It's been a while since I caught up with people, and it's not necessarily that nothing interesting has happened in my life, it's just little of it has to do with poker.
Being that my "part-time" job is at a casino, this is the busiest time of the year for us, and thus our part-time job ends up as full-time for the month of December sadly.
And being that that's the case, I haven't had much time for online poker while working 5 days a week, I just can't get up to put in deep sessions online on one of my odd days off. Also, most of my days off I've been busy doing different things, that have been a ton of fun or very informitive to a potential future for me(I know I know, hard to beleive I actually have a future).
First off : Took a day off work to go catch my favourite standup comedian live in Toronto. Louis CK. If you've never seen Louis CK before, do it. There are videos a plenty online, or download or buy his specials. Whatever means you take to do it, see him. He's the funniest person on earth.
So me and a few buddies from Toronto went down to go see the show, and I've seen every standup special he's done, but this was on a whole other level. It was painful it was so funny. The venue wasn't overly huge, so afterwards he hung out outside it and did a meet and greet with people. Just a cool night overall, and I laughed more than I ever have in my life.
Since I know some of you are going to go in search of videos online, here's a couple to help you out :) :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95fNgx8aCS8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GKOqdr0-e8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbIGbZ6gq_Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u2ZsoYWwJA
Anyway, moving past Louis CK's amazing-ness, although it's deffinitely worth discussing because of his brilliance:
I was supposed to go on different fun poker trips the last month or two, and wound up hostage to different things. Wanted to go with Marco and Marc out to the BCPC, but wound up not because of family emergencies arising here. Wanted to go to Turning Stone with Marco and Marc and others, but again, work this time prevented it.
Next day I finally got off work I went back into Toronto again. This time to try and make an investment in my future. A close friend of mine and myself attended an open house at The College Of Sports Media in Toronto. A fantastic new school that just opened in the heart of Toronto, it's run by people who either once had, or currently have major jobs at all the major Sports media studios in Toronto. The founder is David Lanys, other teachers are Elliot Freidman, Jim Van Horne and countless other different people. It's a private school with a 2 year course that costs $17,000 a year to take, but guarantees a work placement at the end of your time at the school at any one of their affiliates(TSN, Sportsnet, The Score, Fan 590, Satalite Radio and others). They just started up recently, have no graduates yet(the first crop of students is now in year 2) and they already have a group of those students hosting a Tennis show on TV, and a bunch of them have jobs writing for different fantasy sites most notably rotoworld.com.
The opportunity is fantastic, I have a friend going there now who swears by it, and now regularily attends parties for UFC's with the guys from The Score. The contacts he has now are fantastic. And it's the kind of job that pays way more than it ever should, and would be just a blast to do, be it on air, or even just a behind the scenes writer or researcher or statistician or cameraman or producer or editor, all of which they teach you how to do there. And all of which make CRAZY money. So hopefully I'll be using poker winnings accumulated over time to pay my way to that school, and be attending it next fall.
Other than that, again, no real poker stories to tell you about honestly...for those of you on jackseven you may be pleased/proud/whatever to hear that the last time I was at work on a Tuesday, which is the day we host our big limit game, 50/100 limit, the guys at the table were all talking about Marc, after one mentioned having met him out at the BCPC, they all had nothing but glowing things to say about him, saying he's a great guy, real friendly, approachable and humble, and that he's a great player. So good on you Marc for not only ripping up the scene, but being a genuinely likable guy while doing it.
***End rant***
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
FTOPS X, Finally a result...($1800)
So after the first 2 events kind of flamed out, Sunday was my next day at FTOPS.
So, we get down to action in a $256 buyin 6-Max KO tourney...
Grind for a little bit, not really getting much and then the entire tourney flames out in one big hand :
Blinds are at 100/200, UTG goes to 600, UTG+1 flats, and another player flats, I have 3400 total, and As/Ks in the SB, so naturally I shove bomb it. BB clears the way and UTG re-shoves over and UTG+1 SNAP calls.
UTG rolls over QQ
UTG+1 rolls over AA
Well, way to put your money in behind Kevin...good lord. Needless to say victory was not mine.
Then we got to the nightcap. a $322 buyin, 1.5 mill guarantee, and hey look, finally I get a result.
I'm WAY too tired right now to type out hands of interest here, maybe if I get popular request on J7 or something I'll update some, but in any event, the tournament had 5300 players, and I wound up finishing 96th I beleive.
It was a very frustrating experience to a point in that for the last hour and a half or so, I ran so unbeleivably card dead it would scare anyone, and wasn't really presented alot of ideal steal spots(alot of situations I had where I SHOULD be stealing, I'd be facing a short stack that would commit me to calling a shove so I couldn't steal, or at least I felt like I couldn't in that circumstance).
Overall, again, I feel like I'm playing amazing poker right now, I'm so unbeleivably confident in my play, I think there is probably only one hand I'd like to have back, and it was mid-late stage of the tournament where a big stack raised it up and I had AA in the SB. I considered flatting and checking, but decided to repop, and I kind of regretted it after, he was pretty agressive in hands he was playing post flop, so I think flatting is probably a more ideal play. Although we did have history from a hand where I completely mis-calculated the size of a re-raise and made it WAY too small, about 2.5x his bet, not even, and he said something like "all these min-raises", and I made a sarcastic comment to him because about 5 hands earlier he had literally minraised someone on a flop. So I decided instead of flatting him I'd basically re-raise him slightly over min. But he folded after a brief tank.
Outside of that, as I said, goddamn would I have loved to have had some late tourney hands to discuss but I had none. I had NOTHING. In over an hour and a half of poker late in the tourney, with tens and hundreds of thousands staring me in the face, in that hour and a half, the best had I saw was Ac/3c. I raised that one up, got a caller from the BB and the flop was 2d/4d/Kd and he shoved...
Eventually, I found myself right around 10 BB(slightly over 10 BB but they had just notified blinds were going up next hand and that jump would put me at 10 BB pretty much dead on), folded around to me on the button, so I was shoving ATC. I had Kh/4h. Shoved, and got called by AK in the blinds. Nothing happened, obviously.
Wound up with a decent cash, ~$1800...but it burns to not get more.
Oh well, as I said, could not feel better about my play this FTOPS. I feel amazing. Not sure what events are on the horizon for me. I might be taking basically the week off until Saturday's Headsup Tourney.
So, we get down to action in a $256 buyin 6-Max KO tourney...
Grind for a little bit, not really getting much and then the entire tourney flames out in one big hand :
Blinds are at 100/200, UTG goes to 600, UTG+1 flats, and another player flats, I have 3400 total, and As/Ks in the SB, so naturally I shove bomb it. BB clears the way and UTG re-shoves over and UTG+1 SNAP calls.
UTG rolls over QQ
UTG+1 rolls over AA
Well, way to put your money in behind Kevin...good lord. Needless to say victory was not mine.
Then we got to the nightcap. a $322 buyin, 1.5 mill guarantee, and hey look, finally I get a result.
I'm WAY too tired right now to type out hands of interest here, maybe if I get popular request on J7 or something I'll update some, but in any event, the tournament had 5300 players, and I wound up finishing 96th I beleive.
It was a very frustrating experience to a point in that for the last hour and a half or so, I ran so unbeleivably card dead it would scare anyone, and wasn't really presented alot of ideal steal spots(alot of situations I had where I SHOULD be stealing, I'd be facing a short stack that would commit me to calling a shove so I couldn't steal, or at least I felt like I couldn't in that circumstance).
Overall, again, I feel like I'm playing amazing poker right now, I'm so unbeleivably confident in my play, I think there is probably only one hand I'd like to have back, and it was mid-late stage of the tournament where a big stack raised it up and I had AA in the SB. I considered flatting and checking, but decided to repop, and I kind of regretted it after, he was pretty agressive in hands he was playing post flop, so I think flatting is probably a more ideal play. Although we did have history from a hand where I completely mis-calculated the size of a re-raise and made it WAY too small, about 2.5x his bet, not even, and he said something like "all these min-raises", and I made a sarcastic comment to him because about 5 hands earlier he had literally minraised someone on a flop. So I decided instead of flatting him I'd basically re-raise him slightly over min. But he folded after a brief tank.
Outside of that, as I said, goddamn would I have loved to have had some late tourney hands to discuss but I had none. I had NOTHING. In over an hour and a half of poker late in the tourney, with tens and hundreds of thousands staring me in the face, in that hour and a half, the best had I saw was Ac/3c. I raised that one up, got a caller from the BB and the flop was 2d/4d/Kd and he shoved...
Eventually, I found myself right around 10 BB(slightly over 10 BB but they had just notified blinds were going up next hand and that jump would put me at 10 BB pretty much dead on), folded around to me on the button, so I was shoving ATC. I had Kh/4h. Shoved, and got called by AK in the blinds. Nothing happened, obviously.
Wound up with a decent cash, ~$1800...but it burns to not get more.
Oh well, as I said, could not feel better about my play this FTOPS. I feel amazing. Not sure what events are on the horizon for me. I might be taking basically the week off until Saturday's Headsup Tourney.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
FTOPS X, so far so...
Well, I'm not sure.
As is typical it seems for me in MTT's, hence my remarkably low(-alot %) ROI in MTT's despite being a drastically winning cash game player online and live...and I think a fairly knowledgable smart player...my results are just keyed on the same situation. Over and over it repeatedly beats me in the head.
Last night was FTOPS Event #1. 5200-someodd players I beleive, and as we progressed I had a relatively tight table, which meant my hands I was getting(AA and KK both twice in the first few hours) weren't getting me any action whatsoever. I was however, again fortunate enough to be at the tight table so although my big hands weren't getting payed so I didn't get a chance to accumulate a great stack, I was able to hold myself above the average stack...and then ultimately we got to my big showdown hand. The first time I was playing a huge pot...and naturally, the result is obvious...
Blinds are 25/200/400, folds around to the SB(me), and I raise to 1400 with AKo. He calls out of the BB. We're both about 12k deep to start this hand.
Flop is K/7/8 rainbow. I decide to take a trappy route and make a smallish bet at the pot that looks like I'm weak and hoping to enduce a raise. I bet out 1400 again into a 3k pot. He obliges me perfectly and raises it up to 3800. I shove over, and he calls and shows 9/10 off.
Turn 6. There's his open ended straight draw and he wins...but, just to rub salt in my wound...
River Jack.
And yet again, I'm bust out of a tournament in my usual, very standard style. But that's fine, today was PLO!
So, the PLO event starts up and I run into some real bad luck right off the hop, TheFatFISH is to my left, and he's a super strong, agressive, incredibly profitable MTT player on Full Tilt Poker, who won an FTOPS event last FTOPS series in August. That said, again I manage to chip up here and there with no real showdown value hands. I have a couple big pots that go both ways, but eventually I'm doubled up to around 10k after a few hours, which is around the average stack give or take...
Blinds are 150/300 I beleive, and in MP I pick up Jd/Jh/Ac/Qc, and raise it up hard. Get one caller. Flop is(sorry I don't have the hand history infront of me so I can't remember the EXACT flop, I just remember it was 7 high with 2 spades), I lead out comitting myself, he overshoves, I snap call, he has, again I don't have the exact hand infront of me, I just remember it was a fairly raggy hand to be calling, and Q high spade draw, and he turns the spades but of course.
So there's my FTOPS so far. Funny thing is I feel like I'm playing really well right now, and feel like if I can just ONE MOTHER FUCKING TIME not run so bad in key spots like that in MTT's for big money, I'll run real deep in one of these things.
Next up is a double-header on Sunday, 2 real nice structured tournies, so that's my next time to play.
Side note of fun : I happen to make what I felt like was a fairly tight pre-flop fold real early in the tourney, I fold Q/J/J/2 double suited UTG+1, so I MSN Marc just to see if he thinks that's too tight.
We have a breif conversation about it and that's it. Right before break I play a big pot where I flop a wrap-straight draw and win a substantial pot with it when I river the nuts. I just happen to msg Marc about it, on accident because I opened his MSN window instead of another friend of mine's that's playing the tourney...and Marc responds with "I joined the tourney after you mentioned it on a late registration".
So I ask him what his name is on Full Tilt and he tells me, so I check. And of course, his late registration has turned his 5k stack into over 20k already and is top 10 in chips in the tournament.
Am I surprised? Of course not, it's Marc fucking Karam. It's as standard as me running bad...which is troublingly standard.
Oh well, at least as I said, I feel confident and it's gotta come at some point. I'm putting myself in good positions.
As is typical it seems for me in MTT's, hence my remarkably low(-alot %) ROI in MTT's despite being a drastically winning cash game player online and live...and I think a fairly knowledgable smart player...my results are just keyed on the same situation. Over and over it repeatedly beats me in the head.
Last night was FTOPS Event #1. 5200-someodd players I beleive, and as we progressed I had a relatively tight table, which meant my hands I was getting(AA and KK both twice in the first few hours) weren't getting me any action whatsoever. I was however, again fortunate enough to be at the tight table so although my big hands weren't getting payed so I didn't get a chance to accumulate a great stack, I was able to hold myself above the average stack...and then ultimately we got to my big showdown hand. The first time I was playing a huge pot...and naturally, the result is obvious...
Blinds are 25/200/400, folds around to the SB(me), and I raise to 1400 with AKo. He calls out of the BB. We're both about 12k deep to start this hand.
Flop is K/7/8 rainbow. I decide to take a trappy route and make a smallish bet at the pot that looks like I'm weak and hoping to enduce a raise. I bet out 1400 again into a 3k pot. He obliges me perfectly and raises it up to 3800. I shove over, and he calls and shows 9/10 off.
Turn 6. There's his open ended straight draw and he wins...but, just to rub salt in my wound...
River Jack.
And yet again, I'm bust out of a tournament in my usual, very standard style. But that's fine, today was PLO!
So, the PLO event starts up and I run into some real bad luck right off the hop, TheFatFISH is to my left, and he's a super strong, agressive, incredibly profitable MTT player on Full Tilt Poker, who won an FTOPS event last FTOPS series in August. That said, again I manage to chip up here and there with no real showdown value hands. I have a couple big pots that go both ways, but eventually I'm doubled up to around 10k after a few hours, which is around the average stack give or take...
Blinds are 150/300 I beleive, and in MP I pick up Jd/Jh/Ac/Qc, and raise it up hard. Get one caller. Flop is(sorry I don't have the hand history infront of me so I can't remember the EXACT flop, I just remember it was 7 high with 2 spades), I lead out comitting myself, he overshoves, I snap call, he has, again I don't have the exact hand infront of me, I just remember it was a fairly raggy hand to be calling, and Q high spade draw, and he turns the spades but of course.
So there's my FTOPS so far. Funny thing is I feel like I'm playing really well right now, and feel like if I can just ONE MOTHER FUCKING TIME not run so bad in key spots like that in MTT's for big money, I'll run real deep in one of these things.
Next up is a double-header on Sunday, 2 real nice structured tournies, so that's my next time to play.
Side note of fun : I happen to make what I felt like was a fairly tight pre-flop fold real early in the tourney, I fold Q/J/J/2 double suited UTG+1, so I MSN Marc just to see if he thinks that's too tight.
We have a breif conversation about it and that's it. Right before break I play a big pot where I flop a wrap-straight draw and win a substantial pot with it when I river the nuts. I just happen to msg Marc about it, on accident because I opened his MSN window instead of another friend of mine's that's playing the tourney...and Marc responds with "I joined the tourney after you mentioned it on a late registration".
So I ask him what his name is on Full Tilt and he tells me, so I check. And of course, his late registration has turned his 5k stack into over 20k already and is top 10 in chips in the tournament.
Am I surprised? Of course not, it's Marc fucking Karam. It's as standard as me running bad...which is troublingly standard.
Oh well, at least as I said, I feel confident and it's gotta come at some point. I'm putting myself in good positions.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
November month is poker month for me!
So...ya. I'm about to embark on one insane month of poker, I'm really eager to get it all going since I've snapped out of the funk I was in for most of the summer. The bad streak she ends! And I didn't take time off even, just stuck around. I think the thing that kept me going through it was Bruno calling me a fucking asshole and telling me he hated me in a pm when I posted here frustrated one night during the run. Thanks Bro!
So, November she comes at a good time, because I'm going to be playing alot of poker, and investing a fairly large chunk of money into poker in this coming month. At least I'm hoping. I still haven't been able to book all the days off work for this, but tenatively my schedule for November looks a little something like this :
Starting with FTOPS X(I think it's 10, too lazy to check) my schedule for that is crammed full :
Wendesday November 5th : $216 buyin, $1,000,000 guarantee NL 6-Max.
Thursday November 6th : $256 buyin, $200,000 guarantee PLO.
Friday November 7th : $216 buyin, $150,000 guarantee Limit Hold'Em 6-Max.
Saturday November 8th : $535 buyin, $350,000 guarantee PLO 6-Max.
Sunday November 9th : $256 buyin, $600,000 guarantee NL Hold'Em Knockout(bounties per elimination)
Sunday November 9th(later that night) : $322 buyin, $1,500,000 guarantee NL Hold'Em
Monday November 10th : $322 buyin, $250,000 guarantee Mixed Hold'Em
Tuesday November 11th : $216 buyin, $150,000 guarantee PL HA(Hold'Em, Omaha)
Friday November 14th : $216 buyin, $400,000 guarantee NL Hold'Em
Saturday November 15th : $535 buyin, $500,000 guarantee NL Hold'Em Heads Up Tourney
Sunday November 16th : $129 buyin, $500,000 guarantee NL Hold'Em KO
Sunday November 16th(later that night) : $535 buyin, $2,500,000 guarantee NL Hold'Em Main Event
Then after that, tenatively depending on what I can work out with work, I hope to be taking vacations and heading down to Vegas for 2 weeks. Down there I'll probably be mixing in some heavy cash game action with some more tourney action down there.
I know Venetian has their 4th DeepStack Extravaganza down there running all November, so I'll probably hit up at least a couple of those. The structure looks solid, $330 buyins and $12,500 chips to start with, only thing I can't remember is the timeframe of the levels, I played alot last time I was in Vegas, I just can't recall if they were 40 minutes or an hour per level. I was hoping to get to play some of the Caesers Palace Mega-Stack Series but it looks very unlikely unless I leave home on the Monday immediately after FTOPS wraps itself up, and make it down to Vegas in time for the $1k buyin Championship Event of the series, 25,000 starting stacks and hour levels, 3 day event. I'm not 100% sure about that.
So ya, looks like November's going to be a busy month. And potentially cripplingly expensive, between that and the fact that I also now have to buy a new computer thanks to my PC melting or exploding or getting herpes or something...
