Saturday afternoon at 5:00 features an $85 Bounty Tournament at Cherokee Casino. I had never played in it before but, the family being out of town, I drove over to give it a whirl. The bounty was $25 a head, so I figured I could at least lessen the cost of my admission by killing a player or two. We began with 4000 in chips and 25/25 blinds on 20 minute levels. There were 35 players on 4 tables.
My first hour was SLOW. I won a couple hands and scored some good chips and then continuation bluffed to the river on an AK that didn't hit. I got called down with a pair of 10s. Ooops. At the break, I was pretty short stacked already and the blinds were going to 150/300 with a 25 ante. I needed to double up and soon. That's when I met Tim.
Tim is a very nice guy from Rogers, obviously plays a lot and is a very solid player. He moved from another table to the seat beside me. It's become a running joke. Every tournament I play in at Cherokee I wind up in either seat 1 or 10. I was in seat 1. He took seat 2. We chatted and he told me about all of the comps he was getting at the casino. He told me that, while he doesn't play all that often, when he does play he will usually swing $8000-$10,000 through an evening, mostly at the roulette wheel. Wow. My bankroll doesn't look anything like that. $85 buy-in was big for me.
When he came over, I was down to about 1200 chips. Not good at all. He started telling me to be patient. I knew he was right. And I was patient. I looked down on a pair of queens under the gun and raised all-in. He said "Guess you found your spot" and folded. I got two callers. Boom...I tripled up. Not 5 hands later, I tripled again. Suddenly, I was at 11,000 chips and back in the game.
About that time, we went to one table. They passed out seat cards in random order. I got...yeah...seat 1. Tim moved over to about seat 6 and the guy with enough chips to build a house moved in to my left. Great.
We went down to 8, then down to 7. Note, I haven't mentioned anything about any bounties for me yet. I hadn't had any. I was in the top 7 of 35, and I hadn't knocked anyone out yet. Like I said before I drove over to the casino, "Well, bounty doesn't really fit my style of play (tight-aggressive small ball), but it'll be fun." It was fun.
I was on the button with blinds of 400/800 and 100 ante. There was some serious dead money in the pot now (1900 to start). Things limped around to me, with 3 or 4 limpers. I looked down at pocket aces (!), I raised to 2400 to go. Everybody folded to Tim. He raised all in for about 15,000 (he had me covered). I insta-called him, beating him to the pot with my chips. Heads up, aces against... As soon as I called, Tim said "Aw SHIT! I was sure you were making a button move!" I tabled my aces, and he tossed over his Q2 suited. Q2 suited? Really?
I stood up, thinking "A double up puts me very close to the chip lead" since the guy to my left, who had the lead, had bled off some chips since we went to one table. Tim said "No, no, I'm good. Two live cards. I just need at least 2 cards, maybe three, to pull this out." We all laughed. Flop came...10, 4, Q. Damn. Too close for me so far. Turn...a fucking 2. I said, very loudly (and I'm not a loud person) "You have GOT to be... (withholding the "F" word) kidding me!!!" The river was no help and there I was, busted to a Q2. Aces are just no good.
Tim took the chip lead and went on to win the tournament. He bought me a conciliatory drink. Like I said, he is a super nice guy. If I wasn't going to win the tournament, I'm glad he did.
As I was about to leave (seeing no cash games that looked lucrative), a new table opened up. It looked like it might have some promise. So I sat down with $100 bucks. How I got there is another story, but I left a couple hours later having won back my $85 entry fees plus a little. I left for the drive home happy. I survived to fight another day.
Rock on!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Laying Down Aces
Can YOU do it? I thought I could. I can do it online where anonymity prevents me from being red-cheeked when the other guy is actually bluffing me off my monster.
Here's the situation. I was on a stack of about $200, having bought in for $100. About an hour and a half of play, I picked up pocket Aces out of position in a $1/$2 NLHE live game. I raised preflop to $15. I've slow-played Aces way too many times and been burned that I just don't do it much anymore. Most people folded. I got two calls in position. The flop was Q-9-6. Not a bad flop. I was hoping that that Queen hit someone's hand. I bet $30. One of my callers folded, and one older man at the end of the table called. The turn was another 6. Recognizing the fact that the board had paired, and nothing had hit my Aces yet, I bet out again, hoping to flush out trip 6s if they existed. I bet $50. I got called. Shit. Did he really play X-6 down there in middle position? He had seemed like a tighter player than that, although I had caught him bluffing several hands earlier.
The river was another 9. Two pair on the board. Not good at all. I checked just to see what he would do. I kind of expected a check in return. He bet $100 at me. So, let's review. He called a bet of 7x the BB pre-flop, a bet of $30 (about 2/3 of the pot) on the flop, a $50 bet (a little more than half the pot) on the turn, and now he was betting $100 AT me. My head was telling me "FULL HOUSE", "GET OUT", "LAY THEM DOWN!" But what could he have to be making his previous plays? Was he bluffing again? Really? Was he really calling bets all along with 2nd or 3rd pair? I was chained to my Aces. I couldn't justify laying them down in most situations. I deliberated for a long time. I counted out my chips, seeing that I would be down to about $40 if I called and lost. But REALLY? Would he have played like that? I called. He showed me 9-5 suited!! A full house on the river!
So, I made a bad play. Deep down, I knew he had the full house. I couldn't believe that he had played whatever cards he had that made the full house, but I knew he had it. But he had made at least 3 bad plays, if not more, and then been paid-off for it. God, I love this game. As I shoved my chips to the dealer, I said "Good hand, sir." I always like to encourage bad play by bad players when they beat me. Sort of a "Please keep playing like that, because I know, over the long haul, I'll get my money back plus a lot of yours."
Later.
Here's the situation. I was on a stack of about $200, having bought in for $100. About an hour and a half of play, I picked up pocket Aces out of position in a $1/$2 NLHE live game. I raised preflop to $15. I've slow-played Aces way too many times and been burned that I just don't do it much anymore. Most people folded. I got two calls in position. The flop was Q-9-6. Not a bad flop. I was hoping that that Queen hit someone's hand. I bet $30. One of my callers folded, and one older man at the end of the table called. The turn was another 6. Recognizing the fact that the board had paired, and nothing had hit my Aces yet, I bet out again, hoping to flush out trip 6s if they existed. I bet $50. I got called. Shit. Did he really play X-6 down there in middle position? He had seemed like a tighter player than that, although I had caught him bluffing several hands earlier.
