You may remember that I started this blog back on Jan1 as an aid to my record-keeping for my poker P&L. Not that I intended to necessarily put up detailed records on the blog, but as a part of a disciplined approach to keeping score it seemed a useful idea.
That was before I realised that I was going to decide to retire to play poker. And when I made that decision, I was in limbo between the old-way where poker was clearly 100% recreational and the new-world where I certainly wanted to be in profit. So I suspended accounting during February.
I won't feel mentally totally ready to be in the new-mode until I have actually left work but I have decided that March 1st will be the start of the new accounting era.
Part of the reason is that I am going (almost certainly anyway) to play in the London leg of the GUKPT - starts 6th March. That is a significant expense (£1,060 buy-in) and I suppose I might play some cash at the Vic whilst I'm there.
A tournament buy-in of this size is clearly to come out of my "professional" poker bankroll so I may as well get back into good habits.
Of course it's a shame that this means I will very likely start in the red. It is accepted that even the best pros cash in at most 20% of tournaments and as a matter of fact, 90% of the runners are guaranteed to come away with nothing.
Although I have not kept records this month, I think I'm roughly even (so that probably means somewhat down). I was up until last night when I took a big hit playing Omaha at the club.
I was really never on my game. I put this down to mentally still thinking about a hand that came up in the tournament earlier.
It was the regular £75 freezeout and I arrived about 25minutes late so I had lost 225 chips off my starting 4,000 stack.
I had decided that I would play very aggressively and as I sat down, I announced to the table that I was going to raise every hand. Fortunately, my first hand was on the button (the flip side is that it means I had just missed my blinds) which was obviously ideal for this purpose.
I picked up 83o and duly raised to 4xBB and picked up the pot.
Next hand A2. 2 limpers. I raised, and got 2 callers. Flop was something like T85. Whatever. Checked to me and I bet 2/3 of the pot and took it down.
Next hand, I only called and folded on the flop.
THEN, I picked up Aces. Fantastic ! An EP player limped for 100, I raised to 400. One of the blinds called and now the original limper re-raised to 1,300 total.
Well, I don't think I have EVER not re-raised pre-flop with Aces but I have been thinking lately that I do need to do that occasionally so as not to give my hand away. Plus, I thought there was some chance the other caller might re-raise behind (he does that kind of thing).
In any event, I decided to flat call and hope this was a better way to get the limper's whole stack.
The 3rd player folded and so we saw a flop heads-up. 22J.
I am slightly worried that he can have JJ but it seems most likely I still am miles ahead. He checks to me and I bet 1,500. He dwells up and calls. In fact, he now has only 800 left so it's obviously going in no matter what. The turn was a Jack which was a pretty bad card but I bet it anyway and he calls.
Over go the cards -- some ooh's and aah's at my monster holding. But the other fella shows 22 for flopped quads !!
I think it may be a while before I flat call with Aces again ....
Thursday 28 February 2008
Wednesday 27 February 2008
2008, 2009, ...
Blog-readers know that I won my seat for the WSOP 2008 back in January in a gutshot.com online satellite.
I am now on my way to securing a 2009 seat .... the gutshot forum league is running on a monthly basis, with the winner in each month to take a set in a freeroll at the end of this year which will result in a 2009 package.
That's a long way off, but the first part of the job is done as I won February. The league runs weekly but there were only 3 weeks this time since the league did not kick-off until 11th February.
I won the first tournament on 11th, came 2nd in the 2nd one and this meant that a very specific outcome was needed on the 3rd and final day to prevent me taking the seat. Although I failed to make the final table this time, I did secure the seat.
Tick.
I am now on my way to securing a 2009 seat .... the gutshot forum league is running on a monthly basis, with the winner in each month to take a set in a freeroll at the end of this year which will result in a 2009 package.
That's a long way off, but the first part of the job is done as I won February. The league runs weekly but there were only 3 weeks this time since the league did not kick-off until 11th February.
I won the first tournament on 11th, came 2nd in the 2nd one and this meant that a very specific outcome was needed on the 3rd and final day to prevent me taking the seat. Although I failed to make the final table this time, I did secure the seat.
Tick.
Thursday 21 February 2008
A first time for everything (part2)
I've been playing a bit more Omaha lately - it grows on you. I can't say I prefer it to Hold'em yet, but I can understand why people say that.
I certainly am not going to claim I'm good at it, although I am winning at low limits online. Furthermore, I have now had a second-ever winning live session (!).
In fact on Wednesday night, I was essentially free-rolling in the game. I had gone down to play the £75 freezeout and, in the actual tournament, I had been really all over the place and eventually finished in a nondescript 25th or so. I didn't deserve to do better.
I had played a short stint in the small £1/1 Hold'em beforehand and turned £100 into £300. I was playing pretty carefully, and had moved forward a little when I held pocket 5's on the Big Blind. It had been raised to £5 and called in several spots to me, so it was an automatic call.
The flop was a dream - JJ5 ! I checked, and a MP player bet £15. I have a real monster but there were two clubs on board so I thought I could represent a draw by re-raising. The original flop raised obviously had a big hand as well, and it all went in.
He in fact had KJ, so he'd hit the flop pretty hard himself ! He had some outs, of course, but he didn't improve and that capped off a nice win.
So, I took the £200 and used it as my stake in the £1/1 Omaha. It turned out to be a pretty lively game. I am not sure my play was exactly "textbook", and I was fortunate to have some pre-flop hands stand up (I never had Aces pre-flop, in fact, but I think my Kings held 3 times out of 3 which you certainly can't grumble about).
The "text" for this post is the following hand in which I did something I have never done before in Omaha and - until recently - I couldn't conceive how I would ever do it.
I speak, of course, of folding the nuts. Inconceivable in Hold'em (surely) but I had read that in Omaha it can sometimes be almost automatic. I couldn't get my head around that concept until this hand came up and now I am a believer !