I've been pricing some PC's around, and also asking a few people I know about monitor situations, so I'm going to pose that question publicly now : What do you guys recommend for a screen setup? I'm thinking two 25.5" Samsung SyncMaster's, I'm just not sure if that's the best idea. Does anyone recommend just buying a 30" Screen instead? Any other ideas?
So, November she comes at a good time, because I'm going to be playing alot of poker, and investing a fairly large chunk of money into poker in this coming month. At least I'm hoping. I still haven't been able to book all the days off work for this, but tenatively my schedule for November looks a little something like this :
Starting with FTOPS X(I think it's 10, too lazy to check) my schedule for that is crammed full :
Wendesday November 5th : $216 buyin, $1,000,000 guarantee NL 6-Max.
Thursday November 6th : $256 buyin, $200,000 guarantee PLO.
Friday November 7th : $216 buyin, $150,000 guarantee Limit Hold'Em 6-Max.
Saturday November 8th : $535 buyin, $350,000 guarantee PLO 6-Max.
Sunday November 9th : $256 buyin, $600,000 guarantee NL Hold'Em Knockout(bounties per elimination)
Sunday November 9th(later that night) : $322 buyin, $1,500,000 guarantee NL Hold'Em
Monday November 10th : $322 buyin, $250,000 guarantee Mixed Hold'Em
Tuesday November 11th : $216 buyin, $150,000 guarantee PL HA(Hold'Em, Omaha)
Friday November 14th : $216 buyin, $400,000 guarantee NL Hold'Em
Saturday November 15th : $535 buyin, $500,000 guarantee NL Hold'Em Heads Up Tourney
Sunday November 16th : $129 buyin, $500,000 guarantee NL Hold'Em KO
Sunday November 16th(later that night) : $535 buyin, $2,500,000 guarantee NL Hold'Em Main Event
Then after that, tenatively depending on what I can work out with work, I hope to be taking vacations and heading down to Vegas for 2 weeks. Down there I'll probably be mixing in some heavy cash game action with some more tourney action down there.
I know Venetian has their 4th DeepStack Extravaganza down there running all November, so I'll probably hit up at least a couple of those. The structure looks solid, $330 buyins and $12,500 chips to start with, only thing I can't remember is the timeframe of the levels, I played alot last time I was in Vegas, I just can't recall if they were 40 minutes or an hour per level. I was hoping to get to play some of the Caesers Palace Mega-Stack Series but it looks very unlikely unless I leave home on the Monday immediately after FTOPS wraps itself up, and make it down to Vegas in time for the $1k buyin Championship Event of the series, 25,000 starting stacks and hour levels, 3 day event. I'm not 100% sure about that.
So ya, looks like November's going to be a busy month. And potentially cripplingly expensive, between that and the fact that I also now have to buy a new computer thanks to my PC melting or exploding or getting herpes or something...
I've been pricing some PC's around, and also asking a few people I know about monitor situations, so I'm going to pose that question publicly now : What do you guys recommend for a screen setup? I'm thinking two 25.5" Samsung SyncMaster's, I'm just not sure if that's the best idea. Does anyone recommend just buying a 30" Screen instead? Any other ideas?
Friday, October 17, 2008
Congratulations, and more accurately, thanks, to Marc Karam...
This week, I had alot of fun in Niagara. I went down there and watched Marc play alot. We hung out on breaks, I railed him a fair amount while he was playing and talked to other pro players who were standing on the rail. Just a small list of players I had very in depth conversations with during this week : Mike "Timex" McDonald, Jimmy "Gobboboy" Fricke, Jean-Robert Bellande, Joe Sebok, Vivek Rajkumar, and more.
The thing is, I started to realize. I'm not out of place here. I watch Marc play and beleive me I get it, I'm not on Marc Karam's level. But in fairness, who is? :P
But I AM on the level of many players who have made millions playing this game. We had several in depth discussions over hands they had played, or hands they had just seen played etc, and I realized during this timeframe something sort of profound about my poker life.
Grinding sucks ass. I had this discussion with Marco and Frank eating breakfast at 6:00am at Fallsview after Marc's final table. Grinding is fucking hell. Beleive me, I know alot of friends of mine local here, you all admire or envy the fact that the main way I make a living is playing poker online. It's not all it's cracked up to be. I "work" more than any of you. Literally no one I know puts in more hours a week working than me. Not at my job...but at my "career". I pull sometimes 15-16 hours a day, grinding my life away. I'm not UPSET about it, it has it's perks. The money is great, and I don't have a schedule that I need to follow...I work on my own time. It also, however, has negatives. Insane amounts of hours namely.
The way you make a good living playing poker, as we echoed in that conversation, is simply repitition. I earn about 2.5 BB / 100 hands. That's my ratio over thousands upon thousands upon thousands of hands. So how do I make a living playing poker? I play as many sets of 100 hands as I can possibly fathom. That's "professional" poker.
The one thing I realized while I was there this week watching Marc play is a gigantic regret I have. I have NEVER taken a shot. I have NEVER in my life, played a single satalite, to a 10k buyin tournament. Ever.
The biggest "shot" I ever took, was playing a $1500 buyin WSOP event. I did, I think, VERY well there. Granted 182nd out of 3300-someodd players is modestly strong as a result, but given the fact that in 16 hours of poker, I never saw AA, KK, QQ, AK suited. Never flopped a set, never made a flush, never made any real hands that got ANY action whatsoever...I think finishing that strong still is a statement that I can play.
My poker career, frankly I realize now, I've been kind of lazy, I grind and I grind online and live, but I have never tried to position myself to move up another level. It's not even "taking a shot", because the buyins to any satalite can't possibly hurt me.
So, as I said, congratulations are in order to Marc. Cashing 3 straight years at the same 10k buyin event. Making a 5th 10k buyin final table inside 2 and a half years. Again cruising through an insane field...and ultimately only losing out because Glen is the god of flipping coins.
But more importantly, thanks to Marc Karam. Not just for the tickets to the FT, not just for sushi and every other courtesy he extended, but moreso, for the motivation.
After this week, I know Marc said he felt incredibly motivated to play ALOT of live tournaments next year, and that's great news.
I guess maybe slightly less great news, or more great news depending on who you're looking at this from, is the fact that I've been motivated too. I have a new goal...a "New Years Resolution" that is already set in stone before New Years.
I am going to bust my ass to qualify for some 10k buyin tournaments next year. It is my entire goal in poker for next year to play at least one major buyin tournament in the year 2009.
So thanks Marc, for the motivation to try and advance my poker career forward.
The thing is, I started to realize. I'm not out of place here. I watch Marc play and beleive me I get it, I'm not on Marc Karam's level. But in fairness, who is? :P
But I AM on the level of many players who have made millions playing this game. We had several in depth discussions over hands they had played, or hands they had just seen played etc, and I realized during this timeframe something sort of profound about my poker life.
Grinding sucks ass. I had this discussion with Marco and Frank eating breakfast at 6:00am at Fallsview after Marc's final table. Grinding is fucking hell. Beleive me, I know alot of friends of mine local here, you all admire or envy the fact that the main way I make a living is playing poker online. It's not all it's cracked up to be. I "work" more than any of you. Literally no one I know puts in more hours a week working than me. Not at my job...but at my "career". I pull sometimes 15-16 hours a day, grinding my life away. I'm not UPSET about it, it has it's perks. The money is great, and I don't have a schedule that I need to follow...I work on my own time. It also, however, has negatives. Insane amounts of hours namely.
The way you make a good living playing poker, as we echoed in that conversation, is simply repitition. I earn about 2.5 BB / 100 hands. That's my ratio over thousands upon thousands upon thousands of hands. So how do I make a living playing poker? I play as many sets of 100 hands as I can possibly fathom. That's "professional" poker.
The one thing I realized while I was there this week watching Marc play is a gigantic regret I have. I have NEVER taken a shot. I have NEVER in my life, played a single satalite, to a 10k buyin tournament. Ever.
The biggest "shot" I ever took, was playing a $1500 buyin WSOP event. I did, I think, VERY well there. Granted 182nd out of 3300-someodd players is modestly strong as a result, but given the fact that in 16 hours of poker, I never saw AA, KK, QQ, AK suited. Never flopped a set, never made a flush, never made any real hands that got ANY action whatsoever...I think finishing that strong still is a statement that I can play.
My poker career, frankly I realize now, I've been kind of lazy, I grind and I grind online and live, but I have never tried to position myself to move up another level. It's not even "taking a shot", because the buyins to any satalite can't possibly hurt me.
So, as I said, congratulations are in order to Marc. Cashing 3 straight years at the same 10k buyin event. Making a 5th 10k buyin final table inside 2 and a half years. Again cruising through an insane field...and ultimately only losing out because Glen is the god of flipping coins.
But more importantly, thanks to Marc Karam. Not just for the tickets to the FT, not just for sushi and every other courtesy he extended, but moreso, for the motivation.
After this week, I know Marc said he felt incredibly motivated to play ALOT of live tournaments next year, and that's great news.
I guess maybe slightly less great news, or more great news depending on who you're looking at this from, is the fact that I've been motivated too. I have a new goal...a "New Years Resolution" that is already set in stone before New Years.
I am going to bust my ass to qualify for some 10k buyin tournaments next year. It is my entire goal in poker for next year to play at least one major buyin tournament in the year 2009.
So thanks Marc, for the motivation to try and advance my poker career forward.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Best hourly income of my life...
So, I headed down to the good old Fallsview today. Got down there around 2:30pm, put my name on a few lists, and ran down to check on the WPT situation. Got down there just as they were going on break, and had a chat with Marc, which more or less became a running theme throughout the day. It was actually I've gotta say, alot of fun, and very insightful discussing hands with Marc that he had played, and having him explain why he did what he did. It also became a theme that while I was down there, I'd always run into other players I have respect for and have some interesting conversations as well about poker, hands they had played etc. I had a couple very interesting conversations with Mike "Timex" McDonald while he was railing Steve Paul Ambrose who was at Marc's table. It was way more fun than I figured it would be, so I actually intend on going down there tomorrow and pretty much chilling for the day on the WPT rail.
It's hectic to get on a cash game table right now anyway, although it is starting to clear up a bit. I finally did manage to get myself on a 5/10 NL table, although I didn't wind up there for very long.
I sat down and took off a peice of a rotation, the table was full of older guys, all very tight and very weak players. I sat down and played a few hands, and then I decided to get into pots and get involved.
First hand, there was a raise from EP to 30, and 2 callers to me, and given how weak and passive the table was I just randomly decided to pull a squeeze play. So I re-popped to 125 with 9/4 offsuit, and everyone cleared the way. Free $100.
Next hand, there was a raise as well to 30, and 2 callers again, all 3 were the same players, and again no one was showing any real strength, so I decided I'd do it one more time to try and send a message. This time I had a hand I wouldn't mind seeing a flop with either if it came to that, 7h/5h. Not great holdings, but I had position, and they were playing ultra tight, so I re-raised to 125 once again, and again they both cleared the way. Free $100.
Now, if you could sculpt your ideal cash game session what would it be? For a great many of us, I suspect it's something like this...you sit down, play a little reckless, accumulate some chips, tighten up after your image is nice and LAG, and have people pay you off. Here's how in literally 3 hands, I accomplished that.
Once again an EP raise to 35 this time, and 2 callers yet again. I look down at Qc/Qd. Perfect. A real hand, and I KNOW someone's going to start getting a little wary of my constant re-raising, and I have a great chance of getting played back at with a hand players this tight would never play a huge pot with. So yet again I re-raise to 125. This time, the first of the callers, after the initial raiser folds, decides to take a stand, and he moves all in for $820 total. I call instantly because given the circumstances of the last few hands, and the way this one was played, I'm literally behind here -10% of the time. Somehow negative percents are invented specifically for this case. These aren't players that are at all sophisticated enough to smoothe call KK or AA hoping I'll squeeze behind.
Sure enough, he shows 9/9 and I hold. Suddenly in literally 3 hands of poker, I'm holding $2100. $1100 profit. I play for a bit more, slowly chipping away with some real LAG play at the table, and eventually cash out for $1400 profit after less than an hour at the table.
I'd typically be all about sitting down and putting in a marathon session, but a few things were working against me so to speak. 1 - I couldn't help but be way more interested in how Marc was doing than my own game, so I kept running down to the WPT room after my puck every so often and see how he was doing, so my mind wasn't really in the game. 2, and more importantly - The game had really started to dry up. Somehow my ultra LAG style at this table, encouraged people to play less hands and play super tight, so I was risking alot of chips because the only action I started to get were PREMIUM hands against me. I was chipping 15 bucks here and there taking blinds, but in all relative terms it was kind of a risky game for me to be in since they were all squarely focussed on me and waiting to pick me off. And to make matters worse, the table started to lose a few of the older guys I was abusing, and got replaced with some talented young kids that weren't going to be easy to deal with. The game just became really undesirable in the span of an hour. I think I broke it. :)
Anyway, congrats to Marc are in order, it's absolutely bat-shit insane that you've cashed all 3 years the WPT's been in Niagara, and your play never ceases to amaze. It's about time you won a million dollars THIS year I think...you've been kinda slackin'. :P
Side note : My money management skills are at an all time high. This coming from the guy that bought a 61" HDTV, and then 3 months later bought a 40" LCD for his room because "I don't like regular TV anymore, gotta be HD!"
Today I went into a watch store they have in Fallsview, and saw a watch I desperately want, a new Movado. The price was $1250. And I managed to restrain myself from buying it, at least for today...kinda hoping I can manage another day like that.
It's hectic to get on a cash game table right now anyway, although it is starting to clear up a bit. I finally did manage to get myself on a 5/10 NL table, although I didn't wind up there for very long.
I sat down and took off a peice of a rotation, the table was full of older guys, all very tight and very weak players. I sat down and played a few hands, and then I decided to get into pots and get involved.
First hand, there was a raise from EP to 30, and 2 callers to me, and given how weak and passive the table was I just randomly decided to pull a squeeze play. So I re-popped to 125 with 9/4 offsuit, and everyone cleared the way. Free $100.
Next hand, there was a raise as well to 30, and 2 callers again, all 3 were the same players, and again no one was showing any real strength, so I decided I'd do it one more time to try and send a message. This time I had a hand I wouldn't mind seeing a flop with either if it came to that, 7h/5h. Not great holdings, but I had position, and they were playing ultra tight, so I re-raised to 125 once again, and again they both cleared the way. Free $100.
Now, if you could sculpt your ideal cash game session what would it be? For a great many of us, I suspect it's something like this...you sit down, play a little reckless, accumulate some chips, tighten up after your image is nice and LAG, and have people pay you off. Here's how in literally 3 hands, I accomplished that.
Once again an EP raise to 35 this time, and 2 callers yet again. I look down at Qc/Qd. Perfect. A real hand, and I KNOW someone's going to start getting a little wary of my constant re-raising, and I have a great chance of getting played back at with a hand players this tight would never play a huge pot with. So yet again I re-raise to 125. This time, the first of the callers, after the initial raiser folds, decides to take a stand, and he moves all in for $820 total. I call instantly because given the circumstances of the last few hands, and the way this one was played, I'm literally behind here -10% of the time. Somehow negative percents are invented specifically for this case. These aren't players that are at all sophisticated enough to smoothe call KK or AA hoping I'll squeeze behind.
Sure enough, he shows 9/9 and I hold. Suddenly in literally 3 hands of poker, I'm holding $2100. $1100 profit. I play for a bit more, slowly chipping away with some real LAG play at the table, and eventually cash out for $1400 profit after less than an hour at the table.
I'd typically be all about sitting down and putting in a marathon session, but a few things were working against me so to speak. 1 - I couldn't help but be way more interested in how Marc was doing than my own game, so I kept running down to the WPT room after my puck every so often and see how he was doing, so my mind wasn't really in the game. 2, and more importantly - The game had really started to dry up. Somehow my ultra LAG style at this table, encouraged people to play less hands and play super tight, so I was risking alot of chips because the only action I started to get were PREMIUM hands against me. I was chipping 15 bucks here and there taking blinds, but in all relative terms it was kind of a risky game for me to be in since they were all squarely focussed on me and waiting to pick me off. And to make matters worse, the table started to lose a few of the older guys I was abusing, and got replaced with some talented young kids that weren't going to be easy to deal with. The game just became really undesirable in the span of an hour. I think I broke it. :)
Anyway, congrats to Marc are in order, it's absolutely bat-shit insane that you've cashed all 3 years the WPT's been in Niagara, and your play never ceases to amaze. It's about time you won a million dollars THIS year I think...you've been kinda slackin'. :P
Side note : My money management skills are at an all time high. This coming from the guy that bought a 61" HDTV, and then 3 months later bought a 40" LCD for his room because "I don't like regular TV anymore, gotta be HD!"
Today I went into a watch store they have in Fallsview, and saw a watch I desperately want, a new Movado. The price was $1250. And I managed to restrain myself from buying it, at least for today...kinda hoping I can manage another day like that.
Monday, October 6, 2008
A night out at fallsview leads to the sickest hand I've ever played(Marc knows :P)
So, I went down to Fallsview to play some 5/10 PLO for the 2nd or 3rd time in the span of 3 days, and it went pretty badly, to pretty well, to really badly, to pretty well again. Let me explain...
I worked through the day, so once I got off work I just immediately hopped in the car and headed down to the poker room at Fallsview. I did the old "change en route" thing swapping shirts to get out of my work uniform. And then I promptly got to Fallsview and immediately did something stupid. I locked my keys in my car as I went to grab some things from the trunk, and toss my work uniform in there.
Thankfully, Marc was kind enough to let me drop off the uniform in his room until such time as I could get a spare set of keys for the car and get it open. Thanks again Marc.
Fallsview poker room is officially booming. WPT is in town and there are guys all around the room playing now. They had some big games, 25/50 NL was open while I was there. Tuan Lam was floating around the poker room, and naturally, Marc's been around for most of the week, no doubt crushifying the poker room.
Anyway, on to my funfunfun Omaha session.
I sit down to play 5/10 PLO, and whatever will be will be, any hand that happened in the entire session doesn't matter one bit until this one, which I will never forget as long as I live, because it was so bizarre I actually had to ask the dealer at first blush, what he had...
Here we go! At the point where the hand takes place I've chipped up to nearly $2000 from my $1000 buyin.
There are 5 limps around the table to me in the BB, I look down at Kh/Kc/Qc/9d. So I decide to raise pot and try and thin the herd. I raise pot, to $70, and get 2 callers.
