Final Table

Played in the Absolute Poker VIP Invitational tonight, which is a $1500 freeroll. Normally, I don't really bother with freerolls, but this is limited to the top VIP's from the week prior and typically only has 100 or so entrants. Top 18 paid, and first is $450. There were 88 entrants tonight, so it's a $17 value even for just an average player.

I held the chip lead for a little while. I really didn't get great cards, I had KK once and it was folded to my raise. AA one other time, which I slow played into a really nice pot.

That hand was worth commenting on: AA on the button, and someone in mid position raises to 3x the BB. I think for a second ... the table has been tight, and a reraise potentially runs everyone off. If I call, I give the blinds odds to call with what I am hoping to be eventual second best hands, plus ... I have everyone but the initial raiser, easily covered. As such, I smooth call, hoping the blinds will come in.

The BB does in fact call and the flop is Q33. BB leads out a bet of about 3/4 of the pot, which basically leaves him pot committed. The initial raiser folds. I decide to wait for the turn to put the BB all in, just to portray a bit more weakness in case he doesn't understand "pot committed". He does in fact push on the turn, I call, he flips QT and I drag a pot that ended up being much larger than it would have been had I reraised preflop.

I ended up in the final 3, shortest stack of the bunch with 99 on the button. I had around 6K in chips and the blinds were 600/1200 with 100 antes (maybe 150). Anyway, it's a push or fold situation and you can't ask for better than pocket 9s 3 way. I push, the SB sits back, waits a while, calls, the BB folds and the SB flips AA on me ... sayonara.

A fun tourney, and some free mone; plus my first final table in a while, even if it was only a freeroll. I thought I played really well, stealing some pots that I had no business in, and slow playing some other hands well.

Been Awhile!

Obviously, I haven't posted anything in my blog for a long while. I have actually gone through another failed attempt to crack 10/20.

I still think my game is good enough, but the bad runs, which are inevitable playing short, still affect me too much. As such, I am back down at 5/10 and 3/6.

The 3/6 tables at Absolute are incredibly active. That said, it's a pretty tough game. I'm actually up at 5/10 and down at 3/6 over the last 2 months.

Very little time to play any tournaments lately and no luck in the tourneys I have played. Sticking with ring games for now.

The failed 10/20 experiment put a crimp in my bankroll, but I've been running pretty well lately. I am going to try to keep the blog updated a bit more!

Flop the Nuts

Well last night was a fun poker night ...

I played in the 20K guaranteed tourney at BetOnBet and was doing very well, about 30th place out of 370 left. On the button, dealt TJs; 4 limpers in front.

Flop comes 9QK with 2 hearts ... I had diamonds. SB bets out, and the rest of the players all basically move in in turn ... Well, I have the absolute nuts and have everyone but the SB easily covered. I of course move all in as well ... and the SB calls me. 4 people all in ... 2 had AK, 1 had QJ (shortest stack) and the SB had the nut flush draw.

Of course the flush hits and I'm flushed out, woulda been chipleader if it had held.

I then saunter off to play some 10/20 and run into the worst player I have ever seen at that limit. Unfortunately, he hit 4 or 5 hands on me with terrible draws. Capped preflop against my AA, capped flop on a board of 55J ... turn was a blank, he 2 bet me on the turn, so I slowed down a bit thinking he could have a 5. River was another J and he flips JQo. He hit 3 two outters on me that cost me massive pots.

Unfortunately, he was redistributing my chips to the rest of the table. He was up and down and I vowed I wasn't leaving until he was broke. It took a while, but he eventually busted. Extremely frustrating experience though, with a complete and utter fish at the table, I lost a lot of money to ridiculous draws. I got some back, but not nearly enough.

Today will be better!

NCAA Tourney & the RNC mailing list

Ahhh ... my favorite time of the year!

With the tourney going on, I really have not been playing much poker; but I wanted to give a shout out (did I just say that ... how lame ... lol) to the alma mater.

I am a University of Memphis grad (actually it was Memphis State University when I graduated in 92). Tonight the Tigers rolled to their 3rd straight 16 point victory in the tourney. I can't think of a real comparison when I watch these games. I will never forget the phantom hand check the refs called on us in 96 in the Sweet 16 against hated Arkansas ... just a sickening feeling.

The Tigers play UCLA for the right to go to the Final 4 and I like our chances. We handled UCLA early in the season pretty well. They are much better now, but so are we.

Anyway, I played a few hands of poker after the Memphis game tonight ... I almost always play well when I'm in a good mood. It was a nice night all the way around!

On a different note, I keep getting these e-mails from the Republican National Committee ... I have no freaking idea how I got on this list and it drives me nuts. I tried to delete my name to no avail ... tonight I sent them an e-mail advising that for every e-mail I get from them I will keep a tally and contribute an ADDITIONAL $100 to the DNC. It's complete BS, I hate both parties ... I just hate the Dems a little less ... but it really pisses me off that I get this so obviously slanted propaganda from them. Okay, I hate the Dems a lot less lately ... mainly because of the budget deficit, but also because our young men are dying over what amounts to a personal vendetta gone wrong. Saddam was a bad dude ... no doubt, but we look like complete ass clowns in the International Community when our justification for the whole operation turns out to be flawed. Mark my words ... this is the WORST President our country has ever seen ... and somehow he got elected twice ... once by the people, and once by the Electoral college. It could be worse, right now he's only 43rd out of 43. Eventually, there will be someone worse, I just hope I'm not around to see him or her.

