That's it then ! Earlier today it looked like I was going to have a bumper PLO win to finish off the year, but I turned that into a decent size loss after stepping up to $3/6 and generally getting it in bad at $2/4 and $1/2.
A shame since the PLO on gutshot seems genuinely soft. Soft it may be, but basic discipline is still required. Next year ....
I did finish with a satellite win into this Sunday's $50k guarantee - that would be a good one to win to start off 2009 !
Will take a look back at the poker year in the next couple of days. For now, though, off to a quiet NYE party locally and see you next year !
Wednesday 31 December 2008
Monday 22 December 2008
Another target for next year
The World Blogger poker title will have to go on the "to do" list for next year along with everything else.
I never really got going in the event. After starting with 5k chips and making modest initial progress, I slipped back to just over 2k when missing a couple of times with AK, AQ.
I tend to be more comfortable with less chips and I regained the 5k mark in two hands. Once raising preflop with KQ-suited then moving in on a low flop which was checked to me.
Then, check-raising all-in on a ten-high 3-club board with black Jacks.
I was feeling I may have a chance and possibly should have avoided going broke on what turned out to be my last hand. I picked up QQ on the big blind (it felt like I hadn't seen many good hands, to be honest, so this seemed like the nuts).
I was folded to the button who was short-stacked and made it 480 to play (3BB). The Small Blind min-raised to 960. I had about 5,500 and the SB had me covered.
I didn't know quite what to make of the min-raise but as he had played not far short of every other hand I thought my QQ could well be good, and I opted to shove.
The button passed but the SB had KK which held. All of a sudden, after a decent recovery, I was out !
It was a pretty unsuccessful evening all-round tourney-wise. I played the $200k - very tight as I was concentrating on the blogger game. I think I had played 3 hands all night when the cut-off raised me to 400, and I shoved from the BB with AQ. He called me all-in with A6 (??) which proceeded to make a straight 7-high on the river. I was effectively out with < 2BB left.
As it was my last tourney night of the year, I decided to play the Sunday Million as well.
I nearly blew myself up when overplaying one pair in a SB vs BB confrontation. However, a double up with AK vs JJ and then a decent pot with AK vs KQ put me back at 11k and back in the fight.
However, as the blinds climbed I made an impatient BB vs BB shove with A8 into AK (oops).
Not a great way to finish the year. That's going to be pretty much it for live and online poker for 2008. In due course I will have to set out my plans for 2009.
I never really got going in the event. After starting with 5k chips and making modest initial progress, I slipped back to just over 2k when missing a couple of times with AK, AQ.
I tend to be more comfortable with less chips and I regained the 5k mark in two hands. Once raising preflop with KQ-suited then moving in on a low flop which was checked to me.
Then, check-raising all-in on a ten-high 3-club board with black Jacks.
I was feeling I may have a chance and possibly should have avoided going broke on what turned out to be my last hand. I picked up QQ on the big blind (it felt like I hadn't seen many good hands, to be honest, so this seemed like the nuts).
I was folded to the button who was short-stacked and made it 480 to play (3BB). The Small Blind min-raised to 960. I had about 5,500 and the SB had me covered.
I didn't know quite what to make of the min-raise but as he had played not far short of every other hand I thought my QQ could well be good, and I opted to shove.
The button passed but the SB had KK which held. All of a sudden, after a decent recovery, I was out !
It was a pretty unsuccessful evening all-round tourney-wise. I played the $200k - very tight as I was concentrating on the blogger game. I think I had played 3 hands all night when the cut-off raised me to 400, and I shoved from the BB with AQ. He called me all-in with A6 (??) which proceeded to make a straight 7-high on the river. I was effectively out with < 2BB left.
As it was my last tourney night of the year, I decided to play the Sunday Million as well.
I nearly blew myself up when overplaying one pair in a SB vs BB confrontation. However, a double up with AK vs JJ and then a decent pot with AK vs KQ put me back at 11k and back in the fight.
However, as the blinds climbed I made an impatient BB vs BB shove with A8 into AK (oops).
Not a great way to finish the year. That's going to be pretty much it for live and online poker for 2008. In due course I will have to set out my plans for 2009.
Sunday 21 December 2008
Group Theory
Soon after I joined facebook back in August, I tried an experiment.
I had discovered "groups" on facebook, and joined a few myself. These were either poker-related groups like "gutshot" or ones to do with Bear Stearns like "Equity Division alumni."
It got me thinking that it would be interesting to form a group for those who had played in one or more of the 8 BSPT (Bear Stearns Poker Tour) events.
I could see that quite a few of my friends would qualify for the group, and that probably a good proportion of the "qualifiers" were facebook members.
One approach would have been to invite all those people into the group. This would probably have resulted in quite a strong take-up, and then the long tentacles of facebook could get to work.
I opted for a minimalist approach. I didn't announce the group at all and relied on the idea that someone would notice (from my profile, or those facebook alerts) that the group had been created and that once a couple of people had signed up, it could start the ball rolling.
I was pleased to see that one person did do this - within about 48 hours - but the next step never happened.
It was tempting to now kick off the invites, but I decided to be really patient. I think about 3 months must have passed now with the membership stuck at 2 !
So, I think I will now deem that the experiment in mode1 was a relative failure. It is still possible that it might spark off at any time but I will probably go to mode2 where I invite people to the group and see how quickly and how far that takes things.
I had discovered "groups" on facebook, and joined a few myself. These were either poker-related groups like "gutshot" or ones to do with Bear Stearns like "Equity Division alumni."
It got me thinking that it would be interesting to form a group for those who had played in one or more of the 8 BSPT (Bear Stearns Poker Tour) events.
I could see that quite a few of my friends would qualify for the group, and that probably a good proportion of the "qualifiers" were facebook members.
One approach would have been to invite all those people into the group. This would probably have resulted in quite a strong take-up, and then the long tentacles of facebook could get to work.
I opted for a minimalist approach. I didn't announce the group at all and relied on the idea that someone would notice (from my profile, or those facebook alerts) that the group had been created and that once a couple of people had signed up, it could start the ball rolling.
I was pleased to see that one person did do this - within about 48 hours - but the next step never happened.
It was tempting to now kick off the invites, but I decided to be really patient. I think about 3 months must have passed now with the membership stuck at 2 !
So, I think I will now deem that the experiment in mode1 was a relative failure. It is still possible that it might spark off at any time but I will probably go to mode2 where I invite people to the group and see how quickly and how far that takes things.
Saturday 20 December 2008
Diminishing returns
It's interesting to look at how the qualifiers for the WBCOOP have developed.
There are/were 6 qualifiers - each guaranteeing 72 seats in the final. The final, therefore, is to be made up of 432 qualifiers.
However, if a players qualifies more than once, he wins only one seat (obviously) and the extra seat is not given to the next-highest placee in the qualifiers (contrasting with the method we adopted in the Gutshot forum league where there was a single final table).
It would have been interesting if pokerstars had given extra chips in the final to multi-qualifiers ! What they did instead was to give out prizes in each qualifier which were fairly substantial, so there was ample incentive to play >1 qualifier.
Another viable method would have been simpy to offer no incentive to win more than one seat.
In any case, the system in use means that lots of players have played several heats - I have played 3 and qualified from 2.
I guessed ther might be 400 eventual qualifiers (so I was speculating that there would be 32 overlapping qualifications).
In fact, the maximum possible has already shrunk to 383 and I would imagine it will be nearer to 350/360.
The sequence has been 72-141-203-260-311 so the actual number of unique qualifiers each day has been 72-69-62-57-51-??
With 100 places paying, that's approaching a 1 in 3 chance of cashing just for blogging. Not bad EV.
There are/were 6 qualifiers - each guaranteeing 72 seats in the final. The final, therefore, is to be made up of 432 qualifiers.
However, if a players qualifies more than once, he wins only one seat (obviously) and the extra seat is not given to the next-highest placee in the qualifiers (contrasting with the method we adopted in the Gutshot forum league where there was a single final table).
It would have been interesting if pokerstars had given extra chips in the final to multi-qualifiers ! What they did instead was to give out prizes in each qualifier which were fairly substantial, so there was ample incentive to play >1 qualifier.
Another viable method would have been simpy to offer no incentive to win more than one seat.
In any case, the system in use means that lots of players have played several heats - I have played 3 and qualified from 2.
I guessed ther might be 400 eventual qualifiers (so I was speculating that there would be 32 overlapping qualifications).
In fact, the maximum possible has already shrunk to 383 and I would imagine it will be nearer to 350/360.
The sequence has been 72-141-203-260-311 so the actual number of unique qualifiers each day has been 72-69-62-57-51-??
With 100 places paying, that's approaching a 1 in 3 chance of cashing just for blogging. Not bad EV.
Qualified Success
I qualified for the WBCOOP final at the first attempt (in the PLO qualifier on Monday).
However, someone pointed out to me that it is worth playing the other qualifiers because of the juicy cash-equivalent prizes on offer for the top 45 places (top 72 reach the final, which is the prime objective).
The prize for 45th is "only" a Step2 ticket (worth $27) but on the final table the prizes are worth $100s and well over a grand for first.
And since the qualifiers are freerolls, it is worth a shot. Especially since the standard of play doesn't seem great !
Last night I played the "8 game" qualifier. I only recently discovered what "8 game" even is. It is 8 different poker variants played in sequence. So for some period of time we play Hold'em, then we play some Omaha and so on.
The 8 games are ...
2x Limit High Games: Hold'em and 7card Stud
2x Limit Hi/Lo Split games : Omaha Hi/Lo and 7card Stud Hi/Lo
2x Limit Low games: Razz and 2-7 Triple Draw
2x Big-bet games: NLH and PLO
They are played in rotation (I forget the order) and the blinds, antes and so on are engineered (I suppose) to make sense in relation to the average chip stacks.
The intriguing thing about this qualifier was that many of the players would have scant knowledge of the games. I barely know the rules myself, but it seemed that even this level of awareness was an edge.
It's quite easy to forget which game you're playing - especially when you switch from one to the next. This must be the explanation for some of the plays. For example, one player called me on the river in 7card Stud Hi (you get 2 cards down, 4 cards up, then 1 card down and make your best 5 card hand). He can see that I have at least a pair of 9s showing. He had no pair !
Once I realised that most of the other players had really no idea, I tried to play tight hand selection pre-flop, play draws passively and value bet strongly with a made hand. tbh I think I could have gone even further down that road.
In any event, I advanced up the rankings to be 5th at one point. Actually, I was 5th at two points and in between that I moved down to last-but-one !
However, although I qualified again (the good thing about that is it means one less person in the final !) I failed to make the top45. The real damage was done in the PLO round.
I held 789J and flopped the nuts on the 456-rainbow board. I got it all in vs 78XX and unfortunately it came runner-runner clubs to give him a flush.
I then lost, and busted, in the 2-7 Triple Draw round when my 9-7 low was pipped by an 8-7 low.
The standard of play did noticeably improve as the field thinned, and with the higher blinds as well it did get a lot harder for me.
I dodged a few bullets earlier, so I can't really complain, but I am disappointed.
Still, there is one more qualifier I could play tonight (NLH) but the main thing is the final on Sunday - big prizes on offer. The top100 all get something, and the final table is big "money" and kudos of course !
However, someone pointed out to me that it is worth playing the other qualifiers because of the juicy cash-equivalent prizes on offer for the top 45 places (top 72 reach the final, which is the prime objective).
The prize for 45th is "only" a Step2 ticket (worth $27) but on the final table the prizes are worth $100s and well over a grand for first.
And since the qualifiers are freerolls, it is worth a shot. Especially since the standard of play doesn't seem great !
Last night I played the "8 game" qualifier. I only recently discovered what "8 game" even is. It is 8 different poker variants played in sequence. So for some period of time we play Hold'em, then we play some Omaha and so on.
The 8 games are ...
2x Limit High Games: Hold'em and 7card Stud
2x Limit Hi/Lo Split games : Omaha Hi/Lo and 7card Stud Hi/Lo
2x Limit Low games: Razz and 2-7 Triple Draw
2x Big-bet games: NLH and PLO
They are played in rotation (I forget the order) and the blinds, antes and so on are engineered (I suppose) to make sense in relation to the average chip stacks.
The intriguing thing about this qualifier was that many of the players would have scant knowledge of the games. I barely know the rules myself, but it seemed that even this level of awareness was an edge.
It's quite easy to forget which game you're playing - especially when you switch from one to the next. This must be the explanation for some of the plays. For example, one player called me on the river in 7card Stud Hi (you get 2 cards down, 4 cards up, then 1 card down and make your best 5 card hand). He can see that I have at least a pair of 9s showing. He had no pair !
Once I realised that most of the other players had really no idea, I tried to play tight hand selection pre-flop, play draws passively and value bet strongly with a made hand. tbh I think I could have gone even further down that road.
In any event, I advanced up the rankings to be 5th at one point. Actually, I was 5th at two points and in between that I moved down to last-but-one !
However, although I qualified again (the good thing about that is it means one less person in the final !) I failed to make the top45. The real damage was done in the PLO round.
I held 789J and flopped the nuts on the 456-rainbow board. I got it all in vs 78XX and unfortunately it came runner-runner clubs to give him a flush.
I then lost, and busted, in the 2-7 Triple Draw round when my 9-7 low was pipped by an 8-7 low.
The standard of play did noticeably improve as the field thinned, and with the higher blinds as well it did get a lot harder for me.
I dodged a few bullets earlier, so I can't really complain, but I am disappointed.
Still, there is one more qualifier I could play tonight (NLH) but the main thing is the final on Sunday - big prizes on offer. The top100 all get something, and the final table is big "money" and kudos of course !
Friday 19 December 2008
If you play enough poker
You see the most amazing things.
In a 10hour game at The International on Wednesday (which started out as a tag-cash game - not something you often see) I think there were more "omg" hands than can be expected in that timeframe. Definitely many hands where if it happened online there would be a chorus of derision ("it's soooooo rigged" etc.)
However, these hands really happened, I assure you. I will post up some more of the session later. But here is one hand that I will always remember I think.
It's about 3am, and I've come back from my low point to be sitting on about £600 in a £1-2 PLO game. There are some well-known players there from the club.
The key player in this hand is Chen - a PhD. student from Cambridge, known to be a very good player (who often plays much higher stakes) and is a proven winner. I haven't played that much with him, in fact, but I know how good he is and I think he's also willing to gamble. An excellent combination for him (in the long run).
I have picked up KdQdXX and posted the £5 straddle. 5 players call the straddle, and I check. Six players see a flop, and the pot is £30. My hand needs help !
Help comes in the form of a Td9d3d flop. I flopped the 2nd nuts, but in PLO we have to be afraid that if a lot of money goes in, someone has the Ace-high flush.
In fact, no one bets the flop.
The turn is the Ace of clubs. Chen, in the small blind, now bets £22. I'm not folding yet, even though he might very well have the Ace-flush to lead into 5 players. I call, and it's just us to the river. How much will I call if he bets again? Would I bet if he checks ?
The river is the Jack of diamonds ! I have a King-high straight flush, the second best possible hand in any form of poker - only a Royal Flush is better. In this hand, of course, it is the absolute nuts. What's more, Chen may have the Ace-high flush.
How to proceed ?
Before I can think about that very much, Chen bets the whole pot (£74). How much to raise ? I opt for a raise to £250 - a little less than the maximum possible.
It's now an agony for Chen, who is having the worst run of luck I have ever seen. The clock is called on him (not by me !) and eventually he finds a crying call rather than a hero fold.
What a tough spot for him, especially as his actual holding was Ad8dXX so he knows I can't have the straight flush from 7-J or 8-Q. He is only to losing to one possible hand !
There's a really funny post about it by Chen here on the forum.
In a 10hour game at The International on Wednesday (which started out as a tag-cash game - not something you often see) I think there were more "omg" hands than can be expected in that timeframe. Definitely many hands where if it happened online there would be a chorus of derision ("it's soooooo rigged" etc.)
However, these hands really happened, I assure you. I will post up some more of the session later. But here is one hand that I will always remember I think.
It's about 3am, and I've come back from my low point to be sitting on about £600 in a £1-2 PLO game. There are some well-known players there from the club.
The key player in this hand is Chen - a PhD. student from Cambridge, known to be a very good player (who often plays much higher stakes) and is a proven winner. I haven't played that much with him, in fact, but I know how good he is and I think he's also willing to gamble. An excellent combination for him (in the long run).
I have picked up KdQdXX and posted the £5 straddle. 5 players call the straddle, and I check. Six players see a flop, and the pot is £30. My hand needs help !
Help comes in the form of a Td9d3d flop. I flopped the 2nd nuts, but in PLO we have to be afraid that if a lot of money goes in, someone has the Ace-high flush.
In fact, no one bets the flop.
The turn is the Ace of clubs. Chen, in the small blind, now bets £22. I'm not folding yet, even though he might very well have the Ace-flush to lead into 5 players. I call, and it's just us to the river. How much will I call if he bets again? Would I bet if he checks ?
The river is the Jack of diamonds ! I have a King-high straight flush, the second best possible hand in any form of poker - only a Royal Flush is better. In this hand, of course, it is the absolute nuts. What's more, Chen may have the Ace-high flush.
How to proceed ?
Before I can think about that very much, Chen bets the whole pot (£74). How much to raise ? I opt for a raise to £250 - a little less than the maximum possible.
It's now an agony for Chen, who is having the worst run of luck I have ever seen. The clock is called on him (not by me !) and eventually he finds a crying call rather than a hero fold.
What a tough spot for him, especially as his actual holding was Ad8dXX so he knows I can't have the straight flush from 7-J or 8-Q. He is only to losing to one possible hand !
There's a really funny post about it by Chen here on the forum.
Playing TAG
TAG as a poker term generally refers to the "Tight and AGgressive" style of play that is supposed to be the solid foundation on which to build a winning game.
