Bloody Hammer
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
It's been a while since I've discussed playing the hammer (72o). Many people think that the suited hammer is cursed or is otherwise not hammerific. Well, I will admit that it is not for the faint of heart, but there is a lot of strength that can come out of the suited hammer.
So, remember, don't try this at home.
I was playing in the Mookie last night. We were on Level 5, 50/100 blinds, and I have 1680, one of the shorter stacks at our table (but not yet desperate). I'm two seats before the button. It folds to me and I make a small raise from 100 to 300 with the bloody hammer, 7h2h. Dr. Pauly, with about 2300 on my immediate left, calls. Surflexus, with over 8500 in the BB, calls.
The flop is Kc Kh Ah, which gives me the flush draw. Surf bets 100. I call. Dr. Pauly raises to 500. Surflexus raises to 900.
Now, at this point, the pot is 2450, and I have about 1380 left in front of me. If I call, I may as well push, since I will only have 480 left in front of me. If I push, I'll be getting about 1:2 on my money, since, beyond the 2450 in the pot, Surf will definitely call for 450 more. I might even get a call from Pauly which will further help my odds, but that would scare me that I'm facing a higher flush draw.
A cautious player would let this hand go, fearing a full house or a higher flush draw. Realistically, though, Surf and/or Pauly are playing an Ace-high or a K-high hand, and I'm facing beatable hands. Plus, this is a blogger event, which means: (a) I'd rather go for the double up and have a chance to really play, and (b) there is nobility in playing the hammer, even if it is bloody.
I push, Pauly folds, and Surf calls. He holds AdQs. The turn is a 3h, and I've made my flush. The river is inconsequential.
I eventually busted in 20th out of 57 people, a new high for the weekly Mookie. My last hand came at the hands of DuggleBogey, who called my preflop shortstacked all-in with his KT vs. my QQ. He flops his K and I go home.
I also lost about $10 in a PLO8 game on Party, mostly because I didn't have enough time to ride out the game. In the end, it was a -$20 night, but it does not phase me in the least. My play during the Mookie may have appeared spotty to onlookers, but I liked how I played, taking advantage of certain players, and relying on my reads.
This Friday, I'll probably be having a lazy night at home. If you are going to be on the virtual felt, hit me up with a comment, email, IM, whatever. I'm actually interested in getting a mini-blogger-reader-whatever game going, since I always enjoy them, but there are none on Fridays. Also, if anyone knows of some good Friday night MTTs, pass them along. Thanks for reading, and have yourselves a lovely day.
posted by Jordan @ 11:17 PM,
2 Comments:
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At 11:09 AM,
TripJax said...
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Dang...I didn't even realize you were playing or I would have come around to harass you.
I went out pretty early so I signed off rather quickly...
I lost 400 chips early on a hammer attempt. Damn the man. -
At 2:19 PM,
said...
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Nice hammer drop last night. Thanks for playing last night.
