A Couple of Hands
Thursday, May 05, 2005
Hey Readers. I've taken 2nd place in a $5 SNG. It was very needed, as without the win I would've been well below the $20 bankroll I was barely holding onto. Overall, my play was solid. I was the shortstack after the first 10 hands or so, due to some bad choices. But thereafter, I tightened up and got some good value for my hands. On that note, here are a few such hands:
The Hammer
So, since I started blogging, the Hammer (27o) has taken on a whole new meaning. It used to be a no-brainer. If you get the Hammer, fold. Now, I'll play it. Sometimes I'll even bet hard, representing pockets As or some other top hand. The benefits of playing the Hammer are many. If you are called and lose, players think you will play anything. So when you do get the As, you'll get some action (see my earlier post "From Hammer to Bullets"). Other times, it serves as a random bluff. You only get the Hammer so often, so if you bluff it, many players may not realize. So, when I got the Hammer in the middle of the SNG, I decided to play it.
I was in Middle Position when I got my hammer, 2 7 offsuit. The three players before me folded. I raised from 60 to 180. Dreamer, right after me, called. All other players folded. The flop was 8d Ts Ks. Seeing as I had nothing, I bet 420. Dreamer folded and I collected the 450 pot. Of course, I then typed "HAMMER!" into the chat box and showed my hand. Let the tilting ensue.
The Bullets
Now that I look at my notes, I see that the 2nd hand I kept notes on was another Bullets hand, pocket As. I guess I just tend to notice these things more. After I read them again, I realized that it was an entirely different SNG. Whoops. Even so, here is the hand:
With six players left in the game, I was happy to see the premium hand. I was UTG. In order to get value for my As, I limped in. I was hoping for a raise, at which point, I'd reraise strong. I'd rather win a small pot with As than lose a big pot (see the next hand). Three players after me folded. The small blind called. The big blind raised to 120 (blinds were 20/40). I saw an opportunity and raised to 360. SB folded. BB called.
The flop was 7h Kd Ac. Three aces. BB checked, and I checked as well. The fishing pole was in position.
The turn was 9d. BB bit the bait and bet 300. I called.
The river was Kc. BOOYA! Full house, Aces full of Kings. BB bet 350. I raised to 500 and was all in. He had no choice. BB called, and I won. BB had K9, for Kings full of Nines. Poor, poor man. As a result, one player said nh (nice hand). Another typed, wow. And I, just laid it out: "HighOnPoker: hook line sinker".
Broken Bullets
So, for the sake of time, I'll make this short. In a later hand, I had KQ. I bet the entire way, and the other player in the hand called me down the entire time. The flop had K high, rainbow. The turn was a blank. The river was a Q. With two pair, I took the hand down. The caller had AA. Had he pushed harder, he may've pushed me out. I guess this was a cautionary tale. AAs might look nice, but it just ain't all its cracked up to be. Thanks for reading. See you at the tables.
posted by Jordan @ 11:10 AM,
