Stupid Online Poker
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Did anyone else notice that the most recent software update from FullTilt sucks?! I mean, sucks HARD. I am all for improvements, but one of the things I loved about FT was their "Last Hand" button, which shows a visual representation of the hand at the end and the text in a chat box. Now, they seem to have some sorta player that replays the last hand, including all action, something that PokerStars added months ago. The problem was, the Last Hand button didn't work. Each time I checked back, all I got was a blank table with no information.
I think the problem is even deeper than that because my PokerTracker/PokerAce HUD (yes, I know, those programs are out of date) didn't work either, which seems to suggest that I was not getting my hand histories. I'm sure it will resolve itself, but I find it mildly annoying.
To make matters MUCH worse, the new program also grinded my computer's speed down to a trickle. Again, this might be something else, like my Internet connection, but I ended up timing out of a couple of hands, including one where I was dealt AQs and was a shortstack.
Lately, I've really considered just withdrawing every cent I have online. I already withdrew the money I won from the BBT4 and have incorporated the majority of the funds to my live poker bankroll. Of course, wifey Kim got a taste first. Women are the rake. Fortunately, my rake is a piece of ass. Oh, and she's nice too.
Riggstad is in the middle of a series of posts about his expectations for online poker's future. Rigg is actually a very impressive and knowledgeable guy, so I'm interested to see what he has to say. I still maintain, however, that legalizing online poker would be terrible. Let's be real for a moment. It's all about money, right? So the government is going to tax the shit out of the sites as well as the users. I figure it's a no-brainer that any law will require US-licensed sites to submit win/loss statements to the IRS, and may even require prior win/loss statements. Of course, for a guy like myself who pays all of his taxes, that's no big deal, but if there are players out there not paying their taxes on winnings, particularly big winners, they'll be ripe targets for tax evasion charges. Consider THAT scenario. Now consider the fact that the government is likely to take a bare minimum of 30% of your winnings. And if you want to account your losses, you need to itemize your deductions (at least under current law). Granted, with legalized online poker, there will be more donkeys in the sea, but will they offset the taxes taken out of your winnings and the likely increased rake (which will be implemented to help the sites pay their taxes).
All I'm saying is, as we all know, the Golden Age of Online Poker is over, and while we are in the Dark Ages right now, we are not necessarily heading for a Rennaisance.
On a completely unrelated note, I am so fucking giddy to play some live poker tonight at the love child of the Wall Street Game and an Underground Club, which I guess I'll just have to refer to as the Underground WallStreet Game. After all, live poker is the poker I truly love. Online poker is just a convenient lay.
Until next time, make mine poker!
posted by HighOnPoker @ 3:47 PM,
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You Decide #69
Monday, July 06, 2009
Hey folks. I have a very simple hand to discuss. It's really a Degree All In Moment type question. Let's get right to it.
We are in a 45-person SNG on Full Tilt with 4925, and blinds of 80/160. There is an 12k stack and a 7k stack at the table, but the rest are between 4k and 960. We are dealt JJ in UTG+1. The UTG player, Surf (4020) limps. We raise to 640 (4x the BB). The next player AnnEye (1930) pushes all-in. It folds back to me. What do I do?
I had a tough decision with this one. A re-push there felt like a super strong hand, like AA or KK. On the other hand, I hate overestimating the quality of play in these $10 tourneys. Since I have 4925, I can afford to lose the hand, but the shift in momentum could be tough to overcome.
So, what do you think? In a situation like this, do you assume you are behind to AA-QQ or otherwise cointossing to AK and therefore fold? Do you think JJ is enough to go to war, knowing that you aren't going to deplete all of your resources on this battle, even if you are incorrect in your decision to call?
Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Until next time, make mine poker!
posted by HighOnPoker @ 8:00 PM,
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Omaha Windmills
Thursday, July 02, 2009
I'm starting to wonder if my attack on the nightly $26 PLO tourney at Full Tilt is turning me into Don Quixote tilting at windmills (that's right, bitches; literary references at HoP!). Last night, I decided to extend my diet (once again) to add a cheapo $8 token SNG before the $26 PLO event to try to get into the event a tad cheaper. I figured since it was essentially a satellite, it isn't really cheating on the online poker diet. Of course, I made it to the final table, but eventually went out in 8th place (6 spots pay, 5 get tokens) when my AJd lost to AJh, all-in preflop. I just took a deep breath and accepted it. I had a small-ish stack at 4,800 or so with blinds already at 300/600 (it was non-turbo), so the play is justifiable, even if the results were unfortunate. For the record, it was blind vs. blind, and I pushed and then received a call from the BB.
