nd to last hand, I get 44 in EP and raise to $15. I get 4 callers. I flop 4-4-7. Fun fun. I check. Guy with a $500 stack to my left bets $60, and then the kid to my right calls. Oh my. I hope one of them flopped a boat. I call. Turn is not a 7. I check. Old guy fires $200. Kid folds. "How much you got left?"-- "OK, I'm all in" He calls but I never get to see his hand.
So its pretty cool when they are betting into you when you flop quads. Even nicer when the card room has a bonus for a high hand. And it just depends when it hits. So quad 5's for instance was worth about $45. Quad 8's must have just been hit, cause it was only $30. Quad 4's though, were worth over $375. Very sweet.
Been playing a lot actually, just not writing about it. I've been playing online once or twice a week. This consists of logging on sometime between 6 and 7 PST and playing all of the FTP tourneys between then and the Turbo Fifty at 10 PM. Sometimes later. If you look at the OPR site, you'll see that I've run pretty good for the most part, although there have been stretches that I would like to forget. And I have more evidence for the ultimate doomswitch-- I'm 8 tabling FTP tournies the other night with decent stacks in most of them and getting close to the bubble when I get in good on each table and lose to a 2-6 outer or runner runner about 6 times in a row over a 5-8 minute span. BAM! No soup for you!
Whatever.
So I'm at the Hilton (Grand Sierra) and I donk out of the Omaha tourney fairly early and decide to sit in the 3-5 NL game with $1500. The game is really good. There's an old guy in seat 3 who comes in for $20-$30 every single hand. Awesome. The guy directly to my right seems OK, but he's one level behind me I figure, as he'll fire out the flop but give up to my float steal on the turn. The people to my left are all stacked and solid, and for now I think that if they are repopping I can get out of the way. So I'm at this game for about an hour and I realize that its a school night and I better be getting home. Just stupid to even sit down really. I call up for some chinese take out, so I'm on my last orbit. On my 2nd to last hand, I get 44 in EP and raise to $15. I get 4 callers. I flop 4-4-7. Fun fun. I check. Guy with a $500 stack to my left bets $60, and then the kid to my right calls. Oh my. I hope one of them flopped a boat. I call. Turn is not a 7. I check. Old guy fires $200. Kid folds. "How much you got left?"-- "OK, I'm all in" He calls but I never get to see his hand.
So its pretty cool when they are betting into you when you flop quads. Even nicer when the card room has a bonus for a high hand. And it just depends when it hits. So quad 5's for instance was worth about $45. Quad 8's must have just been hit, cause it was only $30. Quad 4's though, were worth over $375. Very sweet.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
The best Rock show ever?
For me I think.
I've never seen Led Zeppelin. In high school we were getting prepared to go on the all night ticket buying adventure when John Bonham died. So it didn't happen.
But I've seen a lot of shows. I think I might try to recap them somewhere here. The first concert I saw was Rush on the Moving Pictures tour at the Fabulous Forum in LA. Sat in the Colonade, 1981. Loved it.
Back at the Forum last night, AC/DC just amazed and wowed me. Hard driving rock and roll from guys who are mid-fifties plus (Brian Johnson is 61!) Their setlist was about perfect, their sound insane, and Angus Young is clearly the most under-rated lead guitar player ever. At least to me he was-- In fact, I'm going to give Angus the nod as the "best" (fwiw) rock guitarist I have ever been privileged to see live. The genres are somewhat different of course, but I will take the Scottish-Aussie Mr. Young over Pete Townsend, Eddie VH, David Gilmour(!), Jerry, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Alex Leifson, Steve Howe, Robert Fripp, and so on.
My ears are still ringing 24 hours later. I hope I get my shot at letting Jimmy Page make em ring at some point soon.
I've never seen Led Zeppelin. In high school we were getting prepared to go on the all night ticket buying adventure when John Bonham died. So it didn't happen.
But I've seen a lot of shows. I think I might try to recap them somewhere here. The first concert I saw was Rush on the Moving Pictures tour at the Fabulous Forum in LA. Sat in the Colonade, 1981. Loved it.
Back at the Forum last night, AC/DC just amazed and wowed me. Hard driving rock and roll from guys who are mid-fifties plus (Brian Johnson is 61!) Their setlist was about perfect, their sound insane, and Angus Young is clearly the most under-rated lead guitar player ever. At least to me he was-- In fact, I'm going to give Angus the nod as the "best" (fwiw) rock guitarist I have ever been privileged to see live. The genres are somewhat different of course, but I will take the Scottish-Aussie Mr. Young over Pete Townsend, Eddie VH, David Gilmour(!), Jerry, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Alex Leifson, Steve Howe, Robert Fripp, and so on.
My ears are still ringing 24 hours later. I hope I get my shot at letting Jimmy Page make em ring at some point soon.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Vegas recap Part III
This must be the part where I run goot, right?
After the Bellagio we played some 10-20 at Venetian. There was quite a bit of cash on the table- I had $4K, and one of the local pros had about $75K! One older tourist had about $10K, and he was everyone's target. I got my chance with KK and after someone had opened for $80 I made it $260 from one of the blinds. I get called by the tourist. Flop comes T-8-4, two hearts and I get real squirrelly and decide to just check-raise and take it down. He co-operates by putting two stacks in the middle. Now, I get confused and have my second "live misclick" of the trip when I announce my raise as "a thousand straight" Ooops. Devo quickly says- "wait- you can't do that- he made it $800" Oh shit. Yeah, he did. I thought it was $400 (in my defense I had been playing mostly the $5-$10 game with $10 chips) Fortunately I snap-switched to "No- I raise one thousand-- $1800 to go" and that was enough to take it down. Leading would probably have been better, but I am very aware that I lose most of my money in the first hour of sitting at a new table and simplifying things when I have less information seems to work.
