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This past weekend we had the championship game for Season V of the Cleveland Poker League.  For a variety of reasons it had been quite a long time since the final game of the regular season and due to some real life considerations I hadn’t played one single hand in the time between those two games (over two months).  If I’m being honest I was really pretty worried heading into this game as I was sure that my game would be rusty.  Luckily after a couple of hands I was feeling very comfortable at the table and things were back to “normal”.  Unfortunately, “normal” for me this past season has meant me playing pretty well and coming up on the short end of some luck.

I didn’t have any “never seen that before” hands but I did have a couple of noteworthy ones.

Hand #1

I make a raise from early position and get a call out of the big blind.  Flop comes out beautifully.

At this point I’m pretty positive that I’m in good shape against a blind hand.  Obviously I have to bet enough to make someone pay to draw to their flush and that’s what I do.  The turn comes a non diamond and I do the same thing making it expensive for the flush to get there.  As fate would have it, a diamond fell on the river.  I checked and made a crying call only to see what I already knew.  Personally I thought I’d done enough to keep the draw from getting there but obviously I didn’t.

Hand #2

Button makes a raise and I reraise out of the big blind with my kings.  He calls and we’re off to the flop which doesn’t look all that dangerous.

There’s really only a couple of hands here that scare me but I really don’t have him on JJ, or 88.  KJ and AJ cross my mind as good button hands and I’m actually hoping he’s got AJ as I’ll win a nice pot.  I suppose button raises with 55 is possible but it really doesn’t concern me.  A second Jack falls on the river and I’m forced once again to show down the second best hand which was best going into that last card.

Hand #3

Love seeing them those rockets!  Love even more when someone moves all in before I’ve got a chance to act.  I had the all in player out chipped by just a few so when my aces held up it was nearly a double up for me.  This put me back above chip average and I propelled me for another hour or so.

Final Hand

I’ve got 66 on the button and the player to my right makes a minimum raise.  I call and the flop comes out:

I didn’t put him on a J and he’d already had trip 5’s two or three times already tonight… how many times can one guy have the same hand???  You guessed it… one more time.  I wasn’t able to catch my 6 and my day was done.  On to next season for me – hope it will be better to me than the current season.

See you after the flop!

Tags: aces hold up, bad river, Cleveland Poker League, nice flop

I had a Cleveland Poker League game this past weekend (the last of the season) and as I’m sure you can tell by the title of this post it didn’t go well.  On a positive note I really do think I was playing pretty well (good reads, some good folds, etc.)  For what seemed like the 4th or 5th tourney in a row I felt like I was getting nothing to play with.  At one point about an hour in or so I’d see a grand total of 6 face cards… that’s not good.  But I’m not here to bitch about the cards I was getting cause we all know it’s about what you DO with those cards that makes the poker player.

Hand #1

I’m in the small blind and I look down to find a pair of Sevens.  We’re playing 6 handed and there were two callers so I decide just to call and see a flop.

Hmm… talk about a bad flop for a pair of Sevens.  Believe it or not the table checks around and we go to the turn which brings another J.  At this point (with 4 overcards) I’m forced to fold.  I retrospect a bet on the flop might have taken it down but I just couldn’t pull the trigger betting into a flop with 3 overcards on it.

Hand #2

I’m on the button and look down to see one of my favorites:

I’d been playing pretty tight (primarily cause I was getting a whole bunch of nothing) but I decided that this was too good to pass on so I bumped it to 3 times the big blind.  The small blind called and we were off to the flop.

Not a bad flop at all.  I’d have preferred to hit a pair to go along with my 4 flush but this was definitely good enough to call when the small blind put out a bet.  The turn and river came and I ended going to the river with nothing but a pair of 8’s.  Not good enough to take down the pot once the small blind showed wired Queens.  Unfortunately nothing higher than a Queen was on the board or I may have been able to buy the pot with a big bet.

Final Hand

Just before the second break and I’m under the gun and look down to see AQ.  It’s folded around to the big blind who calls and we’re off to the flop:

All right!  Finally something I can play with.  My opponent bets $400 and I call.  The flop comes out another beautiful Ace.  She bets out again and I move all in for the rest of my dwindling stack.  She (of course) flips over an A9 for a full house leaving me drawing to three outs which don’t come.

Looking back I’m not sure I could have gotten away from this.  Once I hit my third ace just about the only hand I was worried about was AK.  I honestly didn’t think she’d call with A9 in that spot (AK, AQ, AJ or AT was about the range of Aces that I had her on).  Guess I missed that “that much”.  As they say… that’s poker!