The river was another 9. Two pair on the board. Not good at all. I checked just to see what he would do. I kind of expected a check in return. He bet $100 at me. So, let's review. He called a bet of 7x the BB pre-flop, a bet of $30 (about 2/3 of the pot) on the flop, a $50 bet (a little more than half the pot) on the turn, and now he was betting $100 AT me. My head was telling me "FULL HOUSE", "GET OUT", "LAY THEM DOWN!" But what could he have to be making his previous plays? Was he bluffing again? Really? Was he really calling bets all along with 2nd or 3rd pair? I was chained to my Aces. I couldn't justify laying them down in most situations. I deliberated for a long time. I counted out my chips, seeing that I would be down to about $40 if I called and lost. But REALLY? Would he have played like that? I called. He showed me 9-5 suited!! A full house on the river!
So, I made a bad play. Deep down, I knew he had the full house. I couldn't believe that he had played whatever cards he had that made the full house, but I knew he had it. But he had made at least 3 bad plays, if not more, and then been paid-off for it. God, I love this game. As I shoved my chips to the dealer, I said "Good hand, sir." I always like to encourage bad play by bad players when they beat me. Sort of a "Please keep playing like that, because I know, over the long haul, I'll get my money back plus a lot of yours."
Later.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Have another Drink, Buddy!
I thought about buying his drinks for him with his money. But he was buying them himself and steadily pouring them down his throat and getting louder and looser.
I played in my usual Wednesday night freezeout tournament and busted out in my usual 7th or 8th level. I had a big stack when my table broke, about 35,000 chips. I sat down at the new table and saw that I was pretty heavy compared to many of the other players. Cool. My first hand I looked down upon pocket Kings. Nice! One guy in front of me raised all in with about 3800 chips. He was on the ropes and looking to double up soon with the best cards he thought he might see with blinds at 1000/2000. He flipped over Q8 off suit. Haha! Had him totally dominated. Until he flopped J 10 9, leaving me with few outs. Shit! One guy, who is a solid player but kinda an asshole, said "welcome to our table!" A few hands later, same pushed all in with my chips, this time about 7000 chips. I looked down at pocket Aces. I always worry about pocket Aces. They just play with so little stability for me. I of course called. He laid down pocket Kings and groaned when I tabled my pocket Aces. You are DONE dude (I thought it but didn't say it.) My aces held up after me pleading with the dealer to not toss over a king on the board.
There was this little old man sitting to my right. Very quiet, very gentle. The kind that is just waiting to eat your lunch. He got my lunch. I had about 40k now in the big blind. I've mentioned that I hate any hand with a Jack in it. I looked down at my cards when my turn rolled around. It had limped to me, including the small blind (aka little old man). I checked my Jack 4 off suit. The flop was 2 4 2. Small blind checked. I made a mid sized bet hoping to pick up the pot right then with my pair of 4s. Everyone folded except small blind. He called. The turn was a Jack. Two pair!! I bet out again, this time bigger. He smooth called me. I wasn't real worried yet, but I feared a 2 just a little. The river was a blank. Small blind pushed all in for about 28k. Shit. I hate when I put myself into positions in which I have hard decisions to make. He WAS the small blind. He could be sitting on a 2. Anything else and I had to have him beaten. Anything but the only other two Jacks in the deck, and he couldn't have pocket Jacks, given how he had played the hand, right? As I pushed my 28k over to him and looked again at his pocket Jacks and told him "good hand, sir", the asshole guy said "Wow, I know you didn't put him on Jacks. How could you have?" Dead on, man.
So, back to the drunk guy. He was young, probably mid 20's, was talking about his new baby while we shared a tourney table together (before he was drunk) and seemed like a nice guy. He did pretty well in the tourney, busting out just a few minutes before me. Then he had a couple more drinks while we waited on a new $1/$2 NLHE table to open. He was sitting two seats to my right, a good spot for him relative to me. He managed to get all of his chips in the pot a LOT, usually over betting the pot by 3 or 4 times. Two of his buddies were at the table also, not quite as drunk, looking a little embarrassed at his behavior, but laughing along and having fun. Matt, the drunk, kept saying of Nate, one of his buddies "I'd lose a thousand dollars to the rest of you just to win Nate's $100." The guy sitting to my left was a young guy too, very tight, very quiet. I just wanted to get tangled up with Matt on one good hand. Just one. I knew I could fleece him of his stack if I could just get heads up or even three-way with him just once. The guy to my left got to him a little before I did. I leaned over to the left guy and said, quietly "He's just spewing chips, man. Let him spew." It was the first emotion the guy had showed, but we had a little laugh. Then I picked up pocket 9s...my favorite hand. I raised pre-flop to $12. I got two callers, Matt being one of them. I was in middle position, with one caller before me and one after (Matt). The flop contained a 9 (that's why it's my favorite hand), the guy before me checked and I checked. Matt pushed all in for $101 (he had already pissed away a couple hundred and hadn't rebought up to $200 yet...damnit) I didn't think player number one would call, given his check on the flop and I called. Matt had a gut shot straight draw and that was about it. When I called, he instantly said "You're probably good, man." When I flipped my nines, he said "Yep, you're good." My nines held up and I got paid.
Given that I had lost $150 the previous night (on two bad donkey plays), being up nearly $300 now was a great thing. And I had my out. I had announced to the table when I sat down "I am a short-timer. When my buddy is done in the tourney, I'm out." I hate people who sit down, take down a big pot and then leave. It just seems unethical. At least now, when Dunk was done in the tournament, I had an out. Dunk busted out in 14th place, short of the money, and came over to my table just as I was raking in the big pot against Matt. "Mike, um, what's up with all the chips, man?" We laughed as I stacked. He told me to play as long as I wanted, that he wasn't in a hurry, but I told him that I was going to play one more circuit of the button and get up. "Don't get up on my account...this looks like a good place to be if you are you." And he was right, but I wanted to leave with my winnings, knowing that Matt had to be getting close to the end of his bankroll and/or passing out and/or being asked to leave. So, I drug another couple of hands in the last circuit and out I went. Net positive for the week by a couple hundred dollars was good enough for me. I love this game.
