So it's taken a while for me to write again. I blame the layoff on a very rough trip to Vegas. I actually vowed that I won't be going back to Vegas for a long time. I've since softened that stance but I definitely need to build up a bankroll again before I will go.
Speaking of my bankroll, I recently did a little bit of analysis around my daily poker results. I had always believed that I was winning player on most nights but I would have the occasional terrible losing night that would wipe out my winnings over the past week or month or whatever. I hadn't ever actually looked close enough at my results to prove this. It was just something I believed.
So with my bankroll devastated by my Vegas trip (and another terrible night last week), I did the analysis and found my belief to be true. Out of almost 800 nights that I have recorded my results over the past 4 years, I had profits on over 66% of the nights.
My problem definitely is with the big nights of losing. When I look at my "large" losses compared to my "large" wins, it was almost double. I had 19 large losses and only 10 large wins. This alone is enough to skew my results.
Therefore, I am going to begin focusing on bankroll management more than ever. I am trying to figure out some sort of stop loss method to use so that I can eliminate these big losing nights. If I make sure not to rebuy into a table more than once I think that is probably the best start I can make.
Sometimes it just seems that a certain table is not going well and I should just get away from it. I've usually just brought more chips to the table if I thought I had an advantage at that table but I now think I just need to get up.
This happened the other night when I was getting great cards but constantly getting sucked out on the river. I lost with trip kings and the nut flush draw to a 2 outer (pocket sixes) and then with pocket aces against QT when a third ten came on the river and various other bad beats like this. I think I just need to accept the fact that it's just not my night at that table and get up.
Hopefully this will help build that bankroll back up for a return trip to Vegas or Atlantic City or New Orleans or ...
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Holy Crap Step 6
I finally did it. I decided to play in my WSOP Step 5 tourney tonight. After playing a couple of Step 2 and 3 tourneys tonight, I felt like I was playing quite well so I decided to give it a shot. And wow did I get lucky.
I was the short stack with 7 players to go. The blinds were at 100/200 and I had only 800 chips. Luckily for me, the 2 players just above me in chips went to battle in the blinds with A8 against Q2. The player with Q2 had fewer chips so I was hoping for A8 to win so that we'd be down to 6 players.
The structure of the tourney is 1st & 2nd place win a step 6 ticket, 3rd & 4th win a step 5 ticket and 5th & 6th win a step 4 ticket (7th, 8th & 9th place get nothing). If it were down to 6 players I would at least be guaranteed a step 4 ticket.
Of course the Q2 player hit a 2 on the river to win but the other player became the short stack below me. On the next hand he was in the small blind and I was in the big blind. Everyone folded until he went all-in for his last 360. The blinds had moved up to 150/300 so it was only another 60 for me to call.
I called and my Q6 dominated his 56. I won and eliminated him in 7th place. Whew - I made it to 6th place at least. I was still the short stack though. That is, until about 3 hands later I got my first decent hand with QQ.
The under-the-gun player limped (stupid play) and I shoved all-in. He called and turned over 66. I won and quickly moved up to 2nd place. I was stunned to say the least. Now I actually had a chance to win a step 6 ticket.
Since the blinds were so high, other player were pushing all-in and getting called rather quickly and we were down to 3 players. One player had about 6500 in chips and the other 2 of us had about 3000. On the first hand of 3 handed play I got AK and raised but got no callers. I was hopeful this was going to go well.
Unfortunately I didn't get anything remotely close to a playable hand after that. The big stack still had about 6500 and the other player had moved up to about 4000 while I had dropped to about 2000. It was not looking good for me.
Until...I was on the button and folded and the chip leader in the small blind raised to 900. The big blind (2nd in chips) moved all-in and the big stack called. It was QQ (the big stack) against TT and I suddenly had all my fingers and toes crossed.
The big stack's QQ held up and I backed into 2nd place and earned a step 6 ticket. I don't feel at all bad about backing into the win. I played as best as I could so I still feel I earned it.
My one observation on the last hand is that the big blind (2nd in chips) should've played a little slower and not shove all-in pre-flop. Just call the small blind raise and see what happens on the flop. If an Ace or King or maybe even a Queen came on the flop, he could at least fold to a decent size bet. Thankfully he didn't do that and the flop came down Kc 6d 4d and then the wonderful Qh came on the turn to seal it for me.
Hopefully I'll be able to sleep tonight. I'm a little pumped up right now.
I was the short stack with 7 players to go. The blinds were at 100/200 and I had only 800 chips. Luckily for me, the 2 players just above me in chips went to battle in the blinds with A8 against Q2. The player with Q2 had fewer chips so I was hoping for A8 to win so that we'd be down to 6 players.
The structure of the tourney is 1st & 2nd place win a step 6 ticket, 3rd & 4th win a step 5 ticket and 5th & 6th win a step 4 ticket (7th, 8th & 9th place get nothing). If it were down to 6 players I would at least be guaranteed a step 4 ticket.
Of course the Q2 player hit a 2 on the river to win but the other player became the short stack below me. On the next hand he was in the small blind and I was in the big blind. Everyone folded until he went all-in for his last 360. The blinds had moved up to 150/300 so it was only another 60 for me to call.
I called and my Q6 dominated his 56. I won and eliminated him in 7th place. Whew - I made it to 6th place at least. I was still the short stack though. That is, until about 3 hands later I got my first decent hand with QQ.
The under-the-gun player limped (stupid play) and I shoved all-in. He called and turned over 66. I won and quickly moved up to 2nd place. I was stunned to say the least. Now I actually had a chance to win a step 6 ticket.
Since the blinds were so high, other player were pushing all-in and getting called rather quickly and we were down to 3 players. One player had about 6500 in chips and the other 2 of us had about 3000. On the first hand of 3 handed play I got AK and raised but got no callers. I was hopeful this was going to go well.
Unfortunately I didn't get anything remotely close to a playable hand after that. The big stack still had about 6500 and the other player had moved up to about 4000 while I had dropped to about 2000. It was not looking good for me.
Until...I was on the button and folded and the chip leader in the small blind raised to 900. The big blind (2nd in chips) moved all-in and the big stack called. It was QQ (the big stack) against TT and I suddenly had all my fingers and toes crossed.
The big stack's QQ held up and I backed into 2nd place and earned a step 6 ticket. I don't feel at all bad about backing into the win. I played as best as I could so I still feel I earned it.
My one observation on the last hand is that the big blind (2nd in chips) should've played a little slower and not shove all-in pre-flop. Just call the small blind raise and see what happens on the flop. If an Ace or King or maybe even a Queen came on the flop, he could at least fold to a decent size bet. Thankfully he didn't do that and the flop came down Kc 6d 4d and then the wonderful Qh came on the turn to seal it for me.
Hopefully I'll be able to sleep tonight. I'm a little pumped up right now.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Bad Luck and Bad Flops
I have not played in a WSOP Step 5 tourney yet. Mostly because I haven't earned another ticket but I'm getting close. I have another Step 4 ticket so I'm getting close. I think I'm running out of time for this as well.
A week from today I leave for Vegas so I have 6 more days to play in these tourneys before I leave and I think PokerStars may be ending these tourneys soon. So I probably only have about 2 more weeks to try to win Step 6.
I watched a Step 5 tourney and it didn't seem that much different than any of the tourneys I have played so far. There usually seems to be 1 or 2 donkeys who try to make a move early in the tourney and lose against a made hand. Otherwise there seems to be a lot of tight play and it comes down to a lot of races where 1 players goes all-in with a pocket pair and the other calls with a big Ace (AK, AQ or even AJ).
