I was not involved in this hand, but I couldn't believe it when it was over and the cards were turned up.
FullTiltPoker Game #9033243967: Table Highland (6 max) - $0.50/$1 - No Limit Hold'em - 23:39:20 ET - 2008/11/17
Seat 1: KORsung ($101.05)
Seat 2: Poker_Bully1 ($96.70)
Seat 3: CaseAce84 ($99.05)
Seat 4: MTY-BEAT ($118.55)
Seat 5: Ship it Strange ($105.60)
Seat 6: Fighting Tilt ($124.40)
Fighting Tilt posts the small blind of $0.50
KORsung posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***Dealt to Poker_Bully1 [Tc 5c]
Poker_Bully1 folds
CaseAce84 folds
MTY-BEAT raises to $2
Ship it Strange folds
Fighting Tilt folds
KORsung calls $1
*** FLOP *** [3h 4d Jd]
KORsung checks
MTY-BEAT bets $1
KORsung raises to $10
MTY-BEAT calls $9
*** TURN *** [3h 4d Jd] [Kc]
KORsung bets $24.50
MTY-BEAT calls $24.50
*** RIVER *** [3h 4d Jd Kc] [6s]
KORsung bets $64.55, and is all in
MTY-BEAT calls $64.55
*** SHOW DOWN ***
KORsung shows [3d 4c] two pair, Fours and Threes
MTY-BEAT mucks
KORsung wins the pot ($199.60) with two pair, Fours and Threes
*** SUMMARY ***Total pot $202.60 Rake $3
Board: [3h 4d Jd Kc 6s]
Seat 1: KORsung (big blind) showed [3d 4c] and won ($199.60) with two pair, Fours and Seat 4: MTY-BEAT mucked [2d 9d]
MTY-BEAT bet, called the raise on the flop with the flush draw, check called the turn, and then called the river with 9 high!
Now I thought that maybe they were colluding so I looked up where they say they are from. KORsung is from South Korea and MTY-BEAT is from Mexico. I don't think they are close friends since they are half way around the world from each other.
I did manage to take the rest of MTY-BEAT's money when he went all in with middle pair and I called with top pair, top kicker.
Should I send this hand history to Full Tilt security? Any thoughts from my readers?
Monday, November 17, 2008
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Internet Blackout and Sunday Tournaments
As I write this, they are playing the final table of the WSOP Main Event. I am going to do my best to avoid finding out who won and watch it "live" on Tuesday night. Of course this will require me to avoid surfing poker blogs and watching ESPN in case they show the winner on the crawl below the main screen. I don't know, but I'm thinking it might be kind of tough.
Today was the monthly rakeback freeroll with a $20,000 prize pool. In two previous attempts at this tournament, I may have played a combined 20 hands. They were quick and inglorious exits. Especially embarrasing after clearing the afternoon with my wife, and coming out of the "man cave" fifteen minutes later saying, "I'm done".
So in my tradition of over analysis I thought I would review all the hands I played:
1500 in starting chips. 563 players and they were paying 89 players.
Starting blinds were 15-30.
1. Ad6d utg. I raised since it was the second hand of the tournament and I figured half the table probably was not at their computer yet. Instead I get called in 3 other spots. The flop is 8-7-4 with one diamond.
The blind checks and I check. The player behind bets 250 and the button calls 250. The blind folds and I decide that it's too much to draw to my inside straight. Of course there is a 5 on the river and I would have got there. Not a good start.
2. KsJc in the cutoff. 1335 in chips. I open raise to 100 and win the blinds.
3. Blinds are 20-40. 1335 in chips. I have KsKc in the cutoff. I open raise to 100 and win the blinds.
4. Blinds are 25-50. I have 1,255 in chips. AhQd in middle position. I open raise to 150 and win the blinds. By now I figured out three different players that registered and did not show up to play the tournament. They are getting blinded off. Thanks to poker tracker I can figure this out quicker than the guys without it. We'll see how long until they catch on.
5. Blinds are 30-60. I have 1,240 in chips. JhQd on the button. Folded to me, I raise to 180 and win the blinds.
6. 30-60 blinds and 1,330 in chips. The blinds are on two players who are absent. I am ready to raise with any two cards except I wake up with AhQd. I open raise to 180 and win the blinds. I am going to need some action eventually.
7. Very next hand I raise QJo and win the blinds again.
8. 30-60 blinds and 1,510 in chips. Tc9c in late position. I open raise to 180 and win the blinds.
9. I steal the absent guys blinds again with QhTh.
10. 1570 in chips. Blinds are 40-80. One of the absent guys is in the big blind. I open raise with JdTd to 240. The small blind who is playing and has a decent sized stack catches on to my game and reraises all in. I fold.
11. 1,250 in chips. Blinds are 40-80. I have K7o on the BB. The SB is one of the other absent players. By now it should be apparent to anyone who has been paying attention which players are not there. It's folded to the button with 1,930 in chips. He raises to 240. I reraise all in, figuring it's a straight steal. He folds and I finally win a pot with more than the blinds in it.
12. 1,570 in chips. Blinds are still 40-80. The blinds are on the two absent players again. Once again I wake up with a real hand, two jacks. I open raise to 240 and win the blinds. Sigh.
13. 1,570 in chips. I complete with T8o in the small blind. There is one late limper. I check fold the flop.
14. Blinds 50-100. I have 1,530 in chips and Ac9h in the cutoff. It's folded to me and I raise to 300. MaliceUW in the BB with 1,960 in chips makes the call. The flop is 5d-As-5c. MaliceUW checks and I check behind. I check because I am either way ahead or way behind. This way I can keep the pot smaller and possibly induce a bluff from a small pocket pair. The turn is the Td. MaliceUW checks again. I bet 300 and he calls. The river is the 8d completing a backdoor flush draw. He checks and I check behind. I win after MaliceUW rolls over QcTs. I guess I could have value bet the river there again, but I would have been totally committed to the hand and I was happy to get to showdown cheap.
15. Blinds 50-100. I have 2,180 in chips. One of the absent players finally showed up and busted the first hand he played. The other guy is still there and in the big blind. There is no small blind. It's folded to me and I raise with A8o and win the one blind.
16. Blinds 50-100. I have 2,280 in chips. On the button with JTo and it's folded to me. Instead of the obvious raise, I decide to limp in for 100. The small blind folds and the BB checks. The flop is 9-Q-9. It's checked to me and I bet 200 and win the pot.
17. I raise the absent guy's blind again and win without contest.
18. 2530 in chips. I have AQo utg. I raise to 350 and it's folded to the button who calls. The blinds fold and there is 850 in the pot. The flop is 9s-7c-8s. I swallow hard and make my continuation bet bluff of 450 and the button folds.
19. 2,880 in chips. Blinds are 50-100. I am in the small blind with AQo. The BB is short with only 220 in chips after posting the 100 blind. It's folded to the cutoff who open limps. He has 3,900 in chips. The button who is also short, folds and it's to me. I feel like I should isolate the short BB so I move all in. The BB folds and the limper folds and I win the pot.