See you after the flop!

Tags: Cleveland Poker League, dead man's hand, face cards, good fold, good read, no cards, overcards, small pairs

Luck and skill.  You’ve got to have both to be successful at the poker table.  You can play your cards “perfectly” and have no success.  You can play your cards poorly and win every pot you’re in.  The best you can do is get your money in good and pray to the poker gods.  In the long run you’ll be a winner.

I’ve had more than my fair share of luck.  I get my money in with a coin flip and win.  I suck out on an open-ended straight draw against top two pair.  If you play cards it’s GOING to happen to you.  Hopefully you get a couple of those hands to go your way.  I like to think that it’s because I study the game.  I study my opponents (especially when I’ve played more than once against them) and try to make plays that will work against specific people in specific situations.

But what about superstition?  I try not to worry about stuff like this but I’ve always got it in the back of my mind.  What am I wearing?  What am I using as a card protector?  Music vs. no music?  Do any of these things come into play at the table?  I highly doubt it but for what it’s worth I decided to outline my superstitions here.  I’m thinking maybe if I get them out into the open they can no longer harm my game

1. The first hand of the night – I try hard not to play the first hand.  It’s not so much of a superstition as it is me not being ready to play.  When I’m playing a Cleveland Poker League I’m normally running around trying to get everyone situated, get pictures taken, etc.  The last thing I want to do is get into a big pot right away when I’m not “ready” to play.Even when it’s NOT a CPL event, I try to stay out of the way – especially when I’m playing a tourney online.  I’ve found over the years that you can almost always find some donkey that’s going to put his chips in (regardless of what he’s holding) on the first hand of the tourney.  Even if I’m holding Aces I’ll generally play it VERY tightly.  I recognize that this is a terrible play but in my mind it’s just too silly to be outdrawn on the first hand of the night.
2. My card protector – When I use a card protector (which is not often these days) I’ll use my KillTheCan.org Hall of Fame coin.  It’s precious to me and if there’s something to be on the table that’s it.  That said, it’s not often that I use one anymore.  I’ll typically just put one of my chips (or a stack) on my cards.  I don’t know which poker pro said it, but if you’re using one of your chips then you’ll always have a protector – as long as you’re still in the tourney.
3. Headphones? – I’m typically a pretty talkative player at the table when I’m playing with friends.  Poker is a social game and aside from picking up tells on your opponents I genuinely enjoy talking with my friends at the table.  If I’m playing in a tourney where I don’t know anyone then I’ll throw on the headphones and have some tunes going.   NOTE: PLEASE people… if you’re going to wear headphones PLEASE pay attention.  It’s a pain in the ass to have to tell you it’s your turn… AGAIN. As for the type of music it’s all across the board.  I’ll just put the iPod on shuffle and let it play.
4. Seat – This one is only relevant in the online world where you can pick where you sit (or at least where your icon appears to sit).  I always “sit” in the lower right hand corner of the table when playing on Full Tilt.  I think it’s more of a habit then it is a superstition, but I thought I’d point it out.
5. Sunglasses/Hat – I always wear a hat when I play and rarely do I wear sunglasses.  I like wearing a hat for two reasons: (1) I never get to wear one on a normal day and (2) It allows me to just look down and hide my eyes when I’m in a hand.  Sure, sunglasses do the same thing but I’ve just never been comfortable sitting in a $20 or $100 tournament with my Ray Bans on.  If I was playing in a WPT or World Series even with the bright lights, this may be a different story.
6. Shirt – This one bothers me and it really shouldn’t.  When I play in a Cleveland Poker League event I almost always wear a Star Wars shirt that says “Thank you George” on it.  Not sure how this came to be my default poker shirt but it did.  Well of course I’ve been having a down season so I decided to change it up a bit and wear another shirt – naturally I played worse than I had all season and was the third one out.  This only leads me to believe that this superstition holds weight, which of course it doesn’t.  (Or does it???)

So there you go – my superstitions at the table.  I’d love to hear some of yours.

See you after the flop!

Tags: card protector, Cleveland Poker League, coin flip, first hand, Full Tilt, hat, headphones, luck, poker gods, shirt, skill, sunglasses, superstition, where to sit

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!

Tags: blinded out, Cleveland Poker League, continuation bet, final table, Memorial Day, short handed, small game, small pairs, starting requirements

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!

Tags: all-in-or-fold, big blind, Big Slick, Cleveland Poker League, final table, first hand, four card straight, luck, outplayed, short stacked, trips, weak ace

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!

