TalkFlop.com

A couple of weeks back and I went to the Nautica Charity Poker tables in downtown Cleveland for the first time.  While I’m not generally one to bitch about the way people play their cards (cause I do some crazy stuff as well), I’m not sure how often I’ll be going back.  To say the play was “loose” would be quite the understatement.  The buddy that I was there with sat down to play some $1/$2 no limit.  I wasn’t playing but he said that every hand opened with a minimum of a $15 to $20 raise.   That seems a bit crazy to me, seeing as the max buy in on the table was $200.  But I digress.

I played in a $75/$25 knock out tournament.  Each player got a $25 chip and each player you knocked out you got that bounty.   There was 6 full tables so it was a decent size tourney.  There are two hands that stand out in my mind.  One that I probably should have busted on and didn’t, and one that I shouldn’t have busted on and did.

About the 3rd or 4th hand of the tourney I’ve got 99 under the gun.  Blinds are $25/$50 so I put in a raise to $200 total.  I get re-raised by a player two seats to my left and the rest of the table folds.  I decide to see a flop rather than shipping the rest of my $5,000 starting stack this early in the tourney.  The flop comes:

Not a bad flop for my hand by any stretch.  We’re only three hands into the tournament so I really don’t have a read on my opponent.  I can’t imagine he’s re-raise with 55 or 33, but he may have with 77.  A7 also flashes through my mind as does a higher pair than my 99.  I lead out with $300 and get snap called.  Hmm.  The turn comes a 2 which doesn’t look scary at all as I can’t imagine he’s re raising the UTG player with A4 or 46.  I lead out once again this time for $400 and get called once again.  I’d actually considered moving in but decided to make a bet instead realizing that there was a chance that he had an over pair.  The river brought another 7 which left me with a 7-high board (with me holding 99):

I’ve got an over pair to a board with no flush possibilities and no real straight potential.  At this point I’m not really worried about a 7 either as he re-raised me to open and I doubt he’d do that with 77 or with something like 78 or A7.  I fired $500 into the pot and got raised to $1,000.  At this point I really should have been concerned with an over pair to my 99 but for some reason I thought he was making a move.  I call and get shown JJ.  I suppose in retrospect I’m glad a 7 came rather than a 4, 6 or an 8 as I probably would have moved in and been done.

So after about 4 hands, I’m down to about half my starting stack and have to play VERY tight for the next couple of hours.  I manage to quadruple up when I flop a King high flush against 3 players and I’m back up over $6,200.  About an hour later I’m moved to another table and this hand comes up.

The blinds are $200/$400 and I’m in the big blind with 94 off suit (stack at $7,000 at this point).  Obviously not a hand that I’d normally play but there are 3 callers so I check fully thinking that I’m not putting another dime into this pot.

Bingo!!!  No flush or straight possibilities and unless someone limped with 22, 44 or 99 I’m WAY ahead.  I ship my remaining $6,600 into the $1,800 pot (the small blind had folded).  I get one caller and when he turns up his hand I’m a little unsure as to what I’m looking at.

I immediately start looking at the board looking for what I’ve missed.  Did I misread the board and there’s a flush draw out there?  Nope… only 1 club.  Did I not see a straight draw out there?  Nope… he’d need to make running 35 to make a straight.  Oh I know… he must have me covered like 30:1 right?  Nope… he’s got a stack of $8,200.

So here’s what we’ve got.  He called off over 80% of his stack with no pair, no draw and over 1 over card.  I wouldn’t be talking about it here if there wasn’t something to talk about, so naturally he caught runner runner clubs to end my day.  As I said before, I’m not one to complain about how people play their cards, but I do have to admit that THAT hand was a bit difficult to swallow.  All of that said, I’m happy to say that I protected my hand as best I could and really don’t see any way that I could have played the hand better.

As they say… that’s poker!!!