On GOSCARS night at The International, it also referred to the style of tournament that we were about to take part in. Around 75 teams of 2 people playing a standard 6,000 chip freezeout, but with two players to one chipstack, "tagging" in and out every 15 minutes.
A fun tourney, but with some pretty serious cash on offer also - more than £1,000 for first place.
I was playing with Mat, a friend from Oxford. A solid player who got me interested in poker originally back in 2004.
I took the first stint, and I did play pretty tight, although the first significant hand I was involved in was with the rather less than premium QTs. I had raised to 175 (blinds 25/50) and received a caller in the SB.
I played the QT8 board (all red, two hearts) straightforwardly - betting 80% of the pot, and betting again when the 8 on the turn.
The river was an Ace - meaning I am now losing to quite a few hands. I checked behind, and announced "3 pair", turning over my hand.
A rather curious thing now happened. The other player threw his hand in face down and the cards were mixed inot the muck. As the chips were sent my way, the losing player suddenly realised that any Ace made a higher two pair.
He made a half-hearted attempt to try to retrieve his hand and claim the pot, but I think he realised that this wouldn't be allowed. Pretty sick way to lose a pot. I would never try to claim that pot when it wasn't "rightfully" mine but I realised, too, that even if I wanted to give him the pot then I couldn't. It's a very clearcut ruling. His hand is dead. The pot is mine with any cards.
Things were relatively uneventful. Our chips were at at 7,500 when Mat was involved with making a river bluff that "ought" to have worked, but didn't. I got most of our chips in preflop with JJ to a button push, and held against AK - back to 9,000+
I then lost a good chunk myself with AK - played out of position and badly.
Our stack became a push-or-fold stack. I had pushed in a couple of times already (AJs, 88, A8 in a SB vs BB contest) and the net result was that we had 5,100 left with blinds at 400/800.
I find pocket Tens in middle position. Easy shove. I am happy to be called, or not. The button makes the call with only 2,800 behind. Now the small blind wakes up and calls as well (somewhat reluctantly it seems). He has a lot more behind though.
So, a big pot if my hand can hold up! Nearly 16,000 chips.
The flop comes 743. Good news ! The button puts in his last 2,800 (not so good) and then small blind finds a check-call (hmm).
OK - now I get to see what I am up against !
66 (button) and 55 (small blind) !! We're all liking the flop. I have a good overpair. Both the other guys have seen only one overcard fall, and they each have the gutshot straight draw !
I was a good favourite pre-flop and NOW I am an 80% favourite to more than triple up, and move us into contention.
Facing just me, each of the smaller pairs needs to hit their set. Facing each other as well, however, making a set only make the other guy a straight ! They have each others' outs in a very special way.
Still, the main thing for me is that they only have 4 outs between them !
Turn - straight away come a 5.
Nooooooo! I'm drawing to 2-outs to split, and the river is no help.
Bad beat imo.
That's my live tourney career over for this year.
It's not the end of my live poker though. There is the PLO Cash to consider. Usually, one has to wait to be out of the tourney to get into the cash action.
Tonight though, in a victory for pure degeneracy, we already have a full table of 1-2 PLO going. It's a Tag-PLO table! Nearly all the players in it are playing the Tag tournament and sitting in the cash game as their turn ends in the MTT ! Like Mat and I, it is one stack/seat = 2 players.
The cardroom had quickly seen the sense in allowing this interpretation of the "one player to a hand" rule.
Great fun it was, and more on that in the next post !
On GOSCARS night at The International, it also referred to the style of tournament that we were about to take part in. Around 75 teams of 2 people playing a standard 6,000 chip freezeout, but with two players to one chipstack, "tagging" in and out every 15 minutes.
A fun tourney, but with some pretty serious cash on offer also - more than £1,000 for first place.
I was playing with Mat, a friend from Oxford. A solid player who got me interested in poker originally back in 2004.
I took the first stint, and I did play pretty tight, although the first significant hand I was involved in was with the rather less than premium QTs. I had raised to 175 (blinds 25/50) and received a caller in the SB.
I played the QT8 board (all red, two hearts) straightforwardly - betting 80% of the pot, and betting again when the 8 on the turn.
The river was an Ace - meaning I am now losing to quite a few hands. I checked behind, and announced "3 pair", turning over my hand.
A rather curious thing now happened. The other player threw his hand in face down and the cards were mixed inot the muck. As the chips were sent my way, the losing player suddenly realised that any Ace made a higher two pair.
He made a half-hearted attempt to try to retrieve his hand and claim the pot, but I think he realised that this wouldn't be allowed. Pretty sick way to lose a pot. I would never try to claim that pot when it wasn't "rightfully" mine but I realised, too, that even if I wanted to give him the pot then I couldn't. It's a very clearcut ruling. His hand is dead. The pot is mine with any cards.
Things were relatively uneventful. Our chips were at at 7,500 when Mat was involved with making a river bluff that "ought" to have worked, but didn't. I got most of our chips in preflop with JJ to a button push, and held against AK - back to 9,000+
I then lost a good chunk myself with AK - played out of position and badly.
Our stack became a push-or-fold stack. I had pushed in a couple of times already (AJs, 88, A8 in a SB vs BB contest) and the net result was that we had 5,100 left with blinds at 400/800.
I find pocket Tens in middle position. Easy shove. I am happy to be called, or not. The button makes the call with only 2,800 behind. Now the small blind wakes up and calls as well (somewhat reluctantly it seems). He has a lot more behind though.
So, a big pot if my hand can hold up! Nearly 16,000 chips.
The flop comes 743. Good news ! The button puts in his last 2,800 (not so good) and then small blind finds a check-call (hmm).
OK - now I get to see what I am up against !
66 (button) and 55 (small blind) !! We're all liking the flop. I have a good overpair. Both the other guys have seen only one overcard fall, and they each have the gutshot straight draw !
I was a good favourite pre-flop and NOW I am an 80% favourite to more than triple up, and move us into contention.
Facing just me, each of the smaller pairs needs to hit their set. Facing each other as well, however, making a set only make the other guy a straight ! They have each others' outs in a very special way.
Still, the main thing for me is that they only have 4 outs between them !
Turn - straight away come a 5.
Nooooooo! I'm drawing to 2-outs to split, and the river is no help.
Bad beat imo.
That's my live tourney career over for this year.
It's not the end of my live poker though. There is the PLO Cash to consider. Usually, one has to wait to be out of the tourney to get into the cash action.
Tonight though, in a victory for pure degeneracy, we already have a full table of 1-2 PLO going. It's a Tag-PLO table! Nearly all the players in it are playing the Tag tournament and sitting in the cash game as their turn ends in the MTT ! Like Mat and I, it is one stack/seat = 2 players.
The cardroom had quickly seen the sense in allowing this interpretation of the "one player to a hand" rule.
Great fun it was, and more on that in the next post !
Thursday 18 December 2008
Go Go GOSCARS
GOSCARS night (the 5th such event, the first 4 having been held at the now-extinct Gutshot Club). The International was a fine venue to continue the tradition.
A last minute change of plans saw me make the effort to dust off the DJ and turn out suitably attired. It's not often poker is played in black tie these days, but perhaps it is an idea that Harrahs can investigate for the WSOP2009.
At 6:30, when I arrived, the club was quiet. But with champagne (labelled as Cava, but we could taste the quality) on tap at 7, the place was soon buzzing. In contrast to the often dishevelled appearance of some players, there was a high incidence of bow-ties and smart suits.
Even Nik Persaud was sporting full black tie attire - missing the actual black tie. I supplied the missing article from my ubiquitous "poker bag". He was wearing bowling shoes, but there you go.
On to the next course - the never-ending buffet. Very welcome. Then, hardly late at all, our honoured guest for the evening, Mr Barry Martin. As usual, delivering a consummate performance in front of the boisterous crowd.
The acceptance speeches were admirably short - and very witty in many cases - even if some were a little off-topic - Irish Noel treated us to his Elvis Paisley, for example.
Some of the awards were a little controversial. Notably the "Internet player of the year" award.
I was actually nominated for this. A diversionary tactic no doubt. The crowd was calling for "riverman" Lawrence Houghton to take down the prize. However, within the context of a gutshot.com internet poker universe, Phil King (aka Ostrich) was a worthy winner. Lawrence will have to seek consolation from his 7-figure winnings online this year.
I even picked up a GOSCAR myself. Forum Poster of the Year 2008. An award based, arguably, more on quantity than quality, but I'm very pleased with it.
A last minute change of plans saw me make the effort to dust off the DJ and turn out suitably attired. It's not often poker is played in black tie these days, but perhaps it is an idea that Harrahs can investigate for the WSOP2009.
At 6:30, when I arrived, the club was quiet. But with champagne (labelled as Cava, but we could taste the quality) on tap at 7, the place was soon buzzing. In contrast to the often dishevelled appearance of some players, there was a high incidence of bow-ties and smart suits.
Even Nik Persaud was sporting full black tie attire - missing the actual black tie. I supplied the missing article from my ubiquitous "poker bag". He was wearing bowling shoes, but there you go.
On to the next course - the never-ending buffet. Very welcome. Then, hardly late at all, our honoured guest for the evening, Mr Barry Martin. As usual, delivering a consummate performance in front of the boisterous crowd.
The acceptance speeches were admirably short - and very witty in many cases - even if some were a little off-topic - Irish Noel treated us to his Elvis Paisley, for example.
Some of the awards were a little controversial. Notably the "Internet player of the year" award.
I was actually nominated for this. A diversionary tactic no doubt. The crowd was calling for "riverman" Lawrence Houghton to take down the prize. However, within the context of a gutshot.com internet poker universe, Phil King (aka Ostrich) was a worthy winner. Lawrence will have to seek consolation from his 7-figure winnings online this year.
I even picked up a GOSCAR myself. Forum Poster of the Year 2008. An award based, arguably, more on quantity than quality, but I'm very pleased with it.
Maybe I can take a run at "Most Improved Player" for next year!
Wednesday 17 December 2008
Tag Along
Tonight is GOSCARs night. The famous awards, created by the Gutshot are being hosted by The International club this year.
After the awards, a Tag Team tournament - I haven't played one of those before but this year I am teamed up with Mat. He knows that I can be a lunatic, so hopefully he won't be too upset if I blow us up !
This will be the last time I'm playing live this year so I hope to end on a high note. In the next couple of weeks I guess I will need to review my poker goals for 2009 and also look at hte schedules to see what I want to play next year in terms of live tournaments.
After the awards, a Tag Team tournament - I haven't played one of those before but this year I am teamed up with Mat. He knows that I can be a lunatic, so hopefully he won't be too upset if I blow us up !
This will be the last time I'm playing live this year so I hope to end on a high note. In the next couple of weeks I guess I will need to review my poker goals for 2009 and also look at hte schedules to see what I want to play next year in terms of live tournaments.
Tuesday 16 December 2008
Wold PLOgger Championship
So, having heard about it on someone else's blog, I duly applied to be entered into the WBCOOP (World Blogger Championship Of Online Poker).
After literally minutes of due diligence, Pokerstars accredited me and I was in !
You play in one or more of the freeroll qualifiers, in an attempt to reach the final. I suppose I expected them to be NLH, but when I looked I found all sorts. Yes, 3 of the 6 are NLH, but there is Omaha Hi/Lo on Wednesday and "8-game Mix" on Friday.
On Monday, it was PLO. I have a truly abysmal record in Omaha tournaments, but I decided to give it a spin.
I arrived slightly late into it, but the very low initial blinds meant I'd only lost 5% of my chips in 30 minutes of sitting out.
First hand, I was tempted to limp with some random holding. Almost fell into a typical Omaha trap of hitting some of it (like 1 pair and a weak flush draw and a backdoor straight). This tempted me into putting a few more chips in, but I did the decent thing and gave up on the turn.
Another false start soon after saw me fall to half my original stack. Time to take stock. Blinds were still low relative to the stacks although it feels like in PLO the pots get big quickly so 50BB at PLO seems like only enough for a hand or two really.
I came to see that some of the other players barely knew the rules of PLO (like me, they probably had NLH in mind when they registered) so I tightened up my starting hands and positional requirements, played my draws quite passively, but value bet strongly.
I moved back up to my starting 2,500 chips, and onwards, and soon I was in the top 72 (72 qualify from each freeroll).
The hand that really set me going in the right direction (and the first time I was all-in) was when I called a <>AcQc87.
The flop was pretty: Kc5c6x - so I flopped an open-ended straight draw to the high end, and the nut flush draw. The raiser bet, and I pushed. He called with K543hhcc - so he was winning with 2pair. He also had a low-end straight draw and a lower club draw.
It was close all the way - preflop and on the flop it is almost 50/50. The turn is an Ace giving me one pair and 3 live outs to two pair. The river in fact brings a club!
I went on, to be Top 20 and then top 5 at one point. I was starting to like this PLO !
I remained in good shape until the "bubble" burst at 72nd. I was now guaranteed a place in the final this weekend. There were prizes on offer for the top 45 on the day, as well, with the Top 9 actually getting some decent value (in free tournament entries).
I decided that now it was right to go for a big stack or the quick exit. So when I raised with KT88-double suited and got re-raised, I decided to push. The stacks were such that he had to call. I was expecting to be see AAxx, or KKxx at least, but in fact I was a favourite facing AK65ds.
However, this became academic when he flopped Aces-full.
So, out in 57th, but mission accomplished.
Meanwhile, I had entered a $10 NLH tourney to keep my mind from wandering too much (I suppose it might be better to just focus 100% on one thing, but that's not my approach !).
This time, I can genuinely claim that I played it tight-aggressive. What with the PLO tourney and some cash PLO I was playing on Cake, I only had time to play 7% of hands. I wasn't getting much in the way of starting cards until I managed to see a cheap flop with 67. The flop came K67 !
I bet 2/3rd of the pot and was a little surprised to find it raised back to me all-in.
I snap-called. He showed A7, so he has several cards to improve, and an Ace came straight away on the turn. I'm outta here, until the river brings another 6 !
After that, I continued to play pretty tight and later moved into the top10. On and on it went, and I remained in contention.
However, with 60 or so left (2,160 runners - 324 places paid) I again found myself re-raising all in with AK. The initial raiser called with pocket 9s and although the flop came JTx to give me 10 outs on the turn and river, the pair was good and I was out after more than 4 hours.
$30 approx in prize money seems scant reward for 4 hours play and finishing in the top 3%. As is usually the case, the big money is only at the end - and $3,500 was decent money to the winner although it did take another 3 hours to get there !
I suppose my performance was enough to keep me believing that I could go all the way sooner or later - that's the dream that keeps all tournament players going amidst the constant disappointment !
Next stop - the WBCOOP final on Sunday.
After literally minutes of due diligence, Pokerstars accredited me and I was in !
You play in one or more of the freeroll qualifiers, in an attempt to reach the final. I suppose I expected them to be NLH, but when I looked I found all sorts. Yes, 3 of the 6 are NLH, but there is Omaha Hi/Lo on Wednesday and "8-game Mix" on Friday.
On Monday, it was PLO. I have a truly abysmal record in Omaha tournaments, but I decided to give it a spin.
I arrived slightly late into it, but the very low initial blinds meant I'd only lost 5% of my chips in 30 minutes of sitting out.
First hand, I was tempted to limp with some random holding. Almost fell into a typical Omaha trap of hitting some of it (like 1 pair and a weak flush draw and a backdoor straight). This tempted me into putting a few more chips in, but I did the decent thing and gave up on the turn.
Another false start soon after saw me fall to half my original stack. Time to take stock. Blinds were still low relative to the stacks although it feels like in PLO the pots get big quickly so 50BB at PLO seems like only enough for a hand or two really.
I came to see that some of the other players barely knew the rules of PLO (like me, they probably had NLH in mind when they registered) so I tightened up my starting hands and positional requirements, played my draws quite passively, but value bet strongly.
I moved back up to my starting 2,500 chips, and onwards, and soon I was in the top 72 (72 qualify from each freeroll).
The hand that really set me going in the right direction (and the first time I was all-in) was when I called a <>AcQc87.
The flop was pretty: Kc5c6x - so I flopped an open-ended straight draw to the high end, and the nut flush draw. The raiser bet, and I pushed. He called with K543hhcc - so he was winning with 2pair. He also had a low-end straight draw and a lower club draw.
It was close all the way - preflop and on the flop it is almost 50/50. The turn is an Ace giving me one pair and 3 live outs to two pair. The river in fact brings a club!
I went on, to be Top 20 and then top 5 at one point. I was starting to like this PLO !
I remained in good shape until the "bubble" burst at 72nd. I was now guaranteed a place in the final this weekend. There were prizes on offer for the top 45 on the day, as well, with the Top 9 actually getting some decent value (in free tournament entries).
I decided that now it was right to go for a big stack or the quick exit. So when I raised with KT88-double suited and got re-raised, I decided to push. The stacks were such that he had to call. I was expecting to be see AAxx, or KKxx at least, but in fact I was a favourite facing AK65ds.
However, this became academic when he flopped Aces-full.
So, out in 57th, but mission accomplished.
Meanwhile, I had entered a $10 NLH tourney to keep my mind from wandering too much (I suppose it might be better to just focus 100% on one thing, but that's not my approach !).
This time, I can genuinely claim that I played it tight-aggressive. What with the PLO tourney and some cash PLO I was playing on Cake, I only had time to play 7% of hands. I wasn't getting much in the way of starting cards until I managed to see a cheap flop with 67. The flop came K67 !
I bet 2/3rd of the pot and was a little surprised to find it raised back to me all-in.
I snap-called. He showed A7, so he has several cards to improve, and an Ace came straight away on the turn. I'm outta here, until the river brings another 6 !
After that, I continued to play pretty tight and later moved into the top10. On and on it went, and I remained in contention.