20. 3,330 in chips. Blinds are still 50-100. I am on the button with Ac3c. It's folded to me. The small blind has only 170 left after the blinds. I am hoping if I limp, the big blind will come along and we can try to eliminate him. Instead the small blind folds and we see the flop heads up with the BB who has 4,125 in chips. The flop is As-4s-3s. I have top and bottom pair, but now I have to worry about the flush. Cha59 leads out for 150 into the 250 pot. I play small ball and just call. The turn is a 2h. Cha checks and I check behind. I know I am giving away a lot of draws here, but my hand is really nothing but a bluff catcher and why face calling a big raise? The river is a Jd. Cha checks again and put out a little bet of 200 that maybe a naked ace or smaller two pair might call. He folds and I win a small pot.
21. I have 3,630 in chips. Blinds are 60-120. I am in middle position with AdKs. It's folded to me and I open raise for 360. The big blind is absent and everyone else folds. I win the blinds again.
22. 3,810 in chips. Very next hand I pick up JcTc. It's folded to me again and this time I try limping. Everyone else folds to the BB who has 5,434 in chips. He checks. I flop top two pair and put out a small 120 bet and scare him off. I wonder how many chips I might have had if I had managed to get any action at all on these hands?
23. 3,810 in chips. I open raise AQo and win the blinds.
24. 3,990 in chips. I am finally moved to a new table. I assume the stacks with less than 500 are others that have not shown up for the tournament and are being blinded off. I see 3 such stacks. I have AhQs utg and the BB is one of the short stacks. I decide to min raise to 240. It's folded to the cutoff who reraises all in for 2,686. I decide to be patient and not take the possible coin flip and fold. I believe I was distracted on this hand by my son. If I look at the odds, I would have to call 2,246 to win 3,100. I am only crushed by AA, KK, QQ, and AK. I am not exactly crushed by QQ but it's not good. There may be an argument for calling, except I know nothing about this player and I don't know if only raises with good hands or sees my small raise as a steal?????
25. Blinds are 80-160. I pick up pocket 9's and raise to 400 and win the blinds.
26. 3,950 in chips. Very next hand I pick up AdQs. I open raise to 400 and sun4ever in the small blind calls with 2,866 behind. He is the one who reraised me in hand 24. The flop is 6c-Th-Qc. Sun4ever checks and I bet 500. He folds.
27. Blinds are up to 100-200. I pick up 8d9d in middle position. I raise to 600 and everyone folds.
28. 4,270 in chips. Blinds 100-200. I have JdJs utg. I min raise to 400 and everyone folds except PKRPORO in the BB who calls the 200. The flop is Th-Qh-Ad. Yuck! He checks and I check behind. The turn is the 4c. He checks again. I think about betting. Nope I want a cheap showdown and the free chance at my straight draw, so I check again. The river is the 3s and PKRPORO leads out for 600. I figure I have to call and he shows me AQ for two pair. I was behind the whole way and got away pretty cheap. One of the very few hands I have played that made it to the river and I lost.
29. 3,070 in chips. I have 8s7d in the small blind. Everyone folds to me and I complete. The BB checks. I whiff the flop and it goes check-check. The turn is another blank and I bluff 200. It works and he folds.
30. The very next hand I have A4s on the button. It's folded to me, I raise and win the blinds.
31. The very next hand I pick up AQs in the cutoff. I open raise and win the blinds again. 3,870 in chips now.
32. Blinds are 120-240 with 25 ante. I have 3,820 in chips and AdQc in early position. I raise to 720 and win the blinds and antes.
33. I open raise KQo in the cutoff and get reraised all in by the big blind and fold.
34. 3125 in chips and I pick up Jacks in middle position. I open raise to 720. It's folded to sun4ever on the button and he reraises to 2,665 total. It's folded back to me. I thought that was the rest of my chips so I just called. It turns out I still had 485 left. The flop was kind of ugly as it was Qs-5d-Ks. I figure I meant to go all in anyway so I put in my last 485 in chips and get called. He shows 99. Sweet! The turn is 5 and the river is another Queen and I double up!
35. 5,675 in chips. Blinds are 150-300 with 25 ante. I have AdKc on the button. Tony63 open raises all in for 2,972. I reraise all in to isolate. He turns over Qd7d. The flop is Js-Ks-9s. Neither one of us has spades, but now I have to fade a Ten instead of his pair cards. The turn is a King and the river is a 2 and I win another race.
36. 9,197 in chips. I pick up Kings utg+1. I raise to 750 and get reraised all to 1,899. I call and he shows pocket 7's. I win again!
37. Blinds are 250-500 with 50 ante. I have 9,046 in chips and AJo on the button. I open raise and win the blinds.
38. 10,046 in chips. Blinds 250-500 with 50 ante. I have QdTd in middle position. I open raise to 1,250. I am called by the cutoff and the small blind. I finally get action when I have a crappy hand. The flop is 3-8-7 rainbow. In spite of the innocuous flop, I am not interested in c-betting with two other players in the pot. It's checked around. The turn is a Jack and the small blind bets 2,900 into a 4,650 pot. I fold and the cutoff folds.
39. 7,496 in chips. I have AhQh in the cutoff. Blinds are 300-600 with 75 ante. Mary Van King with 21,000 in chips opens for 1,689 in early position. It's folded to me and I just call. The flop is 2c-4c-2h. Mary leads into me for 1925 into a 4,953 pot. I fold.
I guess the play was to reraise all in or fold. There is no reason to call off over 20% of my stack. I think I was confused because Mary had enough chips to call my raise and not be too concerned. Plus I think we were getting close to the money bubble.
40. 5,582 in chips. Blinds are 300-600 with 75 ante. I pick up pocket tens in middle position and raise all in. Everyone folds and I add 1400 to my stack.
41. Blinds up to 400-800. I have been blinded down to 3,457 in chips. I have pocket 7's in the small blind. LE2Jog with 13k in chips raises to 2,300 in middle position. We are already in the money and I am ready to take a race. I reraise all in. LE2Jog is priced in to call with any two, but he rolls over 99. I don't hit the miracle and I am out in 59th place. I win $70 and I am happy to finally cash in the big free roll.
The overall summary is that there were 243 hands and I played 17% raising 14% and my total aggression factor was 4.3. I really could have used a little action on my hands. In 20 of the 41 hands I played, my raise went uncalled and I just won the blinds. I played a couple of hands badly, but overall I am happy.
While the Free Roll was going on, I decided to open another tournament just to keep me from getting bored. I found a $26 satellite into the FTOPS 9 for $322. They were guaranteeing 20 seats and 15 minutes before the start time there was going to be an overlay. Suddenly a rush of registrations hit and they had enough players to guarantee 27 spots and 28th would get $60. There were 365 players.
I did some quick math and figured out that the average chip stack when the tournament would end was $19,500.
I wish I had the hand histories of the other tables. When it got down to the last 34 players, I opened up the other tables to see where I stood. I never had more than 11,000 in chips and I was getting short towards the end. I kept looking for a spot to move in, but either my cards were horrible or some other short stack had already moved all in in front of me. Plus the player directly to my left had over 30,000 in chips and had shown a propensity for calling light.