Flop comes Ks/Js/7c. The nuts for now, but obviously a large action flop potentially. I decide to jam the pot hard, and lead out $200. I get one caller. The turn is a great card. 5d. I jam pot yet again to $600. He smoothe calls again. Pot is now somewhere in the $1800 range. The river is a 4h. Good card yet again so I shove hoping he calls off with JJ. Instead, he pretty much snap calls here which was weird because he had been tanking on most streets. And then he rolls it over, the hand I will never forget...
Keep in mind the board : Flop, Ks/Js/7c, turn 5d. river 4h. I jammed pot every single street.
He rolls over, Ah/9h/6h/3d. Straight. $3400 pot.
He actually managed to be calling drawing stone dead in an Omaha game, he picks up a double gutshot on the turn and calls another pot jam, and rivers his straight. I could see the flop containing something than maybe that hand plays out like that, but given the way the hand played, there's never a way he should be in preflop, or on the flop. Or even on the turn despite the fact the turn finally gave him some outs or a draw.
Anyway, after that setback I went for a walk, ironically around this time my spare keys showed up, so I tended to that and then went back to work at the table. I won back a fair amount again, and ended up mostly even for the session, I'll be blogging a fair amount in the next week, largely because I'll probably spend a great deal of time at Fallsview playing in that Omaha game this week...it's drawing alot of action right now as WPT approaches.
I worked through the day, so once I got off work I just immediately hopped in the car and headed down to the poker room at Fallsview. I did the old "change en route" thing swapping shirts to get out of my work uniform. And then I promptly got to Fallsview and immediately did something stupid. I locked my keys in my car as I went to grab some things from the trunk, and toss my work uniform in there.
Thankfully, Marc was kind enough to let me drop off the uniform in his room until such time as I could get a spare set of keys for the car and get it open. Thanks again Marc.
Fallsview poker room is officially booming. WPT is in town and there are guys all around the room playing now. They had some big games, 25/50 NL was open while I was there. Tuan Lam was floating around the poker room, and naturally, Marc's been around for most of the week, no doubt crushifying the poker room.
Anyway, on to my funfunfun Omaha session.
I sit down to play 5/10 PLO, and whatever will be will be, any hand that happened in the entire session doesn't matter one bit until this one, which I will never forget as long as I live, because it was so bizarre I actually had to ask the dealer at first blush, what he had...
Here we go! At the point where the hand takes place I've chipped up to nearly $2000 from my $1000 buyin.
There are 5 limps around the table to me in the BB, I look down at Kh/Kc/Qc/9d. So I decide to raise pot and try and thin the herd. I raise pot, to $70, and get 2 callers.
Flop comes Ks/Js/7c. The nuts for now, but obviously a large action flop potentially. I decide to jam the pot hard, and lead out $200. I get one caller. The turn is a great card. 5d. I jam pot yet again to $600. He smoothe calls again. Pot is now somewhere in the $1800 range. The river is a 4h. Good card yet again so I shove hoping he calls off with JJ. Instead, he pretty much snap calls here which was weird because he had been tanking on most streets. And then he rolls it over, the hand I will never forget...
Keep in mind the board : Flop, Ks/Js/7c, turn 5d. river 4h. I jammed pot every single street.
He rolls over, Ah/9h/6h/3d. Straight. $3400 pot.
He actually managed to be calling drawing stone dead in an Omaha game, he picks up a double gutshot on the turn and calls another pot jam, and rivers his straight. I could see the flop containing something than maybe that hand plays out like that, but given the way the hand played, there's never a way he should be in preflop, or on the flop. Or even on the turn despite the fact the turn finally gave him some outs or a draw.
Anyway, after that setback I went for a walk, ironically around this time my spare keys showed up, so I tended to that and then went back to work at the table. I won back a fair amount again, and ended up mostly even for the session, I'll be blogging a fair amount in the next week, largely because I'll probably spend a great deal of time at Fallsview playing in that Omaha game this week...it's drawing alot of action right now as WPT approaches.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
How a Fallsview Poker dealer cost me $750(sick story)
Ah yes, it's always nice to read a heartwarming fairy tale.
Unfortunately, this isn't it. This made me want to commit murder. Something I'm normally very opposed to(murder).
So, let's start at the beginning shall we?
A few friends of mine from Toronto have been staying at Fallsview for a few days now and playing, I went down once earlier this week but nothing really came of it as the session was just a real boring grind. Yesterday and today I was busy moving(packing more specifically), so I didn't go out to meet them again, but after today's trips to look for new places to reside, I got a call inviting me down and I decided to take them up on it.
So I went down and sat at the 2/5 NL game at Fallsview. It's actually a nice game...the buyin is up, although still not where it should be, 300 isnt a TERRIBLE buyin, and the play is relatively tight, I never saw an open raise of more than 4x the BB($20) all night.
So let's get to a few fun hands before the real big one happens.
The first fairly big pot I play is after I've chipped up to around $430, and there are a couple limps to me on the button with JJ. I decide to raise over a bit to try and deny the "mass call" effect you find from raising a standard raise here, so I go to $35, and get 2 callers.
The flop comes Qc/6s/4d. They both check check to me. These are the spots where I really hate c-betting. I know I have position and I know that's not a too terrible flop for my hand, but I still don't like it because any Q will gladly call and inflate the pot. So instead I try and control pot size and check behind. The turn is an interesting enough card. Qh. Now the first of my 2 callers decides he's gonna take a stab, and he bets $20 at the $120 pot. There is also a precisely 0% chance he has me beat. However, the other player flats also, which makes things slightly trickier. I decide to play along and flat also here...hoping to just get to a showdown relatively cheaply. Side note, or maybe something worth clarifying, the player who flatted the turn bet has left himself only $35 more.
River peels a 5. Not a scare card at all since 78 is deffinitely not a range here, at least IMO. The first position player checks, and short stack shoves his last $35. I'm still unsure of what I'm supposed to do here, I mean, the pot odds alone are fairly fantastic with nearly 7 to 1 on my money, but also I just legitimately could not see how he would have a Q and have played it like this. Maybe a boat after flopping a set...but I just couldn't see how a Q checks the flop. So I call and he shows Q/10 of course. I still think this is a must-call, his range is fairly wide I beleive, any 88, 99, 10/10 type hand would surely think he's best. I could see A/6 playing this that way, although the call pre would be suspect it wouldn't be unexpected in this game.
Anyway...
Next hand I play is my big one for the session before rediculous ensues. It folds all the way around to me in the cut-off, this is after a few hours at the table, I had a fairly TAG image, and the table was playing very tight for the most part, so I decided to move in a raise with Ks/6s to 20. I got a caller from the SB. The flop was pretty super-fantastic, 10s/8s/3s. Okay, flopped the 2nd nuts, nice. SB checks and I lead for $25. He check raises me straight, to $50 total. I "tank" at this point, and then 3-bet him to $175 total. He now tanks for a long time, asks how much I have back, which I inform him is around $225, and he sets me all in. I snap call and he, without turning his cards over, goes "I have a 10". I'm still unsure if he had the As to go with it, but it's irrelevant, turn and river bricked and I got shipped up to just over $800 total for the session now.
A while later, basically the same stack, comes the one hand of the session I really regret my play on, and I'll explain why in some detail. 2 limpers including "Chris Ferguson" as me and my buddy started calling him(not because he looked like Chris, anything but actually, we dubbed him this because he took FOREVER to do ANYTHING, at any time at all) from fairly EP, and I peak in the hijack at AA. Yay. I've lost 11 straight pots with AA online or live, gotta win this one! So I bump it up to $30 total, and get 2 callers again. The flop is Qs/Qd/4d. They both check, and I bet $50. Here is where good cash game players are immediately finding why I hate the way I played this hand. I HATE my bet on this flop. There are 0h-so many reasons I hate this bet. My hand has significant showdown value, there are alot of hands I'm still beating, anything without a Q or 44 is still beaten. There are, however, ALOT of hands that like that flop, that also don't contain a Q. Any diamond draw, any pair 55 through KK or AA are fans of that flop, as well as obviously any hand containing a Q enjoying the flop.
If I had it back, I'd check behind. Not intending to fold necessarily, but intending to try and navigate the cheapest way possible to a showdown which is where my hand still contains significant value.
Instead, I fire out a bet. What's worse, it really feels like a c-bet to someone whose alert, which Jesus was for the most part(he should be considering it takes him 9 minutes to do anything). After I fire, I almost immediately regret it, realizing that now what I've done is opened the door for any of those previously mentioned hands, a flush draw, or ESPECIALLY 55 through KK to raise me here and find out where they're at. I literally start to wonder what I'm going to do when he straight raises me to $100 total before he even does it...which he no doubt does do.
Eventually I decide that the reason I hate my play there so much is now I'm handcuffed, and my hand no longer has any real value. I can't call because he'll shove 99% of turns. And raising isn't really an option either, although I suppose a super LAG player could try and explain it, it's just not a solid option to shove here knowing you're now only getting called by 44 and a Q which both crush you badly. So I end up mucking obviously, but not without regretting trapping myself into that.
And now we get to all the real fun. Around this time a table breaks into us, and a few real big stacks come strolling over to our table. This is where a dealer decides she'd like to completely fuck me.
Little backstory for any who don't know me, I am a poker dealer. I understand that mistakes happen and it sucks, but the way this all went down is inexcusible(for one thing she did).
Anyway, she starts dealing the cards, and my first card kind of catches my hand that's just resting on the table, and rides up my arm and flips face up on the table, exposed Kd(that'll be really significant in a minute so keep that card in mind for fun). This is no problem, this happens, it's certainly not her fault, I can deffinitely deal with it. She finishes dealing the hand obeying proper rules when dealing with an exposed card. Then, for some absolutely GODLY unknown reason, she literally reaches across the table to my cards, and like, tries to push them from an inch infront of me, where I currently have ahold of them for gods sakes...the extra inch to me, I guess. I really, for the life of me, do not know what she was doing, but whatever it was. It was bad. Real bad. And it got alot worse when that motion she somehow managed to while PUSHING a card across a table, FLIP it over also exposing it now too. The card? The Ad. Great, I just had my Ad/Kd killed. But it wouldn't actually have been by Ad/Kd because the King was already gone.
The hand is at this point dead, two exposed cards during a deal means it's a misdeal. So I can't help myself because I'm sick. I take a look at the other card that I would have had to go with the Ad.
Wanna guess?
Ac.
At this point, I become, obviously, a little angry. I can stomach any natural mistakes the a dealer makes, because a) I make them too from time to time, and b) I understand they're not always going to be perfect.
But this was rediculous. She had NO business putting her hands on my cards in the situation she did(kind of hard for me to describe) and what's more, it would take someone of extreme talent to actually flip a card over while pushing it flat across a table.
But oh wait. I know what you're saying. How did this mistake cost you $750 dollars Kevin? And how is the Kd really relevent after it flips up? Those alert readers will now have peiced it together. My chipstack for the hand was right around $750. The guy beside me when I flip the other Ace up frustrated at the situation, exposes KK. With a dead Kd on the top of the deck.
Thank you Madame dealer at Fallsview. You suck.
Anyway, the session I ended up around $350. Still, so, so sick about that situation. As I said, if it was at all a natural mistake that'd be fine, but just the way she dealt me both my cards, I HAD MY HANDS ON THEM and then she like, reached out and tried to "help me" push them over towards me and somehow in that process managed to flip a card, is just rediculous and that's not an excusable natural dealer error. That's just flagrant stupidity.
Unfortunately, this isn't it. This made me want to commit murder. Something I'm normally very opposed to(murder).
So, let's start at the beginning shall we?
A few friends of mine from Toronto have been staying at Fallsview for a few days now and playing, I went down once earlier this week but nothing really came of it as the session was just a real boring grind. Yesterday and today I was busy moving(packing more specifically), so I didn't go out to meet them again, but after today's trips to look for new places to reside, I got a call inviting me down and I decided to take them up on it.
So I went down and sat at the 2/5 NL game at Fallsview. It's actually a nice game...the buyin is up, although still not where it should be, 300 isnt a TERRIBLE buyin, and the play is relatively tight, I never saw an open raise of more than 4x the BB($20) all night.
So let's get to a few fun hands before the real big one happens.
The first fairly big pot I play is after I've chipped up to around $430, and there are a couple limps to me on the button with JJ. I decide to raise over a bit to try and deny the "mass call" effect you find from raising a standard raise here, so I go to $35, and get 2 callers.
The flop comes Qc/6s/4d. They both check check to me. These are the spots where I really hate c-betting. I know I have position and I know that's not a too terrible flop for my hand, but I still don't like it because any Q will gladly call and inflate the pot. So instead I try and control pot size and check behind. The turn is an interesting enough card. Qh. Now the first of my 2 callers decides he's gonna take a stab, and he bets $20 at the $120 pot. There is also a precisely 0% chance he has me beat. However, the other player flats also, which makes things slightly trickier. I decide to play along and flat also here...hoping to just get to a showdown relatively cheaply. Side note, or maybe something worth clarifying, the player who flatted the turn bet has left himself only $35 more.
River peels a 5. Not a scare card at all since 78 is deffinitely not a range here, at least IMO. The first position player checks, and short stack shoves his last $35. I'm still unsure of what I'm supposed to do here, I mean, the pot odds alone are fairly fantastic with nearly 7 to 1 on my money, but also I just legitimately could not see how he would have a Q and have played it like this. Maybe a boat after flopping a set...but I just couldn't see how a Q checks the flop. So I call and he shows Q/10 of course. I still think this is a must-call, his range is fairly wide I beleive, any 88, 99, 10/10 type hand would surely think he's best. I could see A/6 playing this that way, although the call pre would be suspect it wouldn't be unexpected in this game.
Anyway...
Next hand I play is my big one for the session before rediculous ensues. It folds all the way around to me in the cut-off, this is after a few hours at the table, I had a fairly TAG image, and the table was playing very tight for the most part, so I decided to move in a raise with Ks/6s to 20. I got a caller from the SB. The flop was pretty super-fantastic, 10s/8s/3s. Okay, flopped the 2nd nuts, nice. SB checks and I lead for $25. He check raises me straight, to $50 total. I "tank" at this point, and then 3-bet him to $175 total. He now tanks for a long time, asks how much I have back, which I inform him is around $225, and he sets me all in. I snap call and he, without turning his cards over, goes "I have a 10". I'm still unsure if he had the As to go with it, but it's irrelevant, turn and river bricked and I got shipped up to just over $800 total for the session now.
A while later, basically the same stack, comes the one hand of the session I really regret my play on, and I'll explain why in some detail. 2 limpers including "Chris Ferguson" as me and my buddy started calling him(not because he looked like Chris, anything but actually, we dubbed him this because he took FOREVER to do ANYTHING, at any time at all) from fairly EP, and I peak in the hijack at AA. Yay. I've lost 11 straight pots with AA online or live, gotta win this one! So I bump it up to $30 total, and get 2 callers again. The flop is Qs/Qd/4d. They both check, and I bet $50. Here is where good cash game players are immediately finding why I hate the way I played this hand. I HATE my bet on this flop. There are 0h-so many reasons I hate this bet. My hand has significant showdown value, there are alot of hands I'm still beating, anything without a Q or 44 is still beaten. There are, however, ALOT of hands that like that flop, that also don't contain a Q. Any diamond draw, any pair 55 through KK or AA are fans of that flop, as well as obviously any hand containing a Q enjoying the flop.
If I had it back, I'd check behind. Not intending to fold necessarily, but intending to try and navigate the cheapest way possible to a showdown which is where my hand still contains significant value.
Instead, I fire out a bet. What's worse, it really feels like a c-bet to someone whose alert, which Jesus was for the most part(he should be considering it takes him 9 minutes to do anything). After I fire, I almost immediately regret it, realizing that now what I've done is opened the door for any of those previously mentioned hands, a flush draw, or ESPECIALLY 55 through KK to raise me here and find out where they're at. I literally start to wonder what I'm going to do when he straight raises me to $100 total before he even does it...which he no doubt does do.
Eventually I decide that the reason I hate my play there so much is now I'm handcuffed, and my hand no longer has any real value. I can't call because he'll shove 99% of turns. And raising isn't really an option either, although I suppose a super LAG player could try and explain it, it's just not a solid option to shove here knowing you're now only getting called by 44 and a Q which both crush you badly. So I end up mucking obviously, but not without regretting trapping myself into that.
And now we get to all the real fun. Around this time a table breaks into us, and a few real big stacks come strolling over to our table. This is where a dealer decides she'd like to completely fuck me.
Little backstory for any who don't know me, I am a poker dealer. I understand that mistakes happen and it sucks, but the way this all went down is inexcusible(for one thing she did).
Anyway, she starts dealing the cards, and my first card kind of catches my hand that's just resting on the table, and rides up my arm and flips face up on the table, exposed Kd(that'll be really significant in a minute so keep that card in mind for fun). This is no problem, this happens, it's certainly not her fault, I can deffinitely deal with it. She finishes dealing the hand obeying proper rules when dealing with an exposed card. Then, for some absolutely GODLY unknown reason, she literally reaches across the table to my cards, and like, tries to push them from an inch infront of me, where I currently have ahold of them for gods sakes...the extra inch to me, I guess. I really, for the life of me, do not know what she was doing, but whatever it was. It was bad. Real bad. And it got alot worse when that motion she somehow managed to while PUSHING a card across a table, FLIP it over also exposing it now too. The card? The Ad. Great, I just had my Ad/Kd killed. But it wouldn't actually have been by Ad/Kd because the King was already gone.
The hand is at this point dead, two exposed cards during a deal means it's a misdeal. So I can't help myself because I'm sick. I take a look at the other card that I would have had to go with the Ad.
Wanna guess?
Ac.
At this point, I become, obviously, a little angry. I can stomach any natural mistakes the a dealer makes, because a) I make them too from time to time, and b) I understand they're not always going to be perfect.
But this was rediculous. She had NO business putting her hands on my cards in the situation she did(kind of hard for me to describe) and what's more, it would take someone of extreme talent to actually flip a card over while pushing it flat across a table.
But oh wait. I know what you're saying. How did this mistake cost you $750 dollars Kevin? And how is the Kd really relevent after it flips up? Those alert readers will now have peiced it together. My chipstack for the hand was right around $750. The guy beside me when I flip the other Ace up frustrated at the situation, exposes KK. With a dead Kd on the top of the deck.
Thank you Madame dealer at Fallsview. You suck.
Anyway, the session I ended up around $350. Still, so, so sick about that situation. As I said, if it was at all a natural mistake that'd be fine, but just the way she dealt me both my cards, I HAD MY HANDS ON THEM and then she like, reached out and tried to "help me" push them over towards me and somehow in that process managed to flip a card, is just rediculous and that's not an excusable natural dealer error. That's just flagrant stupidity.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Omaha for a living?