However, with 60 or so left (2,160 runners - 324 places paid) I again found myself re-raising all in with AK. The initial raiser called with pocket 9s and although the flop came JTx to give me 10 outs on the turn and river, the pair was good and I was out after more than 4 hours.
$30 approx in prize money seems scant reward for 4 hours play and finishing in the top 3%. As is usually the case, the big money is only at the end - and $3,500 was decent money to the winner although it did take another 3 hours to get there !
I suppose my performance was enough to keep me believing that I could go all the way sooner or later - that's the dream that keeps all tournament players going amidst the constant disappointment !
Next stop - the WBCOOP final on Sunday.
Monday 15 December 2008
Flush with Success
I am not sure that I have ever made a Royal Flush before - online or live. It's certainly a good deal more likely at Omaha - firstly, you have 4 cards instead of 2 so I guess that makes it 6x as likely that you are dealt a hand that CAN make a Royal Flush.
Then, more hands go to the river, so there are more opportunities for your suited broadway cards to complete the Royal.
On the whole, you are not likely to get a monster payoff to match the monster hand - although Quads vs Royal Flush does happen - I've seen it on TV !
Well, here it is for posterity anyway:
Sunday 14 December 2008
One hundred and eighty !
I was watching the darts the other day on the BBC - it took me back to University days. In those days it was darts, pool and video games (proper video games, not like today's nonsense) that were the distractions from study. I can only speculate what it would be like today with the Internet and poker !
However, in this instance, I am speaking of 180 runners rather than a perfect throw.
Pokerstars have Sit-n-go tournaments at various stakes that start when 180 people sign up. It is breathtaking how quickly they do fill up! I am not really a SnG player, but these are really proper MTTs but with instant gratification - no waiting around till the particular time that your MTT of choice starts.
Also, with 180 runners instead of 2,000 - 20,000+ you obviously have a better chance of a really big finish, and the run time is dramatically shorter. On the other hand, the prizes are obviously less.
I knew about these tourneys, but I was reminded by someone I spoke to at The International the other day. I imagine they are good fodder for the MTT grinders.
So, I signed up for a $12 turbo. I was soon out when I hit a set with 77 and check-raised the Ace-high flop against one opponent who was the UTG limper. I was called, and called again on the turn. The river seemed to be a total blank so I pushed to make sure I got paid. He called, having made the wheel with his 4-3suited ..... He had a gutshot on the flop and went all the way to the river with it against strong action. Wow!
Hmmm ... out 152nd, 142th, 144th and 88th in the ones I entered until on my last attempt, I won !
Even with only 180 runners, the payoff for winning is a pretty useful $594.
You can see a full replay of the event from my point of view here. I'm sure I played many of the hands differently from how many of you would ! Would love to hear any hand comments that you may have.
However, in this instance, I am speaking of 180 runners rather than a perfect throw.
Pokerstars have Sit-n-go tournaments at various stakes that start when 180 people sign up. It is breathtaking how quickly they do fill up! I am not really a SnG player, but these are really proper MTTs but with instant gratification - no waiting around till the particular time that your MTT of choice starts.
Also, with 180 runners instead of 2,000 - 20,000+ you obviously have a better chance of a really big finish, and the run time is dramatically shorter. On the other hand, the prizes are obviously less.
I knew about these tourneys, but I was reminded by someone I spoke to at The International the other day. I imagine they are good fodder for the MTT grinders.
So, I signed up for a $12 turbo. I was soon out when I hit a set with 77 and check-raised the Ace-high flop against one opponent who was the UTG limper. I was called, and called again on the turn. The river seemed to be a total blank so I pushed to make sure I got paid. He called, having made the wheel with his 4-3suited ..... He had a gutshot on the flop and went all the way to the river with it against strong action. Wow!
Hmmm ... out 152nd, 142th, 144th and 88th in the ones I entered until on my last attempt, I won !
Even with only 180 runners, the payoff for winning is a pretty useful $594.
You can see a full replay of the event from my point of view here. I'm sure I played many of the hands differently from how many of you would ! Would love to hear any hand comments that you may have.
WBCOOP
I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!
All bloggers can play in this exclusive online poker tournament.
Registration code: 089985
Saturday 13 December 2008
Game of two halves
After crashing out of the staff-punters challenge on Wednesday night, I was faced with the usual question: Should I stay or should I go ?
I generally take the train to London now. I drive occasionally, and about one time in 10 is enough to remind me why I don't do it. Traffic, parking, congestion charge and the cost are all against the car option. It also takes longer to drive. What's more, I can sleep on the train and 45minutes sleep on the return journey is pretty much all I get on a poker night!
The one key advantage of driving is that I can always get home whenever I finish playing. The fact is that I am rarely finished in time for the last train.
This leaves me with only one option: play through the night until the trains start again. As the main downside to the public transport route, it's not the worst thing ever !
On Wednesday, I could have made it to the last train if I'd left straight away. However, I wanted to see how the teams would get on and I also wanted to take another crack at the Omaha game.
I thought maybe I'd play for 45mins or so, then get the very last train home. Well, I remember that being in my mind but it's hard to see how that was ever likely.
If I started off well then I would want to "play the rush", plus I wouldn't want to hit'n'run. If I did badly, then I wouldn't want to leave straight away either.
It didn't start all that well !
After initially taking down some smallish pots, I proceeded to get into two large confrontations where I had the best of it. As is typical in Omaha, when a lot of money goes in on the flop, the made hand and the draw generally both have a lot of equity.
I could easily have won both of these, but they were hardly bad beats. I didn't think I had played badly - both times I got my money in first and got it in as slight favourite. However, maybe I should have tried to play smaller pots until I could get my chips in as the clear frontrunner.
It is typical of my style that I tend to get into rapidly escalating pots. This does make for a very exciting game, of course, especially when others take the same approach.
So, £700 down in fairly quick order. I pulled up another £500 and determined to wait for the right spot.
The first time this happened, I raised the straddle with KK66-double suited and this was re-raised to £60 and called in one spot before me. I flat called on the button. The flop was T84 with 2 clubs. It was checked to me so with the over pair, 2nd nut flush draw and position, I bet £150.
The pre-flop re-raiser folded, so that felt good. The other player called with 7543 - bottom pair with a back-door flush and gusthot straight draw. A brave call on the flop, perhaps putting me on a draw only or an outright button steal. Nice £60 call pre-flop as well !
Anyway, the straight hit right away, and the 7-high flush came in on the river just to rub it in.
OK ...
Kings-double suited not good enough ? So the next time, I re-raised to £62 on the button with AAQQ-with hearts.
The flop came out Q63rainbow. I check-raised all in with top set, over-pair and the backdoor nut flush draw.
My opponent called with 7542, and his low wrap hit straightaway. The board didn't pair, so that was another £500 gone.
It was an awkward time now. I had missed my chance to get the last train, and I'd also lost as much as I wanted to in one session. On the other hand, as you can tell, it was a very good game.
I am relatively good at not just chasing and chasing when I'm losing, but I found £100 left in my wallet and elected to fire one more bullet. I won a little, and then almost immediately I lost half my chips when a pretty well-judged (I thought) bluff on the river was called by sixes-up. That'll teach me to try to bluff Mo.
£60 left. The blinds are £1-2 with a near-mandatory £5 straddle and with players like Dharm in the game, it is commonly £18 minimum to see a flop.
I needed a change of luck and I got it ! I jammed my chips in pre-flop in a raised pot with a big pair, which held and gave me some chips to work with.
After that, things just worked out much better. I really started motoring when I saw an unraised flop with 88xx. The flop came 8s6c5c. With top set on a very connected board, I opted to lead out for £20 which was called in three spots.
Does that mean no-one has the straight yet ? That is my assumption but it's really hard to tell how people are playing, I find.
The turn was an offsuit Queen. Unless someone just made a set of Queens, it changes nothing really. I bet £75. Now Chinese Tim - on tilt from the previous hand - moves all in. Not great, and I don't like it much when Scottish Rob puts all his chips in as well.
Still, Rob only had about £100 so I am playing a decent side-pot against Tim. It's about £180 more to call and I presumably have outs even if one or both have the straight.
The river is the Queen of clubs ! We didn't see the other hands and my 8s-full is good enough for the lot.
There were some fantastic hands - like when I rivered the nut full house on a flush board and I was bet into ! There were some downswings too - e.g. when I flopped the nuts on a 554 board only to lose to 56 in Mike Tse's hand. I bet the flop and turn (6) and check-called £125 on the river (4). I was only losing to 56 and 66 but it's Omaha so you have to believe they may have it.
I didn't try moving all-in to represent 44 or 66 myself ! Maybe it would have worked, but I didn't want to put in £500 to test it.
My luck was certainly running. I remember seeing a QT7 flop with AKJ7 in my hand. I checked, to face a £75 bet by Disco Dave and a call. With a 13-card wrap to the nuts, I elected to move in for an effective £250 bet (the largest of the opposing stacks).
There were two clubs on board (I had just one club) but I decided to view this as an opportunity to get the chips in with what I thought was good equity.
What I didn't know was that Dave had AAKK with clubs, and the other players had some of the wrap cards as well.
Still, it didn't matter as the non-club Jack fell and the river blanked. £600 pot, ship it!
Another lucky hand developed with I called a 3-bet with JJ66 against what I thought were obvious Aces. The flop came T65. I check-raised the £65 bet to £200. The other fella obviously thought I was at it and moved in for £350 more.
I still put him on Aces, and didn't see how I could pass now, so I called pretty quickly. A 9 on the turn completed some straights, and I really hated the Ace on the river but my set was good (he had KKxx).
This was a huge pot, and the tilt factor was good for another few hundred later in the evening.
My stack ebbed and flowed somewhat, but there was no doubt that I was running well.
We now reached the stage in proceedings where I couldn't leave. Not because I couldn't get home, but because I didn't want to break the game ! Eventually, we ran out of players and the game came to a halt at about 11:30 the next morning.
So, £60 to £2,200. That's a pretty good spin up. If only I hadn't started out by turning £1,300 into £60 to begin with it would have been fantastic ! Why does Omaha have to be so exciting. Well, probably that's why we play ...
I generally take the train to London now. I drive occasionally, and about one time in 10 is enough to remind me why I don't do it. Traffic, parking, congestion charge and the cost are all against the car option. It also takes longer to drive. What's more, I can sleep on the train and 45minutes sleep on the return journey is pretty much all I get on a poker night!
The one key advantage of driving is that I can always get home whenever I finish playing. The fact is that I am rarely finished in time for the last train.
This leaves me with only one option: play through the night until the trains start again. As the main downside to the public transport route, it's not the worst thing ever !
On Wednesday, I could have made it to the last train if I'd left straight away. However, I wanted to see how the teams would get on and I also wanted to take another crack at the Omaha game.
I thought maybe I'd play for 45mins or so, then get the very last train home. Well, I remember that being in my mind but it's hard to see how that was ever likely.
If I started off well then I would want to "play the rush", plus I wouldn't want to hit'n'run. If I did badly, then I wouldn't want to leave straight away either.
It didn't start all that well !
After initially taking down some smallish pots, I proceeded to get into two large confrontations where I had the best of it. As is typical in Omaha, when a lot of money goes in on the flop, the made hand and the draw generally both have a lot of equity.
I could easily have won both of these, but they were hardly bad beats. I didn't think I had played badly - both times I got my money in first and got it in as slight favourite. However, maybe I should have tried to play smaller pots until I could get my chips in as the clear frontrunner.
It is typical of my style that I tend to get into rapidly escalating pots. This does make for a very exciting game, of course, especially when others take the same approach.
So, £700 down in fairly quick order. I pulled up another £500 and determined to wait for the right spot.
The first time this happened, I raised the straddle with KK66-double suited and this was re-raised to £60 and called in one spot before me. I flat called on the button. The flop was T84 with 2 clubs. It was checked to me so with the over pair, 2nd nut flush draw and position, I bet £150.
The pre-flop re-raiser folded, so that felt good. The other player called with 7543 - bottom pair with a back-door flush and gusthot straight draw. A brave call on the flop, perhaps putting me on a draw only or an outright button steal. Nice £60 call pre-flop as well !
Anyway, the straight hit right away, and the 7-high flush came in on the river just to rub it in.
OK ...
Kings-double suited not good enough ? So the next time, I re-raised to £62 on the button with AAQQ-with hearts.
The flop came out Q63rainbow. I check-raised all in with top set, over-pair and the backdoor nut flush draw.
My opponent called with 7542, and his low wrap hit straightaway. The board didn't pair, so that was another £500 gone.
It was an awkward time now. I had missed my chance to get the last train, and I'd also lost as much as I wanted to in one session. On the other hand, as you can tell, it was a very good game.
I am relatively good at not just chasing and chasing when I'm losing, but I found £100 left in my wallet and elected to fire one more bullet. I won a little, and then almost immediately I lost half my chips when a pretty well-judged (I thought) bluff on the river was called by sixes-up. That'll teach me to try to bluff Mo.
£60 left. The blinds are £1-2 with a near-mandatory £5 straddle and with players like Dharm in the game, it is commonly £18 minimum to see a flop.
I needed a change of luck and I got it ! I jammed my chips in pre-flop in a raised pot with a big pair, which held and gave me some chips to work with.
After that, things just worked out much better. I really started motoring when I saw an unraised flop with 88xx. The flop came 8s6c5c. With top set on a very connected board, I opted to lead out for £20 which was called in three spots.
Does that mean no-one has the straight yet ? That is my assumption but it's really hard to tell how people are playing, I find.
The turn was an offsuit Queen. Unless someone just made a set of Queens, it changes nothing really. I bet £75. Now Chinese Tim - on tilt from the previous hand - moves all in. Not great, and I don't like it much when Scottish Rob puts all his chips in as well.
Still, Rob only had about £100 so I am playing a decent side-pot against Tim. It's about £180 more to call and I presumably have outs even if one or both have the straight.
The river is the Queen of clubs ! We didn't see the other hands and my 8s-full is good enough for the lot.
There were some fantastic hands - like when I rivered the nut full house on a flush board and I was bet into ! There were some downswings too - e.g. when I flopped the nuts on a 554 board only to lose to 56 in Mike Tse's hand. I bet the flop and turn (6) and check-called £125 on the river (4). I was only losing to 56 and 66 but it's Omaha so you have to believe they may have it.
I didn't try moving all-in to represent 44 or 66 myself ! Maybe it would have worked, but I didn't want to put in £500 to test it.
My luck was certainly running. I remember seeing a QT7 flop with AKJ7 in my hand. I checked, to face a £75 bet by Disco Dave and a call. With a 13-card wrap to the nuts, I elected to move in for an effective £250 bet (the largest of the opposing stacks).
There were two clubs on board (I had just one club) but I decided to view this as an opportunity to get the chips in with what I thought was good equity.
What I didn't know was that Dave had AAKK with clubs, and the other players had some of the wrap cards as well.
Still, it didn't matter as the non-club Jack fell and the river blanked. £600 pot, ship it!
Another lucky hand developed with I called a 3-bet with JJ66 against what I thought were obvious Aces. The flop came T65. I check-raised the £65 bet to £200. The other fella obviously thought I was at it and moved in for £350 more.
I still put him on Aces, and didn't see how I could pass now, so I called pretty quickly. A 9 on the turn completed some straights, and I really hated the Ace on the river but my set was good (he had KKxx).
This was a huge pot, and the tilt factor was good for another few hundred later in the evening.
My stack ebbed and flowed somewhat, but there was no doubt that I was running well.
We now reached the stage in proceedings where I couldn't leave. Not because I couldn't get home, but because I didn't want to break the game ! Eventually, we ran out of players and the game came to a halt at about 11:30 the next morning.
So, £60 to £2,200. That's a pretty good spin up. If only I hadn't started out by turning £1,300 into £60 to begin with it would have been fantastic ! Why does Omaha have to be so exciting. Well, probably that's why we play ...
Friday 12 December 2008
Team Tactics
On the way into London for the Staff vs. Punters tournament, an idea started to form in my mind. Maybe I could play the famous £5 rebuy as well? Who says multi-tabling is only for online play ?
Could I really play two tournaments simultaneously ? A little bit sick (perhaps?) but when I arrived and mooted the idea, it was received by most people as almost sensible. Half a dozen others followed my lead !
My plan was to try to get quickly from 500 to 5,000 chips in the rebuy, then concentrate on the staff/punters fixture. If I survived in both games, my gameplan was to give priority to the team event and play positionally and very aggressively in the other game. That is, I would jump into that game when I was in late position and look to play big pots.
Conveniently, seat D3 in one tournament and C5 in the other were almost adjacent, which helped me considerably.
I managed to triple up twice in the rebuy (unfortunately going bust in between times) but never made the kind of progress I needed. So, after 5 rebuys and with only 5 minutes left in the rebuy period, I decided to throw in the towel there.
Meanwhile in the other event, 15 punters and 12 dealers (all the staff were dealers, some very strong players indeed) had started out, but right from the off the dealers had the better of it. In the very first hand, Dom (with T8 suited) knocked out Swiss Marco (J9) when the turn made a straight and 2-pair respectively.
All of the next 6 eliminations were punters as well and with collusive play allowed, it became even harder for the remaining players to fend off the home team. Not only that, but the dealers were outrageously lucky !
To give you a flavour .... with 14 players left, Haresh for the dealers moved in with K9-spades. Our player, Dharm, in the big blind dwelled and eventually made a good all-in call with KT. The flop was all spades ! That was kind of how it went all night.
The atmosphere was boisterous, to say the least !
I had played very tight. I played less than 10 hands all night I think and was all-in on most of those. We were playing 400/800 and I had only 6,900 left [5,000 starting chips]. We were 6-handed (of the 11 players left at this stage, 8 were dealers!).
