The second season of our league ended last night. It wasn't a bad season. The timing of the season wasn't really the best for me. I coach a fall sport, and the league started up right in the heart of my season. So, I joined not really expecting too much. All I knew was I was required to play in at least 4 of the regular season league tourneys to qualify for the end of the season Championship Tourney.
I barely squeaked my 4 tourneys in. Everyone else was playing all the time so they were able to accumulate a pretty hefty point advantage. Each player's starting stack for the final tourney was based on the points earned during the regular season. We had such a wide range of starting stacks. I don't have the exact numbers but I know some of the larger stacks started with around 16,000 and the smallers were around the 7,000 mark. Pretty brutal if you were a short stack...which I was.
I started with 7,600 in chips. Definitely enough to play with early...but I was going to need to build up some chips quick to be able to compete at the higher blind levels. I didn't really move up at some record setting pace, but I was able to steadily chip up here and there. After three levels (20 minutes each...rough I know) I had my 7,600 up to 10,300. I chipped it up a little from there then I was able to claim my first casualty of the night. It was a total luck box flop, but I did manage to get him to commit his stack when he was drawing dead!
I was in the BB with a K7 off-suit. I check my option. The board came out 7 7 K. Ha! There were 4 or 5 limpers in the pot, and I was first to act. I went ahead and lead at the pot for about 70% of its size. I was able to pick up one caller. I'll admit it. I did a little hollywooding and checked the turn, I was hoping to get a bet from my opponent. He didn't let me down. He bet close to the pot...which was about 30% of his remaining stack. I waited a second...acting it up...and shove in over the top. He called and of course was holding a 7 as well.
After that hand I was up to about 26,000. Nice.
To make a long story a little shorter-
I was pretty pleased with my play. It was nice to get back into the flow again since I haven't been playing as much. I made some really good lay downs, and some pretty good reads. I am glad to say that I made the final table. It was a little weird though. The top 6 got paid...all the same amount, and 7th got about 50% what the other places got.. In a way it was like we were playing a super satellite and only the top 6 move on. None of the big stacks wanted to get involved with anyone cause they knew they could cruise to the top 6 while others were a little on the shorter side. Well, once we got down to 8 players we decided to chop it even across the board.
All in all, it was a pretty good night. Played some decent poker, and walked away with more money than I showed up with. Can't complain.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
The Joy of Razz!!
So I let a buddy of mine play on my on-line account. I am sure you know what I'm about to say next...I have nothing left in my FT account now. Geeze, thanks a ton. I'm not really too worried about it. He is good for it and will get it back to me some how...and I wont even charge him interest. hahaha
So it's a Friday night and I'm at home taking care of my sick 2 year old while the wife is out at a family function with my 4 year old. What a perfect night for some on-line poker, but my absence of cash wasn't helping the situation. I hadn't played on Poker Stars in quite a while so I decided to play a free roll or two. I found one and signed up...it was razz. Which honestly is just fine with me. I have been sick of NLHE lately, and would rather play something else.
When I register I notice there are 5, 782 player. Holy cow!! That just seems like a ton to me, but about 95% couldn't play razz anyway so it was cool. As it turns out it was a satellite for another free roll. The top 88 of the 5,782 players would be awarded a seat in the next round...the one that actually paid cash.
I sat there for 5 hours (while watching some TV and having to run upstairs now and again to check on my patient) and played some pretty good razz. I ended up finishing 23rd. Not too bad. I was going to just bust out on purpose once I hit the 88 qualifying spots, but right as I was about to I picked up a A4 6 (the 6 up). 4th street- 7 and 5th street- 5. So i was sitting on a made 7 on 5th street. Now I have to assume that the two other people in the hand had to have been just trying to go to bed or something. They literally just handed their chips to me. One called ever single bet on all streets with a J 10 8 and other called every street with a 10 9 7. Fine by me. I was up to 350,000 chips after that hand. I guess play like that is to be expected once the bubble bursts on a satellite tourney. It still cracks me up though.
The funny thing in all this is the tourney I qualified for...it's on Sunday right when I am supposed to be at a wedding an hour and half away from my house.
So it's a Friday night and I'm at home taking care of my sick 2 year old while the wife is out at a family function with my 4 year old. What a perfect night for some on-line poker, but my absence of cash wasn't helping the situation. I hadn't played on Poker Stars in quite a while so I decided to play a free roll or two. I found one and signed up...it was razz. Which honestly is just fine with me. I have been sick of NLHE lately, and would rather play something else.
When I register I notice there are 5, 782 player. Holy cow!! That just seems like a ton to me, but about 95% couldn't play razz anyway so it was cool. As it turns out it was a satellite for another free roll. The top 88 of the 5,782 players would be awarded a seat in the next round...the one that actually paid cash.
I sat there for 5 hours (while watching some TV and having to run upstairs now and again to check on my patient) and played some pretty good razz. I ended up finishing 23rd. Not too bad. I was going to just bust out on purpose once I hit the 88 qualifying spots, but right as I was about to I picked up a A4 6 (the 6 up). 4th street- 7 and 5th street- 5. So i was sitting on a made 7 on 5th street. Now I have to assume that the two other people in the hand had to have been just trying to go to bed or something. They literally just handed their chips to me. One called ever single bet on all streets with a J 10 8 and other called every street with a 10 9 7. Fine by me. I was up to 350,000 chips after that hand. I guess play like that is to be expected once the bubble bursts on a satellite tourney. It still cracks me up though.
