Went into the last week of Dino's season until next week's Final (new season starts up the next week) with a strong point lead, with only 2 people able to catch me. Since Dan (formerly SAG, in prior posts) and Harry busted out before we reached our final table, I once again claimed the points title in this league. My 6 points for finishing 6th put me at 66 points for the season, an all-time high. Two people tied for 10th with 32, but since we have our 5th place finisher out of the country next week, no complex formula was required to be made up to determine who got in.
If my memory is right, my table is me, Harry, Sharon, Bernie, Pat, Dan, Brother Bob, Volcano Ron, Mike M., and Rachel - interesting mix of players, but should be a long final, since the aggression factor (overall) just isn't there. Would be nice if Cheryl decided to actually give extra chips based on regular season ranking, but not counting on it. We're working on her...she'll crack soon, because it only makes sense to reward to best players for a whole season.
Taxes will be keeping me busy next few days - good luck at the tables!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Some MTT epiphanies I've had lately...still in play after last night
A couple of weeks ago at the spaghetti dinner Dino threw for us degenerates, errrrrr, poker players who donated toys to the Toys for Tots program, I shared some thoughts with Stevo, and a couple of weeks later with Cheryl (tournament director for Dino's game), and both of them thought there was a lot of wisdom there to use in both our bar game and regular tournaments. We're assuming non-turbo conditions here, as well.
Basically, I made the point that in our bar game it is pretty easy to make the final table of 10 (out of a field of 25-30), and now that I've been 8 of last 9 weeks, I can share the way to do it:
1) Obviously, dodging the landmines that happen early in tourneys are important. Occasionally, some idiot will not only call a 4x BB raise with 7-2, but then will also shove all his chips in with the same hand into a J-4-2 rainbow flop where you've got 9-9, and then will hit a 2 on the turn to double up. Thankfully, however, #2 was in play before this occured.
2) First couple of levels, be active - but no need to be maniacal, either. If the blood is in the water to take someone out early, by all means go for the kill! First few hands of any tournament I like to see cheap flops, and if I can hit a small straight or something, I can get a lot of chips in a hurry - especially if an ace hits somewhere on the board. Most players in bar games aren't getting away from a pair of aces early on in a tournament. And then when this happens, players may shove with 2-2 into an 8-5-5 board (and announcing that they're trying to buy the pot) while you're holding 10-10, just adding to your stack (at 5500 10 hands into a tourney where we start with 2300 chips).
3) Know your players, and play accordingly.
4) Position, position, position...did I mention position? If you don't understand this, stop right here and read about it on the Internet or in any poker book.
5) Have a great deal of patience...but don't overdo it, either. You can't wait until AA, KK, QQ, and AK, or get down to 2 BBs if you want to make deep runs here.
6) Keep your emotions on an even-keel. People whine about losing hands like happened in #1, but that's poker - drop your F-bomb or your G-D once, and move on.
7) Have an idea how many chips players at your table have at all times - this will affect certain decisions you make during the middle and late stages of a tournament.
8) Get the most value out of your big hands. Raising to 2000 with K-K when blinds are 100/200 is not getting any value, whatsoever. Flopping quad 9s and getting some guy to give you all his chips after the river, however, IS getting great value!
9) Most importantly, bar and charity poker games feature alcohol - people tend to have loose lips and multiple tells in these settings. Take your time, listen to what they say and how they say it, and use that information to make the right play.
That's about it - took 3rd this week for my bottle of wine when uber-loose player called my all-in of K-Q for 12K chips (1K-2K blinds) with Q-5, and she hit straight on the turn...I win that hand, I like my chances of making it 3 firsts in 4 weeks, but with the final coming up in 2 or 3 weeks, I'm just trying to not only clinch my spot as top point-getter for this season, but put up a ridiculous point total, as well.
Basically, I made the point that in our bar game it is pretty easy to make the final table of 10 (out of a field of 25-30), and now that I've been 8 of last 9 weeks, I can share the way to do it:
1) Obviously, dodging the landmines that happen early in tourneys are important. Occasionally, some idiot will not only call a 4x BB raise with 7-2, but then will also shove all his chips in with the same hand into a J-4-2 rainbow flop where you've got 9-9, and then will hit a 2 on the turn to double up. Thankfully, however, #2 was in play before this occured.