I then went on a roller coaster ride at the PLO tournament after buying in directly (which, in and of itself is not an issue). I finally met my demise there when I made two questionable plays. I had about 8k when I raised the 250/500 blinds to 1500, employing a standard 3x the BB raise. The table had tightened up some by then. I had KK86, double suited, in the hijack. It folded to the BB who pushed all-in for another 2500 or so. I felt priced in with the pot at 6k+ or so and only 2500 to call. In Omaha, you are never that far behind. Perhaps in hindsight, though, I could've folded and saved the chips. I just felt it was worth the gamble, given the situation. After all, I had been stealing a lot and I thought it may've been a frustration push on the BB's part. Alas, he actually had AAxx and I didn't hit any of my hand, allowing the shorty to double up. That left me with about 3k, so I raised again when I was dealt QQJT, double suited, immediately after. I raised pot, 1750, I think, because I knew I wanted to get all-in preflop or win it outright. I didn't have a big enough stack compared to the blinds to just limp. The Button raised and I called all-in. He had AAxx and once again, I failed to hit anything. LEMON!
What can you do? If nothing else, I'm learning how to play this particular tournament. My biggest issue is late stage blow-ups, akin to the old school Matusow Meltdowns. I suppose I need to find a way to re-double my focus in the late stages and tighten up. Hopefully, if I plug some of these leaks, the rest will fall into place. Lord knows, though, that I'll need a little bit of luck in the PLO tourney. The quality of play is just too sporadic to automatically give most players too much credit. Or course, I wonder if, by calling out this particular tournament, I am handicapping myself by putting too much pressure on. But that's all hogwash. If I can't take down a particular tourney like the nightly PLO $26 on FT, then there is something way wronger than just the pressure.
Until next time, make mine poker!
posted by HighOnPoker @ 3:47 PM,
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For Shame
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Last night I played the 9:15 PLO tourney and then the 9:45 $75 Token Frenzy. Neither went particularly well. I jumped into the PLO late, donked off 1/3 of my stack, made a comeback to have more than my starting stack and then just gave it all away. It was a brutal hand in which I flopped a boat from the SB with K9xx on the KK9 board. I decided to check it since there were at least 6 players in the hand (I think closer to 8). I obviously was hoping to set up a check-raise, but everyone else checekd and we saw the turn, a 4. I bet out this time about 2/3 of the pot or more, hoping that it looked like I was taking a stab at the pot after everyone checked the flop. The only caller was the cutoff player (the button had folded). Until he called, I was a little upset at getting no action. The river was an Ace and I bet out about 2/3 of the pot again. He reraised me about 1.5x my bet, a sum that, if called, would leave me with 1300 or so. I decided to push and he called with KAxx. He rivered me and I so knew it, but I just pushed anyway. Granted, I never considered folding the river, but I seriously considered just calling the raise. With 1300, I could've fought my way back into contention.
But that is nothing compared to how I went out of the Token Frenzy. I played my usual tight game until I tripled up with my AQ vs. AJ vs. 55. I was probably in a safe zone with 4800 or so in chips when I just gave it away. I think blinds were 100/200 and I raised from the button when it folded to me...with the Hammer (72o). The BB called. I then bluffed myself into oblivion after he hit two pair. I can't even give the blow-by-blow because just thinking about it makes me miserable. One of my key rules when it comes to playing the Hammer is to never go all-in (unless, of course, you flop a major hand). Still, I found myself pushing about 3k in on the river because I couldn't win the pot without betting. It was just plain aweful. In fact, I almost didn't want to write about it here because I didn't want to hear the mud slinging of the few douschebag readers who would rather read about a person playing perfect poker every hand. Sorry, guys, but I write about reality, and sometimes, that means writing about my sub-optimal play or posting questionable hands. At least no one can accuse me of only posting about my wins.