I held 689Q with 2 spades. I can't remember the exact action that brought us to turn, but the board now read K567, with 2 hearts. There was £76 in the pot, 3-handed with me last to act. I had just turned the nut straight (nice).
I was just thinking to myself that I would now be making a big bet to make trips, two pair or flush draw hands pay when the action went: BET (£60) - POT (£256). Now onto me !
Wow .... well the way I saw it, I have only put < £20 into this coup so far but if I continue, then it's > £250 and most likely I have to put my whole stack in (£450) when it seems overwhelmingly likely that at least one of the other players also has 8-9 and between them some or all of a higher straight card, a flush draw, two-pair or trips. So it looks like I have to put in £450 for the right to split the pot at best.
I decide it's actually quite an easy fold. As it turns out, the re-raiser has 689T and the other (who did call and called all-in on the river) has 2 hearts and a set of Kings. The river was a blank (Ad) so as it happens I would have split the third player's stack but I feel that I have improved my game just by being able to identify the likely danger.
Some people at the table argued it was right for me to call even knowing the likely scenario. Their logic seemed to be based on either or both of (i) in the actual situation, I have some equity to call for what happened and (ii) the possibility that the first bettor did NOT have the nuts and that the re-raiser knew this so that in fact I had the winning hand. TBH, I think there may be a good case on (i) but knowing the player who made the re-raise, I was close to 100% that he had the nuts with good back-up.
As it was, I felt good about the pass and it turned out to be a nice win in the end, so I like Omaha even a little bit more now.
I certainly am not going to claim I'm good at it, although I am winning at low limits online. Furthermore, I have now had a second-ever winning live session (!).
In fact on Wednesday night, I was essentially free-rolling in the game. I had gone down to play the £75 freezeout and, in the actual tournament, I had been really all over the place and eventually finished in a nondescript 25th or so. I didn't deserve to do better.
I had played a short stint in the small £1/1 Hold'em beforehand and turned £100 into £300. I was playing pretty carefully, and had moved forward a little when I held pocket 5's on the Big Blind. It had been raised to £5 and called in several spots to me, so it was an automatic call.
The flop was a dream - JJ5 ! I checked, and a MP player bet £15. I have a real monster but there were two clubs on board so I thought I could represent a draw by re-raising. The original flop raised obviously had a big hand as well, and it all went in.
He in fact had KJ, so he'd hit the flop pretty hard himself ! He had some outs, of course, but he didn't improve and that capped off a nice win.
So, I took the £200 and used it as my stake in the £1/1 Omaha. It turned out to be a pretty lively game. I am not sure my play was exactly "textbook", and I was fortunate to have some pre-flop hands stand up (I never had Aces pre-flop, in fact, but I think my Kings held 3 times out of 3 which you certainly can't grumble about).
The "text" for this post is the following hand in which I did something I have never done before in Omaha and - until recently - I couldn't conceive how I would ever do it.
I speak, of course, of folding the nuts. Inconceivable in Hold'em (surely) but I had read that in Omaha it can sometimes be almost automatic. I couldn't get my head around that concept until this hand came up and now I am a believer !
I held 689Q with 2 spades. I can't remember the exact action that brought us to turn, but the board now read K567, with 2 hearts. There was £76 in the pot, 3-handed with me last to act. I had just turned the nut straight (nice).
I was just thinking to myself that I would now be making a big bet to make trips, two pair or flush draw hands pay when the action went: BET (£60) - POT (£256). Now onto me !
Wow .... well the way I saw it, I have only put < £20 into this coup so far but if I continue, then it's > £250 and most likely I have to put my whole stack in (£450) when it seems overwhelmingly likely that at least one of the other players also has 8-9 and between them some or all of a higher straight card, a flush draw, two-pair or trips. So it looks like I have to put in £450 for the right to split the pot at best.
I decide it's actually quite an easy fold. As it turns out, the re-raiser has 689T and the other (who did call and called all-in on the river) has 2 hearts and a set of Kings. The river was a blank (Ad) so as it happens I would have split the third player's stack but I feel that I have improved my game just by being able to identify the likely danger.
Some people at the table argued it was right for me to call even knowing the likely scenario. Their logic seemed to be based on either or both of (i) in the actual situation, I have some equity to call for what happened and (ii) the possibility that the first bettor did NOT have the nuts and that the re-raiser knew this so that in fact I had the winning hand. TBH, I think there may be a good case on (i) but knowing the player who made the re-raise, I was close to 100% that he had the nuts with good back-up.
As it was, I felt good about the pass and it turned out to be a nice win in the end, so I like Omaha even a little bit more now.
Monday 18 February 2008
Lightning Doesn't Strike Thrice
But it only just missed. Week 2 of the Gutshot forum league. I expected a larger turnout than last time and, indeed, there were just 2 more.
This meant that today's winner would net more money/points than me last week so I needed to place in the money to not fall off the top spot.
Once again it was a great tournament for banter and railing. Once again, I was running well. I'll have to check my notes to see what the key hands were, but I didn't lose many races. On the final table, I had AA vs KK to take the lead and at one time it really looked like I would run over the field again.
As it was, I got heads-up with Gutshot666 (omen666 on the forum - the most postingest forum poster of all time). He actually had me pretty well figured out and was playing back at me.
He'd actually made a great move on me, earlier, at the 2table stage: I was on the BB with pocket 8s and raised the multi-limped pot, getting heads-up with him.
The flop was A64-rainbow and I had him well covered. I decided to make a small bet, which I thought would be sufficient to see him off. He re-raised all in and I had more than 4-1 on the call and it was only 20% of my stack to continue.
I so nearly did call but I felt that there was no way he could make that push - given how easy it would be for me to call - without the Ace. So I folded, and he showed KQ. From there, he went from strength to strength.
Last week, the heads-up stage lasted one hand. This time, it was a prolonged battle where I was never in control, really.
The final hand came when I was dealt TT and decided to just call on the button. The flop was 3-4-6 with 2 spades. He checked, I bet the pot, he called. Turn 9d - putting 2 diamonds on board now. He checked, I bet 2/3rd of the pot.
