Monday, August 20, 2007

"The Inevitable Return of the Great White Dope" - Bloodhound Gang

Finally, finally I have a winning session at Foxwoods again. Solid play (and 1 oops) earn me $400+ between cash game and a $120 SnG.

I was being pretty straight forward to start off. Waited till I got A-K. Raised to 16 and everyone folded. Some kid calls me "sneaky", yeah ok. 2 hands later I get A-A and raise to $16 again. Get one caller and then someone on the button re-raises all-in for like 20 more. At this point Im not overly concerned with what he has, for good reasons, but the caller I am concerned about. Since she has sat down she pissed away $200 in about 10 minutes, then she started playing every hand (raised or not) with just the most randomest shit. She chased for the right price, and when her miracle card came on the river (by this count 5 times) she claimed that the person she beat never raised or made it not profitable for her to call (i know this is crap as she was chasing anywhere from 1 to 6 outs). She invoked what Tao of Pauly referred to as the "CAL" or Crazy Asian Lady, because she was all of the above.
So anyway back to my quandry, do I re-raise her to make the pot unpriceable for some asshat call or do I just call knowing full well she is calling (she was prepping her chips already as I thought) so I say screw it, her 16 plus his 35 was good enough for me. So I re-raise all-in. Something like $240ish total. No way she can call that with crap. She thinks about it, way longer than she should have and folds. I turn over A-A all-in turns over 2-2. Yay me.
Flop: 9-9-5 Yay! I call out "Throw me another 9"
Turn: 9 Yay Hes drawing dead
River: 2 While I did not even flinch at this card the all-inner and some at his end of the table apparently thought he caught a river to win. So there was a few seconds of confusion. But as we all know 9s full of Aces beats 9s full of deuces. And more importantly beats deuces full of 9s.

I was up and down after that, mostly up. Then I made what I have to be the strangest play of my entire poker life.
Dealt A-Ko in late position. I raise to $16 (starting to see a pattern eh?) I get 2 callers, one directly to my left says "you better hope you hit the flop". This must have confused the hell out of me because I played the hand oddly.
Flop: A-8-9. Well I hit the flop, checked to me, and I bet 20. One fold, Mr Flop calls.
Turn: X Check to me. I decide to check here to induce him to think I might not have hit my A if he has a lower pp. I think hes on the straight draw as a likely possibility but after what he said pre-flop with a call I'm just not sure If I can put him on J-10 or 6-7.
River: 10. Well if he was chasing his straight draw he might have just hit. He'd have to be holding Q-J o5 6-7 though. He bets out $35. I think, and honestly I have no idea what I was thinking other than "he must of hit that straight" even though the likely hood of that happening is small. Little more than 1/3rd of the pot here is enticing me to call. So I call. He slowly shows me a J and what I think was another card to make his straight. The next few seconds are a blank. Honestly I must have blanked out because the next thing I know My A is exposed but the K is turned face down, and they are pushing the pot my way when I come to. The river gave him a pair of 10s, not a straight. I mustve done a bad job mucking my hand (because lets face it thats what I did) and the people around the table and dealer are asking me "what happened?" I dunno, I blanked. All I could do was look at the dude to my right and say man I thought you had the straight. (Now I understand why he says what he says, but I meant why I half mucked) He says, "Then why did you call?" I felt bad because it was a donk call, but I didn't want to correct myself and make it worse by telling him I meant to muck my hand. So he was mad at me the rest of the night. Some guy to my left said, "Man I thought you mucked your hand." Apparently I did such a convincing job of not mucking that it looked more like I forcefully (i guess?) threw my cards on the table so the A was exposed. Weird, i mean I like really blacked out for a few seconds, I have no idea what happened. Lesson to you kids. Don't muck unless you are 100% certain you are beat, even then you might wanna turn your cards up.

I played a few good hands against this guy I have played with before. A-K makes a straight on the river to beat his 2 pair. I price him in just right so he makes the call. A few hands later I grab 7-7. 7 on the flop with a diamond draw. I slowplay it. Turn comes another diamond, so I beat it out to make people think I hit the flush. 1 caller, was the familiar guy I just beat. River pairs the board so I bet $35, basically doing the same thing I did a few hands ago with the nuts. He really goes into the tank, I mustve screwed with his head something fierce. He looks at me and pipes up that he made a flush. Then asks me what do I think my chances of winning are. This is such a trap, no matter what I answer/don't answer I'm giving info, but I decided to play along anyway. I say, "50%". He laughs, thinks then calls. I show my boat, he mucks. Later on he told me he had a 8 high flush. WTF?
This same guy did something really rude as I was sitting down at the table. He is heads up against a guy to my right. Guy to my right pushes all-in. He goes into the tank and is talking to him to get info. He flips over his hand to show J-J. So the guy to my right flips over his cards to show K-K. The guy then makes a comment of "well i guess im gonna fold". Everyone except for him and the guy to his right are stunned he would flip over his cards but no be calling or folding? I guess thats legal but it shouldnt be. His buddy defends this as "trying to get information", the perp rationalizes this move by saying, "I knew I was beat, I was trying to get info." If he knew he was beat, he wasnt calling. But then again, I got him to call twice when he knew he was beat.