Heads up for the title and I’m out chipped by about 10:1.  We’ve been playing heads up for about 20 minutes at this point and I’m hanging tight.  I’ve moved in a couple of times and he’s folded.  I’m to the point that I really can’t call a raise so he’s moving me all in when he raises (typically from the button).  I look down at 77.  I obviously can’t fold here and would probably take the pot down here with an all in (my opponent confirmed this after the game).  Instead I choose to raise and try to win a big pot.

A pretty terrible flop for my sevens but I do have an inside straight draw.  I check giving up the lead and the button makes a reasonable bet which I call.

Trips on the turn puts 4 to a straight out there but I’m backed into a corner at this point.  I move in and get called instantly by J9 for a made straight.  I fail to fill up on the river when an Ace comes and the tourney is over.

I knew when I raised preflop I could be getting myself into trouble.  In all honesty I may have been getting a bit antsy but I was really hoping to get a double up to gain some traction.  Going into heads up 10:1 or 15:1 I knew I was in for an uphill battle and figured that this hand was as good a time as any to try and make my move.

I got back to the tables this weekend with our monthly Cleveland Poker League game.  With it being Memorial Day weekend we had a smaller game (11 players) but the action was no less intense.  We always have a final table of 8 so we started the afternoon with a table of 6 and a table of 5.  The plan was to lose 3 players and then combine for the final table… unfortunately for me, I didn’t make it to the final 8.

When playing short handed (as I was my entire tournament) you HAVE to loosen up your starting hand requirements.  If you don’t you’ll simply be blinded out.  The fact that it’s early in the tournament should have no bearing on when to play and when no to… the number of players at your table should be the deciding factor.  As I sat there throwing away hand after hand I KNEW I should be playing more hands but I just couldn’t do it.  In the end this was my demise.  That said, I do have a couple of hands worth reporting on:

Hand #1
Playing small pairs can be really difficult.  Sure they look nice but unless you flop yourself a set or a great draw you can get into big trouble.  And even with a small set you can always get in trouble with an bigger set, flush or full house.  With all of this in mind, I looked down to see:

I called with my small pair hoping to hit my set.  I was very happy to see that I’d done just that.

So I’m pretty sure that I’m in good shape as I’m guessing someone with pocket Kings would have raised and I didn’t get an “I’ve got middle set” read from anyone.”  I made a sizable bet and got two callers.  Hmm… not good.  Perhaps that middle set is out there after all.  At this point I’m guessing there’s a couple of Kings out there or at least a couple of flush draws.  The turn comes another club and everyone checks around.  That’s trouble.  The river comes a beautiful 6 giving me a boat.  really the only thing I’m worried about at this point is quad 6′s (and really only cause it bit me in the ass in a previous game) but in reality I’m not really concerned with that possibility.  Actually I’m hoping that someone’s got a big flush and will raise me after I make a bet.  Unfortunately no one called my bet and I took down a sizable pot.

Looking back I’m not sure what hands I was up against.  If my post-flop read was correct there had to be at least a King out there and possibly a flush.  I suppose I can see someone laying down a King with a flush on board but I just cannot see someone laying down a flush.  Perhaps I was up against two Kings and they both got scared off by the board (and my bet).

Hand #2
Once again I look down to see a small pair (44) this time on the button.  I just call (which in retrospect was a mistake… should have been raising here in a short handed game).  Flop comes 87Q and I’m forced to fold to a bet.  Really need to get into more of a habit of raising and then putting out a continuation bet.

Hand #3
There are hands that are good and we all know we should play them (AA, KK, QQ).  There are hands that are bad that we play anyways cause they are our “favorite” hands (for me, 74).  Then there are hands that look really nice but aren’t all that great (AK, QT, KJ).  Sure enough, I’ve got one of those in first position:

It looks SO pretty to see two painted cards but when it comes right down to it it’s a drawing hand that needs help on the flop.  This time, I got it… big time.

