Returning to the Live Scene post Black Friday

Well,

Its been a long time since I’ve played in a casino, and a long time since I’ve updated.  The last time I played was at the Redtooth National Finals, and I really felt on top of my game at the time.

What changed since? I made a bankroll error, and tilted off half a bankroll at full tilt.  I’m a moron, but I still feel I’m a solid good player if I can control my emotions.  Took $10 on Pokerstars and busted that to $4.  Wish I could say that was variance but I simply busted $10 from $14 playing cash badly.  I’ve since started grinding 0.25c and occasional 0.50c 45man and 90man MTT’s and enjoying a 40% ROI (rate of investment), and over the last 50 games (yeah, lolsample) I’m up to $33 with a bit of solid cash play supplementing.

But I’m not happy.  I’ve reached a plateau in my game, I’ve grafted, studied, maybe not as hard as I could, but I’m suddenly finding myself confused.  

Life was so much easier when I would happily through 3 streets of value against most players with A10, on a A rag rag board, now my mind is full of negative possibilities, I know 96s is in this idiots range, so on the board of A 8 7, and the turn peels a 5 and they donk bet it… I find myself just wanting to fold…upandcrawlunderthetable.

Now that I am implementing ranges on my villains, I’m having more trouble than ever with the idiot villains, whose range is … EVERYTHING and being very aggro with it.

What is wrong with me, I play this type of player all day everyday in ultramicro MTT’s and have no trouble deciphering their check call, check call, check call range.. its simple, play solid hands, hit flop pretty well, keep betting until they raise, then reevaluate which is usually a fold.  Its probably the most exploitable play style in the world.. but they AREN’T THAT SMART.

So we played in the Circus £1k Freeroll last night, and I ran into this very problem of feeling confused, watching confident players throwing chips around with J8s as if they have done something clever.  I started to doubt myself, maybe they are doing something clever, I am certainly not playing a 5xBB raise with something less than premium… but it seems a bit risky to shove all in, with 25 BB’s from UTG+1 with J8s.. it just … seems… dumb, but its so frustrating, because I know if I do that, they snap call me with A rag or some other rubbish.  What makes them different.

But I can deal with loose aggro players, and loose passive fish, I just need to find the inner confidence I had a few months ago.  I am feeling a little fatigued from work, and that may contribute.

We played the freeroll at Circus casino anyway, and I’ve been agonising over one particular hand.  I raise with AQs and get one caller.  Flop comes down 10 10 9, hard to hit that one directly, and I check call when he bets 66% pot (I should have been c-betting this flop, don’t know why I checked).  Turn is the 8 and I check raise his 350 bet into a pot of 1100 to 900, figuring a lot of hands have to fold, especially bluffs or semi-bluffs with 1 card to come.  He calls and I’m done with the hand, He shows A 10 after check checking river.  

I should definitely C-Bet Flop, he would call, then check raise turn, not the weak way I did it.  Either way, he was going nowhere with A 10.  Also, I don’t need to be playing ‘clever’ at these donkfests.  Especially when my brain is not thinking clever.

I did double up early, checking my BB with A4, flopping the ace, check-calling flop (okay with this with 6 people in the pot, Ace rag doesn’t play great), and spiking 2 pair on turn.  I check raised all-in and he called with A-6(!!)… no idea what he thought he was ahead of, and my shove was risky as I’m far from the nuts but never mind.. woohoo to double up.

I went card dead for a long stretch (about an hour) and ended shoving AQ into the blinds, finally 3 bet all-in with KQ with 7.2 BB’s left.  No problem with playing that tight with no hands, every pot was raised before me, so my spots to steal were just too limited.

Away to Aspers tonight, despite feeling a bit tired now, but I have a gameplan, and hopefully juice my confidence with a solid game.. don’t’ care how I finish.. I just want to stand up feeling good about the game.  I’ll be the happiest guy in the room when I get sucked out on.. I’m getting the money in ahead, and that perhaps is all you can ask for.

I Give Up At Pub Poker

That’s it! I’m done.

I’m a quitter.  I’m a failure.  I’m a poor excuse for a poker player.

Why?

3 hands at pub poker yesterday.

A10vsA9 allin preflop

How did it all get in preflop?

9 handed table, UTG calls 50, UTG+1 calls 50, UTG+2 calls 50, MP calls 50, MP+1 calls 50, CO calls 50, BTN calls 50, SB calls 25.