For a long time now I've been making very steady profits playing Hold'Em live and online. I've made damn good money doing it, although I still do hold a steady job at a casino dealing Hold'Em so I wouldn't consider myself a professional, I do make more money playing poker than I do dealing it at the casino.
In the last calendar year, from the time I went to the WSOP last summer in Vegas, cashed in an event and had very steady cash game profits during the trip, I can now basically give a rough estimate of my net profit in one calendar year from poker :
$55,000
Certainly it's not totally a life altering some of money, but coupled with a steady high paying job that gives me a ton of freedom to drop shifts whenever I feel like it and pick them up whenever I feel like it between co-workers, it's made the calendar year very kind to me financially.
With that said, the last month now has been very trying for me along those same levels. First of all, our casino walked out for a strike on June 1st(we just returned to work on Saturday) which took those paychecks from me. Couple that with what was easily the worst downswing of my poker career, where I felt like I was playing fine, and Hold'Em Managers EV rating for me during my sessions in this timeframe basically told me that same story, I could not for the life of me win any hands. No matter what I did, it was never good enough, and no matter how far ahead I put my money in, I never held. It was a very sour timeframe for me pokerwise.
I recently messaged a friend of mine who plays 5/10 NL online for a living, and we had a long discussion, because he had been telling me about a month ago that he had gone through a similar immense and terrible downswing of his own despite very high EV ratings during that timeframe. I asked him what he did to go about getting out of the swing and got some ideas. Now, I know I made a long post last year about dealing with downswings, and at the time I got alot of compliments for the way it was written. This isn't meant to be another one of those posts, it's just more a story of how I got to this point now :
One of the things my buddy suggested was I should try and play Omaha a bit, because he felt like most players play hold'em moderately decent, but there are still a vast majority of mid-limit Omaha players that won't play a single hand right in an entire session, and play nightmarishly bad. The edge a solid players has in Omaha is way higher than the edge a solid player has in Hold'em in mid-limit play.
So about a week ago now, I took him up on that theory, and started playing .50/1 PL Omaha cash games on Full Tilt.
He was right, I just had no idea how right he actually was. In truth, people actually don't have the slightest clue what they're doing at this level.
The truth is, the Omaha games in low-mid limits are hold'em players playing Omaha with no idea what the difference is, and they're just playing Hold'Em over here. The edge I carry in this game is VASTLY better than it is in Hold'Em, not that I don't hold an edge in hold'em...
So I'm starting to really consider, not necessarily never going back to Hold'Em, but playing drastically less Hold'Em than Omaha for the forseeable future. My downswing is almost all recouped in the last week playing Omaha. And I see so many fundamental mistakes in the way the players play Omaha on here that it's hard not to see this as a better long term option than Hold'Em.
One big mistake I see is the drastic overplaying of Aces/Kings/Queens if it has rag rag with it, as I mentioned earlier, it's like players see that and their hold'em mentality of "omfg AA allin" takes over. It's not necessarily that I'm saying AAxx should be folded preflop, but playing it slower unless it comes with something else is always a more sound way to play in my eyes. I actually frequently wonder, do you think players realize that in Omaha, AAxx isn't always a favourite? Or, like I said, are they all Hold'Em players playing Omaha with no idea that AA-rag-rag is an underdog against powerful drawing hands like 6-7-8-9 double suited? Hence my theory of taking it easy unless my AA comes with some draw cards also.
The other one that really puzzles me is XXYY, I've seen that overplayed so many times this last week it makes my headspin. All in preflop with 8/8/5/5 as if it's some kind of magic superhand. Infact, as I type this paragraph I shit you not, I'm playing Omaha and just saw a kid get into a $225 dollar pot all in preflop at .50/1 PL against As/Ah/Qh/Js with 8c/8d/3c/3h. Oh wow! Two opportunities to make a set! You've got, uh....4 outs. YA!
So this is where I stand now, Omaha is my game online until someone tells me otherwise.
My NL Hold'Em .50/1 or 1/2 winrate was about 4.67 BB/100 hands.
My PL Omaha .50/1 winrate is at 10.47 BB/100 hands for the last week and a half now.
Granted it's a small sample size, but it's also not like I'm running really hot, infact, my wins are actually still below my EV for the time I've been playing because of a few bad beats including one memorable massive pot for .50/1 PL where I had my Ah/As/Ks/Jh cracked by QQxx with a Q on the river for a nearly 480 dollar pot(buyin is 100 to the game, we got all in preflop...like I said, ruthlessly overplay their hands).
Here's a sample of one of the tables from the session I just played. Nothing fancy, but it gives you a small idea...
Full Tilt Poker Game #7546261584: Table Peartree (6 max) - $0.50/$1 - Pot Limit Omaha Hi - 8:36:02 ET - 2008/08/07
Seat 1: ufl1279 ($100)
Seat 2: manychoicezrong ($60.95)
Seat 3: ice2601 ($102.95), is sitting out
Seat 5: crystal_donkey ($100.85)
Seat 6: FeiereiAlda ($182.60)
FeiereiAlda posts the small blind of $0.50
ufl1279 posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to crystal_donkey [8s Kh 9s Qh]
manychoicezrong calls $1
crystal_donkey raises to $4.50
FeiereiAlda folds
ufl1279 calls $3.50
manychoicezrong calls $3.50
*** FLOP *** [9c 2h Qc]
ufl1279 bets $10
manychoicezrong folds
crystal_donkey calls $10
*** TURN *** [9c 2h Qc] [Jc]
ufl1279 has 15 seconds left to act
ufl1279 bets $10
crystal_donkey calls $10
*** RIVER *** [9c 2h Qc Jc] [9d]
ufl1279 has 15 seconds left to act
ufl1279 bets $10
crystal_donkey has 15 seconds left to act
crystal_donkey raises to $76.35, and is all in
ufl1279 has 15 seconds left to act
ufl1279 has requested TIME
ufl1279 calls $65.50, and is all in
Uncalled bet of $0.85 returned to crystal_donkey
*** SHOW DOWN ***
crystal_donkey shows [8s Kh 9s Qh] a full house, Nines full of Queens
ufl1279 mucks
crystal_donkey wins the pot ($203) with a full house, Nines full of Queens
ufl1279 is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $205 Rake $2
Board: [9c 2h Qc Jc 9d]
Seat 1: ufl1279 (big blind) mucked [As 2c Qs Ac] - a flush, Ace high
Seat 2: manychoicezrong folded on the Flop
Seat 3: ice2601 is sitting out
Seat 5: crystal_donkey (button) showed [8s Kh 9s Qh] and won ($203) with a full house, Nines full of Queens
Seat 6: FeiereiAlda (small blind) folded before the Flop
A pretty good first example, anyone who stacks off an entire buyin with a flush on a paired board in Omaha cash game play is playing badly. There's not a single thing I can push there that a flush has beat on that river. Not one.
Full Tilt Poker Game #7546280814: Table Peartree (6 max) - $0.50/$1 - Pot Limit Omaha Hi - 8:39:23 ET - 2008/08/07
Seat 1: ufl1279 ($104.15)
Seat 2: manychoicezrong ($50.95)
Seat 3: ice2601 ($102.95), is sitting out
Seat 4: suktej ($20)
Seat 5: crystal_donkey ($206.55)
Seat 6: FeiereiAlda ($180.10)
FeiereiAlda posts the small blind of $0.50
ufl1279 posts the big blind of $1
suktej posts $1
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to crystal_donkey [Ts 7d 5s Tc]
manychoicezrong calls $1
suktej checks
crystal_donkey has 15 seconds left to act
crystal_donkey calls $1
FeiereiAlda calls $0.50
ufl1279 checks
*** FLOP *** [6h Js 4s]
FeiereiAlda checks
ufl1279 checks
manychoicezrong checks
suktej bets $5
crystal_donkey raises to $12.50
FeiereiAlda foldsufl1279 has 15 seconds left to act
ufl1279 folds
manychoicezrong folds
suktej has 15 seconds left to act
suktej has requested TIME
suktej raises to $19, and is all in
crystal_donkey calls $6.50
suktej shows [2d Th 6d Jh]
crystal_donkey shows [Ts 7d 5s Tc]
*** TURN *** [6h Js 4s] [Td]
*** RIVER *** [6h Js 4s Td] [Qc]
suktej shows two pair, Jacks and Tens
crystal_donkey shows three of a kind, Tens
crystal_donkey wins the pot ($40.85) with three of a kind, Tens
suktej is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***Total pot $43 Rake $2.15
Board: [6h Js 4s Td Qc]
Seat 1: ufl1279 (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 2: manychoicezrong folded on the Flop
Seat 3: ice2601 is sitting out
Seat 4: suktej showed [2d Th 6d Jh] and lost with two pair, Jacks and Tens
Seat 5: crystal_donkey (button) showed [Ts 7d 5s Tc] and won ($40.85) with three of a kind, Tens
Seat 6: FeiereiAlda (small blind) folded on the Flop
Pretty standard hand Omaha hand, gigantic draw against a made hand. I got my outs but not the ones I was expecting. I am a favourite when the money went in though, 52-48.
From the other table I was playing...I'm not sure if I like my play on this hand, the flop looked real good for me though flopping top pair and the flush draw...
Full Tilt Poker Game #7546292371: Table Cecile (6 max) - $0.50/$1 - Pot Limit Omaha Hi - 8:41:22 ET - 2008/08/07
Seat 1: crystal_donkey ($155.15)
Seat 2: kern3 ($106.20)
Seat 3: Udaff76 ($133.60)
Seat 4: maugiu ($41)
Seat 5: dritto ($100)
Seat 6: Goro_78_ ($61.65), is sitting out
Udaff76 posts the small blind of $0.50
maugiu posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to crystal_donkey [Th 6c 7h Ac]
crystal_donkey raises to $3.50
kern3 folds
Udaff76 calls $3
maugiu calls $2.50
*** FLOP *** [2h As 8h]
Udaff76 checks
maugiu checks
crystal_donkey bets $10.50
Udaff76 folds
maugiu calls $10.50
*** TURN *** [2h As 8h] [Ks]
maugiu checks
crystal_donkey bets $31.50
maugiu calls $27, and is all in
crystal_donkey shows [Th 6c 7h Ac]
maugiu shows [Kh Jd Qs 3h]
Uncalled bet of $4.50 returned to crystal_donkey
*** RIVER *** [2h As 8h Ks] [8c]
crystal_donkey shows two pair, Aces and Eights
maugiu shows two pair, Kings and Eights
crystal_donkey wins the pot ($83.50) with two pair, Aces and Eights
maugiu is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***Total pot $85.50 Rake $2
Board: [2h As 8h Ks 8c]
Seat 1: crystal_donkey showed [Th 6c 7h Ac] and won ($83.50) with two pair, Aces and Eights
Seat 2: kern3 (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: Udaff76 (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 4: maugiu (big blind) showed [Kh Jd Qs 3h] and lost with two pair, Kings and Eights
Seat 5: dritto is sitting outSeat 6: Goro_78_ is sitting out
So ya, those are a few of the hands I played this last session, I ended up making $350 for the session, I was only on two tables and only put in 2 hours, so in that timeframe I made almost 2 buyins an hour...
I would highly recommend if you have a grasp on Omaha play, start playing it cash game style, the play is a whole lot weaker than Hold'Em crowds. Not that the Hold'Em play is spectacular, but people literally don't know what they're doing in Omaha.
In the last calendar year, from the time I went to the WSOP last summer in Vegas, cashed in an event and had very steady cash game profits during the trip, I can now basically give a rough estimate of my net profit in one calendar year from poker :
$55,000
Certainly it's not totally a life altering some of money, but coupled with a steady high paying job that gives me a ton of freedom to drop shifts whenever I feel like it and pick them up whenever I feel like it between co-workers, it's made the calendar year very kind to me financially.
With that said, the last month now has been very trying for me along those same levels. First of all, our casino walked out for a strike on June 1st(we just returned to work on Saturday) which took those paychecks from me. Couple that with what was easily the worst downswing of my poker career, where I felt like I was playing fine, and Hold'Em Managers EV rating for me during my sessions in this timeframe basically told me that same story, I could not for the life of me win any hands. No matter what I did, it was never good enough, and no matter how far ahead I put my money in, I never held. It was a very sour timeframe for me pokerwise.
I recently messaged a friend of mine who plays 5/10 NL online for a living, and we had a long discussion, because he had been telling me about a month ago that he had gone through a similar immense and terrible downswing of his own despite very high EV ratings during that timeframe. I asked him what he did to go about getting out of the swing and got some ideas. Now, I know I made a long post last year about dealing with downswings, and at the time I got alot of compliments for the way it was written. This isn't meant to be another one of those posts, it's just more a story of how I got to this point now :
One of the things my buddy suggested was I should try and play Omaha a bit, because he felt like most players play hold'em moderately decent, but there are still a vast majority of mid-limit Omaha players that won't play a single hand right in an entire session, and play nightmarishly bad. The edge a solid players has in Omaha is way higher than the edge a solid player has in Hold'em in mid-limit play.
So about a week ago now, I took him up on that theory, and started playing .50/1 PL Omaha cash games on Full Tilt.
He was right, I just had no idea how right he actually was. In truth, people actually don't have the slightest clue what they're doing at this level.
The truth is, the Omaha games in low-mid limits are hold'em players playing Omaha with no idea what the difference is, and they're just playing Hold'Em over here. The edge I carry in this game is VASTLY better than it is in Hold'Em, not that I don't hold an edge in hold'em...
So I'm starting to really consider, not necessarily never going back to Hold'Em, but playing drastically less Hold'Em than Omaha for the forseeable future. My downswing is almost all recouped in the last week playing Omaha. And I see so many fundamental mistakes in the way the players play Omaha on here that it's hard not to see this as a better long term option than Hold'Em.
One big mistake I see is the drastic overplaying of Aces/Kings/Queens if it has rag rag with it, as I mentioned earlier, it's like players see that and their hold'em mentality of "omfg AA allin" takes over. It's not necessarily that I'm saying AAxx should be folded preflop, but playing it slower unless it comes with something else is always a more sound way to play in my eyes. I actually frequently wonder, do you think players realize that in Omaha, AAxx isn't always a favourite? Or, like I said, are they all Hold'Em players playing Omaha with no idea that AA-rag-rag is an underdog against powerful drawing hands like 6-7-8-9 double suited? Hence my theory of taking it easy unless my AA comes with some draw cards also.
The other one that really puzzles me is XXYY, I've seen that overplayed so many times this last week it makes my headspin. All in preflop with 8/8/5/5 as if it's some kind of magic superhand. Infact, as I type this paragraph I shit you not, I'm playing Omaha and just saw a kid get into a $225 dollar pot all in preflop at .50/1 PL against As/Ah/Qh/Js with 8c/8d/3c/3h. Oh wow! Two opportunities to make a set! You've got, uh....4 outs. YA!
So this is where I stand now, Omaha is my game online until someone tells me otherwise.
My NL Hold'Em .50/1 or 1/2 winrate was about 4.67 BB/100 hands.
My PL Omaha .50/1 winrate is at 10.47 BB/100 hands for the last week and a half now.
Granted it's a small sample size, but it's also not like I'm running really hot, infact, my wins are actually still below my EV for the time I've been playing because of a few bad beats including one memorable massive pot for .50/1 PL where I had my Ah/As/Ks/Jh cracked by QQxx with a Q on the river for a nearly 480 dollar pot(buyin is 100 to the game, we got all in preflop...like I said, ruthlessly overplay their hands).
Here's a sample of one of the tables from the session I just played. Nothing fancy, but it gives you a small idea...
Full Tilt Poker Game #7546261584: Table Peartree (6 max) - $0.50/$1 - Pot Limit Omaha Hi - 8:36:02 ET - 2008/08/07
Seat 1: ufl1279 ($100)
Seat 2: manychoicezrong ($60.95)
Seat 3: ice2601 ($102.95), is sitting out
Seat 5: crystal_donkey ($100.85)
Seat 6: FeiereiAlda ($182.60)
FeiereiAlda posts the small blind of $0.50
ufl1279 posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to crystal_donkey [8s Kh 9s Qh]
manychoicezrong calls $1
crystal_donkey raises to $4.50
FeiereiAlda folds
ufl1279 calls $3.50
manychoicezrong calls $3.50
*** FLOP *** [9c 2h Qc]
ufl1279 bets $10
manychoicezrong folds
crystal_donkey calls $10
*** TURN *** [9c 2h Qc] [Jc]
ufl1279 has 15 seconds left to act
ufl1279 bets $10
crystal_donkey calls $10
*** RIVER *** [9c 2h Qc Jc] [9d]
ufl1279 has 15 seconds left to act
ufl1279 bets $10
crystal_donkey has 15 seconds left to act
crystal_donkey raises to $76.35, and is all in
ufl1279 has 15 seconds left to act
ufl1279 has requested TIME
ufl1279 calls $65.50, and is all in
Uncalled bet of $0.85 returned to crystal_donkey
*** SHOW DOWN ***
crystal_donkey shows [8s Kh 9s Qh] a full house, Nines full of Queens
ufl1279 mucks
crystal_donkey wins the pot ($203) with a full house, Nines full of Queens
ufl1279 is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $205 Rake $2
Board: [9c 2h Qc Jc 9d]
Seat 1: ufl1279 (big blind) mucked [As 2c Qs Ac] - a flush, Ace high
Seat 2: manychoicezrong folded on the Flop
Seat 3: ice2601 is sitting out
Seat 5: crystal_donkey (button) showed [8s Kh 9s Qh] and won ($203) with a full house, Nines full of Queens
Seat 6: FeiereiAlda (small blind) folded before the Flop
A pretty good first example, anyone who stacks off an entire buyin with a flush on a paired board in Omaha cash game play is playing badly. There's not a single thing I can push there that a flush has beat on that river. Not one.