I picked up KQ and decided this was good enough, especially with blinds about to rise to 500/1,000. Haresh raised UTG and I pushed from the Big Blind. I thought there was a small chance that he would fold but mainly I felt KQ was good enough to take on a race against 88 or AJ etc. I am only in really bad shape against the famous five (AA KK QQ AK AQ).
Unfortunately, it was about as bad as it could be - pocket Kings ! The flop was pretty bad also: all fives, leaving me needing running Queens (or running Aces, or the case 5 to tie for the pot).
So, I fell in 11th and almost simultaneously our captain, Gandi, was caught out in a move with 7-3 which was in really bad shape against A-3 for Lisa the dealer !
So, just one survivor from our team on the final table of 9 and unsurprisingly, all 4 of the qualifiers were dealers. The staff team has a 6 - 2 advantage in players going into tonight's final which may even mean they are guaranteed the win).
I stuck around to watch the end of the tourney, and then played PLO .... more on that in the next post.
Could I really play two tournaments simultaneously ? A little bit sick (perhaps?) but when I arrived and mooted the idea, it was received by most people as almost sensible. Half a dozen others followed my lead !
My plan was to try to get quickly from 500 to 5,000 chips in the rebuy, then concentrate on the staff/punters fixture. If I survived in both games, my gameplan was to give priority to the team event and play positionally and very aggressively in the other game. That is, I would jump into that game when I was in late position and look to play big pots.
Conveniently, seat D3 in one tournament and C5 in the other were almost adjacent, which helped me considerably.
I managed to triple up twice in the rebuy (unfortunately going bust in between times) but never made the kind of progress I needed. So, after 5 rebuys and with only 5 minutes left in the rebuy period, I decided to throw in the towel there.
Meanwhile in the other event, 15 punters and 12 dealers (all the staff were dealers, some very strong players indeed) had started out, but right from the off the dealers had the better of it. In the very first hand, Dom (with T8 suited) knocked out Swiss Marco (J9) when the turn made a straight and 2-pair respectively.
All of the next 6 eliminations were punters as well and with collusive play allowed, it became even harder for the remaining players to fend off the home team. Not only that, but the dealers were outrageously lucky !
To give you a flavour .... with 14 players left, Haresh for the dealers moved in with K9-spades. Our player, Dharm, in the big blind dwelled and eventually made a good all-in call with KT. The flop was all spades ! That was kind of how it went all night.
The atmosphere was boisterous, to say the least !
I had played very tight. I played less than 10 hands all night I think and was all-in on most of those. We were playing 400/800 and I had only 6,900 left [5,000 starting chips]. We were 6-handed (of the 11 players left at this stage, 8 were dealers!).
I picked up KQ and decided this was good enough, especially with blinds about to rise to 500/1,000. Haresh raised UTG and I pushed from the Big Blind. I thought there was a small chance that he would fold but mainly I felt KQ was good enough to take on a race against 88 or AJ etc. I am only in really bad shape against the famous five (AA KK QQ AK AQ).
Unfortunately, it was about as bad as it could be - pocket Kings ! The flop was pretty bad also: all fives, leaving me needing running Queens (or running Aces, or the case 5 to tie for the pot).
So, I fell in 11th and almost simultaneously our captain, Gandi, was caught out in a move with 7-3 which was in really bad shape against A-3 for Lisa the dealer !
So, just one survivor from our team on the final table of 9 and unsurprisingly, all 4 of the qualifiers were dealers. The staff team has a 6 - 2 advantage in players going into tonight's final which may even mean they are guaranteed the win).
I stuck around to watch the end of the tourney, and then played PLO .... more on that in the next post.
Wednesday 10 December 2008
Taking a Punt
I'm going to The International to play tonight. Most recently I was there for a rather disappointing showing in the live running of the forum game.
Tonight, there is a £5 rebuy - a revival of the legendary format from the days of Gutshot. I'd like to play and win that, but I'm in fact going to represent "The Punters" in a team match vs "The Staff".
The format is an MTT of 30 runners - 15 staff and 15 punters. The top four (which could be any combination of staff or punters I guess) will play in a final on Friday against the top four of 30 who played on Monday. Those 8 players score points that determine the winning team.
Obviously the whole thing is designed to be a bit of fun, although I suspect the play is still pretty serious at the same time. I know that the two "punters" who qualified on Monday were very solid players. Not too sure about the staff qualifiers though. As far as I know, they were non-poker players. From afar, I suspect a stitch-up of some kind !
In any case, I'll be hoping to do well as I feel in need of a good result. Although - being objective - my record in MTTs at the new club isn't actually that bad. Played 3, cashed in 2 (not counting the live forum game).
Still, I have not actually won a tournament of any kind for ages. The last one I can think of was the private £50 rebuy game back in July.
I suppose I can't actually "win" tonight either, as the format is effectively a satellite, but I'll settled for qualifying whilst being in the chip lead.
Tonight, there is a £5 rebuy - a revival of the legendary format from the days of Gutshot. I'd like to play and win that, but I'm in fact going to represent "The Punters" in a team match vs "The Staff".
The format is an MTT of 30 runners - 15 staff and 15 punters. The top four (which could be any combination of staff or punters I guess) will play in a final on Friday against the top four of 30 who played on Monday. Those 8 players score points that determine the winning team.
Obviously the whole thing is designed to be a bit of fun, although I suspect the play is still pretty serious at the same time. I know that the two "punters" who qualified on Monday were very solid players. Not too sure about the staff qualifiers though. As far as I know, they were non-poker players. From afar, I suspect a stitch-up of some kind !
In any case, I'll be hoping to do well as I feel in need of a good result. Although - being objective - my record in MTTs at the new club isn't actually that bad. Played 3, cashed in 2 (not counting the live forum game).
Still, I have not actually won a tournament of any kind for ages. The last one I can think of was the private £50 rebuy game back in July.
I suppose I can't actually "win" tonight either, as the format is effectively a satellite, but I'll settled for qualifying whilst being in the chip lead.
A Tens Finale
I waited 10 months for the forum league final. In fact, I had been waiting the longest of any of the runners as I qualified first. I was guaranteed my seat, more or less, just 8 days into the campaign. I had won the first MTT (28 runners) and finished 2nd in the next game (30 runners) so my lead was essentially insurmountable already.
I actually won the next month as well and again in June (so I would have qualified then if I had not already - but the rules sensibly called for the runner up to qualify instead).
Eventually, the final came around. I was very much hoping that the karma would be with me.
It seemed it might me.
Early on, I opened for 200 (blinds 25/50) with 5-2o (the Gutshot powerhouse) and received one caller. I was rewarded with an A-2-2 flop !
I decided to play it very cautiously. Check/check on the flop. I bet 325 when the turn came a Ten (called) and then checked the river, hoping to pick up a bet. My opponent bet about half the pot and I decided that it was best to just call on the basis that the only hand that gives me action on this paired board is a house of 9s or Tens.
That was probably too cautious. My opponent showed JJ so I probably did not miss much. It's also important to realise that my hand wasn't all that disguised. In the forum game, you have to assume that 5-2 is always a major part of any player's range !
After playing very tight for the first 2 or 3 levels, I undoubtedly got too busy out of position and then compounded the error by not being prepared to back up my aggression. For example, in the big blind I called an EP min-raise with 7-6. Probably should have just folded right there.
The flop (K-7-2) was checked around. I now check-raised the turn (a nine) hoping to take it down, but the pre-flop raiser called. An Ace came on the river and I gave up. My remaining stack was about the size of the pot and I was covered. I checked, and the other player checked behind with QQ.
If I push on the river, then he may have some doubts that the Ace really helped me but for nearly all his chips, will he really call ? Actually, in many MTTs online I will push here and then be shocked when I get called by 88. But this player, I know, was pretty tight and I am all but certain that the move will work.
This aborted steal moved me from the chip lead down to 8th, and now I had to lay down twice after raising with suited AQ and AJ and being re-raised (both times the re-raiser had KK and showed). This put me on <10BB, and onto life support.
However, I got a double up when I re-raised all-in with 88 and was called by AK. The board ran out J-3-3-J-Q. I thought for a moment that the double pair had counterfeited my hand, but this pot took me back up into 2nd place !
It seemed like I was going to get a second chance, but in tournaments you are only ever one hand away from disaster.
pokemon opened from UTG+1 for 1,800 (blinds 300/600). I held red Tens on the button, with my newly doubled stack of 12,000. pokemon, a very solid player who had taken a player out with AA vs AK, had 22k and the chip lead.
Part of me said "don't tussle with the chip-leader. respect the early position raise. give him credit for a tight range" but more of me said "he can't call 12k. TT is the 5th best hand in hold'em. gotta be in it to win it".
Usually in these cases, I reason that there is no point in a potentially committing raise, so I pushed all in.
Of course he snap-calls with KK and it's all over. I am livid with myself !
Actually, I nearly got away with it when I turned the open-ended straight, but the best hand won and pokemon went on to dominate the event until he did eventually lose out to CarpeDiemD who seized the big pay-day in the end.
I am still slightly in two minds about my move. 20BB deep, I do find a hand as good as TT hard to get away from, but in hindsight I think I need to give a tight player in early position credit for a very narrow range. Depending on how he's feeling, he's probably only laying down AQ !
In reality, I probably should simply open-fold the hand. Afterwards, I can't believe I have waited so long only to get so impatient. I feel really quite upset at losing out.
However, CarpeDiemD (Dru from the forum - actually this is him) is a very good player who deserved the win. He's already cashed in WSOP events, so there's a decent chance that he will turn this package into something big. I have 2% of his action, so I'm not completely out of it !
I actually won the next month as well and again in June (so I would have qualified then if I had not already - but the rules sensibly called for the runner up to qualify instead).
Eventually, the final came around. I was very much hoping that the karma would be with me.
It seemed it might me.
Early on, I opened for 200 (blinds 25/50) with 5-2o (the Gutshot powerhouse) and received one caller. I was rewarded with an A-2-2 flop !
I decided to play it very cautiously. Check/check on the flop. I bet 325 when the turn came a Ten (called) and then checked the river, hoping to pick up a bet. My opponent bet about half the pot and I decided that it was best to just call on the basis that the only hand that gives me action on this paired board is a house of 9s or Tens.
That was probably too cautious. My opponent showed JJ so I probably did not miss much. It's also important to realise that my hand wasn't all that disguised. In the forum game, you have to assume that 5-2 is always a major part of any player's range !
After playing very tight for the first 2 or 3 levels, I undoubtedly got too busy out of position and then compounded the error by not being prepared to back up my aggression. For example, in the big blind I called an EP min-raise with 7-6. Probably should have just folded right there.
The flop (K-7-2) was checked around. I now check-raised the turn (a nine) hoping to take it down, but the pre-flop raiser called. An Ace came on the river and I gave up. My remaining stack was about the size of the pot and I was covered. I checked, and the other player checked behind with QQ.
If I push on the river, then he may have some doubts that the Ace really helped me but for nearly all his chips, will he really call ? Actually, in many MTTs online I will push here and then be shocked when I get called by 88. But this player, I know, was pretty tight and I am all but certain that the move will work.
This aborted steal moved me from the chip lead down to 8th, and now I had to lay down twice after raising with suited AQ and AJ and being re-raised (both times the re-raiser had KK and showed). This put me on <10BB, and onto life support.
However, I got a double up when I re-raised all-in with 88 and was called by AK. The board ran out J-3-3-J-Q. I thought for a moment that the double pair had counterfeited my hand, but this pot took me back up into 2nd place !
It seemed like I was going to get a second chance, but in tournaments you are only ever one hand away from disaster.
pokemon opened from UTG+1 for 1,800 (blinds 300/600). I held red Tens on the button, with my newly doubled stack of 12,000. pokemon, a very solid player who had taken a player out with AA vs AK, had 22k and the chip lead.
Part of me said "don't tussle with the chip-leader. respect the early position raise. give him credit for a tight range" but more of me said "he can't call 12k. TT is the 5th best hand in hold'em. gotta be in it to win it".
Usually in these cases, I reason that there is no point in a potentially committing raise, so I pushed all in.
Of course he snap-calls with KK and it's all over. I am livid with myself !
Actually, I nearly got away with it when I turned the open-ended straight, but the best hand won and pokemon went on to dominate the event until he did eventually lose out to CarpeDiemD who seized the big pay-day in the end.
I am still slightly in two minds about my move. 20BB deep, I do find a hand as good as TT hard to get away from, but in hindsight I think I need to give a tight player in early position credit for a very narrow range. Depending on how he's feeling, he's probably only laying down AQ !
In reality, I probably should simply open-fold the hand. Afterwards, I can't believe I have waited so long only to get so impatient. I feel really quite upset at losing out.
However, CarpeDiemD (Dru from the forum - actually this is him) is a very good player who deserved the win. He's already cashed in WSOP events, so there's a decent chance that he will turn this package into something big. I have 2% of his action, so I'm not completely out of it !
Monday 8 December 2008
And Finally
It's been a long time since my last post. It also feels like a long time since I was last in Las Vegas, although it was less than 6 months ago.
Likewise, it feels like an eternity since I won my seat to go to Vegas for the 2008 WSOP. That was back in early February just a few days after I had resigned from my job. So, at the time, it was an immensely symbolic win.
A few days after the victory, I played in and won the first game in the Gutshot Forum League.
That league has now run its course, and today is the final. The league was a series of weekly MTTs scoring points towards a monthly winner. The 10 monthly winners line up today to play a single table for a winner-takes-all prize of a trip to the WSOP 2009.
I had a strong record in the league - winning 6 of my 30 appearances (more than any other player) and scoring the most points overall.
In the final we have other players who were stalwarts throughout the series (like "Ron Burgundy" and "Sweet Baby Jane"). Both of these players are very well known posters on the forum although in the latter case, no one actually knows who s/he really is.
Also in the game tonight we have some relative newcomers like "lostuzos", who only started participating in the league at the 11th hour but blitzed the November qualification, and "Hofzinser" who likewise came late to the league but took it somewhat by storm once he was involved.
Unlike "lostuzos" (who won his place by a convincing margin), Hofzinser sneaked in by the narrowest of margins imaginable - a single point separated him from the next-placed runner and only 5 points separated the top 4 ! (307-306-305-302).
However, it's a totally level playing field again tonight although I feel a certain "right" to win the final on the basis of my record from start to finish. Of course, it doesn't work like that !
I'm hoping that I'll get the right feel for the game tonight. I'm sure whoever wins it will have to survive a few all-too-exciting all-in moments especially when we get to the heads-up stage. Having said that, it will be far from a crapshoot - we have 10,000 chips and a 15-minute clock which is a very deep structure.
In truth, something a bit more rapid-fire would probably suit me better, but it's the same for everyone !
Likewise, it feels like an eternity since I won my seat to go to Vegas for the 2008 WSOP. That was back in early February just a few days after I had resigned from my job. So, at the time, it was an immensely symbolic win.
A few days after the victory, I played in and won the first game in the Gutshot Forum League.
That league has now run its course, and today is the final. The league was a series of weekly MTTs scoring points towards a monthly winner. The 10 monthly winners line up today to play a single table for a winner-takes-all prize of a trip to the WSOP 2009.
I had a strong record in the league - winning 6 of my 30 appearances (more than any other player) and scoring the most points overall.
In the final we have other players who were stalwarts throughout the series (like "Ron Burgundy" and "Sweet Baby Jane"). Both of these players are very well known posters on the forum although in the latter case, no one actually knows who s/he really is.
Also in the game tonight we have some relative newcomers like "lostuzos", who only started participating in the league at the 11th hour but blitzed the November qualification, and "Hofzinser" who likewise came late to the league but took it somewhat by storm once he was involved.
Unlike "lostuzos" (who won his place by a convincing margin), Hofzinser sneaked in by the narrowest of margins imaginable - a single point separated him from the next-placed runner and only 5 points separated the top 4 ! (307-306-305-302).
However, it's a totally level playing field again tonight although I feel a certain "right" to win the final on the basis of my record from start to finish. Of course, it doesn't work like that !
I'm hoping that I'll get the right feel for the game tonight. I'm sure whoever wins it will have to survive a few all-too-exciting all-in moments especially when we get to the heads-up stage. Having said that, it will be far from a crapshoot - we have 10,000 chips and a 15-minute clock which is a very deep structure.
In truth, something a bit more rapid-fire would probably suit me better, but it's the same for everyone !
Monday 24 November 2008
Watch This Space
I know that many of you have been watching this space and wondering, well, why it is still a space ?
Where are the new posts ! It's not as though I haven't been playing poker. Ironically, playing more poker has probably meant less to write about. Also, not winning has an impact on posting frequency !
In truth, I hadn't realised myself just how long it's been since I put up some new blogs.
This one doesn't really count, I guess, but it's a start.
More coming ....
Where are the new posts ! It's not as though I haven't been playing poker. Ironically, playing more poker has probably meant less to write about. Also, not winning has an impact on posting frequency !
In truth, I hadn't realised myself just how long it's been since I put up some new blogs.
This one doesn't really count, I guess, but it's a start.
More coming ....
Tuesday 30 September 2008
Stepping Up ...
The 13th time lucky continues....
Step1 / Step1 / Step2 / Step2 / Step1 / Step2 / Step1 / Step2 / Step2 / Step3 / Step3 / Step4 ....
In that last Step3, I was in a fine chip lead until one aggressive player took out 4th and 5th in one hand. I fell back into 3rd a short while later but the others were both very keen to put chips in the middle so I just waited for one to knock the other out and hey presto !
In Step4, we're looking for 1st or 2nd to progress. 3rd is a retry. 4th and 5th are back to Step3 which would be OK I guess and even 6th is a fresh try at Step2 so it's super-tight to begin with I suppose.
Step1 / Step1 / Step2 / Step2 / Step1 / Step2 / Step1 / Step2 / Step2 / Step3 / Step3 / Step4 ....