I have A10s in the BB.  I don’t want to play OOP, I’m tired and slightly grumpy, just give me your dead ass money and leave me alone.  With all these limpers, standard type raise (with a starting stack of 2000 chips, 25/50 blinds, 20 minute levels) would be 3-4xBB+1BB per limper.  That would be…..550, a quarter of my stack, OOP, so unless I hit an A, I’m problem not overjoyed, blinds are too crazy, I feel an open shove is the answer.

Get called by UTG+2 who has A9o with 300 chips.  Flop 479 rainbow….., turn 6, River Q.  

How did you take it?

Cool.  Standard unlucky, no big problem.  Call my shoves with A9o all day every day please.

Next Hand:

AKo vs QQ

How did it all get in preflop?

UTG+2 raises to 300 (blinds now 50/100).  MP+1 shoves all in.  I’m in the SB with AKo. Stack now 1550.  Do we fold AK with 15 big blinds?

I fold IF we have 60 big blinds+.  We don’t.  We have 15BB in a fast turbo structure.  Ship It.

UTG+2 folds (he claims AJ afterwards, probably true).  MP shows QQ.  They hold up.

After the break, I start with 1500 chips.  I’m an idiot thou.  I fold fold fold, BB hits me for 400 (200/400 blinds.. woo restart with 3.5BB lol) and I have 62o and an allin and call before me.  Got to lay that monster down.

SB hits and the blinds have gone up already (loldonkament blind levels), so another 300 down to 800 chips behind, 1.33 BB stack, I’m stuffed.

I see 8d6d, UTG goes all in for 2500.   I should have snap called since I can win 2800 for an 800 investment giving me almost 3-1 pot odds.  I almost call, but I see the BB stacking chips and I get concerned about a call and fold like a moron.

On the button I get pocket 10s two hands too late, and ship it after 2 callers pre.  BB joins them naturally (who wouldn’t for 200 more chips) and everyone must have missed the flop, but a K on the turn ends my day when there is a raise and everyone fold and they show KJo.

What went wrong? First I still don’t know what to do with the original A10s, any raise which would isolate would still leave me out of position and near pot committed, a shove can be called by plenty stronger hands (people often limp AK, AQ.. hell, they limp JJ QQ KK AA quite often).  I confess I am still clueless as to the best +EV line.  It might still be open shove but its marginal, and at least I did get unlucky.

AKo vs QQ, totally standard IMO, no problem.  Out on pocket 10’s, doesn’t matter, I had no fold equity to thin the field out, I should have called with the 86s on the SB previously.

But why quit? I’m clearly a better player capable of better analysis than most of them put together (i.e. I actually TRY to analyse).  I’m just so sick.  I’m tired of getting it in with AK vs QJ and losing, JJ vs A9 and the A spiking.  Over the short term this is fine, but this is now long term, and I have lost more 60/40 flips, 75/25 dominators than anyone.  And I still managed to qualify from the league last season.

I’m not really quitting.  Its still fun, but shallow stack turbo is NOT my favourite type of game, its just pure gamble with a small element of skill, which I used to fine effect last season despite running bad too.  It’s a little soul destroying to see one guy crush the game, getting the money in behind over and over again and always winning.  I don’t even want that to happen, I’d be happy if I could get it in ahead and stay there… at least in line with probability.

Run bad is a factor in poker, but there is a cruel sort of justice that I get berated for a more mathematical approach, attempt to prove it, and watch my A10 beaten by A9, and have them claim “see, you need to see a flop cheaply to know where you are”.  It would be rude and unworthy to challenge this with a request to put £10 each in and run A10s vs A9s 1000 times and see who goes broke first.

(The answer is me as it happens, I get sucked out on the first hand and don’t have £10 to play a second time).

Redtooth Poker National Finals PART1 - 5k Guaranteed Invite Only

Nottingham.  2011.  Redtooth Poker Finals.

It’s a 5½ hour coach journey to Nottingham, and the first event is a 5k guaranteed at 5:30pm.  We get to our hotel at 4pm, shower, change and straight out to Dusk Till Dawn poker club.