Even though the Token tourney only costed me $15, it really stuck in my craw. In fact, it was the first thing I thought about this morning, as soon as I woke up. That's a classic sign of a poker hangover.
It won't stop me though. I won't be playing any live poker until some time next week, so online poker will have to tide me over. At least maybe I can gain redemption tonight.
Until next time, make mine poker!
posted by HighOnPoker @ 10:09 AM,
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Tuna Binge
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Man, I am terrible at dieting. I broke my online poker diet. After busting relatively early in the nightly PLO tourney (bad play by me), I took some time away from the computer and then returned to use a $75 token I won in a token frenzy. I jumped into a 45-person SNG, and by the time I started to second-guess myself, the tourney started. A few hours later, I busted ITM in 5th place for a $186 payday, which at the very least buys me a week plus of the PLO tourney. I may have to expand my diet to include the token frenzy and these $75 45-person SNGs as a dietary supplement. A man cannot live on Omaha alone.
But this post was intended to tell you about my good fortune at the Tuna Club this weekend. After my golf lesson Sunday morning, I returned home to an empty apartment. Wifey Kim was at her friend's pool working on her tan, so I decided to fall back on the ole reliable Tuna Club for their Sunday $150 tournament. I played it a few weeks ago, when we barely got 6 players. We had arranged to reduce the buy-in, since there were few enough of us to agree to such a thing, and in the end, I chopped for essentially 2nd place. This time, though, there was a tad more players.
I arrived at 3pm. I had intended to show up fashionably late, but I just can't wait for poker and sitting around my apartment got me antsy. I headed uptown by subway, got off at a stop or two early and took a nice walk to the club. When I arrived, it was just 3pm and there were only two other players, a chick I later learned was named Dawn (not the IHO Dawn), and one guy. W was there as well, running the show, but she couldn't play because of pending plans in the early evening. After sitting down, W came around and handed each of us a 500 chip. "This is for showing up on time." Apparently, W came up with an idea to get players to arrive early. She sent out a text message stating that all players who arrive by 3pm get an extra 500 to their 3,500 stack (actually, 4,500 after you pay the $10 dealer toke option for an extra 1000). That's a sweet incentive, and I guess I was just lucky I got there on time. I don't receive the text messages because they come daily, and I just don't need a daily update on my cell phone.
About one minute later, another player arrived and asked for his 500 chip. To W's credit, she replied, "It's 3:02, buddy. You are late. No 500 chip for you."
Even with the incentive, it was at least 3:30 when the game got off, with 6 players and a bunch of dead stacks being blinded off. The buy-in was $130 + 20 (fee) + 10 (dealer toke for 1,000 extra chips). If a player busted in the first hour and a dead stack was still available, the player could re-register for the full $160 (the dealer toke is a must, value-wise). By the time the re-register period was over, we actually added a few stacks to the table after players busted, and we had 13 paying customers.
I didn't keep notes on hands, so I don't have a lot of specifics, but I do have a few. In general, this tourney exemplified the importance of being tuned into your table. When I am tuned in, everything is easier. I can see things that others probably don't and, more importantly, I can follow my reads with confidence.
The table make-up, to start, included two new players to the club, both sitting on my immediate left. The first guy to my left was a Caucasian guy, probably in his mid- to late-20s, with a clean cut appearance. He wore a baseball cap and t-shirt. He seemed a tad uncomfortable in the environment, which I hoped to use to my benefit. To his left (and two to my left) was his buddy, who seemed a bit more comfortable in the room, but still felt off. He was a semi-fat (more than chubby, less than obese) Asian guy who looked like he must be a computer programmer. He just looked sloppy. He had headphones around his neck and a ball cap on, with a slack jawed look on his face. I can't stand that look, people who act as though their jaw is too heavy to keep their maw shut. Frankly, he looked like a Mongoloid. True to his look, he played pretty tight.
