Poker Blogs - Texas Holdem Poker

Saturday, August 26th, 2006

Ups and Downs

Posted 11:40 am in Categories: Poker

Two more SnGs, only one ITM and it was in 3rd which was a little disappointing.

The SnG from last night was a pretty 'blah' game overall, I never really had many decent hands and never really made any decent plays. I ended up getting lucky, my KK against a pusher with 44, but later blew a lot of chips on a misplayed AKo. Oh well, it happens. Soon after, somewhat short-stacked, I pushed with AK after the big stack raised 3xBB and he called me with A4s and hit a flush, I was out in 5th. I guess I was pretty annoyed afterwards and didn't play very well, especially after my AK blunder. Was frustrated I blew the hand when I was in a position to coast into 3rd, but it happens.

Woke up this morning hoping to make up for that one and joined up. Cards wise this was a strange tournament for me, I ended up getting quite a few nice starting hands early on but couldn't a single flop. I had 33, 66, 88, 99 and JJ all in the first 2 levels but never made a set or draw and always had overcards. The JJ was an uncalled raise preflop as was my AQs, so really I mostly saw the flop with PPs early on and never connected.

I kept waiting but was getting pretty short-stacked, tied for last with another guy. The other SS pushes after I raised with AKs from the button, I decide I can't wait and will risk the coinflip - he flips over 77 but I get lucky hitting an A and K on turn/river. So now I'm in okay shape, in a tie for 3rd. Eventually, a really short-stack pushes for 4xBB and 2 people call, I have KK and push myself, hoping for another caller but very content with just the SS and the blinds - no calls and my KK holds up against his K7.

We got down to 3-handed but my stack was getting low, my cards all of a sudden died when we became 3-handed; my best hand the entire time was Q9s, which I had to fold to a raise and re-raise. I didn't see a single Ace or PP 3-handed and my stealing opportunities were pretty low as I was against two equal big stacks of about 5000-6000 each against my 2000. Eventually I was happy to see the two big stacks go big on each other, both pushing and leaving one with only 1600, the same as me. But, he began pushing preflop almost every hand and I simply couldn't get a hand. 3 BBs in a row I had 83s, including the hand I went out on. I got to see the flop cheap (for once) and it came T62 with 2 hearts. CL bet the pot, I pushed picking this as my spot and he flipped over JT. My flush never came and I was out, had I won that pot I would've had almost double the SS but oh well.

I will say though that I felt my game this morning was Much better than last night. I made quality hands pay off and didn't blow chips on bad reads. One thing I feel I need to work on though is my 3-handed play when my stack is the same as another SS against one big CL. Perhaps today's problems were because my cards were awful 3-handed, but I sometimes feel I'm weak in this situation where as heads-up or 3-handed with the big or medium stack I do very well.

Anyway, will play another game or two tonight assuming I don't get addicted to Madden 07, and hopefully pick up a 1st or 2nd place. Right now I'm okay with 3rd place because I'm still trying to improve, but I know I'm capable of making it heads-up often and simply need to make it happen.

$5 SnGs
Played: 7
ITM: 5
1st: 1
2nd: 1
3rd: 3
Total Profit: ~$25
ROI: 63%

Note: I know the above numbers mean little as I haven't played enough SnGs yet, I'm just putting it here to keep track of.

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Friday, August 25th, 2006

Few lame hands

Posted 5:54 pm in Categories: Poker

Don't you just hate when you have a reckless idiot sitting at your table but you can't ever get a hand to take the chips away from him? That was me earlier. First hand at the table I got JJ and he called me down to the river before he finally gave up on his 99 when I pushed with my set. After that I watched him make ridiculous call after ridiculous call and continue to hit cards. He was eventually yup 4 buy-ins and I was praying for a good hand - 2 hands earlier he'd pushed with NOTHING and runner-runnered a set to beat a guy with two pair.

I get QQ from MP, raise 4xBB and he calls, flop comes 45T rainbow and he pushes. He wasn't really playing terrible cards, just making retarded decisions so I didn't think he'd made two pair or anything. I decided to call and for once he actually had a hand - AA. I still like my call given the player, I was just pissed I lost my entire stack when he finally made a hand.