I have still been playing in a bunch of these Steps tourneys but mostly at level 2 or 3. I have been having terrible luck in all of my races and haven't been able to get more than the 1 additional ticket to Step 4.
This brings me to some examples of the terrible flops I've seen lately. A couple of nights ago I was playing in a Step 3 tourney and we were down to 4 players. The blinds were pretty high and I was the short stack. The other short stack who just barely had me covered pushed all-in from UTG (first after the blinds). I called from the button with AJo.
Since he was short stacked also and next to hit the blinds I was hoping to be against a worse Ace than mine or a small pocket pair at best. After the 2 blinds folded, he turned over AcJc so we were basically even. He was probably slightly ahead since his cards were suited.
At least that was the case until the flop came down KcQcTc. Yes, he flopped a royal flush. I think that's the first time I've ever seen that and I know it's never happened against me before.
On the same night, I was in about the same situation except I think there were 5 players remaining. I was on the button with TT and the UTG player pushed all-in pre-flop. The player after him also pushed all-in. I was 4th in chips and thought this was a decent opportunity to triple up. My only fear was that one of the 2 all-in players would have a bigger pocket pair than me.
I decided to call and to my surprise, the big stack in the Big Blind also called all-in for over half his stack. If he loses he's still alive but without very many chips. Then to my incredibly pleasant surprise, all 3 of my opponents turn over AK!
Unless the board comes with QJT, they have 2 outs between the 3 of them to beat me. Then to my horror the flop comes out AKx. I don't even remember what the 3rd card was because I was so shocked. So the 3 of them end up splitting the pot and I go out in 5th place :(
Those hands seem to be the turning point for my bad race results lately. It seems I'm on some sort of streak where I can't win a race and therefore can't win any of these tourneys. Of course this comes after I won a bunch of races to earn my Step 5 ticket so I can't complain too much.
And I definitely can't complain since I'm leaving for Vegas in a week!!!!!!
A week from today I leave for Vegas so I have 6 more days to play in these tourneys before I leave and I think PokerStars may be ending these tourneys soon. So I probably only have about 2 more weeks to try to win Step 6.
I watched a Step 5 tourney and it didn't seem that much different than any of the tourneys I have played so far. There usually seems to be 1 or 2 donkeys who try to make a move early in the tourney and lose against a made hand. Otherwise there seems to be a lot of tight play and it comes down to a lot of races where 1 players goes all-in with a pocket pair and the other calls with a big Ace (AK, AQ or even AJ).
I have still been playing in a bunch of these Steps tourneys but mostly at level 2 or 3. I have been having terrible luck in all of my races and haven't been able to get more than the 1 additional ticket to Step 4.
This brings me to some examples of the terrible flops I've seen lately. A couple of nights ago I was playing in a Step 3 tourney and we were down to 4 players. The blinds were pretty high and I was the short stack. The other short stack who just barely had me covered pushed all-in from UTG (first after the blinds). I called from the button with AJo.
Since he was short stacked also and next to hit the blinds I was hoping to be against a worse Ace than mine or a small pocket pair at best. After the 2 blinds folded, he turned over AcJc so we were basically even. He was probably slightly ahead since his cards were suited.
At least that was the case until the flop came down KcQcTc. Yes, he flopped a royal flush. I think that's the first time I've ever seen that and I know it's never happened against me before.
On the same night, I was in about the same situation except I think there were 5 players remaining. I was on the button with TT and the UTG player pushed all-in pre-flop. The player after him also pushed all-in. I was 4th in chips and thought this was a decent opportunity to triple up. My only fear was that one of the 2 all-in players would have a bigger pocket pair than me.
I decided to call and to my surprise, the big stack in the Big Blind also called all-in for over half his stack. If he loses he's still alive but without very many chips. Then to my incredibly pleasant surprise, all 3 of my opponents turn over AK!
Unless the board comes with QJT, they have 2 outs between the 3 of them to beat me. Then to my horror the flop comes out AKx. I don't even remember what the 3rd card was because I was so shocked. So the 3 of them end up splitting the pot and I go out in 5th place :(
Those hands seem to be the turning point for my bad race results lately. It seems I'm on some sort of streak where I can't win a race and therefore can't win any of these tourneys. Of course this comes after I won a bunch of races to earn my Step 5 ticket so I can't complain too much.
And I definitely can't complain since I'm leaving for Vegas in a week!!!!!!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Step 5 Finally
It took about 9 tries but I finally won a WSOP Step 4 tourney tonight and now have a ticket to a Step 5 tourney. It definitely wasn't easy though. I was lucky enough to win each "race" that I was involved in tonight and that's what propelled me to victory.
I doubled up rather early when I got all-in with AA against my opponent's KK. I was under-the-gun (right after the blinds) and made my standard pre-flop raise. My opponent was in late position and made a standard re-raise. I assumed he had at least a pocket pair or maybe AK.
The flop came down Qh4h3c and I checked to him. He made a standard continuation bet and I raised him. He pushed all-in and I called of course. My aces held up and I was now the chip leader with 8 players left.
At this point I became rather aggressive. Everyone seemed to be very timid any time I raised so I won most pots uncontested. When we were down to 7 players, I called an all-in raise when I had 55 in the big blind. The raiser turned over AJ and my pocket 5's held up to win my first race.
I continued the aggression and won a race with my 33 against AQ. On the previous hand, another player had won a race (not against me) and doubled up to take over the chip lead from me. We were down to 3 players at this point.
I have finished in 3rd place 6 times so far (including 1 other time today) and I was determined to win tonight. I had about 4500 in chips as did one of the other players and the 3rd player had about 3000.
I finally won when I had 77 in the big blind and the short stack pushed all-in from the small blind. I called and he turned over 33. He had only 2 outs until the flop came down 456. That took away his original 2 outs as another 3 now gave me a straight. But now he could catch a 2 (4 outs) or a 7 (2 outs) to win. Lucky for me the turn and river didn't help him.
I am so relieved to have finally won a Step 4 tourney but I doubt I'll be using my Step 5 ticket very soon. I would really like to get at least 1 more Step 5 ticket before I play in one of the tourneys. This seems to help me psyche since I don't feel the pressure to win or be done.
I also think I'm going to watch a Step 5 tourney before I try one so that I get a feel for the caliber of play. I was initially very surprised by the ability of some of the Step 4 players and I don't want to be surprised during a Step 5 tourney.
I doubled up rather early when I got all-in with AA against my opponent's KK. I was under-the-gun (right after the blinds) and made my standard pre-flop raise. My opponent was in late position and made a standard re-raise. I assumed he had at least a pocket pair or maybe AK.
The flop came down Qh4h3c and I checked to him. He made a standard continuation bet and I raised him. He pushed all-in and I called of course. My aces held up and I was now the chip leader with 8 players left.
At this point I became rather aggressive. Everyone seemed to be very timid any time I raised so I won most pots uncontested. When we were down to 7 players, I called an all-in raise when I had 55 in the big blind. The raiser turned over AJ and my pocket 5's held up to win my first race.
I continued the aggression and won a race with my 33 against AQ. On the previous hand, another player had won a race (not against me) and doubled up to take over the chip lead from me. We were down to 3 players at this point.
I have finished in 3rd place 6 times so far (including 1 other time today) and I was determined to win tonight. I had about 4500 in chips as did one of the other players and the 3rd player had about 3000.
