Analysis needed! I played the 10am tournament at the Crazy Moose yesterday. The blinds had just gone up to 25-50 so we had only been playing just over 20 minutes when this hand came up.
There were about 6 limpers. I was on the button and looked down at 2 red kings. I correctly decide that I need to narrow the field so I raise 8 times the big blind to 400. That got rid of 4 limpers, leaving Hispanic Tony (who calls me every time) and some new guy I've never played with.
The flop is 2-4-8 and is checked to me. What does the Queen of Stupid do? Why of course she goes all-in. I wanted to win the pot right there damn it. Hispanic Tony folds immediately and New Guy calls instantly, thus allowing me to know that he has flopped a set and I am screwed.
Yes, indeed. He has pocket 4s. Naturally, I talk to myself all the way home as I am the 1st or 2nd person knocked out of the tournament. (I saw Joe leaving at about the same time.) Why didn't I just check? Because I didn't want to see any aces on the turn, that's why. Could I have gotten away from a large bet by New Guy on the turn or river? I don't know. Personally, I would have folded 44 pre-flop to a raise of 8 times the big blind, but hey that's just me.
What do you think oh faithful reader? Your thoughts are appreciated.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Thanks to My Sponsor
I decided to finally post something. Don't get used to it. This may or may not happen about once a month.
I wanted to thank Dr. Phil for all the fun and failure in Pendleton last Saturday. I had many scary and fun hands to play. When I went out of the tournament there were 105 players remaining, so I outlasted 374 people. Not too shabby, but still 60 shy of the money. Poop.
Nonetheless, I thank him for the opportunity and for (1) sitting for five minutes while some bozo decided whether or not to call my all-in after the 10-9-3 flop (I had kings) and having my blood pressure go through the roof; and (2) for making a great call on a guy I knew was shoving to steal blinds and antes (I had A-J and he had Q-10) and having him hit his lousy 10 to cripple me; and (3) for making a terrific comeback after the aforesaid crippling and making it another hour; and (4) for flopping quad 9s against a guy with AA who just couldn't wait to put me all in; and (5) for making it to and past the dinner break; and (6) for playing until 7pm when I got so terribly short-stacked that I finally had to just shoot the works with 8-9 suited and got knocked out. I would have been in the big blind the next hand and out of chips the hand after that, so there you go.
I think 8-9 suited is one of my sponsor's favorite hands, so I feel good about that. Maybe someday I will actually make the money in one of these bigger tournaments. My biggest cash in Pendleton was against 155 women so 479 players is a little intimidating. Anyway, thanks again to my loyal sponsor. I really do appreciate your misplaced faith in me.
I wanted to thank Dr. Phil for all the fun and failure in Pendleton last Saturday. I had many scary and fun hands to play. When I went out of the tournament there were 105 players remaining, so I outlasted 374 people. Not too shabby, but still 60 shy of the money. Poop.
Nonetheless, I thank him for the opportunity and for (1) sitting for five minutes while some bozo decided whether or not to call my all-in after the 10-9-3 flop (I had kings) and having my blood pressure go through the roof; and (2) for making a great call on a guy I knew was shoving to steal blinds and antes (I had A-J and he had Q-10) and having him hit his lousy 10 to cripple me; and (3) for making a terrific comeback after the aforesaid crippling and making it another hour; and (4) for flopping quad 9s against a guy with AA who just couldn't wait to put me all in; and (5) for making it to and past the dinner break; and (6) for playing until 7pm when I got so terribly short-stacked that I finally had to just shoot the works with 8-9 suited and got knocked out. I would have been in the big blind the next hand and out of chips the hand after that, so there you go.
I think 8-9 suited is one of my sponsor's favorite hands, so I feel good about that. Maybe someday I will actually make the money in one of these bigger tournaments. My biggest cash in Pendleton was against 155 women so 479 players is a little intimidating. Anyway, thanks again to my loyal sponsor. I really do appreciate your misplaced faith in me.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
The Free Roll
I actually think the qualifying semi-final for the Free Roll was more fun than playing in the final. My favorite hand was when I got all "married" to my aces and called down a bluff all the way to the river on a board of 10-9-3-9-3. Eeeek! So many things to beat me & I would have had less than 400 chips left very early in the tournament if I was wrong. I just felt my opponent was trying too hard.
The worst hand in the qualifier was when I raised with K-K and Dave ("Butter") went all-in. He'd shown pocket aces at least twice before that after going all-in so I was a tad nervous. I had to call him though. I was happy for about 5 seconds when he tabled J-J. He caught a jack on the river and took half my chips. However, I was able to take those measly chips & outlast everybody I needed to.
I got very luck going all in with Q-J hearts and Rafa called me with K-Q offsuit. I hit 2 pair on the flop and he did not improve and that crippled him. I put him out a couple of hands later and Dave & Jeff & I were the last 3 standing. :)
The final was basically just filled with tension for me during the last 30 minutes because I was terribly short stacked & trying to act like I didn't care if there was a chop or not. I was very happy to get $400 out of the whole thing & it was a fun experience overall. It was interesting to see the "cream" rise to the top as it were - most of the finalists were regular tournament players.