In that last Step3, I was in a fine chip lead until one aggressive player took out 4th and 5th in one hand. I fell back into 3rd a short while later but the others were both very keen to put chips in the middle so I just waited for one to knock the other out and hey presto !
In Step4, we're looking for 1st or 2nd to progress. 3rd is a retry. 4th and 5th are back to Step3 which would be OK I guess and even 6th is a fresh try at Step2 so it's super-tight to begin with I suppose.
Won in a Million
I've stayed away from the Pokerstars Sunday Million recently. One reason is that there are some other good events on Sunday night which are better value - the $11 "Two Hundred Grand" as well as the $11 rebuy and a couple of $10 large-field events. Those tournaments seem to offer the potential of a large cash with softer competition and rather less outlay.
At $215, the Million is not cheap !
However, after some respectable cash performances of late I decided at the last click to buy-in.
My previous best was a scrape into the cash at 1,032nd place (1,080 places paying, which is normal I think).
This weekend, I must say I had better than average cards. This, combined with a basically very tight approach, saw me set a new bar for me to try to beat -- I was 383/7,311 which scored $750 (the 4th payoff band).
The moment around the bubble is usually pretty tense. As we approached the critical 1,081st place, I was on 30k chips (a little less than half the average, with blinds 1,500/3,000/300). I determined that it was best to wait till the bubble passed before getting busy again.
Then, Aces under-the-gun ! Well .... I elected to limp and hope one of the big-stacks would push to take advantage of my presumed reluctance to call on the absolute bubble. As it happened, it was even better. A 27k stack in mid-position pushed and it folded to me. Now I could call with impunity. I obviously have the best hand and stand to more than double up BUT if I lose, then I will still pass the bubble with 7k left.
I call, he shows Tens. My Aces hold, and I now am positioned to make a run at the higher money. In fact it was good for another 700 places, as we now know.
The wheels finally came off when with about 88k chips (blinds 4,000/8,000 with an 800 ante by now), there was a min-raise in mid-position and I decided that KJ-suited was enough to push back from the big-blind - I had the raiser covered. Unfortunately he had Kings and those held.
This left me with just 12k and after posting the small blind, I had just 1 big blind left !
The button called and with 76o, I eyed the huge odds and put in my last 8k. The BB and button both called and checked it down. The board came 6-high so I was actually fairly confident, and indeed I picked up a 42k pot when they both showed KJ.
I picked up the blinds and antes one time to be on 59k when I made my fatal move.
In mid/early, I faced another min-raise in front of me. I had mentally decided that my KQo would have to be enough with only 7BB in my stack. I probably should have waited till I could move first, but I hoped that the raiser might well have a hand I was racing with.
Unfortunately he had AK. I perhaps should have waited as he had hardly raised a single hand.
I hit my Queen as it happens, but JT also fell so AK made broadway and I made for the exit.
At $215, the Million is not cheap !
However, after some respectable cash performances of late I decided at the last click to buy-in.
My previous best was a scrape into the cash at 1,032nd place (1,080 places paying, which is normal I think).
This weekend, I must say I had better than average cards. This, combined with a basically very tight approach, saw me set a new bar for me to try to beat -- I was 383/7,311 which scored $750 (the 4th payoff band).
The moment around the bubble is usually pretty tense. As we approached the critical 1,081st place, I was on 30k chips (a little less than half the average, with blinds 1,500/3,000/300). I determined that it was best to wait till the bubble passed before getting busy again.
Then, Aces under-the-gun ! Well .... I elected to limp and hope one of the big-stacks would push to take advantage of my presumed reluctance to call on the absolute bubble. As it happened, it was even better. A 27k stack in mid-position pushed and it folded to me. Now I could call with impunity. I obviously have the best hand and stand to more than double up BUT if I lose, then I will still pass the bubble with 7k left.
I call, he shows Tens. My Aces hold, and I now am positioned to make a run at the higher money. In fact it was good for another 700 places, as we now know.
The wheels finally came off when with about 88k chips (blinds 4,000/8,000 with an 800 ante by now), there was a min-raise in mid-position and I decided that KJ-suited was enough to push back from the big-blind - I had the raiser covered. Unfortunately he had Kings and those held.
This left me with just 12k and after posting the small blind, I had just 1 big blind left !
The button called and with 76o, I eyed the huge odds and put in my last 8k. The BB and button both called and checked it down. The board came 6-high so I was actually fairly confident, and indeed I picked up a 42k pot when they both showed KJ.
I picked up the blinds and antes one time to be on 59k when I made my fatal move.
In mid/early, I faced another min-raise in front of me. I had mentally decided that my KQo would have to be enough with only 7BB in my stack. I probably should have waited till I could move first, but I hoped that the raiser might well have a hand I was racing with.
Unfortunately he had AK. I perhaps should have waited as he had hardly raised a single hand.
I hit my Queen as it happens, but JT also fell so AK made broadway and I made for the exit.
Lucky Thirteen ?
One step forward, one step back so far ... S1 .. S2 ... S2 ... S1 ... S2
I'm playing pretty conservatively - playing tight in an effort to ensure I reach the stage where at least a Step1 retry is assured before pushing for the win. It's a combination of satellite and cash SnG strategy. To be fair I am not expert at all on either of those disciplines, so I'm not sure how well this bodes.
If I did manage to spin this 13th and last buy-in into an EPT seat, it would be a great story so I'm holding on to that slender hope for now.
If I don't, well I'll probably just try again !
I'm playing pretty conservatively - playing tight in an effort to ensure I reach the stage where at least a Step1 retry is assured before pushing for the win. It's a combination of satellite and cash SnG strategy. To be fair I am not expert at all on either of those disciplines, so I'm not sure how well this bodes.
If I did manage to spin this 13th and last buy-in into an EPT seat, it would be a great story so I'm holding on to that slender hope for now.
If I don't, well I'll probably just try again !
Monday 29 September 2008
12-Step Programme
After falling short once-again in a major tournament (the WSOPE £1,500), I do not think I will be pulling up the entry fee for another title shot this year. In particular, I will give the EPT London (£5,000) a miss as well as the GUKPT Grand Final (£3,000).
However, I thought I would give EPT qualification a try. I've never been much of a satellite player - I entered the $33 rebuy (turbo) and was 4th in chips at one point before losing with Aces ..... hey ho ....
I also decided to try the pokerstars "steps" which is potentially a nice way in.
You start with a $7.50 9-man SnG and if you finish in the top 2, you progress to Step2. From Step 2, you are aiming to move on to Step 3 and so on. At each stage, you can advance to the next level (for top 2), or get a retry at the same level (3rd, sometimes 4th and even 5th) or get an entry back in at a lower level.
Of course, you can also bust (9th through 6th is always goodbye).
There are 6 steps altogether - at Step 6 you are looking at winning an EPT package and/or some consolation cash.
I decided I would invest about $100 in this venture - so I decided on an arbitrary 12 attempts at Step1. In the past, I have sometimes sustained a long innings with just a small investment.
Alas, my efforts were not covered in glory. I did "cash" a total of 6 times - 4x winning the table and progressing to Step 2, twice gaining a free retry.
I reached step3 a total of three times, but I didn't even threaten to move up to Step4 which is where it ceases to be a turbo format and the real game starts (Step 4 is a $215 buy-in if you start there).
I think, as I write this, that I might go for "lucky 13" - 12 entries is $10 short of $100 so I have one "golden ticket" left. Could this be the one ? I'll let you know later although I can take a good guess right now !
However, I thought I would give EPT qualification a try. I've never been much of a satellite player - I entered the $33 rebuy (turbo) and was 4th in chips at one point before losing with Aces ..... hey ho ....
I also decided to try the pokerstars "steps" which is potentially a nice way in.
You start with a $7.50 9-man SnG and if you finish in the top 2, you progress to Step2. From Step 2, you are aiming to move on to Step 3 and so on. At each stage, you can advance to the next level (for top 2), or get a retry at the same level (3rd, sometimes 4th and even 5th) or get an entry back in at a lower level.
Of course, you can also bust (9th through 6th is always goodbye).
There are 6 steps altogether - at Step 6 you are looking at winning an EPT package and/or some consolation cash.
I decided I would invest about $100 in this venture - so I decided on an arbitrary 12 attempts at Step1. In the past, I have sometimes sustained a long innings with just a small investment.
Alas, my efforts were not covered in glory. I did "cash" a total of 6 times - 4x winning the table and progressing to Step 2, twice gaining a free retry.
I reached step3 a total of three times, but I didn't even threaten to move up to Step4 which is where it ceases to be a turbo format and the real game starts (Step 4 is a $215 buy-in if you start there).
I think, as I write this, that I might go for "lucky 13" - 12 entries is $10 short of $100 so I have one "golden ticket" left. Could this be the one ? I'll let you know later although I can take a good guess right now !
Monday 22 September 2008
Update ...
My player reading skills clearly need a lot of work still. The player whom I identified as looking very weak and uncomfortable in the hand where I exited turns out to have been French pro Remy Biechel so I guess he knew what he was doing ...
Sunday 21 September 2008
The ABC of Poker - part2
I can now announce that ABC stands for Avoid Bad Calls.
It's the £1,500 NLH event at the WSOPE. I'm on my ever-longer quest to make a decent showing in on of these larger tournaments.
I feel pretty good about my prospects - not that I think I have a genuinely good chance, it's simply that I decided to feel confident. Never a bad thing in poker.
I was speaking to someone the other day who said (apparently in earnest) that feeling confident meant you actually got dealt better hands. I certainly wouldn't go that far, but I think it is obvious that playing with confidence will give you a better chance in the same way that timid, fearful play is certain to be pounced on by better players.
Conscious of my oft-repeated mistakes of getting too active early in these tournaments, I play tight early on. My task is made easier because I am dealt a 3 in every hand for the first two orbits - I did get pocket 3s one time and took down a small pot by betting out on the AKJ-flop.
My first table looks pretty safe - there are no big names as far as I can see although I recognise 3 or 4 from the poker circuit generally and the fella on my right seems to be a high-stakes cash player on pokerstars, over here to play the whole series.
I advance to about 7k before our table is broken. Nothing too remarkable has happened to me, but some of the hands that I was not involved in were manic. The most notable being the following monster pot:
EP raises and is called by MP player and one of the blinds. The flop is T99 with two diamonds. check/Bet/call/call. Turn 8d. check/Bet/call/call.
River 7c. Check/bet/all-in/check-raise all-in over the top. Now the last to act says "I'm not slow-rolling, I have a decision" and he eventually calls with 8s-full. The first all-in has Quad-9s and the crai player had the Nut flush with the Jack of diamonds as a straight-flush blocker.
That's action ! I have to say the flush should have found a fold.
The Quad-9 player kept being moved with me and he created huge pots wherever he went.
I am still plodding along quietly waiting for my chance to get dealt a big hand ! Meanwhile, I keep up with the blinds with some re-raise action. I take a knock back when I re-raise the cut-off with AJ, only to face an all-in. I fold, and he claims to have had KK.
I often try to over-compensate after losing chips - but at 4,725 I am not in imminent danger and I recover to above the 6k starting stack with a hand that I feel I played well enough - UTG with AK, I make it 700, receiving a call only from the Big Blind who I have identified as a good, solid player.
The flop being A92 with two hearts. He checks, and I check behind. The Jd comes on the turn. Checked to me. I now bet 700 which is called. Another 9 on the river. When it is checked to me, I put in a value bet of 1,000 which is paid off by AT.
We're broken again in the middle of the 100/200/25 level - back into the main part of the casino. Me and Quad-9s join the table where Annette_15 has just busted.
It's all action straight away. The player on my right opens for 400. Raised to 1,600 by a late-position player. Quad 9's calls. The big blind makes it 5,000 more. The original raiser folds and now the late-position raiser moves all-in for about 10,000. NOW, Quad-9s moves all-in on top of that which forces the big-blind to lay down.
Presumably we are looking at Aces vs Kings, or maybe Aces vs Aces ? No. JJ vs AK. The board changes nothing and Quad-9s doubles up the other player.
An orbit or so later, I pick up AK myself and raise two limpers - making it 1,650 total. Maybe a bit steep ? All fold.
The very next hand, I have AK again. I make it 575 which is my standard raise with 525 in the pots from the blinds and antes. The player in the cut-off calls. The big blind makes what looks like a reluctant call.
The flop is dealt - Qs6s3h.
BB checks to me and I make what amounts to a critical error. I feel I should bet (that may be an error right there) but crucially I miscalculated the pot and bet 1,700 which in fact was about 85% of the pot. Too much.
The cut-off folded and the big-blind looked pretty uncomfortable. He dwelled up for ages and looked very much like he was mucking as well until all of a sudden something seemed to click and he pushed all-in for about 7k - covering me anyway.
OK. Tournament decision. I have been burned so many times calling all in when I felt that I needed to gamble so my first instinct was to fold, of course.
I tried to think it through logically. On the one hand I have no-pair / no-draw. On the other hand, if I call and win I finally have some chips. If I fold, I am back down to 4,250 and in a short while we're going to 150/300 with antes.
A check-raise all-in is supposed to be a strong move but this player looked weak to me. Still, I have nothing ! I'm getting a good price though - something like 5/2 although it was actually a little less than I thought.
Obviously the BB could have a set of 6s or 3s in which case I am in huge trouble. He could have 2pair (6s and 3s presumably). But, in fact, I think he has a draw and if he has As7s say then we're about even. If he has a pair then I am about 25% - not a mile short of what I need.
Still, it is for my tournament - it's much better to be the one pushing !
I must say at the end of the decision I was seduced by the thought of making a heroic winning, call and I pushed the chips in.
He showed Q8-hearts for top pair/8-kicker and a backdoor flush. I needed an Ace or King and to be honest, I felt it was coming, but it wasn't !
That call was probably a mistake. The 1,700 was certainly an error.
ABC - Avoid Being Committed
It's the £1,500 NLH event at the WSOPE. I'm on my ever-longer quest to make a decent showing in on of these larger tournaments.
I feel pretty good about my prospects - not that I think I have a genuinely good chance, it's simply that I decided to feel confident. Never a bad thing in poker.
I was speaking to someone the other day who said (apparently in earnest) that feeling confident meant you actually got dealt better hands. I certainly wouldn't go that far, but I think it is obvious that playing with confidence will give you a better chance in the same way that timid, fearful play is certain to be pounced on by better players.
Conscious of my oft-repeated mistakes of getting too active early in these tournaments, I play tight early on. My task is made easier because I am dealt a 3 in every hand for the first two orbits - I did get pocket 3s one time and took down a small pot by betting out on the AKJ-flop.
My first table looks pretty safe - there are no big names as far as I can see although I recognise 3 or 4 from the poker circuit generally and the fella on my right seems to be a high-stakes cash player on pokerstars, over here to play the whole series.
I advance to about 7k before our table is broken. Nothing too remarkable has happened to me, but some of the hands that I was not involved in were manic. The most notable being the following monster pot:
EP raises and is called by MP player and one of the blinds. The flop is T99 with two diamonds. check/Bet/call/call. Turn 8d. check/Bet/call/call.
River 7c. Check/bet/all-in/check-raise all-in over the top. Now the last to act says "I'm not slow-rolling, I have a decision" and he eventually calls with 8s-full. The first all-in has Quad-9s and the crai player had the Nut flush with the Jack of diamonds as a straight-flush blocker.
That's action ! I have to say the flush should have found a fold.
The Quad-9 player kept being moved with me and he created huge pots wherever he went.
I am still plodding along quietly waiting for my chance to get dealt a big hand ! Meanwhile, I keep up with the blinds with some re-raise action. I take a knock back when I re-raise the cut-off with AJ, only to face an all-in. I fold, and he claims to have had KK.
I often try to over-compensate after losing chips - but at 4,725 I am not in imminent danger and I recover to above the 6k starting stack with a hand that I feel I played well enough - UTG with AK, I make it 700, receiving a call only from the Big Blind who I have identified as a good, solid player.
The flop being A92 with two hearts. He checks, and I check behind. The Jd comes on the turn. Checked to me. I now bet 700 which is called. Another 9 on the river. When it is checked to me, I put in a value bet of 1,000 which is paid off by AT.
We're broken again in the middle of the 100/200/25 level - back into the main part of the casino. Me and Quad-9s join the table where Annette_15 has just busted.
It's all action straight away. The player on my right opens for 400. Raised to 1,600 by a late-position player. Quad 9's calls. The big blind makes it 5,000 more. The original raiser folds and now the late-position raiser moves all-in for about 10,000. NOW, Quad-9s moves all-in on top of that which forces the big-blind to lay down.
Presumably we are looking at Aces vs Kings, or maybe Aces vs Aces ? No. JJ vs AK. The board changes nothing and Quad-9s doubles up the other player.
An orbit or so later, I pick up AK myself and raise two limpers - making it 1,650 total. Maybe a bit steep ? All fold.
The very next hand, I have AK again. I make it 575 which is my standard raise with 525 in the pots from the blinds and antes. The player in the cut-off calls. The big blind makes what looks like a reluctant call.
The flop is dealt - Qs6s3h.
BB checks to me and I make what amounts to a critical error. I feel I should bet (that may be an error right there) but crucially I miscalculated the pot and bet 1,700 which in fact was about 85% of the pot. Too much.
The cut-off folded and the big-blind looked pretty uncomfortable. He dwelled up for ages and looked very much like he was mucking as well until all of a sudden something seemed to click and he pushed all-in for about 7k - covering me anyway.
OK. Tournament decision. I have been burned so many times calling all in when I felt that I needed to gamble so my first instinct was to fold, of course.
I tried to think it through logically. On the one hand I have no-pair / no-draw. On the other hand, if I call and win I finally have some chips. If I fold, I am back down to 4,250 and in a short while we're going to 150/300 with antes.