He now raised all-in and I called. He had 5-9 for top pair on the turn with an up&down straight draw as well.
The river: 7 hearts. He made the straight and scooped the $300.
My $180 for second puts me on $460 for the league so far and with only one Monday left in February, it is really only Gutshot666 who can overtake me - by finishing 2nd or better next week. Unless, that is, the field is much bigger then, which is certainly possible. If that happens, then 1st place next week could be enough on its own, or the other money finishers may be able to catch up.
My luck felt sufficiently in that I then played a $35 rebuy on the site (188 runners). I had the most amazing run of cards - KK so many times - and was vying for the lead as the bubble approached.
I was still 5th when the bubble broke at 18th place. It was one of those flat payouts where 18th-10th all get the same (about 5x the buyin - I had no rebuys or addons). Unfortunately, I ran A6into AA and then A4 into AK to crash out in 11th. Afterwards, that seemed quite a disappointment as the escalation of prize money from 9th onwards was pretty significant.
Along the way, I did have one amazing hand where I picked up KK in the small blind. The button raised, and decided to play safe and made a big re-raise. The BB called, somewhat surprisingly, and so did the button. I had them both well covered as I was already 2nd in chips. I was looking forward to the chip lead coming my way.
The flop came KT8 with 2 clubs. I decided to play safe and bet the flop. I was re-raised !! Well, it all went in on the flop and he turned up TT. Unlucky there sir. Turn Ten !!
There wasn't a further miracle on the river so the Quad tens were sufficient. Like I always say, one out is enough.
This meant that today's winner would net more money/points than me last week so I needed to place in the money to not fall off the top spot.
Once again it was a great tournament for banter and railing. Once again, I was running well. I'll have to check my notes to see what the key hands were, but I didn't lose many races. On the final table, I had AA vs KK to take the lead and at one time it really looked like I would run over the field again.
As it was, I got heads-up with Gutshot666 (omen666 on the forum - the most postingest forum poster of all time). He actually had me pretty well figured out and was playing back at me.
He'd actually made a great move on me, earlier, at the 2table stage: I was on the BB with pocket 8s and raised the multi-limped pot, getting heads-up with him.
The flop was A64-rainbow and I had him well covered. I decided to make a small bet, which I thought would be sufficient to see him off. He re-raised all in and I had more than 4-1 on the call and it was only 20% of my stack to continue.
I so nearly did call but I felt that there was no way he could make that push - given how easy it would be for me to call - without the Ace. So I folded, and he showed KQ. From there, he went from strength to strength.
Last week, the heads-up stage lasted one hand. This time, it was a prolonged battle where I was never in control, really.
The final hand came when I was dealt TT and decided to just call on the button. The flop was 3-4-6 with 2 spades. He checked, I bet the pot, he called. Turn 9d - putting 2 diamonds on board now. He checked, I bet 2/3rd of the pot.
He now raised all-in and I called. He had 5-9 for top pair on the turn with an up&down straight draw as well.
The river: 7 hearts. He made the straight and scooped the $300.
My $180 for second puts me on $460 for the league so far and with only one Monday left in February, it is really only Gutshot666 who can overtake me - by finishing 2nd or better next week. Unless, that is, the field is much bigger then, which is certainly possible. If that happens, then 1st place next week could be enough on its own, or the other money finishers may be able to catch up.
My luck felt sufficiently in that I then played a $35 rebuy on the site (188 runners). I had the most amazing run of cards - KK so many times - and was vying for the lead as the bubble approached.
I was still 5th when the bubble broke at 18th place. It was one of those flat payouts where 18th-10th all get the same (about 5x the buyin - I had no rebuys or addons). Unfortunately, I ran A6into AA and then A4 into AK to crash out in 11th. Afterwards, that seemed quite a disappointment as the escalation of prize money from 9th onwards was pretty significant.
Along the way, I did have one amazing hand where I picked up KK in the small blind. The button raised, and decided to play safe and made a big re-raise. The BB called, somewhat surprisingly, and so did the button. I had them both well covered as I was already 2nd in chips. I was looking forward to the chip lead coming my way.
The flop came KT8 with 2 clubs. I decided to play safe and bet the flop. I was re-raised !! Well, it all went in on the flop and he turned up TT. Unlucky there sir. Turn Ten !!
There wasn't a further miracle on the river so the Quad tens were sufficient. Like I always say, one out is enough.
Saturday 16 February 2008
A first time for everything
This has never happened to me before. It's obviously a lot more probable in Omaha than in Hold'em. I didn't win any more money on the river unfortunately. I checked, and he checked behind. Still, a moment to savour nonetheless.
Friday 15 February 2008
Case Closed ?
In poker-related news, the appeal verdict has come back in the "Gutshot case". It was reported a few days ago - I believe it was delivered simply as a written ruling.
I attended the appeal hearing back in November. It was well argued for the defence, I thought, but it was always likely to be an uphill struggle to actually win the appeal.
If the appeal had been successful it would certainly have been a real landmark result. As the appeal failed, this is far less significant. This is especially true since the law has been changed subsequently, albeit the new Act is not dramatically different.
Poker is hardly mentioned in the law itself. It does not appear to have been drafted with poker in mind one way or the other, really. It mainly seems to want to deal with gaming (against the house). One of the real problems is that there isn't really any sensible provision for poker.
In any event, there is some possibility of an appeal to the House of Lords - that would be very interesting ! I daresay they would give a really considered verdict, although I am equally sure that the press reporting of the case - should it go that far - would be as ill-informed and trite as ever.
I attended the appeal hearing back in November. It was well argued for the defence, I thought, but it was always likely to be an uphill struggle to actually win the appeal.
If the appeal had been successful it would certainly have been a real landmark result. As the appeal failed, this is far less significant. This is especially true since the law has been changed subsequently, albeit the new Act is not dramatically different.
Poker is hardly mentioned in the law itself. It does not appear to have been drafted with poker in mind one way or the other, really. It mainly seems to want to deal with gaming (against the house). One of the real problems is that there isn't really any sensible provision for poker.