2) First couple of levels, be active - but no need to be maniacal, either. If the blood is in the water to take someone out early, by all means go for the kill! First few hands of any tournament I like to see cheap flops, and if I can hit a small straight or something, I can get a lot of chips in a hurry - especially if an ace hits somewhere on the board. Most players in bar games aren't getting away from a pair of aces early on in a tournament. And then when this happens, players may shove with 2-2 into an 8-5-5 board (and announcing that they're trying to buy the pot) while you're holding 10-10, just adding to your stack (at 5500 10 hands into a tourney where we start with 2300 chips).
3) Know your players, and play accordingly.
4) Position, position, position...did I mention position? If you don't understand this, stop right here and read about it on the Internet or in any poker book.
5) Have a great deal of patience...but don't overdo it, either. You can't wait until AA, KK, QQ, and AK, or get down to 2 BBs if you want to make deep runs here.
6) Keep your emotions on an even-keel. People whine about losing hands like happened in #1, but that's poker - drop your F-bomb or your G-D once, and move on.
7) Have an idea how many chips players at your table have at all times - this will affect certain decisions you make during the middle and late stages of a tournament.
8) Get the most value out of your big hands. Raising to 2000 with K-K when blinds are 100/200 is not getting any value, whatsoever. Flopping quad 9s and getting some guy to give you all his chips after the river, however, IS getting great value!
9) Most importantly, bar and charity poker games feature alcohol - people tend to have loose lips and multiple tells in these settings. Take your time, listen to what they say and how they say it, and use that information to make the right play.
That's about it - took 3rd this week for my bottle of wine when uber-loose player called my all-in of K-Q for 12K chips (1K-2K blinds) with Q-5, and she hit straight on the turn...I win that hand, I like my chances of making it 3 firsts in 4 weeks, but with the final coming up in 2 or 3 weeks, I'm just trying to not only clinch my spot as top point-getter for this season, but put up a ridiculous point total, as well.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Hot run in live poker continues, Part 2
Friday night I was itchin' to play some live poker, so I headed over to Benny's over on 22 and Van Dyke for their $30 freezeout tourney. Seeing it starts at 7, I race to get there on time, only to find out that I'm the first person on the list....sonofabitch! They delay the start til 7:30, and by the time the tourney starts, we have 19 players. 3rd gets $30 back, 2nd gets about $150, 1st gets about $275. Cheryl, the lady who runs our Monday game at Dino's, is playing, as well.
What's nice about this structure is you get 8000 chips to start, and 20 minute blinds...gives you time to survey the field, play patient, and actually play some poker. Yup, I'd say I'd be back, and already glad I did.
2nd hand of the night I look down to see 9-9 on the button, and raise to 225. The blinds (older gentlemen) both call me. Flop of 9-5-2 rainboy hits, and I bet out 500 after the blinds check. Now, people will ask at Dino's game why I usually bet out sets, and the answer is simple: Because you get more value out of those hands betting this way. Both blinds called, but check-folded on turn when a 10 came out. I'm guessing "weak-ace" for both of them...but I'll take a nice pot early.
Sick hand of the day for me occurred when I was in the BB. 3 limpers (50/100 level), and I looked down at Q-Q in the BB - raise to 350. All 3 limpers calls, hoorah! :-\ Flop of J-6-5 rainbow hits, which I like - SB checks, I c-bet out 800, and UTG + 1 takes a couple of seconds before min-raising me, which causes me some pause when it's my turn to act. Blinds who are chasing straights or have top pair stay in, but the min-raise gave me the sick feeling that I was waaaaaaaaaaaay behind here. After going in the tank for over a minute, I hold my Q-Q up so the punk kid who directly on my left can see, and throw them into the muck.