Just about a perfect flop for my hand (of course KKK, JJJ, KKJ, or KJJ would be better but beggars can’t be choosers).  At this point I’m pretty sure I’m ahead with the possible exceptions of 88, or AK.  I bet and get two callers building a nice pot.  A 6 comes off on the turn and I’m firing again and get one caller.  Perhaps I’m up against another King?  The river comes a 3 and I fire out again and take down a nice pot.  Not sure what they may have had… perhaps something like A8?

Hand #4
I’m sure we’ve all had hands like this.  Hands that have so much potential but just fall short.

Just like KJ above this is a drawing hand that needs some help but I play it for a raise this time and get 3 callers.  Remember… we’re on a short handed table and my opponents are doing a much better job of playing their cards.  Either they’ve loosened up their starting requirements, they’re getting better cards than me or both.

There are two bets in front of me and I call with middle pair and knowing where the nut flush is.  The turn comes another club and the flushes got there.  There’s another bet with two callers.  The river comes another card showing a four card straight on the board.  I’m forced to fold knowing that my flush didn’t get there.  Dammit.  Might have been a good idea to make a big raise on the turn representing the flush.

Hand #5
Perhaps I’m learning… I pick up Ace/Ten on the button and make a raise and get one caller (the big blind).  The flop comes JJ8 which my opponent checks and make a continuation bet taking down the pot.  Feels good to “earn” that pot.

My Last Hand
From there on out I was on a downward spiral of poor play.  I just couldn’t get myself to pull the trigger and make a bet or a raise.  Not sure what was going on.  Actually I’ll tell you… I was hoping for the other table to bust a player so we’d be down to 8, combine and be able to play at a full table.  As it turns out that was foolish.

I looked down to see 66 on the button and decide to make my stand and put all my chips in the middle.  I’m called by the small blind (who was the eventual winner) with… you guessed it… Ace/Ten.  She turned an Ace and my day was over early.

It amazes me how a couple of motif’s kept coming up for me: Ace/Ten and small to mid pairs.  I definitely need to get better at playing those small pairs.  I’m either not playing them for value or I’m loosing way too much when I’ve got the worst of it.  Obviously a leak that I need to plug.  In addition this game really reminded me that when you’re playing short handed you HAVE to loosen up your starting requriements… otherwise you’ll be on the rail watching.

See you after the flop!

Tournament poker is a game of patience.  There’s quite a bit of skill involved as you need to play your cards well and take advantage of opportunities presented to you, but there’s also a ton of luck involved.  You could play your cards nearly perfectly and still get drawn out on.  You can get your money in good and still come up on the losing end of the hand.  I was recently the recipient of some good luck along the way (though I do think I played pretty decently).

Hand #1
Quite literally the first hand of the night which I normally do not like playing.  I’m in the big blind and look down to see Ten/Three off suit.  Definitely not the kind of hand I’m looking to get cute with, especially in the first hand of the night.  I manage to flop a three and take the pot down after checking the hand to the river.  For the second tourney in a row, I’m off to a good start.

Hand #2
Big Slick is not one of my favorite hands.  Its looks so pretty when you first see it and then you realize (or maybe you don’t) that it’s nothing more than a drawing hand.  Unless you flop a pair you’re in pretty bad shape.  That said I always play it either really strong from the get go or really tentatively.  Probably not the best way to play this hand to get the most value out of it, but it’s all that I’m comfortable with.  Obviously with all of this talk, you know that I looked down at AK (this time on the button).  I called a small raise and we’re off to the flop 3 handed:

Just about a perfect flop for my hand.  The initial raiser leads out with a $20 bet (minimum), I call and the big blind folds.  The turn comes a 9 and I call a $50 bet.  At this point I’m guessing he’s either on a straight draw, has a pair of 6′s or (hopefully) a weaker ace.  The 9 at this point really doesn’t scare me (unless he’s got A9 but I think he’d be betting quite a bit bigger if he’s holding two pair here).  The river comes another 6 for a final board of:

If he was holding a 6 then he just outdrew me and hit his set on the river.  If he’s holding an ace then I’m golden and if he was drawing he missed.  He checks and I jump at the chance to make a bet.  I fire $100 into the pot and he promptly folds.