Full Tilt Poker Game #7546280814: Table Peartree (6 max) - $0.50/$1 - Pot Limit Omaha Hi - 8:39:23 ET - 2008/08/07
Seat 1: ufl1279 ($104.15)
Seat 2: manychoicezrong ($50.95)
Seat 3: ice2601 ($102.95), is sitting out
Seat 4: suktej ($20)
Seat 5: crystal_donkey ($206.55)
Seat 6: FeiereiAlda ($180.10)
FeiereiAlda posts the small blind of $0.50
ufl1279 posts the big blind of $1
suktej posts $1
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to crystal_donkey [Ts 7d 5s Tc]
manychoicezrong calls $1
suktej checks
crystal_donkey has 15 seconds left to act
crystal_donkey calls $1
FeiereiAlda calls $0.50
ufl1279 checks
*** FLOP *** [6h Js 4s]
FeiereiAlda checks
ufl1279 checks
manychoicezrong checks
suktej bets $5
crystal_donkey raises to $12.50
FeiereiAlda foldsufl1279 has 15 seconds left to act
ufl1279 folds
manychoicezrong folds
suktej has 15 seconds left to act
suktej has requested TIME
suktej raises to $19, and is all in
crystal_donkey calls $6.50
suktej shows [2d Th 6d Jh]
crystal_donkey shows [Ts 7d 5s Tc]
*** TURN *** [6h Js 4s] [Td]
*** RIVER *** [6h Js 4s Td] [Qc]
suktej shows two pair, Jacks and Tens
crystal_donkey shows three of a kind, Tens
crystal_donkey wins the pot ($40.85) with three of a kind, Tens
suktej is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***Total pot $43 Rake $2.15
Board: [6h Js 4s Td Qc]
Seat 1: ufl1279 (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 2: manychoicezrong folded on the Flop
Seat 3: ice2601 is sitting out
Seat 4: suktej showed [2d Th 6d Jh] and lost with two pair, Jacks and Tens
Seat 5: crystal_donkey (button) showed [Ts 7d 5s Tc] and won ($40.85) with three of a kind, Tens
Seat 6: FeiereiAlda (small blind) folded on the Flop
Pretty standard hand Omaha hand, gigantic draw against a made hand. I got my outs but not the ones I was expecting. I am a favourite when the money went in though, 52-48.
From the other table I was playing...I'm not sure if I like my play on this hand, the flop looked real good for me though flopping top pair and the flush draw...
Full Tilt Poker Game #7546292371: Table Cecile (6 max) - $0.50/$1 - Pot Limit Omaha Hi - 8:41:22 ET - 2008/08/07
Seat 1: crystal_donkey ($155.15)
Seat 2: kern3 ($106.20)
Seat 3: Udaff76 ($133.60)
Seat 4: maugiu ($41)
Seat 5: dritto ($100)
Seat 6: Goro_78_ ($61.65), is sitting out
Udaff76 posts the small blind of $0.50
maugiu posts the big blind of $1
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to crystal_donkey [Th 6c 7h Ac]
crystal_donkey raises to $3.50
kern3 folds
Udaff76 calls $3
maugiu calls $2.50
*** FLOP *** [2h As 8h]
Udaff76 checks
maugiu checks
crystal_donkey bets $10.50
Udaff76 folds
maugiu calls $10.50
*** TURN *** [2h As 8h] [Ks]
maugiu checks
crystal_donkey bets $31.50
maugiu calls $27, and is all in
crystal_donkey shows [Th 6c 7h Ac]
maugiu shows [Kh Jd Qs 3h]
Uncalled bet of $4.50 returned to crystal_donkey
*** RIVER *** [2h As 8h Ks] [8c]
crystal_donkey shows two pair, Aces and Eights
maugiu shows two pair, Kings and Eights
crystal_donkey wins the pot ($83.50) with two pair, Aces and Eights
maugiu is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***Total pot $85.50 Rake $2
Board: [2h As 8h Ks 8c]
Seat 1: crystal_donkey showed [Th 6c 7h Ac] and won ($83.50) with two pair, Aces and Eights
Seat 2: kern3 (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: Udaff76 (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 4: maugiu (big blind) showed [Kh Jd Qs 3h] and lost with two pair, Kings and Eights
Seat 5: dritto is sitting outSeat 6: Goro_78_ is sitting out
So ya, those are a few of the hands I played this last session, I ended up making $350 for the session, I was only on two tables and only put in 2 hours, so in that timeframe I made almost 2 buyins an hour...
I would highly recommend if you have a grasp on Omaha play, start playing it cash game style, the play is a whole lot weaker than Hold'Em crowds. Not that the Hold'Em play is spectacular, but people literally don't know what they're doing in Omaha.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Atlantic City Trip Day 2 :
So...after the tournament result, we headed on down to the Borgata poker room and set out for world domination once more.
The cap on 1/2 NL there is 300, so I brought the max to the table, and as always immediately sent a message after sitting down, raising and re-raising several pots. This chipped me up a bit, to around 350.
Then the first legitimate hand of interest came up, a player, fairly short stacked(somewhere around 50-75 can't honestly remember) raised from mid position to 10, and I repopped to 40 with AK, basically comitting him. He shoved and I topped up to call the all in. He rolled over 44. Flop was 9/9/9, turn was a 9. Ship it?
After that I played a few more pots here and there, maintaining a now incredibly typical LAG image for me in a cash game, I throw chips around frequently, to generate action to get it back from the table when I get hands. I had JJ 4 times in the span of about an hour, and lost every pot with them(nothing overly substantial)...and won a fair pot with AA.
A few hands later I played the first real hand I would spend time debating with people for the entire trip so I'm curious to hear thoughts on it : after a few limps, I raised to 12 with KK, got one caller whom I had position on. The flop was about as disasterous as could be without containing an ace, Jd/10s/9d. He checked, I c-bet 20, and he check raised me to 80. This is one of the spots where I just flat out don't want to play a big pot on that board with KK, so I opted against getting stubborn and just folded. In retrospect I think it's the right play.
After that I just kind of treaded water for a little while, and ended the session up 200. We grabbed a meal over at Wolfgang Puck's restaraunt right next door to the poker room, amazing food and reasonable prices for a "celeb-chef" like that. After that, Alex said he wanted to go to Taj for the midnight tourney again, so I came along for the ride.
Taj tourneys are an odd bunch, alot of incredibly bad players. One side note : the Taj is a very unpleasent poker room to be in. It's hot as HELL in that poker room, and frankly, the supervisor that I saw around was so incompetent it was startling...
As for the tourney, we start with 20k in chips, blinds 25/50, every 20 minutes the level goes up.
The first pot I played ended up being fairly gigantic.
There were 3 limps to me, and I looked down at JJ. I raised to 400 total, and got one caller. The flop was 2/4/5 with 2 diamonds. He checked to me, and I bet out 700 at the pot. He suddenly check raised me to 3k total. I tanked for a minute, really unsure of what to do at this point, and decided to call, putting him on a flush draw. Which made the turn card real depressing. As. Granted, not a diamond, but still, if you figure someone for a flush draw, aces aren't fun to see. He slammed the turn for 6k, which again I tanked for a minute. I still didn't buy the ace for him, a few reasons, he bet the turn really quickly, which I thought he'd have given it a moments thought if he had the ace. 2 pair was certainly in his range, and so was a set. But I still felt like he had a diamond draw that didn't catch the ace with how quickly he bet the turn. So I called the turn. The river came a 10h, and he insta-shoved all in. I took a minute again here, telling him I didn't beleive he had me at all, again he acted very quickly on the river and again I felt like if he had a hand here he'd have been considering a value bet rather than shoving his stack in(basically pot so not an overbet, but still...). So after a minute I finally called, and he simply tapped the table and said nice call and threw his cards in the muck. I tabled Jacks, fairly excited at the table image that would give me. I then promptly steamrolled the tournament for a while, and then ran incredibly card dead around the middle of the tournament.
Eventually I found myself on an average chip stack, around 45k, blinds were 1500/3000. We were down near the bubble, and I raised to 8k with Ad/Js, a fairly agressive player who was really visibly pissed when he took a bad beat a few hands ago, and had just returned to the table after a walk after that hand, shoved all in for 35k total. Again here I tanked for a fair while, and finally called figuring I'm probably ahead of his range here, or at least flipping which I'd take to try and get a real competitive stack. He rolled over As/Jc for the same hand. And then we started pulling our chips back to chop the pot. Oh, I forgot, we did all that before we saw the board : 10c/9c/3c. Oh for gods sakes don't freeroll me on the bubble please. Turn, 6c. Thank you. River? 5c. Just fucking because okay? So ya, that was fun.
After that, Alex and Jason went back to their room for some sleep, and I headed over to The Borgata again. I decided that rather than sleep like people do, poker was more important. Largely because I had been in absolute control of any table I sat at the entire trip and felt like I was playing immaculate poker. So, since I was up a fair chunk already, and since I am technically bankrolled to play it live, I decided to jump into 5/10 NL. So I bought in for 1000 and sat down.
Overall there wasn't a ton of excitement at the table, I didn't sit for too-too long, about 4 hours or so. The three interesting hands I guess were :
MP a fairly LAGgy player raised to 35 in an unopened pot. I repopped to 140 from the SB with Ad/Kd. He smoothe called the extra 105. Flop came Ah/9c/3s. He held about 350 behind, so I decided to play a trap and check the flop to him and see if I could induce a shove from AQ. Sure enough, he shoved all in. I snap called and he showed AJ. Turn and river bricked out.
A few hands later I raised UTG to 35 with Ah/Qh, got smoothe called. Flop was Qs/8d/6h. I decided to try the check raise again, and he led out for 55. I raised to 180 straight, and then he 3 bet to 450. I tanked for a while and eventually folded, and he showed me 66.
And my last hand was fairly fun. There were 4 limps(rare) to me on the button and I had already decided I was raising any two cards there to try and steal the dead 55 dollars in the pot. So I raised to 50 straight with 6h/2h. I picked up one caller to the flop. The flop was Kh/2c/8h. I figured that was a good and bad flop, because the range of hands I put him on was deffinitely heavily weighted to Kx to limp and then call a raise that sized. And since he had called I was fairly certain he wasn't going to give this up easily. So instead of doing anything drastic, he led out for 125, and I smoothe called it. The turn was a 6d. That was a card I enjoyed immensely. He led out again for 250, and I slammed all-in, prompting a fold.
Overall for the trip? We got to chill by the ocean, we ate at some killer restaraunts, I stayed at The Borgata which is absolutely gorgeous, we had a ton of fun, and I played in my eyes anyway, although maybe the blogs don't sound like it, amazing poker. Every table I sat at I dominated entirely.
I ended up the weekend trip to Atlantic City up nearly 2k for the weekend.
As for Atlantic City, mixed reviews. It's a dump, especially down by the Boardwalk. On the flip side, as you drift away from it, and over towards Borgata, The Water Club and Harrah's, the city starts to get nicer and nicer. And as for the level of play, as I said before on the first entry, it's astonishing. I really, truly mean that. I've seen alot of bad players alot of places, but nothing compares to some of the pure nonsense I saw here. An all in on a Qc/Qs/9c/5h board by a guy holding 88 after crazy action preflop and on the flop. Which is disgusting. But what's worse? He got called. By Ad/10h....
Ya, it's that bad. I may actually go back for a week just to try and play more cash and less tourneys against these clowns.
The cap on 1/2 NL there is 300, so I brought the max to the table, and as always immediately sent a message after sitting down, raising and re-raising several pots. This chipped me up a bit, to around 350.
Then the first legitimate hand of interest came up, a player, fairly short stacked(somewhere around 50-75 can't honestly remember) raised from mid position to 10, and I repopped to 40 with AK, basically comitting him. He shoved and I topped up to call the all in. He rolled over 44. Flop was 9/9/9, turn was a 9. Ship it?
After that I played a few more pots here and there, maintaining a now incredibly typical LAG image for me in a cash game, I throw chips around frequently, to generate action to get it back from the table when I get hands. I had JJ 4 times in the span of about an hour, and lost every pot with them(nothing overly substantial)...and won a fair pot with AA.
A few hands later I played the first real hand I would spend time debating with people for the entire trip so I'm curious to hear thoughts on it : after a few limps, I raised to 12 with KK, got one caller whom I had position on. The flop was about as disasterous as could be without containing an ace, Jd/10s/9d. He checked, I c-bet 20, and he check raised me to 80. This is one of the spots where I just flat out don't want to play a big pot on that board with KK, so I opted against getting stubborn and just folded. In retrospect I think it's the right play.
After that I just kind of treaded water for a little while, and ended the session up 200. We grabbed a meal over at Wolfgang Puck's restaraunt right next door to the poker room, amazing food and reasonable prices for a "celeb-chef" like that. After that, Alex said he wanted to go to Taj for the midnight tourney again, so I came along for the ride.
Taj tourneys are an odd bunch, alot of incredibly bad players. One side note : the Taj is a very unpleasent poker room to be in. It's hot as HELL in that poker room, and frankly, the supervisor that I saw around was so incompetent it was startling...
As for the tourney, we start with 20k in chips, blinds 25/50, every 20 minutes the level goes up.
The first pot I played ended up being fairly gigantic.
There were 3 limps to me, and I looked down at JJ. I raised to 400 total, and got one caller. The flop was 2/4/5 with 2 diamonds. He checked to me, and I bet out 700 at the pot. He suddenly check raised me to 3k total. I tanked for a minute, really unsure of what to do at this point, and decided to call, putting him on a flush draw. Which made the turn card real depressing. As. Granted, not a diamond, but still, if you figure someone for a flush draw, aces aren't fun to see. He slammed the turn for 6k, which again I tanked for a minute. I still didn't buy the ace for him, a few reasons, he bet the turn really quickly, which I thought he'd have given it a moments thought if he had the ace. 2 pair was certainly in his range, and so was a set. But I still felt like he had a diamond draw that didn't catch the ace with how quickly he bet the turn. So I called the turn. The river came a 10h, and he insta-shoved all in. I took a minute again here, telling him I didn't beleive he had me at all, again he acted very quickly on the river and again I felt like if he had a hand here he'd have been considering a value bet rather than shoving his stack in(basically pot so not an overbet, but still...). So after a minute I finally called, and he simply tapped the table and said nice call and threw his cards in the muck. I tabled Jacks, fairly excited at the table image that would give me. I then promptly steamrolled the tournament for a while, and then ran incredibly card dead around the middle of the tournament.
Eventually I found myself on an average chip stack, around 45k, blinds were 1500/3000. We were down near the bubble, and I raised to 8k with Ad/Js, a fairly agressive player who was really visibly pissed when he took a bad beat a few hands ago, and had just returned to the table after a walk after that hand, shoved all in for 35k total. Again here I tanked for a fair while, and finally called figuring I'm probably ahead of his range here, or at least flipping which I'd take to try and get a real competitive stack. He rolled over As/Jc for the same hand. And then we started pulling our chips back to chop the pot. Oh, I forgot, we did all that before we saw the board : 10c/9c/3c. Oh for gods sakes don't freeroll me on the bubble please. Turn, 6c. Thank you. River? 5c. Just fucking because okay? So ya, that was fun.
After that, Alex and Jason went back to their room for some sleep, and I headed over to The Borgata again. I decided that rather than sleep like people do, poker was more important. Largely because I had been in absolute control of any table I sat at the entire trip and felt like I was playing immaculate poker. So, since I was up a fair chunk already, and since I am technically bankrolled to play it live, I decided to jump into 5/10 NL. So I bought in for 1000 and sat down.
Overall there wasn't a ton of excitement at the table, I didn't sit for too-too long, about 4 hours or so. The three interesting hands I guess were :
MP a fairly LAGgy player raised to 35 in an unopened pot. I repopped to 140 from the SB with Ad/Kd. He smoothe called the extra 105. Flop came Ah/9c/3s. He held about 350 behind, so I decided to play a trap and check the flop to him and see if I could induce a shove from AQ. Sure enough, he shoved all in. I snap called and he showed AJ. Turn and river bricked out.
A few hands later I raised UTG to 35 with Ah/Qh, got smoothe called. Flop was Qs/8d/6h. I decided to try the check raise again, and he led out for 55. I raised to 180 straight, and then he 3 bet to 450. I tanked for a while and eventually folded, and he showed me 66.
And my last hand was fairly fun. There were 4 limps(rare) to me on the button and I had already decided I was raising any two cards there to try and steal the dead 55 dollars in the pot. So I raised to 50 straight with 6h/2h. I picked up one caller to the flop. The flop was Kh/2c/8h. I figured that was a good and bad flop, because the range of hands I put him on was deffinitely heavily weighted to Kx to limp and then call a raise that sized. And since he had called I was fairly certain he wasn't going to give this up easily. So instead of doing anything drastic, he led out for 125, and I smoothe called it. The turn was a 6d. That was a card I enjoyed immensely. He led out again for 250, and I slammed all-in, prompting a fold.
Overall for the trip? We got to chill by the ocean, we ate at some killer restaraunts, I stayed at The Borgata which is absolutely gorgeous, we had a ton of fun, and I played in my eyes anyway, although maybe the blogs don't sound like it, amazing poker. Every table I sat at I dominated entirely.
I ended up the weekend trip to Atlantic City up nearly 2k for the weekend.
As for Atlantic City, mixed reviews. It's a dump, especially down by the Boardwalk. On the flip side, as you drift away from it, and over towards Borgata, The Water Club and Harrah's, the city starts to get nicer and nicer. And as for the level of play, as I said before on the first entry, it's astonishing. I really, truly mean that. I've seen alot of bad players alot of places, but nothing compares to some of the pure nonsense I saw here. An all in on a Qc/Qs/9c/5h board by a guy holding 88 after crazy action preflop and on the flop. Which is disgusting. But what's worse? He got called. By Ad/10h....
Ya, it's that bad. I may actually go back for a week just to try and play more cash and less tourneys against these clowns.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Atlantic City Trip Day 1
Okay, so wow. Someone forgot to send me the memo that said the average player down in Atlantic City is slightly worse than the worst poker player ever. Someone really should have told me.
I won't give overwhelming details, but here ya go, the trip thus far :
So, we take off Friday night to head down to Atlantic City, me, Alex and Jason. We get down here at around 6:00 am Saturday morning. We grab a cheap hotel and crash, and wake up Saturday ready for world domination. No one told us it'd be this easy :
We start where anyone would logically start when they hit Atlantic City, The Borgata. Which has quite possibly, and almost deffinitely, the most breathtaking poker room I've stepped into. Massive room, tons of tables, beautiful set up, very spacious to have that many tables...it's a wonderful place to play poker.
So I sit at 1/2 NL with Alex, 300 max buyin. We both bring the max, and I immediately get to work establishing a LAG image, raising lots of pots...showing down goofy hands when I hit, and I have a big target on my back. I lose one big coin flip As/Ks against QQ for 200 bucks, rebuy back to the max and get on with it. When all is said and done, I'm up $900 for the session. One huge pot I play against the big stack at our table where I call a raise with 99, flop is 2/4/6 rainbow, he bets I call, turn is a 9 and we play a huge pot with his KK. The "funny" thing is I told him before the hand started I was going to flop a set, because he had flopped 3 sets in 10 minutes before that.
After that session we head over to the Taj Mahal, partially because all the success and money I make playing poker(which while not extreme, is pretty good, enough to live on) is owed to that place and the movie Rounders. So we play a tourney with absolutely abysmal play, a nice structured deep stack tourney, and I go broke fairly early, Alex runs much deeper. We head in for the night.