We run a little late due to a queue for registration and get stuck straight in.  I’m picking up some hands but making very little from them but manage to run myself up to 9k when the first big hand happens.  The CO raises to 600 and I re-raise to 1600 with QQ.  The small blind smooth calls to my surprise and the CO folds.  The flop comes 87Q to give me a set of Queens.  A flush draw is there but not much else and the small blind instantly leads out with a largish bet of 3000.  With the smooth call and now large continuation, I’m a bit confused.  I don't bother trying to analyse it since I'm holding the current nuts.  My option is to smooth call or re-raise all-in.  His confidence makes me think I’m getting called if I move all-in so I go ahead and do so.  He instantly calls and tables KK, drawing dead to the last 2 kings to my QQ.  I leave this hand with 24k against the average stack of 7k makes me a happy boy.

The very next hand I get KK!  I raise and get two callers and the flop comes down K rag rag.  For top set no draws.  I bet too big thou and everyone folds.  I could have checked this flop.  But I was buzzing from that last huge win and misplayed it.  Never mind, I’m up to 26.5k.

I sit back for a while and watch 4 people limp into the pot with 100/200 blinds on my big blind.  With pocket 8’s in the hole, I don’t see why I should give anyone a free ride against my stack and a pocket pair so I raise to 1500 (too much as a side note, I should have raised to 1000).  Two folds but the guy with a t-shirt reading Eat-Sleep-Poker looks suspicious and calls.  I’ve overheard him talk about his t-shirt that really is all he does, so he allegedly plays poker full time so should be a decent player and my first impression when I raised was that he didn’t like it and from his perspective it looks very much like a big stack mopping up dead money.

The flop comes 5 7 10 (rainbow I think) and I make a continuation bet of 2300.  He thinks for a bit and moves all-in for 6000 more.

Pretty tough spot for a pair of 8’s but I tank and reason thusly.

He’s a good player so we can make a few assumptions about his holding.
99+ to AA raises after two limpers before him, it’s a terrible place to trap call with those hands as the pot odds will probably lead to more calls and a check and these hands hold up badly against at least 3 other players for minimum value.

Theres maybe a chance he limps with AK, AQs, but I have those bluffs beat anyway.

Since I have been continuation betting about 75%, he would be expecting the continuation bet and understands it doesn’t mean I have a hand, so he probably misses a lot of value against my big stack with a set of 10’s, 5’s or 7’s.  Again I think he’s good enough to smooth call here and try to obtain another bluff rather than have me muck an Ace high instantly.

So what would he call a huge over-raise with?  The only hand that has me beat that would make this move, in this situation is A 10.

I don’t do physical tells either, they can be misleading but he certainly didn’t want to look me in the eye, and instead turn away to take a drink, which I really felt made him look nervous, and unlikely to be a “false” tell given the reasoning on the hands above.  You’d only give a false tell like that if you were positive you were ahead and I don’t think even A 10 would be that confident.

I mull it over for maybe 30 seconds more and decide that odds were highly in favour of a bluff shove against a big stack who looks like he is bullying and call.  He swears instantly and tables 66.  Table was shocked to see the call with 88 which tells me a lot about the other players not being able to analyse a hand.  Felt pretty good.

He is replaced by a hoody wearing pro wannabe and I make my first mistake against him.  I raise with JJ and he re-raises. I call and flop is all undercards and I bet.  He calls. (note: should have checked to the raiser for pot control)  He leads out the turn which is another under card and I suspect he has JJ beat.  I feel sure he’s got JJ beat, 3betting a higher pair.  But positive tilt took over my throat and the words “raise” slipped out… totally unintentionally.

He tables KK to my JJ and that great call with 88 is wiped out plus another 2k with a silly moment.  Still a tough spot with all undercards, but I should have been able to lay that one down.  But 24k is still twice the tournament average so I try to stay calm and I get moved shortly after to a new table.

It doesn’t take long, after listening to table conversation and observing the play that this is a tough table with competent able opponents.  After the 3^rd time my raise gets 3-bet forcing me to fold, I figure this definitely to be the case.  Just before the 2^nd break I raise with 10 8 suited (I like to raise the last hand before the break, people tend to want to leave, especially smokers).  I get one caller and the flop is 7 high rags.  I decide to check, thinking I can rep AK-AJ on later streets given the right card and he checks behind.  The turn brings a 9 giving me the open ended straight draw plus one over to the board.  I check, and he bets out about half the pot.  I can’t figure out what he could have called a raise with, so I guess at a small pair thinking they are now safe against bigger pairs so I re-raise him 2.5x his bet (I forget the amounts).  He instantly mucks and I think it was the break that did it.  He claimed a 7 when he came back from the break after realising I was probably bluffing.