I hope they are running strong for you.
I played in my usual Wednesday night freezeout tournament and busted out in my usual 7th or 8th level. I had a big stack when my table broke, about 35,000 chips. I sat down at the new table and saw that I was pretty heavy compared to many of the other players. Cool. My first hand I looked down upon pocket Kings. Nice! One guy in front of me raised all in with about 3800 chips. He was on the ropes and looking to double up soon with the best cards he thought he might see with blinds at 1000/2000. He flipped over Q8 off suit. Haha! Had him totally dominated. Until he flopped J 10 9, leaving me with few outs. Shit! One guy, who is a solid player but kinda an asshole, said "welcome to our table!" A few hands later, same pushed all in with my chips, this time about 7000 chips. I looked down at pocket Aces. I always worry about pocket Aces. They just play with so little stability for me. I of course called. He laid down pocket Kings and groaned when I tabled my pocket Aces. You are DONE dude (I thought it but didn't say it.) My aces held up after me pleading with the dealer to not toss over a king on the board.
There was this little old man sitting to my right. Very quiet, very gentle. The kind that is just waiting to eat your lunch. He got my lunch. I had about 40k now in the big blind. I've mentioned that I hate any hand with a Jack in it. I looked down at my cards when my turn rolled around. It had limped to me, including the small blind (aka little old man). I checked my Jack 4 off suit. The flop was 2 4 2. Small blind checked. I made a mid sized bet hoping to pick up the pot right then with my pair of 4s. Everyone folded except small blind. He called. The turn was a Jack. Two pair!! I bet out again, this time bigger. He smooth called me. I wasn't real worried yet, but I feared a 2 just a little. The river was a blank. Small blind pushed all in for about 28k. Shit. I hate when I put myself into positions in which I have hard decisions to make. He WAS the small blind. He could be sitting on a 2. Anything else and I had to have him beaten. Anything but the only other two Jacks in the deck, and he couldn't have pocket Jacks, given how he had played the hand, right? As I pushed my 28k over to him and looked again at his pocket Jacks and told him "good hand, sir", the asshole guy said "Wow, I know you didn't put him on Jacks. How could you have?" Dead on, man.
So, back to the drunk guy. He was young, probably mid 20's, was talking about his new baby while we shared a tourney table together (before he was drunk) and seemed like a nice guy. He did pretty well in the tourney, busting out just a few minutes before me. Then he had a couple more drinks while we waited on a new $1/$2 NLHE table to open. He was sitting two seats to my right, a good spot for him relative to me. He managed to get all of his chips in the pot a LOT, usually over betting the pot by 3 or 4 times. Two of his buddies were at the table also, not quite as drunk, looking a little embarrassed at his behavior, but laughing along and having fun. Matt, the drunk, kept saying of Nate, one of his buddies "I'd lose a thousand dollars to the rest of you just to win Nate's $100." The guy sitting to my left was a young guy too, very tight, very quiet. I just wanted to get tangled up with Matt on one good hand. Just one. I knew I could fleece him of his stack if I could just get heads up or even three-way with him just once. The guy to my left got to him a little before I did. I leaned over to the left guy and said, quietly "He's just spewing chips, man. Let him spew." It was the first emotion the guy had showed, but we had a little laugh. Then I picked up pocket 9s...my favorite hand. I raised pre-flop to $12. I got two callers, Matt being one of them. I was in middle position, with one caller before me and one after (Matt). The flop contained a 9 (that's why it's my favorite hand), the guy before me checked and I checked. Matt pushed all in for $101 (he had already pissed away a couple hundred and hadn't rebought up to $200 yet...damnit) I didn't think player number one would call, given his check on the flop and I called. Matt had a gut shot straight draw and that was about it. When I called, he instantly said "You're probably good, man." When I flipped my nines, he said "Yep, you're good." My nines held up and I got paid.
Given that I had lost $150 the previous night (on two bad donkey plays), being up nearly $300 now was a great thing. And I had my out. I had announced to the table when I sat down "I am a short-timer. When my buddy is done in the tourney, I'm out." I hate people who sit down, take down a big pot and then leave. It just seems unethical. At least now, when Dunk was done in the tournament, I had an out. Dunk busted out in 14th place, short of the money, and came over to my table just as I was raking in the big pot against Matt. "Mike, um, what's up with all the chips, man?" We laughed as I stacked. He told me to play as long as I wanted, that he wasn't in a hurry, but I told him that I was going to play one more circuit of the button and get up. "Don't get up on my account...this looks like a good place to be if you are you." And he was right, but I wanted to leave with my winnings, knowing that Matt had to be getting close to the end of his bankroll and/or passing out and/or being asked to leave. So, I drug another couple of hands in the last circuit and out I went. Net positive for the week by a couple hundred dollars was good enough for me. I love this game.
I hope they are running strong for you.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
The Cowboys Ride into Town
Last night was another trip to Cherokee casino in West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma, right across the state line from Arkansas. Wednesday night is the weekly $50 buy-in freezeout (no rebuy) tournament. I don't really know why I play the tournament, other than because it's fun, because the cash games have been much more lucrative lately.
I was pretty card dead for the first several levels last night, being up only 275 chips (out of a starting stack of 4000) at the first break. Sort of usual, other than last week when I cashed out 8th (of about 85 people). I made it to about level 6 before, while blinding out, pushed all in with pocket 10s and losing to AJ that hit his A on the turn. Oh well...off to the cash game.
I was the 9th person on the wait list for a $1/$2 hold'em game, so a new table opened up. Great!! Fish from the tournament! It actually proved to be a very active, very aggressive table. I played low and tight and tried to stay out of the fray. I bought in for $100, which, after seeing the table action was too little. I should have bought $200.