Woke up this morning and shot over to Caesers for their deepstack tournaments. And that went much better. I grabbed a chip lead fairly early on and was relentless against the entire tournament, taking pot after pot. Eventually, we were down to two tables, the average stack was probably 50k-60k in that range, and I was floating at 175k. Final table started, I took one massive hit with QQ vs A/10 vs K/J in a threeway all in pot that would have given me over 1/2 the chips in play when we were 5 handed, instead the A/10 made a straight. I ended up still playing fairly strong and making a 2nd place finish good for 1500 bucks. The old guy I played heads up quite literally ran like god when we got heads up, I'd flop a fairly big peice of the board and he'd flop the stone cold nuts. Eventually I shoved 180k with blinds 15/30k with A/9 suited, he called with K/Q suited and spiked a Q.
I've checked into the Borgata for tonight, hence the internet access finally, and me and Alex are just getting ready to head down to crush some insane donkeys that exist here. Infact, they're not even donkeys, donkey's play to good to be associated with the average player here. So I'm going to coin a new phrase exclusive to players in Atlantic City to describe how atrocious they are :
Kinkajou
Enjoy ladies and gentleman. The players in Atlantic City are kinkajou's.
I won't give overwhelming details, but here ya go, the trip thus far :
So, we take off Friday night to head down to Atlantic City, me, Alex and Jason. We get down here at around 6:00 am Saturday morning. We grab a cheap hotel and crash, and wake up Saturday ready for world domination. No one told us it'd be this easy :
We start where anyone would logically start when they hit Atlantic City, The Borgata. Which has quite possibly, and almost deffinitely, the most breathtaking poker room I've stepped into. Massive room, tons of tables, beautiful set up, very spacious to have that many tables...it's a wonderful place to play poker.
So I sit at 1/2 NL with Alex, 300 max buyin. We both bring the max, and I immediately get to work establishing a LAG image, raising lots of pots...showing down goofy hands when I hit, and I have a big target on my back. I lose one big coin flip As/Ks against QQ for 200 bucks, rebuy back to the max and get on with it. When all is said and done, I'm up $900 for the session. One huge pot I play against the big stack at our table where I call a raise with 99, flop is 2/4/6 rainbow, he bets I call, turn is a 9 and we play a huge pot with his KK. The "funny" thing is I told him before the hand started I was going to flop a set, because he had flopped 3 sets in 10 minutes before that.
After that session we head over to the Taj Mahal, partially because all the success and money I make playing poker(which while not extreme, is pretty good, enough to live on) is owed to that place and the movie Rounders. So we play a tourney with absolutely abysmal play, a nice structured deep stack tourney, and I go broke fairly early, Alex runs much deeper. We head in for the night.
Woke up this morning and shot over to Caesers for their deepstack tournaments. And that went much better. I grabbed a chip lead fairly early on and was relentless against the entire tournament, taking pot after pot. Eventually, we were down to two tables, the average stack was probably 50k-60k in that range, and I was floating at 175k. Final table started, I took one massive hit with QQ vs A/10 vs K/J in a threeway all in pot that would have given me over 1/2 the chips in play when we were 5 handed, instead the A/10 made a straight. I ended up still playing fairly strong and making a 2nd place finish good for 1500 bucks. The old guy I played heads up quite literally ran like god when we got heads up, I'd flop a fairly big peice of the board and he'd flop the stone cold nuts. Eventually I shoved 180k with blinds 15/30k with A/9 suited, he called with K/Q suited and spiked a Q.
I've checked into the Borgata for tonight, hence the internet access finally, and me and Alex are just getting ready to head down to crush some insane donkeys that exist here. Infact, they're not even donkeys, donkey's play to good to be associated with the average player here. So I'm going to coin a new phrase exclusive to players in Atlantic City to describe how atrocious they are :
Kinkajou
Enjoy ladies and gentleman. The players in Atlantic City are kinkajou's.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
The revival of the blog!
Yes, yes. Hold your applause for after.
I decided to bring this back because hey, I'm playing a ton of online poker, so I figured I'd start blogging. This means this'll be update really frequently with thoughts and opinions and results and what not.
Before I get to that, I wanna give a shoutout to a few people. First of all, to all the guys I know that went down and crushed Vegas over this summer...kudos on a job well done and I wish I was there with you. Yves, you're an animal, Marc, that hand was disgusting, all the Elite Poker people you guys rock, congrats. I wish I had gone down again, unfortunately as those who know me know, family problems have become more serious, dad's been in and out(90% in) of the hospital for the past month and a half with blood clots and internal bleeding, so it was far from a good time to pack up and go try and kill Vegas again. Hopefully I'll get there in August, but we'll see.
Anywhoo, back to me, because hey, it's my blog so why the fuck am I giving Yves all the kudos? :P
Actually this leads me to one more shout out...to the lovely people at the CAW for having me on strike for well over a month and letting me really focus on playing poker. It's almost like a written invitation for me to try my hand at online poker full time.
So, I've been kind of exploring. I learned I hate SNG's, too hectic, and too swingy...I learned MTT's are gross as all hell, go deep and run into one setup and end up having 6 hours of perfect play erased in an instant.
So, I settled on the ring game life. I can't lie, partly, or largely, this is results based, I consistently, infact, it'd shock any regular player exactly how consistently I crush NL Cash Games. It frequently amazes me...I've rarely booked losing sessions in a long, long time now.
With that said, I started this run at limit hold'em, because I still consider myself a limit specialist(by specialist I mean that "Bet" button always seems easier to push than the "Fold" button, so consistently people end up folding to me).
So with all that out of the way, I had an illuminating discussion with a friend of mine. We discussed basically my poker career and the fact I was playing limit. Basically he told me he thinks it's a stupid idea for me because in his words : "I've never played anyone as good as extracting chips with made hands as you are."
So, on the heed of that advice, I decided to give NL games a chance. I've been 4 tabling 1/2 NL for a week now, and really cleaning the game up so easily it's scary.
So...tonight's session. Key hands and analysis :
Full Tilt Poker Game #7159601672: Table Sphinx (6 max) - $1/$2 - No Limit Hold'em - 1:43:50 ET - 2008/07/10
Seat 1: nm_21 ($369.60)
Seat 2: crystal_donkey ($168.40)
Seat 3: browerkid ($197)
Seat 4: DuckandHide ($260.95)
Seat 5: jloscottdale ($225.45)
Seat 6: bucfanjay ($251.10)
browerkid posts the small blind of $1
DuckandHide posts the big blind of $2
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to crystal_donkey [9h 9s]
jloscottdale folds
bucfanjay raises to $8
nm_21 folds
crystal_donkey calls $8
browerkid folds
DuckandHide folds
*** FLOP *** [8s Qh 9c]
bucfanjay bets $11
jloscottdale is sitting out
crystal_donkey has 15 seconds left to act
crystal_donkey raises to $33
bucfanjay has 15 seconds left to act
bucfanjay raises to $75
crystal_donkey raises to $160.40, and is all in
bucfanjay calls $85.40
crystal_donkey shows [9h 9s]
bucfanjay shows [Ts Td]
*** TURN *** [8s Qh 9c] [2s]
*** RIVER *** [8s Qh 9c 2s] [Ks]
crystal_donkey shows three of a kind, Nines
bucfanjay shows a pair of Tens
crystal_donkey wins the pot ($336.80) with three of a kind, Nines
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $339.80 Rake $3
Board: [8s Qh 9c 2s Ks]
Seat 1: nm_21 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: crystal_donkey (button) showed [9h 9s] and won ($336.80) with three of a kind, Nines
Seat 3: browerkid (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: DuckandHide (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: jloscottdale didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: bucfanjay showed [Ts Td] and lost with a pair of Tens
Not really alot to say here, there's no way I'm not stacking off on that flop if by chance he has J/10, so all my chips are going in here all day long. It was nice he decided to play along with a really mediocre hand to be playing that much action on that flop with.
This is from from one of the 4 tables, and was also the table that caused me to end the session, once I had this happen to me I wanted to step away from the game to avoid any possibility of "tilt" money leaving, because I was a little steamed at the setup I was a part of. There is never a time I'm going to play this hand any differently than this...
Full Tilt Poker Game #7159663499: Table Sphinx (6 max) - $1/$2 - No Limit Hold'em - 1:50:15 ET - 2008/07/10
Seat 1: nm_21 ($365.40)
Seat 2: crystal_donkey ($335.50)
Seat 3: browerkid ($200.25)
Seat 4: DuckandHide ($254.95)
Seat 5: jloscottdale ($225.45)
Seat 6: bucfanjay ($86.45)
crystal_donkey posts the small blind of $1
browerkid posts the big blind of $2
The button is in seat #1
***HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to crystal_donkey [Qc Qs]
DuckandHide folds
bucfanjay folds
nm_21 raises to $7
crystal_donkey raises to $29
browerkid folds
nm_21 has 15 seconds left to act
nm_21 has requested TIME
nm_21 raises to $90
crystal_donkey raises to $335.50, and is all in
nm_21 calls $245.50
crystal_donkey shows [Qc Qs]
nm_21 shows [Ac As]
*** FLOP *** [4h Kd 9h]
*** TURN *** [4h Kd 9h] [8s]
*** RIVER *** [4h Kd 9h 8s] [6d]
crystal_donkey shows a pair of Queens
nm_21 shows a pair of Aces
nm_21 wins the pot ($670) with a pair of Aces
crystal_donkey is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $673 Rake $3
Board: [4h Kd 9h 8s 6d]
Seat 1: nm_21 (button) showed [Ac As] and won ($670) with a pair of Aces
Seat 2: crystal_donkey (small blind) showed [Qc Qs] and lost with a pair of Queens
Seat 3: browerkid (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: DuckandHide didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: jloscottdale is sitting out
Seat 6: bucfanjay didn't bet (folded)
Ya, not the best hand I've ever played. There's never a time I'm smoothing the 3rd raise, the money goes in here all day, I don't care if it's 1/2 or 50/100...I don't see a way anyone's going to disagree with that being that he's on the button and his 3 bet range is as loose as A/10 and up probably...especially considering we're a 6-max and I have a fairly LAG image.
Anyway, while all that fun was going on, I had 3 other tables open. Here's some hands from over on another one of those tables... This one will require a little explanation...
Full Tilt Poker Game #7159544923: Table Saguaro (6 max) - $1/$2 - No Limit Hold'em - 1:38:04 ET - 2008/07/10
Seat 1: crystal_donkey ($185)
Seat 2: I HRT DVDA ($203)
Seat 3: She_IS_all_that ($63)
Seat 4: infi-nitty ($207)
Seat 5: StructureK ($200)
Seat 6: Tex_Perkins ($457.70)
infi-nitty posts the small blind of $1
StructureK posts the big blind of $2
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to crystal_donkey [Ac 5c]
Tex_Perkins folds
crystal_donkey has 15 seconds left to act
crystal_donkey raises to $6
I HRT DVDA folds
She_IS_all_that has 15 seconds left to act
She_IS_all_that folds
infi-nitty folds
StructureK raises to $21
crystal_donkey calls $15
*** FLOP *** [5s Ad 2c]
StructureK has 15 seconds left to act
StructureK bets $30
crystal_donkey raises to $80
StructureK has 15 seconds left to act
StructureK raises to $179, and is all in
crystal_donkey calls $84, and is all in
StructureK shows [Ah Kd]
crystal_donkey shows [Ac 5c]
Uncalled bet of $15 returned to StructureK
*** TURN *** [5s Ad 2c] [Td]
*** RIVER *** [5s Ad 2c Td] [Js]
StructureK shows a pair of Aces
crystal_donkey shows two pair, Aces and Fives
crystal_donkey wins the pot ($368) with two pair, Aces and Fives
StructureK adds $185
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $371 Rake $3
Board: [5s Ad 2c Td Js]
Seat 1: crystal_donkey showed [Ac 5c] and won ($368) with two pair, Aces and Fives
Seat 2: I HRT DVDA didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: She_IS_all_that (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: infi-nitty (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: StructureK (big blind) showed [Ah Kd] and lost with a pair of Aces
Seat 6: Tex_Perkins didn't bet (folded)
I want to make clear, no typically I do not make habits of calling re-raises with A/5 even if its SOOOTED. The thing was, as I said I typically like to control my tables by taking a LAG approach and then developing action. Unfortunately every time I was doing anything on this table I was getting played back at, so eventually I decided instead of continuing to fold to re-raises preflop, I had to find a spot to play back, so I decided to call and see a flop and try and steal it afterwards, since I'm typically VERY confident in my post flop play and ability to steal pots where we both have no part. As it turns out, I did one better and flopped gin and got the money in. This is NOT a habit...worked though :P
The next one kind of baffled me still, I'm not sure if the guy's a prick and he's trying to slow roll me or if he's actually considering folding here which I can't even fathom. I'm also not sure if he's stupid and that's why he smoothe calls the flop, or if he's really smart and that's why he smoothe called and then checked the turn. Either way...I don't know if I'm going to play this differently any other time, feel free to comment, this was the one hand I was a little unsure of...
Full Tilt Poker Game #7159506269: Table Padbury (6 max) - $1/$2 - No Limit Hold'em - 1:34:12 ET - 2008/07/10
Seat 1: BuenazDiaz ($580.85)
Seat 2: Septs ($314)
Seat 3: Gle Rigon ($21.10)
Seat 4: mnguyen14 ($105.70)
Seat 5: bustedmonkey ($228.15)
Seat 6: crystal_donkey ($197)
Septs posts the small blind of $1
Gle Rigon posts the big blind of $2
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to crystal_donkey [Ah 9h]
mnguyen14 has 15 seconds left to act
mnguyen14 raises to $6
bustedmonkey folds
crystal_donkey calls $6
BuenazDiaz foldsSepts folds
Gle Rigon folds
*** FLOP *** [7d 9c 2c]
mnguyen14 has 15 seconds left to act
mnguyen14 bets $12
crystal_donkey raises to $40
mnguyen14 has 15 seconds left to act
mnguyen14 calls $28
*** TURN *** [7d 9c 2c] [2h]
mnguyen14 checks
crystal_donkey bets $151, and is all in
mnguyen14 has 15 seconds left to act
mnguyen14 calls $59.70, and is all in
crystal_donkey shows [Ah 9h]
mnguyen14 shows [Ac Ad]
Uncalled bet of $91.30 returned to crystal_donkey
*** RIVER *** [7d 9c 2c 2h] [8s]
crystal_donkey shows two pair, Nines and Twos
mnguyen14 shows two pair, Aces and Twos
mnguyen14 wins the pot ($211.40) with two pair, Aces and Twos
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $214.40 Rake $3
Board: [7d 9c 2c 2h 8s]
Seat 1: BuenazDiaz (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: Septs (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Gle Rigon (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: mnguyen14 showed [Ac Ad] and won ($211.40) with two pair, Aces and Twos
Seat 5: bustedmonkey didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: crystal_donkey showed [Ah 9h] and lost with two pair, Nines and Twos
Ya I know the hand itself was really kind of thin on that flop, but after he smoothed my raise on the flop I felt like I for sure had the best hand there, and he was either drawing to clubs, or had a hand like 88 or 66 and didn't buy me for calling a 9 in that spot. I never even considered an overpair, probably a bad oversight on my part.
This hand made up for it a while after on the same table though....
Full Tilt Poker Game #7159622325: Table Padbury (6 max) - $1/$2 - No Limit Hold'em - 1:45:57 ET - 2008/07/10
Seat 1: BuenazDiaz ($570.75)
Seat 2: Septs ($302)
Seat 3: Gle Rigon ($41.70)
Seat 4: mnguyen14 ($201.65)
Seat 5: bustedmonkey ($250.80), is sitting out
Seat 6: crystal_donkey ($179.05)
crystal_donkey posts the small blind of $1
BuenazDiaz posts the big blind of $2
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to crystal_donkey [Jd Td]
Septs folds
Gle Rigon folds
mnguyen14 folds
crystal_donkey calls $1
BuenazDiaz raises to $7
crystal_donkey calls $5
*** FLOP *** [6c Jc Jh]
crystal_donkey checks
BuenazDiaz bets $10
crystal_donkey raises to $35
BuenazDiaz raises to $70
crystal_donkey raises to $172.05, and is all in
BuenazDiaz calls $102.05
bustedmonkey has returned
crystal_donkey shows [Jd Td]
BuenazDiaz shows [Kc 9c]
*** TURN *** [6c Jc Jh] [Js]
*** RIVER *** [6c Jc Jh Js] [8d]
crystal_donkey shows four of a kind, Jacks
BuenazDiaz shows three of a kind, Jacks
crystal_donkey wins the pot ($355.10) with four of a kind, Jacks
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $358.10 Rake $3
Board: [6c Jc Jh Js 8d]
Seat 1: BuenazDiaz (big blind) showed [Kc 9c] and lost with three of a kind, Jacks
Seat 2: Septs didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: Gle Rigon didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: mnguyen14 (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: bustedmonkey is sitting out
Seat 6: crystal_donkey (small blind) showed [Jd Td] and won ($355.10) with four of a kind, Jacks
For anyone wondering, yes, I realize my line in that hand preflop sucks ass...so sue me. I realized it as I was doing it, that I should have raised, I think he calls and we see the same flop anyway, but yes, I realize calling and re-calling there is a really weak line especially OOP for the rest of the hand, but oh well...
Anyway, I realize there's not alot of hands with fantastic deep thought, hopefully some will come in future days, I just really wanted to get back to writing this, and decided to do it tonight, it was a relatively short session because of my stopping after the QQ vs AA thing(more me being tired than me being super pissed at the setup, although it did kind of suck).
This'll be much more frequent...I know some people really used to like this blog when I had it up, god help me I can't fathom why since my writing is about as terrible as Akiva Goldsman's(see what I mean? No one will even get that reference, but I went for it anyway because I'm a stubborn dickhead, he's a Hollywood script writer who penned such abominations as "Batman Forever", "Batman and Robin", "I, Robot" and "The Da Vinci Code").
Anyway, like it or not, the blog is back. Enjoy reading it at your own discretion.
Oh, and I just realized I should probably put a tally for the end of the night. That session despite that 350 dollar cooler, I ended up basically even, I ended up down like $35 bucks or something. And after an $1100 dollar session yesterday...I'm alright with it.
I decided to bring this back because hey, I'm playing a ton of online poker, so I figured I'd start blogging. This means this'll be update really frequently with thoughts and opinions and results and what not.