A check-raise all-in is supposed to be a strong move but this player looked weak to me. Still, I have nothing ! I'm getting a good price though - something like 5/2 although it was actually a little less than I thought.
Obviously the BB could have a set of 6s or 3s in which case I am in huge trouble. He could have 2pair (6s and 3s presumably). But, in fact, I think he has a draw and if he has As7s say then we're about even. If he has a pair then I am about 25% - not a mile short of what I need.
Still, it is for my tournament - it's much better to be the one pushing !
I must say at the end of the decision I was seduced by the thought of making a heroic winning, call and I pushed the chips in.
He showed Q8-hearts for top pair/8-kicker and a backdoor flush. I needed an Ace or King and to be honest, I felt it was coming, but it wasn't !
That call was probably a mistake. The 1,700 was certainly an error.
ABC - Avoid Being Committed
Friday 19 September 2008
The ABC of Poker - part1
I fear that poker by acronyms is unlikely to be winning poker, but I have to start somewhere.In a little over 24hours I will be sitting down at the WSOPE £1,500 event trying once again to make Day2 of a major event.
This time I'm going to try to get there by playing ABC poker.
I am beginning to think that one of these days I may have to fold my way past the 2-day event-horizon just to say I've done it. I believe this is literally possible at some of the really slow-clock events - I'm almost certain it was possible at the WSOP Main Event, for example.
Poker by pithy quote is also likely to be a losing formula but "In order to live, you must be willing to die" (attributed to Amir Vahedi) is one of my favourites.
I must say I think I have usually been prepared to put my chips in jeopardy with the best of them. Not for nothing have I earned the "H-bomb" moniker.
However, I have noticed of late that I am suffering from a fear of failure - basically, I don't want to donk out of a big tournament.
"Big" obviously is a completely arbitrary label. It applied in my case to the £5 rebuy at Gutshot the other day because the tournament was so important to me in historical terms.
It applied in the WSOP Main Event this year because - although I had got there for $5 including travel & hotel - it was my first ever and I felt a sense of obligation to do well.
It has also applied in the GUKPT earlier this year, say. £1,000 in that case, or £1,500 in the case of WSOPE is far from small change.
So - ABC poker. For today's purposes, ABC is going to mean "Always Be Counting". It's a technique I have been trying to use to help me with my tournament game in a few ways.The idea is that by continually and consciously staying on top of all the important numbers - the opponents' stacks, the pot so far, the pot odds, the number of big blinds in my stack and so on - I can keep focussed on the game state and avoid big mistakes, and also avoid losing concentration.
If one thing is certain in poker it is that it's complicated - there are so many factors (including the cards!) but I do believe that the dominant "theory of poker" is actually the theory of stack sizes.
It's all about the chips, in other words. There's another "C" I can use in a later post .... In fact there are enough for a whole "The 7 C's of Poker" or somesuch ... C if for concentration, cards, chips and complexity and so on.
So what's it going to be tomorrow? Always Be Confident or Avoid Being Cocky ?
I'll have to let you know later - here's hoping for A Big Cash.
Thursday 18 September 2008
A Clerkenwell Farewell
It finally came to this – the last ever night of poker at the world-famous Gutshot Club. It was surely the duty of every friend of the club to turn out for the send-off.
I set off to pay my last respects, travelling via The Empire Casino in Leicester Square to buy in for the WSOPE £1,500 NLH. My tube journey there took me through Russell Square – a reminder of the pre-Clerkenwell origins of the club.
I stopped off at McDonald’s – pre-game preparation is so important .....my change included a crisp £5 note – likely to be the first of many I would need tonight !
When I arrived at the club, the queue was of epic proportions. Visually it was somewhat similar to the Northern Rock scenes of a year ago, but in a good way. Eventually I was signed up as #117, with just over an hour to go to kick-off.
In a break with some of the older traditions, the “shuffle up and deal” was given on time, but not before Barry came over the PA to urge the participants to make a collective world-record attempt – the first tournament where everyone is all in on the 1st hand ! It seems possible that this might have happened spontaneously in any case ...
So at our table and presumably many others, the 1st hand produced 9 rebuys !
I thought I may have made the perfect start when I turned Aces-up in that 10-way coup, but a rivered straight scooped the 5k. However, I did win three or four pots in a row with relentless all-in moves thereafter.
Meanwhile, George Achillea couldn’t buy a pot, especially off me, and nor could Barry. In Barry’s case, however, he was pleased as he made an attempt on the world rebuy record.
A typical pot would see something like this – a modest 5-way all in – Pocket Kings, pocket 5s (Barry), A4, pocket 9s (George). I’m in as well (blind, obviously). The flop comes 789 giving George top set. I have 65o – flopping the nuts (well near enough).
I had expressed doubt that much over a dozen rebuys would be possible in a 1hour period with self-dealing. However, I had not accounted for the accelerated pace of proceedings and the complete absence of post-flop action.
Barry managed to achieve 12 rebuys before winning a single pot, and eventually managed to top the previous record with 28. Allegedly a 30+ was recorded elsewhere in the room but that has yet to be scrutineered. After a period where I couldn’t lose a hand, and picked up 7,000 chips, I succeeded in getting to ground zero again before getting in 10 consecutive rebuys and finally finishing on a well-timed streak to hold 11,050 chips at the break – not far off triple the average, and an excellent return on twelve buy-ins.
After a lengthy first break where a record 180 buy-ins, 147 add-ons and 958 rebuys were totted up (that is one rebuy every 4 seconds on average), the second phase of carnage began. It was no time at all before we dropped below 100 runners, then lost half the field, and then with most of the short stacks now gone, some semblance of “real poker” emerged.
A second shout-out from Barry on the mic came to welcome, at the bar, multiple £5-rebuy champion Roland de Wolfe who is now more likely to be found playing in a $5k rebuy, but who can always be counted amongst the friends of the Gutshot.
I’m playing quite conservatively – recalling many previous tournaments where the urge to push has seized me with Q9o or some such. I’m also making laydowns that are not allowing the true H-bomber to shine through. However, I’m doing fine and above average when Al Hughes raises on his SB and I push with Jacks from the BB. He throws his hand away. I move solidly into the 20k+ - less than 25BB mind you, but OK.
A couple of hands later, Al is in early position and raises again – this time to 4k. I take a look at a red one and a black one – the rockets ! I elect to shove. Back to Al who decides he doesn’t like
being pushed around, and calls with two red deuces. Nice.
I’m mentally patting myself on the back for waiting for a great spot to get the chips in. The flop is all red, and on close inspection it contains two pointy-red ones whereas I have the curvy-red Ace. A pointy red turn and then a vicious 5d on the river sees my Aces flushed away.
I sense it is not to be when a half-round later I raise UTG with AJ, to be called by Al in the Big Blind. The flop contains 2 Jacks. Check/check. An offsuit 3 on the turn and Al shoves. I insta-call, and the case Jack is in his hand – with the 9 kicker. Revenge ?
Nope.
It could have been worse, but the river pairs the trey and Al even wins the odd chip as we chop the 500 small blind. Marvellous.
By now, the blinds have escalated to 1k/2k and I have no spots to get my chips in first.
I make it to the break at the end of that level – it’s about 1am and we are down to three tables, and not far from the money at 18th place.
I lose a chip race for the odd blues to be on exactly 8k as we start the 1,500/3,000 level. I will be Under-the-gun.
Oh no I won’t. The TD moves Al Hughes out of that spot, landing me in the blind one hand earlier.
John I makes it exactly 8k from the cut-off and it’s folded to me.
Coincidence ? I don’t know, but with 3,000 in, 5,000 left and the small blind next hand I think it is an automatic call. I don’t look at my cards and throw in the chips.
Are you sensing the karma yet?
25 of us left, 5k-2 call, getting 5:2 on my money.
I turn up my cards – yes indeed: 5-2 (of diamonds).
John has QJ of the same suit. It would be right and proper for this to have a happy ending, but I'm behind all the way despite picking up a deuce on the turn.
It’s all over.
So, it turns out the first time I get the powerhouse today is my last hand in a Gutshot tournament (well, the pseudo/suited-powerhouse anyway. It’ll have to do).
The End
I set off to pay my last respects, travelling via The Empire Casino in Leicester Square to buy in for the WSOPE £1,500 NLH. My tube journey there took me through Russell Square – a reminder of the pre-Clerkenwell origins of the club.
I stopped off at McDonald’s – pre-game preparation is so important .....my change included a crisp £5 note – likely to be the first of many I would need tonight !
When I arrived at the club, the queue was of epic proportions. Visually it was somewhat similar to the Northern Rock scenes of a year ago, but in a good way. Eventually I was signed up as #117, with just over an hour to go to kick-off.
In a break with some of the older traditions, the “shuffle up and deal” was given on time, but not before Barry came over the PA to urge the participants to make a collective world-record attempt – the first tournament where everyone is all in on the 1st hand ! It seems possible that this might have happened spontaneously in any case ...
So at our table and presumably many others, the 1st hand produced 9 rebuys !
I thought I may have made the perfect start when I turned Aces-up in that 10-way coup, but a rivered straight scooped the 5k. However, I did win three or four pots in a row with relentless all-in moves thereafter.
Meanwhile, George Achillea couldn’t buy a pot, especially off me, and nor could Barry. In Barry’s case, however, he was pleased as he made an attempt on the world rebuy record.
A typical pot would see something like this – a modest 5-way all in – Pocket Kings, pocket 5s (Barry), A4, pocket 9s (George). I’m in as well (blind, obviously). The flop comes 789 giving George top set. I have 65o – flopping the nuts (well near enough).
I had expressed doubt that much over a dozen rebuys would be possible in a 1hour period with self-dealing. However, I had not accounted for the accelerated pace of proceedings and the complete absence of post-flop action.
Barry managed to achieve 12 rebuys before winning a single pot, and eventually managed to top the previous record with 28. Allegedly a 30+ was recorded elsewhere in the room but that has yet to be scrutineered. After a period where I couldn’t lose a hand, and picked up 7,000 chips, I succeeded in getting to ground zero again before getting in 10 consecutive rebuys and finally finishing on a well-timed streak to hold 11,050 chips at the break – not far off triple the average, and an excellent return on twelve buy-ins.
After a lengthy first break where a record 180 buy-ins, 147 add-ons and 958 rebuys were totted up (that is one rebuy every 4 seconds on average), the second phase of carnage began. It was no time at all before we dropped below 100 runners, then lost half the field, and then with most of the short stacks now gone, some semblance of “real poker” emerged.
A second shout-out from Barry on the mic came to welcome, at the bar, multiple £5-rebuy champion Roland de Wolfe who is now more likely to be found playing in a $5k rebuy, but who can always be counted amongst the friends of the Gutshot.
I’m playing quite conservatively – recalling many previous tournaments where the urge to push has seized me with Q9o or some such. I’m also making laydowns that are not allowing the true H-bomber to shine through. However, I’m doing fine and above average when Al Hughes raises on his SB and I push with Jacks from the BB. He throws his hand away. I move solidly into the 20k+ - less than 25BB mind you, but OK.
A couple of hands later, Al is in early position and raises again – this time to 4k. I take a look at a red one and a black one – the rockets ! I elect to shove. Back to Al who decides he doesn’t like
being pushed around, and calls with two red deuces. Nice.
I’m mentally patting myself on the back for waiting for a great spot to get the chips in. The flop is all red, and on close inspection it contains two pointy-red ones whereas I have the curvy-red Ace. A pointy red turn and then a vicious 5d on the river sees my Aces flushed away.
I sense it is not to be when a half-round later I raise UTG with AJ, to be called by Al in the Big Blind. The flop contains 2 Jacks. Check/check. An offsuit 3 on the turn and Al shoves. I insta-call, and the case Jack is in his hand – with the 9 kicker. Revenge ?
Nope.
It could have been worse, but the river pairs the trey and Al even wins the odd chip as we chop the 500 small blind. Marvellous.
By now, the blinds have escalated to 1k/2k and I have no spots to get my chips in first.
I make it to the break at the end of that level – it’s about 1am and we are down to three tables, and not far from the money at 18th place.
I lose a chip race for the odd blues to be on exactly 8k as we start the 1,500/3,000 level. I will be Under-the-gun.
Oh no I won’t. The TD moves Al Hughes out of that spot, landing me in the blind one hand earlier.
John I makes it exactly 8k from the cut-off and it’s folded to me.
Coincidence ? I don’t know, but with 3,000 in, 5,000 left and the small blind next hand I think it is an automatic call. I don’t look at my cards and throw in the chips.
Are you sensing the karma yet?
25 of us left, 5k-2 call, getting 5:2 on my money.
I turn up my cards – yes indeed: 5-2 (of diamonds).
John has QJ of the same suit. It would be right and proper for this to have a happy ending, but I'm behind all the way despite picking up a deuce on the turn.
It’s all over.
So, it turns out the first time I get the powerhouse today is my last hand in a Gutshot tournament (well, the pseudo/suited-powerhouse anyway. It’ll have to do).
The End
Wednesday 17 September 2008
Goodbye Rebuy
Tonight's the night. We've arrived at the last night of poker at The Gutshot on Clerkenwell Road.
The club is holding a £5 rebuy in tribute to a tournament format that started so many great, and not so great, players on their way. It used to be called "beginners' night" although tonight there won't be a beginner amongst the field which is, however, likely to include several top-class professionals who have emerged from Gutshot's ranks over the years.
I'll be playing, and hoping for a result. I fancy it will remind me of the "BSPT". Like tonight's tournament, it was a frantic rebuy where the social aspect far outranked the poker. But, like the BSPT, those in the mix at the end will desperately want to win!
As an experiment, I have just set up a group on facebook for BSPT alumni - there are over 200 of us. I'm not going to invite people to the group - it'll be interesting to see how many we can get just by pure "viral" means.
The club is holding a £5 rebuy in tribute to a tournament format that started so many great, and not so great, players on their way. It used to be called "beginners' night" although tonight there won't be a beginner amongst the field which is, however, likely to include several top-class professionals who have emerged from Gutshot's ranks over the years.
I'll be playing, and hoping for a result. I fancy it will remind me of the "BSPT". Like tonight's tournament, it was a frantic rebuy where the social aspect far outranked the poker. But, like the BSPT, those in the mix at the end will desperately want to win!
As an experiment, I have just set up a group on facebook for BSPT alumni - there are over 200 of us. I'm not going to invite people to the group - it'll be interesting to see how many we can get just by pure "viral" means.
Thursday 11 September 2008
From first to last
It's less than a week till a certain famous poker club will host its last night of live poker.
Most people know that the club on Clerkenwell Road is strictly speaking "The Powerhouse Sporting Club", but the spirit is all Gutshot.
I've had so many great nights, and indeed all-nighters, there.
On 17th September, as a response to a clamour from many long-term supporters, the club will close with a re-run one of its most famous tournament format - the £5 rebuy.
I didn't play at the club in the very early days, but I know this game was legendary. It's common knowledge that a whole raft of top-tier players in the UK today started in the game by playing it.
My intention is to make up for my past absenteeism by winning the thing at the last gasp.
If I can do so, I will see it as a beautiful symmetry as I won the tournament on my first ever visit.
I think I may have the right experience to take down this particular format. It's just like the £20 rebuy tournaments I hosted at the club for my former colleagues.
What is guranteed, however, is one helluva night from the first rebuy to the last bad beat.
What are the odds on the last ever hand being won with 5-2 offsuit ?
Pretty good, I'd say, because we won't be leaving till it happens like that !
Most people know that the club on Clerkenwell Road is strictly speaking "The Powerhouse Sporting Club", but the spirit is all Gutshot.
I've had so many great nights, and indeed all-nighters, there.
On 17th September, as a response to a clamour from many long-term supporters, the club will close with a re-run one of its most famous tournament format - the £5 rebuy.
I didn't play at the club in the very early days, but I know this game was legendary. It's common knowledge that a whole raft of top-tier players in the UK today started in the game by playing it.
My intention is to make up for my past absenteeism by winning the thing at the last gasp.
If I can do so, I will see it as a beautiful symmetry as I won the tournament on my first ever visit.
I think I may have the right experience to take down this particular format. It's just like the £20 rebuy tournaments I hosted at the club for my former colleagues.
What is guranteed, however, is one helluva night from the first rebuy to the last bad beat.
What are the odds on the last ever hand being won with 5-2 offsuit ?
Pretty good, I'd say, because we won't be leaving till it happens like that !
Wednesday 10 September 2008
Neither one thing nor the other
No seat for me last night.
It turned out to be quite a popular event. 24 players turned up, which translated into 2 full seats plus more than a grand for 3rd place. Among those 24 names were a whole host of strong players from the "gutshot family". One might pick out JJ Hazan, Dominic Kay and James Mitchell for example, but one could have picked others.
Each and every one was a "name" in these circles, and quite a few had enjoyed conspicuous success.
So, a strong line up and an enjoyable game. Played in good spirit by all and very well run.
I fear I fell between the H-rock and the H-lunatic in a somewhat unsatisfactory way. But, in fact, I think I also played pretty straightforwardly and it perhaps was just not meant to be.
To give an example of what "meant to be" might mean, let us take a look at what happened to JJ Hazan. He seemed to be playing early on a lot more straightforwardly than is sometimes the case with him. He is known for being aggressive and creative. "Lucky JJ" is his nickname.
Anyway, he'd been playing solid and then all of a sudden he's all in pre-flop against Ed Rogers.
Ed flips up pocket Aces ! Oops ? No, JJ turns over Aces as well !
There are 2 clubs on the flop which means someone is free-rolling to the nut flush. JJ is that someone. Jack of clubs on the turn gives JJ the royal flush draw. Just the 7 of clubs on the river gives him the 5% flush and doubles him up, nearly felting Ed.
Ed, mind you, came back strongly later and could easily have come through himself.