Here were my hands towards the end:
This is starting with 7,580 in chips and the blinds were 800-1600 with 200 antes.
A4s on button, raise in front of me
42o
43s
T7o
Q7o
T7o
T5o
Q6s
62s By this time I was so low, that I was guaranteed to be called.
Q7s I only need one more player to bust.
T5s
62o
J4o
T6o
J4s I am all in due to the big blind. Two players call and the small blind calls all in, but he has more chips than I do, so if we both lose, he still finishes ahead of me.
The flop is 4c-Js-Ts. I'm pretty sure I'm ahead. The King comes on the turn. That makes me squirm. The river is a 5. The players turn over A9o, QTs, and Q3s. I quadruple up! The bad news was the other all in had the ten, so he was not eliminated either.
In the mean time I see a couple of other all ins suck out to stay alive on the other tables. Finally 4 hands later, the bubble finally bursts and I win the satellite! Ship the $322
So my final take for the weekend was $366. That was definitely a nice comeback from the beating I have been taking at the cash tables.
Today was the monthly rakeback freeroll with a $20,000 prize pool. In two previous attempts at this tournament, I may have played a combined 20 hands. They were quick and inglorious exits. Especially embarrasing after clearing the afternoon with my wife, and coming out of the "man cave" fifteen minutes later saying, "I'm done".
So in my tradition of over analysis I thought I would review all the hands I played:
1500 in starting chips. 563 players and they were paying 89 players.
Starting blinds were 15-30.
1. Ad6d utg. I raised since it was the second hand of the tournament and I figured half the table probably was not at their computer yet. Instead I get called in 3 other spots. The flop is 8-7-4 with one diamond.
The blind checks and I check. The player behind bets 250 and the button calls 250. The blind folds and I decide that it's too much to draw to my inside straight. Of course there is a 5 on the river and I would have got there. Not a good start.
2. KsJc in the cutoff. 1335 in chips. I open raise to 100 and win the blinds.
3. Blinds are 20-40. 1335 in chips. I have KsKc in the cutoff. I open raise to 100 and win the blinds.
4. Blinds are 25-50. I have 1,255 in chips. AhQd in middle position. I open raise to 150 and win the blinds. By now I figured out three different players that registered and did not show up to play the tournament. They are getting blinded off. Thanks to poker tracker I can figure this out quicker than the guys without it. We'll see how long until they catch on.
5. Blinds are 30-60. I have 1,240 in chips. JhQd on the button. Folded to me, I raise to 180 and win the blinds.
6. 30-60 blinds and 1,330 in chips. The blinds are on two players who are absent. I am ready to raise with any two cards except I wake up with AhQd. I open raise to 180 and win the blinds. I am going to need some action eventually.
7. Very next hand I raise QJo and win the blinds again.
8. 30-60 blinds and 1,510 in chips. Tc9c in late position. I open raise to 180 and win the blinds.
9. I steal the absent guys blinds again with QhTh.
10. 1570 in chips. Blinds are 40-80. One of the absent guys is in the big blind. I open raise with JdTd to 240. The small blind who is playing and has a decent sized stack catches on to my game and reraises all in. I fold.
11. 1,250 in chips. Blinds are 40-80. I have K7o on the BB. The SB is one of the other absent players. By now it should be apparent to anyone who has been paying attention which players are not there. It's folded to the button with 1,930 in chips. He raises to 240. I reraise all in, figuring it's a straight steal. He folds and I finally win a pot with more than the blinds in it.
12. 1,570 in chips. Blinds are still 40-80. The blinds are on the two absent players again. Once again I wake up with a real hand, two jacks. I open raise to 240 and win the blinds. Sigh.
13. 1,570 in chips. I complete with T8o in the small blind. There is one late limper. I check fold the flop.
14. Blinds 50-100. I have 1,530 in chips and Ac9h in the cutoff. It's folded to me and I raise to 300. MaliceUW in the BB with 1,960 in chips makes the call. The flop is 5d-As-5c. MaliceUW checks and I check behind. I check because I am either way ahead or way behind. This way I can keep the pot smaller and possibly induce a bluff from a small pocket pair. The turn is the Td. MaliceUW checks again. I bet 300 and he calls. The river is the 8d completing a backdoor flush draw. He checks and I check behind. I win after MaliceUW rolls over QcTs. I guess I could have value bet the river there again, but I would have been totally committed to the hand and I was happy to get to showdown cheap.
15. Blinds 50-100. I have 2,180 in chips. One of the absent players finally showed up and busted the first hand he played. The other guy is still there and in the big blind. There is no small blind. It's folded to me and I raise with A8o and win the one blind.
16. Blinds 50-100. I have 2,280 in chips. On the button with JTo and it's folded to me. Instead of the obvious raise, I decide to limp in for 100. The small blind folds and the BB checks. The flop is 9-Q-9. It's checked to me and I bet 200 and win the pot.
17. I raise the absent guy's blind again and win without contest.
18. 2530 in chips. I have AQo utg. I raise to 350 and it's folded to the button who calls. The blinds fold and there is 850 in the pot. The flop is 9s-7c-8s. I swallow hard and make my continuation bet bluff of 450 and the button folds.
19. 2,880 in chips. Blinds are 50-100. I am in the small blind with AQo. The BB is short with only 220 in chips after posting the 100 blind. It's folded to the cutoff who open limps. He has 3,900 in chips. The button who is also short, folds and it's to me. I feel like I should isolate the short BB so I move all in. The BB folds and the limper folds and I win the pot.
20. 3,330 in chips. Blinds are still 50-100. I am on the button with Ac3c. It's folded to me. The small blind has only 170 left after the blinds. I am hoping if I limp, the big blind will come along and we can try to eliminate him. Instead the small blind folds and we see the flop heads up with the BB who has 4,125 in chips. The flop is As-4s-3s. I have top and bottom pair, but now I have to worry about the flush. Cha59 leads out for 150 into the 250 pot. I play small ball and just call. The turn is a 2h. Cha checks and I check behind. I know I am giving away a lot of draws here, but my hand is really nothing but a bluff catcher and why face calling a big raise? The river is a Jd. Cha checks again and put out a little bet of 200 that maybe a naked ace or smaller two pair might call. He folds and I win a small pot.
21. I have 3,630 in chips. Blinds are 60-120. I am in middle position with AdKs. It's folded to me and I open raise for 360. The big blind is absent and everyone else folds. I win the blinds again.
22. 3,810 in chips. Very next hand I pick up JcTc. It's folded to me again and this time I try limping. Everyone else folds to the BB who has 5,434 in chips. He checks. I flop top two pair and put out a small 120 bet and scare him off. I wonder how many chips I might have had if I had managed to get any action at all on these hands?
23. 3,810 in chips. I open raise AQo and win the blinds.
24. 3,990 in chips. I am finally moved to a new table. I assume the stacks with less than 500 are others that have not shown up for the tournament and are being blinded off. I see 3 such stacks. I have AhQs utg and the BB is one of the short stacks. I decide to min raise to 240. It's folded to the cutoff who reraises all in for 2,686. I decide to be patient and not take the possible coin flip and fold. I believe I was distracted on this hand by my son. If I look at the odds, I would have to call 2,246 to win 3,100. I am only crushed by AA, KK, QQ, and AK. I am not exactly crushed by QQ but it's not good. There may be an argument for calling, except I know nothing about this player and I don't know if only raises with good hands or sees my small raise as a steal?????