I finally won when I had 77 in the big blind and the short stack pushed all-in from the small blind. I called and he turned over 33. He had only 2 outs until the flop came down 456. That took away his original 2 outs as another 3 now gave me a straight. But now he could catch a 2 (4 outs) or a 7 (2 outs) to win. Lucky for me the turn and river didn't help him.
I am so relieved to have finally won a Step 4 tourney but I doubt I'll be using my Step 5 ticket very soon. I would really like to get at least 1 more Step 5 ticket before I play in one of the tourneys. This seems to help me psyche since I don't feel the pressure to win or be done.
I also think I'm going to watch a Step 5 tourney before I try one so that I get a feel for the caliber of play. I was initially very surprised by the ability of some of the Step 4 players and I don't want to be surprised during a Step 5 tourney.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Vegas Baby
As stated in my last post, I am seriously excited about my upcoming Vegas trip exactly 3 weeks from today. The weather is even turning nice here finally but I can't stop thinking about Vegas. I love my new job but I can barely focus.
I haven't had this feeling about a Vegas trip in a while. I think it's a combination of a few things: the WSOP, the fun I had on my last trip and the length of the trip.
I was in Vegas 2 years ago while the WSOP was going on and I was able to watch Daniel Negreanu play in the Main Event for a while but I didn't have the guts to play in any of the side games. I won't be there during the Main Event this time but other events will be going on and I will definitely play in the side games this time.That leads to my second reason for the excitement - the fun I had on my last trip. I was with 2 of my brothers-in-law and we had a great time. I finally got up the guts and played tons of poker. I earned some comps (free meals) because I played so much poker. We got silly drunk but not overboard to the point where we were puking or doing stupid stuff. The only problem with the trip is that it was too short. I was having such a good time that I wasn't ready to come home after only 2 nights.
That leads to my third reason - the length of the trip. This time I will be there for 4 nights and almost 5 full days. I haven't been in Vegas on that long of a trip since just before my daughter was born (over 8 years ago). This time I will have more time to do new things. I always have set things I do on almost every trip like go to the Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay, Cheesecake Factory at Caesar's, Hofbrau House, Bellagio Fountains, Downtown and shopping for a toy for the kids of course. But this time I'll be able to find new things like this "burger tour" my brother suggested. And I'm sure I'll be ready to come home this time and I won't be so crabby when I get home.Tuesday, May 20, 2008
No News is Not Really Good News
I haven't written in a while but that's not because I haven't been playing. I'm actually enjoying my new job so I haven't taken the time to write while I'm at work. Plus they don't block any internet sites so I've been going to Pokersavvyplus.com to download and watch some poker training videos while I'm on lunch break (instead of blogging).
I have played in about 6 WSOP Step 4 tourneys so far. I was able to accumulate 5 tickets to Step 4 before I started playing. On my first try I finished 5th which gave me a ticket back to Step 3 (which I promptly lost). On the second try I finished 3rd which gave me a ticket to Step 4 again. I have gone on to finish 5th 3 times and 3rd 3 times. Not exactly the results I want but not horrible either.
So far I've been surprised at the quality of play. I was expecting much better players since this is the half way point of the Steps but it's basically the same stuff.
I had a donkey at my table tonight who raised preflop and then called my reraise preflop. On a flop of 674 rainbow I bet enough to put him all-in and he called. To my shock he turned over KTo. Since I had AK he was drawing to 3 tens or runner runner straight. Of course the turn brought a ten and he doubled up. I was in 2nd place before this hand and I dropped to 3rd after it.
I couldn't believe such a donkey would be playing at this level but it quickly changed my mind. Of course he ended up winning this step when his Q9 beat my K5 and I ended up going out in 3rd. Earlier he had doubled up the 3rd place player (who moved ahead of me to 2nd) when the donkey called an all-in bet on the river on a board of 87643. The third place player turned over 55 for the obvious straight and the donkey had J3.
Yes he called with bottom pair and no kicker. He could only beat a complete bluff or a 3 with a worse kicker than a jack. Donkey.
Oh well, hopefully I can report that I have a ticket or two to step 5 soon since I have come very close so far.
On another note, I'm about 3 weeks away from my Vegas trip and I'm not going to make my goal of winning enough money online to buy my way into the $1500 WSOP tourney. That's why I'm focusing so much on these Steps tourneys so that I can win my way into the main event.
I am seriously excited for the trip though. Some of my brother's friends are going to be there also and they seem like fun people. We've decided to do a "burger" tour while we're there this time so hopefully we'll hit some new restaurants. We're still doing Cheesecake Factory and Hofbrau even though we won't be getting burgers there though.
I'm hoping to play in a satellite tourney or 2 to win my way into the $1500 tourney and if I can't do that I'll be playing a lot in the side games. I'm really looking forward to that. I'm also just looking forward to the freedom that Vegas provides. It really is like a fantasy world for me and I think that's why I like it so much. I can drink as much as I want. I can stay out as late as I want. And I can basically spend money on whatever I want as long as I don't lose the house.
I usually end up losing money gambling or win just a little. I'm still waiting for that trip that I win enough to cover the cost of food, drink and airfare/hotel. Either way I have a great time without a care in the world. I think I have a lot of stress here at home that I usually don't express or let out so my Vegas trips provide an opportunity for that release. Hopefully I can do well enough in poker to cover my expenses this trip.
I have played in about 6 WSOP Step 4 tourneys so far. I was able to accumulate 5 tickets to Step 4 before I started playing. On my first try I finished 5th which gave me a ticket back to Step 3 (which I promptly lost). On the second try I finished 3rd which gave me a ticket to Step 4 again. I have gone on to finish 5th 3 times and 3rd 3 times. Not exactly the results I want but not horrible either.
So far I've been surprised at the quality of play. I was expecting much better players since this is the half way point of the Steps but it's basically the same stuff.
I had a donkey at my table tonight who raised preflop and then called my reraise preflop. On a flop of 674 rainbow I bet enough to put him all-in and he called. To my shock he turned over KTo. Since I had AK he was drawing to 3 tens or runner runner straight. Of course the turn brought a ten and he doubled up. I was in 2nd place before this hand and I dropped to 3rd after it.
I couldn't believe such a donkey would be playing at this level but it quickly changed my mind. Of course he ended up winning this step when his Q9 beat my K5 and I ended up going out in 3rd. Earlier he had doubled up the 3rd place player (who moved ahead of me to 2nd) when the donkey called an all-in bet on the river on a board of 87643. The third place player turned over 55 for the obvious straight and the donkey had J3.
Yes he called with bottom pair and no kicker. He could only beat a complete bluff or a 3 with a worse kicker than a jack. Donkey.
Oh well, hopefully I can report that I have a ticket or two to step 5 soon since I have come very close so far.
On another note, I'm about 3 weeks away from my Vegas trip and I'm not going to make my goal of winning enough money online to buy my way into the $1500 WSOP tourney. That's why I'm focusing so much on these Steps tourneys so that I can win my way into the main event.
I am seriously excited for the trip though. Some of my brother's friends are going to be there also and they seem like fun people. We've decided to do a "burger" tour while we're there this time so hopefully we'll hit some new restaurants. We're still doing Cheesecake Factory and Hofbrau even though we won't be getting burgers there though.