I played a couple of early pots, taking down a couple of little ones. Pre-flop raises to $12 and $15 were not unusual at this table. Very few flops were seen for $2. There were a lot of people straddling to $5. About 30 minutes into the game, I looked down at pocket kings under the gun. I raised to $15 hoping to pick up a call or two but no more than that. Aces seem to flop way too often on me with an otherwise big pair. The guy to my left raised to $30. Next guy folded. Next guy raised all in to $65. A couple folded and another guy pushed for $95 and he got a pretty quick call. So, the action was on me with three people in heavy and $85 to call. Lay down my kings was probably the best answer. I labored over the decision for several minutes. I KNOW my odds with kings against 4 players aren't good. I considered that the cards had been pretty slow for me all night, and that I might not be able to look for any help from the board. I couldn't lay down the kings and I pushed my $125 into the pot. The guy on my left, the original raiser, called and I missed that play. Now there are four of in this pot, three all in, and one guy in that I was unaware of (not that it mattered to my play...I was in the pot.) I picked up my cards loosely, without covering them well, thinking that no one in the hand could see them. The guy to my left said, "well, you have me beat." "Oh, man, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were in the hand or I wouldn't have handled my cards like that." He was cool about it, and so was everyone else that caught what was going on. I mean, the pot was what it was and two players were in an empty side pot.
The flop came 8-4-K. Ahhh...trip Kings. The guy on my left said "well, that should help you out." As it turned out, he had pocket 8s. I relaxed just a little, knowing that I still had a back-door flush draw to dodge after that flop. The turn was...a king! I stacked my cards neatly, lifted up my sunglasses, and stood up. I stood behind my chair and looked across the table at a friend of mine who was not in the hand. He mouthed to me "Do you have a king?" I smiled and held up, inconspicuously, two fingers. He stood up too. After the river, which was a blank, I flipped over my kings and spread them out. Everybody groaned. One guy was holding pocket 8s. One guy had pocket 4s. The kings gave both of them full houses. One guy had AQ suited. Not sure quite what he was doing in a five way $400 pot. But hey, the more the merrier! I tipped the dealer $15 and took the next two hands to stack my chips.
I stuck around the table, wanting to get up and leave with my booty. I've been here before, and turned around and lost the stack right back to an active table. Instead of loosening up, like I knew was what my tendency would be, I consciously tightened up. About half an hour after the big hand, I was about to get up and leave, when an older guy, well dressed, drunk, sat down with seven $100 chips that he had just won on a blackjack table. "How much can I buy in for?" he slurred. $300 was the table max. I decided to stay. He dumped off all of that $300 plus another $200 chasing bad hands. Super donkey, whale, fish, whatever. He was a gold mine that made me another $100 before I was done. A great night over all.
Keep off the rail.
I was pretty card dead for the first several levels last night, being up only 275 chips (out of a starting stack of 4000) at the first break. Sort of usual, other than last week when I cashed out 8th (of about 85 people). I made it to about level 6 before, while blinding out, pushed all in with pocket 10s and losing to AJ that hit his A on the turn. Oh well...off to the cash game.
I was the 9th person on the wait list for a $1/$2 hold'em game, so a new table opened up. Great!! Fish from the tournament! It actually proved to be a very active, very aggressive table. I played low and tight and tried to stay out of the fray. I bought in for $100, which, after seeing the table action was too little. I should have bought $200.
I played a couple of early pots, taking down a couple of little ones. Pre-flop raises to $12 and $15 were not unusual at this table. Very few flops were seen for $2. There were a lot of people straddling to $5. About 30 minutes into the game, I looked down at pocket kings under the gun. I raised to $15 hoping to pick up a call or two but no more than that. Aces seem to flop way too often on me with an otherwise big pair. The guy to my left raised to $30. Next guy folded. Next guy raised all in to $65. A couple folded and another guy pushed for $95 and he got a pretty quick call. So, the action was on me with three people in heavy and $85 to call. Lay down my kings was probably the best answer. I labored over the decision for several minutes. I KNOW my odds with kings against 4 players aren't good. I considered that the cards had been pretty slow for me all night, and that I might not be able to look for any help from the board. I couldn't lay down the kings and I pushed my $125 into the pot. The guy on my left, the original raiser, called and I missed that play. Now there are four of in this pot, three all in, and one guy in that I was unaware of (not that it mattered to my play...I was in the pot.) I picked up my cards loosely, without covering them well, thinking that no one in the hand could see them. The guy to my left said, "well, you have me beat." "Oh, man, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were in the hand or I wouldn't have handled my cards like that." He was cool about it, and so was everyone else that caught what was going on. I mean, the pot was what it was and two players were in an empty side pot.
The flop came 8-4-K. Ahhh...trip Kings. The guy on my left said "well, that should help you out." As it turned out, he had pocket 8s. I relaxed just a little, knowing that I still had a back-door flush draw to dodge after that flop. The turn was...a king! I stacked my cards neatly, lifted up my sunglasses, and stood up. I stood behind my chair and looked across the table at a friend of mine who was not in the hand. He mouthed to me "Do you have a king?" I smiled and held up, inconspicuously, two fingers. He stood up too. After the river, which was a blank, I flipped over my kings and spread them out. Everybody groaned. One guy was holding pocket 8s. One guy had pocket 4s. The kings gave both of them full houses. One guy had AQ suited. Not sure quite what he was doing in a five way $400 pot. But hey, the more the merrier! I tipped the dealer $15 and took the next two hands to stack my chips.
I stuck around the table, wanting to get up and leave with my booty. I've been here before, and turned around and lost the stack right back to an active table. Instead of loosening up, like I knew was what my tendency would be, I consciously tightened up. About half an hour after the big hand, I was about to get up and leave, when an older guy, well dressed, drunk, sat down with seven $100 chips that he had just won on a blackjack table. "How much can I buy in for?" he slurred. $300 was the table max. I decided to stay. He dumped off all of that $300 plus another $200 chasing bad hands. Super donkey, whale, fish, whatever. He was a gold mine that made me another $100 before I was done. A great night over all.