25. Blinds are 80-160. I pick up pocket 9's and raise to 400 and win the blinds.
26. 3,950 in chips. Very next hand I pick up AdQs. I open raise to 400 and sun4ever in the small blind calls with 2,866 behind. He is the one who reraised me in hand 24. The flop is 6c-Th-Qc. Sun4ever checks and I bet 500. He folds.
27. Blinds are up to 100-200. I pick up 8d9d in middle position. I raise to 600 and everyone folds.
28. 4,270 in chips. Blinds 100-200. I have JdJs utg. I min raise to 400 and everyone folds except PKRPORO in the BB who calls the 200. The flop is Th-Qh-Ad. Yuck! He checks and I check behind. The turn is the 4c. He checks again. I think about betting. Nope I want a cheap showdown and the free chance at my straight draw, so I check again. The river is the 3s and PKRPORO leads out for 600. I figure I have to call and he shows me AQ for two pair. I was behind the whole way and got away pretty cheap. One of the very few hands I have played that made it to the river and I lost.
29. 3,070 in chips. I have 8s7d in the small blind. Everyone folds to me and I complete. The BB checks. I whiff the flop and it goes check-check. The turn is another blank and I bluff 200. It works and he folds.
30. The very next hand I have A4s on the button. It's folded to me, I raise and win the blinds.
31. The very next hand I pick up AQs in the cutoff. I open raise and win the blinds again. 3,870 in chips now.
32. Blinds are 120-240 with 25 ante. I have 3,820 in chips and AdQc in early position. I raise to 720 and win the blinds and antes.
33. I open raise KQo in the cutoff and get reraised all in by the big blind and fold.
34. 3125 in chips and I pick up Jacks in middle position. I open raise to 720. It's folded to sun4ever on the button and he reraises to 2,665 total. It's folded back to me. I thought that was the rest of my chips so I just called. It turns out I still had 485 left. The flop was kind of ugly as it was Qs-5d-Ks. I figure I meant to go all in anyway so I put in my last 485 in chips and get called. He shows 99. Sweet! The turn is 5 and the river is another Queen and I double up!
35. 5,675 in chips. Blinds are 150-300 with 25 ante. I have AdKc on the button. Tony63 open raises all in for 2,972. I reraise all in to isolate. He turns over Qd7d. The flop is Js-Ks-9s. Neither one of us has spades, but now I have to fade a Ten instead of his pair cards. The turn is a King and the river is a 2 and I win another race.
36. 9,197 in chips. I pick up Kings utg+1. I raise to 750 and get reraised all to 1,899. I call and he shows pocket 7's. I win again!
37. Blinds are 250-500 with 50 ante. I have 9,046 in chips and AJo on the button. I open raise and win the blinds.
38. 10,046 in chips. Blinds 250-500 with 50 ante. I have QdTd in middle position. I open raise to 1,250. I am called by the cutoff and the small blind. I finally get action when I have a crappy hand. The flop is 3-8-7 rainbow. In spite of the innocuous flop, I am not interested in c-betting with two other players in the pot. It's checked around. The turn is a Jack and the small blind bets 2,900 into a 4,650 pot. I fold and the cutoff folds.
39. 7,496 in chips. I have AhQh in the cutoff. Blinds are 300-600 with 75 ante. Mary Van King with 21,000 in chips opens for 1,689 in early position. It's folded to me and I just call. The flop is 2c-4c-2h. Mary leads into me for 1925 into a 4,953 pot. I fold.
I guess the play was to reraise all in or fold. There is no reason to call off over 20% of my stack. I think I was confused because Mary had enough chips to call my raise and not be too concerned. Plus I think we were getting close to the money bubble.
40. 5,582 in chips. Blinds are 300-600 with 75 ante. I pick up pocket tens in middle position and raise all in. Everyone folds and I add 1400 to my stack.
41. Blinds up to 400-800. I have been blinded down to 3,457 in chips. I have pocket 7's in the small blind. LE2Jog with 13k in chips raises to 2,300 in middle position. We are already in the money and I am ready to take a race. I reraise all in. LE2Jog is priced in to call with any two, but he rolls over 99. I don't hit the miracle and I am out in 59th place. I win $70 and I am happy to finally cash in the big free roll.
The overall summary is that there were 243 hands and I played 17% raising 14% and my total aggression factor was 4.3. I really could have used a little action on my hands. In 20 of the 41 hands I played, my raise went uncalled and I just won the blinds. I played a couple of hands badly, but overall I am happy.
While the Free Roll was going on, I decided to open another tournament just to keep me from getting bored. I found a $26 satellite into the FTOPS 9 for $322. They were guaranteeing 20 seats and 15 minutes before the start time there was going to be an overlay. Suddenly a rush of registrations hit and they had enough players to guarantee 27 spots and 28th would get $60. There were 365 players.
I did some quick math and figured out that the average chip stack when the tournament would end was $19,500.
I wish I had the hand histories of the other tables. When it got down to the last 34 players, I opened up the other tables to see where I stood. I never had more than 11,000 in chips and I was getting short towards the end. I kept looking for a spot to move in, but either my cards were horrible or some other short stack had already moved all in in front of me. Plus the player directly to my left had over 30,000 in chips and had shown a propensity for calling light.
Here were my hands towards the end:
This is starting with 7,580 in chips and the blinds were 800-1600 with 200 antes.
A4s on button, raise in front of me
42o
43s
T7o
Q7o
T7o
T5o
Q6s
62s By this time I was so low, that I was guaranteed to be called.
Q7s I only need one more player to bust.
T5s
62o
J4o
T6o
J4s I am all in due to the big blind. Two players call and the small blind calls all in, but he has more chips than I do, so if we both lose, he still finishes ahead of me.
The flop is 4c-Js-Ts. I'm pretty sure I'm ahead. The King comes on the turn. That makes me squirm. The river is a 5. The players turn over A9o, QTs, and Q3s. I quadruple up! The bad news was the other all in had the ten, so he was not eliminated either.
In the mean time I see a couple of other all ins suck out to stay alive on the other tables. Finally 4 hands later, the bubble finally bursts and I win the satellite! Ship the $322
So my final take for the weekend was $366. That was definitely a nice comeback from the beating I have been taking at the cash tables.
Monday, November 03, 2008
Grrrrrrr I'm frustrated
The golf course has reopened at Phoenix Country Club after overseeding. Bill and I got to play our first round together in a long time along with Bill's dad, Ron. We were playing for a rather pedestrian $25 and currently we are both playing to a 8 handicap.
Bill started fast with a birdie on 1 and I had a par. Bill then faltered on the short par 3 second hole when he hit his shot in the water. I missed my 15 footer for birdie and took a one stroke lead. The missed putt was one of many on the day. I did not 3 putt all day, but I don't think I one putted either. I don't know what is wrong with my putting, but I can't recall a time when I've putted worse. I'm still making the short 4-5 footers, but I'm not even close to making anything inside of 20 feet.