Hand #3
I picked up 77 three off the button.  I decided to raise and try and take it down rather than getting fancy and trying to flop as set.  I was called and we were off the river which contained two over cards.  I bet and was called and we both checked the turn.  The river came and left us with four straight cards on board.  My opponent bet and between the four card straight and two over cards I was forced to fold.  It turned out she had nothing but 55 in the hole and caught trips on the river.  I was irritated that I got outplayed in this hand but you’ve got to give your opponent credit for a hand sometimes and if they’re willing to make a play like that into a board like that you’ve just got to tip your cap.

Hand #4
The very next hand I pick up 88 and once again raise only to get a caller.  The flop comes down AK7 and I’m once again forced to fold my middle pair after a nasty flop.  I’m really not a big fan of these middle pairs because of just this reason.  Sure you can win a big pot if you flop a set but more often than not you’re going to see a couple of overcards on the flop and you’re going to have to either put on the brakes or go bet right into it.

The Final Table
The final table was pretty uneventful for me right up until the very end.  We had started the tournament with two tables of 8 and when we combined there were two VERY large stacks that had come over from the other table – they’d essentially knocked everyone out up till that point.  They were both sitting to my left so in most positions I was able to see what they were going to do before I had to act.  I went into “stay out of the way” mode for the most part and allowed them to knock out the other players at the table.

We got to the final four player: the two large stacks and two smaller stacks (myself included).  I sat back and watched as the large stack called the other short stack’s all in move.  Short stack had QQ, big stack had 52.  As I saw the last spade peel off the deck to give the 52 a flush I smiled to myself realizing that I’d just made the money.  When the big stack player knows how to play the game AND catches cards it’s a pretty unbeatable combination.

So we’re down to two… the two HUGE stacks and little ol me.  I figure it’s a foregone conclusion that I’m going to take third but I refuse to give up and keep playing my game.  I get REALLY short a couple of times and get a gift double up with I move in with A7 off suit and get called with 34 suited.  My hand holds up and I’m able to make it another couple of rounds.  The next time I’m on the button I fold, small blind raises and big blind calls.  The flop comes out and small blind bets and big blind calls.  At this point I’m starting to wonder what kind of hands we’re going to see.  The turn comes out and we get another round of betting.  Now I’m starting to think that I might have a chance to back into 2nd.  The river comes and we get a bet followed by an all in!!!  I’m literally PRAYING for a call here cause either way I’m in great shape.

1. I could have just gone from 3rd to 2nd without even playing a hand.
2. At the very least one of the large stacks is going to be crippled giving me a chance to move up.

Luckily (for me) the smaller of the large stacks called and was knocked out!

The Final Hand
We started heads up play and I had about a 25:1 chip disadvantage.  That said I didn’t just move all in the first hand I saw.  I managed to play a dozen hands or so before this hand came up.  I looked down and had 97 on the button and called.  He checked and we were off the flop:

I figure with a pair and an inside straight draw this is about as good as I’m going to see without getting blinded out so I put the rest of my money in the middle and I’m immediately called by K9 of spades.  I was actually a little surprised that I was ahead here but figured if I was going to get called it would either be by a made pair or a big draw.  I improved on the turn hitting another 7 but saw my dream of double through get crushed when a third spade fell on the river giving my opponent a winning flush.

All in all I can’t complain about the way I played.  I got outplayed in a couple of hands but based on the cards that I was getting I’m pretty happy.  One thing that I would change would not allow myself to get quite so love (if possible).  I simply don’t like being in that “all in or fold” mode when I don’t have enough in my stack to make a dent in a big stack.  That’s when you get called by a garbage hand and get drawn out on (see QQ vs. 52 above).  Luckily the next Cleveland Poker Leage Game is coming up shortly!

See you after the flop!

In my previous post I talked about the ups and downs of a typical poker tournament.  I picked my spots and was able to weave my way through the field to the final table of 8.  At this point I’m not nearly the big stack at the table but not the low man either.  I think it’s fair to say that I can still comfortably play “my game”… for a while at least.