Before I get to that, I wanna give a shoutout to a few people. First of all, to all the guys I know that went down and crushed Vegas over this summer...kudos on a job well done and I wish I was there with you. Yves, you're an animal, Marc, that hand was disgusting, all the Elite Poker people you guys rock, congrats. I wish I had gone down again, unfortunately as those who know me know, family problems have become more serious, dad's been in and out(90% in) of the hospital for the past month and a half with blood clots and internal bleeding, so it was far from a good time to pack up and go try and kill Vegas again. Hopefully I'll get there in August, but we'll see.
Anywhoo, back to me, because hey, it's my blog so why the fuck am I giving Yves all the kudos? :P
Actually this leads me to one more shout out...to the lovely people at the CAW for having me on strike for well over a month and letting me really focus on playing poker. It's almost like a written invitation for me to try my hand at online poker full time.
So, I've been kind of exploring. I learned I hate SNG's, too hectic, and too swingy...I learned MTT's are gross as all hell, go deep and run into one setup and end up having 6 hours of perfect play erased in an instant.
So, I settled on the ring game life. I can't lie, partly, or largely, this is results based, I consistently, infact, it'd shock any regular player exactly how consistently I crush NL Cash Games. It frequently amazes me...I've rarely booked losing sessions in a long, long time now.
With that said, I started this run at limit hold'em, because I still consider myself a limit specialist(by specialist I mean that "Bet" button always seems easier to push than the "Fold" button, so consistently people end up folding to me).
So with all that out of the way, I had an illuminating discussion with a friend of mine. We discussed basically my poker career and the fact I was playing limit. Basically he told me he thinks it's a stupid idea for me because in his words : "I've never played anyone as good as extracting chips with made hands as you are."
So, on the heed of that advice, I decided to give NL games a chance. I've been 4 tabling 1/2 NL for a week now, and really cleaning the game up so easily it's scary.
So...tonight's session. Key hands and analysis :
Full Tilt Poker Game #7159601672: Table Sphinx (6 max) - $1/$2 - No Limit Hold'em - 1:43:50 ET - 2008/07/10
Seat 1: nm_21 ($369.60)
Seat 2: crystal_donkey ($168.40)
Seat 3: browerkid ($197)
Seat 4: DuckandHide ($260.95)
Seat 5: jloscottdale ($225.45)
Seat 6: bucfanjay ($251.10)
browerkid posts the small blind of $1
DuckandHide posts the big blind of $2
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to crystal_donkey [9h 9s]
jloscottdale folds
bucfanjay raises to $8
nm_21 folds
crystal_donkey calls $8
browerkid folds
DuckandHide folds
*** FLOP *** [8s Qh 9c]
bucfanjay bets $11
jloscottdale is sitting out
crystal_donkey has 15 seconds left to act
crystal_donkey raises to $33
bucfanjay has 15 seconds left to act
bucfanjay raises to $75
crystal_donkey raises to $160.40, and is all in
bucfanjay calls $85.40
crystal_donkey shows [9h 9s]
bucfanjay shows [Ts Td]
*** TURN *** [8s Qh 9c] [2s]
*** RIVER *** [8s Qh 9c 2s] [Ks]
crystal_donkey shows three of a kind, Nines
bucfanjay shows a pair of Tens
crystal_donkey wins the pot ($336.80) with three of a kind, Nines
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $339.80 Rake $3
Board: [8s Qh 9c 2s Ks]
Seat 1: nm_21 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: crystal_donkey (button) showed [9h 9s] and won ($336.80) with three of a kind, Nines
Seat 3: browerkid (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: DuckandHide (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: jloscottdale didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: bucfanjay showed [Ts Td] and lost with a pair of Tens
Not really alot to say here, there's no way I'm not stacking off on that flop if by chance he has J/10, so all my chips are going in here all day long. It was nice he decided to play along with a really mediocre hand to be playing that much action on that flop with.
This is from from one of the 4 tables, and was also the table that caused me to end the session, once I had this happen to me I wanted to step away from the game to avoid any possibility of "tilt" money leaving, because I was a little steamed at the setup I was a part of. There is never a time I'm going to play this hand any differently than this...
Full Tilt Poker Game #7159663499: Table Sphinx (6 max) - $1/$2 - No Limit Hold'em - 1:50:15 ET - 2008/07/10
Seat 1: nm_21 ($365.40)
Seat 2: crystal_donkey ($335.50)
Seat 3: browerkid ($200.25)
Seat 4: DuckandHide ($254.95)
Seat 5: jloscottdale ($225.45)
Seat 6: bucfanjay ($86.45)
crystal_donkey posts the small blind of $1
browerkid posts the big blind of $2
The button is in seat #1
***HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to crystal_donkey [Qc Qs]
DuckandHide folds
bucfanjay folds
nm_21 raises to $7
crystal_donkey raises to $29
browerkid folds
nm_21 has 15 seconds left to act
nm_21 has requested TIME
nm_21 raises to $90
crystal_donkey raises to $335.50, and is all in
nm_21 calls $245.50
crystal_donkey shows [Qc Qs]
nm_21 shows [Ac As]
*** FLOP *** [4h Kd 9h]
*** TURN *** [4h Kd 9h] [8s]
*** RIVER *** [4h Kd 9h 8s] [6d]
crystal_donkey shows a pair of Queens
nm_21 shows a pair of Aces
nm_21 wins the pot ($670) with a pair of Aces
crystal_donkey is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $673 Rake $3
Board: [4h Kd 9h 8s 6d]
Seat 1: nm_21 (button) showed [Ac As] and won ($670) with a pair of Aces
Seat 2: crystal_donkey (small blind) showed [Qc Qs] and lost with a pair of Queens
Seat 3: browerkid (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: DuckandHide didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: jloscottdale is sitting out
Seat 6: bucfanjay didn't bet (folded)
Ya, not the best hand I've ever played. There's never a time I'm smoothing the 3rd raise, the money goes in here all day, I don't care if it's 1/2 or 50/100...I don't see a way anyone's going to disagree with that being that he's on the button and his 3 bet range is as loose as A/10 and up probably...especially considering we're a 6-max and I have a fairly LAG image.
Anyway, while all that fun was going on, I had 3 other tables open. Here's some hands from over on another one of those tables... This one will require a little explanation...
Full Tilt Poker Game #7159544923: Table Saguaro (6 max) - $1/$2 - No Limit Hold'em - 1:38:04 ET - 2008/07/10
Seat 1: crystal_donkey ($185)
Seat 2: I HRT DVDA ($203)
Seat 3: She_IS_all_that ($63)
Seat 4: infi-nitty ($207)
Seat 5: StructureK ($200)
Seat 6: Tex_Perkins ($457.70)
infi-nitty posts the small blind of $1
StructureK posts the big blind of $2
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to crystal_donkey [Ac 5c]
Tex_Perkins folds
crystal_donkey has 15 seconds left to act
crystal_donkey raises to $6
I HRT DVDA folds
She_IS_all_that has 15 seconds left to act
She_IS_all_that folds
infi-nitty folds
StructureK raises to $21
crystal_donkey calls $15
*** FLOP *** [5s Ad 2c]
StructureK has 15 seconds left to act
StructureK bets $30
crystal_donkey raises to $80
StructureK has 15 seconds left to act
StructureK raises to $179, and is all in
crystal_donkey calls $84, and is all in
StructureK shows [Ah Kd]
crystal_donkey shows [Ac 5c]
Uncalled bet of $15 returned to StructureK
*** TURN *** [5s Ad 2c] [Td]
*** RIVER *** [5s Ad 2c Td] [Js]
StructureK shows a pair of Aces
crystal_donkey shows two pair, Aces and Fives
crystal_donkey wins the pot ($368) with two pair, Aces and Fives
StructureK adds $185
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $371 Rake $3
Board: [5s Ad 2c Td Js]
Seat 1: crystal_donkey showed [Ac 5c] and won ($368) with two pair, Aces and Fives
Seat 2: I HRT DVDA didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: She_IS_all_that (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: infi-nitty (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: StructureK (big blind) showed [Ah Kd] and lost with a pair of Aces
Seat 6: Tex_Perkins didn't bet (folded)
I want to make clear, no typically I do not make habits of calling re-raises with A/5 even if its SOOOTED. The thing was, as I said I typically like to control my tables by taking a LAG approach and then developing action. Unfortunately every time I was doing anything on this table I was getting played back at, so eventually I decided instead of continuing to fold to re-raises preflop, I had to find a spot to play back, so I decided to call and see a flop and try and steal it afterwards, since I'm typically VERY confident in my post flop play and ability to steal pots where we both have no part. As it turns out, I did one better and flopped gin and got the money in. This is NOT a habit...worked though :P
The next one kind of baffled me still, I'm not sure if the guy's a prick and he's trying to slow roll me or if he's actually considering folding here which I can't even fathom. I'm also not sure if he's stupid and that's why he smoothe calls the flop, or if he's really smart and that's why he smoothe called and then checked the turn. Either way...I don't know if I'm going to play this differently any other time, feel free to comment, this was the one hand I was a little unsure of...
Full Tilt Poker Game #7159506269: Table Padbury (6 max) - $1/$2 - No Limit Hold'em - 1:34:12 ET - 2008/07/10
Seat 1: BuenazDiaz ($580.85)
Seat 2: Septs ($314)
Seat 3: Gle Rigon ($21.10)
Seat 4: mnguyen14 ($105.70)
Seat 5: bustedmonkey ($228.15)
Seat 6: crystal_donkey ($197)
Septs posts the small blind of $1
Gle Rigon posts the big blind of $2
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to crystal_donkey [Ah 9h]
mnguyen14 has 15 seconds left to act
mnguyen14 raises to $6
bustedmonkey folds
crystal_donkey calls $6
BuenazDiaz foldsSepts folds
Gle Rigon folds
*** FLOP *** [7d 9c 2c]
mnguyen14 has 15 seconds left to act
mnguyen14 bets $12
crystal_donkey raises to $40
mnguyen14 has 15 seconds left to act
mnguyen14 calls $28
*** TURN *** [7d 9c 2c] [2h]
mnguyen14 checks
crystal_donkey bets $151, and is all in
mnguyen14 has 15 seconds left to act
mnguyen14 calls $59.70, and is all in
crystal_donkey shows [Ah 9h]
mnguyen14 shows [Ac Ad]
Uncalled bet of $91.30 returned to crystal_donkey
*** RIVER *** [7d 9c 2c 2h] [8s]
crystal_donkey shows two pair, Nines and Twos
mnguyen14 shows two pair, Aces and Twos
mnguyen14 wins the pot ($211.40) with two pair, Aces and Twos
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $214.40 Rake $3
Board: [7d 9c 2c 2h 8s]
Seat 1: BuenazDiaz (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: Septs (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Gle Rigon (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: mnguyen14 showed [Ac Ad] and won ($211.40) with two pair, Aces and Twos
Seat 5: bustedmonkey didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: crystal_donkey showed [Ah 9h] and lost with two pair, Nines and Twos
Ya I know the hand itself was really kind of thin on that flop, but after he smoothed my raise on the flop I felt like I for sure had the best hand there, and he was either drawing to clubs, or had a hand like 88 or 66 and didn't buy me for calling a 9 in that spot. I never even considered an overpair, probably a bad oversight on my part.
This hand made up for it a while after on the same table though....
Full Tilt Poker Game #7159622325: Table Padbury (6 max) - $1/$2 - No Limit Hold'em - 1:45:57 ET - 2008/07/10
Seat 1: BuenazDiaz ($570.75)
Seat 2: Septs ($302)
Seat 3: Gle Rigon ($41.70)
Seat 4: mnguyen14 ($201.65)
Seat 5: bustedmonkey ($250.80), is sitting out
Seat 6: crystal_donkey ($179.05)
crystal_donkey posts the small blind of $1
BuenazDiaz posts the big blind of $2
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to crystal_donkey [Jd Td]
Septs folds
Gle Rigon folds
mnguyen14 folds
crystal_donkey calls $1
BuenazDiaz raises to $7
crystal_donkey calls $5
*** FLOP *** [6c Jc Jh]
crystal_donkey checks
BuenazDiaz bets $10
crystal_donkey raises to $35
BuenazDiaz raises to $70
crystal_donkey raises to $172.05, and is all in
BuenazDiaz calls $102.05
bustedmonkey has returned
crystal_donkey shows [Jd Td]
BuenazDiaz shows [Kc 9c]
*** TURN *** [6c Jc Jh] [Js]
*** RIVER *** [6c Jc Jh Js] [8d]
crystal_donkey shows four of a kind, Jacks
BuenazDiaz shows three of a kind, Jacks
crystal_donkey wins the pot ($355.10) with four of a kind, Jacks
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $358.10 Rake $3
Board: [6c Jc Jh Js 8d]
Seat 1: BuenazDiaz (big blind) showed [Kc 9c] and lost with three of a kind, Jacks
Seat 2: Septs didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: Gle Rigon didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: mnguyen14 (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: bustedmonkey is sitting out
Seat 6: crystal_donkey (small blind) showed [Jd Td] and won ($355.10) with four of a kind, Jacks
For anyone wondering, yes, I realize my line in that hand preflop sucks ass...so sue me. I realized it as I was doing it, that I should have raised, I think he calls and we see the same flop anyway, but yes, I realize calling and re-calling there is a really weak line especially OOP for the rest of the hand, but oh well...
Anyway, I realize there's not alot of hands with fantastic deep thought, hopefully some will come in future days, I just really wanted to get back to writing this, and decided to do it tonight, it was a relatively short session because of my stopping after the QQ vs AA thing(more me being tired than me being super pissed at the setup, although it did kind of suck).
This'll be much more frequent...I know some people really used to like this blog when I had it up, god help me I can't fathom why since my writing is about as terrible as Akiva Goldsman's(see what I mean? No one will even get that reference, but I went for it anyway because I'm a stubborn dickhead, he's a Hollywood script writer who penned such abominations as "Batman Forever", "Batman and Robin", "I, Robot" and "The Da Vinci Code").
Anyway, like it or not, the blog is back. Enjoy reading it at your own discretion.
Oh, and I just realized I should probably put a tally for the end of the night. That session despite that 350 dollar cooler, I ended up basically even, I ended up down like $35 bucks or something. And after an $1100 dollar session yesterday...I'm alright with it.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
A night at Seneca...
So, me and a close friend of mine Griffin decided to head down to Seneca last night and play some poker.
So we get down to the poker room and we get onto a 2/5 NL table, 500 max buyin.
Basically, these are the kinds of nights that make you hate live poker after playing lots of online poker. No bad beats really, just basically nothing. We played for over 12 hours, and neither of us really saw any hands or any real spots to put money in good here. I'll skip to my side of the story...but the both of us were similar nights. Really marginal situations that either play makes sense, or just victims of circumstance.
The first big hand I played was about 3 hours into the session probably, I'm still sitting at roughly 500, winning small pots here and there and missing tons of flops.
So, I decide to vary it up a bit, and raise with Js/10s from UTG to 20. I end up with 2 callers. Pot is 70. The flop is alright for me, 10d/6s/3s. So, I lead out 35, and I get 2 callers again. Pot is 175. The turn is a 6h. I led out 80, and got raised to 200, and re-raised all in for 217. So now there's 670 in the pot, and I have to call 137 into it, still drawing very live with spades(I'm fairly certain). So I call knowing the guy behind me is blocked into just calling, he calls. River bricks a 4c, I check and the other guy shoves into the dry side, and I fold. They both roll over 6's. That's the kind of night it was, over 300 deep on the hand and purely because of a victim of circumstance. Interestingly enough, Griff and I discussed this hand ALOT. So I open it up to the J7 floor. Griff suggested that I could have checked that turn and then folded to the action had it of gone that deep. I kind of agree with him to a point the more I thought about it, so to the J7 crew? Check fold that turn?
Anyway, after that hand Garrett showed up so we ran out to grab some food. After we got back to the room, kindly enough, the same 2 seats were open at the same table for me and Griff, so we sat back down and got back to action.
I want to say, this table had some pretty rediculous hands. Here's a couple true highlights.
UTG raise to 30, call, call, call, call, re-raise all in for 255 total. Fold's around to one of those callers who says "It's either KK or QQ....I call". Not only is he way wrong, this other guy's shoved in 250 preflop with 44. But he called that with A/6 offsuit thinking he was against KK or QQ. Magical.
Later, we saw a 2/4/5 flop with 2 diamonds. Fair amount of action. Turn was a 6c. Putting 2 clubs and 2 diamonds on a 2/4/5/6 board. One guy leads out 200 bucks, the other guy raises to 600 bucks, and the first guy finally calls all in for about 550. The hands? Pocket 7's and pocket 8's. Wow.
Anyway. There was one guy at our table who was kind of hard to figure out. He would always make rediculously sick overbets. But he had rarely not shown down a bad hand. Pots 30, he'll fire 100 with a flopped set. No problem.
So, this hand caught me alot of flack at the table and I'm not really sure why. I raised early position with KK to 25. He re-raised me to 80 total. I re-raised him back to 180 total. And he shoved me all in. At this point, I took a minute to think. I don't think it was overly long, probably 30-35 seconds, I just took a minute to think because of the classic phrase "the 4th bet is always AA", I understand that's at a higher game, but he was playing awkward yet always showing down good hands(at this point). So I took 30 seconds before calling and someone got smart with me, "What the hell are you afraid of?", to which I just simply answered him, no need for sarcasm here, the true answer is basically all the sarcasm I need : "Oh, I don't know? AA maybe?". Anyway, he had AK suited and I held.
After that I moved over to a 1/2 table because 2/5 broke. There I played one real interesting hand. I opened with 77 at a tight table from EP to 10, and got 2 callers. Flop was 2/3/5 rainbow. I led out 25. He called after a minute, and right then I thought he had a mid-pair also and didn't buy my bet on the flop here. So on the turn of a 9 I decided to lead weak, I led out 30. He raised me all in. I went into the tank for a moment now trying to decide where I was. I was sure he had a midpair also, I was just trying to decide if he had 66, 44 or 88. I had him down to that as his range, and eventually called. He showed 44. River bricked a Q and I took down that pot.
That's literally almost all the interesting hands I played, basically broke even for the day when all was said and done. Nothing fancy...just a really long boring day of being card dead and then facing really awkward situations. I didn't write out alot of weird spots where I'd be folding AK preflop in marginal spots where I could honestly have shoved in if I felt like it...but I try and keep poker simple and avoid marginal spots and coin flips against players I know I'm better than. It was just one of those days where the game wouldn't let me win.
So we get down to the poker room and we get onto a 2/5 NL table, 500 max buyin.