In a fairly early hand, I called a small raise from an Aggro Guy along with just about everyone else at the table. I was merely playing positiong, since I was on the button with K6h. The flop came down KQJ, with two suited cards. When it checked to me, I bet out a reasonable sum, maybe 400 into the 600+ pot. I felt if I overbet here, people would assume I was merely playing position, so I wanted it to appear like a value bet. The only caller I got was the Caucasian Newbie on my immediate left. The turn was a blank and I bet out 800, trying to make it clear to the newbie that I would be willing to double my bet again if he was stupid enough to call light. He called again, and I started to become slightly concerned that I was facing a stronger King. The river was another blank and he bet out 1000 quickly. I was ready to fold my hand, but something stopped me. I ran through the hand again in my head. It just didn't feel right. I knew the kid felt like he had something to prove. If he had a monster, he would've check-raised the turn or probably given me another chance to bet at it on the river and check-raise me there. Why bet out immediately? His toss also seemed very aggressive. Strong means weak, I thought. I still took my time. I finally settled on a busted draw. It made perfect sense. Call down, hoping to hit, and then raise the river when you realize its the only way you are going to win. Remember, 1000 was no small bet, since I only started with 5,000 chips (3,500 + 1,000 toke + 500 bonus for arriving on time). I called and he showed JTo for third pair and a busted low draw. That's how I knew I was on my game.
Of course, from there, I ended up having to fold for a long time. It was all due to the Aggro Guy in the 10 seat. I have to give him a lot of respect because he was playing a beautiful game, raising preflop a ton and keeping the pressure on, regardless of his cards. Part of me tried to remind myself that he may've actually been on a hot run of cards. It was probably the only lesson I retained from Zen and the Art of Poker: At times, your opponent actually will run that good. On those occassions, don't fool yourself into thinking that he must be bluffing. Don't fight against the flow of the game. Rather, wait it out until it is your time to be ultra-aggressive. Of course, this is all paraphrased. The lesson to be learned is to not give in to the frustration of a player who is betting a lot.
Of course, I did have to put Aggro in his place, re-raising preflop a couple of times with literally nothing (56o, etc.), to which Aggro folded after his initial raise. In those instances, I was in the blind, so I just felt the need to let him know that I was not a soft spot to be attacked.
I used another lesson I recently picked up from reading. I am on the verge of completing Matusow's biography, Checkraising the Devil, and something he wrote about his infamous banter with Greg Raymer at the 2004 World Series Main Event really bothered me when I first read it. Matusow said that his problem with Raymer, initially, was that they were the two skilled players at the table, and there is an unspoken code amongst pros that you don't go after each other when there are fish around. That didn't sit right with me at the time because I don't believe in taking it easy on anyone, but once it was Aggro and I with the big stacks, I started to understand Matusow's point. I didn't have to, nor did I want to, play against him. There were much softer spots.
To my immediate right was the guy who showed up 2 minutes late. He is a Caucasiang guy with a shaved, but stubbly head and face. He wore something akin to a fedora which would look douschey on most people, but worked for him. I could tell he was closer to the usual underground poker club player, willing to gamble it up.
After my iniital surge, I was getting blinded down pretty quickly, and I was near a starting stack (or maybe even less) when I was finally dealt a strong (and my only, I think) strong pocket pair of the day, QQ. Fedora had raised preflop and I re-raised. He called. The flop was all unders and he checked. I bet big and he called. The turn was another under and he checked. I bet all-in. He called. I think he hit top pair or something. Whatever the case, my QQ was good and I took down the pot, doubling up in the process.
I continued playing tuned-in poker as we lost players. By the time we were four-handed, it was me, Aggro Guy, the Slack-Jawed Asian and Dawn, who had re-registered way late in the festivities, but made a nice comeback with some well-timed double-ups. Aggro and I were the chip leaders, and he had the heavy lead. S-J Asian asked about a deal and Aggro and I ignored him. It was not going to happen, given our stack sizes. S-J Asian was out next by Dawn and suddenly, I was the shortstack. There was about 60,000 out there, and I had maybe 15,000 - 16,000. Then Aggro said, "Wanna chop?"
I know my math. We agreed to an even chop, and I took $563 for my troubles, a $400+ profit. I have to cut out of here now, so I'll leave it at that. Thanks for reading.
Until next time, make mine poker!
posted by HighOnPoker @ 10:33 PM,
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You Decide #68
Friday, June 26, 2009
When it rains, it pouts. I played in the No Limit Omaha 8 or Better tourney on FullTilt on Friday night. If you think play is bad in PLO High, just wait until you see the play at NLO8. Not only are Omaha games traditionally played pot limit, but the high/low aspect of the game attracts the push monkeys like flies to doody. With that said, there is always the question of when to embrace that inner push-monkey, and that's why I need your help, with
You Decide # 68
We are in the 20/40 blind period, so its very early, and I have 2335. I'm not sure if this was a deepstack tournament, but considering that I am in 7th out of the 8 players at my table, its fair to assume it was 3000 starting stacks.
