Finally got back into live action over the weekend. Called my friend, Sharon (who also plays in the Dino's game with me), and met her up at Four Aces for another $35/20K chip tourney. Sharon busted out before the first break, while I chipped up to 35K at the break...and getting up to 50K before the end of the 500/1000 level.
Moved to new table, and a combination of ill-timed bluffs and card-deadedness had me grinding away with 14 players to go...all to make the final table of 10 (82 started). Survived a couple of times when Q-high and 9-high all-in shoves were good enough to win the hand, and was very happy to make it to the final table as the short-stack (95K) when down to 10.
Standard chop for 9th and 10th were made, so I was guaranteed my money back...if I get lucky one hand, can get to at least 8th ($45), and win more $$$ for each spot, up to over $700 for first place this time (after chops). First hand I see A-6 in the cutoff, shove my 95K in the middle, and merely hope to take down the 10K/20K blinds. Lady in BB looks at her 400K, decides to call with 10-5 off, and we're lookin' golden on an A-Q-2 flop.
King on turn leaves me 3 outs to dodge to double up...but this time the gods smile upon my opponent, when a Jack hits the river, to give her a straight, and your hero is out in 10th.
Tonight is last regular season tourney in Dino's season before next week's season finale...haven't decided if I am going to play maniac poker tonight, or play my normal game...we'll see what the 2nd beer says to me before I decide.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Monday Night Madness - 2/14/11
It's Valentine's Day, and what spells "LOVE" more than taking your wife out to the bar for dinner, then staying at the same bar to play some poker? Anyways, it was nice of Kelley to join me for dinner last night, although it would have been better if she stuck around a little longer. But hey, she's not a poker player, so I don't blame her.
First 3 levels or so I pick up a small pot here and there, and lose a few more pots here and there, but just plodding along quietly with just-below starting stack of 2100 chips. Take you to down to 13 players (started with 20), when my night officially picks up. 100/200 level, and a family-pot is a brewin, until I look down and see A-K in the big blind. Gotta think my hand is best here, and with 1400 in the pot, the only move is to shove...if I take the pot there, I'm fine with it. I'm happier when Cheryl calls me out of the SB with A-2, and I hit a king on the turn to double up.
Promptly decide to donk 1200 away to Kid Dave, but on the next hand I get my first knockout of the night. 2 limpers, and Cheryl raises to 800. Her non-standard raises usually indicate A-rag or small pair. I eyeball her remaining stack, see about 1000 left, then look down and see A-Q on the button. Shuffle the chips a few times, glance to see Cheryl giving me the big staredown, figure that I'm ahead, and reraise to 2K - Volcano Ron instafolds A-Q (so he says), Cheryl turns over A-9, and when no 9 hits, Cheryl hits the rail, and I'm sitting at about 7K now.
Merge down to 9 for final table, and A-10 is good for a chopped pot with WendyDonk, followed by a knockout of Rachel when my K-K held against her 10-10. Take down a couple more pots post-flop to get to 11K, and we're rolling...which means it's time for a Brian implosion to take place.
Yup, implosion happens in the form of K-9 donking off 70% of my stack to Darren, new guy to the game (and friend of 2009 WSOP champ Joe Cada)...well played A-A, sir! At 6-handed, I grind away the next couple of orbits to hang around, then I get a fortuitous run at 300/600 level.
Down to 5 now, and after watching Kid Dave and Bernie trade chips with each other for an orbit, I look for anything to push with 3 BBs left...and when Dave and Bernie fold around, I blind-shove from the button for 1650. Dave, with 15K, folds K-7 for only 1K more to my Q-8. Hmmmmmmm
I steal another set of blinds a couple of hands later, than knock Volcano Ron out when my blind-shoved A-4 holds off his Q-J - lose that hand, and I'm crippled, but now I have 6100 or so to play with.
Kid Dave min-raises UTG on the next hand, and I look and see A-10, and with blinds now at 400/800, time to push again. Dave goes into the tank for a minute, calls, and lets out a huge sigh of relief when he sees my A-10 matches his A-10.
Win about 6K on the next hand in a 3-way pot, then the #2 hand of the night for me takes place. K-6 in BB (4-handed now), and in a 3-way pot a K-5-3 (2 spades) flops. Bet gets Bernie out, Dave sticks around. An 8 on the turn gives me a flush draw (king), and by this time I am feeling confident my hand is best. Dave surprises me by shoving all-in, and it's decision time. after a few seconds of deliberation, I say taht his "low pair - flush draw" is behind, and confidently flip my hand over, and see his A (spades) with a paired 5...dodge the outs, and a 25K+ pot is mine.
Soon after, Dave exits, and after Bernies loses most of his stack to my set of 4s, Richard takes him out, and we get to heads-up with a 3-1 chip lead. Andy tells me that I shouldn't take offenseHU took about 30 minutes to go through, and was an up and down grindfest for - although I never relinquished the chiplead. #1 hand of the night, was winning a large pot on a bluff after the river put straight and flush potentials out there...only way to win the hand was to bet a ton to get Richard off his pair, and even then he reluctantly let his hand go.