I get up for a second, punk kid (Romeo was his name) sidles over to me where I'm standing and calls me an idiot for making that fold...and I look at him and tell him "Dude has pocket 6's, check it out" - Romeo looks at me with bug eyes a short time later when hand is over and min-raiser flips over 6-6...an absolutely ridiculous laydown at this point in the tournament (and yes, I actually give a quick pat on the back to myself at this point, heh), no matter how you look at it.
I get Romeo to short-stack status in quick order after my 10-10 wins on a 9-4-6-7-7 board...Romeo asks, "Are 9s good?", to which I snorted, "Hardly!" as I flipped them over rake the pot. This put Romeo on tilt, to which another youngster was happy to take advantage of the next hand...and youngster was smart enough to give me a little credit for good fortune soon afterwards.
Get to the break with over 21K in chips - kinda nice when I don't have to put them all at risk to get there, either. When we get down to 7-handed, I give away 75% of my chips on an all-in call when I was looking for nut-flush against a made straight and didn't hit...time to play short-stack poker for a while!
Cheryl tried to pump me up to these guys, warning about short-stack abilities here - first hand after blinds go up to 1000/2000, I get AA in middle position and put my last 2500 in the middle. SB folds, BB calls in the dark for 500, and my AA holds up against his AQ to get me to 6000 or so. Get another double-up soon after when 8-8 hits set against A-J on flop - to 13K or so now.
Pretty much stayed on this status for another round or 2 - I'd get raised on my blinds, get them back the next hand with open-shoves (including UTG 5-handed with 3-2), just trying to figure out how to get to the money. Gotta get there before you get 1st, anyways. Cheryl is fighting as a shortstack, herself, and holding her own.
Cheryl and I get our break we were looking for when the top 3 stacks butt heads for a hand. Button open-shoves for 26K, SB yelled all-in for who knows how much, and BB insta-calls...putting him at risk. Button has 8-6, SB has A-Q, BB has K-K - and I look at Cheryl and say, "Root for the ace, baby!", since we'd be in the money. Ace on flop hits, turn gives button a pair of 8's, blank on river, and we've cracked the bubble in stunning fashion!
First hand of 3-handed play (2000/4000 chips - 8K left), I get J-J in BB, and when button raises, I get my chips in the middle. Hit boat on flop to win hand (err, become a 99.9% favorite), and get to hang around a couple more hands...maybe Cheryl will bluff her chips away here for me.
Wishes come true, and Cheryl gets knocked out 2 hands later, and I'm HU with about 10-1 chip disadvantage...oy! Oh well, see what happens here - 2nd is more than gravy at this point. HU lasts 3 hands - we fold SBs the first 2 hands, then opponent calls out of SB and I check my 9-5 rags. 9 on flop and I open-shove the pot to put me at risk, and opponent calls and flips over J-J - no help for me, and I happily take 2nd place here.
Good run, time to continue this tonight at Dino's game.
What's nice about this structure is you get 8000 chips to start, and 20 minute blinds...gives you time to survey the field, play patient, and actually play some poker. Yup, I'd say I'd be back, and already glad I did.
2nd hand of the night I look down to see 9-9 on the button, and raise to 225. The blinds (older gentlemen) both call me. Flop of 9-5-2 rainboy hits, and I bet out 500 after the blinds check. Now, people will ask at Dino's game why I usually bet out sets, and the answer is simple: Because you get more value out of those hands betting this way. Both blinds called, but check-folded on turn when a 10 came out. I'm guessing "weak-ace" for both of them...but I'll take a nice pot early.
Sick hand of the day for me occurred when I was in the BB. 3 limpers (50/100 level), and I looked down at Q-Q in the BB - raise to 350. All 3 limpers calls, hoorah! :-\ Flop of J-6-5 rainbow hits, which I like - SB checks, I c-bet out 800, and UTG + 1 takes a couple of seconds before min-raising me, which causes me some pause when it's my turn to act. Blinds who are chasing straights or have top pair stay in, but the min-raise gave me the sick feeling that I was waaaaaaaaaaaay behind here. After going in the tank for over a minute, I hold my Q-Q up so the punk kid who directly on my left can see, and throw them into the muck.