Keep off the rail.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Bitter Sweet
Tuesday night, I played in my usual Tuesday night home game. It was a small game this week, and pretty unremarkable. A guy we call "Snake Eyes", one of the better tournament players in the bunch, was leaving as I arrived (I was late). He had busted out twice and had had enough. There are a couple of good players in this bunch, and a couple of donks that like to dump off money chasing hands they catch way too often (lucky donks.) The lucky donks got me for $20. Oh well.
Wednesday night I went to Cherokee Casino for the Wednesday Freezeout tournament. The same one I wrote about last week. I don't usually get very deep in this tournament, not because I don't play well, but because I just don't seem to get good cards or have any luck at this casino. I think maybe the curse has been broken. Last week I got bounced from the tourney only to do well in a cash game. This week I got my first cash in the tourney.
At my first table, I sat across from Chuck. Chuck is a shark. Chuck is a very good player who is dangerous all the time. Before the cards were in the air, I told myself "No tangling with Chuck." I didn't mind getting heads up or in a big pot with any of the others at the table, although some of them were regulars, but I was staying away from Chuck.
I usually an card dead at this tournament for the first couple of rounds, which is fine. I play a very tight game in the early goings and loosen up a little as the blinds get up, turning it up a little more when there are antes (dead money) in the pot. First hand, I looked down at AJ suited. I hate playing the first hand. But what could I do. I was in the cut off seat, and raised to 5 times the big blind (which seems to be about what it takes to chase off the mediocre hands with the better players, and keep the fish in). I got a couple of calls. The board was ugly, ugly, ugly. Straight draw, flush draw (not my suit, spades) and a king and queen. I folded at the river to a big bet. Damn, down 450 chips right away.
Action was pretty good for most of the first 3 levels and I chipped up to about 8000 (we start at 4000) by the first break. The last hand before the break, I looked down at pocket 10s. I was in the big blind and raised to 5 times the blind. Chuck called. One other guy called. Everybody else folded. The flop came A-Q-A. Not a great flop for me. I led out with a half pot bet. Chuck called and the other guy folded. Shit...heads up with Chuck...just what I wanted to avoid. The turn was a rag and I bet again, about a third of the pot. "Call" said Chuck. The river was another rag. I didn't put Chuck on an Ace, and I really didn't think he was playing a Queen. Other than that, I was having trouble reading him (he's tough.) I checked the river, not sure why, maybe because I thought I was pissing away chips to a better hand. Chuck bet 2000, overbetting the pot by about 1000. Damn. I went into the tank. I picked up my cards, looked at them, started to much them. Put them down. Looked at my stack, although I knew about what I had. Counted out the necessary 2000. Put them down. Picked up my cards. I was lost for an answer. Everybody else had gone on break, and it was just Chuck and me. I finally said "Oh hell. I call." Chuck said "good call" and mucked. The dealer made me show him the winner (not sure why). Chuck was a little taken aback. I said "I hope that's the worst call I make all night." Chuck's response was "it was a pretty nutzy call...but it worked." At the break, Chuck walked up, patted me on the shoulder and asked, "Ok, so you made that call after nearly mucking your cards twice. What made the decision for you? What was the difference between calling and folding?" I said "I had seen you, at least twice, bet the river and muck when you got called. They were smaller pots, but that stuck in my mind." I was just wondering if there was a tell, something I did that gave me away?" "No, other than your previous play, you were pretty stone faced and solid." So, a good player asked me for some advice to better his game. Nice. I probably shouldn't have helped him, because that will inevitably come back to bite me, but it was an interesting experience.
Of the 10 people at the final table, I had played and knew from other places 4 of them. One of them had ridden up there with me, one had worked with me at the liquor store at which I work some, Snake Eyes was there, and there was me. Not a bad showing from the people I play home games with. I finished 8th, in the money. Snake eyes came in 6th, Boz and Brook were part of the final four chop and each got paid off well.
I left the tourney final table and, with Boz still playing, went to the cash table for "just a couple hands." This was about 10:45. At 1:00, they were going to move me another table and I just decided to call it quits. I had started with $100 and was up to $275. Not a bad night at all.
Best of luck!
Wednesday night I went to Cherokee Casino for the Wednesday Freezeout tournament. The same one I wrote about last week. I don't usually get very deep in this tournament, not because I don't play well, but because I just don't seem to get good cards or have any luck at this casino. I think maybe the curse has been broken. Last week I got bounced from the tourney only to do well in a cash game. This week I got my first cash in the tourney.
At my first table, I sat across from Chuck. Chuck is a shark. Chuck is a very good player who is dangerous all the time. Before the cards were in the air, I told myself "No tangling with Chuck." I didn't mind getting heads up or in a big pot with any of the others at the table, although some of them were regulars, but I was staying away from Chuck.
I usually an card dead at this tournament for the first couple of rounds, which is fine. I play a very tight game in the early goings and loosen up a little as the blinds get up, turning it up a little more when there are antes (dead money) in the pot. First hand, I looked down at AJ suited. I hate playing the first hand. But what could I do. I was in the cut off seat, and raised to 5 times the big blind (which seems to be about what it takes to chase off the mediocre hands with the better players, and keep the fish in). I got a couple of calls. The board was ugly, ugly, ugly. Straight draw, flush draw (not my suit, spades) and a king and queen. I folded at the river to a big bet. Damn, down 450 chips right away.