Around 11:30 I was up $150 and decided to take a stab at a SnG, I signed up, sit in seat 5. Seat 4 just happens to be a nutjob. I still can't quite figure out if he was just a maniac, or an idiot. Maybe both? First hand is a bunch of limpers. I have A-J on the button, I raise 3 times the big blind. Seat 1 re-raises to 550, maniac/idiot to my right calls. I fold. They go at it and M/I makes the re-raiser fold, losing 3/4ths his chips in the process. He kept bullying everyone post-flop until I limp in with 5-7s (my favourite hand!) and the flop is a beautiful 5-5-3. 2 clubs. Checks to M/I to my right who bets 3/4ths the pot. I smooth call, everyone else folds. Turn: 4x I still think im in the lead with this (based on what he had been showing down after he had led out the betting.) He bets out half the pot and I re-raise all-in. He thinks, says I'll gamble with you as he turns over K-8c for a 4 flush. Please dear God do not put a club out there. River is an X and I double up.

The rest of the tourney was straightforward, mostly fold. Until a guy raises, I look to see J-J, I re-raise all-in, get a quick call from the original raiser which makes me say oh shit. I turn up my Js and he says your Js are good. He turns over K-J. I get 2 6s on the flop and call for a 3rd. I get a 3rd 6 on the turn and dodge a K on the River. Next notable hand: Someone raises, I look to see Q-Q and I push. Raiser thinks then calls with A-9o. I do my, "if your gonna put an A down, just do it on the flop" routine and I get a bright and shiny Q on the flop. Yay me. Nearly crippled myself in a battle of the blinds I turned a boat on the river and the small blind turned quad 6s. Luckily I had a bunch of chips so it knocked me down but not out. 4 handed took a while and I almost got eliminated again when the following occured: Folded to me in the SB I have K-J. I raise. BB thinks for a bit and he re-raises all-in. He doesnt have many chips and I'm thinking about calling when he flips over A-Q prematurely. I know I'm a dog but I dont want to take this 60-40 race so I fold. Everyone at the table (including the dealer) says I should have called. I just didnt have a good feeling and investing at least half my stack when I was a dog just didnt seem like a good move to me.

Eveentually It gets down to 3 hand when I grab 10-10 and beat another Ace-x. Im a 2-1 chip leader and the guy offers to chop. I decline. We play it out for a bit, 2 times I think im gonna win this thing only to have his hand beat me on the river. After the second time hes a slight chip lead and he offers a chop of 400-400. (First is 500, second is 300) I take it. Not a bad night at all.

Friday, August 17, 2007

"Change The World: - Eric Clapton

So my laptop crashed and burned, out of the blue the display died so I have to send it back to HP to get fixed. This likely means no Full Tilt for 2 weeks or FFXI.

Tonight I am hitting up Foxwoods Poker room for what could be the final time for a few weeks. 1) If I drop any money again, my bankroll will be depleted
2) Next week is my big Fantasy Football Live (IN-person) draft. I am the reigning champ so I get my plaque.
3) In 2 Fridays Joe and I are hitting up his buddy's home game.

I went in confident I could win the last 2 weeks and both times I came home a loser so I don't know how I feel. I know I could walk in there, play my game and come out on top or it could be like the last couple of weeks where I get good hands and lose to inferior hands.

Guess we shall see

Monday, August 13, 2007

"For Doze Dat Slept" - Black Sheep

1st out at the Hoy. I think thats the last blogger tourney I do for awhile, if ever again. I used a $26 token to get bounced by 9s when he thought he was beat by 2 pair or a higher pp, and then finished off by Columbo's raised 7-2 vs my A-2 with a 7 on the river. I could have gotten bounced by donkeys in the 28k for more fun then that.

Awesome my pocket 9s lost to A-Q with an A on the flop. Why do we even bother showing the board? I can always just realize im beat to 2 overcards and muck if full tilt gives me that button. OR they can just show the river first and go backwards from that. Since again a 7 on the river gives this dipshit who called me with 6-7 the win.
I closed out of the SnG early or I could have posted about 6 hands in a row I got K-x unsuited each time.