Preflop, in the small blind, I was dealt As 3s 7d 2d, basically the three best low cards, double suited. UTG+1, JoMaha (5955) limped for 40. AngelEye (2750) in the cutoff calls. I raise to 3x the BB, 120 total. Butter (2805), the big blind, raises to 1,400. JoeMaha raises to 3,000. It folds to me and I call. Butter calls too.
Was this a bad time to go all-in?
For what its worth, JoMaha had 2357 with two spades and Butter had AAJT, rainbow. The board ended up Td Kd 4s 9h Qd, rivering me the low flush (with my 72c) and the pot. But did I donk it up here with a gamble, or were conditions right to push and pray?
Until next time, make mine poker!
posted by HighOnPoker @ 10:51 PM,
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Maximizing Value in an LO8 Hand
My hot streak continues with a nice score yesterday at the Tuna Club, but before we get into that, I have a couple of hands saved on Blogger worth discussing, so let's get to it.
Before I start, let me just state for the record that my online poker diet stands. I will do my best to only play the $26 PL Omaha High game, which runs nightly on FullTilt at 9:15 (and maybe the $75 token frenzy because I find it so juicy). But that's just a weekday restriction. On weekends, all bets are off.
I've been playing a lot of PL Omaha and Omaha variations lately, and I recently came across a fun hand as part of a $4k HORSE tournament. It is a Limit Omaha 8 or Better hand, and I think it exemplifies one of the keys to limit games, namely maximizing value (the other key is knowing when to fold).
The blinds are 30/60, so this is the first Limit Omaha H/L round and we are still very early in the game. We started with 2k in chips, and we are down to 1940. On the button, we are dealt KJT2, with the K and 2 of diamonds. It is not a great hand, with no possible low, but if the board doesn't create a low hand, the KJT can be a potential scooper.
The "big stack" with 2820, BigD, raises to 60 from UTG. He gets two callers before it gets to me. I decide to call because (a) there is already 270 in the pot, (b) I can expect at least one of the blinds to call, (c) its only 60 to call, giving me roughly 5:1 odds, (d) I'm in position on the button, and (e) if the hand goes high with no low, I have a potential scooper. It's not an amazing hand, but there is enough play at these early stages where I am willing to lose 60 in order to win a lot more. Remember that in these games, there are a decent amount of implied odds, since players are willing to call down relatively light. The multi-way pot helps in this regards too.
The two blinds come along for the ride and we are 5-handed when we see the flop: Ks Tc 8c. That gives me top two-pair on a board with a flush draw. It's not ideal, but not too bad either. As of now, there are only a few hands that are ahead (not statistically, since a hand with lots of draws may be ahead). Those ahead hands are KKxx, TTxx, and 88xx. It is unlikely that someone has KK or TT, since I have both a K and a Ten; likewise, it is unlikely that someone would play an 88xx hand, but it is possible from one of the blinds. I am also very glad that there is only one low card out.
The SB, Zoe (2165) bets out 30. The BB and preflop raiser (BigD) fold. MattF (1400) waits until the 15 second timer and then calls. Lopes (1940) then raises to 60. I'm next to act, and with top two pair, I decide to call. I have a temporarily strong hand, but top two pair is no monster in LO8 with a fush draw and lots of straight draws possible. This is a limit game, so it's not like I can push out a drawing hand with a bet, so I want to control the pot size. I also want a lot of players in the hand, because if I make a full house, I want a lot of players left so that someone pays me off. I also have to be wary of someone hitting a low by the river, in which case, heads-up play will end in a chop; in other words, I need 3 players (including me) in the hand in case that low comes, so I can make some money from the odd-man out who gets neither the high nor the low. Zoe and MattF call and we see the turn:
King of Hearts. CHOO CHOO! I hit my full house, essentially locking up the hand. There is no low possible, and I only "fear" TTxx, which is highly unlikely mathematically and logically. This is where the fun really begins. Zoe bets out 60 again from the SB. MattF called. Lopes raised again. Now, here I just flat call. If I raise, I might push Zoe or MattF out (they'll have to call 120 facing two players demonstrating strength, instead of "just another 60 with great odds." By keeping them on the hook, I get another 120 in the pot in this round, rather than re-raising and potentially only getting 60 from Lopes. Plus, I really want someone to hit a nut flush or a straight and hopefully get into a raising war on the river. Yes, I know it would be silly for a player to bet hard with their flush on a paired board, but this is a Limit event, HORSE (not LO8), and the players in non-NoLimitHold'em tourneys play much worse than the equivalent non-NLHE cash game players. As it turns out, Zoe calls, but MattF folds anyway.