Bill's game was rusty and he was going to be hard pressed to catch me. My game was pretty solid except for the putting. I wasn't hurting myself, but I wasn't helping either. By the 14th hole I had built a 3 shot lead.
I led off with a driver down the middle of the fairway. Bill, who was struggling with his driver, hit 2 iron off the tee. He pulled it way left and it went into the landscaping equipment storage area which is out of bounds. He hit his third shot off the tee and it was also left and looking like it was heading out as well. Bill pulled out a third tee ball as a provisional and finally pushed one out to the right. We went to check on his ball on the left and it was in bounds by maybe an inch. He hit his approach shot into the bunker 20 yards short of the green. From there he skulled his shot over the green and into the back yard of a homeowner. This was also out of bounds.
Needless to say, the match was well in hand. Of course it wouldn't be a golf match with Bill unless we pressed the bet on 18. This time it was my turn to choke. 18 is a par five with wather on the right side of the green. We were both in trouble off the tee, but our lay up shots were both within 5 yards of each other. I had 135 yards to the green. I took my swing and it felt good coming off the club face. I looked up to follow the ball and it was heading frighteningly to the right and into the water.
Bill hit the middle of the green to put a stranglehold on the hole. I could still hope for a miracle chip in to tie. I carefully placed my ball on the steep bank of the lake (dropping the ball would only add to the collection of balls in the water so we skip the dropping and go right to placing). I tried to hit my delicate pitch and managed to double hit the ball ala TC Chen. So much for the miracle. I carded an 85 and called it a day. Even on all the bets.
Today I stopped by the Gila River Casino after work to play some 3-6 limit hold'em with Carlo and Rob. It's been a while since I played limit so my game was a little rusty. What followed was a series of beats so gut wrenching, I have acquired a new found distaste for the game.
It took a while for a seat to open up and by that time, Rob had taken a couple of beats and given up. I took Rob's seat (9) while Carlo remained in seat 5. Next to Carlo was a loud guy named Ron wearing a new Jet's jersey. On my second or third hand, I picked up pocket Kings. I had a few limpers to me and I raised. It was called in a couple of places, including by Ron in the big blind. Then Carlo does something strange and reraises from under the gun. It's called by everyone between us and I cap it. So it's 5 ways for 4 bets a piece before the flop.
The flop is J-6-2. Carlo leads out after Ron checks. It's called in a couple spots and I of course raise. Ron calls 2, Carlo calls, and the other two call as well. The turn is a blank and they all check to me. I bet and Ron and Carlo call. The river is a 5 which looks harmless. Ron blurts out that, "I think I caught you" and bets 6. Carlo finally gives up and I make the crying call into the humongous pot. Ron turns over 5-2 and wins with two pair. Ouch my balls hurt!
Now Ron admits that he is playing crappy cards and mentions that I want him to play that way. I respond by saying that I may buy him a lunch to make sure he doesn't leave with all my money.
A few hands later, Ron does it to me again with the 2-5 and beats me on the river for a medium sized pot.
Now in between, I manage to win a couple of pots, so I am still up $20 in spite of everything.
Then I go and lose when I flop a set of 5's and my opponent had flopped a set of 7's. Followed by rivering a King high flush, to lose to the old man's full house on my right.
I make a quick comeback when I win a big pot with Ace-King. The very next hand, I pick up Ace-King again. This time Carlo is coming along for the ride. I flop an Ace again and Carlo check calls my bet. The turn is an innocuous 8. This time Carlo leads out. My radar is up and I think Carlo may have turned two pair. But I also saw him screwing around by limp-reraising King-Jack offsuit. I can't help myself and I raise. Carlo calls and we see the river. It completes a low 4 card straight. One of the players who folded on the flop makes a gesture of frustration which obviously means he folded the card that would have made the straight. Carlo checks and once again I bet. Carlo is nice to me and just calls and rolls over 8-3 for two pair. This game is so rigged!
So I was ahead for one hand and just lost it all back in the very next hand.
Carlo is up $50 and ready to leave the casino. He starts trying to talk me into playing $50 worth of slots with him. I say no at first, but eventually give in. Carlo leads me to the "Deal or No Deal" slots. We pump in $100 and play as a team. Carlo says the key is to get the briefcase bonus. When you hit that, you get to play Deal or No Deal on the video screen for a grand prize amount determined by your spin.
It took us about 10 spins before we hit the briefcase and got to play. Our first offer was $65. We said no deal and we opened a couple of medium sized cases, but our offer went up to $135. Nowwe had the $500 case and 4 other cases all under $50. Since there was a 1 out of 5 chance that we would select a low case, we declined the deal.
Now I realize that the Expected Value in this game is to add up the remaining cases and divide by the number of cases. However, I was there to gamble and not to explain to Carlo how the math would work. We said, "No Deal" and because I am running so good, the computer picked the $500 case and knocked our deal down to $35. We dejectedly took the deal and moved to a different Deal or No Deal machine.
We put our $90 into the new machine and started again. This time we hit the spin wheels right and won $200! So amazingly enough, after splitting the winnings, I finished the day up $3!
That's right after all those bad breaks and getting beat by 8-3 and 5-2 twice, I still managed leave with $3 of profit. Maybe I run better than I thought?
Bill started fast with a birdie on 1 and I had a par. Bill then faltered on the short par 3 second hole when he hit his shot in the water. I missed my 15 footer for birdie and took a one stroke lead. The missed putt was one of many on the day. I did not 3 putt all day, but I don't think I one putted either. I don't know what is wrong with my putting, but I can't recall a time when I've putted worse. I'm still making the short 4-5 footers, but I'm not even close to making anything inside of 20 feet.
Bill's game was rusty and he was going to be hard pressed to catch me. My game was pretty solid except for the putting. I wasn't hurting myself, but I wasn't helping either. By the 14th hole I had built a 3 shot lead.
I led off with a driver down the middle of the fairway. Bill, who was struggling with his driver, hit 2 iron off the tee. He pulled it way left and it went into the landscaping equipment storage area which is out of bounds. He hit his third shot off the tee and it was also left and looking like it was heading out as well. Bill pulled out a third tee ball as a provisional and finally pushed one out to the right. We went to check on his ball on the left and it was in bounds by maybe an inch. He hit his approach shot into the bunker 20 yards short of the green. From there he skulled his shot over the green and into the back yard of a homeowner. This was also out of bounds.
Needless to say, the match was well in hand. Of course it wouldn't be a golf match with Bill unless we pressed the bet on 18. This time it was my turn to choke. 18 is a par five with wather on the right side of the green. We were both in trouble off the tee, but our lay up shots were both within 5 yards of each other. I had 135 yards to the green. I took my swing and it felt good coming off the club face. I looked up to follow the ball and it was heading frighteningly to the right and into the water.
Bill hit the middle of the green to put a stranglehold on the hole. I could still hope for a miracle chip in to tie. I carefully placed my ball on the steep bank of the lake (dropping the ball would only add to the collection of balls in the water so we skip the dropping and go right to placing). I tried to hit my delicate pitch and managed to double hit the ball ala TC Chen. So much for the miracle. I carded an 85 and called it a day. Even on all the bets.