I don’t see a hand for a long time and end up in survival mode.  We get to 34 players left, and I’m down to 14k as blind get to 3k/6k and 1k antes.  I’m very tired after the coach journey and see bad hand after bad hand. When it folds to the small blind who shoves, I decide that with 8k behind I have to defend my blind and call with 9 10.  He shows K 6 and for once I hit a 10 on the turn.  Not really a bad beat, since 9 10 holds up pretty well against a K high type hand but it improves me to 40k.

We have another break, and Mrs NoMoreFaith.. having busted early in the tournament is now.. very.  Very. Very.  Merry.  She is also attempting to steal a wine glass in a casino with more cameras than god.  I decide this is a bad idea for her to get kicked out of the poker club, and try to pull it out of her shirt.

The glass of course shatters in my hands shredding my left hand and it starts bleeding out of several places.  With 6 minutes of break left I desperately try to get her to promise to have nothing more to drink and go to the bathroom to try and stem my bleeding hand.  I apologise for grabbing the glass, since that’s my fault really, I should have just asked her to take it out in the bathroom herself instead of trying to pull it out.

Upon leaving some irish guy arrives with a glass of wine for her!  I daren’t ask, but figure if she ordered it before, theres no point it going to waste either!

I forget the hand now, (tired) but I doubled up to bring me to 100k.  I make my first mistake with A9s when UTG goes all in.  He previously showed 78s when he did this before, and I like my chances with A9s and reraise to isolate.  He shows AK and I’m back to the grind survival with 50k.  Blinds go up to 8k/16k and 2k ante’s and I’m in real trouble.  I survive for a while until the bubble busts thanks to KK but I only get the blinds for my trouble, and find myself shorter and shorter stacked.

Around the final tables, there are a couple of large cardboard sponsor boards with metal uprights looming over us.  At this point Mrs NoMoreFaith tries to take some photos, since I would like a photo of me playing poker, and bumps the sponsorship board. 

The board starts to topple, people scream, the players turn in horror to see the board start to lean over the table threatening to smash players and chips into oblivion.  I thank god for the first time in my life as she manages to grab and save it at the last moment.  

This is probably the toughest table I’ve ever played, highly sensitive blind stealing, resteals, value shoves, and all whilst my hand is bleeding and the wife is staggering around the room threatening to wreck the place and get herself barred for life.  I’m struggling to maintain composure.

Its 12:30am eventually when I lose my mind and try to steal the blinds with 10 5 offsuit with 28k all in.  The Big blind is stacked and only has to call 12k more to call and he does so with an A6o.  Terrible Decision, even if it worked, so I’m out but win £50 for 14^th.  As usual, it only takes one mistake to lose a tournament, but otherwise I played very well in this event.  I wish I could blame the misdemeanours of Mrs NoMoreFaith, but the blame was mine, I wasn’t thinking about her at that moment, focused on the game, and it was me who made the mistake.  But maybe I should keep the excuse in backup someday :D

Time for some drinks and finally some FOOD, I have had nothing since 1.30pm.  I don’t like eating in the middle of the tournament unless its fruit or something that won’t sit heavy.  Mrs NoMoreFaith has sobered up a teensy bit (at least enough to be slightly embarrassed) and we head back to the hotel to sleep before the main event tomorrow

Continued…

Redtooth Regional Finals - Circus Casino Sunday 10th April 2011

I qualified from the local pub league, in spectacular fashion, inching into 2^nd place on the last session and made it through the the Regional Finals held at Circus Casino in Newcastle City Centre.  

The Mrs, had to watch kids so I was there alone, until Tony the league winner finally turned up.  He was so nervous about being late that he turned up an hour early and had to leave again until they were ready to register!

A free buffet was provided for players which consisted of Curry Sauce and Rice (with hint of suspicious chicken bits), Watery Spaghetti Bolognese, or jacket potato with beans or tuna.   I opted for the potato and tuna, being the least suspicious looking food and ate half of it before giving up.  I understand that Circus casinos carpet is ugly, but after finishing the food I wondered if the pattern was just stained from punters heaving up the food.

We kicked off with the trophys being presented, so I gave a little whoop for Tony considering the lacklustre polite clapping and boredom most of the room was facing, and before we know it we shuffled up and dealt and I’m sitting at the same table as Tony.