Now that I've dropped $60 again so far today, I think when I hit $1k again, ill cash out for real this time.

"Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith

Another losing session Friday. This means I'm back to my starting bankroll that I had when I went to Foxwoods in June.

I was card dead for the greater portion of the night, but early on I had A-Q 4 times, and some small pocket pairs. Big losing hand was A-K (or as I like to call it "Big Stink" since I tend to always lose with it.

Cards: A-Ko in late position

No raise to me, I raise to 12. 2 callers.

Flop: K-9-2 rainbow.

I bet 20 and grab 1 caller. This caller is someone who just sat at the table and was "priced in" for 2 bucks pre-flop.

Turn: 9
I bet out $25. The newbie that I will refer to as "Drunk Ex-Marine" (because thats what he reminded me of) raised to $50. Surely this man could not have called a $10 raise with K-9. I call.

River: It doesnt matter what the river was. DEM bets out his last $23. By this point I have to call. And as my gut on the turn told me, he had the K-9.

The more I play, the more I realize the game of poker is not about winning. Its about knowing when you are beat. The hardest thing is to believe someone has called you with ridiculous crap, I think if you can master that, you can master NLHE.
Last hand of the night I finally got a premium pocket pair Q-Q. I raise to $16, 2 callers. DEM and one other guy. Im in early position.

Flop Ks-Js-x. I want to see where I am at so I bet $20 into a $51 pot. Guy to my left re-raises All-in (like $150 somethin) DEM calls. I'm sittin looking at my hand like "wtf", so I fold obviously. All-inner shows A-Ko. DEM shows K-Jo.
Turn: Q Fuck you irony, fuck you, stupid ass all-inner.
River: x DEM takes down the pot. Guy to my immediate left asks me if I tossed something, and I told him I tossed Qs. DEM overhears us talking and says, "YEAH YOU SHOULD HAVE CALLED SO I COULD HAVE TRIPLED UP!" Guy tells him I had a set and he quiets down immediately. Luckily Liss calls me after this and tells me its time to go.

This brings me to the point that I now loathe about NLHE. The All-in reraise. Notice All-inner did not win the pot and all he had was TPTK. I just cannot fathom why you would put your whole stack on the line with TPTK. He has no idea where my hand was at, PLUS he has someone to act behind him. Why in the world would you think this is a good move? I had been playing pretty tight all night (due to card-deadness) and when I raise and bet on the flop wtf does he put me on? A-Qs? Small pocket pair? What if I had K-K? By making this move you are just hoping that I don't have anything and the guy behind you missed as well. If I checked the flop I'm pretty sure he wouldnt have bet that much, and if I had bet more then $20 he would have done the same move. Very frustrating.

So that was the casino trip for this week. Online was so-so. this weekend. Up and down. I was at $1058 and I decided to let Alissa take a crack at micro limit NLHE. She was playing uber tight when she hit 8-8 in 7 person limp pot. I told her to raise, but she just called. Flop was 10-8-x with 2 diamonds. One person pushed and I told her he probably had top pair, she should push to clear out the draws. She pushed but 2 people called her anyway. I knew she'd probably lose to a draw unless the board paired. And with a 9 on the river one of the calling douches made a straight. She was very bitter about this beat and I explained to her that I go through this multiple times a day, but that didnt make her any less upset.

After a bunch of 2nd place finishes in a $12 SnG I played PLO .05/.10. I like the game and will probably play it more often.

Friday, August 10, 2007

"On The Road Again" - Willie Nelson

Another trip to the 'ole F-woods tonight. Im on a 3 week losing streak and I'm afraid my bankroll can't take too many more hits. I am still going too over the top when I play, take this hand for example:

1/2 NL

Dealt to me: A-Qo in MP
Fold to Me
Raise to $16, 1 Caller (Button)

Flop: A-K-10 rainbow

Bet: $20 , Button calls so I put him on a draw or a made straight.

Turn: Ks I don't think this card helped him but now a flush draw possibility, so I bet out $25, and the guy thinks for a smidgen then calls. I absolutely think he is on a draw now since it took him so long to think. I put him on maybe J-10 or A-J.

River: 9 At this point I think he has just been praying for some miracle card, and Im trying to make it seem like I had A-K the whole way. I bet $50. He goes into the tank big time and yells out "FUCK". Absolutely on a straight or flush draw, right? But in sheer amazement he frustratingly says "I call."