I'm hoping to play in a satellite tourney or 2 to win my way into the $1500 tourney and if I can't do that I'll be playing a lot in the side games. I'm really looking forward to that. I'm also just looking forward to the freedom that Vegas provides. It really is like a fantasy world for me and I think that's why I like it so much. I can drink as much as I want. I can stay out as late as I want. And I can basically spend money on whatever I want as long as I don't lose the house.
I usually end up losing money gambling or win just a little. I'm still waiting for that trip that I win enough to cover the cost of food, drink and airfare/hotel. Either way I have a great time without a care in the world. I think I have a lot of stress here at home that I usually don't express or let out so my Vegas trips provide an opportunity for that release. Hopefully I can do well enough in poker to cover my expenses this trip.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Amazing Night
I guess I shouldn't title this "Amazing Night" because I didn't really win very much money tonight but I had some amazing hands. I'm still playing in the WSOP steps tourneys on PokerStars and I played in a Step 3 tourney tonight. I ended up winning it but that is an understatement.
I completely blew away the rest of the table. I wish I could claim it was all skill but I was really getting great cards and getting lucky. My luck started in level 2 (15/30 blinds) when everyone folded to me on the button. I had A9o and made the standard raise to 90. The small blind reraised me to 240 and I folded.
That doesn't really show any luck but I think it led to what happened on the very next hand. I was in the cutoff with 77 and it was folded to me again. Once again I made the standard raise to 90 and the button and big blind both called. The flop came down 6s 9h 7d and I bet 180 into a 285 pot. The button folded and the big blind called. The turn brought the 3s and I bet 360 into the 645 pot. The big blind check-raised me all-in for another 925.
I suspected he had an 8 and a flush draw and was trying to push me off the hand but I guess he could've had the straight already or a set also. I had to call and he turned over Kh Jh. He was drawing dead. He put his whole stack in on a complete bluff. Why? I'm only guessing it's because he saw the previous hand and thought I could be pushed off my hand.
That gave me the chip lead. Then in level 4 (50/100 blinds) I was dealt QQ in the small blind. An early position player made the standard raise to 300 and the player next to him called. Everyone else folded to me. I thought about just calling but then I'd be pretty scared if an Ace or King came on the flop. Since I was the chip leader I decided to reraise all-in. Both players had decent stacks and could fold and still have a chance at winning.
The original raiser thought for a long time and I was happy that I had made the all-in reraise. I'm guessing he had AK or maybe a medium pocket pair but I won't know since he folded. The other caller thought for a while too and eventually called with Ad Tc. I'm guessing he hoped I had a middle pair or he was just in the mood to gamble. No matter since the board brought no help to him and I jumped to a huge lead.
After that I started getting really lucky. I knocked out a player with QQ against my AJ when an Ace came on the river. Later I flopped 2 pair when I had T8 in the big blind and 2 players limped pre-flop. The flop also had an Ace and one of the original limpers called my bets on the flop and turn but then folded on the river.
In level 7 (150/300 blinds plus 25 ante) we were down to 3 players - the top 2 move on to Step 4. I was in the big blind with AJ and the small blind raised to 900 leaving him about 700 in his stack. I reraised him all-in and he surprisingly folded. I don't get that at all since he was left with basically nothing and he was getting the right odds to call with any 2 cards.
The luck lasted on the last hand when I was on the button with J7. The big blind was the super short stack who folded on the previously described hand and I made a minimum raise which was enough to put him all-in. I made the min raise because I was hoping the other player would call also and then the 2 of us would have a better chance of knocking the short stack out.
Unfortunately the other player folded and the short stack turned over KJ. I was in bad shape until the flop brought a 7 and the river brought another 7. Obviously I wasn't going to be in bad shape for the tourney but at least for that hand. I now have 3 tickets to Step 4 so hopefully I will be reporting some good results from those tourneys soon.
The luck didn't end there though. I started playing some cash games on FullTilt and ended up getting dealt quads twice. Both times I flopped a set and turned the four-of-a-kind and won some decent sized pots. I also caught a lucky turn card to give me a set of sevens over another player's flopped set of deuces. That player was seriously bad though so I was going to get his money on other hands even if I hadn't turned that set of sevens.
With all of this luck, I should probably still be playing instead of writing this but I wanted to stop for the night and watch some training videos on PokerSavvyPlus.com. I started a trial subscription on there and hopefully it'll open up some ideas to me.
I completely blew away the rest of the table. I wish I could claim it was all skill but I was really getting great cards and getting lucky. My luck started in level 2 (15/30 blinds) when everyone folded to me on the button. I had A9o and made the standard raise to 90. The small blind reraised me to 240 and I folded.
That doesn't really show any luck but I think it led to what happened on the very next hand. I was in the cutoff with 77 and it was folded to me again. Once again I made the standard raise to 90 and the button and big blind both called. The flop came down 6s 9h 7d and I bet 180 into a 285 pot. The button folded and the big blind called. The turn brought the 3s and I bet 360 into the 645 pot. The big blind check-raised me all-in for another 925.
I suspected he had an 8 and a flush draw and was trying to push me off the hand but I guess he could've had the straight already or a set also. I had to call and he turned over Kh Jh. He was drawing dead. He put his whole stack in on a complete bluff. Why? I'm only guessing it's because he saw the previous hand and thought I could be pushed off my hand.
That gave me the chip lead. Then in level 4 (50/100 blinds) I was dealt QQ in the small blind. An early position player made the standard raise to 300 and the player next to him called. Everyone else folded to me. I thought about just calling but then I'd be pretty scared if an Ace or King came on the flop. Since I was the chip leader I decided to reraise all-in. Both players had decent stacks and could fold and still have a chance at winning.
The original raiser thought for a long time and I was happy that I had made the all-in reraise. I'm guessing he had AK or maybe a medium pocket pair but I won't know since he folded. The other caller thought for a while too and eventually called with Ad Tc. I'm guessing he hoped I had a middle pair or he was just in the mood to gamble. No matter since the board brought no help to him and I jumped to a huge lead.
After that I started getting really lucky. I knocked out a player with QQ against my AJ when an Ace came on the river. Later I flopped 2 pair when I had T8 in the big blind and 2 players limped pre-flop. The flop also had an Ace and one of the original limpers called my bets on the flop and turn but then folded on the river.
In level 7 (150/300 blinds plus 25 ante) we were down to 3 players - the top 2 move on to Step 4. I was in the big blind with AJ and the small blind raised to 900 leaving him about 700 in his stack. I reraised him all-in and he surprisingly folded. I don't get that at all since he was left with basically nothing and he was getting the right odds to call with any 2 cards.
The luck lasted on the last hand when I was on the button with J7. The big blind was the super short stack who folded on the previously described hand and I made a minimum raise which was enough to put him all-in. I made the min raise because I was hoping the other player would call also and then the 2 of us would have a better chance of knocking the short stack out.
Unfortunately the other player folded and the short stack turned over KJ. I was in bad shape until the flop brought a 7 and the river brought another 7. Obviously I wasn't going to be in bad shape for the tourney but at least for that hand. I now have 3 tickets to Step 4 so hopefully I will be reporting some good results from those tourneys soon.
The luck didn't end there though. I started playing some cash games on FullTilt and ended up getting dealt quads twice. Both times I flopped a set and turned the four-of-a-kind and won some decent sized pots. I also caught a lucky turn card to give me a set of sevens over another player's flopped set of deuces. That player was seriously bad though so I was going to get his money on other hands even if I hadn't turned that set of sevens.