Today I stopped by the Gila River Casino after work to play some 3-6 limit hold'em with Carlo and Rob. It's been a while since I played limit so my game was a little rusty. What followed was a series of beats so gut wrenching, I have acquired a new found distaste for the game.
It took a while for a seat to open up and by that time, Rob had taken a couple of beats and given up. I took Rob's seat (9) while Carlo remained in seat 5. Next to Carlo was a loud guy named Ron wearing a new Jet's jersey. On my second or third hand, I picked up pocket Kings. I had a few limpers to me and I raised. It was called in a couple of places, including by Ron in the big blind. Then Carlo does something strange and reraises from under the gun. It's called by everyone between us and I cap it. So it's 5 ways for 4 bets a piece before the flop.
The flop is J-6-2. Carlo leads out after Ron checks. It's called in a couple spots and I of course raise. Ron calls 2, Carlo calls, and the other two call as well. The turn is a blank and they all check to me. I bet and Ron and Carlo call. The river is a 5 which looks harmless. Ron blurts out that, "I think I caught you" and bets 6. Carlo finally gives up and I make the crying call into the humongous pot. Ron turns over 5-2 and wins with two pair. Ouch my balls hurt!
Now Ron admits that he is playing crappy cards and mentions that I want him to play that way. I respond by saying that I may buy him a lunch to make sure he doesn't leave with all my money.
A few hands later, Ron does it to me again with the 2-5 and beats me on the river for a medium sized pot.
Now in between, I manage to win a couple of pots, so I am still up $20 in spite of everything.
Then I go and lose when I flop a set of 5's and my opponent had flopped a set of 7's. Followed by rivering a King high flush, to lose to the old man's full house on my right.
I make a quick comeback when I win a big pot with Ace-King. The very next hand, I pick up Ace-King again. This time Carlo is coming along for the ride. I flop an Ace again and Carlo check calls my bet. The turn is an innocuous 8. This time Carlo leads out. My radar is up and I think Carlo may have turned two pair. But I also saw him screwing around by limp-reraising King-Jack offsuit. I can't help myself and I raise. Carlo calls and we see the river. It completes a low 4 card straight. One of the players who folded on the flop makes a gesture of frustration which obviously means he folded the card that would have made the straight. Carlo checks and once again I bet. Carlo is nice to me and just calls and rolls over 8-3 for two pair. This game is so rigged!
So I was ahead for one hand and just lost it all back in the very next hand.
Carlo is up $50 and ready to leave the casino. He starts trying to talk me into playing $50 worth of slots with him. I say no at first, but eventually give in. Carlo leads me to the "Deal or No Deal" slots. We pump in $100 and play as a team. Carlo says the key is to get the briefcase bonus. When you hit that, you get to play Deal or No Deal on the video screen for a grand prize amount determined by your spin.
It took us about 10 spins before we hit the briefcase and got to play. Our first offer was $65. We said no deal and we opened a couple of medium sized cases, but our offer went up to $135. Nowwe had the $500 case and 4 other cases all under $50. Since there was a 1 out of 5 chance that we would select a low case, we declined the deal.
Now I realize that the Expected Value in this game is to add up the remaining cases and divide by the number of cases. However, I was there to gamble and not to explain to Carlo how the math would work. We said, "No Deal" and because I am running so good, the computer picked the $500 case and knocked our deal down to $35. We dejectedly took the deal and moved to a different Deal or No Deal machine.
We put our $90 into the new machine and started again. This time we hit the spin wheels right and won $200! So amazingly enough, after splitting the winnings, I finished the day up $3!
That's right after all those bad breaks and getting beat by 8-3 and 5-2 twice, I still managed leave with $3 of profit. Maybe I run better than I thought?
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Why I have not posted lately
Thank god October is over!
The worst month in the stock market in 21 years has kept me from playing my best poker. Obviously my mind has been occupied.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
I Love PLO....no I don't
I am down over $100 for the session after being up close to $200 so my mood is not especially good when this hand comes down.
Icky Ole Witch I have marked as a fish.
Full Tilt Poker $0.50/$1 Pot Limit Omaha Hi - 6 players
PISIHASI (CO): $76.85
Tastefull (BTN): $44.80
Icky Ole Witch (SB): $88.50
nikander27 (BB): $150.65
Hero (UTG): $117.55
CHAI525 (MP): $141.45
PISIHASI posts a big blind ($1)
Pre Flop:($2.50) Hero is UTG with 9h Ac Kc Jh
This seems like a decent hand to raise even if it is under the gun. Naturally my raise gets no respect at all as everyone calls.
Hero raises to $4.50, 1 fold, PISIHASI calls $3.50, Tastefull calls $4.50, Icky Ole Witch calls $4, nikander27 calls $3.50
Flop:($22.50) 2:club: 8:club: 7:heart:
Ok nut flush draw and inside straight draw to the nuts. Icky bets the pot which could mean an over pair, big wrap draw, or a set. nikander27 calls which now gives me odds to chase my hand. If there was a fold in between, I might have to let this one go with players to act behind me.
Icky Ole Witch bets $22.50, nikander27 calls $22.50, Hero calls $22.50, PISIHASI folds, Tastefull folds
Turn:($90.00) T:diamond:
Gin! I have the nut straight with a nut flush redraw! I can't lose! Ok if the board pairs I'm not going to be happy, but I'm happy to get all my money into this monstrous pot with the nuts and a nut redraw.
Icky Ole Witch bets $61.50 all in, nikander27 calls $61.50, Hero raises to $90.55 all in, nikander27 calls $29.05
River:($332.60) J:diamond: (3 players - 2 are all in)
Yes the board did not pair, ship it! What the hell? Why is my money going to Icky Ole Witch?
DAAAAAMMMMIIIIITTTT
Final Pot: $332.60
Icky Ole Witch shows Ts Qc Tc 9s (a straight, Queen high)
nikander27 shows 8h 6c 4d 8d (three of a kind, Eights)
Hero shows 9h Ac Kc Jh (a straight, Jack high)
Hero wins $58.10
Icky Ole Witch wins $271.50
(Rake: $3.00)
I ran this hand on Poker Stove and I was surprised to learn that I was only a 3-1 favorite going to the river. At least I wasn't drawing to one out like nikander27.
Still it really stung to lose that pot.
Icky Ole Witch I have marked as a fish.
Full Tilt Poker $0.50/$1 Pot Limit Omaha Hi - 6 players
PISIHASI (CO): $76.85
Tastefull (BTN): $44.80
Icky Ole Witch (SB): $88.50
nikander27 (BB): $150.65
Hero (UTG): $117.55
CHAI525 (MP): $141.45
PISIHASI posts a big blind ($1)
Pre Flop:($2.50) Hero is UTG with 9h Ac Kc Jh
This seems like a decent hand to raise even if it is under the gun. Naturally my raise gets no respect at all as everyone calls.