I went along pretty quetly and tightly. I played only one hand for the first level then picked up Queens. A raise to 350 (50/100 blinds) and a call ahead of me prompted me to pop it to 1,150. The initial raiser folded, as did the caller (who mucked AK face up !).
I picked up a couple of small pots with AK (raise pf, check the flop, c-bet the turn), AJ on the SB vs BB (raise/fold). I made up the SB on one hand with a suited Ace and bet the Ace-high flop, no callers.
All very quiet.
However, I was not making a great deal of forward momentum and at 100/200 I re-raised an early raiser (we were 6-handed) with pocket 9s - I hoped he may have something like AJ/AT, KQ, 66 etc that he would fold. Else, I have position.
It was re-raised all in behind me by JJ so I felt I had to fold there and was back below 5k starting chips.
With the blinds now stepping up and no opportunities to get my money in, I was down to 7BB when I pushed with J4 in the cut-off - called by KJ.
And that was it.
I played a little bit of cash. First hand I flopped top pair and stacked off my £50 initial buy-in. I rebought for £100 and picked up Kings on the Big blind. Action ahead of me: raise/re-raise/re-raise allin. I raise all in as well (ldo) and am called. Board runs out something like 7-9-4-6-5 and my Kings are good.
I hovered around flat until I got all my chips in on an 8-high flop (2 clubs) holding T8-clubs.
The other player has KJ-clubs and rivered a Jack. I'd only been playing an hour or so but unusually I felt I should call an early end to proceedings, so I watched the last 30minutes of the satellite then headed off home.
Congratulations to Dean, Dru and JJ who cashed. I have to think about whether to buy in direct. I probably will. If so it will be the last event of the year for me. Still looking to break that day-2 duck !
One day it must come, surely ?
It turned out to be quite a popular event. 24 players turned up, which translated into 2 full seats plus more than a grand for 3rd place. Among those 24 names were a whole host of strong players from the "gutshot family". One might pick out JJ Hazan, Dominic Kay and James Mitchell for example, but one could have picked others.
Each and every one was a "name" in these circles, and quite a few had enjoyed conspicuous success.
So, a strong line up and an enjoyable game. Played in good spirit by all and very well run.
I fear I fell between the H-rock and the H-lunatic in a somewhat unsatisfactory way. But, in fact, I think I also played pretty straightforwardly and it perhaps was just not meant to be.
To give an example of what "meant to be" might mean, let us take a look at what happened to JJ Hazan. He seemed to be playing early on a lot more straightforwardly than is sometimes the case with him. He is known for being aggressive and creative. "Lucky JJ" is his nickname.
Anyway, he'd been playing solid and then all of a sudden he's all in pre-flop against Ed Rogers.
Ed flips up pocket Aces ! Oops ? No, JJ turns over Aces as well !
There are 2 clubs on the flop which means someone is free-rolling to the nut flush. JJ is that someone. Jack of clubs on the turn gives JJ the royal flush draw. Just the 7 of clubs on the river gives him the 5% flush and doubles him up, nearly felting Ed.
Ed, mind you, came back strongly later and could easily have come through himself.
I went along pretty quetly and tightly. I played only one hand for the first level then picked up Queens. A raise to 350 (50/100 blinds) and a call ahead of me prompted me to pop it to 1,150. The initial raiser folded, as did the caller (who mucked AK face up !).
I picked up a couple of small pots with AK (raise pf, check the flop, c-bet the turn), AJ on the SB vs BB (raise/fold). I made up the SB on one hand with a suited Ace and bet the Ace-high flop, no callers.
All very quiet.
However, I was not making a great deal of forward momentum and at 100/200 I re-raised an early raiser (we were 6-handed) with pocket 9s - I hoped he may have something like AJ/AT, KQ, 66 etc that he would fold. Else, I have position.
It was re-raised all in behind me by JJ so I felt I had to fold there and was back below 5k starting chips.
With the blinds now stepping up and no opportunities to get my money in, I was down to 7BB when I pushed with J4 in the cut-off - called by KJ.
And that was it.
I played a little bit of cash. First hand I flopped top pair and stacked off my £50 initial buy-in. I rebought for £100 and picked up Kings on the Big blind. Action ahead of me: raise/re-raise/re-raise allin. I raise all in as well (ldo) and am called. Board runs out something like 7-9-4-6-5 and my Kings are good.
I hovered around flat until I got all my chips in on an 8-high flop (2 clubs) holding T8-clubs.
The other player has KJ-clubs and rivered a Jack. I'd only been playing an hour or so but unusually I felt I should call an early end to proceedings, so I watched the last 30minutes of the satellite then headed off home.
Congratulations to Dean, Dru and JJ who cashed. I have to think about whether to buy in direct. I probably will. If so it will be the last event of the year for me. Still looking to break that day-2 duck !
One day it must come, surely ?
Tuesday 9 September 2008
Satellite Night
Tonight at the club in Clerkenwell I'm playing a £180 satellite in an attempt to win a cheap entry into the £1,500 NLH event at the WSOPE. I am considering entering the event even if I do not win the seat, but I'd put that at about 70% rather than a dead cert.
It'll be one or two tables with somewhere betwen 1 and 2 seats available (in between it would be one seat plus a cash balance for 2nd).
The line up of players - all of whom I will know I think - is going to be strong. I'm wondering what my best approach is. One approach is simply to really try to play my very best game and try to make as few mistakes as possible. This will not make up the skill & experience deficit but, still, with < 20 runners I would still have a chance.
The other approach is to try to level the field with my lunatic hat on - try to get racing and win a few coin flips and just run over the field. H-bomb them in other words.
I probaby won't decide till I sit down and "look at the whites of their eyes !"
I have never been much of a satellite player. Basically, I have mainly played events based on availability. I have certainly avoided certain events due to the high price tag, but even so I have never viewed satellites as my primary route.
My only satellite success to date was of course the $1,060 mega-sat at the WSOP in July but that was a totally different thing - the exact opposite in fact - many seats up for grabs. Here, we are looking at winner takes all more or less. On balance it probably suits me better.
We'll see. It may not last long if I go for route 2 !
It'll be one or two tables with somewhere betwen 1 and 2 seats available (in between it would be one seat plus a cash balance for 2nd).
The line up of players - all of whom I will know I think - is going to be strong. I'm wondering what my best approach is. One approach is simply to really try to play my very best game and try to make as few mistakes as possible. This will not make up the skill & experience deficit but, still, with < 20 runners I would still have a chance.
The other approach is to try to level the field with my lunatic hat on - try to get racing and win a few coin flips and just run over the field. H-bomb them in other words.
I probaby won't decide till I sit down and "look at the whites of their eyes !"
I have never been much of a satellite player. Basically, I have mainly played events based on availability. I have certainly avoided certain events due to the high price tag, but even so I have never viewed satellites as my primary route.
My only satellite success to date was of course the $1,060 mega-sat at the WSOP in July but that was a totally different thing - the exact opposite in fact - many seats up for grabs. Here, we are looking at winner takes all more or less. On balance it probably suits me better.
We'll see. It may not last long if I go for route 2 !
Tuesday 2 September 2008
WSOPE
Last year, the WSOP brand came to London for the first time - the main event was famously won by "annette_15". I did not even contemplate playing in it - the £10,000 entry being way out of reasonable range.
This year, I likewise have no intention of playing the main event, but there is a £1,500 NLH 3day event and this is actually plausible - and in fact it is half the price of the GUKPT grand final which I was wondering about playing.
It's 19th Sep (or 20th - 2x Day1s).
I'm also looking at hosting a 1-table satellite (possibly 2 tables) if anyone wants to give it a shot ! Depending on exactly how many interested players we round up, that would be £100 - 200 each for a shot at the £1,500. I'm thinking of this Sunday, 7th Sept in London.
This year, I likewise have no intention of playing the main event, but there is a £1,500 NLH 3day event and this is actually plausible - and in fact it is half the price of the GUKPT grand final which I was wondering about playing.
It's 19th Sep (or 20th - 2x Day1s).
I'm also looking at hosting a 1-table satellite (possibly 2 tables) if anyone wants to give it a shot ! Depending on exactly how many interested players we round up, that would be £100 - 200 each for a shot at the £1,500. I'm thinking of this Sunday, 7th Sept in London.
Friday 29 August 2008
Saturday 23 August 2008
On the face of it
Back in the UK now after what seems like a very long holiday in LA. Actually, it really was quite a long holiday by usual standards - 17 nights plus travelling.
No real poker to speak of in that period. I played a bit of limit hold'em as per my previous post and whereas my initial thoughts that Limit Poker is better than nothing, my revised opinion is that No Limit Hold'em >> No Hold'em >> Limit Hold'em.
I am sure that Limit Poker is a very interesting and skilful game in theory but a combination of inexperienced dealers, low stakes, slow play and high rake made it a really painful thing. I did win on the first night (the players were awful, which certainly helped). I lost on the second night and by the third time I played it was pretty clear that I had lost the required patience and in fact I moved over to the Blackjack table where at least I could move "all in" so to speak.
I didn't play online at all whilst I was away. I could have, in principle. Gutshot is open in the States, as is pokerstars of course. However, I didn't even try.
I was relatively out of touch with the gutshot forum as well - which is unusual for me.
Today, though, will be a super-charged shot of poker. I am going into London to the club to play in the £500 main event of this week's"GSOP" (Gutshot Series of Poker). As the name implies, it is modelled on its lesser-known cousin, the WSOP.
What this means in practice is a very good structure - I think it is 20,000 chips with a 90 minute clock and the same blinds structure as the WSOP main event. So the main differences are - 90mins instead of 2hr clock (a small concession to practicality !), 100 players instead of 6,000 (!!) and of course a much higher standard !
I have to expect the field to be stuffed full of high quality players. It is generally recognised that the gutshot events attract a lot of good players, and in these high buy-in events (£500 is high for the venue and of course not exactly low by any meaure) there is a real fish shortage.
Usually in a gutshot tourney I rate myself slightly above average (say 60th percentile). In this field, I think I am solidly in the bottom 1/3rd, probably towards the very bottom. Will have to see what I can do. The hope is that the occasion will bring out my best game !
Being out of the country for nearly 3 weeks means I have some catching up to do on things - I had about 50 emails (I had email access whilst I was away - I just didn't deal with any but obviously urgent things). One was a facebook invitation from someone I know at the club.
I only have a facebook account becuase #1 son (Matt) asked me to try something out on there. I had no intention of joining the facebook world. I strongly suspect I could waste a lot of time on there.
Still, I knew the person and thought it not unreasonable that they add me as a friend, so I duly clicked. Less than 24 hours later, I have over 20 friends and rising fast. I have not really taken any positive action, but already I have a front page burtsing with activity !
So far I must say I am very impressed with the look & feel and the usability of the site. I can easily see why it is so popular.
Unsurprisingly, 90% of my "friends" so far are poker players I know from the club. I have a few requests from people I don't know (friends of friends, literally). So far I am resisiting the temptation to just add all and sundry ! I believe there is an option to befriend all friends of friends automatically (they still have to agree of course). I reckon if I did this, I could have 1,000 friends before the weekend is out !
So back to the poker. As I mentioned, I have not played for a month or so. I am not sure quite how this will affect my game. I hope it does not make m impatient for action because one certainty is that patience will be a minimum requirement for success this weekend. It's a 3-day event, so my first objective is to give myself the best possible chance to make day2 for the first time ever.
I have booked 2 nights in my hotel - I hope the poker gods see this as good karma rather than hubris ! It's mainly just practicality of course.
Wish me luck !
No real poker to speak of in that period. I played a bit of limit hold'em as per my previous post and whereas my initial thoughts that Limit Poker is better than nothing, my revised opinion is that No Limit Hold'em >> No Hold'em >> Limit Hold'em.
I am sure that Limit Poker is a very interesting and skilful game in theory but a combination of inexperienced dealers, low stakes, slow play and high rake made it a really painful thing. I did win on the first night (the players were awful, which certainly helped). I lost on the second night and by the third time I played it was pretty clear that I had lost the required patience and in fact I moved over to the Blackjack table where at least I could move "all in" so to speak.
I didn't play online at all whilst I was away. I could have, in principle. Gutshot is open in the States, as is pokerstars of course. However, I didn't even try.
I was relatively out of touch with the gutshot forum as well - which is unusual for me.
Today, though, will be a super-charged shot of poker. I am going into London to the club to play in the £500 main event of this week's"GSOP" (Gutshot Series of Poker). As the name implies, it is modelled on its lesser-known cousin, the WSOP.
What this means in practice is a very good structure - I think it is 20,000 chips with a 90 minute clock and the same blinds structure as the WSOP main event. So the main differences are - 90mins instead of 2hr clock (a small concession to practicality !), 100 players instead of 6,000 (!!) and of course a much higher standard !
I have to expect the field to be stuffed full of high quality players. It is generally recognised that the gutshot events attract a lot of good players, and in these high buy-in events (£500 is high for the venue and of course not exactly low by any meaure) there is a real fish shortage.
Usually in a gutshot tourney I rate myself slightly above average (say 60th percentile). In this field, I think I am solidly in the bottom 1/3rd, probably towards the very bottom. Will have to see what I can do. The hope is that the occasion will bring out my best game !
Being out of the country for nearly 3 weeks means I have some catching up to do on things - I had about 50 emails (I had email access whilst I was away - I just didn't deal with any but obviously urgent things). One was a facebook invitation from someone I know at the club.
I only have a facebook account becuase #1 son (Matt) asked me to try something out on there. I had no intention of joining the facebook world. I strongly suspect I could waste a lot of time on there.
Still, I knew the person and thought it not unreasonable that they add me as a friend, so I duly clicked. Less than 24 hours later, I have over 20 friends and rising fast. I have not really taken any positive action, but already I have a front page burtsing with activity !
So far I must say I am very impressed with the look & feel and the usability of the site. I can easily see why it is so popular.
Unsurprisingly, 90% of my "friends" so far are poker players I know from the club. I have a few requests from people I don't know (friends of friends, literally). So far I am resisiting the temptation to just add all and sundry ! I believe there is an option to befriend all friends of friends automatically (they still have to agree of course). I reckon if I did this, I could have 1,000 friends before the weekend is out !
So back to the poker. As I mentioned, I have not played for a month or so. I am not sure quite how this will affect my game. I hope it does not make m impatient for action because one certainty is that patience will be a minimum requirement for success this weekend. It's a 3-day event, so my first objective is to give myself the best possible chance to make day2 for the first time ever.
I have booked 2 nights in my hotel - I hope the poker gods see this as good karma rather than hubris ! It's mainly just practicality of course.
Wish me luck !
Wednesday 13 August 2008
Monday 28 July 2008
Hot Stuff
Report on the live game on my gutshot blog:
http://www.gutshot.com/bforum/blog_post.php?do=editblog&b=110
It was really odd meeting many of the people whom I previously knew only by their screen-names. For the most part, they were all a lot older than they seemed from their online persona !
http://www.gutshot.com/bforum/blog_post.php?do=editblog&b=110
It was really odd meeting many of the people whom I previously knew only by their screen-names. For the most part, they were all a lot older than they seemed from their online persona !
Sunday 27 July 2008
Live and Kicking
Tonight .... the live forum game.
This is a live-running of the Monday Forum league game. An intriguing prospect. I have never met (nor do I know the real identity) of most of the players.
I actually have a good record in the league - 5 wins (tied 1st on that measure).
Should be good fun !
This is a live-running of the Monday Forum league game. An intriguing prospect. I have never met (nor do I know the real identity) of most of the players.
I actually have a good record in the league - 5 wins (tied 1st on that measure).
Should be good fun !
Saturday 26 July 2008
Losing Sleep Over Poker
Not in the way you might imagine (or, maybe exactly in the way you might expect/imagine).
On Wednesday, I decided to go in to the club and play the regular £75 Freezeout. This used to be one of my most regular games; ironically, when I was working flat-out, I used to make it maybe 2 out of 3 weeks. Of course I was staying in London most nights then, so it was actually easier than now when I need to think about travel and accommodation etc.
This would be my first live game since Vegas and, having been away in Spain for a week, I hadn't played any poker at all for a couple of weeks (that's a long time !)
I made some other appointments in London for the day, and after checking into my hotel, duly made it down at 7:59pm.
In the tournament itself, I made it about half-way. It was a pretty inconspicuous game - perhaps it would have turned out differently if I had not lost a big post with QQ early on (some discussion here).
At that point, I was tempted to join the PLO game that was just starting. These are the circumstances for which the phrase "Why, Oh Why?" was coined.
The answers have to do with the fading of bad memories, and weak-willedness.
It was an expensive re-acquaintance and - duly on tilt - I also lost a not-insignificant amount playing Hold'Em later on (note to self: AK-suited for 250BB is not the nuts in a cash game even when you hit Top Pair/Top Kicker). Looking for silver linings, I guess the good news is that I won't be tempted again for a long, long time.
So, very much poorer, I headed back to my hotel about 3am. Now, in fact, I would not have actually stayed overnight except that I had been invited to a private game on Thursday night. I used Thursday to catch up with some ex-colleagues for lunch, then met up with my host at a London restaurant in the evening.
This game (a £50 rebuy tournament with about 20 players) has been running once-a-month for several years I understand. I've been invited countless times before, but never been able to make it previously for various reasons.
This time, I thought it would be good karma. The host was a broker whom I have known for many, many years and who keeps in touch even now I have left the finance industry (according to him, not for very long).
It was particularly relevant since the first time I played poker was at The Gutshot as his guest in a £50 rebuy that his firm organised for clients. In that event, I came 2nd / 119 and was hooked ! Furthermore, the person who beat me (I still remember the hand) would be playing - revenge time !