Hand #1
As with the beginning of the tournament I find myself on the button with good hand: 77.  I raise and get two callers and we’re off to the flop:

Definitely not the flop I wanted after raising with two sevens.  Small blind leads out with pot sized bet and I’m forced to fold.  He gracefully shows AQ.  Terrible timing but I can’t think of another way to play this hand.

Hand #2:
After that first hand I go into chip conversation mode for a couple of table rotations playing only two pots when I was in the blinds.  At this point blinds are $750/$1,500 and I’m feeling like I’m in an “all-in-or-fold” situation (which I hate).  I put my last $4,750 in on JJ which holds up against the big stack’s KQ off suit.  I decide not to push my luck and fold QJ on the next hand.

I’m up over $8,000 and feeling pretty good and then the cards go dead again.  After a couple of rounds where I don’t see anything worth calling with (let alone raising with) I’m getting desperate again and have to make a move.

Hand #3
I’ve got 52 off suit in the small blind and there’s been one caller.  The big stack at the table is sitting to my left in the big blind but he’d just lost a pot so I’m hoping that if I call he’ll just check and let us take a cheap flop.  That’s exactly what happens and off we go:

Just about as much as I could hope for playing garbage like 52.  I quickly check as do my other two opponents and I start to salivate at how beautiful an A on the turn would be.  There would be little chance somone would put me on 52 and I could potentially double up if someone was holding a decent A if I move in.

BOOM!!!  What a beautiful card!  I immediately move all in and the big blind folds.  The other player thinks for a moment but pretty confidently calls and turns over A9 doubling me up.

There’s certainly quite a bit of luck here as there always is when you turn the nuts, but I felt really good about the way that I played this hand.  I was getting a good price to make a call out of the small blind and as they say, “any two cards can win.”  Looking back I’m not sure what I would have done if the big blind raised in that spot.  I suppose it would have depended on my read and how big the raise was.

Hand #4
And we’ve come (after two posts) to the “one big oops”.  I’m sitting in the big blind with A6 of hearts and I check to see a flop.  There was a caller on the button and only he and I were in the hand with blinds of $1,000/$2,000.  I’m good friends with this player, we’ve played together forever and it was one of those hands where we were talking and checking as the hand played out… or so I thought.  The flop came:

This looks pretty good for my hand but I decide not to push my luck and check which my opponent does as well.

Well that’s a complete miss.  At this point I’m figuring I’m behind to at least a pair.  I check and so does my opponent.

Beautiful!!!  I just made the nut flush on the river in an unraised pot.  The thought crosses my mind that he may have made a boat (simply cause every time I see a pair on board when I’m holding a flush I think about it) but I don’t think it’s all that likely.  For some reason I move all in and get an insta-call.  OOPS.  He turns over 22 for quad deuces on the river.  Dammit.  This brings me down to a stack of $2,1oo with me sitting in the big blind of $2,000 the next hand.  I pick up a suited 75 and move in for my last $100 which doesn’t hold up and my day is done.

Looking back there was a couple of mistakes made.

1. I still like my check in the big blind with a call on the button.  I suppose I could have raised here and depending on the size of the raise he might have went away with 22.  Starting the hand we were just about even in chips so he may not have wanted to tangle with a small pair.
2. After the flop I’m glad I didn’t put in a bet.  There’s no way he was folding his set.  I’m lucky that he didn’t put in a bet here cause I definitely would have called it trying to hit my flush.
3. I’m OK with my check on the turn here trying to catch my flush.  In retrospect he made a risky play by checking and allowing me to catch my flush.
4. The deuce of hearts was a terrible card!  It looked beautiful but it was one of the few that would lose me the hand.
5. I NEVER should have moved in here.  That said, if I would have made a standard bet I would have almost certainly have been raised and knowing how he and I both play the money was going into the middle anyhow.