In any event, there is some possibility of an appeal to the House of Lords - that would be very interesting ! I daresay they would give a really considered verdict, although I am equally sure that the press reporting of the case - should it go that far - would be as ill-informed and trite as ever.
Tuesday 12 February 2008
FAQs (part 1)
1. So, you're a professional poker player now ?
Well, I suppose I must be insofar as I will have no other source of income! That, surely, is the operative definition. Of course, "professional" connotes "profitable" and "expert" as well, and these descriptions are wide of the mark unfortunately.
Obviously my motivations are different to the "standard" professional, if there is such a thing.
In reality, "retired to play poker" is what we're talking about.
2. When will we see you on TV ?
I really have been asked this question by about 50% of the people whom I've been chatting to about my change of direction. I always have a laugh about it. Mind you, with so much coverage these days, there actually is a chance that eventually I may get caught on camera.
At the least, I'll probably be there as a dot in the background. If I play enough tournaments then you never know ! Not all the coverage is of the final stages, so there is some chance that I get randomly drawn onto the TV table. It's not exactly on my list of aims but it would be fun I guess.
3. Are you holding a farewell tournament ?
The poker events I have organized at work in the past 2 years were tremendously popular. Often I was being asked about the next one anytime from the day after the one before. Now, there is some concern that they won't continue after I leave. This has led many soon-to-be-ex-colleagues to suggest I should hold a "leaving tournament" in lieu of (or as well as, perhaps) leaving drinks.
I am undecided. I have considered it, but tended to err on the side of "not". At the moment, it would be accurate to say I'm still considering it. If it happens, imagine the pressure on me to win it !
Well, I suppose I must be insofar as I will have no other source of income! That, surely, is the operative definition. Of course, "professional" connotes "profitable" and "expert" as well, and these descriptions are wide of the mark unfortunately.
Obviously my motivations are different to the "standard" professional, if there is such a thing.
In reality, "retired to play poker" is what we're talking about.
2. When will we see you on TV ?
I really have been asked this question by about 50% of the people whom I've been chatting to about my change of direction. I always have a laugh about it. Mind you, with so much coverage these days, there actually is a chance that eventually I may get caught on camera.
At the least, I'll probably be there as a dot in the background. If I play enough tournaments then you never know ! Not all the coverage is of the final stages, so there is some chance that I get randomly drawn onto the TV table. It's not exactly on my list of aims but it would be fun I guess.
3. Are you holding a farewell tournament ?
The poker events I have organized at work in the past 2 years were tremendously popular. Often I was being asked about the next one anytime from the day after the one before. Now, there is some concern that they won't continue after I leave. This has led many soon-to-be-ex-colleagues to suggest I should hold a "leaving tournament" in lieu of (or as well as, perhaps) leaving drinks.
I am undecided. I have considered it, but tended to err on the side of "not". At the moment, it would be accurate to say I'm still considering it. If it happens, imagine the pressure on me to win it !
Monday 11 February 2008
Forum League
Gutshot are running a couple of interesting promotions right now (online). One is the Sit-n-Go league - points are awarded on a weekly basis for 1st and second place finishes in 1-table tournaments.
I used to play in this when it was running last year but, in order to play enough games (50 per week is the optimum), I had to play 5-seat extreme turbo tables. Actually I quite enjoy those, but anyone would have to concede that there is a good deal of luck when the blinds double every two hands !
This time around, I will want to play in "proper" SnG's so I'm not sure if I have time to do it properly. We'll see. I played 3 today and won 1. Winning 1 out of 3 consistently would be good enough for a very high finish but 3 is a very small sample ! Actually, I won one out of one, then finished 6th/10 in the next two.
The other promotion is the Forum League. This is a series of weekly MTTs that are exclusive to registered members of the Gutshot forum ($20 Freezeouts). It would be fun just to play the other forum members for the sheer competition of it all. But, as an additional spur, there is a 2009 WSOP package up for grabs - each month the league winner qualifies to the final in December.
So - first night tonight. There were 28 runners (presumably it will be more in later weeks). I knew at least 20 by their screen-names.
Early on, I had pocket-7s in the small blind. There was an EP raise and several calls. It was pretty clear cut to call to hit a set. Q73 flop, with two clubs. I checked. The pf raiser bet, called in two spots. I re-raised. One player moved all in for just a few chips more. He had AQ. I knocked him out and moved into the chip lead.
Later on, it was back to the aggressive poker that saw me do well in the WSOP qualifier. I won more races than I lost, and because I was rarely all-in, I wasn't often in real danger. As we approached the bubble (only 3 places paying), I knocked two players out - holding AT vs JT and AJ vs A8 respectively. I was a big chip leader with 5 left and although it became rather close with 3 left, I duly went on to win the thing.
The actual $280 won is handy, and counts as 280 points towards this month's league. I presume this will not be enough on its own but it's the best start I could hope for !
I'm on a hat-trick ..... they'll be out to get me now.
I used to play in this when it was running last year but, in order to play enough games (50 per week is the optimum), I had to play 5-seat extreme turbo tables. Actually I quite enjoy those, but anyone would have to concede that there is a good deal of luck when the blinds double every two hands !
This time around, I will want to play in "proper" SnG's so I'm not sure if I have time to do it properly. We'll see. I played 3 today and won 1. Winning 1 out of 3 consistently would be good enough for a very high finish but 3 is a very small sample ! Actually, I won one out of one, then finished 6th/10 in the next two.
The other promotion is the Forum League. This is a series of weekly MTTs that are exclusive to registered members of the Gutshot forum ($20 Freezeouts). It would be fun just to play the other forum members for the sheer competition of it all. But, as an additional spur, there is a 2009 WSOP package up for grabs - each month the league winner qualifies to the final in December.
So - first night tonight. There were 28 runners (presumably it will be more in later weeks). I knew at least 20 by their screen-names.