With all of this luck, I should probably still be playing instead of writing this but I wanted to stop for the night and watch some training videos on PokerSavvyPlus.com. I started a trial subscription on there and hopefully it'll open up some ideas to me.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Internet Poker is Full of Donkeys
I just experienced some of the biggest donkey plays I've ever seen. Most of the plays were bat beats on me but one of them actually helped me. The first one was having my pocket Aces beat by K6 suited on the button. I love when these guys call my preflop raises except when they're lucky enough to flop K6 and then turn another 6.
The second was having my pocket Aces beat by 75 offsuit when I raised from the small blind and the big blind decided to be cool and reraise me. Of course he flopped 55J to crack my Aces.
My best pocket Aces being cracked happened again when I had AA in the small blind. It was a shorthanded game with 6 players and 3 players limped ahead of me. I raised the size of the pot and got 2 callers as the big blind and one of the limpers folded. The flop came A52 rainbow. Obviously this is a good flop for me but usually I bet and everyone folds and I win a medium pot.
But not on this donkey filled night. I bet about 2/3 of the pot and both players called! WTF? Unless one of them was stupid enough to play 43 or they also flopped a set I could put them on anything worth calling my preflop raise and flop bet. The turn brought a 9 and I pushed all-in which wasn't much more because I was playing in a capped game.
Both donkeys called! The first donkey turns over JT suited and had turned a flush draw. No clue why he called the flop bet. The second donkey turns over 93 suited. He flopped a gutshot straight draw and turned a pair of nines. Of course the river brought a 4 so he hit his gutshot straight draw.
And now for the donkey plays that worked in my favor. I was at the very end of a WSOP Step tourney on PokerStars. I was one of three players left. I had about 1300 in chips. One player had about 10,000 and the third player had about 425. The blinds were at 150/300 with a 25 ante. Mr. Shortstack was on the button and Mr. Bigstack was in the small blind.
Mr. Shortstack moves all-in. Since he had anted 25, his raise was only 100 more that I was going to have to call from the big blind. I only had J8 offsuit but I have to make the call. Until...Mr. Bigstack decides to reraise! What an idiot! The last 2 players move on to the next step so he actually wants me in the pot so there is a better chance of knocking out the shortstack.
Obviously I can't call his reraise and Mr. Shortstack's KQ offsuit goes on to beat Mr. Idiot Bigstack's AJ suited. My hand wouldn't have been any better so Mr. Shortstack would've still won but it was still an idiot move.
About 3 hands later, I'm on the button and fold my crappy 62 offsuit. Mr. Shortstack is in the small blind and only calls. The blinds are up to 200/400 so this call is for almost half his stack. Stupid move of him to only call and not push in until Mr. Bigstack decides to raise him all-in. Mr. Shortstack insta-calls and turns over QQ - I guess that's why he decided just to call (still stupid). Mr. Idiot Bigstack turns over Q7 offsuit. Of course Mr. Shortstack wins and now I've turned into the shortstack.
And then the final idiot play of the table happens when I'm in the small blind with QJ offsuit and Mr. Bigstack raises all-in from the button. I'm tempted to call because I'm seriously low on chips but I fold hoping that the other idiot will do something stupid. I am rewarded when he calls the all-in raise. Mr. Bigstack turns over A7 suited and Mr. Idiot (the former Mr. Shortstack) turns over KJ offsuit. Mr. Bigstack's Ace holds up and Mr. Idiot is eliminated. Mr. Bigstack and I move on to the next step.
Mr. Idiot had no reason to make this call because I was so shortstacked that he could've waited me out until I was forced to move in which would've happened about 3 hands later. Maybe these donkeys didn't know that the top 2 move on to the next step. That's the only explanation I have. But for once, I'm thankful for donkeys.
The second was having my pocket Aces beat by 75 offsuit when I raised from the small blind and the big blind decided to be cool and reraise me. Of course he flopped 55J to crack my Aces.
My best pocket Aces being cracked happened again when I had AA in the small blind. It was a shorthanded game with 6 players and 3 players limped ahead of me. I raised the size of the pot and got 2 callers as the big blind and one of the limpers folded. The flop came A52 rainbow. Obviously this is a good flop for me but usually I bet and everyone folds and I win a medium pot.
But not on this donkey filled night. I bet about 2/3 of the pot and both players called! WTF? Unless one of them was stupid enough to play 43 or they also flopped a set I could put them on anything worth calling my preflop raise and flop bet. The turn brought a 9 and I pushed all-in which wasn't much more because I was playing in a capped game.
Both donkeys called! The first donkey turns over JT suited and had turned a flush draw. No clue why he called the flop bet. The second donkey turns over 93 suited. He flopped a gutshot straight draw and turned a pair of nines. Of course the river brought a 4 so he hit his gutshot straight draw.
And now for the donkey plays that worked in my favor. I was at the very end of a WSOP Step tourney on PokerStars. I was one of three players left. I had about 1300 in chips. One player had about 10,000 and the third player had about 425. The blinds were at 150/300 with a 25 ante. Mr. Shortstack was on the button and Mr. Bigstack was in the small blind.
Mr. Shortstack moves all-in. Since he had anted 25, his raise was only 100 more that I was going to have to call from the big blind. I only had J8 offsuit but I have to make the call. Until...Mr. Bigstack decides to reraise! What an idiot! The last 2 players move on to the next step so he actually wants me in the pot so there is a better chance of knocking out the shortstack.
Obviously I can't call his reraise and Mr. Shortstack's KQ offsuit goes on to beat Mr. Idiot Bigstack's AJ suited. My hand wouldn't have been any better so Mr. Shortstack would've still won but it was still an idiot move.
About 3 hands later, I'm on the button and fold my crappy 62 offsuit. Mr. Shortstack is in the small blind and only calls. The blinds are up to 200/400 so this call is for almost half his stack. Stupid move of him to only call and not push in until Mr. Bigstack decides to raise him all-in. Mr. Shortstack insta-calls and turns over QQ - I guess that's why he decided just to call (still stupid). Mr. Idiot Bigstack turns over Q7 offsuit. Of course Mr. Shortstack wins and now I've turned into the shortstack.
And then the final idiot play of the table happens when I'm in the small blind with QJ offsuit and Mr. Bigstack raises all-in from the button. I'm tempted to call because I'm seriously low on chips but I fold hoping that the other idiot will do something stupid. I am rewarded when he calls the all-in raise. Mr. Bigstack turns over A7 suited and Mr. Idiot (the former Mr. Shortstack) turns over KJ offsuit. Mr. Bigstack's Ace holds up and Mr. Idiot is eliminated. Mr. Bigstack and I move on to the next step.
Mr. Idiot had no reason to make this call because I was so shortstacked that he could've waited me out until I was forced to move in which would've happened about 3 hands later. Maybe these donkeys didn't know that the top 2 move on to the next step. That's the only explanation I have. But for once, I'm thankful for donkeys.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Sigh
Another crappy night of poker last night. Sometimes I think I really should give up the dream but then I have a good run and I'm right back at it. And sometimes I really feel lost when I'm playing. Last night it felt like I couldn't win no matter what cards I held.
I think I need to stop playing the capped games because I've been getting killed by the gamblers lately. Last night I lost well over half of my money at just one table and I played at about 6 different tables (but no more than 4 at once). I lost to the same player last night 3 times in a row when I had an overpair to the board or top pair and my opponent had flopped a set. This guy was so unbelievably lucky it was sick.