Dinner at Capo's was excellent, and I got a free Benjamin when the poker worlds favorite runner-up decides to prop bet me on where Keller is playing in Tahoe. (Nobody plays the Cal-Neva) 5 games of bowling later I'm up $500, despite my best efforts to throw left handed and into the gutter. Oh well, when you bring your own cue-stick to the pool hall you are supposed to win I guess. I then picked up a massive one dollar thirty cents on the head-up ebay machine making me ridiculously ahead on the nights props. Finally, I make a gross suckout in a very fun 1-2 game where we lag it up real nicely. Devo does everything exactly perfect to get my money in when he's holding KK to my AJ on a whiffed flop-- only to have me make runner runner str8 to take it down.
Looking forward to next time
After the Bellagio we played some 10-20 at Venetian. There was quite a bit of cash on the table- I had $4K, and one of the local pros had about $75K! One older tourist had about $10K, and he was everyone's target. I got my chance with KK and after someone had opened for $80 I made it $260 from one of the blinds. I get called by the tourist. Flop comes T-8-4, two hearts and I get real squirrelly and decide to just check-raise and take it down. He co-operates by putting two stacks in the middle. Now, I get confused and have my second "live misclick" of the trip when I announce my raise as "a thousand straight" Ooops. Devo quickly says- "wait- you can't do that- he made it $800" Oh shit. Yeah, he did. I thought it was $400 (in my defense I had been playing mostly the $5-$10 game with $10 chips) Fortunately I snap-switched to "No- I raise one thousand-- $1800 to go" and that was enough to take it down. Leading would probably have been better, but I am very aware that I lose most of my money in the first hour of sitting at a new table and simplifying things when I have less information seems to work.
Dinner at Capo's was excellent, and I got a free Benjamin when the poker worlds favorite runner-up decides to prop bet me on where Keller is playing in Tahoe. (Nobody plays the Cal-Neva) 5 games of bowling later I'm up $500, despite my best efforts to throw left handed and into the gutter. Oh well, when you bring your own cue-stick to the pool hall you are supposed to win I guess. I then picked up a massive one dollar thirty cents on the head-up ebay machine making me ridiculously ahead on the nights props. Finally, I make a gross suckout in a very fun 1-2 game where we lag it up real nicely. Devo does everything exactly perfect to get my money in when he's holding KK to my AJ on a whiffed flop-- only to have me make runner runner str8 to take it down.
Looking forward to next time
Saturday, November 8, 2008
More from Vegas
After busting the tourney, I played $1-$2 with turkey's wild on election night. Pretty fun.
The next day I play the $540 2 PM tourney at Bellagio. The first 20 minutes were just amazing. We start with 6K in chips. About the 10th hand I get QQ, raise and get a caller and flop K-Q-8. Nice. Check-check. Turn 9. Not as good. I bet out, get raised, and call. Hmmmm. River is another K. So I check and villain bets about 2/3 pot. I don't know why I got so nitty here- I have to be good, right? I just wondered if he played K9 like this. I ponder a bit, just call and he has a str8. Nice pot.
Two hands later I get red TT and flop a set on an all spade flop. I take it down.
About 3 hands after that I get AA and raise to 150. A MP player makes it 400 and I make it 1800. He tanks a long time. Finally he shoves into me with KK and I hold up.
Next hand I get JJ and everyone folds. Nice start I think!
I get up to 14K or so and then donk off 5K on a hand where I raise a limper with AQ and he calls. I miss the K high flop and try to represent AK. The guy check-calls both my flop barrel and then my turn shot to put him all in and he's the one with the AK. Oops.
From there not much happened. We get down to 11 people and they are paying only 3, so getting some chips would be a good idea. I make a button raise with KQo and this spewtard in the SB pushes. I'm getting about 1.6-1 to call, and it s a healthy stack if I win and crippled if I lose and I should be decent against his range here. I call and he tables A5s and he holds. Blech.
I go back to Bellagio the next day for the same tourney. Paul Phoc Nguyen is there--I played a long time with him a couple years ago. At 100-200 the short stack to my left pushes for his last 1400, Paul calls with his huge stack and I instashove about 7K with pocket deuces. Paul has to fold (99 his told me later) , I hold up over QT and get rewarded for my sick play. I'm up and down, but play well and then double up with QQ>TT. As I'm stacking my chips I look down at KQo in the SB. It gets folded to Paul on the CO and he raises to 1000. I call. Flop K-Q-T and I just check while I stack chips. Paul then shoves. OK, well, he might have something here, but he wouldn't shove with it. I call, he has AA and I'm drawing to a chop after he turns an Ace. Crap a smack a ding dong. I get it in way good for the chip lead with 9 people left and it doesn't happen. Pokah.
The next day I play the $540 2 PM tourney at Bellagio. The first 20 minutes were just amazing. We start with 6K in chips. About the 10th hand I get QQ, raise and get a caller and flop K-Q-8. Nice. Check-check. Turn 9. Not as good. I bet out, get raised, and call. Hmmmm. River is another K. So I check and villain bets about 2/3 pot. I don't know why I got so nitty here- I have to be good, right? I just wondered if he played K9 like this. I ponder a bit, just call and he has a str8. Nice pot.
Two hands later I get red TT and flop a set on an all spade flop. I take it down.
About 3 hands after that I get AA and raise to 150. A MP player makes it 400 and I make it 1800. He tanks a long time. Finally he shoves into me with KK and I hold up.
Next hand I get JJ and everyone folds. Nice start I think!