Hero raises to $4.50, 1 fold, PISIHASI calls $3.50, Tastefull calls $4.50, Icky Ole Witch calls $4, nikander27 calls $3.50
Flop:($22.50) 2:club: 8:club: 7:heart:
Ok nut flush draw and inside straight draw to the nuts. Icky bets the pot which could mean an over pair, big wrap draw, or a set. nikander27 calls which now gives me odds to chase my hand. If there was a fold in between, I might have to let this one go with players to act behind me.
Icky Ole Witch bets $22.50, nikander27 calls $22.50, Hero calls $22.50, PISIHASI folds, Tastefull folds
Turn:($90.00) T:diamond:
Gin! I have the nut straight with a nut flush redraw! I can't lose! Ok if the board pairs I'm not going to be happy, but I'm happy to get all my money into this monstrous pot with the nuts and a nut redraw.
Icky Ole Witch bets $61.50 all in, nikander27 calls $61.50, Hero raises to $90.55 all in, nikander27 calls $29.05
River:($332.60) J:diamond: (3 players - 2 are all in)
Yes the board did not pair, ship it! What the hell? Why is my money going to Icky Ole Witch?
DAAAAAMMMMIIIIITTTT
Final Pot: $332.60
Icky Ole Witch shows Ts Qc Tc 9s (a straight, Queen high)
nikander27 shows 8h 6c 4d 8d (three of a kind, Eights)
Hero shows 9h Ac Kc Jh (a straight, Jack high)
Hero wins $58.10
Icky Ole Witch wins $271.50
(Rake: $3.00)
I ran this hand on Poker Stove and I was surprised to learn that I was only a 3-1 favorite going to the river. At least I wasn't drawing to one out like nikander27.
Still it really stung to lose that pot.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Summer of Larry officially over
Remember when things were running so good? Remember when I got incredibly lucky to survive that WSOP Main Event satellite and played in the World Series of Poker?
It all seems like a distant memory as the last couple of weeks have been brutal.
I can take the bad beats in stride, but the stock market going down every day but one for the month of October is worse than a kick in the nuts.
I may have to turn pro as a poker player if this keeps up. In case you are wondering, the job of a pro poker player does not sound very appealing.
It all seems like a distant memory as the last couple of weeks have been brutal.
I can take the bad beats in stride, but the stock market going down every day but one for the month of October is worse than a kick in the nuts.
I may have to turn pro as a poker player if this keeps up. In case you are wondering, the job of a pro poker player does not sound very appealing.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Poker, Pinetop, other assorted thoughts
This past weekend I went up to Pinetop as a guest of Billy and played in the annual Stag golf tournament at White Mountain Country Club. This is a great tournament because the course is fun and the players consist of a bunch of laid back rich guys who want to get away from their wives and children and relive their youth by drinking, gambling, and carousing.
The only bad part of this tournament is that the weather is always a crapshoot. This year did not disappoint as it rained on us for 1/2 of the second round and the third round was rained out because the course was too wet.
I was teamed up with Brian, a realtor that works with Billy. Jon was on Bill's team. We also had two new guys who work with Jon named Keith and Mike.
Brian is a pretty good player and I believe his handicap was 13. The first day was a two person scramble. Luckily we were paired with Bill and Jon so it was a good time the whole day. Because Bill and I were playing golf that meant we were betting as well. We made a team bet for $25 and my team had to give him 1.9 strokes due to handicap differences.
They jumped out to a quick lead when Jon sank a 30 foot putt for birdie on the first hole and we bogeyed it. For the most part they built on the initial lead except for a stretch in the middle where we birdied a couple of holes. I think they beat us by 3-4 shots, the details are fuzzy in my mind.
I won the $25 back by pressing the bet on the last hole. This was a 500 yard par 5 that has a sharp dogleg to the right. If you aim down the middle of the fairway, you will run out of fairway after 220 yards. If you want to get there in two, you need to take a dangerous line over the very tall pine trees along the right side of the fairway. I hit a safe shot down the middle of the fairway with my 5 wood. Brian hit a big drive to the right and just cleared the trees and made it into the right rough 155 yards from the green.
Bill and Jon were 220 yards away from the green. I asked Bill if he'd like to bet the $25 I was going to owe him on whether my team would get a better score on the hole. I offerred 2-1 odds and he said "no". Then Jon hit his shot first and it was awful. Bill was getting ready for his attempt and I offerred 3-1. Bill finally grew some balls and said yes. He hit a pretty good shot that ended up about 20 yards short of the green.
Brian and I both pulled our wedge shots left of the green. We were pin high, but did not have a lot of green to work with and the greens had been running incredibly fast all day. Jon and Bill went first and the best they could do was a shot on the front fringe of the green. They were about 20 feet away for birdie.
The achilles heel of my team was that Brian is not very good around the greens. The benefit of playing as a team is that I am able to coach him within the rules. I gave him a quick 2 minute lesson on playing a flop shot. Then I stepped up and hit the shot of the day. Phil Mickelson could not have hit a better shot than I did. I left the ball two feet from the hole for birdie. Brian tried the flop shot after my coaching and watching me hit. His shot came up a little short of the green, but his form was great. He just needed to swing a little harder. Bill and Jon both missed their birdie attempt and Brian tapped in for us to set me even for the day. After adjusting for handicaps, Jon and Bill were near the top of the flight. Brian and I were near the bottom.
As for day 2, the teams were split up and we played with Phil from Scottsdale and Chuck from Albuquerque. The format for the second day was a modified Chapman. This means that we each hit our drive, then switch balls for the second shot. Then we choose the best ball and alternate shots from there. It's not quite like the foursomes from the Ryder Cup format but it's still pretty damn hard to keep your composure. Hitting from the trees after your partner has put his drive out to the right is annoying after you have piped one down the middle. More frustration ensues if your partner duffs your perfect drive with his second shot, and all you could do was punch out his bad drive. There is a reason why this format is referred to as, "Screw Your Neighbor".
We started out ok, but once the rain came, the wheels came off. We struggled home with an 84. Bill and Jon came in with an 85 but due to the 1.9 strokes we had to give him, they won the bet.
In addition to golf, we played a little poker at the cabin after we were done. The first night we all bought in for $20 and played Pot Limit Hold'em with .25-.50 blinds. The winner of the night was Jon who won about $10-$15. I lost $5 and I think Mike and Keith split the other wins and losses.
During the second day, I logged on to Full Tilt and played a little .50-1 No Limit. I was doing just fine until I ran my set of 4's into a set of Kings and lost a quick $100 pot. I was down about $60 net before we went to play golf.
The second night of poker included Brian and Bill as well. Bill lost his $20 first. At least this time Bill went down with a good hand and did not just give his money away so he could go to bed. Brian went broke next and it was down to 4.
I was up early after running big river bluff on Brian. I don't know what hand Brian laid down, but I could tell from the flop that he was not comfortable with his hand. My third bet finally put enough pressure on him to fold.
After Brian went bust, I lost my profits and then some. I was down to my last $10. I decided to tighten up and play more ABC poker to make my comeback. My plan was working as I had clawed my way back up to my starting stack when the big hand of the night hit.