The game got underway a little about 7:30 (running late). I'm used to playing poker in casinos and card-rooms so the layout (2 "tables" all around one long dining table with baize laid over) looked a bit odd to me. The whole set-up was less professional than I'm accustomed to. Not in a bad way, I must add, and of course I am very familiar with tournaments where the social aspect is more important than the poker.
Still, I really wanted to win. Even more, I did not want to LOSE.
It was obvious to me after a short while that I was the best player there by some margin. If you read my blog etc then you know I rarely claim to be all that good, and if I play in a Gutshot tournament, say, then I think I may be a little above average at best.
But in this case, it was really apparent that some of the other players were short on experience, and none of them was a really strong player. It was clear that I should have a big edge in theory.
Now we all know that the luck-vs-skill debate allows for a huge difference in outcomes no matter how the players rank on relative skill/experience.
Some people I know - good, experienced players - maintain that they prefer not to play against beginners. I understand why they say this but I profoundly disagree. They make so many mistakes and put you under so little pressure. This extra edge more than makes up for the main problem, which is that they don't know what they are doing, so you can't work out what they are doing and act accordingly !
The single biggest mistake, imo, that they all make is being far too passive. So much limping and minimum-raising. Another common mistake is calling too much although this particular fault was less in evidence.
I mentally ran through the "rules" in my head "Don't bluff, don't be too clever, play strong hands strongly, see draws cheaply. Don't go bust".
On to the game. I had been told it was a £100 rebuy which could have become rather expensive. At £50 rebuy it still wasn't cheap but I was surprised - given the make-up of the players - how relatively timid they were in the rebuy period. I was hoping to see a lot of money go in but for the whole of the first level, no one was all in at my table (apart from me, obviously).
So cautious was it, that I had to resort to raising blind pre-deal to get some action going. That did the trick, but I couldn't win a hand it seemed. I felt I really needed some chips to ensure I could dictate the freezeout action so I was pushing any reasonable had to the max, but running into big cards: flopped Top Pair, another guy flopped the nut flush. Top Pair (Queens) again, up against pocket Kings !
I managed to double up with the mighty J8o, and then thought my moment had come: raised AJ and got 2 callers. Flop A62. I check-called trying to get the maximum value. I check-raised the turn (another deuce) so all three players were all-in now (one was all in on the flop in fact).
The cards are tabled: I am up against A6 and A2 !! Owned !
At the end of the rebuy, I topped up and had 4,700 chips - just a fraction below average. Playable, and needing a good start in the freezeout. Essentially I needed to pick my spots, and be prepared to go with the hand.
The first such key moment came when it was folded to me on the button with A9. I pushed (blinds 200/400 already) and was called by 77. He covered me comfortably so I doubled up when a 9 hit.
I waited for another spot which came shortly after the final table formed (this did not take long - with the average stacks being <5k and blinds 200/400 then 300/600 and 400/800, it took less than an hour to knock out 11 of the 21 players). It should not have taken that long, really, but the pace of the play was snail-like.
Second hand at the final table, I have Jd8d on the big-blind. There is one call, then a min-raise. The button calls. The play is so passive that I have to think I can see the flop for only 800 more, with a likely pot when the early limper also calls (chances of him limp-raising all-in - an obvious play - zero !)
So, I do that and I see a 6,400 pot for 800. Flop 5d3d2h. If there is any more obvious move than the insta-push here, I would like to know about it. I move in for 8,200 and no one defends. Up to nearly 15k, and able to wait for further good opportunities.
I was pretty happy with my play in this event. With the blinds the way they were, you either need a big hand that plays itself, or you need to play in the correct situations. In any event you need some luck.
A good example of situation + luck came up a round or two later. I have 15,100 and the blinds are now a terrifying 1k/2k. We are 7-handed I think. UTG+1 limps. I am next. I know this player will not call off his chips without a big hand. His limp says he doesn't have one. I have KdTd and push to pick up the 5k chips on offer. I am pretty confident this move will work.
Now, the player ("invincible Vince") on my left acts. He has had about 2 bottles of malt whiskey, I reckon. Very nice chap, but not following the action too closely (went on to finish 3rd by the way !). How much is it? He asks. "About 15" is the reply.
Call, he says, and puts in 1,500 chips.
No. 15 THOUSAND.
Obviously, in any normal game, his verbal "call" has to stand and the dealer would put in the chips for him. Here, it was not really clear whether he was being allowed to pull back his chips, leave the 1,500 in and fold, being forced to call, or what. I said nothing - I don't want any callers, although it is obvious he does not have a big hand.
Eventually he puts in another 1,500 - total of 3,000. This could take a while.
Eventually, part 2, he shrugs his shoulders and puts in 15,100. He has at least the same left behind.
The original limper folds KJ face-up. I know I am right that he would fold that just against me as well.
OK. What am I up against ? A-2 suited. Could be worse, although with one King folded and useful straight cards also gone, I need some help.
Flop 8-7-3. Turn 9.
River, 6. My opponent does not see my T-high straight, but I make sure the dealer has spotted it and scoop up a nice pot for the chip lead.
I feel in control, to be honest, but the blinds are enormous and it is still really hard to read the other players' actions. For example, there was a pot at 2k/4k 5-handed where I felt I had to call on the SB with King-high (2k to see a 12k pot - hard to turn down).
It was checked on flop and river and I was first to act on the river when an Ace fell. 9-7-7-5-A board with two hearts on the flop. I really think King-high could be good but I decide to try to see a showdown. Checked to the button who now bets 5k into 12k, with about 25k behind.
I think I am winning. In any case, the other player would be all-in to call 5k so I can't be re-bluffed. I call, looking forward to the plaudits when I win with King high.
The other player calls all-in and flips up 6-8 for the straight on the turn. The river-bettor has Ace-Ten !!
In hindsight, I should realise that passive players do not bet out on the river, even last to act after 3 rounds of checking, without at least a pair.
Hmm. I was now down to 28k chips or so which was 2nd biggest, but only 7 big blinds!
Key hand next: I pick up A-7 suited under the gun and push all-in. One fold, then one all in for about 11k. The big blind was nearly all-in (<1k left after posting) so he calls.
I am up against pocket Tens (the all-in player) and KJ (big blind). Could have been a lot better !
No Aces come, but two spades on the flop and instant service on the turn knocks out two players and means that we're in the money.
It's not too long before short-stacked Vince is out (with the blinds so big, I keep putting him all-in).
Heads-up with Dario. I offer a deal (I am 2nd in chips but am prepared to settle for an even money split). Up till this point, I had swiftly put down any discussion of deals. Dario does what I would do ... "play on".
Poker is a game of skill, and luck. Poker is also a game where experience counts. With the blinds now raised to 4k/8k and with only about 100k chips in play, there is a huge crapshoot element. Nonetheless, I felt I was about 75% to win. I am by no-means a heads-up expert but having been in this position a few dozen times is rather better than being a heads-up novice !
Essentially, Dario was way too passive. He let me see far too many flops and did not stand up to be counted. I moved into a 4-1 lead and at that point decided it was time to be all-in every hand. When the next hand was dealt, I moved-in blind.
Dario checked, liked what he saw, and called.
I turned up my cards - Ac7c - nice !
Dario - pocket Jacks ! OK then.
Flop... JACK ... !! The rest of it came out King-Four. Only one club.
Turn Queen of clubs.
River - not a club. But it was a Ten, giving me the straight and the £1,950. Dario was gracious in 2nd place (£970).
I gave him one of my H-bomb cards which cheered him up (ah ... beaten by a professional ... I feel better now, he said. LOL)
A good night - it's nice to win something for a change ! Thanks to Hardy, Pat and Gio for hosting.
Not something to lose sleep over, you would think. Well, the game had gone on way past my bedtime - I was told to expect an 11pm finish. The last train was at 1:18 - quite a margin. It was now well past 12:30, and Dario and I shared a cab to London Bridge where I discover the last train had been cancelled.
Nothing for it .... off to The Gutshot to play through till the first train. It turned out to cost me a little more than a cab back to Bedford, but was probably more fun.
Who needs sleep anyway.
On Wednesday, I decided to go in to the club and play the regular £75 Freezeout. This used to be one of my most regular games; ironically, when I was working flat-out, I used to make it maybe 2 out of 3 weeks. Of course I was staying in London most nights then, so it was actually easier than now when I need to think about travel and accommodation etc.
This would be my first live game since Vegas and, having been away in Spain for a week, I hadn't played any poker at all for a couple of weeks (that's a long time !)
I made some other appointments in London for the day, and after checking into my hotel, duly made it down at 7:59pm.
In the tournament itself, I made it about half-way. It was a pretty inconspicuous game - perhaps it would have turned out differently if I had not lost a big post with QQ early on (some discussion here).
At that point, I was tempted to join the PLO game that was just starting. These are the circumstances for which the phrase "Why, Oh Why?" was coined.
The answers have to do with the fading of bad memories, and weak-willedness.
It was an expensive re-acquaintance and - duly on tilt - I also lost a not-insignificant amount playing Hold'Em later on (note to self: AK-suited for 250BB is not the nuts in a cash game even when you hit Top Pair/Top Kicker). Looking for silver linings, I guess the good news is that I won't be tempted again for a long, long time.
So, very much poorer, I headed back to my hotel about 3am. Now, in fact, I would not have actually stayed overnight except that I had been invited to a private game on Thursday night. I used Thursday to catch up with some ex-colleagues for lunch, then met up with my host at a London restaurant in the evening.
This game (a £50 rebuy tournament with about 20 players) has been running once-a-month for several years I understand. I've been invited countless times before, but never been able to make it previously for various reasons.
This time, I thought it would be good karma. The host was a broker whom I have known for many, many years and who keeps in touch even now I have left the finance industry (according to him, not for very long).
It was particularly relevant since the first time I played poker was at The Gutshot as his guest in a £50 rebuy that his firm organised for clients. In that event, I came 2nd / 119 and was hooked ! Furthermore, the person who beat me (I still remember the hand) would be playing - revenge time !
The game got underway a little about 7:30 (running late). I'm used to playing poker in casinos and card-rooms so the layout (2 "tables" all around one long dining table with baize laid over) looked a bit odd to me. The whole set-up was less professional than I'm accustomed to. Not in a bad way, I must add, and of course I am very familiar with tournaments where the social aspect is more important than the poker.
Still, I really wanted to win. Even more, I did not want to LOSE.
It was obvious to me after a short while that I was the best player there by some margin. If you read my blog etc then you know I rarely claim to be all that good, and if I play in a Gutshot tournament, say, then I think I may be a little above average at best.
But in this case, it was really apparent that some of the other players were short on experience, and none of them was a really strong player. It was clear that I should have a big edge in theory.
Now we all know that the luck-vs-skill debate allows for a huge difference in outcomes no matter how the players rank on relative skill/experience.
Some people I know - good, experienced players - maintain that they prefer not to play against beginners. I understand why they say this but I profoundly disagree. They make so many mistakes and put you under so little pressure. This extra edge more than makes up for the main problem, which is that they don't know what they are doing, so you can't work out what they are doing and act accordingly !
The single biggest mistake, imo, that they all make is being far too passive. So much limping and minimum-raising. Another common mistake is calling too much although this particular fault was less in evidence.
I mentally ran through the "rules" in my head "Don't bluff, don't be too clever, play strong hands strongly, see draws cheaply. Don't go bust".
On to the game. I had been told it was a £100 rebuy which could have become rather expensive. At £50 rebuy it still wasn't cheap but I was surprised - given the make-up of the players - how relatively timid they were in the rebuy period. I was hoping to see a lot of money go in but for the whole of the first level, no one was all in at my table (apart from me, obviously).
So cautious was it, that I had to resort to raising blind pre-deal to get some action going. That did the trick, but I couldn't win a hand it seemed. I felt I really needed some chips to ensure I could dictate the freezeout action so I was pushing any reasonable had to the max, but running into big cards: flopped Top Pair, another guy flopped the nut flush. Top Pair (Queens) again, up against pocket Kings !
I managed to double up with the mighty J8o, and then thought my moment had come: raised AJ and got 2 callers. Flop A62. I check-called trying to get the maximum value. I check-raised the turn (another deuce) so all three players were all-in now (one was all in on the flop in fact).
The cards are tabled: I am up against A6 and A2 !! Owned !
At the end of the rebuy, I topped up and had 4,700 chips - just a fraction below average. Playable, and needing a good start in the freezeout. Essentially I needed to pick my spots, and be prepared to go with the hand.
The first such key moment came when it was folded to me on the button with A9. I pushed (blinds 200/400 already) and was called by 77. He covered me comfortably so I doubled up when a 9 hit.
I waited for another spot which came shortly after the final table formed (this did not take long - with the average stacks being <5k and blinds 200/400 then 300/600 and 400/800, it took less than an hour to knock out 11 of the 21 players). It should not have taken that long, really, but the pace of the play was snail-like.
Second hand at the final table, I have Jd8d on the big-blind. There is one call, then a min-raise. The button calls. The play is so passive that I have to think I can see the flop for only 800 more, with a likely pot when the early limper also calls (chances of him limp-raising all-in - an obvious play - zero !)
So, I do that and I see a 6,400 pot for 800. Flop 5d3d2h. If there is any more obvious move than the insta-push here, I would like to know about it. I move in for 8,200 and no one defends. Up to nearly 15k, and able to wait for further good opportunities.
I was pretty happy with my play in this event. With the blinds the way they were, you either need a big hand that plays itself, or you need to play in the correct situations. In any event you need some luck.
A good example of situation + luck came up a round or two later. I have 15,100 and the blinds are now a terrifying 1k/2k. We are 7-handed I think. UTG+1 limps. I am next. I know this player will not call off his chips without a big hand. His limp says he doesn't have one. I have KdTd and push to pick up the 5k chips on offer. I am pretty confident this move will work.
Now, the player ("invincible Vince") on my left acts. He has had about 2 bottles of malt whiskey, I reckon. Very nice chap, but not following the action too closely (went on to finish 3rd by the way !). How much is it? He asks. "About 15" is the reply.
Call, he says, and puts in 1,500 chips.
No. 15 THOUSAND.
Obviously, in any normal game, his verbal "call" has to stand and the dealer would put in the chips for him. Here, it was not really clear whether he was being allowed to pull back his chips, leave the 1,500 in and fold, being forced to call, or what. I said nothing - I don't want any callers, although it is obvious he does not have a big hand.
Eventually he puts in another 1,500 - total of 3,000. This could take a while.
Eventually, part 2, he shrugs his shoulders and puts in 15,100. He has at least the same left behind.
The original limper folds KJ face-up. I know I am right that he would fold that just against me as well.
OK. What am I up against ? A-2 suited. Could be worse, although with one King folded and useful straight cards also gone, I need some help.
Flop 8-7-3. Turn 9.
River, 6. My opponent does not see my T-high straight, but I make sure the dealer has spotted it and scoop up a nice pot for the chip lead.
I feel in control, to be honest, but the blinds are enormous and it is still really hard to read the other players' actions. For example, there was a pot at 2k/4k 5-handed where I felt I had to call on the SB with King-high (2k to see a 12k pot - hard to turn down).
It was checked on flop and river and I was first to act on the river when an Ace fell. 9-7-7-5-A board with two hearts on the flop. I really think King-high could be good but I decide to try to see a showdown. Checked to the button who now bets 5k into 12k, with about 25k behind.
I think I am winning. In any case, the other player would be all-in to call 5k so I can't be re-bluffed. I call, looking forward to the plaudits when I win with King high.
The other player calls all-in and flips up 6-8 for the straight on the turn. The river-bettor has Ace-Ten !!
In hindsight, I should realise that passive players do not bet out on the river, even last to act after 3 rounds of checking, without at least a pair.
Hmm. I was now down to 28k chips or so which was 2nd biggest, but only 7 big blinds!
Key hand next: I pick up A-7 suited under the gun and push all-in. One fold, then one all in for about 11k. The big blind was nearly all-in (<1k left after posting) so he calls.
I am up against pocket Tens (the all-in player) and KJ (big blind). Could have been a lot better !
No Aces come, but two spades on the flop and instant service on the turn knocks out two players and means that we're in the money.
It's not too long before short-stacked Vince is out (with the blinds so big, I keep putting him all-in).
Heads-up with Dario. I offer a deal (I am 2nd in chips but am prepared to settle for an even money split). Up till this point, I had swiftly put down any discussion of deals. Dario does what I would do ... "play on".
Poker is a game of skill, and luck. Poker is also a game where experience counts. With the blinds now raised to 4k/8k and with only about 100k chips in play, there is a huge crapshoot element. Nonetheless, I felt I was about 75% to win. I am by no-means a heads-up expert but having been in this position a few dozen times is rather better than being a heads-up novice !
Essentially, Dario was way too passive. He let me see far too many flops and did not stand up to be counted. I moved into a 4-1 lead and at that point decided it was time to be all-in every hand. When the next hand was dealt, I moved-in blind.
Dario checked, liked what he saw, and called.
I turned up my cards - Ac7c - nice !
Dario - pocket Jacks ! OK then.
Flop... JACK ... !! The rest of it came out King-Four. Only one club.
Turn Queen of clubs.
River - not a club. But it was a Ten, giving me the straight and the £1,950. Dario was gracious in 2nd place (£970).
I gave him one of my H-bomb cards which cheered him up (ah ... beaten by a professional ... I feel better now, he said. LOL)
A good night - it's nice to win something for a change ! Thanks to Hardy, Pat and Gio for hosting.
Not something to lose sleep over, you would think. Well, the game had gone on way past my bedtime - I was told to expect an 11pm finish. The last train was at 1:18 - quite a margin. It was now well past 12:30, and Dario and I shared a cab to London Bridge where I discover the last train had been cancelled.
Nothing for it .... off to The Gutshot to play through till the first train. It turned out to cost me a little more than a cab back to Bedford, but was probably more fun.
Who needs sleep anyway.
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