The funny thing in all this is the tourney I qualified for...it's on Sunday right when I am supposed to be at a wedding an hour and half away from my house.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
A SICK beat.
Just look at this hand. I practically screamed what I had by my over sized raise, but the donk still called with nothing. Yes, you've got it....I am bitter.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1779960
Moments like this make me want to beat someone. Got it in 92% to win...then it was time for runner runner!!
WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1779960
Moments like this make me want to beat someone. Got it in 92% to win...then it was time for runner runner!!
WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Good play...not so good results.
I have been slowly getting back in to playing live once again. I was out of it for a couple months….my coaching and all, but now my season is over so I am getting back into things. For the last 3 weeks I have been playing in the Tuesday night donkfest. Don’t get me wrong, there are a couple of good players sprinkled through the mix, but for the most part the fields are full of people who call way too much and extremely over value their hands.
Anyway, I bubbled the final table last night. Here is my hand of the night-
I was in the BB there were 3 other players in the pot. I looked down at AhQh. I was going to raise, which I really should have, but I decided to check my option. I did this for a couple reasons. 1st reason- one of the players in the pot will play any ace or any 2 high cards, and he will pay off any big bet. I figured if I could out flop him I could get paid off big time. I guess looking back on it I really should have raised it up, but I didn’t. 2nd reason- I was just trying to change it up a little. I thought if I showed it down and won the pot someone would take notice that I didn’t raise it up with a fairly solid starting hand.
So, the flop:
Qs Jc 6s
Not a bad board for me. I had to be in the lead. I bet it hoping that someone would think I was full of it, and play with me. Well I lost two of the limpers that I was really trying to get in the hand, but I got one caller, not the one I was expecting (the small blind).
Turn: 10d
He checked to me. I took a second. This guy would have for sure raised with AK, I really don’t see this guy playing a K9, and he would never call on a gut-shot with the 8 9. He is one of the tightest guys I have met. I figured I was still good so I fired again. This time I bet it harder hoping he might think I was bluffing and I could get some more chips off of him. He thought for a second, and flat called, but announced “I check dark.”
The river came off:
5c
I reached for some chips, but something just didn’t seem right. I honestly have no idea what it was, but I just figured he was calling again. I really didn’t want to open myself up to a re-raise if I was beat, so I checked behind. I flipped over my AQ and looked over at his hand. He tables Jd 5c.
This guy just rivered 2 pair on me!! And to make it worse he was calling me down with 2nd pair and no kicker. I would expect this from some players in the Tuesday night game, but like I said earlier…this guy was tight! As I watched my chips being raked into his stack I asked him what he was calling with (he is a nice guy and gives pretty straight forward answers). He says, “Honestly, I just thought you were bluffing. I figured you had air, and I was going to call you down.”
For a second I was ticked, but then it hit me. He did exactly what I wanted him to do. He gave me no credit for having him dominated. I was hoping he would think I was full of crap. I wanted him to think I was weak, and he did. What stinks for me is he just hit one of his 5 outs on the river to beat me. I can’t be mad…I played him perfectly, but the 90% I had going to the river isn’t the same as 100%.
Anyway, I bubbled the final table last night. Here is my hand of the night-
I was in the BB there were 3 other players in the pot. I looked down at AhQh. I was going to raise, which I really should have, but I decided to check my option. I did this for a couple reasons. 1st reason- one of the players in the pot will play any ace or any 2 high cards, and he will pay off any big bet. I figured if I could out flop him I could get paid off big time. I guess looking back on it I really should have raised it up, but I didn’t. 2nd reason- I was just trying to change it up a little. I thought if I showed it down and won the pot someone would take notice that I didn’t raise it up with a fairly solid starting hand.
So, the flop:
Qs Jc 6s
Not a bad board for me. I had to be in the lead. I bet it hoping that someone would think I was full of it, and play with me. Well I lost two of the limpers that I was really trying to get in the hand, but I got one caller, not the one I was expecting (the small blind).
Turn: 10d
He checked to me. I took a second. This guy would have for sure raised with AK, I really don’t see this guy playing a K9, and he would never call on a gut-shot with the 8 9. He is one of the tightest guys I have met. I figured I was still good so I fired again. This time I bet it harder hoping he might think I was bluffing and I could get some more chips off of him. He thought for a second, and flat called, but announced “I check dark.”
The river came off:
5c
I reached for some chips, but something just didn’t seem right. I honestly have no idea what it was, but I just figured he was calling again. I really didn’t want to open myself up to a re-raise if I was beat, so I checked behind. I flipped over my AQ and looked over at his hand. He tables Jd 5c.
This guy just rivered 2 pair on me!! And to make it worse he was calling me down with 2nd pair and no kicker. I would expect this from some players in the Tuesday night game, but like I said earlier…this guy was tight! As I watched my chips being raked into his stack I asked him what he was calling with (he is a nice guy and gives pretty straight forward answers). He says, “Honestly, I just thought you were bluffing. I figured you had air, and I was going to call you down.”
For a second I was ticked, but then it hit me. He did exactly what I wanted him to do. He gave me no credit for having him dominated. I was hoping he would think I was full of crap. I wanted him to think I was weak, and he did. What stinks for me is he just hit one of his 5 outs on the river to beat me. I can’t be mad…I played him perfectly, but the 90% I had going to the river isn’t the same as 100%.
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