I get up to 14K or so and then donk off 5K on a hand where I raise a limper with AQ and he calls. I miss the K high flop and try to represent AK. The guy check-calls both my flop barrel and then my turn shot to put him all in and he's the one with the AK. Oops.
From there not much happened. We get down to 11 people and they are paying only 3, so getting some chips would be a good idea. I make a button raise with KQo and this spewtard in the SB pushes. I'm getting about 1.6-1 to call, and it s a healthy stack if I win and crippled if I lose and I should be decent against his range here. I call and he tables A5s and he holds. Blech.
I go back to Bellagio the next day for the same tourney. Paul Phoc Nguyen is there--I played a long time with him a couple years ago. At 100-200 the short stack to my left pushes for his last 1400, Paul calls with his huge stack and I instashove about 7K with pocket deuces. Paul has to fold (99 his told me later) , I hold up over QT and get rewarded for my sick play. I'm up and down, but play well and then double up with QQ>TT. As I'm stacking my chips I look down at KQo in the SB. It gets folded to Paul on the CO and he raises to 1000. I call. Flop K-Q-T and I just check while I stack chips. Paul then shoves. OK, well, he might have something here, but he wouldn't shove with it. I call, he has AA and I'm drawing to a chop after he turns an Ace. Crap a smack a ding dong. I get it in way good for the chip lead with 9 people left and it doesn't happen. Pokah.
Friday, November 7, 2008
The pre-AAO Vegas Boondoggle and How goot I run vs Devo
I think it is pretty standard that if I have a meeting in Las Vegas that I should bounce from Reno a day or two early to hit the felt.
Fortunately, I'm blessed by a very understanding woman, who gets it that in some strange way, sitting on my ass for hours trying to outplay the range of fools out there is good for me. In moderation of course. So-- thanks Rina. Much appreciated.
So my BIG plan (woot) is to play the $330 Venetian deep stack on election day. I have meetings on Thursday, so I can't really play a two-day tourney that starts on Wednesday, obv. So i get one shot.
Having to warm up, I sit down in a very wild $2-$5 cash game, where everyone has like $2K on the table, and people are maximum lagtards. Good things happen, and I get up several hundo. Then this: I get KK in MP and make it $20. The most laggy, VPiP=99%, (plays every pot) raises everytime guy, then makes it $120 from the button. At this point I have about $2K and he covers. Next to him in the SB is a more nitty player who then shoves for $400. Back to me. Decisions: 1)Shove for value and to isolate. 2) Call to induce a squeeze from the button 3) Do some FPS min raise crapola. I go through these pretty quickly and decide to call. Back to lagbutton. He tanks a little, asks me my stack size, and then makes it $1000 straight. So it is now only $600 to call, and the pot is $1800. OK, well just calling here seems retarded, cause I'm then out of position on the flop and I'm basically shoving everything. Maybe I dump i if an Ace flops. Shoving seems super standard. I mean, I have frickin Kings!!!!
But Kings aren't the nuts, and I've been in this spot at least twice in the last 3 months playing for stacks and both times I stacked off to AA. And the 4th raise means Aces. I tank forever, and feel like my cards must be face-up. His bet size screams for a call. No. Not this time. I muck. He immediately tells me I made a great fold and laments that he screwed up the hand (he is supposed to stack me there 80% of the time) Sick read, ftw.
Then the $330 election day special at the V. I donk off from $12,500 to about 8000. Yuck. Nothing is happening. At 50-100 I call a raise in the SB with 97o and three see a flop of 8-J-Q rainbow. Its only a gutter, but obv I haven't had much. I check, MP checks, and the LP raiser fires out 600. I make it 2000. I'm not sure how, but I am going to convince myself that my cards are T9 and I'm going to convince the LP also. No worries though, as I turn the T for the str8. Sweetness. I lead 2500 and he calls. He's got two pair or a set I guess. River bricks and I shove for another 3200 or so-- and he tanks, calls, mucks, and I DBL UP. Woot.
I'm hovering around 35K when I open raise to 2000 from the CO at 300-600/50. BB is a nitty old guy. (Its funny for me to write that, because I AM that NOG sometimes) He min-raises me to 4000, and he has another 7200 or so behind. Blech. So the battle between the part of me that senses he's got TT+ and crushing me is winning out over the much more logical side who looks at the pot, looks at the odds, and demands a call. Well, that ain't exactly right either since I can't really win enough when I spike the 7 to make it long term worthwhile. Whatever. I guess I should have shipped it right here, cause barring some disaster flop its all going in then. I call. Flop comes 8-high babies, rainbow, and the n.o.g. puts in 5K of his remaining 7200. Blech. I just shove, he snaps with JJ and I lose 1/3 of my stack.
Shortly after that, a young kid who hasn't done much opens in the CO and I decide to defend my SB with pocket 6's I repop to 4500 and then he shoves. Yuck a doodle. Pot is about 18,000 and its 9000 roughly to call so I don't have a choice. He shows me AQ, bricks the flop, but turns the Ace and now I'm down to 9000 chips or so with blinds at 400-800/75. I end up open shoving when it gets folded to me in the SB and the BB has AQ. My 93o doesn't look so promising and its gg me.
More later, as I must sleep now.
Fortunately, I'm blessed by a very understanding woman, who gets it that in some strange way, sitting on my ass for hours trying to outplay the range of fools out there is good for me. In moderation of course. So-- thanks Rina. Much appreciated.
So my BIG plan (woot) is to play the $330 Venetian deep stack on election day. I have meetings on Thursday, so I can't really play a two-day tourney that starts on Wednesday, obv. So i get one shot.