I'm also experiencing a lot of check-raises lately and I'm feeling lost as to how to combat this problem. It generally goes something like this: I have AK and raise the size of the pot before the flop. I get one caller usually from one of the blinds. The flop comes 972 rainbow and the caller checks to me. I make a continuation bet of about 2/3 pot since my hand is probably still good here and I get check raised to 3 times my bet.
Unless I have some sort of draw or I know my opponent is tricky, I almost always fold here. I just don't have a clue what else to do but I feel like I'm giving up a lot. It also concerns me that other players see this action and decide to bluff at me with this play. I don't know if that is actually happening but sometimes it feels like it.
Thankfully I made a decent comeback at the end of the night to cut my losses in half. And it took a major suckout just to do that. I had pocket tens and raised pre-flop. The player to my right was the only caller. The flop came off J93 with 2 hearts. I bet about the size of the pot and he raised the minimum. Generally this means he's on a draw (probably a flush draw in this case). I called and the turn brought a 6 (not a heart). I checked and he bet the size of the pot.
This is another instance where I feel a little lost. He could be on a draw. He could have called my pre-flop raise with AJ and flopped top pair or he could just be bluffing because he's seen it work against me. At this point I was pretty pissed from losing so much on the night that I pushed all-in. He called immediately and turned over pocket queens. I was crushed until the river brought a beautiful ten. So for once I sucked out and delivered the bad beat.
After nights like this I really think I need to buy some training videos from CardRunners.com or CardPlayer Pro. The cost is probably less than I would lose anyway.
I think I need to stop playing the capped games because I've been getting killed by the gamblers lately. Last night I lost well over half of my money at just one table and I played at about 6 different tables (but no more than 4 at once). I lost to the same player last night 3 times in a row when I had an overpair to the board or top pair and my opponent had flopped a set. This guy was so unbelievably lucky it was sick.
I'm also experiencing a lot of check-raises lately and I'm feeling lost as to how to combat this problem. It generally goes something like this: I have AK and raise the size of the pot before the flop. I get one caller usually from one of the blinds. The flop comes 972 rainbow and the caller checks to me. I make a continuation bet of about 2/3 pot since my hand is probably still good here and I get check raised to 3 times my bet.
Unless I have some sort of draw or I know my opponent is tricky, I almost always fold here. I just don't have a clue what else to do but I feel like I'm giving up a lot. It also concerns me that other players see this action and decide to bluff at me with this play. I don't know if that is actually happening but sometimes it feels like it.
Thankfully I made a decent comeback at the end of the night to cut my losses in half. And it took a major suckout just to do that. I had pocket tens and raised pre-flop. The player to my right was the only caller. The flop came off J93 with 2 hearts. I bet about the size of the pot and he raised the minimum. Generally this means he's on a draw (probably a flush draw in this case). I called and the turn brought a 6 (not a heart). I checked and he bet the size of the pot.
This is another instance where I feel a little lost. He could be on a draw. He could have called my pre-flop raise with AJ and flopped top pair or he could just be bluffing because he's seen it work against me. At this point I was pretty pissed from losing so much on the night that I pushed all-in. He called immediately and turned over pocket queens. I was crushed until the river brought a beautiful ten. So for once I sucked out and delivered the bad beat.
After nights like this I really think I need to buy some training videos from CardRunners.com or CardPlayer Pro. The cost is probably less than I would lose anyway.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
No Country for Old Men and Poker
Last night I had a chance to watch the end of "No Country for Old Men". I started it the night before but it was too long to finish since I started watching it late. I really had no idea what the movie was about but I wanted to see it because I had heard it was so good.
Overall the movie kept me interested (unlike the movie "No Reservations" which my wife picked out) but I wouldn't call it a great movie. I think I'm mostly disappointed by the ending because I didn't really understand it. It ended so strangely that I feel like I'm supposed to make up my own ending. It's kind of hard to describe but I'm making assumptions based on events toward the end of the movie to come up with my ideas of what happened to each of the main characters in the movie.
Other than the movie, I played some cards last night. I won a whopping $5 but I'd still consider it a success since I was down much more at one point. I've been playing a lot on these tables that are No-Limit Hold'em but there is a cap as to how much a player may put into the pot each hand. Most of the tables I play at are capped at $60. So even if a player has $1,000 in front of them, they can only put in $60 into any given pot.
This works nicely to limit the amount each player can lose on each hand but it also limits the most you can win to $60 times the number of players in the hand. I've had good success at these tables this year which is why I continue playing but the tide has been turning somewhat lately. It seems that many of the players lately are there to gamble with almost any 2 cards since they know they can't lose more than the cap on each hand. It kind of turns the tables into more of a true gambling game than a game of skill.
Last night was particularly funny on one of my tables because there were 2 players who were always going against each other. It was amazingly predictable that player 1 would always limp into every pot and player 2 (sitting right after player 1) would always raise to the amount of the pot. Then usually everyone else would fold and player 1 would call the raise. After that the hand would vary depending on if either of them hit anything on the board but frequently both players would get their $60 into the pot with some sort of pair and they'd both end up flipping over crappy starting hands like J4 and K3.
I continued to play at this table because if I ever had a good quality starting hand, I knew I would probably triple up as these 2 donkeys would get it all-in with me. I basically just had to hope to avoid one of the donkeys hitting a lucky 2 pair against my pocket Aces or Kings, etc. Overall it made for an interesting table and it was kind of fun to have something different.
I did have one fun hand last night although it wasn't at the table I talked about above. I was in the big blind with 64 offsuit. 2 players right after me limped into the pot and the 3rd player made a minimum raise. In my opinion, this is the weakest play possible if the raiser actually has a good starting hand because they won't eliminate anyone. This kind of raise only builds the pot a little bigger.
Frequently I'll see this kind of raise from a player who has suited connectors like T9 or JT and then it's not a horrible play because those hands play better against many players because if you hit the flop hard, you will usually win a ton. But I also see this play from people with premium hands like AA or KK and these hands do not play well against many players. As Doyle Brunson says, with premium hands you will usually win a small pot or lose a big pot. And when you make a minimum raise with premium hands you are just asking to lose a big pot.
So in this hand, I called the tiny raise with my mediocre 64 but I was getting such good pot odds and implied odds that I was almost forced to do it. Then the flop comes down T64. I'm very happy when I check along with the first 2 limpers and the minimum raiser makes a real bet this time equal to the amount of the pot. I make one of his donkey raises by making the minimum raise of double his bet. The 2 limpers fold and the raiser calls. After a blank on the turn, I push all-in for the remainder of my capped $60 and he calls. He flips over AA and the river doesn't help so I take his money by cracking his Aces.
He didn't make any comments in the chat box but I'm sure he was steaming after this bad beat. I'm sure he doesn't realize that he brought this beat on himself by making a donkey minimum raise after 2 limpers were already in the pot. At least I hope he doesn't realize it because I want him to continue doing it the next time I play with him.
This just supports Doyle's belief. The guy ended up losing a big pot but he could have ended up winning a small to medium pot if he would've raised enough to get me out pre-flop. Then the other 2 limpers would've probably still folded after they apparently missed the flop.
Overall the movie kept me interested (unlike the movie "No Reservations" which my wife picked out) but I wouldn't call it a great movie. I think I'm mostly disappointed by the ending because I didn't really understand it. It ended so strangely that I feel like I'm supposed to make up my own ending. It's kind of hard to describe but I'm making assumptions based on events toward the end of the movie to come up with my ideas of what happened to each of the main characters in the movie.