I’ve had MORE than my share of luck in Cleveland Poker League games so I suppose this is just part of “luck leveling out”.  I won’t say it didn’t sting but looking back it’s a hell of a story.  Can’t wait to get back to the table.

See you after the flop!

Poker is a game of ups and downs.  Tournament poker many times is an exercise in patience followed by a few seconds of sheer terror waiting to see if you hand holds up.  With my style of play I tend to sit around for quite a while until I get some premium hands… unless I get bored.  That’s when I have a tendency to get into trouble by playing a lot of garbage that I shouldn’t be playing and defending blinds where I have no business even looking to see what cards I’ve got.

Hand #1
This is literally the first hand of the tournament and I look down to AJ on the button.  I actually don’t like to play the first couple of hands of the night but this is just too good to pass up.  I raise and take it down.  Good start!

Hand #2
First time in the big blind and I look down to see AK of spades.  Not sure why but I call and we’re off to the flop.  Flop comes like so:

giving me the nut flush draw and a backdoor straight draw.  I make a bet and get one caller.  A ten comes on the turn giving me that straight draw which I bet again and get called.  I miss everything on the river giving me a pathetic AK high.  My opponent turns over Q3 for the win.  Chalk this one up to “shoulda raised Chewie”.

Hand #3
The very next hand I’ve AK off in the small blind.  There’s a pre-flop raise so I call and go to the flop.  I completely miss and fold to the next bet.  Two slick’s in a row and I’ve got absolutely nothing to show for it.  After my first hand victory I’ve been shut down and I’m feeling pretty crappy.

Hand #4
The next rotation around the table I look down at 92 off suit in the small blind.  I’m looking to play a pot so I decide to call and see if I get lucky on a flop.

I lead out for a bet of $50 and immediately get raised an additional $200.  At this point I’m playing a bit scared and even though I’ve got top pair I let it go.  Not sure what kind of flop I was looking for with 92.  Stupid play (especially if I’m not raising in that spot).

Hand #5
At this point I’m REALLY in a low spot mentally which is a terrible place to play poker.  I haven’t won a hand since literally the first hand of the tournament and I’ve been getting beaten down and playing poorly.  Unfortunately it didn’t change on this hand.

I’m in the small blind and look down to find 75 off suit.  I decide to take a call and hit gin:

Two pair with no real scary draws.  I bet and I get two callers (hmm).  The turn comes:

Not good… but not the worst card I could have hoped for.  I make another bet and two callers (uh oh).  The river comes and I’m done:

They have both represented diamonds from the turn and I missed my boat.  I’m first to act and I check.  First guy bets, second guy calls and I reluctantly fold.  Of course they both hit their flushes on the river.

Hand #6
Next time I’m on the button I see A7 of diamonds and raise it up and get one caller.  Flop comes 7K4.  I don’t think he’s got a King after he checks but I decide to check as well.  Turn comes another K and after his check I bet which he calls.  Now I have no idea where he is.  River comes a Ten and he bets which I call.  He shows a Ten.  Dammit.  I totally let him get there with an inferior hand.  Can’t tell you how irritated I was at this point.  This hand totally put me on tilt and led to the next three (7, 8 & 9) terribly played hands.

Hand #7
For some reason I neglect to raise with 88 and just call.  Flop comes 62T which is checked around.  A second Deuce comes on the turn and it’s checked around again.  A Jack on the river and a bet forces me to fold.  I’m playing scared and it’s pissing me off.

Hand #8
QT in the big blind.  It’s raised but I decide to call.  Flop comes 885, someone bets and I fold.  Terrible.  I have no business calling there.

Hand #9
AK under the gun – fold.  You’re reading that correctly.  I folded AK under the gun.   I was totally gun shy at this point and just didn’t want to play (and lose) another pot.  Quite possibly the worst feeling you can ever have at a poker table.

Hand #10
33 in the big blind and it’s raised to $300.  I call and hit a beautiful flop:

I check to the original raiser and he follows up with a bet which I call.  The turn comes a rag diamond and I move all in which he calls immediately.  He shows AQ offsuit and I double up.