I get up for a second, punk kid (Romeo was his name) sidles over to me where I'm standing and calls me an idiot for making that fold...and I look at him and tell him "Dude has pocket 6's, check it out" - Romeo looks at me with bug eyes a short time later when hand is over and min-raiser flips over 6-6...an absolutely ridiculous laydown at this point in the tournament (and yes, I actually give a quick pat on the back to myself at this point, heh), no matter how you look at it.
I get Romeo to short-stack status in quick order after my 10-10 wins on a 9-4-6-7-7 board...Romeo asks, "Are 9s good?", to which I snorted, "Hardly!" as I flipped them over rake the pot. This put Romeo on tilt, to which another youngster was happy to take advantage of the next hand...and youngster was smart enough to give me a little credit for good fortune soon afterwards.
Get to the break with over 21K in chips - kinda nice when I don't have to put them all at risk to get there, either. When we get down to 7-handed, I give away 75% of my chips on an all-in call when I was looking for nut-flush against a made straight and didn't hit...time to play short-stack poker for a while!
Cheryl tried to pump me up to these guys, warning about short-stack abilities here - first hand after blinds go up to 1000/2000, I get AA in middle position and put my last 2500 in the middle. SB folds, BB calls in the dark for 500, and my AA holds up against his AQ to get me to 6000 or so. Get another double-up soon after when 8-8 hits set against A-J on flop - to 13K or so now.
Pretty much stayed on this status for another round or 2 - I'd get raised on my blinds, get them back the next hand with open-shoves (including UTG 5-handed with 3-2), just trying to figure out how to get to the money. Gotta get there before you get 1st, anyways. Cheryl is fighting as a shortstack, herself, and holding her own.
Cheryl and I get our break we were looking for when the top 3 stacks butt heads for a hand. Button open-shoves for 26K, SB yelled all-in for who knows how much, and BB insta-calls...putting him at risk. Button has 8-6, SB has A-Q, BB has K-K - and I look at Cheryl and say, "Root for the ace, baby!", since we'd be in the money. Ace on flop hits, turn gives button a pair of 8's, blank on river, and we've cracked the bubble in stunning fashion!
First hand of 3-handed play (2000/4000 chips - 8K left), I get J-J in BB, and when button raises, I get my chips in the middle. Hit boat on flop to win hand (err, become a 99.9% favorite), and get to hang around a couple more hands...maybe Cheryl will bluff her chips away here for me.
Wishes come true, and Cheryl gets knocked out 2 hands later, and I'm HU with about 10-1 chip disadvantage...oy! Oh well, see what happens here - 2nd is more than gravy at this point. HU lasts 3 hands - we fold SBs the first 2 hands, then opponent calls out of SB and I check my 9-5 rags. 9 on flop and I open-shove the pot to put me at risk, and opponent calls and flips over J-J - no help for me, and I happily take 2nd place here.
Good run, time to continue this tonight at Dino's game.
A hot run continues in live poker...
The last couple of months have proven that I can sustain some good play for a long period of time in live play. It has to be live play only, because it had been a few weeks since I'd played online. Work, a business, sick wife, and just life has limited play time to Mondays only, for the time being. At least I'm making the most of my opportunities these days.
Last Monday's Dino's saw me trying to reach another final table after missing out by 3 spots the week before. Was seated at what was definitely that week's heavy-hitter table with Bernie, Pat, Brother Bob, Ron. Took a couple of small pots down, and mainly chipped up by stealing blinds and/or c-betting my pre-flop raises...while getting frustrated a couple of times with Brother Bob reraising me with crap to get me out of hands. At 100/200 level, doubled up to 4600 when my UTG raise to 600 with A-J was reraised to basically put me all-in...after a minute or 2 to think it over, I shoved my chips in the middle and confidently flipped my cards over, and Bob sheepishly flips over A-10. Bernie lectures Brother Bob about giving me chips to play with afterwards, heh.