We start with 5000 chips and 25/50 blinds.  First hand I’m dealt is in the small blind with pocket 10’s and under the gun +3 raises up to 150.  I call out of position with the pocket 10’s, feeling it was too early to start a raising war against an unknown player.  The flop came 3 J 4 rainbow, and UTG+3 continues his preflop raise with another to 200.  AJ is always a possibility so a call and reevaluate on the turn.  The turn brings another Jack, making AJ far less likely.  I play the turn badly and check, and allow him to check behind.  This wasn’t too bright.  He would checks with nothing, and he would call with trip jacks.  So what have I learnt from checking? Zero.  I’m saved with a 10 on the river giving me a full house and I screw up again by making a pot sized raise of around 750.  He instantly mucks.  But at least I safely survive the first hand!

I have no idea what he was holding, but from future play I wouldn’t be surprised if something like Ace 8, A9 type hand was his holding.  I still probably got as much as I was getting, but I prefer a small bet on the turn to establish his hand and defend my 2 pair, jacks and tens against KQ etc. hitting the river.

I continue to play tight, but pick up a few blinds with late position raises and get up to 7100 chips by the first break (in the meantime losing vs a short stack with JJ vs his KQ.  I win with JJ vs AQ (Q flopped, turned a J.. phew)).  After another couple of blinds however, at 500/1000 blinds I’ve managed to work my way to 29k.  I try to abuse my stack stupidly and lose 15k again thou when my raises get re-raised or shoved on, and I go back to working the shove fold shortstack strategy.

With the blinds at 1000/2000 I am moved to another table, and people start dropping out at a huge rate while I sit and survive, survive, survive while I go card dead.  With 30k chips and blinds 3000/6000 I manage to make a big move with A8 vs a limped pot from the CO and Button.  The button tanked before mucking K6 suited.  I lol’d a bit inside considering how tight I was playing and how strong I represented by shoving into that situation.  He still wanted to rabbit hunt and my A8 would have held.

Shortly again I am moved tables and the blinds 5000/10000 and set to work stealing blinds pushing myself up to 73k and down to the final 16 players out of 153.  The fold/fold/fold/fold/shove/fold/fold/fold/fold/shove works out, excepting my only real hand being A10s six handed, which I min raise to 20k, get a call from the big blind, and flop comes 9 9 7, he checks, and I shove winning the pot. Not long after the blinds go to 10k/20k and 12 players remaining.  This is a problem now.  With even the chip leader of the tournament having no more than 11 big blinds we are in major shove fest territory and blind stealing is going to be a lot more difficult.  

We survive another few hands whilst I drop to 43k thanks to the blinds and having no opportunity to steal when the final table is called while 4 handed (final table is last 8 and qualification to nationals is top 7).  I have 72o in the small blind and the big blind looks happy to make the final table…….. except he hasn’t yet has he.  With the rest of my table already getting up to congratulate themselves on the final table, I can’t think of a better spot to pick up some dead money and shove on the big blind.  He mucks instantly flashing 62o.  Who knew I had him dominated!

The final table and I’m 2^nd short stacked when I pick up AA on my second hand.  UTG+1 shoves allin so I tank to try for a bit more action and call.  No action and he tables A9 and looks disgusted at my AA.  What can you do.

This chips me up to 190k and I have a blind stealing stack again with 25k short of a third of the chips in play.  With such excessive blinds the clock had been reset on this level and people drop out very fast.  We are down to 3 very sharp, I have the short stack with about 150k and the other 2 players playing quite timidly.  This is perfect for me, so I get to steal blinds.  Except one instance where I call, and we check it down to the river.  I bet the river with air and he folds.  Not really well played as I could have taken it earlier with less risk and river bets are suspicious always like that.

Suddenly a shove from the guy on my left gets called by the girl opposite tabling JJ.  They hold up, I’m afraid I don’t recall what he had and we go heads up.  The girl I noted is playing her hands ultra straight forward but has 530k to my 210k more than double my stack.