Next post… THE FINAL TABLE!

See you after the flop!

I my previous post I talked about how I had a specific plan going into a tournament even though this is not typically a good strategy.  Prevailing ideology says that you should roll with the punches and be able to change up your game based on how the table is breaking and the cards you’re being dealt.  I decided to take a set of hard rules and stick with them throughout the tournament.  Without any further adieu, here were the rules that I played by:

1. Do not utter the words “all in” unless I absolutely felt I had the best hand.  That said, do not use an all in move as a bluff or even a semi-bluff.
2. Raise with any paired hand regardless of position or previous action.
3. After applying point #2, fold to any re-raise when holding 88 or lower.

So… how did things go.  Was I successful in my strategy?  Well, it depends on how you define success I suppose.  I did not win the tournament so I suppose ultimately I was not successful.  That said the odds of winning every tournament you enter is slim to none so I’m not sure I’m comfortable rating success or failure just on whether I won the tournament.  I can tell you that I followed my rules to a “T” and did not deviate from this strategy… with one exception (see Hand #7).

As for rule #1.  I only said the words “all in” once in the tournament.  Unfortunately I was outdrawn and was out of the tournament.  I am happy to report though that I had far-and-away the best hand when I did make my move (telling me that I was at least reading the situation correctly).  Part of the reason that was not successful in that particular hand was that I had allowed myself to get so low that I had two callers.  Had I made the move earlier in the game I would have had a larger stack and might have been able to scare some people into folding.  As it was my stack was just too small to do any damage.

As for points #2 & #3.  I was faced with this situation twice.  Once with 22 in the big blind and once with 66 in the small.  I was reraised when I had my duces and per rule #3 folded immediately.  When I held my sixes I raised and promptly flopped top set!!!

All in all this was a good little experiment.  I plan on putting some new rules in place the next time I play.  I’ve been doing this type of thing all season long and have only just recently been sharing it here.  My results (winning and losing) have been TERRIBLE but I think it’s making me a better player.  Time will tell.

See you after the flop!

So for the first time in nearly two months I’m going to hit the felt for a poker tournament.  Real life has been SUPER busy lately and the Cleveland Poker League hasn’t played a game since early January so tomorrow is the first real opportunity I’ve had for a live game.

Traditional thought is that you should never go into a game/tournament with a specific agenda in mind.  I’m not a very traditional guy on or off the poker table so that’s exactly what I’m planning.  I’m certainly not going to say here what my pre-determined strategy is (seeing as quite a few of the players I’ll be playing against are readers of this blog) but I’ll be back after the game to tell you what the strategy is and how it worked out.  Wish me luck!

See you after the flop!

Click here to read the follow up to this post…

Was playing in a Cleveland Poker League event recently when the following hand came up.  I was cruising right along with about $6,500 or so where the average stack at the table was $4,000.  There was only one larger stack at the table (about $7,500 or so).  I had been playing pretty tight and had been picking up a couple of hands here and there.  I had rivered the nut flush and had someone betting into me which added about $2,000 to my stack.

On this particular hand I was on the button in an unraised pot and looked down to see and decided to limp along and see a flop.  Not sure why I limped except that I hadn’t seen a flop in a while and I was getting a bit antsy.  Should probably have raised to try and pick up the blinds and antes right there but alas did not.  The small blind called, big blind checked and we went to the flop three handed.

Both the small and big blind check and even though I figure I’m behind I take a stab at the pot hoping to get a hand with a random Ten or a bad King to lay down.  I fire $500 in to the pot and the small blind folds immediately and the big blind calls.  Houston… we may have a problem.

The turn comes a and the big blind checks again.  This time I fire away with $1,000 into the pot with my inside straight draw trying to represent a big Ace or a Ten.  The big blind thinks for a moment and I tell him that I’d never bluff him.  He says “in that case, I’ll raise” and adds another $1,000 on top of my bet.