Anyway, sat down later on again to play some cash before I head out and made a dumb play that pissed me off - I could've made back my lost cash. I sit down, one off button and decide to post, dealt A3o and check and flop comes A34 rainbow with 3 in the hand. 1st bets out 1/2 the pot, called by other three and I raise 4x his bet and 2nd caller calls. Turn is a 3, making me a full house, and guy bets half the pot. I STUPIDLY and ACCIDENTALLY pushed. My hand slipped on my touchpad and somehow I pushed, he thought for a while and almost called with his A4 but I can't believe I screwed that up, I would've likely taken a nice stack of chips on the river.

Tonight I plan on at least one, maybe two, SnGs when I get home from seeing Invincible. Maybe an MTT tomorrow, haven't played one in a while. I also need to start playing cash a little more. I love SnGs, but I always hear how cash makes better profits. I'm not in this for profits only, but maybe I'm selling myself short playing SnGs? Input appreciated. Off to the movies now!

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Thursday, August 24th, 2006

$5 SnG ITM again

Posted 4:48 pm in Categories: Poker

Well, another SnG down and another good finish. I know making a post for one SnG is lame and maybe not interesting, but I've been busy lately

Anyway, stuck my cash in another $5 SnG on Stars this afternoon and it was a pretty frustrating game to be honest, but I did catch some breaks when I needed them.

It started out with Everyone being SUPER tight, it took like 20 min for the first person to get knocked out - it's just too bad my cards were horrible, I couldn't take advantage of the tight play. I did get Kings early, but when I re-raised an UTG raiser (my raise was pretty small) he still folded. Sigh.

Anyway, it was basically a battle to stay around as the blinds were getting up there and people just weren't getting knocked out. Finally started to happen though and I started playing a little more aggressively, trying to make sure I stay at a decent stack. The only decent profit hand I had was when we were 6-handed, I was dealt AKs in BB - it's raised 3xBB from button, I raise 2x his raise and we see a 10 high flop. I represent PP and take it down.

After that, it was basically just sitting and hoping for cards or a break. My cards were so bad I didn't even steal much, didn't want to risk it with a huge stack to my left. Anyway, I got some luck on two hands to double up when we were 5-handed and 4-handed.

1) KJs from SB, I push preflop hoping for blinds (3 callers) and the big stack makes the call with A4, we both make our bottom pair and I take the pot.

2) Still in need of chips, badly after a tough hand, I pushed with ATo from BB hoping for blinds but okay with a call - big stack calls again, this time with KT and my hand holds up.

The guy that finished in 4th hit the nut straight on the turn, pushed all-in and big stack called with a set; made quads on the river. Ouch.

Start of 3-handed it was CL at 8000, me at 2500 and SS at 1500. I started to open up and play Very aggressive, especially when SS was in the BB and eventually he went out on a hand where I could have made a massive profit. Basically, the SS pushed but after the CL had called the blind, I was certain he'd at least call and holding KQ I figured an Ace was out there; decided to step aside and let them battle it out rather than risk it there. CL had A7, SS has K7 and my KQ would've made a Full House. Perhaps I made a mistake here, but I didn't feel this was an ideal position.

Got down to heads up again, but again the CL had 10000 chips to my 3000. I did what I could, building up to 4700 quickly but then my cards completely died. I ended up having 74, 72, 85, 84, 64, 95 all in a row and basically could do nothing to stop the bleeding. I finally saw a facecard and had to push with QTs, CL flipped over KJo and I lost the race.

I'm okay with 2nd, my play in this tournament wasn't perfect but certainly okay, I just suffered from bad cards most of it but I was pleased that I stayed calm, even wittled down to 675, and waited for the right times to make my moves rather than taking unwarranted risks. I also continued to feel strong in HU play, just simply didn't get cards near the end. Either way, I've now played five of these $5 SnGs and have placed ITM in 4, grabbing another $8 in profit today. I'll be playing more soon and will be able to report a few more games at a time, for now I'm merely posting due to the progress in my game rather than the results alone.

Take care.