I hope they do more of this sort of thing. Roland said they were so we shall see!
The worst hand in the qualifier was when I raised with K-K and Dave ("Butter") went all-in. He'd shown pocket aces at least twice before that after going all-in so I was a tad nervous. I had to call him though. I was happy for about 5 seconds when he tabled J-J. He caught a jack on the river and took half my chips. However, I was able to take those measly chips & outlast everybody I needed to.
I got very luck going all in with Q-J hearts and Rafa called me with K-Q offsuit. I hit 2 pair on the flop and he did not improve and that crippled him. I put him out a couple of hands later and Dave & Jeff & I were the last 3 standing. :)
The final was basically just filled with tension for me during the last 30 minutes because I was terribly short stacked & trying to act like I didn't care if there was a chop or not. I was very happy to get $400 out of the whole thing & it was a fun experience overall. It was interesting to see the "cream" rise to the top as it were - most of the finalists were regular tournament players.
I hope they do more of this sort of thing. Roland said they were so we shall see!
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Filling Out the Tax Forms Already!
I've been on Monte Carlo and high hand fire lately. Last Thursday I hit quad 8s, quad Qs and AAAQQ for a high hand. I flopped both sets of quads. If I'm going to get quads I flop them about 98% of the time. I had people betting into me both times. Nice. I had to fill out the damn W9 because I was already over $700 for the year and I only played once or twice in January. Shoot.
On Saturday or Sunday (can't remember which) I flopped quad 7s. Again I had a poor guy betting into me with a full house. Sometimes I feel bad. Not often though - LOL. On Monday I hit a jack high straight flush for $300. Last night I got another high hand with AAA1010 - 15 minutes before the deadline. About 30 minutes before the deadline I got AAA88 but shared it with Greg. I hate to share - ha!
All in all it's been a pretty darn good week with a total of $950 in Monte Carlos and high hands, not to mention that I've been playing with prize money and other people's money the whole time. I'm sure this won't happen again any time soon. Drat.
On Saturday or Sunday (can't remember which) I flopped quad 7s. Again I had a poor guy betting into me with a full house. Sometimes I feel bad. Not often though - LOL. On Monday I hit a jack high straight flush for $300. Last night I got another high hand with AAA1010 - 15 minutes before the deadline. About 30 minutes before the deadline I got AAA88 but shared it with Greg. I hate to share - ha!
All in all it's been a pretty darn good week with a total of $950 in Monte Carlos and high hands, not to mention that I've been playing with prize money and other people's money the whole time. I'm sure this won't happen again any time soon. Drat.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Back in the Saddle Again
Yes, I have returned. I'm seriously thinking of not playing most tournaments and sticking to the cash game for awhile. I seem to win more that way, although it goes in spurts, as do my tournament wins. On the whole, however, my profits in the cash games are much better.
For example - I decided to play last night to celebrate getting over the flu (YUCK) which I had been suffering from (and I DO mean suffering) since Monday. I started out with $200 and promptly got stomped by Vern. I had K-K on the button of all places. There were about 6 limpers so I raised to $22 and got 2 callers. The flop was something like 8-3-A. Damned ace. I hate those things. I bet anyway and one guy folded and Vern called. The turn was a 4. Vern checked and I checked behind. Big mistake? Probably, but I think the idiot would have called me anyway since he called my $20 pre-flop raise with . . . wait for it . . . pocket 2s. He hit a 5 on the river for runner-runner gutshot straight. GAK!!!
As Dr. Phil says, "Welcome to Tilt City". I basically blew the rest of my first $200 because I was just flabbergasted. (So was the rest of the table.) I rebought for another $200 and promptly settled down - more or less.
Hector came to the table. My saviour dealer. I immediately got quad 9s for $150. About 2 hands later he dealt me K-10 offsuit and with 7 people seeing the flop ahead of me (small $5 raise), I went ahead and called on the button. The flop was 10 high with 2 clubs and the fireworks began. Jorge made it $17 to go. Four people flat called. An raised to $37. I said to myself, "what the hell" and called with top pair, 2nd kicker. The pot was getting ridiculous.
The turn was non-important. No flush card and no straight card. $20 to go again. There were still six people in the pot. The river was a king giving me top two. No flush. No straight. No paired board. I realized that Jorge must have had jacks or queens because he visibly tensed up when the king hit on the end. EVERYBODY checked the river to me. I bet $20 and got 3 callers. I won. Amazing. Huge pot.
I ended the night with a proft of $750. I left Tilt City in style. Oh, an Vern? He rebought at least twice. I didn't feel sorry for him. I'm so evil.
For example - I decided to play last night to celebrate getting over the flu (YUCK) which I had been suffering from (and I DO mean suffering) since Monday. I started out with $200 and promptly got stomped by Vern. I had K-K on the button of all places. There were about 6 limpers so I raised to $22 and got 2 callers. The flop was something like 8-3-A. Damned ace. I hate those things. I bet anyway and one guy folded and Vern called. The turn was a 4. Vern checked and I checked behind. Big mistake? Probably, but I think the idiot would have called me anyway since he called my $20 pre-flop raise with . . . wait for it . . . pocket 2s. He hit a 5 on the river for runner-runner gutshot straight. GAK!!!