Cruised to final table of 10 with about 6000 chips, then watched as the shorties were knocked out to get down to 6 players. Card-dead to this point, I open-shoved my last 2900 (blinds at 300/600 here) with A-9 and got insta-called by the Fisherman BB holding Q-Q. Spiked an ace on the river to get to 6600 or so. Very next hand, open-raised to 2000 with A-10, Fisherman adds his last 600 to go all-in, and I am behind to his A-J. Hit 10 on the turn to win the hand and knock Fisherman out - sick.
Couple of hands later (400/800 blinds) I open-raise to 2500 with K-Q hearts, BB Nicole goes into the tank and puts her last 3600 in the middle, and I'm just hoping cards are live here...and wouldn't mind a race, at this point. Nicole flips over 6-6, Flop is J-10-3 (1 heart), giving me 8 more outs. Get all sorts of outs on the turns when a heart hits the turn, and hit my straight on the river when an ace hits...3 big suckouts in short matter here.
After taking a huge pot off of Bernie to get to 20K in chips, I make a pretty big laydown 4-handed. Richard open-shoves (500/1000 blinds) for his last 12K, and I go in the tank again here with 9-9 - would have folded face up, but Bernie still had to fold, so not doing it. Told Richard immediately that I folded 9-9, and he flipped over pocket jacks...good read me!
Sharon knocked out in 4th by me, and soon afterwards my A-K beats Richard's K-rag to get HU with Bernie for 2nd time in 3 weeks. This time, it only lasts 2 hands, as all the chips get in the middle after Bernie tries to semi-bluff all-in against me with A-10 on a J-9-8-4 board while I am holding J-7 - No help on the river, and I play Suckout King to get win #12 at Dino's in less than 3 years.
Would have gotten into juicy cash game, but with jury duty the next day, wasn't happening.
Last Monday's Dino's saw me trying to reach another final table after missing out by 3 spots the week before. Was seated at what was definitely that week's heavy-hitter table with Bernie, Pat, Brother Bob, Ron. Took a couple of small pots down, and mainly chipped up by stealing blinds and/or c-betting my pre-flop raises...while getting frustrated a couple of times with Brother Bob reraising me with crap to get me out of hands. At 100/200 level, doubled up to 4600 when my UTG raise to 600 with A-J was reraised to basically put me all-in...after a minute or 2 to think it over, I shoved my chips in the middle and confidently flipped my cards over, and Bob sheepishly flips over A-10. Bernie lectures Brother Bob about giving me chips to play with afterwards, heh.
Cruised to final table of 10 with about 6000 chips, then watched as the shorties were knocked out to get down to 6 players. Card-dead to this point, I open-shoved my last 2900 (blinds at 300/600 here) with A-9 and got insta-called by the Fisherman BB holding Q-Q. Spiked an ace on the river to get to 6600 or so. Very next hand, open-raised to 2000 with A-10, Fisherman adds his last 600 to go all-in, and I am behind to his A-J. Hit 10 on the turn to win the hand and knock Fisherman out - sick.
Couple of hands later (400/800 blinds) I open-raise to 2500 with K-Q hearts, BB Nicole goes into the tank and puts her last 3600 in the middle, and I'm just hoping cards are live here...and wouldn't mind a race, at this point. Nicole flips over 6-6, Flop is J-10-3 (1 heart), giving me 8 more outs. Get all sorts of outs on the turns when a heart hits the turn, and hit my straight on the river when an ace hits...3 big suckouts in short matter here.
After taking a huge pot off of Bernie to get to 20K in chips, I make a pretty big laydown 4-handed. Richard open-shoves (500/1000 blinds) for his last 12K, and I go in the tank again here with 9-9 - would have folded face up, but Bernie still had to fold, so not doing it. Told Richard immediately that I folded 9-9, and he flipped over pocket jacks...good read me!
Sharon knocked out in 4th by me, and soon afterwards my A-K beats Richard's K-rag to get HU with Bernie for 2nd time in 3 weeks. This time, it only lasts 2 hands, as all the chips get in the middle after Bernie tries to semi-bluff all-in against me with A-10 on a J-9-8-4 board while I am holding J-7 - No help on the river, and I play Suckout King to get win #12 at Dino's in less than 3 years.
Would have gotten into juicy cash game, but with jury duty the next day, wasn't happening.
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