Tags: all in, all-in-or-fold, card dead, Cleveland Poker League, double up, final table

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!

Tags: Cleveland Poker League, nut flush, premium hands, ups and downs

It had been nearly two months since the Cleveland Poker League had a game so I was REALLY itching to play.  I talked in some previous posts about the plan that I had moving into this game so I won’t recap it here.  This post will be dedicated to some interesting hands that I played/saw throughout the night.  Feedback is always welcome… enjoy!

Hand #1
I held 33 in the big blind and per my rules for this game raised and got two callers (the small blind and the player two to my left).  The flop comes:

The small blind bets and I immediately fold.  With two overcards out there to my threes and him calling my raise out of the small blind there’s no reason for me to think I’m good here.

Hand #2
I raised out of the small blind with 55.  The player 3 to my left raised and then was promptly re-raised.  Per my rule for the game I folded (though this is an EASY lay down regardless).  55 just isn’t that strong with all that action behind it.

At this point in the tourney I’d been laying low.  The two hands above are the only two hands that I played worth describing other than a couple where I was in the big blind and it was checked around to me.  We were headed into the first break of the evening (after two half hour blind levels) when these next two hands came up.

Hand #3
66 in the big blind.  I raised and got two callers: the complete “on a roll” player two to my left and the player directly to his left.  The flop is just about perfect:

Beautiful!  I’ve got top set in a raised pot!  There’s no flush possibility out there yet and I’m guessing that neither of my callers are holding 45 for a flopped straight.  I lead out with a pot sized bet and get one caller.  The turn comes a Q and I bet again taking down the pot.

Hand #4
Two hands later I’m on the button and look down to find KJ of spades.  I limped and was in the hand with only the two blinds.  The flop comes with two spades and I led out with my spade draw and got one caller (the big blind).  The turn brought a blank and we both checked.  I made the second nut flush on the river and bet out again.  The big blind immediately called and I was REALLY worried he was going to show me the nut flush.  Luckily for me (and my stack) he turned up 74 of spades for the second best flush.

Now that we’re on break I’m feeling pretty good about myself.  After those last two hands I’m way above average and if I’m not chip leader at my table I’m close to it.  I figure to go into conservation mode and try to make it to the final table.

Hand #5
We have a Winner’s Bounty in play and the bounty happened to be seated to my left.  The table folded around to me in the small blind and I called with 97.  He moved in out of the big blind for not much more and even though I figured to be behind I called trying to pick up the bounty.  He showed 55 for a race situation which I won by rivering a 9.  I picked up the bounty (making money for the night) and cruised to the final table.

Hand #6
I look down and find 77 on the button and I raise.  I get one caller (a larger stack that I) and we’re off to the flop:

I’ve got bottom set and he puts me all in.  I’m scared of the flush draw but I’m confident that I’ve currently got the best hand so I call off all my chips.  Luckily my hand holds up and I double up.

Hand #7
I looked down under the gun and found JJ.  At exactly the same time my wife calls and for some reason I don’t raise (going against my rule for this game).  There are two other callers (three to my left and the big blind seated directly to my right).  The flop contains and ugly Q and since I was a dumb ass and didn’t raise I have absolutely NO IDEA where I stand in the hand.  The big blind leads out for a small bet and I decide to call and the other player folds.  To make a long story short, I go to the river calling these small bets and he turns up Q6 for two pairs (not that it matters cause the Q alone would have won it).

Hand #8
I’m one off the button and look down at QQ.  At this point in the tournament I’m either low man at the table or very close to it.  It’s an obvious all in move which is exactly what I do.  The small blind thinks for a moment moves all in himself.  Incidentally, this happens to be the same player that put me out of last game.   The big blind thinks for a LONG time and decides to call based on the pot odds he’s getting.  The big blind (who is also the big stack at the table) hits a king on the turn and puts of BOTH out.  This is some bad luck on my part cause if the small blind wouldn’t have moved all in the big blind wouldn’t have called.  That said, I should never had allowed myself to get so low that I could no longer do any damage with an all in move but using “all in” as a bluff went against the rules for this game.

All in all, I’m pretty happy about the way I played.  I wouldn’t have changed much except for raising with my jacks in Hand #7 above and not allowing myself to get so low that my all in wouldn’t scare anyone.  Oh well… as they say, that’s poker.

See you after the flop!

Tags: Cleveland Poker League, easy lay down, game recap, limped in, out drawn, raised pot, rules, second nut flush, small blind raise, strategy, top set, winner's bounty