Basically, these are the kinds of nights that make you hate live poker after playing lots of online poker. No bad beats really, just basically nothing. We played for over 12 hours, and neither of us really saw any hands or any real spots to put money in good here. I'll skip to my side of the story...but the both of us were similar nights. Really marginal situations that either play makes sense, or just victims of circumstance.
The first big hand I played was about 3 hours into the session probably, I'm still sitting at roughly 500, winning small pots here and there and missing tons of flops.
So, I decide to vary it up a bit, and raise with Js/10s from UTG to 20. I end up with 2 callers. Pot is 70. The flop is alright for me, 10d/6s/3s. So, I lead out 35, and I get 2 callers again. Pot is 175. The turn is a 6h. I led out 80, and got raised to 200, and re-raised all in for 217. So now there's 670 in the pot, and I have to call 137 into it, still drawing very live with spades(I'm fairly certain). So I call knowing the guy behind me is blocked into just calling, he calls. River bricks a 4c, I check and the other guy shoves into the dry side, and I fold. They both roll over 6's. That's the kind of night it was, over 300 deep on the hand and purely because of a victim of circumstance. Interestingly enough, Griff and I discussed this hand ALOT. So I open it up to the J7 floor. Griff suggested that I could have checked that turn and then folded to the action had it of gone that deep. I kind of agree with him to a point the more I thought about it, so to the J7 crew? Check fold that turn?
Anyway, after that hand Garrett showed up so we ran out to grab some food. After we got back to the room, kindly enough, the same 2 seats were open at the same table for me and Griff, so we sat back down and got back to action.
I want to say, this table had some pretty rediculous hands. Here's a couple true highlights.
UTG raise to 30, call, call, call, call, re-raise all in for 255 total. Fold's around to one of those callers who says "It's either KK or QQ....I call". Not only is he way wrong, this other guy's shoved in 250 preflop with 44. But he called that with A/6 offsuit thinking he was against KK or QQ. Magical.
Later, we saw a 2/4/5 flop with 2 diamonds. Fair amount of action. Turn was a 6c. Putting 2 clubs and 2 diamonds on a 2/4/5/6 board. One guy leads out 200 bucks, the other guy raises to 600 bucks, and the first guy finally calls all in for about 550. The hands? Pocket 7's and pocket 8's. Wow.
Anyway. There was one guy at our table who was kind of hard to figure out. He would always make rediculously sick overbets. But he had rarely not shown down a bad hand. Pots 30, he'll fire 100 with a flopped set. No problem.
So, this hand caught me alot of flack at the table and I'm not really sure why. I raised early position with KK to 25. He re-raised me to 80 total. I re-raised him back to 180 total. And he shoved me all in. At this point, I took a minute to think. I don't think it was overly long, probably 30-35 seconds, I just took a minute to think because of the classic phrase "the 4th bet is always AA", I understand that's at a higher game, but he was playing awkward yet always showing down good hands(at this point). So I took 30 seconds before calling and someone got smart with me, "What the hell are you afraid of?", to which I just simply answered him, no need for sarcasm here, the true answer is basically all the sarcasm I need : "Oh, I don't know? AA maybe?". Anyway, he had AK suited and I held.
After that I moved over to a 1/2 table because 2/5 broke. There I played one real interesting hand. I opened with 77 at a tight table from EP to 10, and got 2 callers. Flop was 2/3/5 rainbow. I led out 25. He called after a minute, and right then I thought he had a mid-pair also and didn't buy my bet on the flop here. So on the turn of a 9 I decided to lead weak, I led out 30. He raised me all in. I went into the tank for a moment now trying to decide where I was. I was sure he had a midpair also, I was just trying to decide if he had 66, 44 or 88. I had him down to that as his range, and eventually called. He showed 44. River bricked a Q and I took down that pot.
That's literally almost all the interesting hands I played, basically broke even for the day when all was said and done. Nothing fancy...just a really long boring day of being card dead and then facing really awkward situations. I didn't write out alot of weird spots where I'd be folding AK preflop in marginal spots where I could honestly have shoved in if I felt like it...but I try and keep poker simple and avoid marginal spots and coin flips against players I know I'm better than. It was just one of those days where the game wouldn't let me win.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Mic check...mic check...is this thing on?
Been a while.
So, as you can probably guess, working at the casino has been eating into my time for poker to a point. Couple that with the fact I've been running fairly badly, and it's nice to have a stable job I enjoy to counter-act the fact that I've been losing money online lately.
Thus, when some co-workers asked if I wanted to come along on a Fallsview poker run, I could hardly pass them up, it'd be my first live poker in a fair while.
So, I went on down to Fallsview Saturday night, and sat at a 5/5 game. The game was absolutely extra-ordinary to be sitting in. Here's a quick run down of the table.
Seat 1 : Me.
Seat 2 : Co-worker, also a very strong player.
Seat 3 : French guy who played fairly well also.
Seat 4 : Player who literally kept reloading 100 bucks at a time damn near every 3rd hand and would go bust rail thin.
Seat 5 : Incredibly tight player who was modestly decent if WAY too tight.
Seat 6 : Just a generally weak player, older guy, fairly standard player.
Seat 7 : Talkitive guy, real lippy with Seat 5 most of the night, an average player at best, was willing to go broke real thin also.
Seat 8 : Good young player.
Seat 9 : Another just typical bad player.
Seat 10 : I can't even describe him, he was a fairly agressive player, and it was moderately successful, but he always took the goofiest line, and it never altered. He'd play every pot he could OOP, and then take the same betting line(30 bucks on the flop since he's first to act, 50 bucks on the turn, 100 bucks on the river). The problem was, he never, ever showed down a bad hand...I think he was just a bad player who never, ever missed making top pair.
Anyway, the table's the kind I like, it wasn't wild, flops could be seen for relatively cheap, and I felt I could outplay anyone at the table. I was incredibly comfortable...this helped :
First rotation, which I typically like to take off, UTG open raises to 30 bucks, and promptly gets 4 callers to me, when I look down at AA. I re-bump to 150, maybe I could go more, but I don't want to lose everyone with a chance at a big hand the first hand I'm putting in play. Blinds fold around and UTG re-shoves, he has me covered. Everyone else folds and I call. He rolls over AQ. Okay...ship the early double up.
After this hand I go back into a shell. Typically I like playing more agressively, but I was a little concerned with a couple solid players at the table to get too wild, so I decided to just sit back and pick small spots to bully the tight players at the table, which basically kept me afloat for a really long card dead spell, until I got into a hand with the ultra-tight player. He raised from fairly EP to 30, and got 2 callers to me, and I looked at QQ. I decided to define it right here, and re-raised to 120. I figured if he even called or re-shoved, I was done with the hand flop regardless. He did call. Other folded. Flop was K/7/4, and he lead out. I didn't even put him on AK, he had folded it several times already to re-raises, so I figured he surely had AA or KK(which is what he had). I had a discussion afterwards with my buddy from the casino about if I double him through on a rag board, and I said no, because I felt as soon as he called I was behind, and wasn't putting another chip in the pot barring a Q on the flop. The only flop I go broke with was KQx.
Anyway, that took a little chunk out of me, and some time elapsed, again, and then the one hand I really wanted to share because I was very happy with my play.
The talkitive guy raised to 25 preflop, and got a couple of callers to me in the SB with 6c/4c, so I called also. At this point the pot was 80. The flop was 4/5/6 rainbow. I led out quick, 60 into the 80, my gameplan at this point was that I wanted to see if I could define where I was in this hand for that price, rather than check and face action to me. I got a big problem when the super-tight player called, and it was made worse by the talkitive guy raising to 180 and declaring he had a high pair. I beleived that, absolutely positive he was telling the truth, so I wanted to get chips in against him, but the tight player calling scared the hell out of me. So I had 2 options now. I could easily fold here and just let the tight guy take him on, or I could shove. Calling isn't an option on this board for sure. So I decided that I'd only get a call from the tight guy if he was holding 7/8, and he had shown a penchant for betting his hands so I felt he'd raise if he had the nuts. And so I shoved in for 850. Tight guy proceeded to go into the tank for honestly forever, really making me sweat that he might not want to let what I assumed was a flopped set go. He finally folded, and the talkitive guy called off with a high pair I never saw since we kept our cards face down as they dealt the turn and river and he mucked to my two pair. Turn river went Q/10 so it wasn't either of those pairs, or maybe he didn't have a high pair. The real story was when the tight player said he folded the low straight, 2/3. I, and the other players who knew what they were doing all beleived him because he had shown a willingness to gamble every once in a while preflop, but avoided any action on any flop without a massive hand, so seeing him in the hand with 2/3 isn't immensely out of question, but I'm really not sure I beleive that all the same. The way the hand played out I felt like it looked like I was just gunning for the talkitive guy, which kind of was the case in that I knew I had him beat and wanted to isolate him. Anyway, the hand was fairly interested, I'm moderately proud of the shove regardless of what the other guy folded, and I was up to around 1300.
I didn't do much for the next long period of time, until the big hand that defined my night more or less. I had run card dead for about 2 hours, barely playing a hand except a goofy hand where I decided to raise from EP with 6d/3d and gotten called by the other good player that wasn't my co-worker, and wound up with a 10/3/3 flop and won a small pot off him.
I was telling my buddy I was ready to leave, because I can't stand sitting in a game and being tight for this long(it had been an 8 hour session by this point and I had played a handful of hands at best that were any conceivable action, saw alot of flops, kept missing).
So, I finally got a decent hand after looking at J/3 and K/2 for 2 hours, Kc/Qc. By no means a world beater, but at this point I was willing to play. So I tossed in a raise to 25 from late position after one EP limp(the guy that seemingly ran so good it scared me and always took the same betting line). The BB called. The flop ran out Jh/10d/3h. Complicated. The BB checked, the other player checked, so I decided to make a C-Bet with a fairly weak draw, and bet out 50 bucks. Both players called. Pot was 225. Turn was a brick, a 4s. They both checked again, and I decided to just check and give it up at this point unless I made something, free card. Gin card for free. River was the 9c. Stone nuts. UTG checks now, and the other player checks. I fire out, 125. UTG smoothe calls the 125, and the other player raises to 350 total. The only concern I have now is that I might be chopping with one of them but I can't figure this out yet, I have 1100 infront of me, so I merely shove all in to see if I can get action from a lower end straight. The BB now goes into the tank/goes into a tirade about how I just rivered him, which confuses me a bit, because I have no earthly idea what he has that I just rivered him except a real piss-poorly played big hand on the flop. He finally folds after a while and the other guy snap calls. I sigh because we're chopping, then see him roll over Q/8. Yay! The pot was just a hare under 2500. The other guy says he folded top two pair, which if that's the case, I've never seen anyone play top 2 on a board like that, that poorly in my life.
That's pretty much the end of my day, from there the table started to deteriorate, and people filed out, me and my buddy ended up having 10 minutes of heads up play since we were leaving at the end of the session they let us stay for the end of the session to play heads up(this is at 6am), so we upped the game to 5/10(because 5/5 heads up is goofy) and he took about 100 off me. That ends my night, cashed out and left.
The thing I've realized during that game is, Fallsview's 5/5 game is one of the ultimate cash cows around. Typically I like playing fairly agressive and mixing it up, but because of how card-dead I was, I realized that even if you don't play a hand in 2 hours, you can still get action. No one cares or pays any attention. They'll always pay you off. You could sit back, play a tight ABC poker game, and be a huge winning player in that game long term. It's my intention to go back there often and sit in that game, it's hard to lose.
So, as you can probably guess, working at the casino has been eating into my time for poker to a point. Couple that with the fact I've been running fairly badly, and it's nice to have a stable job I enjoy to counter-act the fact that I've been losing money online lately.
Thus, when some co-workers asked if I wanted to come along on a Fallsview poker run, I could hardly pass them up, it'd be my first live poker in a fair while.
So, I went on down to Fallsview Saturday night, and sat at a 5/5 game. The game was absolutely extra-ordinary to be sitting in. Here's a quick run down of the table.
Seat 1 : Me.
Seat 2 : Co-worker, also a very strong player.
Seat 3 : French guy who played fairly well also.
Seat 4 : Player who literally kept reloading 100 bucks at a time damn near every 3rd hand and would go bust rail thin.
Seat 5 : Incredibly tight player who was modestly decent if WAY too tight.
Seat 6 : Just a generally weak player, older guy, fairly standard player.
Seat 7 : Talkitive guy, real lippy with Seat 5 most of the night, an average player at best, was willing to go broke real thin also.
Seat 8 : Good young player.
Seat 9 : Another just typical bad player.
Seat 10 : I can't even describe him, he was a fairly agressive player, and it was moderately successful, but he always took the goofiest line, and it never altered. He'd play every pot he could OOP, and then take the same betting line(30 bucks on the flop since he's first to act, 50 bucks on the turn, 100 bucks on the river). The problem was, he never, ever showed down a bad hand...I think he was just a bad player who never, ever missed making top pair.
Anyway, the table's the kind I like, it wasn't wild, flops could be seen for relatively cheap, and I felt I could outplay anyone at the table. I was incredibly comfortable...this helped :
First rotation, which I typically like to take off, UTG open raises to 30 bucks, and promptly gets 4 callers to me, when I look down at AA. I re-bump to 150, maybe I could go more, but I don't want to lose everyone with a chance at a big hand the first hand I'm putting in play. Blinds fold around and UTG re-shoves, he has me covered. Everyone else folds and I call. He rolls over AQ. Okay...ship the early double up.
After this hand I go back into a shell. Typically I like playing more agressively, but I was a little concerned with a couple solid players at the table to get too wild, so I decided to just sit back and pick small spots to bully the tight players at the table, which basically kept me afloat for a really long card dead spell, until I got into a hand with the ultra-tight player. He raised from fairly EP to 30, and got 2 callers to me, and I looked at QQ. I decided to define it right here, and re-raised to 120. I figured if he even called or re-shoved, I was done with the hand flop regardless. He did call. Other folded. Flop was K/7/4, and he lead out. I didn't even put him on AK, he had folded it several times already to re-raises, so I figured he surely had AA or KK(which is what he had). I had a discussion afterwards with my buddy from the casino about if I double him through on a rag board, and I said no, because I felt as soon as he called I was behind, and wasn't putting another chip in the pot barring a Q on the flop. The only flop I go broke with was KQx.
Anyway, that took a little chunk out of me, and some time elapsed, again, and then the one hand I really wanted to share because I was very happy with my play.
The talkitive guy raised to 25 preflop, and got a couple of callers to me in the SB with 6c/4c, so I called also. At this point the pot was 80. The flop was 4/5/6 rainbow. I led out quick, 60 into the 80, my gameplan at this point was that I wanted to see if I could define where I was in this hand for that price, rather than check and face action to me. I got a big problem when the super-tight player called, and it was made worse by the talkitive guy raising to 180 and declaring he had a high pair. I beleived that, absolutely positive he was telling the truth, so I wanted to get chips in against him, but the tight player calling scared the hell out of me. So I had 2 options now. I could easily fold here and just let the tight guy take him on, or I could shove. Calling isn't an option on this board for sure. So I decided that I'd only get a call from the tight guy if he was holding 7/8, and he had shown a penchant for betting his hands so I felt he'd raise if he had the nuts. And so I shoved in for 850. Tight guy proceeded to go into the tank for honestly forever, really making me sweat that he might not want to let what I assumed was a flopped set go. He finally folded, and the talkitive guy called off with a high pair I never saw since we kept our cards face down as they dealt the turn and river and he mucked to my two pair. Turn river went Q/10 so it wasn't either of those pairs, or maybe he didn't have a high pair. The real story was when the tight player said he folded the low straight, 2/3. I, and the other players who knew what they were doing all beleived him because he had shown a willingness to gamble every once in a while preflop, but avoided any action on any flop without a massive hand, so seeing him in the hand with 2/3 isn't immensely out of question, but I'm really not sure I beleive that all the same. The way the hand played out I felt like it looked like I was just gunning for the talkitive guy, which kind of was the case in that I knew I had him beat and wanted to isolate him. Anyway, the hand was fairly interested, I'm moderately proud of the shove regardless of what the other guy folded, and I was up to around 1300.
I didn't do much for the next long period of time, until the big hand that defined my night more or less. I had run card dead for about 2 hours, barely playing a hand except a goofy hand where I decided to raise from EP with 6d/3d and gotten called by the other good player that wasn't my co-worker, and wound up with a 10/3/3 flop and won a small pot off him.
I was telling my buddy I was ready to leave, because I can't stand sitting in a game and being tight for this long(it had been an 8 hour session by this point and I had played a handful of hands at best that were any conceivable action, saw alot of flops, kept missing).
So, I finally got a decent hand after looking at J/3 and K/2 for 2 hours, Kc/Qc. By no means a world beater, but at this point I was willing to play. So I tossed in a raise to 25 from late position after one EP limp(the guy that seemingly ran so good it scared me and always took the same betting line). The BB called. The flop ran out Jh/10d/3h. Complicated. The BB checked, the other player checked, so I decided to make a C-Bet with a fairly weak draw, and bet out 50 bucks. Both players called. Pot was 225. Turn was a brick, a 4s. They both checked again, and I decided to just check and give it up at this point unless I made something, free card. Gin card for free. River was the 9c. Stone nuts. UTG checks now, and the other player checks. I fire out, 125. UTG smoothe calls the 125, and the other player raises to 350 total. The only concern I have now is that I might be chopping with one of them but I can't figure this out yet, I have 1100 infront of me, so I merely shove all in to see if I can get action from a lower end straight. The BB now goes into the tank/goes into a tirade about how I just rivered him, which confuses me a bit, because I have no earthly idea what he has that I just rivered him except a real piss-poorly played big hand on the flop. He finally folds after a while and the other guy snap calls. I sigh because we're chopping, then see him roll over Q/8. Yay! The pot was just a hare under 2500. The other guy says he folded top two pair, which if that's the case, I've never seen anyone play top 2 on a board like that, that poorly in my life.
That's pretty much the end of my day, from there the table started to deteriorate, and people filed out, me and my buddy ended up having 10 minutes of heads up play since we were leaving at the end of the session they let us stay for the end of the session to play heads up(this is at 6am), so we upped the game to 5/10(because 5/5 heads up is goofy) and he took about 100 off me. That ends my night, cashed out and left.
The thing I've realized during that game is, Fallsview's 5/5 game is one of the ultimate cash cows around. Typically I like playing fairly agressive and mixing it up, but because of how card-dead I was, I realized that even if you don't play a hand in 2 hours, you can still get action. No one cares or pays any attention. They'll always pay you off. You could sit back, play a tight ABC poker game, and be a huge winning player in that game long term. It's my intention to go back there often and sit in that game, it's hard to lose.
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