Early on, I had pocket-7s in the small blind. There was an EP raise and several calls. It was pretty clear cut to call to hit a set. Q73 flop, with two clubs. I checked. The pf raiser bet, called in two spots. I re-raised. One player moved all in for just a few chips more. He had AQ. I knocked him out and moved into the chip lead.
Later on, it was back to the aggressive poker that saw me do well in the WSOP qualifier. I won more races than I lost, and because I was rarely all-in, I wasn't often in real danger. As we approached the bubble (only 3 places paying), I knocked two players out - holding AT vs JT and AJ vs A8 respectively. I was a big chip leader with 5 left and although it became rather close with 3 left, I duly went on to win the thing.
The actual $280 won is handy, and counts as 280 points towards this month's league. I presume this will not be enough on its own but it's the best start I could hope for !
I'm on a hat-trick ..... they'll be out to get me now.
Sunday 10 February 2008
Young Guns
On a Sunday night in half-term, Harry (11) obviously doesn't want to go to bed at a sensible time. The Xbox is banned (too late). The TV is showing something too suitable. Unaccountably, he doesn't want to play pool. So, we settled on heads-up No-Limit Texas Hold'Em (his suggestion).
I was never ahead. He played really well, honestly ! He was perhaps a little bit too passive, but he was patient and sensible and easily out-scored me on poker-face skills. There were no big clashes, but he chipped away and built up a 3-1 lead.
In the last hand, he did catch trips on the river when I was a big favourite on the flop & turn. However, as the big-stack, he's entitled to some luck at that stage.
A re-match may be in order ....
I was never ahead. He played really well, honestly ! He was perhaps a little bit too passive, but he was patient and sensible and easily out-scored me on poker-face skills. There were no big clashes, but he chipped away and built up a 3-1 lead.
In the last hand, he did catch trips on the river when I was a big favourite on the flop & turn. However, as the big-stack, he's entitled to some luck at that stage.
A re-match may be in order ....
Saturday 9 February 2008
Omaha Actually
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am not playing much right at the moment because I want to play properly. That means good game selection at a minimum.
So, in particular, I am not playing online until I can really focus on it. However, I did visit the Gutshot on Wednesday for the always-excellent £75 Freezeout. Earlier this year I finished 3rd and 10th in it (the field is usually 70 - 100). Still looking for an outright win though.
I was slightly annoyed to finish 20th of 80. I had been just above average on about 17k chips (having come down from around 23k when repeatedly re-raised pre-flop).
By now, the blinds were beginning to bite: 600/1,200. I was out in two hands. In the first, the cut-off raised one limper on my big blind. I looked down at AK and naturally moved all-in. The limper folded, but the cut-off player called with JTo (?). Possibly he thinks my most likely holding is a small pair and fancies a race. In any case, he makes a pair of Tens to take about half my stack.
I steal a few blinds and then, exactly one round later, the same player open-raises on the cut-off. He had taken a long time to choose his exact raise and had finally settled on 5,000 leaving him with about 13k behind. My perception was that he had a minimum hand for the raise and wanted to raise as much as he dared to discourage action and not so much that he couldn't fold to an all-in. I had just slightly less chips than him.
I held 44 and, given my read, it was an obvious push I thought. The player looked like he might fold, but in the end opted for a reluctant call with A7-clubs. Two clubs on the flop and one on the river were enough to see him through. Pretty marginal call, I thought.
So, a bit irritating, but I wasn't too unhappy with my play.
It was still quite early so obviously I had to consider whether to play some cash. In the current situation, I probably wouldn't have except that someone handed me £300 - a return on a backing arrangement from last year. I wasn't expecting the money (well, not right then) so it felt like a bit of a free-roll. I decided I could give the Omaha a cautious spin.
Well it turned out to be one of those days where it all went right. I was immediately up on my starting stack and cruised on to double, then triple my buy-in in quick succession. It was a pretty lively game. Obviously I took some hits (some outdraws, which are de rigeur in Omaha, some failed bluffs) but for the most part the notable feature was that when I made a strong hands but not the nuts, it was good enough.
This was in stark contrast to the worst nights, where I have found that every time I made the second nuts, I got all my money in against the stone-cold winner.
I did modify my approach once I had built up a big stack. "Lock-down poker" would overstate it considerably but, for example, when I made it £75 to go after limp-limp-pot-call-call-call, and I was re-raised to £300 by the original raiser, I let my KQJ9-double suited hit the muck.
On another occasion I'd definitely have given it a spin. I can't be that far behind the obvious Aces.
I showed my folded hand and Nik showed his Aces-single suited. I was only about a 60/40 underdog so I had the money odds, ostensibly. However, if I had known what Jason-the-cabbie had thrown away (he was acting after Nik and had called the first raise), I'd have folded quicker. He picked KKT9 out of the muck - that didn't leave me many outs!
I did try the pot-resteal one other time - this time I did it with no hand at all so I could fold more easily to further action. (2468 rainbow - that's pretty bad you must agree). However, this time 3 people called (!!). On the Q92-flop with two diamonds, it was checked to me and I bet a threatening-looking-I-hoped £90 (1/3rd-pot approx) and everyone folded. Who says you can't bluff in Omaha ?
My Omaha game doesn't rely much on subtle betting. It's pretty much raise-the-pot or fold. Still, like I say, on this night it worked. To be fair, the money I won came mainly from those at the table who were even worse than me and when they left, I called it a night also - up a little less than £700.
So, in particular, I am not playing online until I can really focus on it. However, I did visit the Gutshot on Wednesday for the always-excellent £75 Freezeout. Earlier this year I finished 3rd and 10th in it (the field is usually 70 - 100). Still looking for an outright win though.
I was slightly annoyed to finish 20th of 80. I had been just above average on about 17k chips (having come down from around 23k when repeatedly re-raised pre-flop).
By now, the blinds were beginning to bite: 600/1,200. I was out in two hands. In the first, the cut-off raised one limper on my big blind. I looked down at AK and naturally moved all-in. The limper folded, but the cut-off player called with JTo (?). Possibly he thinks my most likely holding is a small pair and fancies a race. In any case, he makes a pair of Tens to take about half my stack.