Having to warm up, I sit down in a very wild $2-$5 cash game, where everyone has like $2K on the table, and people are maximum lagtards. Good things happen, and I get up several hundo. Then this: I get KK in MP and make it $20. The most laggy, VPiP=99%, (plays every pot) raises everytime guy, then makes it $120 from the button. At this point I have about $2K and he covers. Next to him in the SB is a more nitty player who then shoves for $400. Back to me. Decisions: 1)Shove for value and to isolate. 2) Call to induce a squeeze from the button 3) Do some FPS min raise crapola. I go through these pretty quickly and decide to call. Back to lagbutton. He tanks a little, asks me my stack size, and then makes it $1000 straight. So it is now only $600 to call, and the pot is $1800. OK, well just calling here seems retarded, cause I'm then out of position on the flop and I'm basically shoving everything. Maybe I dump i if an Ace flops. Shoving seems super standard. I mean, I have frickin Kings!!!!
But Kings aren't the nuts, and I've been in this spot at least twice in the last 3 months playing for stacks and both times I stacked off to AA. And the 4th raise means Aces. I tank forever, and feel like my cards must be face-up. His bet size screams for a call. No. Not this time. I muck. He immediately tells me I made a great fold and laments that he screwed up the hand (he is supposed to stack me there 80% of the time) Sick read, ftw.
Then the $330 election day special at the V. I donk off from $12,500 to about 8000. Yuck. Nothing is happening. At 50-100 I call a raise in the SB with 97o and three see a flop of 8-J-Q rainbow. Its only a gutter, but obv I haven't had much. I check, MP checks, and the LP raiser fires out 600. I make it 2000. I'm not sure how, but I am going to convince myself that my cards are T9 and I'm going to convince the LP also. No worries though, as I turn the T for the str8. Sweetness. I lead 2500 and he calls. He's got two pair or a set I guess. River bricks and I shove for another 3200 or so-- and he tanks, calls, mucks, and I DBL UP. Woot.
I'm hovering around 35K when I open raise to 2000 from the CO at 300-600/50. BB is a nitty old guy. (Its funny for me to write that, because I AM that NOG sometimes) He min-raises me to 4000, and he has another 7200 or so behind. Blech. So the battle between the part of me that senses he's got TT+ and crushing me is winning out over the much more logical side who looks at the pot, looks at the odds, and demands a call. Well, that ain't exactly right either since I can't really win enough when I spike the 7 to make it long term worthwhile. Whatever. I guess I should have shipped it right here, cause barring some disaster flop its all going in then. I call. Flop comes 8-high babies, rainbow, and the n.o.g. puts in 5K of his remaining 7200. Blech. I just shove, he snaps with JJ and I lose 1/3 of my stack.
Shortly after that, a young kid who hasn't done much opens in the CO and I decide to defend my SB with pocket 6's I repop to 4500 and then he shoves. Yuck a doodle. Pot is about 18,000 and its 9000 roughly to call so I don't have a choice. He shows me AQ, bricks the flop, but turns the Ace and now I'm down to 9000 chips or so with blinds at 400-800/75. I end up open shoving when it gets folded to me in the SB and the BB has AQ. My 93o doesn't look so promising and its gg me.
More later, as I must sleep now.
Friday, September 26, 2008
And again...
No screenshots this time, but I took down the $55 rebuy again this week for $7K+, then FT'd the $33 rebuy and took 2nd (at 4:30 in the morning) for another $2300 or so. Its a breakthrough month. If I could just take down a $109 on stars....
Friday, September 12, 2008
Finally won something
Although I took the usual suckouts, I had enough chips to survive them. Discovered an ATM in a player who liked to open raise and then fold to my 3-bet, and got lucky at the right spots. About time.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
This was pretty sick
Full Tilt Poker Game #7283151495: $17,000 Guarantee (54632445), Table 21 - 300/600 Ante 75 - No Limit Hold'em - 3:32:31 ET - 2008/07/19
Seat 1: Snirt (8,634)
Seat 2: manong patay (16,629)
Seat 3: vagabond07 (7,570)
Seat 4: hawkur (3,953)
Seat 6: jusaeyo (6,164)
Seat 7: CaseyMVS (10,054)
Seat 9: koey1 (12,880)
CaseyMVS posts the small blind of 300
koey1 posts the big blind of 600
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Snirt [As Jd]
Snirt raises to 1,500
koey1 calls 900
*** FLOP *** [8h 4d 9h]
koey1 has 15 seconds left to act
koey1 bets 2,400
Snirt raises to 7,059, and is all in
koey1 has 15 seconds left to act
koey1 has requested TIME
koey1 calls 4,659
Snirt shows [As Jd]
koey1 shows [Qs Ac]
*** TURN *** [8h 4d 9h] [3d]
Snirt: wow
*** RIVER *** [8h 4d 9h 3d] [5c]
Snirt shows Ace Jack high
koey1 shows Ace Queen high
koey1 wins the pot (17,943) with Ace Queen high
Snirt stands up
So I thought at this point in the tourney this was a pretty standard flop push-steal. Villain tanked long time and made the hero call. Another 1500 chips or so and I think I win the hand.