Action was pretty good for most of the first 3 levels and I chipped up to about 8000 (we start at 4000) by the first break. The last hand before the break, I looked down at pocket 10s. I was in the big blind and raised to 5 times the blind. Chuck called. One other guy called. Everybody else folded. The flop came A-Q-A. Not a great flop for me. I led out with a half pot bet. Chuck called and the other guy folded. Shit...heads up with Chuck...just what I wanted to avoid. The turn was a rag and I bet again, about a third of the pot. "Call" said Chuck. The river was another rag. I didn't put Chuck on an Ace, and I really didn't think he was playing a Queen. Other than that, I was having trouble reading him (he's tough.) I checked the river, not sure why, maybe because I thought I was pissing away chips to a better hand. Chuck bet 2000, overbetting the pot by about 1000. Damn. I went into the tank. I picked up my cards, looked at them, started to much them. Put them down. Looked at my stack, although I knew about what I had. Counted out the necessary 2000. Put them down. Picked up my cards. I was lost for an answer. Everybody else had gone on break, and it was just Chuck and me. I finally said "Oh hell. I call." Chuck said "good call" and mucked. The dealer made me show him the winner (not sure why). Chuck was a little taken aback. I said "I hope that's the worst call I make all night." Chuck's response was "it was a pretty nutzy call...but it worked." At the break, Chuck walked up, patted me on the shoulder and asked, "Ok, so you made that call after nearly mucking your cards twice. What made the decision for you? What was the difference between calling and folding?" I said "I had seen you, at least twice, bet the river and muck when you got called. They were smaller pots, but that stuck in my mind." I was just wondering if there was a tell, something I did that gave me away?" "No, other than your previous play, you were pretty stone faced and solid." So, a good player asked me for some advice to better his game. Nice. I probably shouldn't have helped him, because that will inevitably come back to bite me, but it was an interesting experience.
Of the 10 people at the final table, I had played and knew from other places 4 of them. One of them had ridden up there with me, one had worked with me at the liquor store at which I work some, Snake Eyes was there, and there was me. Not a bad showing from the people I play home games with. I finished 8th, in the money. Snake eyes came in 6th, Boz and Brook were part of the final four chop and each got paid off well.
I left the tourney final table and, with Boz still playing, went to the cash table for "just a couple hands." This was about 10:45. At 1:00, they were going to move me another table and I just decided to call it quits. I had started with $100 and was up to $275. Not a bad night at all.
Best of luck!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
A day without poker is like a day...
without poker. Or, like a day canoeing in the beautiful Buffalo River canyons of Arkansas. Yeah, this will be a short post, and one not about poker, necessarily. But I did have a chance to do some reflecting about poker while enjoying nature.
It's summer in Arkansas. That means 95+ degree heat and 75% humidity. In short, it's hot and miserable. So, the family and I took a day to go canoeing. It was close to 100 degrees, but being on the water helps a lot.
Thursday, I had one of those moments when I said "Fuck it, I'm done with poker, I hate this game..." TILT TILT TILT!!! I had missed every flop, come in second several times in a row, and had donked off quite a bit of my bankroll during the day and evening online, and I was pissed. Not all of it was bad luck. Some of it was me chasing those dollars I had lost. K7 off suit in position...I'll play it. UGH!
Friday we canoed. During the day, as we paddled along a beautiful river (if you've never floated the Buffalo, do it. It's gorgeous and a very inexpensive was to spend a day), I realized that I didn't hate the game. What I hated was losing. Losing at anything. I'm not a good loser, and, like everyone, you don't like what you aren't good at. Nobody likes to lose at poker or anything. But some people are better at it than others. Some people are just better losers than others.
Anyway...As we canoed, I got a new perspective on poker and life. Sometimes, you're just going to lose. Those that can take the loss, turn it into a learning lesson and not lose for the same reason again are ultimately likely to be winners. The ones that lose and blame something or someone else...they'll just be losers.
Best of luck.
It's summer in Arkansas. That means 95+ degree heat and 75% humidity. In short, it's hot and miserable. So, the family and I took a day to go canoeing. It was close to 100 degrees, but being on the water helps a lot.
Thursday, I had one of those moments when I said "Fuck it, I'm done with poker, I hate this game..." TILT TILT TILT!!! I had missed every flop, come in second several times in a row, and had donked off quite a bit of my bankroll during the day and evening online, and I was pissed. Not all of it was bad luck. Some of it was me chasing those dollars I had lost. K7 off suit in position...I'll play it. UGH!
Friday we canoed. During the day, as we paddled along a beautiful river (if you've never floated the Buffalo, do it. It's gorgeous and a very inexpensive was to spend a day), I realized that I didn't hate the game. What I hated was losing. Losing at anything. I'm not a good loser, and, like everyone, you don't like what you aren't good at. Nobody likes to lose at poker or anything. But some people are better at it than others. Some people are just better losers than others.
Anyway...As we canoed, I got a new perspective on poker and life. Sometimes, you're just going to lose. Those that can take the loss, turn it into a learning lesson and not lose for the same reason again are ultimately likely to be winners. The ones that lose and blame something or someone else...they'll just be losers.
Best of luck.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Good Table, Good Times
I get to play live poker a couple times a week, usually at home games. Sometimes, however, I venture out to a casino that is about 40 minutes from my house in the Cherokee Nation. The poker action there is a little spotty. Sometimes you sit down to a table of people that all know each other, and you feel like a complete outsider. Those games aren't a lot of fun.
Last night, I treated myself to some casino action. Wednesday nights, the casino hosts a $50 buy-in freezeout tournament. The last time I went, 80 or 90 people showed up and the prize pool was decent. This time...things had changed. The "poker room" used to be a corner of the casino floor, roped off with velvet ropes. There were even a couple of tables placed between some slot machines. In all, there were about 20 tables. Now, the poker room was moved into an actual room that was not there last time I was there. There were still about 20 tables. Unfortunately, about half of those tables weren't yet certified for use by the Cherokee Nation Gaming Commission. Therefore, they had limited the tourney field to 45 people. We got there in plenty of time. I was the last alternate for the tournament, #10. My buddy didn't get in at all. So, I got on the list for a cash game and took a seat to watch the College World Series game three. Not too long after, the casino decided to open another table for the tournament, so alternates 3 through 13 (I don't know how they got 13 alternates if I was the last one at #10) got to play. We started at the second level, but the blinds were still 25/50 out of a 4000 chip stack...not too bad. Of course, 5 minutes after I sat down at the tourney table, I got called for the cash game, which I passed on.