I show my pair o Aces, and he turns over K-J for trip Ks. I am floored. He called with middle pair and a gutshot draw, gets a miracle Turn then obviously had put me on A-K but called anyway. As the night wore on I saw why he made that call. He was always thinking he has a good chance to make a gutshot draw or a runner runner flush. Not that it helped me any, as I pissed away my $+100 profit that I was up at the time. The night got worse from there....


So again I WILL WIN TONIGHT. I will play agressive when I got it, and lay back when I'm not sure what they are drawing to.

Monday, August 6, 2007

"Picture" - Filter

"Would you take my picture, cause I won't even move."

I know it means something else, but im referencing my last 2 blogger tournaments with this phrase.

In the big game it played out like this: I won a $75 token into the game then I unceremoniously get bounced when I raise from the button with Qd-10d. One limper luckbox Bayne himself. Flop is Q-9-x rainbow. Bayne checks to me and I bet the pot. Bayne raises. At this point I know he flopped a set. I KNOW IT. So what do I do? Raise all-in. Why? No logical explanation other than I refuse to believe him. Or rather, I refuse to believe how unlucky I am. Like clockwork he calls and shows his set o 9s. Bye me.

Tonight in the MATH. I have pocket 10s early on in the SB and Mike Maloney raises from MP. Bunch of people call, and my first instinct is to raise, but I just limp in. Flop is all small 8-6-x. I check, MM bets the pot and i just call thinking he has a big A but not much more. Check round on the turn, I check the river when it comes out an A. He bets 250. Now keep in mind I put him on a big A on the flop. So again I call the silly bet. He turns over not an A, but 6c-8c for 2 pair.

Same tourney but 6 hands later 10-10 in late position. Buddydank min raises from UTG. I know Buddy to be a tight player, and his min raise is really suspicious to me. This time I raise. Only he calls. AGAIN an all low flop. He checcks, I bet the pot. He raises. I know I'm beat, I KNOW IT. I put him on J-J due to his suspicious slowplay. So of course I re-raise all-in. Well he doesn't have J-J, just A-A. I'm out again, yay me. Then he tells everyone on the radio how basically lured me into his A-A trap. Its not that I didn't know he had me beat, I just played stupidly of course.

"Cause I won't even move..."

I hate this game sometimes...

Friday, August 3, 2007

"Last Night" - Diddy with Keysha Cole

Foxwoods again tonight if I can ever get out of this place. I "forgot" to blog that I dumped $300 last Friday in 1/2...maybe its why Im so upset about Full Tilt.

The table wasn't that tricky, very lose, so I played it very tight. I was actually up $100+ before I pissed it away basically on two hands: on pocket 9s vs Ks & 10s. The Ks was an absolute maniac he was raising with ATC play in mind, the second caller had been playing tight but I couldnt figure him for a pocket pair. And I look down at 9s and I'm thinking I'm good. Nope board helped noone, so maniac wins.

Second hand was Q-Q. Since I had a decent hand in early position I called because I know some of the guys behind me were raising a little bit. It was not a limper's table. LP raises to 15. I call and one other calls. Flop is J high. LP bets 15, other caller folds, I raise to 45. He re-raises all-in (THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A FUCKING CLUE) I call. A-A

I finally started making some money back towards the end of the session (I was down $500 at one point) but then the table broke and I left.

Absolutely I am determined to play better tonight, this will turn out better than last week.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

"Beat It" - Michael Jackson

Offically I'm done with Full Tilt. I had a real rough night that I just can't explain away to coincedence.

Before the mookie in a Cash game I had A-A cracked by pocket 5s (he ended up with quads).

After I donked myself out of the Mookie really bad:

A-A all in pre-flop against Q-Q and 7-7, 7s win.

A-A with pot sized bets all the way loses to j-7 when a 7 on the river gives him 2 pair.

K-K loses to A-7o

J-J loses to K-K

A-Qo loses to A-A when the 4th and allegedly final Ace hits the flop.

3 of those hands were to the same guy Phatguy69r. Ever feel like a guy is just getting WAY too lucky to be coincedence, well here's my example.

He beat with a set of 7s, made a questionable call, but not a bad play I guess. But after that he must have made it his mission to just rob me blind with stupid crap. The J-7 hand was him, after he rivered me he made the comment "THERES NO WAY TO PUSH ME OFF A POT!"

Do I get mad? Absolutely. Did I tilt in cards? Nope. All those hands I listed were the only hands I played. I was tight, super tight even. Im just mad there is no poker justice online.

Joe thinks I should keep some money in there, I'm not so sure. Ill guess Ill steam off a bit and see where we are in a few days.