I start off aggressively and work up to 260k quickly, raising most buttons, and if called raising flop and taking it down, but I’m sure she will be waiting to trap and watch for her playing back.  She does so after I limp from the small blind with 83o and the flop comes down 8h 4s 2c.  Top pair looks good and I raise 40k into the pot of 80k.  She moves all-in almost instantly and I have my first big heads up decision.  She’s folded over and over again to aggression, and I don’t think she makes this move unless she has something.  In a flop like this.. that something I can only put her on is another 8 with a better kicker.  I show the 8 and fold (stupid.. don’t let people know you’ll fold top pair to a shove idiot).  She claims an 8 herself but doesn’t show.  Right or Wrong, I was winning so much without showdown that it felt like a bad spot to gamble.   I steal a couple more and don’t hit many flops.  I hit two pair, check flop, bet turn and she folds but that was just standard for almost every hand whether I had something or not.

I work up to about 450k to her 300k when the biggest hand so far comes up.  The blinds are now 40k/80k so no room for manoeuvre, but I pick up A8o from the small blind.  I raise to 100k and she moves all in.  I don’t like having to call against a tight player, but she has to be desperate now and she can’t just call and fold flop now.  I make the call and she tables Queen 3 offsuit (Q3o).

It was always going to be a 60/40 situation like this and I’m glad I’m the 60! Unfortunately a flopped Q devastates my hopes of taking down the tournament and after all the hard work I’m down to 150k. 

The next hand she puts me all in and there is not reason not to call with 89o considering I have less than 1 big blind behind! And 89 holds up against a wide range of hands too.  Fate is with her and she tables K8 suited leaving me to draw to a 9 that I know will never come.

So out in 2^nd place but £200 richer and qualified for the Nationals.  Good day, but can’t help but wistfully think of what happens if Ace Eight can beat Queen Three ONE TIME!

One Time.  But then… there is the National Finals in Nottingham to sort out first.  Low and behold.. £200 pays for a coach and the hotel for two nights.  With food, drinks and taxi’s there… its almost –EV (negative expected value, a decision that results in a loss of money in the long run) but you can’t pass up an opportunity like that.

I'm in the Regional Finals Hurray

Well, its been a while since my last post, as I don’t want to say things for the sake of saying things.

For the last 13 weeks, I’ve been playing in my local Redtooth poker league, and cause for celebration I shipped the final week to guarantee qualification to the regional finals to be held at Circus Circus Casino.

The structure of these games is fast and loose, so I played fast and tight.  This works against the average player.

You start with 2000 chips, and blinds of 25/50, doubling every 20 Minutes.   After the first three rounds everyone who busted starts with 1500 chips at the 200/400 level, with those still in it getting those 1500 extra.

I went into this game 10 points behind 2^nd place, against a friendly but very very very lucky guy nicknamed Smiler, because he smiles a lot, and I needed to outlast him and my heart rate must have been through the roof at times.  Entries were record breaking, a massive 16 players compared to the usual 8 or 9.

Smiler loves to play fast and loose with big bluffs, and I have to hope he plays that way today.

This is game 13 and final of the season, I’ve missed one week, so to a certain extent I was happy I got so close despite playing one less game.  I’ve been the tortoise against his hare all season, I have been steady steady second to fourth most of the time (I have a baddd habit of pushing weak aces heads up.. but since most of the time we’re playing with 6-7 BB’s each at heads up stage.. I just don’t see any other way to play them), he has clocked up a couple of wins and erratic placings, and has knocked me out a few times when he flopped from behind, which is intensely frustrating.  I am gagging to prove slow and steady solid poker beats wild and crazy, and tonights the night to prove it.

Normally I would adhere to an aggressive game, but with this pub poker, they will call big bets with ANYTHING which is not what a loose aggro player wants… they want tight players who will fold to strength, not donks who call anything.  So I take with me a micro cash game mentality rather than a true tournament strategy here because I’m looking to play tight aggressive… start with the best hand… hit sometimes and extract max value.  Loose aggressive will go bust very often, and this is a league structure of 13 weeks.

I made a major misstep early on raising to 200 eight handed from UTG+2 against a limp from UTG with A10o, not the best holding but the limp made me suspect a weaker holding from an apparently fairly weak opponent.  The flop comes 4 Q 5 rainbow, and UTG leads out for 200, I call suspecting a weak holding if he wants to lead out against a preflop raiser.  My 10 comes on the turn and he bets a fairly weak 100 into the pot.  My mistake is to raise him to 450, which he calls.   He fires another 200 on the river, I’m fairly sure I’m beat now but the pot odds of calling 200 into a pot of 1800 or so, I only need to be right slightly more than 10% of the time, which is a guarantee against a fairly unknown player.