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Tuesday, August 22nd, 2006

Streak Ends

Posted 12:36 pm in Categories: Poker

Woot, well I finally broke the unlucky streak! Here's how it went...

After losing that last $5 SnG I was getting pretty low, combined with losing a bunch of $1 SnGs and tourneys I wasn't too pleased with my profit lately. Anyway, this was my first real slide (they're expected but still hated) and I was down to $36.90. I decided I would use $5.50 of that on an SnG and $1.20 on an MTT. If I lost both I'd sit on my $30 BR til I got my money and was able to bump up my BR. Didn't have to!

I know I shouldn't be playing the $5 SnGs but for me they are just SO much more beatable than the $1 games. I've said it before, I'll say it again - I can't wait til I can play these regularily.

Signed up for the $5 and off I went, was getting bad cards for a while and just decided to sit around and wait a bit while others got knocked out. There was this one guy that was SO reckless and a complete moron, just wish I was the one to take him out. I did take some chips to somewhat get me going, around level 3 I got AKs from BB, reckless calls SB and I raise 3xBB, flop comes JQK rainbow. He's pretty damn reckless so I push, hoping for a loose call and boom, that's what I got; he flips over QT and I pick up 1000 chips up to 2200.

After losing a small pot to a short-stack (my AJo to his Q4o), we eventually got 4-handed and it was me (2300), SS (2200), reckless idiot (3000), CL (6000). I was basically forced to sit and do nothing due to the reckless play going on ahead of me (directly to my right) and eventually I was lucky enough to watch 2nd SS push with 77, get called by AQs by CL and lose to the flush. We were 3-handed but I was hugely short-stacked at 1500 versus 3000 and 9000.

At first I'm hoping the reckless kid will knock himself out, he almost does a few times but then I decide I want to play for 1st/2nd (my best finish has been 3rd) and I start to make some moves. My big one came with the stacks at about me (2000), reckless (4000), CL (7500). I picked up A6o on BB, reckless in SB min-raises me and I call; flop is 79A and he bets about the pot, I figure I need to make a move and he usually overbets with trash on the flop so I push and he flips over J9. Turn is scary, an 8, but river is a 2 and I double up.

It's funny, this reckless guy was entertaining to watch. If he picked up a premium hand like KK preflop, even in first couple of levels, he'd raise like 15xBB and obviously get no callers. But on the flop, with premium he would min-bet while with trash he'd overbet. Strange stuff. Anyway, a few hands later he pushed with TT on a flop of 678 with 2 diamonds, CL flips over KT of diamonds and hits his flush; down to two.

At the start of the heads up I was down quite a bit, about 4000 to 9500 but wanted to be as agressive as possible. I raised almost every SB, raised BB if I had a decent hand, etc. I basically did a good job of slowly moving myself up but eventually cost myself a few chips on a board of 458; I'm holding A4 and I check-raise to steal, he pushes and I fold while he shows pocket 7's. Back to where we started but I eventually made a big hand. I get JJ in the small blind and min-raise as usual. Flop comes 46T rainbow, I push hoping he hit something and he did, calling with JT. My pockets J's hold up and I'm CL about 7500-5500. A few hands later I get 9c3c in BB, he calls and I check to see flop which comes 5cJsAc. He bets 1/2 the pot and I call, which brings my flush with 5c. I check, trapping and hoping he hasn't made a FH, and river brings a rag. I bet the pot, he calls and I win with flush.

This led up to the final hand where I saw my luck finally work out. I'm in SB, dealt KK and min-raise, he pushes and I call quick hoping it's anything but AA and he flips over 99. For once my hand holds up and I take 1st!

That $22, $17 in profit, was great to see after my recent streak and I was very pleased with how I played in the later stages of the SnG.

So far my $5 SnG record is:

Played: 4
ITM: 3
1st: 1
2nd: 0
3rd: 2

I know it's not enough to really see that as anything special, but it still gives me some confidence. The $5 SnGs are what I want to be playing, and seeing myself do well now only gives me more confidence that I'll be able to see some profits down the road. Alright, I'm off for now, maybe I'll do that MTT later, maybe not.

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