Other than the movie, I played some cards last night. I won a whopping $5 but I'd still consider it a success since I was down much more at one point. I've been playing a lot on these tables that are No-Limit Hold'em but there is a cap as to how much a player may put into the pot each hand. Most of the tables I play at are capped at $60. So even if a player has $1,000 in front of them, they can only put in $60 into any given pot.
This works nicely to limit the amount each player can lose on each hand but it also limits the most you can win to $60 times the number of players in the hand. I've had good success at these tables this year which is why I continue playing but the tide has been turning somewhat lately. It seems that many of the players lately are there to gamble with almost any 2 cards since they know they can't lose more than the cap on each hand. It kind of turns the tables into more of a true gambling game than a game of skill.
Last night was particularly funny on one of my tables because there were 2 players who were always going against each other. It was amazingly predictable that player 1 would always limp into every pot and player 2 (sitting right after player 1) would always raise to the amount of the pot. Then usually everyone else would fold and player 1 would call the raise. After that the hand would vary depending on if either of them hit anything on the board but frequently both players would get their $60 into the pot with some sort of pair and they'd both end up flipping over crappy starting hands like J4 and K3.
I continued to play at this table because if I ever had a good quality starting hand, I knew I would probably triple up as these 2 donkeys would get it all-in with me. I basically just had to hope to avoid one of the donkeys hitting a lucky 2 pair against my pocket Aces or Kings, etc. Overall it made for an interesting table and it was kind of fun to have something different.
I did have one fun hand last night although it wasn't at the table I talked about above. I was in the big blind with 64 offsuit. 2 players right after me limped into the pot and the 3rd player made a minimum raise. In my opinion, this is the weakest play possible if the raiser actually has a good starting hand because they won't eliminate anyone. This kind of raise only builds the pot a little bigger.
Frequently I'll see this kind of raise from a player who has suited connectors like T9 or JT and then it's not a horrible play because those hands play better against many players because if you hit the flop hard, you will usually win a ton. But I also see this play from people with premium hands like AA or KK and these hands do not play well against many players. As Doyle Brunson says, with premium hands you will usually win a small pot or lose a big pot. And when you make a minimum raise with premium hands you are just asking to lose a big pot.
So in this hand, I called the tiny raise with my mediocre 64 but I was getting such good pot odds and implied odds that I was almost forced to do it. Then the flop comes down T64. I'm very happy when I check along with the first 2 limpers and the minimum raiser makes a real bet this time equal to the amount of the pot. I make one of his donkey raises by making the minimum raise of double his bet. The 2 limpers fold and the raiser calls. After a blank on the turn, I push all-in for the remainder of my capped $60 and he calls. He flips over AA and the river doesn't help so I take his money by cracking his Aces.
He didn't make any comments in the chat box but I'm sure he was steaming after this bad beat. I'm sure he doesn't realize that he brought this beat on himself by making a donkey minimum raise after 2 limpers were already in the pot. At least I hope he doesn't realize it because I want him to continue doing it the next time I play with him.
This just supports Doyle's belief. The guy ended up losing a big pot but he could have ended up winning a small to medium pot if he would've raised enough to get me out pre-flop. Then the other 2 limpers would've probably still folded after they apparently missed the flop.
Friday, April 4, 2008
3 Strikes & You're Out
Sigh. I just can't seem to get beyond Step 3 again. I have had 2 tickets burning a hole in my account for the past 2 nights. Each night I have tried 3 times to get 1st or 2nd place in a Step 3 tourney and all 6 times I've finished 3rd, 4th or 5th which just gets me another ticket to Step 3 again. I guess that's better than losing completely but it's getting frustrating.
On a better note, I experienced "3 strikes & I'm in". Not in poker but in my job search. As I've said, my current job is extremely boring and a long distance from my house, so I've been job hunting. I've had 2 other interviews recently that I thought went very well but I didn't get either job. Then finally today I received an offer from the 3rd place I interviewed at. This company is only about 20 minutes from my house and it seems like a very cool place to work. Lots of new technology and many geeky things for me to do.
The strange thing about this job is that I was already rejected by them back in December. I only had a phone interview and I didn't think it went very well (and I was right). But recently I found out that a former co-worker of mine was working there and he recommended me for a job there. So this time I was brought in for a face-to-face interview. I thought the interview went better this time. So I guess that interview plus the recommendation of my friend got me the job.
At the other long time job I had prior to this one (my first job after college), I was originally rejected by them as well. Although that rejection occurred because they didn't have any openings at the time. I did get the job when they finally had openings and I stayed there for 15 years! Hopefully this new job keeps my interest that long as well.
On a better note, I experienced "3 strikes & I'm in". Not in poker but in my job search. As I've said, my current job is extremely boring and a long distance from my house, so I've been job hunting. I've had 2 other interviews recently that I thought went very well but I didn't get either job. Then finally today I received an offer from the 3rd place I interviewed at. This company is only about 20 minutes from my house and it seems like a very cool place to work. Lots of new technology and many geeky things for me to do.
The strange thing about this job is that I was already rejected by them back in December. I only had a phone interview and I didn't think it went very well (and I was right). But recently I found out that a former co-worker of mine was working there and he recommended me for a job there. So this time I was brought in for a face-to-face interview. I thought the interview went better this time. So I guess that interview plus the recommendation of my friend got me the job.
At the other long time job I had prior to this one (my first job after college), I was originally rejected by them as well. Although that rejection occurred because they didn't have any openings at the time. I did get the job when they finally had openings and I stayed there for 15 years! Hopefully this new job keeps my interest that long as well.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Step 4
It took a while tonight but I finally made it to Step 4 by winning a Step 3 tourney. I played 3 Step 3 tourneys tonight before finally winning on the 3rd try. Of course bad beats sent me to the rail in the first 2.
My first try at Step 3 ended when I called an all-in raise pre-flop. The pre-flop raiser was in the small blind and turned over 88. I was in the big blind and had JJ. The flop came 88Q. Yes, I was crushed by quad 8's after getting my chips in as an 80% favorite.
My second try at Step 3 ended when I moved re-raised all-in pre-flop with AK and the caller had AQ. This time it took until the river for the Q to show up and beat my unimproved hand. And this time we were down to 4 players so at least I won another try at Step 3 which I used to play immediately and finally win it.
One of the final hands of the last Step 3 that I won occurred with me getting lucky. We were down to 3 players and 2 of us would move on to Step 4. We all had right around 4000 chips with blinds at 300/600 and a 50 ante. We had been alternating winning pots by moving all-in on the button for about the last 2 rounds so we remained about even in chips.
Then I picked up KK in the big blind. I was praying for the button to move all-in because I was barely ahead of him and the tourney would probably end then. Instead he folded for the first time in 2 rounds and the small blind hesitated before moving all-in. I couldn't click the call button any faster.
He turned over AQ so again I was about a 70% favorite. He had me slightly outchipped so the tourney would've ended if he spiked an Ace. Lucky for me the board didn't hit him and he was crippled. The tourney ended a couple of hands later when I had AJ against his Q6.
So it took a while but finally paid off with a ticket to Step 4. I have a feeling the competition is going to be getting tougher but it seems like most of these tourneys come down to an all-in competition at the end anyway. So it seems to be a test of who has the most patience and the best luck.
My first try at Step 3 ended when I called an all-in raise pre-flop. The pre-flop raiser was in the small blind and turned over 88. I was in the big blind and had JJ. The flop came 88Q. Yes, I was crushed by quad 8's after getting my chips in as an 80% favorite.