I was CARD DEAD for the first hour of the tournament. I mean not a hand at all. At the first break, I hadn't won a hand, don't think I had seen a flop, and still had 3800 in my stack. UGH! After the break, first hand, I caught pocket ladies and won some chips. Things got a little more lively after that, I won some pots, lost a couple hands, and so on. The blinds were getting up and my stack wasn't growing, so I was happy when my pocket 5s in the big blind became a set of 5s. I was wearing my sunglasses mostly just messing around, but I wear them sometimes just to f*** with people...I'm 6'2", and about 250 lbs with a shaved head. Put some sunglasses and a poker face on and I'm a bit intimidating. Anyway...the sunglasses...caused me to see the flop as a 5 and a spade and a club. I checked my set and the guy behind me (the only other person in the hand) bet out. I called. Then I realized that that club on the board was actually a spade. Two spades...flush draw...shit. The turn was another spade. The pot was good, having some big blinds and antes in there, so I pushed all in. He either had the flush or he didn't. He did. Out I went in 19th place. How about that cash game? A seat had just opened on one of the $1/$2 NLHE tables.
Which brings me to the title of this post. Some tables are bad: cold, aggressive, unfriendly, pushy, etc. Some are fun: people looking to play some good poker and have a good time. This one was a fun table. The buddy that I had gone with, Allen, was there, and was up about $100. Another guy with whom we used to work, Brook, was there too. He had professed, for as long as I knew him, to be a player. Now we would see. I bought in for $100 and sat down.
It was a very fun table. Allen and Brook were leading the way, needling each other and trying to get heads up. There were some big stacks and some small ones. There were some people that looked like they were scared (I like those people) and some for whom this certainly was not their first rodeo (I avoid those people.) And then there were a couple of real fish. As I walked up to sit down, Allen said, in a near yelling voice (he had had a couple drinks) "Uh-oh...Uh-oh! Watch your chips...Shark in the water!" I was a little embarrassed, but played it off as Allen making fun of me for being a bad player. I put my rather short stack on the table and put my sunglasses on top of my head.
The cards were in the air. A couple of fish busted out quickly, but there was a good supply of poor players coming from the tournament. Brook busted twice, to neither Allen nor me, but he kept going to his pocket like a trooper (donk!) The action was good, pretty lively, several people seeing most flops (which I know can be good or bad, but here it was the desired outcome.) There were pre-flop raises on most hands, but the numbers stayed within reason (ever played in those games where the $1/$2 was more like a $5/$10?) Allen was 2 hours into this game and up $100. I won a couple of small pots early and was up $60 or $70 pretty quickly. After about an hour and half, I got a text from my wife. Her best friend's husband had had colon surgery that day, and Jill wasn't holding up too well at the hospital. Melissa, my wife, wanted to know when I would be home so she could go to the hospital. Crap...my good game was getting cut short. I told her I would be home in about an hour and a half.
The game went on, with people cycling in and out and things going well. Everyone was having a good time and playing with lots of chips. About the time I got the text, I was on the button and the action folded around to me. I'm not much of a bluffer. I'll semi-bluff my good starting hands that go bad, but I don't usually (ever) just out-right bluff. I looked down at 7 5 off suit. I put on my sunglasses and bet three times the big blind, just for kicks. Both blinds called me. Shit. The flop came K K 10 rainbow. The small blind checked quickly. The big blind bet $6. I raised to $18 and looked at the big blind. He looked back at me. I smiled at him and I could tell that it blew his mind. He looked at Allen and Allen gave him a quick "Hey...don't look at me...I don't know where he's at" look. Big Blind looked at me again. Then he called. Shit Shit. Two bullets fired and I hadn't shaken him. The turn was a blank (hell, everything was a blank to me.) Big Blind checked. I bet $30. Big blind went into the tank. He was talking to himself, looking at his cards, checking his stack. Counting out chips. Looking at his cards and checking the board. Counting out MORE chips. And then he said "Ah hell. I have no idea what to put you on. I fold" and he mucked his cards. I looked at Allen and we both started laughing. I flipped up my 7 5 and apologized to the guy. He kicked himself but took it well and we all had a good laugh.
Not two hands later, Allen got up and went to the bathroom. I was on a stack of about $220 when he left. I looked down at pocket 8s in middle position. Usually, in middle position with a middle pair, I'll either fold or play them hard. I don't limp in much. I chose to play them hard, betting 4 times the big (my default bet from mid position is 3x.) The guy next to me, who seemed to be a solid player, called. The flop contained my third 8 and a jack (I don't recall the third card). I ckecked my set (having not learned my lesson from earlier.) He bet $15. I called. The turn was a jack. I checked my full house to my opponent. He bet $40. I hesitated, looked at the board, looked at my opponent (I later found out his name was Tim), and pushed all in. About this time, Allen came back from the bathroom, just in time to hear me announce my all in. "Whoa, Whoa! What did I miss?!? I laughed and said "just me donking off my whole stack."
I had trouble with this all in decision. Should I call his bet, confident that I had the best hand, and continue to let him bet? Raise and coax him into a push? Did he HAVE pocket jacks? I put him on jack-x, but I was having trouble with the "x". I was pretty sure that he wasn't on pocket jacks or he would have re-raised pre-flop (that was my read anyway.) He called my all in pretty quickly. Being a cash game, we weren't required to flip up our cards (and I have no idea why that is), but I tossed my pocket 8s onto the table. Tim said "Ugh. Good hand." And showed me his AJ. Avoiding trouble on the river, I took down a big pot. Isn't it amazing how much more fun it is to win than not? Great table, good return on investment, an overall great time.
Get out there and play some live poker! Good luck!
Last night, I treated myself to some casino action. Wednesday nights, the casino hosts a $50 buy-in freezeout tournament. The last time I went, 80 or 90 people showed up and the prize pool was decent. This time...things had changed. The "poker room" used to be a corner of the casino floor, roped off with velvet ropes. There were even a couple of tables placed between some slot machines. In all, there were about 20 tables. Now, the poker room was moved into an actual room that was not there last time I was there. There were still about 20 tables. Unfortunately, about half of those tables weren't yet certified for use by the Cherokee Nation Gaming Commission. Therefore, they had limited the tourney field to 45 people. We got there in plenty of time. I was the last alternate for the tournament, #10. My buddy didn't get in at all. So, I got on the list for a cash game and took a seat to watch the College World Series game three. Not too long after, the casino decided to open another table for the tournament, so alternates 3 through 13 (I don't know how they got 13 alternates if I was the last one at #10) got to play. We started at the second level, but the blinds were still 25/50 out of a 4000 chip stack...not too bad. Of course, 5 minutes after I sat down at the tourney table, I got called for the cash game, which I passed on.