Sitting with 925 chips left, I raise to 150 with A2s from the CO, and the button and BB calls.   The Flop comes 7 Q A with two spades.  I thought the BB tapped for a check, so I checked to see what the button would do, with only 15BB’s or so behind, I’m willing to get it in with this A.  The BB claims he didn’t check (note: don’t tap the damn table then) and bets out 200.  Now I’ve played a lot of pots with this guy, and he loves to lead out with nothing, I’ve busted him several times because he also calls big bets thrown back at him with very marginal holdings.  Hoping to do the same I raise him all in for my last 775 chips.  He calls… with J10o.. with one Spade.  I don’t need to spell out what shape and colour the turn and river were.

Fuming a little, (screaming murder in my head), it was horrific luck at a bad time, and I got it in very very good, I want him to call with J high and a gutshot against a pair of aces all day everyday.  My bad beat was calmed somewhat by seeing that “Smiler”, the man in 2^nd, has also busted out so we start even after the break.

You see, this pub structure rebuys you after level 3 with just 1500 chips, and blinds at 200/400.  So I restart 3.75BB’s at UTG+1… I can see the end looming, and Smiler has lucked out the button to restart, so I have to make a move first.  I’m in the BB with K4s and everyone folds around to the button who limps, and the small blind who limps.  Technically I should move all in, but I’m wary of busting so easily so I elect to see the flop which comes 9 5 4 rainbow.  SB checks, I check since I only have one move left… all in and I want to see what the big stack on the button wants to do.  He checks.

The big stack has been aggressive so I’m sure if he has hit the flop he’d be betting.

The turn brings another 5, and the SB checks.  I have to be sure my 4 is good now, not withstanding some bizarre play with a 9 or just unlucky if the SB didn’t want to bet a 5.  I move all in, and the SB is umming and aahhing, but when the big stack button calls, he has to muck.

The button shows 6 8 for a gutshot and two overs to my fours, 10 outs which is fine with me, same odds I had more or less all in with my A2 in the last round.  He doesn’t get lucky this time and I double up to 3600 and I see that Smiler is sitting tight tight tight, and I hope he stays that way and gets desperate.

A few rounds later Smiler doubles up as well….. crap.

The BB comes around and with 15 minute blind levels, its up to 300/600 and I’m holding 34o in the BB.. I was hoping for something a bit better than that, but with calls from UTG+1, UTG+2 and the SB, this is a sizable 2400 pot.  The flop comes down 3 J 5.  Bottom pair isn’t good enough to lead into 2 players so when the SB checks, I check behind.  Check Check from the UTG players.. hopeful.  The turn is a 6 giving me an open ended straight draw to go with my 3 and after the SB checks I decide I have to protect my hand, and bet out 600 min bet.

I should explain this bet, because I am not one for min betting, however, pub players are a strange breed, and will fold to small bets like this without considering pot odds etc and I am really betting for information about how strong my hand is.  UTG+1 folds, and UTG+2 calls leaving the small blind to muck.  That call tells me I’m almost certainly behind with a pair of 3’s unless they have something like A4, or K4 etc.  I plan to check/fold the river when a miracle 2 hits the river to give me a straight.  If he does have A4 it’s a split, 74 had me crushed but is a fairly unlikely holding even for a terrible player in UTG+2.  I bet out a nice small 800 river bet which he ponders and eventually calls holding a Jack…. This is the guy who sucked out on me earlier, overplaying a gutshot straight and now he’s slowplaying a weak J 7…… how the hell do you reliably play guys like that… other than getting your money in good.  His stack was around 1900 left after donking off his chips to other players, so I felt anything over a 1000 would induce a fold from a weak hand, I was praying for a weak call with a 6.  I might have gotten a bit more, but we’ll never know now.

We lose another play and the two tables converge to a final table and I’m sitting on a respectable stack of around 7400, outchipping smiler by about 3000 at this point. Yippee!

We get to choose our seats too, even better, and I head straight for the end sitting 2 to the left of smiler… Sometimes being the only person with any idea of position can be a beautiful thing.  I even get dealt the button with an Ace of Spades.

Well, I play tight as can be, which is easy given the poor run of cards, A6 and A2 go into the muck from early position 8 handed naturally, especially given the situation.