The river is a 3c, hopefully hitting someone's club flush draw (clubs always get there, naturally). Zoe bets 60. Lopes just calls. Now its time to raise. I bump it up to 120. Zoe re-raises to 180. Lopes now folds. I get in one last raise and Zoe calls.
At showdown, Zoe shows 9887 with two diamonds. She was ahead with bottom set on the flop, and made her lesser full house on the turn. I probably could've gotten into the raising war with her on the turn, except that would've pushed out a few extra bets from Lopes, and probably would've slowed Zoe down on the river. Instead, I was able to play the role of a calling station (from her perspective), finally waking up when the flush hit.
Could I have played this better, now that I know her cards? I don't really think so, but I'm open to suggestions.
Until next time, make mine poker!
posted by HighOnPoker @ 10:31 PM,
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The Wall Street Traveling Circus
Last night, I attended what can only be described as the bastard love child of a home game and an underground poker room. Jamie's Wall Street Game had to essentially close shop due to his girlfriend moving in (i.e., life's rake), and so the game had migrated to an underground poker room, where the rake was reduced to $5 per hour instead of the usual $5+ per half hour. It's the best rate in the city by leaps and bounds.
I had been planning on hitting up the game for a while, but Tuna Club competed for my poker attention, and since Tuna is open every night and I was already familiar with the place, I had been delaying my visit to the Wall Street Game's satellite office, but my schedule finally alligned right, and I was scheduled to make my first appearance last night.
Before the game, I left work and took a slow stroll from my office near 58th street and 3rd Avenue to my favorite Mexican restaurant in the city (and, I suppose, in the world), Baby Bo's, easily home of the best burrito in NYC. Bo's is located on 34th and 2nd, and by way of reference, every 20 city streets equals a mile, and every four or five avenues equal a mile, so the walk was roughly 1.5 miles. It was a beautiful day, though, and I wanted to get some fresh air before playing some poker.
When I arrived at Bo's, I grabbed a seat at the bar and ordered my burrito to go and a glass of sangria to keep me company. I whipped out the Michael Matusow biography with the unfortunate title, Checkraising the Devil, and settled in for my wait. Meanwhile, other people in the bar were discussing Michael Jackson's death. It was an interesting thing watching strangers bond over his death. It's amazing how, for the most part, people ignored his checkered legal history. I don't think that this is wrong either. It may've been creepy that he shared his bed with kids, but he was found not guilty, which should count for something unless your name starts with an O and ends with a J.
A quick note about the book: buy it. It's great. A full review will come when I'm done.
I left Bo's with my food in tow and walked to a corner several blocks away, where I met up with Lastman and ASG. Lastman was a reader who, probably a year ago, asked if I could help him find an underground game. He was literally the Last man I was willing to help in that way, since I became concerned that I could be outting clubs and getting them in trouble. ASG was a guy I met at my last trip to AC. I usually don't out my blog at tables, but I was having a great time yucking it up and ASG and I got along well. We got to emailing after the fact and I decided to invite him to the home game/underground game hybrid.
The three of us made our walk down the block and rang the doorbell for the apartment where the game was to take place. Nothing. Shit. I made a phone call, though, and it turned out the buzzer wasn't working. We were let in to an apartment that had a hallway and kitchen, followed by stairs to a raised room and a lower level, both fairly small and open, but with enough space for a poker table and chairs.
I sat down and scarfed down the burrito. It was so good, I'm salivating now just typing about it. I offered up the free tortilla chips and salsa to the table and they were gone in no time.