I was CARD DEAD for the first hour of the tournament. I mean not a hand at all. At the first break, I hadn't won a hand, don't think I had seen a flop, and still had 3800 in my stack. UGH! After the break, first hand, I caught pocket ladies and won some chips. Things got a little more lively after that, I won some pots, lost a couple hands, and so on. The blinds were getting up and my stack wasn't growing, so I was happy when my pocket 5s in the big blind became a set of 5s. I was wearing my sunglasses mostly just messing around, but I wear them sometimes just to f*** with people...I'm 6'2", and about 250 lbs with a shaved head. Put some sunglasses and a poker face on and I'm a bit intimidating. Anyway...the sunglasses...caused me to see the flop as a 5 and a spade and a club. I checked my set and the guy behind me (the only other person in the hand) bet out. I called. Then I realized that that club on the board was actually a spade. Two spades...flush draw...shit. The turn was another spade. The pot was good, having some big blinds and antes in there, so I pushed all in. He either had the flush or he didn't. He did. Out I went in 19th place. How about that cash game? A seat had just opened on one of the $1/$2 NLHE tables.
Which brings me to the title of this post. Some tables are bad: cold, aggressive, unfriendly, pushy, etc. Some are fun: people looking to play some good poker and have a good time. This one was a fun table. The buddy that I had gone with, Allen, was there, and was up about $100. Another guy with whom we used to work, Brook, was there too. He had professed, for as long as I knew him, to be a player. Now we would see. I bought in for $100 and sat down.
It was a very fun table. Allen and Brook were leading the way, needling each other and trying to get heads up. There were some big stacks and some small ones. There were some people that looked like they were scared (I like those people) and some for whom this certainly was not their first rodeo (I avoid those people.) And then there were a couple of real fish. As I walked up to sit down, Allen said, in a near yelling voice (he had had a couple drinks) "Uh-oh...Uh-oh! Watch your chips...Shark in the water!" I was a little embarrassed, but played it off as Allen making fun of me for being a bad player. I put my rather short stack on the table and put my sunglasses on top of my head.
The cards were in the air. A couple of fish busted out quickly, but there was a good supply of poor players coming from the tournament. Brook busted twice, to neither Allen nor me, but he kept going to his pocket like a trooper (donk!) The action was good, pretty lively, several people seeing most flops (which I know can be good or bad, but here it was the desired outcome.) There were pre-flop raises on most hands, but the numbers stayed within reason (ever played in those games where the $1/$2 was more like a $5/$10?) Allen was 2 hours into this game and up $100. I won a couple of small pots early and was up $60 or $70 pretty quickly. After about an hour and half, I got a text from my wife. Her best friend's husband had had colon surgery that day, and Jill wasn't holding up too well at the hospital. Melissa, my wife, wanted to know when I would be home so she could go to the hospital. Crap...my good game was getting cut short. I told her I would be home in about an hour and a half.
The game went on, with people cycling in and out and things going well. Everyone was having a good time and playing with lots of chips. About the time I got the text, I was on the button and the action folded around to me. I'm not much of a bluffer. I'll semi-bluff my good starting hands that go bad, but I don't usually (ever) just out-right bluff. I looked down at 7 5 off suit. I put on my sunglasses and bet three times the big blind, just for kicks. Both blinds called me. Shit. The flop came K K 10 rainbow. The small blind checked quickly. The big blind bet $6. I raised to $18 and looked at the big blind. He looked back at me. I smiled at him and I could tell that it blew his mind. He looked at Allen and Allen gave him a quick "Hey...don't look at me...I don't know where he's at" look. Big Blind looked at me again. Then he called. Shit Shit. Two bullets fired and I hadn't shaken him. The turn was a blank (hell, everything was a blank to me.) Big Blind checked. I bet $30. Big blind went into the tank. He was talking to himself, looking at his cards, checking his stack. Counting out chips. Looking at his cards and checking the board. Counting out MORE chips. And then he said "Ah hell. I have no idea what to put you on. I fold" and he mucked his cards. I looked at Allen and we both started laughing. I flipped up my 7 5 and apologized to the guy. He kicked himself but took it well and we all had a good laugh.
Not two hands later, Allen got up and went to the bathroom. I was on a stack of about $220 when he left. I looked down at pocket 8s in middle position. Usually, in middle position with a middle pair, I'll either fold or play them hard. I don't limp in much. I chose to play them hard, betting 4 times the big (my default bet from mid position is 3x.) The guy next to me, who seemed to be a solid player, called. The flop contained my third 8 and a jack (I don't recall the third card). I ckecked my set (having not learned my lesson from earlier.) He bet $15. I called. The turn was a jack. I checked my full house to my opponent. He bet $40. I hesitated, looked at the board, looked at my opponent (I later found out his name was Tim), and pushed all in. About this time, Allen came back from the bathroom, just in time to hear me announce my all in. "Whoa, Whoa! What did I miss?!? I laughed and said "just me donking off my whole stack."
I had trouble with this all in decision. Should I call his bet, confident that I had the best hand, and continue to let him bet? Raise and coax him into a push? Did he HAVE pocket jacks? I put him on jack-x, but I was having trouble with the "x". I was pretty sure that he wasn't on pocket jacks or he would have re-raised pre-flop (that was my read anyway.) He called my all in pretty quickly. Being a cash game, we weren't required to flip up our cards (and I have no idea why that is), but I tossed my pocket 8s onto the table. Tim said "Ugh. Good hand." And showed me his AJ. Avoiding trouble on the river, I took down a big pot. Isn't it amazing how much more fun it is to win than not? Great table, good return on investment, an overall great time.
Get out there and play some live poker! Good luck!
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