Seat 1: Snirt (8,634)
Seat 2: manong patay (16,629)
Seat 3: vagabond07 (7,570)
Seat 4: hawkur (3,953)
Seat 6: jusaeyo (6,164)
Seat 7: CaseyMVS (10,054)
Seat 9: koey1 (12,880)
CaseyMVS posts the small blind of 300
koey1 posts the big blind of 600
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Snirt [As Jd]
Snirt raises to 1,500
koey1 calls 900
*** FLOP *** [8h 4d 9h]
koey1 has 15 seconds left to act
koey1 bets 2,400
Snirt raises to 7,059, and is all in
koey1 has 15 seconds left to act
koey1 has requested TIME
koey1 calls 4,659
Snirt shows [As Jd]
koey1 shows [Qs Ac]
*** TURN *** [8h 4d 9h] [3d]
Snirt: wow
*** RIVER *** [8h 4d 9h 3d] [5c]
Snirt shows Ace Jack high
koey1 shows Ace Queen high
koey1 wins the pot (17,943) with Ace Queen high
Snirt stands up
So I thought at this point in the tourney this was a pretty standard flop push-steal. Villain tanked long time and made the hero call. Another 1500 chips or so and I think I win the hand.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
WSOP Main Event
Uh.... after attempting multiple online and a few live satellites, I failed to win my way in. No way I'm dishing out $10K to play in this donkament, especially when I read about hands like this:
Quad Aces are Good, Right? ... RIGHT?
Motoyuki "Moto" Mabuchi raises to 850 in middle position and the button calls.
The flop is Ax Qd 9x and both check. The turn is Td and Moto bets 1,600. The button calls. The river is Ad and Moto bets 2,500. The button raises to 8,500 and Moto reraises all in.
The button calls. Moto shows AA for quad aces, but the button has KdJd for the royal flush. Moto is eliminated in stunning fashion.
Quad Aces are Good, Right? ... RIGHT?
Motoyuki "Moto" Mabuchi raises to 850 in middle position and the button calls.
The flop is Ax Qd 9x and both check. The turn is Td and Moto bets 1,600. The button calls. The river is Ad and Moto bets 2,500. The button raises to 8,500 and Moto reraises all in.
The button calls. Moto shows AA for quad aces, but the button has KdJd for the royal flush. Moto is eliminated in stunning fashion.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Nostalgia
September 4, 1983
Dear Mom and Dad,
........I've decided that if we fight the Fucking Russian Communist Bastards they won't have to draft me as I'll be one of the first in line to kill the Reds. I cannot believe their contempt for human decency and their lack of any morality....
Dear Mom and Dad,
........I've decided that if we fight the Fucking Russian Communist Bastards they won't have to draft me as I'll be one of the first in line to kill the Reds. I cannot believe their contempt for human decency and their lack of any morality....
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Google test!
So I noticed that my pic with the governor showed up on a google search. I hope this one does also. So,
This is picture of Steve Friedlander taken with Ron Paul in Reno, Nevada 2007.
That's it.
Doomswitched
Step 6, on the bubble for money. Now, its true, the villain did call with the nut flush draw, although he was only getting 2-1 on the river. So I get my money in very good here and he hits a King.
Rigged, obv, imo.
PokerStars Game #18386267397: Tournament #93410347, $2000+$100 Hold'em No Limit - Level IV (50/100) - 2008/06/25 - 22:54:47 (ET)
Table '93410347 1' 9-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 2: marg101 (3740 in chips)
Seat 3: bbbbb33 (7510 in chips)
Seat 4: Jeromen (2620 in chips)
Seat 6: beaverFE\/ER (3835 in chips)
Seat 7: M0n3y0nf1r3 (2885 in chips)
Seat 8: jellyeater (2290 in chips)
Seat 9: Axinar (4120 in chips)
bbbbb33: posts small blind 50
Jeromen: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to jellyeater [Ac 8s]
beaverFE\/ER: folds
M0n3y0nf1r3: folds
jellyeater: raises 200 to 300
Axinar: calls 300
marg101: raises 200 to 500
bbbbb33: folds
Jeromen: folds
jellyeater: calls 200
Axinar: calls 200
*** FLOP *** [Th 6s Ah]
jellyeater: checks
Axinar: checks
marg101: bets 100
jellyeater: calls 100
Axinar: calls 100
*** TURN *** [Th 6s Ah] [6h]
jellyeater: bets 1690 and is all-in
Axinar: folds
marg101: calls 1690
*** RIVER *** [Th 6s Ah 6h] [Ks]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
jellyeater: shows [Ac 8s] (two pair, Aces and Sixes)
marg101: shows [Kd Kh] (a full house, Kings full of Sixes)
jellyeater said, "**** me"
marg101 collected 5330 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Board [Th 6s Ah 6h Ks]
Seat 2: marg101 (button) showed [Kd Kh] and won (5330) with a full house, Kings full of Sixes
Seat 8: jellyeater showed [Ac 8s] and lost with two pair, Aces and Sixes
Rigged, obv, imo.
PokerStars Game #18386267397: Tournament #93410347, $2000+$100 Hold'em No Limit - Level IV (50/100) - 2008/06/25 - 22:54:47 (ET)
Table '93410347 1' 9-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 2: marg101 (3740 in chips)
Seat 3: bbbbb33 (7510 in chips)
Seat 4: Jeromen (2620 in chips)
Seat 6: beaverFE\/ER (3835 in chips)
Seat 7: M0n3y0nf1r3 (2885 in chips)
Seat 8: jellyeater (2290 in chips)
Seat 9: Axinar (4120 in chips)
bbbbb33: posts small blind 50
Jeromen: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to jellyeater [Ac 8s]
beaverFE\/ER: folds
M0n3y0nf1r3: folds
jellyeater: raises 200 to 300
Axinar: calls 300
marg101: raises 200 to 500
bbbbb33: folds
Jeromen: folds
jellyeater: calls 200
Axinar: calls 200
*** FLOP *** [Th 6s Ah]
jellyeater: checks
Axinar: checks
marg101: bets 100
jellyeater: calls 100
Axinar: calls 100
*** TURN *** [Th 6s Ah] [6h]
jellyeater: bets 1690 and is all-in
Axinar: folds
marg101: calls 1690
*** RIVER *** [Th 6s Ah 6h] [Ks]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
jellyeater: shows [Ac 8s] (two pair, Aces and Sixes)
marg101: shows [Kd Kh] (a full house, Kings full of Sixes)
jellyeater said, "**** me"
marg101 collected 5330 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Board [Th 6s Ah 6h Ks]
Seat 2: marg101 (button) showed [Kd Kh] and won (5330) with a full house, Kings full of Sixes
Seat 8: jellyeater showed [Ac 8s] and lost with two pair, Aces and Sixes
Monday, June 9, 2008
The icing on the cake, redux
No one reads this blog. At least no one comments on it. That's sort of why I post a picture of an attractive, blonde, australian woman with a gun holster on her hip (which perfectly describes my wife) and try to induce at least one snide comment. Oh well.