The table was already filling out, and once we arrived, there were enough players to get started. A couple of regulars from the Wall Street Game's were there, including Matty Ebs, Shawn, and a couple of the corporate guys.
The game was 1/2 NLHE and the highest buy-in was $200, although I'm not sure if that was the max allowed or just custom and practice. We paid $5 for the first hour and were off.
I didn't keep any notes on hands, but fairly early, I lost enough to rebuy another $100. In one hand in particular, I raised preflop in LP with AK and Ebs re-raised from one of the blinds. I hesitated to call because I was contemplating a re-raise, but the night was still early and I didn't want to play a huge pot with a drawing hand like AK. The flop were all 9 and under. Matty bet out and joked that he has to bet because all he had was JTo. I folded and he showed the JTo. Fungool!
I lost another pot as well, and maybe a third one while I was at it, hence the need to rebuy the extra $100. In one hand, I raised preflop and got a call from John, one of the room's dealers who was playing before the room got busy. John was one of the few unknown elements at the table, but he was a dealer and an Asian guy, and had a hip hop sorta flair, style-wise, all of which suggested that he was a gamer and would be playing looser than most. The flop was A-high and John bet out. I flat called. The turn was a blank and he bet out again. I folded. He asked, "Pocket pair?" and I answered truthfully, "Yes. Did you have the Ace?" "No." Fungool! I knew it too. On some level I could feel that he was just taking a shot at pushing me off the hand with the Ace on the flop. Besides his admission, I saw when he mucked that he had one face card and his question, "Pocket pair?" seemed to suggest he was telling the truth.
And then, something happened. I can't tell you what, but I was suddenly tuned into the game. I had played with many of the players before, and I was getting cards. It was a symphony of good fortune aided by good play, the result of which saw me leaving the night up $375 ($675 on cashout), probably the big winner at the time of my cashout.
On one hand, I had QQ and John raised preflop, $17. I re-raised him $25 more and he flat called. The flop was all unders and he bet $25+. I hesitated and then raised all-in, since he only had about $55 behind. He took his time and then folded begrudgingly. He claimed to have JJ, and asked if I had him beat. "I can't tell you that, John. I have to keep some secrets." "I was truthful earlier about the Ace hand." "Yeah, but you won that hand and I was truthful then too. I can't give you any more information. You're the only one I fear at the table." It was simultaneously serious (he was giving me the most trouble) and joking around. I even went so far as to point to ASG and added, "If this donkey asked me, I'd tell him, but not you. You're too good." Later, when I was racking up, I admitted to the QQ and John was very pleased. There was no need to please him earlier, though.
It was an interesting game, largely because of bet sizing. Preflop, limped hands or cheap raises to $6 were fairly common. There were more than a few $12, $15 and even $22 preflop bets, but more often than not, it was a cheap game preflop. Post-flop, however, there was a decent amount of action, and people were willing to make calls for sizeable sums.
This setup though, really confused me, as one player, an Asian guy who was a regular at the old Wall Street Thursday game, was just playing so badly, I went so far as to offer him advice at the table. His name is Stan, I think, but my memory when it comes to names is shit. Sorry "Stan." Not so ironically, I know a lot of people from poker but don't recall their names.
In two hands, Stan slowplayed himself to death. In the first one, there was a limped pot with lots of players and he had AT on a Ten-high board. He let it check around on the flop from early position. He may've bet the turn. I know he bet the Queen river, and John won the pot with AQ or something similar. In another hand, he was in the blinds with 38o and flopped two pair. I had J9o and had limped in late position, since there were so many limpers. The flop was actually Q83. The turn was an Ace, I think. The river was a Ten, giving me a straight. On every street but the river, Stan checked. On the river, he bet $10, got a call from Shawn, and then faced a min-raise from me. Admittedly, I was mildly worried about KT, since we all limped, and my small bet would be likely to induce a call from some weaker hands and probably a raise from KT, at which point, I can lay down the hand if need be. He called and I took down the pot. What amazed me was that by this point, Stan had already gone into his pocket a few times for more cash and even made an ATM run. I finally said something to him after he lost another pot by slowplaying: "You have to bet your hands, man." It's a friendly game, and I was just trying to offer some kind words of advice. Yes, I was tapping the glass, but in this environment, it felt right.