A couple of hands later, my trip 8s beat his pair of 9s, and win #16 is mine, bitches!!!
First 3 levels or so I pick up a small pot here and there, and lose a few more pots here and there, but just plodding along quietly with just-below starting stack of 2100 chips. Take you to down to 13 players (started with 20), when my night officially picks up. 100/200 level, and a family-pot is a brewin, until I look down and see A-K in the big blind. Gotta think my hand is best here, and with 1400 in the pot, the only move is to shove...if I take the pot there, I'm fine with it. I'm happier when Cheryl calls me out of the SB with A-2, and I hit a king on the turn to double up.
Promptly decide to donk 1200 away to Kid Dave, but on the next hand I get my first knockout of the night. 2 limpers, and Cheryl raises to 800. Her non-standard raises usually indicate A-rag or small pair. I eyeball her remaining stack, see about 1000 left, then look down and see A-Q on the button. Shuffle the chips a few times, glance to see Cheryl giving me the big staredown, figure that I'm ahead, and reraise to 2K - Volcano Ron instafolds A-Q (so he says), Cheryl turns over A-9, and when no 9 hits, Cheryl hits the rail, and I'm sitting at about 7K now.
Merge down to 9 for final table, and A-10 is good for a chopped pot with WendyDonk, followed by a knockout of Rachel when my K-K held against her 10-10. Take down a couple more pots post-flop to get to 11K, and we're rolling...which means it's time for a Brian implosion to take place.
Yup, implosion happens in the form of K-9 donking off 70% of my stack to Darren, new guy to the game (and friend of 2009 WSOP champ Joe Cada)...well played A-A, sir! At 6-handed, I grind away the next couple of orbits to hang around, then I get a fortuitous run at 300/600 level.
Down to 5 now, and after watching Kid Dave and Bernie trade chips with each other for an orbit, I look for anything to push with 3 BBs left...and when Dave and Bernie fold around, I blind-shove from the button for 1650. Dave, with 15K, folds K-7 for only 1K more to my Q-8. Hmmmmmmm
I steal another set of blinds a couple of hands later, than knock Volcano Ron out when my blind-shoved A-4 holds off his Q-J - lose that hand, and I'm crippled, but now I have 6100 or so to play with.
Kid Dave min-raises UTG on the next hand, and I look and see A-10, and with blinds now at 400/800, time to push again. Dave goes into the tank for a minute, calls, and lets out a huge sigh of relief when he sees my A-10 matches his A-10.
Win about 6K on the next hand in a 3-way pot, then the #2 hand of the night for me takes place. K-6 in BB (4-handed now), and in a 3-way pot a K-5-3 (2 spades) flops. Bet gets Bernie out, Dave sticks around. An 8 on the turn gives me a flush draw (king), and by this time I am feeling confident my hand is best. Dave surprises me by shoving all-in, and it's decision time. after a few seconds of deliberation, I say taht his "low pair - flush draw" is behind, and confidently flip my hand over, and see his A (spades) with a paired 5...dodge the outs, and a 25K+ pot is mine.
Soon after, Dave exits, and after Bernies loses most of his stack to my set of 4s, Richard takes him out, and we get to heads-up with a 3-1 chip lead. Andy tells me that I shouldn't take offenseHU took about 30 minutes to go through, and was an up and down grindfest for - although I never relinquished the chiplead. #1 hand of the night, was winning a large pot on a bluff after the river put straight and flush potentials out there...only way to win the hand was to bet a ton to get Richard off his pair, and even then he reluctantly let his hand go.
A couple of hands later, my trip 8s beat his pair of 9s, and win #16 is mine, bitches!!!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Another solid 24 hours or so of poker
The last 2 days have been solid for me, both in micro cash games and tourney play. Doubled buy-ins in separate sessions of NLHE and HORSE, but the highlights of the night were clearly last night's tourney action. Warmed up by finishing in the top 65 in the Facebook poker league dime tourney last night (meh, only 45 cents, though) out of 2200-plus, but followed it up with another deep run in the nightly HORSE tourney:
You finished the tournament in 3rd place. A USD 20.46 award has been credited to your Real Money account (20 times my buy-in).
2 HORSE MTTs, and 2 top-4 finishes in a row. Getting closer to that victory in that tourney!
Dino's the last couple of weeks has seen a couple of quick exits, though the side game action was lucrative enough to pay my dinner tab...gotta love it.
You finished the tournament in 3rd place. A USD 20.46 award has been credited to your Real Money account (20 times my buy-in).
2 HORSE MTTs, and 2 top-4 finishes in a row. Getting closer to that victory in that tourney!
Dino's the last couple of weeks has seen a couple of quick exits, though the side game action was lucrative enough to pay my dinner tab...gotta love it.
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