As Dr. Phil says, "Welcome to Tilt City". I basically blew the rest of my first $200 because I was just flabbergasted. (So was the rest of the table.) I rebought for another $200 and promptly settled down - more or less.
Hector came to the table. My saviour dealer. I immediately got quad 9s for $150. About 2 hands later he dealt me K-10 offsuit and with 7 people seeing the flop ahead of me (small $5 raise), I went ahead and called on the button. The flop was 10 high with 2 clubs and the fireworks began. Jorge made it $17 to go. Four people flat called. An raised to $37. I said to myself, "what the hell" and called with top pair, 2nd kicker. The pot was getting ridiculous.
The turn was non-important. No flush card and no straight card. $20 to go again. There were still six people in the pot. The river was a king giving me top two. No flush. No straight. No paired board. I realized that Jorge must have had jacks or queens because he visibly tensed up when the king hit on the end. EVERYBODY checked the river to me. I bet $20 and got 3 callers. I won. Amazing. Huge pot.
I ended the night with a proft of $750. I left Tilt City in style. Oh, an Vern? He rebought at least twice. I didn't feel sorry for him. I'm so evil.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
A Really Long Break
I have decided that my first New Year's Resolution for 2013 should be to take the entire month of January off and play absolutely no poker whatsoever. Why, you may ask?
I have found that when I take some time off it really seems to help my game. Lately, I don't feel like I've been playing all that well, with many "flawed decisions" at untimely moments. Also, I'm not having as much fun as I used to have. I'm not sure why that is, but I'm bound and determined to figure it out.
Taking the month of January off will give me 31 days to redirect my energies elsewhere. I have still done very little with my new house, such as putting up pictures and decorating it a bit, and maybe moving furniture around. It could use a super cleaning too. Ick. I am going to make a concerted effort to resist poker all month - no playing, no watching on TV and no reading about it - except on Dr. Phil's blog.
Plus, all of the money I'm going to save will go into my "off to Las Vegas someday" super secret bank account - LOL. I will play on New Year's Eve and will probably play into January 1, but I'm not really counting that as January, even though I know it is. So, come play some live poker with me on December 31 if you are available and, if not . . . see you in February!!
I have found that when I take some time off it really seems to help my game. Lately, I don't feel like I've been playing all that well, with many "flawed decisions" at untimely moments. Also, I'm not having as much fun as I used to have. I'm not sure why that is, but I'm bound and determined to figure it out.
Taking the month of January off will give me 31 days to redirect my energies elsewhere. I have still done very little with my new house, such as putting up pictures and decorating it a bit, and maybe moving furniture around. It could use a super cleaning too. Ick. I am going to make a concerted effort to resist poker all month - no playing, no watching on TV and no reading about it - except on Dr. Phil's blog.
Plus, all of the money I'm going to save will go into my "off to Las Vegas someday" super secret bank account - LOL. I will play on New Year's Eve and will probably play into January 1, but I'm not really counting that as January, even though I know it is. So, come play some live poker with me on December 31 if you are available and, if not . . . see you in February!!
My Very Own Flawed Decision
Thanks to Dr. Phil for his post about flawed decisions. It makes me feel a little better about my own stupid move last Sunday in the Crazy Moose deepstack.
I was rolling along with no trouble at all. I even bluffed a pot or two and did not detect any bad decisions on my part. I made it to the final table (again). When we were down to I believe 7 players, this hand came up.
I was on the button with 18,000 chips with blinds of 1,000-2,000 (or 9 big blinds). There were only 2 callers before play got to me, both of whom limped. On the button with 7-7 I naturally raised to 3,500. One limper folded and the other guy reraised to 12,000. Gak. Now this guy had been reraising me all day and even though I would have still had 7.5 big blinds left if I folded I picked the wrong time to get stubborn. Has this ever happened to you? I was just sick and tired of the reraising.
He had J-J and my 7-7 went down in a blaze of non-glory and I was out 2 or 3 away from a payday. Blast my terrible timing. Drat. Phooey. Etc.
I was rolling along with no trouble at all. I even bluffed a pot or two and did not detect any bad decisions on my part. I made it to the final table (again). When we were down to I believe 7 players, this hand came up.
I was on the button with 18,000 chips with blinds of 1,000-2,000 (or 9 big blinds). There were only 2 callers before play got to me, both of whom limped. On the button with 7-7 I naturally raised to 3,500. One limper folded and the other guy reraised to 12,000. Gak. Now this guy had been reraising me all day and even though I would have still had 7.5 big blinds left if I folded I picked the wrong time to get stubborn. Has this ever happened to you? I was just sick and tired of the reraising.
He had J-J and my 7-7 went down in a blaze of non-glory and I was out 2 or 3 away from a payday. Blast my terrible timing. Drat. Phooey. Etc.
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