I steal a few blinds and then, exactly one round later, the same player open-raises on the cut-off. He had taken a long time to choose his exact raise and had finally settled on 5,000 leaving him with about 13k behind. My perception was that he had a minimum hand for the raise and wanted to raise as much as he dared to discourage action and not so much that he couldn't fold to an all-in. I had just slightly less chips than him.
I held 44 and, given my read, it was an obvious push I thought. The player looked like he might fold, but in the end opted for a reluctant call with A7-clubs. Two clubs on the flop and one on the river were enough to see him through. Pretty marginal call, I thought.
So, a bit irritating, but I wasn't too unhappy with my play.
It was still quite early so obviously I had to consider whether to play some cash. In the current situation, I probably wouldn't have except that someone handed me £300 - a return on a backing arrangement from last year. I wasn't expecting the money (well, not right then) so it felt like a bit of a free-roll. I decided I could give the Omaha a cautious spin.
Well it turned out to be one of those days where it all went right. I was immediately up on my starting stack and cruised on to double, then triple my buy-in in quick succession. It was a pretty lively game. Obviously I took some hits (some outdraws, which are de rigeur in Omaha, some failed bluffs) but for the most part the notable feature was that when I made a strong hands but not the nuts, it was good enough.
This was in stark contrast to the worst nights, where I have found that every time I made the second nuts, I got all my money in against the stone-cold winner.
I did modify my approach once I had built up a big stack. "Lock-down poker" would overstate it considerably but, for example, when I made it £75 to go after limp-limp-pot-call-call-call, and I was re-raised to £300 by the original raiser, I let my KQJ9-double suited hit the muck.
On another occasion I'd definitely have given it a spin. I can't be that far behind the obvious Aces.
I showed my folded hand and Nik showed his Aces-single suited. I was only about a 60/40 underdog so I had the money odds, ostensibly. However, if I had known what Jason-the-cabbie had thrown away (he was acting after Nik and had called the first raise), I'd have folded quicker. He picked KKT9 out of the muck - that didn't leave me many outs!
I did try the pot-resteal one other time - this time I did it with no hand at all so I could fold more easily to further action. (2468 rainbow - that's pretty bad you must agree). However, this time 3 people called (!!). On the Q92-flop with two diamonds, it was checked to me and I bet a threatening-looking-I-hoped £90 (1/3rd-pot approx) and everyone folded. Who says you can't bluff in Omaha ?
My Omaha game doesn't rely much on subtle betting. It's pretty much raise-the-pot or fold. Still, like I say, on this night it worked. To be fair, the money I won came mainly from those at the table who were even worse than me and when they left, I called it a night also - up a little less than £700.
Thursday 7 February 2008
It's a Hit
Study the graph of daily hits carefully.
Can you just make out when it was that I let people know about my change of career ?
Vegas Ahoy!
It's quite early in the year to be thinking of the 2008 WSOP (July), but various qualification routes are already in progress.
At the beginning of January, I didn't yet realise that I was going to be physically able to go to Vegas this year (back then, annual leave was a key factor). However, Gutshot started running a $5 rebuy daily, as a satellite into a monthly final. The final would produce a main event package.
Well, $5 ? Hard not to. So on January 2nd, I duly entered and $15 later (2 rebuys, no add-on) I had my ticket to the 31st January final and pretty much forgot about it.
However, when 31st January came around, the context had altered a little. I had just handed in my notice at work so, all of a sudden, the thought of winning a package to Vegas was quite interesting. Add to that the fact that a lot of the 40 runners were personally known to me from the gutshot club and forum, and I really wanted to do well.
I checked the structure: 3,000 chips, 15minute levels, 10/20 starting blinds - in internet terms, a deep-stack event. Proper poker.
So, I resolved to play really tight poker, and I did. Fold after fold. Raise / re-raise / fold. Etc. Down to 2,075 chips, and the field had only thinned to about 31 players with over an hour gone.
Now, a hand. AK on the big blind. One MP limper for 150. SB raised to 650. Result. I re-raised all in and, after a dwell, the SB eventually called with AQ ! Can't ask for more than that - the AK held and I now had a little more than average for the first time in the event.
Next hand. JJ on the small blind !! Fantastic. Folded to me, I make it 400. The BB is short-stacked himself having been playing a tight game like me. He has 2,100 total and moves all-in. Sigh. Well, what am I supposed to do ? I couldn't think about it for too long as the time-bank on my software was broken (no idea why !) and I pretty much insta-called anyway.
KQ-clubs for him. That's about as 50/50 as it comes. The flop was all low with no clubs. Looking good, but the turn brings a King. I'm right back to where I was !
Shortly afterwards, I had my luckiest break. Folded to me in the SB. I have J5o. The BB has been really passive so I think I'll take a liberty of calling to see if I hit. I hit. J82 flop. I check, intending to check-raise. He bets, I check-raise all-in and he insta-calls. He has J2 !!
Oh dear. Well, I hit my kicker on the turn and I'm back in the game. After that, I did hit a run of cards (picking up KK on at least 3 occasions). I move steadily up the leaderboard and once I hit the chip lead I become very aggressive - raising nearly every pot pre-flop if folded to me.
I varied my raises a little, but basically I let position be the indicator rather than the cards, so I was making the same raise with KK as with T8o. For the most part, the others let me take it down and I just added steadily to my stack. If re-raised, I laid it down. If called, I bet nearly every flop.
It worked really well. At one stage on the final table, I did lose three reasonable pots in a row and fell back to the middle of the pack, but I still had about average chips and an adequate M (with the slow structure) so I ground it back up without too much opposition.
Heads-up, I started with about a 7/4 chip-lead and continued the aggressive strategy. It became apparent my opponent would see a reasonable number of flops but not continue without a piece of it. So, for the most part, it was easy to know where I was.