I know intelligent conservatives ... most are smarter than the average liberal. I hope they see through the crap that Ken Mehlman and his right wingers espouse.

Go Tigers!

Treading Water

I haven't played much 10/20 lately, mostly 5/10 and some 3/6. I have pretty much been hovering around even, although with rake rebate and bonuses, I've made some profit.

I haven't had time to play any tournaments. I got a promotion at work, and I've been a bit stressed ... it's not even our busy season yet.

I did play the monthly www.poker-strategy.org $200 added tournament. This is mainly out of loyalty ... I've really outgrown the stakes, but the tournaments are still a great deal of fun and I would play even if there were no prize pool.

I made a loose call, TJs from the SB against an early 3x raise. There were about 12 players left. I flopped a flush draw and inside straight draw. I check raised the guy, hoping he had overcards and would lay it down. Unfortunately, he reraised all in. I had him covered, but a loss would leave me with only about 3K in chips with 400/800 blinds. I decided that my roughly 13 outs was good enough to risk it. I missed and ended up out in 7th. If I had hit, I could've coasted to the final 3.

For some reason, I'm totally exhausted tonight; so I doubt I will play any poker this evening.

Here's a link to a thread at psorg that people might find interesting. I actually took time to write my Congressman ... although now I'm a bit peeved, I haven't gotten any response as yet.

http://www.poker-strategy.org/default.aspx?tabid=44&frmView=ShowPost&PostID=21955

I'm glad that it appears my losing trend is reversing. I still have plenty of bankroll and I fully expect that in a couple of months I will be back to my all time high.

Good Luck and Thanks for reading!

Close Again ...

I played in the 15K guarantee tourney last night at Absolute Poker, which is a $10 rebuy. After suffering through the first 30 minutes of the tournament, I was down about 900 chips to 2100 (I rebought immediately as I usually do). I usually play pretty loose early on, calling more liberally than I would in a freeze out, so I am prone to lose some chips until I finally hit a big hand.

I am dealt AK and raise, getting one caller. The flop JQx, 2 overs and inside straight draw. I bet about half the pot, and get called immediately. The turn is a J and I figure to be in trouble now. I check and the other guy bets out and I make a very loose call and manage to spike a Ten on the river. The other guy was pretty pissed (he had AJ). Frankly, I had been really card dead and committed a pretty good amount of chips to the pot. If I had missed, I would've called it quits and gone to play ring games.

But, having nearly doubled up, and now with a loose table image, I had a great opportunity. A few hands later, I flopped a set and grabbed another nice pot. Then I hit an open end straight, and I was up to about 7500 chips. By the first break, I was in the top 50 and I did a double add on.

I really played very nicely, and managed to get all the way to about 5th place with 40 to go. Winner got $3900 so it was a pretty nice pay out.

Then I got overly aggressive and paid for it. Tried a blind steal with 8Ts, that backfired. Then defended my blind against a really aggressive button with K4s, he ended up having Q8, but caught a Q. I should have put in a big raise on that hand to avoid a flop. Limped with some average hands only to have to fold to late position all ins. The blinds were quite large by this point, so every hand was huge. I ended up short stacked, 23K in chips with 4K/8K blinds and pushed in with AKs only to get called by A8o, who hit an 8 on the river to send me home in 26th. I made about $70 for over 4 hours of work.

It was a fun tournament, but disappointing at the same time. I misplayed a few hands that really cost me. I should have made the final table.

Oh well, I played really well on the bubble of the tournament, which had not been a strength previously.

I'm Back

It's been quite a while since I've posted ... part of the problem is the auto spam I'm getting, which is quite annoying ... "hey love your blog ... check out my blog on (insert moronic issue)".

The bigger problem is that I'm just damn lazy.

Up until December 1, 2005, I was on a fabulous run and my bankroll was at an all time high. Then the frustration began and has not stopped. Constantly missing flops, horrendous beats, and some bad play.

I have not had a winning week since, and some of the weeks have been ridiculously bad.

Last night was a great example ... busted out of the $50+$4 at BetonBet (13K guarantee) when my JJ lost to AJ and then busted out of the Absolute Poker 15K guarantee ($10 rebuy) when my AA got cracked on the river by an inside straight draw.

Of course ring games have been the major culprit in my losses. I've been playing short tables and the variance can be bad at these tables, but this is beyond variance. I am thinking that a return to full tables is in order. I've dabbled in NL a bit and I think that might suit me as well.

Regardless, I need a change. I do believe my tournament game is fine, I haven't been playing a ton of tournaments, but the ones I have entered I invariably have been in with the best hand (see last night). I have a pretty good cash ratio, but no big scores. I did realize that I wasn't playing aggressively enough when the bubble started to get close (thanks DJK for pointing out this weakness). The good players are putting the heat on the table without regard to what cards they have.

Last night, I took this lesson and made a move that I would never have made before ... I limped with TJo from the button. That wasn't unusual, that's not a terrible hand with your good position. What was unusual was that the flop was Q83, the player in the cutoff bet out (min bet) and I reraised with my inside straight draw. The turn was a blank ... he checked, I bet out a pretty sizeable amount ... and he called. The river was a K and I have J high. He checks, and I push all in ... the pot has gotten quite large now. The other guy thinks for almost the whole time and eventually folds.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief. On the one hand, this was a big risk; on the other hand, I beginning to understand that you have to be able to make a move like this from time to time ... earn a pot here and there ... in order to be a great tourney player.

I am hoping that my luck will turn in ring games. The good thing is that I have plenty of bankroll to recover, although it is going to be a very long time before I get back where I was.