My second try at Step 3 ended when I moved re-raised all-in pre-flop with AK and the caller had AQ. This time it took until the river for the Q to show up and beat my unimproved hand. And this time we were down to 4 players so at least I won another try at Step 3 which I used to play immediately and finally win it.
One of the final hands of the last Step 3 that I won occurred with me getting lucky. We were down to 3 players and 2 of us would move on to Step 4. We all had right around 4000 chips with blinds at 300/600 and a 50 ante. We had been alternating winning pots by moving all-in on the button for about the last 2 rounds so we remained about even in chips.
Then I picked up KK in the big blind. I was praying for the button to move all-in because I was barely ahead of him and the tourney would probably end then. Instead he folded for the first time in 2 rounds and the small blind hesitated before moving all-in. I couldn't click the call button any faster.
He turned over AQ so again I was about a 70% favorite. He had me slightly outchipped so the tourney would've ended if he spiked an Ace. Lucky for me the board didn't hit him and he was crippled. The tourney ended a couple of hands later when I had AJ against his Q6.
So it took a while but finally paid off with a ticket to Step 4. I have a feeling the competition is going to be getting tougher but it seems like most of these tourneys come down to an all-in competition at the end anyway. So it seems to be a test of who has the most patience and the best luck.
21
Last night was the first night in a long time that I didn't play any poker. Instead I decided to see the movie 21 after the kids went to bed. I had read the book on which the movie is based over a year ago so I knew the general story behind the movie. I am very glad I chose to see the movie over playing poker.
I thought the movie was very good overall. It probably helps that I'm such a Vegas junkie and that's one of the reasons I was excited to see it. Unfortunately I was also able to pick out some of the flaws (such as you can't see the Bellagio fountains right outside your hotel room window if you're staying at the Hard Rock) in the movie easily because of my Vegas addiction also. Also, I probably should see the movie again to verify this but I think they screwed up on the card counting in the very first scene at the tables in Vegas. This should be something that is perfectly done since that is the basis of the entire movie. Oh well, maybe that's just the gambling addict/math geek in me.
Beyond the movie I've still been playing the WSOP Step tourneys on Pokerstars to try to win my WSOP Main Event ticket. I now have 4 tickets to Step 3 so I feel I'm doing pretty good. I haven't played in a Step 3 tourney yet but it seems to be one of the easier ones to get through since the top 2 move on to Step 4 (as in all the other steps) but also the next 3 get to retry Step 3. So over half of the table will remain in Step 3 or move on to Step 4. Hopefully I'll be reporting that I have Step 4 tickets soon.
I thought the movie was very good overall. It probably helps that I'm such a Vegas junkie and that's one of the reasons I was excited to see it. Unfortunately I was also able to pick out some of the flaws (such as you can't see the Bellagio fountains right outside your hotel room window if you're staying at the Hard Rock) in the movie easily because of my Vegas addiction also. Also, I probably should see the movie again to verify this but I think they screwed up on the card counting in the very first scene at the tables in Vegas. This should be something that is perfectly done since that is the basis of the entire movie. Oh well, maybe that's just the gambling addict/math geek in me.
Beyond the movie I've still been playing the WSOP Step tourneys on Pokerstars to try to win my WSOP Main Event ticket. I now have 4 tickets to Step 3 so I feel I'm doing pretty good. I haven't played in a Step 3 tourney yet but it seems to be one of the easier ones to get through since the top 2 move on to Step 4 (as in all the other steps) but also the next 3 get to retry Step 3. So over half of the table will remain in Step 3 or move on to Step 4. Hopefully I'll be reporting that I have Step 4 tickets soon.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Starting Up Again?
I've decided to try this blog thing again and hopefully I can keep this going this time. My current job is unbelievably boring and uninspiring so maybe I'll take some time to write this at work (like I'm doing now). I'm also thinking about expanding some of my posts beyond poker.
As for this post it'll still be about poker mostly as I'm preparing for the World Series of Poker (WSOP). I've dreamt of playing in the WSOP for a few years now but I've never seriously dedicated myself to it. I can't exactly afford the $10,000 buy in to the Main Event so I'm attempting to win a seat through satellite tourneys. I'm playing in a series of "Steps" tourneys to try to win my seat. There are 6 steps total and they're just a series of "Sit and Go" tourneys against 8 other players. For the most part the 1st and 2nd place players move on to the next step until step 6 when only the winner gets a seat to the Main Event.
I tried this type of Step Tournament a couple of years ago and was unsuccessful. I actually made it to the final Step back then but went out in 5th place. Needless to say I was very disappointed so hopefully this year will be different. So far I have a couple of "tickets" to step 2 and another couple to step 3. I'm trying to accumulate a few tickets to each step as I move up to give myself a better chance. That way if I go out in step 6, I will have another ticket to step 6 at my disposal.
I'm already going to be in Vegas during the WSOP but not during the Main Event. I will be there during one of the preliminary events that costs $1,500 to enter. I don't exactly have that kind of cash to blow on a poker tourney either so I've set a goal for myself.
If I don't win a seat to the Main Event as described above, I've decided that if I can win $3,000 (twice the buy-in) that I will use half of it to buy my entry. When I set this goal a little over a week ago, I had already done quite well this year so I thought it was an achievable goal. Unfortunately I have only had a winning session one time since and now I need to make a comeback to have a chance at that goal.
The original reason for my Vegas trip in June was for the Olympic Judo trials with my brother. I'm not big into judo although I find it interesting so I was basically using it as an excuse to go to Vegas (I seem to find lots of excuses for that). So even if I don't get to play in either tourney in the WSOP at least I'll still be in Vegas having lots o' fun.
As for this post it'll still be about poker mostly as I'm preparing for the World Series of Poker (WSOP). I've dreamt of playing in the WSOP for a few years now but I've never seriously dedicated myself to it. I can't exactly afford the $10,000 buy in to the Main Event so I'm attempting to win a seat through satellite tourneys. I'm playing in a series of "Steps" tourneys to try to win my seat. There are 6 steps total and they're just a series of "Sit and Go" tourneys against 8 other players. For the most part the 1st and 2nd place players move on to the next step until step 6 when only the winner gets a seat to the Main Event.
I tried this type of Step Tournament a couple of years ago and was unsuccessful. I actually made it to the final Step back then but went out in 5th place. Needless to say I was very disappointed so hopefully this year will be different. So far I have a couple of "tickets" to step 2 and another couple to step 3. I'm trying to accumulate a few tickets to each step as I move up to give myself a better chance. That way if I go out in step 6, I will have another ticket to step 6 at my disposal.
I'm already going to be in Vegas during the WSOP but not during the Main Event. I will be there during one of the preliminary events that costs $1,500 to enter. I don't exactly have that kind of cash to blow on a poker tourney either so I've set a goal for myself.
If I don't win a seat to the Main Event as described above, I've decided that if I can win $3,000 (twice the buy-in) that I will use half of it to buy my entry. When I set this goal a little over a week ago, I had already done quite well this year so I thought it was an achievable goal. Unfortunately I have only had a winning session one time since and now I need to make a comeback to have a chance at that goal.
The original reason for my Vegas trip in June was for the Olympic Judo trials with my brother. I'm not big into judo although I find it interesting so I was basically using it as an excuse to go to Vegas (I seem to find lots of excuses for that). So even if I don't get to play in either tourney in the WSOP at least I'll still be in Vegas having lots o' fun.