When I packed up to leave a 10pm, I felt like a dickhead. I had brought two new players, and I was leaving early? Well, I wasn't worried about ASG or Lastman. They were doing fine. I had, however, decided prior to the game that I was leaving at 10pm, whether up or down. I really just don't feel the need to play long sessions on weeknights. Perhaps it is the call of the comf0rt of home. I guess it is that moreso than anything else. I need a long time to unwind after poker, too. Whatever the case, I packed up at 10 with my profit intact, and took a long walk to the 14th Street subway.
I plan to return to the game next week for the Thursday home/underground hybrid. I may even return on Sunday, if something is running that interests me more than Tuna Club's $150 tourney.
It's nice to be on a roll. Now I just have to keep rolling.
Until next time, make mine poker!
posted by HighOnPoker @ 11:00 AM,
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You Decide #67
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Well, I guess it is some success.
Last night, I played the 9:15 $26 PL Omaha MTT on Full Tilt and successfully made the money before busting right after the bubble broke. It was nice to cash instead of bubble, especially since I did not whole heartedly tighten up at bubble time. That said, I was the short stack from about 50 players left until about 30 players were left with 27 paying, at which point I was able to pick up some chips lifting me to 20 at my peak, and 23rd or so before this fateful hand occurred.
What I am really curious about is whether I need to slow down my betting in these late stages, near or immediately after the bubble. Did I play this hand correctly or would I have been better off being more conservative when its time to climb that money ladder? I think the money started increasing when we reached 24 players. 27-25th only paid out a little more than $10 above the buy-in.
You Decide #67
The blinds are 600/1200, and there are 27 players left, teh bubble having burst no more than three hands before this altercation. I have 14,612, good for around 23 or 24, I think. The shortest stack at our table has 7,202 and there are two stacks with less than 1k less than me, but everyone else has me covered.
I am in the cutoff (one spot to the right of the button) and am dealt Ah As 8d 4h. A player in middle position, RedDelicious (almost 34k in chips), limps for 1,200. It folds to me and I pot it for 5,400, over 1/3 of my stack. Everyone else folds and RedDelicious calls.
The flop is Th 9c 3h, giving me the nut flush draw and my lonely pair of Aces. Overall though, heads-up, I thought this was a good flop. RedDelicious checked and I pushed all-in. He called with Ad Ks Qs 9s, in other words, middle pair of 9s. The turn was a Jack of spades and the river was a King of diamonds, earning him the turned straight and my stack.
Let's just lay this out there. I got my money in good, and many people say that if you have Aces in PLO High, you should raise big preflop. But do those things matter as much when you are playing a draw-heavy game like tournament PL Omaha Hi (where the play is even looser) and you are climbing the money ladder.
On a related note, Astin played the same tourney and cashed. He was in good shape when I busted, so I hope he ended with a nice score.
Until next time, make mine poker!
posted by HighOnPoker @ 12:19 AM,
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Diet
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
I've set myself on an online poker diet. It's quite simple. When I can, I will play Full Tilt's nightly Pot Limit Omaha Hi tournament ($26) at 9:15 EST. I've been playing it randomly these last few weeks and I love it. Omaha is just so much more interesting than NLHE, particularly online. There is just so much going on, and the class of player is much lower than NLHE.
Make no doubt about it, I still love NLHE, but when I play it online it can be a bit tedious. Omaha, on the other hand, is practically unheard of in my live poker circles, so it has to be online.
The reason for the diet is three-fold: First, I want a real goal, something to drive me to focus more and play better. The tourney has a guaranteed prize pool of $5,000, so it's worth enough to be well worth the effort. Second, I want a reason to not jump into a bajillion tourneys, one after another. With the diet, I will do my best to play this one tourney and only this one tourney. That will hopefully make me pay even more attention and play my best, since I only get one game per night. Finally, the third reason is the fact that I have been bubbling or near-bubbling all sorts of Omaha tourneys a lot lately, and I need to figure out what the reason is. Admittedly, some times I just push too hard with a hand, but particularly around the bubble, I am playing well. I don't want to tighten up at the bubble because I want to play for 1st, not the lowest money spot, but I also should not be bubbling as often as I have.
Until next time, make mine poker!
posted by HighOnPoker @ 2:22 PM,
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