I’ve got quite a bit of history with this player.  I consider him VERY solid and quite honestly I don’t like to go up against him without a premium hand.  There have been a couple of occasions where I’ve held boat-over-boat type holdings and really put a hurt on his stack.  One time we both had AK suited and I flopped a flush to knock him out — that kind of stuff.  I decided to try and play on that history and immediately moved all in on him!  When he didn’t fold immediately I knew that I was in big trouble.  He went into the tank for quite a while and began talking aloud about the exact history that I was trying to play on.  He called and turned over the dagger:

for a flopped Broadway straight… UGHH.  I figured I was in bad shape but I had no idea that I was drawing dead to a split pot.  The river came an Ace counter fitting my hand.  In fact for a moment I thought that I’d received a reprieve thinking that we were both playing the board (forgetting about his straight).

Looking back I made a couple of mistakes here:

1. If I’m going to play this hand I need to raise on the button.  The fact that I didn’t is completely uncalled for.  I’d been sitting around for a while and was getting antsy.  Absolutely no excuse for this type of crappy play.  At least that way I’ve got a couple of ways to win the pot and might have a bit more information.
2. Need to keep better track of other stacks at the table.  I knew that the big blind had a big stack but I didn’t realize that he had me out chipped.  Terrible.
3. He made two very nice checks here with a flopped straight.  I’m very aggressive once I get into a hand and he allowed me to play right into him.  The second ten on the board gave me some hope but he’d flopped such a big hand that he couldn’t get away from it.

I suppose it makes me feel good that I made a good play at the wrong time, but the fact that I never should have been in the hand at all really does make me bitter.  Next time I’m raising or folding… no doubt about it.

See you after the flop!

I had my regular game this past weekend and as always I’ve got a couple of hands to replay.  One was between myself and a couple of the other regulars from the group (I.E. I’ve got a good handle on how they play) and another was with someone new to the group (I.E. I’ve got no clue how he plays).  Looking back I think I made two bad plays and one of them cost me dearly.

Hand #1
I’m in the big blind and there are two callers (one off the button and the small blind).  I’m a pretty talkative player (when I know the players I’m playing with) and this was a pretty jovial table.  I made a comment the first player limping into my big blind and he asked if I was going to raise.  I said no and he called.  The small blind completed and I decided to check dark (being the honest poker player I am )  There were a couple of comments about “friendly poker” and we were off to the flop.  The flop came out:

and the small blind (who was the short stack) moved all in for around $950 more.  At the time I had about $3,000 or so and only had a big blind in the pot (which was $600).  I of course said something along the lines of “oh sure, make me look at my hand” and then looked down to find Aces.  I figured she could have anything at this point but I was guessing my Aces were good.  I decided to call and the first limper went into the tank and I got really worried.  Knowing him he very well might have limped with Twos or Eights (but more than likely NOT Jacks).  He thought for quite a while and he eventually laid his hand down.  I retrospect I definitely should have raised to isolate.  She of course showed me a Jack and then promptly hit trips on the turn to crack my Aces.

Hand #2
About an hour and a half later I had worked myself into a middle stack ($3,700 or so) and looked down to see Sevens on the button.  There was one limper (who I had never played with) when it got back to me.  Blinds at the time were $250/$500 with a $50 ante so I decided to pop it up to $1,500 to go.  The blinds folded and the limper promptly moved all in.  Looking back he moved in WAY too quickly to be bluffing but at the time I didn’t pick up on it.  My thinking was that I had $1,500 of my remaining $3,700 in the pot already and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let nearly 50% of my stack go to a bluff.  Before I really thought through it I called only to see his pair of Queens be turned up.  I didn’t catch the set that I needed and that was the end of my day.

In retrospect he made a really nice play limping with Queens.  If I had more time to think through it I still may have called and busted but I’m upset with myself that I didn’t take some more time to at least consider the possibility of folding.  It would have left me with around $2,000 which would just about qualify for “all in or fold” mode but that would have been better than playing dealer’s choice at the cash table.  Oh well… as they say, that’s poker.

See you after the flop!