I did drop a couple of large pots including one where I started with AK and he with 59o. I raised pf and was called. I bet the 234-flop and was called. Ace on the turn. I checked / checked behind. River 3. I bet, he raised. I called and was shown the straight.
I did drop out of the chip lead briefly after that hand, but carried on with the same style until the lead was restored. I was about a 2/1 leader when the last hand came.
I had AQ. I raised. He re-raised, and I called. Q-3-2 flop with two hearts. I bet. He raised. I re-raised all in and He called with A3 (there was a three on board) and no flush draw. My hand stood up.
Fantastic ! It was a small field of 40, but it still had to be won. I was absolutely delighted to be the first to be on the Team Gutshot roster for Vegas 2008. Hopefully there may be as many as 30 or 40 of us eventually.
Last year, when I went out independently, I still wore the Team Gutshot colours but it means a lot to me to be a bona-fide member of The Only Real Team in Poker.
At the beginning of January, I didn't yet realise that I was going to be physically able to go to Vegas this year (back then, annual leave was a key factor). However, Gutshot started running a $5 rebuy daily, as a satellite into a monthly final. The final would produce a main event package.
Well, $5 ? Hard not to. So on January 2nd, I duly entered and $15 later (2 rebuys, no add-on) I had my ticket to the 31st January final and pretty much forgot about it.
However, when 31st January came around, the context had altered a little. I had just handed in my notice at work so, all of a sudden, the thought of winning a package to Vegas was quite interesting. Add to that the fact that a lot of the 40 runners were personally known to me from the gutshot club and forum, and I really wanted to do well.
I checked the structure: 3,000 chips, 15minute levels, 10/20 starting blinds - in internet terms, a deep-stack event. Proper poker.
So, I resolved to play really tight poker, and I did. Fold after fold. Raise / re-raise / fold. Etc. Down to 2,075 chips, and the field had only thinned to about 31 players with over an hour gone.
Now, a hand. AK on the big blind. One MP limper for 150. SB raised to 650. Result. I re-raised all in and, after a dwell, the SB eventually called with AQ ! Can't ask for more than that - the AK held and I now had a little more than average for the first time in the event.
Next hand. JJ on the small blind !! Fantastic. Folded to me, I make it 400. The BB is short-stacked himself having been playing a tight game like me. He has 2,100 total and moves all-in. Sigh. Well, what am I supposed to do ? I couldn't think about it for too long as the time-bank on my software was broken (no idea why !) and I pretty much insta-called anyway.
KQ-clubs for him. That's about as 50/50 as it comes. The flop was all low with no clubs. Looking good, but the turn brings a King. I'm right back to where I was !
Shortly afterwards, I had my luckiest break. Folded to me in the SB. I have J5o. The BB has been really passive so I think I'll take a liberty of calling to see if I hit. I hit. J82 flop. I check, intending to check-raise. He bets, I check-raise all-in and he insta-calls. He has J2 !!
Oh dear. Well, I hit my kicker on the turn and I'm back in the game. After that, I did hit a run of cards (picking up KK on at least 3 occasions). I move steadily up the leaderboard and once I hit the chip lead I become very aggressive - raising nearly every pot pre-flop if folded to me.
I varied my raises a little, but basically I let position be the indicator rather than the cards, so I was making the same raise with KK as with T8o. For the most part, the others let me take it down and I just added steadily to my stack. If re-raised, I laid it down. If called, I bet nearly every flop.
It worked really well. At one stage on the final table, I did lose three reasonable pots in a row and fell back to the middle of the pack, but I still had about average chips and an adequate M (with the slow structure) so I ground it back up without too much opposition.
Heads-up, I started with about a 7/4 chip-lead and continued the aggressive strategy. It became apparent my opponent would see a reasonable number of flops but not continue without a piece of it. So, for the most part, it was easy to know where I was.
I did drop a couple of large pots including one where I started with AK and he with 59o. I raised pf and was called. I bet the 234-flop and was called. Ace on the turn. I checked / checked behind. River 3. I bet, he raised. I called and was shown the straight.
I did drop out of the chip lead briefly after that hand, but carried on with the same style until the lead was restored. I was about a 2/1 leader when the last hand came.
I had AQ. I raised. He re-raised, and I called. Q-3-2 flop with two hearts. I bet. He raised. I re-raised all in and He called with A3 (there was a three on board) and no flush draw. My hand stood up.
Fantastic ! It was a small field of 40, but it still had to be won. I was absolutely delighted to be the first to be on the Team Gutshot roster for Vegas 2008. Hopefully there may be as many as 30 or 40 of us eventually.
Last year, when I went out independently, I still wore the Team Gutshot colours but it means a lot to me to be a bona-fide member of The Only Real Team in Poker.
Tuesday 5 February 2008
Big Deal
Here's a highly relevant piece of news from the home/poker overlap.
After 19 years in the financial markets, including 13 years at my current employer, I have decided that it's time to take a total change of direction. I have resigned "to pursue my interests in poker". In the short term, this will mean spending time at home with the family and playing poker !
The usual way that an amateur player decides to give up his job to play poker is that he's been playing and winning for years (maybe decades) and is now finding that he makes more from playing poker than the day job. He considers carefully, and eventually takes a big step into the unknown.
Well, in my case, I can say that I have considered carefully but apart from that I don't have too much in common with the paradigm. I've been playing for only 2-3 years and I'm a pretty average player (which means I am also a steady loser). In any event, even if I were winning, it would be fanciful to think I could win more than I can earn in the financial industry.
Nevertheless, for me, it's the right decision.
In the very short term, I have actually been playing less poker. I haven't played online at all since I resigned because I want to get myself organized. I also would like to start off winning so I want to be in the right frame of mind. I might not play at all until I have actually finished working my notice etc.
Once I am a free agent, of course I will be playing online and I will take a look to see which live events I should play. GPT or GUKPT events or other UK/Ireland festivals are an obvious choice. EPT also, possibly. There's so much choice these days that just choosing may be a difficulty !