So a year ago, for you non-readers, I had a Vegas trip that was about as bad as my recent one. Just to be complete, here is how the day went on Saturday, after I busted out of the 2500 NL.
I had set up a credit line at the Venetian last time but haven't used it yet and thought I should. I just wanted to cash a check but again, they give me grief and want me to take a marker. Fine. I end up at the crap table. Amazing. I take $5K and play quarter craps with full odds and cover some numbers. I play for about 30 min and win $125. yes- I WON MONEY PLAYING CRAPS!!
Then I decided to take another shot at the 5-10 game at the Venetian. Its not soft, and I can't tell if its really nitty or only slightly nitty. There is some decent action with $40 preflop raises getting called often and some decent post flop play. I see the flop at least 6 more times with pocket pairs and still no set comes (that's 52 times in a row now for those of you keeping score).
Then this: Laggy utg raises to $40, gets a caller. I have two red Kings and make it $240. Folded to the button who has played less than the average number of hands and he asks me what denomination the purple $500 chips I have are. Ugh. He says he's gonna raise and he makes it another $500. Folded to me. I have very sensitive Ace detectors I think and they are going off. But really, what the fuck- can I lay down Kings preflop in a cash game 300 BB's deep? I don't think so. Should I repop? I think back to my Aaron Kanter hand and how bady l played Kings. I'll call and see what the flop brings. If there is any non-King paint or an Ace I'm done. It comes like 9-3-3 with two hearts. I really don't know what to do now, cause the AA detectors are going off again. Blech. I'm not going to check-fold, so I push, he snapcalls and shows AdAs. I nod. Another heart comes on the turn, just so the poker gods can tease me a little. The river bricks. Snirt stands up.
So a year ago, for you non-readers, I had a Vegas trip that was about as bad as my recent one. Just to be complete, here is how the day went on Saturday, after I busted out of the 2500 NL.
I had set up a credit line at the Venetian last time but haven't used it yet and thought I should. I just wanted to cash a check but again, they give me grief and want me to take a marker. Fine. I end up at the crap table. Amazing. I take $5K and play quarter craps with full odds and cover some numbers. I play for about 30 min and win $125. yes- I WON MONEY PLAYING CRAPS!!
Then I decided to take another shot at the 5-10 game at the Venetian. Its not soft, and I can't tell if its really nitty or only slightly nitty. There is some decent action with $40 preflop raises getting called often and some decent post flop play. I see the flop at least 6 more times with pocket pairs and still no set comes (that's 52 times in a row now for those of you keeping score).
Then this: Laggy utg raises to $40, gets a caller. I have two red Kings and make it $240. Folded to the button who has played less than the average number of hands and he asks me what denomination the purple $500 chips I have are. Ugh. He says he's gonna raise and he makes it another $500. Folded to me. I have very sensitive Ace detectors I think and they are going off. But really, what the fuck- can I lay down Kings preflop in a cash game 300 BB's deep? I don't think so. Should I repop? I think back to my Aaron Kanter hand and how bady l played Kings. I'll call and see what the flop brings. If there is any non-King paint or an Ace I'm done. It comes like 9-3-3 with two hearts. I really don't know what to do now, cause the AA detectors are going off again. Blech. I'm not going to check-fold, so I push, he snapcalls and shows AdAs. I nod. Another heart comes on the turn, just so the poker gods can tease me a little. The river bricks. Snirt stands up.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Glutton for punishment
meh.
there was a brief stretch of time during the 2500 NL today that I thought I could win/do well/cash/make the dinner break/make day 2 blah blah blah.
Brief stretch.
My table was the softest I've had. There was a guy who reminded me of the Melbourne players who thought Ace-rag was the nuts. Thing is, the guy would always call to the river and then catch an Ace and then bet out. It was hilarious. He took a huge pot from a good player this way, and I was just thinking to myself- "Dude- he has like Ace-four or somethng- wtf are you doing?"
While I still have seen 42 straight flops with pocket pairs and yet to flop a set, I did win my first race of the WSOP when I got all in with AKs vs QQ and flopped an ace. Got me up to 8000 chips or so and I was feeling pretty good. I got pocket 5's like 5 times, and each time I was up against something like AQ that missed and I was good.
Except the last time.
At 100-200 (i didn't even make the antes!) I call a raise in position with 55, against an aggressive internet type who I barely cover. So we see the flop of T-3-3 with two hearts and he fires out a C-bet of 700. I consider raising him right there but it looks goofy-- if I have A3, TT, AT, or any other hand really, I think I would be calling and let him bet again on the turn. So I call. Turn is an offsuit 4. He checks. I'm so brilliant. It's so easy to put him on any non-pair two high card hand here, and if that is what he has, he's gonna give up most of the time. I had already decided that if he bet the turn I was gonna shove on him anyway, so I was a little disappointed he didn't fire the second barrel. So the pot is about 2700 I think and I have roughly 6000 left. I bet 2K pretty quickly and he tanks. He tanks a long time. He looks so weak. He is trying to summon the courage to make a play at this pot with his whiffed AK and the longer he tanks the more I'm confident that I'm good and that I'm calling if he shoves. He picks up his cards at one point, just barely off the table like he's gonna muck, but then eventually he gathers his chips and ships them in.