I chip up again in a “could only happen in pub poker” situation.  It folds around to me with J8s on the button, and I want to play very small ball poker, not putting too many chips at risk, so I call from the button.  The small blind folds and……. The big blind folds and won’t have any of the “you can check!” malarkey from other players.  I even said so too, but he still mucks.  I complain no further and collect my freebie 1200 chips.

I collect another pot with 10 5o when I hit AGAIN from the big blind pairing the 10, I bet and everyone folds.. fine by me with that kicker.

I fold around to the BB again, when a miracle happens, Martin who is shortstacked goes all in, and is called by Smiler.. I have 99 on the BB, 800 in the pot already (400/800 blinds) and 2000 to call to win around 6000 chips, I figure my 99 could be behind, but this opportunity is worth the shot, and I can survive 2000 damage.  Martin shows A8s, Smiler shows AJo.

Flop is low… low… low.. low … 10  FISTTTTTTTTTTTPUMP!

I knock out the only two people who threaten my advancement to the regionals in one hand and chip up to well over 10k chips and playing with the other big stacks now.  Even better because two weeks ago, Smiler went from zero to hero when he went in with A J two weeks ago against my 99 and hit the J… twice would have made Neil a sad boy, especially on a night as important as tonight.

I lose a random pot I have to fold with J 4 and second pair after an all in and a call… almost a wrong decision, but technically right all year long.

Big guy to my right has a mammoth stack and is playing hard at people, but he made that call against an all in with his own second pair, slightly better kicker than my 4, and I have a good feeling he’s splashing at pots on a wave of confidence.

I pick up J10s clubs and can finally afford to play a hand, but I’m UTG+2 and don’t want to raise just yet, the flop comes down 8 9 10 rainbow.  Super flop for my hand and aggressive guy bets 1500 into a pot of 5000.  I raise it to 5000 myself, and I pray he hasn’t got me out kicked or has QJ… I don’t feel either is likely so when he splashes 5000 in on the turn…. The Queen for my straight, I opt for the flat call and let him bluff the river, maybe give me a double up.  He checks and I make a mistake.  I shove all in.  I wanted to set up a table image as a little crazy at times that my all ins are bluffs, but he mucks an alleged 5 high.  Profit and a lot of info on a guy I’ve not played with before.

Its not long before we are heads up and it lasts two hands, he raises huge so I fold.

I pick up A6o on the BB and he limps.  I decide my hand is too weak to play a flop so I aim to collect his dead money by moving all in.

He calls with 22 and we are off to the races.  Lucky for me, my Big Blinds have been huge all the way through the second half of this game and the glorious 6 comes on the river.

£32.00 (hey, it’s a pub game…) and the Regionals, oh baby, oh baby.  I buy the loser a drink (which miraculously becomes a double vodka.. hmmmm ).  Smiler is angling for a drink.. but … sod it, I won fair and square, his luck didn’t hold up for once this season.  It might be different if it was a bad beat that did it.

The Regionals have a crap prize pool of £1000, but the Nationals…….. final table play for a share of £80,000 and play it down in VEGAS.  

I’ve got to go for it, it would be me and Maggie, a big poker game, and I would finally tie the knot there in Vegas.

Wish me donks and the luck to outlast them!  Apologies for the epic post!

Pub Poker

Well its been a while since I updated this blog, and my poker career has moved… absolutely nowhere!

That’s just fine with me, better to break even than to lose, but in the meantime I’ve started playing in the local pub poker league, for laughs.

It wasn’t funny.

It was hilarious.

I still lost.  Not so funny.

I never expected much from the pub league, but I have to confess, the regulars are likable nice people, and it is a lot of fun, and I would like today to share some of the best bits of “Poker Advice” I have heard so far;

“You should try to see every flop as cheaply as possible because you never know which cards will come out”

Genius Advice in a structure which sees the blinds increase every 20 minutes, and you start with just 40 Big Blinds.

“Well I had to call didn’t I?”

From the guy holding pocket 4’s against an UTG shove for 10 BB’s, and a reraise from ubertight UTG+1 for 40 BB’s.

“Ha, he obviously had a straight.. it’s a straighty flop”

After calling an All-in shove from the loose aggressive player on a 5 7 8 rainbow board with top two pair.

"Well I'm probably not going to get called"

After rivering a full house with action on the flop and turn, and checking that mighty river... WTF.

No quote, but I love this.  All in and a call, bartender "Darren" looks disgusted and open folds the nuts with a J high straight..... donktastic!