After 19 years in the financial markets, including 13 years at my current employer, I have decided that it's time to take a total change of direction. I have resigned "to pursue my interests in poker". In the short term, this will mean spending time at home with the family and playing poker !
The usual way that an amateur player decides to give up his job to play poker is that he's been playing and winning for years (maybe decades) and is now finding that he makes more from playing poker than the day job. He considers carefully, and eventually takes a big step into the unknown.
Well, in my case, I can say that I have considered carefully but apart from that I don't have too much in common with the paradigm. I've been playing for only 2-3 years and I'm a pretty average player (which means I am also a steady loser). In any event, even if I were winning, it would be fanciful to think I could win more than I can earn in the financial industry.
Nevertheless, for me, it's the right decision.
In the very short term, I have actually been playing less poker. I haven't played online at all since I resigned because I want to get myself organized. I also would like to start off winning so I want to be in the right frame of mind. I might not play at all until I have actually finished working my notice etc.
Once I am a free agent, of course I will be playing online and I will take a look to see which live events I should play. GPT or GUKPT events or other UK/Ireland festivals are an obvious choice. EPT also, possibly. There's so much choice these days that just choosing may be a difficulty !
Saturday 2 February 2008
Round Up
What's been happening ....
- Sky Poker: I'm well and truly bored of it, despite the fact that I haven't even played that much. I suppose if they worked on the speed, and it remained equally fishy, then it would represent good "value". For the moment, however, I'm finding the frustration factor is overwhelming. I should just cash out my remaining balance, but I'm a little bit tempted to first try throwing it all-in in a last attempt to double-up-quick!
- Party Poker UK Open: this is a TV event that is filming at the moment. I mention it because I played in a one-table live satellite to win a seat (it's a $7,000 buy-in). It was fun. I busted one player by turning 2-pair (Jacks & Tens), which was good for the chip lead, but then went on a downward spiral after I got involved with AK-suited vs. pocket Kings. You can read about that hand on the gutshot forum, here.
Obviously I still had chips after losing the hand, but it marked a bit of a turning point and I never threatened after that. Good luck to Piers who won the seat, and will be in action tomorrow (3rd Feb). I am not sure when it airs on TV, but I'll try to catch it.
- Omaha: I can't remember whether it was a New Year's resolution of mine not to play Omaha, but it should have been. I probably lost more money playing the four-card game last year than at Hold'em, even though I played it hardly at all. At the Gutshot, there is usually a game on a Wednesday and I will often go for the £75 Freezeout on that day. So, there is always the temptation to get dragged into the Omaha game. There are many good things about it - the table is usually filled with familiar "faces", and it's generally played in a great spirit.
Well, one recent Wednesday, Derek Kelly was over from Dublin. He loves his Omaha and, of course, he was able to persuade me to play. The good thing is that I played much, much better than previously. I know this because I did not lose all my money in 20 minutes. Instead it took me hours to lose all my money. In fact, I didn't even lose it all which is a new experience for me where Omaha is concerned.
The bad news is that I have picked up a basic level of competency at the game now. That means I am not misreading my hand, or throwing away the nuts by mistake. It doesn't mean I'm actually any good! I fear, though, that I may have played enough now that I can't exist on 2-card poker alone.
Poker bunker: I've known about this venue on Canary Wharf for a while but never visited. Nik Persaud was hosting an "Academy" there on a recent Monday night, so I went along to congratulate him on his recent 6th place in GUKPT Brighton, and to soak up the wisdom. Sit-n-Go strategy was the topic, and after watching Nik play and commentate on a Pokerstars one-table SnG, I went home and won three out of three myself ..... the power of education !
- Sky Poker: I'm well and truly bored of it, despite the fact that I haven't even played that much. I suppose if they worked on the speed, and it remained equally fishy, then it would represent good "value". For the moment, however, I'm finding the frustration factor is overwhelming. I should just cash out my remaining balance, but I'm a little bit tempted to first try throwing it all-in in a last attempt to double-up-quick!
- Party Poker UK Open: this is a TV event that is filming at the moment. I mention it because I played in a one-table live satellite to win a seat (it's a $7,000 buy-in). It was fun. I busted one player by turning 2-pair (Jacks & Tens), which was good for the chip lead, but then went on a downward spiral after I got involved with AK-suited vs. pocket Kings. You can read about that hand on the gutshot forum, here.
Obviously I still had chips after losing the hand, but it marked a bit of a turning point and I never threatened after that. Good luck to Piers who won the seat, and will be in action tomorrow (3rd Feb). I am not sure when it airs on TV, but I'll try to catch it.
- Omaha: I can't remember whether it was a New Year's resolution of mine not to play Omaha, but it should have been. I probably lost more money playing the four-card game last year than at Hold'em, even though I played it hardly at all. At the Gutshot, there is usually a game on a Wednesday and I will often go for the £75 Freezeout on that day. So, there is always the temptation to get dragged into the Omaha game. There are many good things about it - the table is usually filled with familiar "faces", and it's generally played in a great spirit.
Well, one recent Wednesday, Derek Kelly was over from Dublin. He loves his Omaha and, of course, he was able to persuade me to play. The good thing is that I played much, much better than previously. I know this because I did not lose all my money in 20 minutes. Instead it took me hours to lose all my money. In fact, I didn't even lose it all which is a new experience for me where Omaha is concerned.
The bad news is that I have picked up a basic level of competency at the game now. That means I am not misreading my hand, or throwing away the nuts by mistake. It doesn't mean I'm actually any good! I fear, though, that I may have played enough now that I can't exist on 2-card poker alone.
Poker bunker: I've known about this venue on Canary Wharf for a while but never visited. Nik Persaud was hosting an "Academy" there on a recent Monday night, so I went along to congratulate him on his recent 6th place in GUKPT Brighton, and to soak up the wisdom. Sit-n-Go strategy was the topic, and after watching Nik play and commentate on a Pokerstars one-table SnG, I went home and won three out of three myself ..... the power of education !
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