Crap.
I have to trust my read here. He is weak, he doesn't like his hand and he's making a move. OK. I call. He looks dejected. "You got me" he says, as he tables pocket 7's. F-word. No dude, you got me and you were making your move with the best hand. Crap on toast.
I have 550 chips left and I ship it in with A8 against two players with AQ and KQ and I catch an 8 to triple up to like 2000 chips or 10 BB's. Nice. Good resteal stack. I'm in the BB with A4s and the button raises and I instashove and he instacalls with AQs and its gg me.
there was a brief stretch of time during the 2500 NL today that I thought I could win/do well/cash/make the dinner break/make day 2 blah blah blah.
Brief stretch.
My table was the softest I've had. There was a guy who reminded me of the Melbourne players who thought Ace-rag was the nuts. Thing is, the guy would always call to the river and then catch an Ace and then bet out. It was hilarious. He took a huge pot from a good player this way, and I was just thinking to myself- "Dude- he has like Ace-four or somethng- wtf are you doing?"
While I still have seen 42 straight flops with pocket pairs and yet to flop a set, I did win my first race of the WSOP when I got all in with AKs vs QQ and flopped an ace. Got me up to 8000 chips or so and I was feeling pretty good. I got pocket 5's like 5 times, and each time I was up against something like AQ that missed and I was good.
Except the last time.
At 100-200 (i didn't even make the antes!) I call a raise in position with 55, against an aggressive internet type who I barely cover. So we see the flop of T-3-3 with two hearts and he fires out a C-bet of 700. I consider raising him right there but it looks goofy-- if I have A3, TT, AT, or any other hand really, I think I would be calling and let him bet again on the turn. So I call. Turn is an offsuit 4. He checks. I'm so brilliant. It's so easy to put him on any non-pair two high card hand here, and if that is what he has, he's gonna give up most of the time. I had already decided that if he bet the turn I was gonna shove on him anyway, so I was a little disappointed he didn't fire the second barrel. So the pot is about 2700 I think and I have roughly 6000 left. I bet 2K pretty quickly and he tanks. He tanks a long time. He looks so weak. He is trying to summon the courage to make a play at this pot with his whiffed AK and the longer he tanks the more I'm confident that I'm good and that I'm calling if he shoves. He picks up his cards at one point, just barely off the table like he's gonna muck, but then eventually he gathers his chips and ships them in.
Crap.
I have to trust my read here. He is weak, he doesn't like his hand and he's making a move. OK. I call. He looks dejected. "You got me" he says, as he tables pocket 7's. F-word. No dude, you got me and you were making your move with the best hand. Crap on toast.
I have 550 chips left and I ship it in with A8 against two players with AQ and KQ and I catch an 8 to triple up to like 2000 chips or 10 BB's. Nice. Good resteal stack. I'm in the BB with A4s and the button raises and I instashove and he instacalls with AQs and its gg me.
Friday, June 6, 2008
$5K Shootout
360 entries roughly, on 36 tables. You win your table you are in the money, and play 6 handed the next day. There is a bad player in seat 1. A very good player (Adam Levy) in seat 3, me in 4, and the rest of the table is at least competent if not very good. They are all internet players I think. Oh, and Phil Ivey sits down in the 2 seat. At least I have position on him.
Table 16: Phil Ivey (2), Adam "Roothlus" Levy (3), Amit "Amak316" Makhija (8), David "dpeters18" Peters (9), Brian "tsarrast" Rast (10)
We start with 10,000 chips which seems like a lot except the blinds are 100-200 and the second level is 150-300/25, so it goes up quick. The table is pretty tight, except for Ivey who wins a lot of small pots just by being in them. I pick up KQs and call a raise and its 3 players to the flop of K-8-5 rainbow. The raiser bets out 1200, I make it 3200 and both fold. Nice.
The 1 seat limps from the cutoff, Ivey limps, SB completes, and I check with 34o. Flop comes 2-5-8. SB checks, I check (hoping Ivey will bet) CO checks, Ivey bets 600, I call. Turn is another 2. Check-check. River is a blank, I bet out 1200, and I bluff out the best poker player in the world with 4-high.
Ivey then doubles up, knocking out seat 1 who slowplays AA and Ivey pushes the flop with a flush draw and gets there. Ivey then goes out when he flops top two and all the money goes in on the flop and the villain has a flush draw and gets there. Poker.
I chip up to about 13000 and then make the only real mistake of the day. I'm in the SB. A guy min-raises to 400, the button makes it 1800 and I call, set-mining, with pocket 9's. Unfortunately the min-raiser now pushes and we both fold. I still am pretty aggro though and win many pots without confrontation. I wake up with JJ in the big blind and 3-bet a raiser who folds. I open raise with AA and the big blind looks like he is itching to repop me but he doesn't. Sigh.
At the far end of the table there is a euro-player who has gotten short and has started to open-push. He's done this about 4 times-- at one point he gets called and shows Q8s and manages to double up. So when he open pushes again and I look down at AQ on the button I think I'm probably way ahead of his range and this is a good time to knock out a player and get some chips. I call off 3800 and he shows pocket 4's and I miss. Damn it.
After the break I find myself with less than 6000 chips and blinds at 200-400/50. Not good, but a healthy stack to resteal with. So I wait for an opportunity. It comes when there is a raise to 1000 from the Adam "Roothlus" Levy in the cutoff and I push on the button with JTs. He calls with 22. The flop comes Q-9-x and now I have 14 outs twice to double up. For you non-poker people this means I need any King, Eight, Jack or Ten. Needless to say I brick out and its good game me. fwiw, Roothles went on to win the table...