I had King Ten offsuit on the button. Keith folded and I limped on the button. Jon completed the small blind and Mike checked his blind. The flop was 9-Jack-7 all different suits. Jon bet and Mike called and I called with a double gut shot straight draw. The turn was a Queen giving me the nut straight. Jon bet $5 this time, Mike called again. I thought about raising, but there was no flush draw out and I felt like my hand was pretty safe to play slow and try to get the rest of my stack in on the river.
The river was a Jack pairing the board. Jon bet and this time Mike folded. I raised all in and Jon called quickly. Jon tabled QJ for a full house and put the bad beat on me. The bitter taste of two bad beats in mouth, I quit for the night.
While I was brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed, the remaining three guys called me to the table to deal a hand. All three of them were all in. Jon had Aces, Mike had Tens, and Keith had Queens. Jon's Aces held up and he won all the remaining money on the table. In a small limit game, Jon had managed to win over $120!
The only bad part of this tournament is that the weather is always a crapshoot. This year did not disappoint as it rained on us for 1/2 of the second round and the third round was rained out because the course was too wet.
I was teamed up with Brian, a realtor that works with Billy. Jon was on Bill's team. We also had two new guys who work with Jon named Keith and Mike.
Brian is a pretty good player and I believe his handicap was 13. The first day was a two person scramble. Luckily we were paired with Bill and Jon so it was a good time the whole day. Because Bill and I were playing golf that meant we were betting as well. We made a team bet for $25 and my team had to give him 1.9 strokes due to handicap differences.
They jumped out to a quick lead when Jon sank a 30 foot putt for birdie on the first hole and we bogeyed it. For the most part they built on the initial lead except for a stretch in the middle where we birdied a couple of holes. I think they beat us by 3-4 shots, the details are fuzzy in my mind.
I won the $25 back by pressing the bet on the last hole. This was a 500 yard par 5 that has a sharp dogleg to the right. If you aim down the middle of the fairway, you will run out of fairway after 220 yards. If you want to get there in two, you need to take a dangerous line over the very tall pine trees along the right side of the fairway. I hit a safe shot down the middle of the fairway with my 5 wood. Brian hit a big drive to the right and just cleared the trees and made it into the right rough 155 yards from the green.
Bill and Jon were 220 yards away from the green. I asked Bill if he'd like to bet the $25 I was going to owe him on whether my team would get a better score on the hole. I offerred 2-1 odds and he said "no". Then Jon hit his shot first and it was awful. Bill was getting ready for his attempt and I offerred 3-1. Bill finally grew some balls and said yes. He hit a pretty good shot that ended up about 20 yards short of the green.
Brian and I both pulled our wedge shots left of the green. We were pin high, but did not have a lot of green to work with and the greens had been running incredibly fast all day. Jon and Bill went first and the best they could do was a shot on the front fringe of the green. They were about 20 feet away for birdie.
The achilles heel of my team was that Brian is not very good around the greens. The benefit of playing as a team is that I am able to coach him within the rules. I gave him a quick 2 minute lesson on playing a flop shot. Then I stepped up and hit the shot of the day. Phil Mickelson could not have hit a better shot than I did. I left the ball two feet from the hole for birdie. Brian tried the flop shot after my coaching and watching me hit. His shot came up a little short of the green, but his form was great. He just needed to swing a little harder. Bill and Jon both missed their birdie attempt and Brian tapped in for us to set me even for the day. After adjusting for handicaps, Jon and Bill were near the top of the flight. Brian and I were near the bottom.
As for day 2, the teams were split up and we played with Phil from Scottsdale and Chuck from Albuquerque. The format for the second day was a modified Chapman. This means that we each hit our drive, then switch balls for the second shot. Then we choose the best ball and alternate shots from there. It's not quite like the foursomes from the Ryder Cup format but it's still pretty damn hard to keep your composure. Hitting from the trees after your partner has put his drive out to the right is annoying after you have piped one down the middle. More frustration ensues if your partner duffs your perfect drive with his second shot, and all you could do was punch out his bad drive. There is a reason why this format is referred to as, "Screw Your Neighbor".
We started out ok, but once the rain came, the wheels came off. We struggled home with an 84. Bill and Jon came in with an 85 but due to the 1.9 strokes we had to give him, they won the bet.
In addition to golf, we played a little poker at the cabin after we were done. The first night we all bought in for $20 and played Pot Limit Hold'em with .25-.50 blinds. The winner of the night was Jon who won about $10-$15. I lost $5 and I think Mike and Keith split the other wins and losses.
During the second day, I logged on to Full Tilt and played a little .50-1 No Limit. I was doing just fine until I ran my set of 4's into a set of Kings and lost a quick $100 pot. I was down about $60 net before we went to play golf.
The second night of poker included Brian and Bill as well. Bill lost his $20 first. At least this time Bill went down with a good hand and did not just give his money away so he could go to bed. Brian went broke next and it was down to 4.
I was up early after running big river bluff on Brian. I don't know what hand Brian laid down, but I could tell from the flop that he was not comfortable with his hand. My third bet finally put enough pressure on him to fold.
After Brian went bust, I lost my profits and then some. I was down to my last $10. I decided to tighten up and play more ABC poker to make my comeback. My plan was working as I had clawed my way back up to my starting stack when the big hand of the night hit.
I had King Ten offsuit on the button. Keith folded and I limped on the button. Jon completed the small blind and Mike checked his blind. The flop was 9-Jack-7 all different suits. Jon bet and Mike called and I called with a double gut shot straight draw. The turn was a Queen giving me the nut straight. Jon bet $5 this time, Mike called again. I thought about raising, but there was no flush draw out and I felt like my hand was pretty safe to play slow and try to get the rest of my stack in on the river.
The river was a Jack pairing the board. Jon bet and this time Mike folded. I raised all in and Jon called quickly. Jon tabled QJ for a full house and put the bad beat on me. The bitter taste of two bad beats in mouth, I quit for the night.
While I was brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed, the remaining three guys called me to the table to deal a hand. All three of them were all in. Jon had Aces, Mike had Tens, and Keith had Queens. Jon's Aces held up and he won all the remaining money on the table. In a small limit game, Jon had managed to win over $120!
My random thought has to do with the 5-150 spread limit game at Casino Arizona. I think I have figured out how to beat it. Everyone who plays that game plays too loose preflop and very passive. There is nothing they like better than seeing a $5 flop with 5 players in it. They are all waiting to hit a set or two pair to win a big pot and are too willing to give up medium strength hands when the pot gets big.
My strategy has been to play tight until I am in the last 3 positions. Then I play strong before the flop with my good hands and occasionally I will raise one or two limpers with any two cards if I feel my reputation is strong. If the flop texture is good, I fire out the continuation bet. So far this has worked very well and I have avoided getting trapped by someone slow playing a big hand.
Most of these players will call any preflop raise with a pocket pair. They are making the mistake of not taking stack size into account. In order to call a $20 raise, by straight odds your opponent would need at least $170 for the 8-1 odds on hitting the set. That assumes you will win your opponent's stack every time. Obviously that does not happen every time so the most effective stack size is probably $300-$450. This is not a big mistake but it can add up over a few hours of play. Everytime they call and miss, they lose $20 and they are not making enough money on the times they hit.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
+cropped.jpg)