Table 16: Phil Ivey (2), Adam "Roothlus" Levy (3), Amit "Amak316" Makhija (8), David "dpeters18" Peters (9), Brian "tsarrast" Rast (10)
We start with 10,000 chips which seems like a lot except the blinds are 100-200 and the second level is 150-300/25, so it goes up quick. The table is pretty tight, except for Ivey who wins a lot of small pots just by being in them. I pick up KQs and call a raise and its 3 players to the flop of K-8-5 rainbow. The raiser bets out 1200, I make it 3200 and both fold. Nice.
The 1 seat limps from the cutoff, Ivey limps, SB completes, and I check with 34o. Flop comes 2-5-8. SB checks, I check (hoping Ivey will bet) CO checks, Ivey bets 600, I call. Turn is another 2. Check-check. River is a blank, I bet out 1200, and I bluff out the best poker player in the world with 4-high.
Ivey then doubles up, knocking out seat 1 who slowplays AA and Ivey pushes the flop with a flush draw and gets there. Ivey then goes out when he flops top two and all the money goes in on the flop and the villain has a flush draw and gets there. Poker.
I chip up to about 13000 and then make the only real mistake of the day. I'm in the SB. A guy min-raises to 400, the button makes it 1800 and I call, set-mining, with pocket 9's. Unfortunately the min-raiser now pushes and we both fold. I still am pretty aggro though and win many pots without confrontation. I wake up with JJ in the big blind and 3-bet a raiser who folds. I open raise with AA and the big blind looks like he is itching to repop me but he doesn't. Sigh.
At the far end of the table there is a euro-player who has gotten short and has started to open-push. He's done this about 4 times-- at one point he gets called and shows Q8s and manages to double up. So when he open pushes again and I look down at AQ on the button I think I'm probably way ahead of his range and this is a good time to knock out a player and get some chips. I call off 3800 and he shows pocket 4's and I miss. Damn it.
After the break I find myself with less than 6000 chips and blinds at 200-400/50. Not good, but a healthy stack to resteal with. So I wait for an opportunity. It comes when there is a raise to 1000 from the Adam "Roothlus" Levy in the cutoff and I push on the button with JTs. He calls with 22. The flop comes Q-9-x and now I have 14 outs twice to double up. For you non-poker people this means I need any King, Eight, Jack or Ten. Needless to say I brick out and its good game me. fwiw, Roothles went on to win the table...
Thursday, June 5, 2008
$1500 6-handed
OK, psyched for this event. Good thing I pre-registered as they sellout and about 200-400 people get shut out. Joe Sebok is at my table. I get the old Jack-duey in the SB in the first hand, its folded to me, I raise and win.
This is the high water mark of the day I think.
On the second hand there is a raise and two calls. The flop comes K-8-6 and there is a bet, raise, push, fold, call, and the poor bastard who flopped a set of sixes is on the rail to the set of 8's. (The third guy had AK and the sense to get out of the way)
I end up making some late position and button raises with hands like QTo which sometimes get played back at. One guy seems to always have a hand, showing AK several times as well as QQ, KK etc.
I play one hand (very badly) with Sebok-- he raises UTG and I call in the SB with AKo. Flop comes Q-J-x and I check-call and then check-fold the turn. Blech. Not the way to play a tourney where you have such a short chip stack to begin with.
I then play a hand against the heater guy-- I raise in LP with QJ and he calls. Flop comes Q-high monotone and he check-calls twice before firing on the river. I get like 5-1 on his bet and know I'm beat and indeed he tables AQ. Blech.
Now I'm really short and ship it in with KK to be called by 66. Flop comes 7-5-4 and I know I'm toast. Turn is a 3. GG me.
I head over to the Venetian to play the Omaha 8OB $540 they are running. They have over 200 runners, paying 18. Its a gross game, but I like to play it a bit as I'm still learning a lot. Its limit poker, high-low, so having the hands is pretty crucial. I donked up and down for a while eventually busting out around 50th.
Then the Lakers lost.
Tomorrow (with the $5K shootout) will be better. I hope I get a decent table draw....
This is the high water mark of the day I think.
On the second hand there is a raise and two calls. The flop comes K-8-6 and there is a bet, raise, push, fold, call, and the poor bastard who flopped a set of sixes is on the rail to the set of 8's. (The third guy had AK and the sense to get out of the way)
I end up making some late position and button raises with hands like QTo which sometimes get played back at. One guy seems to always have a hand, showing AK several times as well as QQ, KK etc.
I play one hand (very badly) with Sebok-- he raises UTG and I call in the SB with AKo. Flop comes Q-J-x and I check-call and then check-fold the turn. Blech. Not the way to play a tourney where you have such a short chip stack to begin with.
I then play a hand against the heater guy-- I raise in LP with QJ and he calls. Flop comes Q-high monotone and he check-calls twice before firing on the river. I get like 5-1 on his bet and know I'm beat and indeed he tables AQ. Blech.
Now I'm really short and ship it in with KK to be called by 66. Flop comes 7-5-4 and I know I'm toast. Turn is a 3. GG me.
I head over to the Venetian to play the Omaha 8OB $540 they are running. They have over 200 runners, paying 18. Its a gross game, but I like to play it a bit as I'm still learning a lot. Its limit poker, high-low, so having the hands is pretty crucial. I donked up and down for a while eventually busting out around 50th.
Then the Lakers lost.
Tomorrow (with the $5K shootout) will be better. I hope I get a decent table draw....
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