Online poker, small tournaments, sit&go's ...blah...blah...blah...

First off, let me start with my bankroll:

 

UB: $998

PartyPoker: $0

PacificPoker: $0

 

The good news is that I cashed out $822.  The bad news is that I lost everything in Pacific and about $100 in Party.  Ehh...I'm not complaining though.  UB treats me well.  Party and Pacific, not so much.  I think I'll be sticking with UB from now on, unless, of course, their servers crash for two days.  Anybody out there try SportingBetPoker.com or AbsolutePoker.com yet?  How about Bodog.com?  Crazy how there are so many poker rooms out there these days.  It reminds me of the days when online shopping sites started springing up all over the place.  Four years later, only the strong has survived.  I have a feeling that the big sites like Party and UB will endure the long run where sites like SBP and AP will be done with in three years or less.  It's tough getting a reoccuring customer.  Anyways, enough with my ranting about online poker rooms.  Let's get down to some poker talk.

 

Anybody catch the Tournament of Champions where Annie Duke took home the $2mil first prize?  Crazy huh?  I'd say the one hand that defined her night was when she had pocket sixes to Howard Ledderer's pocket sevens.  The flop came Q-Q-6.  Game over for Ledderer who was obviously the better player.  You know...after watching these "pros" play, I think I can take any of them on.  Are they THAT much better than me?  Seriously, I've spent thousands of hours playing online.  I'm pretty sure I've seen just about everything.  Hopefully, I'll get a chance to bust some of them up someday.  Time will tell.

 

Okay, so I've been playing a lot of online sit & go's.  From $20+$2 to $50 + $5, 10 handed.  I've been doing pretty well actually.  I'd say I place in 3 out of 5 events.  Probably more like 3.5 out of 5.  Those are pretty good stats right?

 

Here's a hand for chatting:  I call a raised pot by the BB with Q-Q in middle position.  The flop comes Q-T-9.  I bet out about 2/3 of the pot.  I get one caller in early position.  The turn comes a blank.  I bet out about 2/3 of the pot again.  He calls again.  He's got about a little more than a hundred in chips left versus my 300.  The pot is over 1000 chips.  I'm going all in on the river, regardless.  Well, the river comes an 8 and he goes all-in.  He turns over J-T for the gutshot straight.  I'm down to a mere 200 in chips.  How in the world could anyone make such a poor call?  This was a $50+$5 as well.  I'm pretty sure he didn't have the odds to call.  Idiot.  I'll get him next time.

 

Here's another hand.  This has happened to me twice already and I'm NOT going to let it happen again.  I'm playing a three person tourney with JJ in the big blind.  Blinds are $30/$60.  The player first to act makes it $180 to go.  The SB folds.  I  make it $480 to go.  The opener goes all-in without hesitation.  Eventually, I call and he turns over KK.  I'm a 4.5 to 1 underdog and I have a shorter stack than him....not a good place to be.  Never will I do this again (never say never).  I must respect the all-in bet when I am forced to go all-in, especially with a nice size reraise.  The player most certainly has a higher pair.  Learn from my mistakes.

 

I'm out.  Till next time.

 

 

Party Poker $1,000,000 Guaranteed, $200k to the winner...

So, I tried to enter the PP Million Guaranteed tournament on Saturday.  I played in a few $7+$1 satellites to get into a $64+$6 satellite to get into the big $600+$45 tournament.  After spending a few hours coming in second place in the $7+$1 satellites (only 1st place gets an entry), I finally won one.  I spent a total of $40 to get my entry into the $64+6 tourney.  Not bad, but I was hoping to get in cheaper.  In the $64 + $6 satellite, I played it very tight until I wound up headsup with a very aggressive player.  He had about a 4 to 1 chiplead on me, so I needed to take some risks.  Not more than 10 minutes later, I busted out with a Q5o on a bluff, when he had AQo.  I probably could've played it smart and taken the tourney, but I knew I had to take some risks...unfortunately, I bluffed when he had a semi-monster.  Oh well!  I gave up for the day...on the PP Million tournament, at least.  I did play a few $20+$2 tourney and won three of them in a row.  So, the day wasn't a complete waste of time.

 

UB Bankroll: $1052

PartyPoker: $238

PacificPoker: $36

 

 

"That time" again...

Played about an hour of $5/$10 at UltimateBet.com last night.  Won about $300 in a one hour span.  Looks like the it might be "that time" again.  Gonna play some more tonight to see if the UB software is giving me odds or not.  For those of you who don't know what "that time" means, it's only my opinion, but I believe that the software that the poker sites use, change the player's win percentage based on random factors (hours played, limits played, money's raked, etc.).  That's why just about anyone's who played online poker has hit a mad winning streak, only to be faced with an awful losing streak a few weeks later.  I'd like to know one person who's never been been through this.  Don't get me wrong though, I don't think online poker is completely fixed, but it's definitely tainted.  Who's complaining though, I've bought a lot of new toys with my online bankroll.

 

Oh yeah, here's a hand for ya.  I've got 22 in middle position, playing $1/$2 no limit at UB.  I limp in for $2 along with 6 other players.  The flop is 7 8 2 with two clubs.  One of the blinds comes out betting $11.  Under the gun raises to $21.  I call slowly, along with three other players...four total.  I'm in position now.  The turn brings an 8, giving me a set.  Everyone checks to me.  I go all-in for $64.  Late position calls.  The river comes a blank and I win $221.  The late position caller had 6 T clubs.  He was drawing dead to a gutshot or flush.  He was only getting about 2.5 to 1 on his $64 call, IF and only IF he thought he could win with one of the cards that would make his hand.  Thanks idiot.

 

 

UB: $1438

Party: $100

Pacific: $33

Bankroll update...

Been playing a bunch of sit and go's ($30+3, $20+2).  Also, played some $5/$10 limit hold'em.  Grinding my way to a new plasma tv.

 

UB: $1014

PartyPoker: $125

PacificPoker: $66

$4/$8 ring game in gathersburg

I played in a $4/$8 limit hold'em game in Gathersburg on Friday night.  My cousin and I got there around 9pm.  We had about 10 players.  Most of them were loose passive (saw a lot of flops and no raising unless they had top pair or better) and then we had two or three that were tight passive, unless of course, they had the nuts.  So, I started off playing fairly tight, but very aggressive when I entered the pot.  I had three big hands which gave me sets on the flop.  I made some good money on those, as I had a caller all the way to the river all three times.  I ended up winning $344...not bad for a five hour span.  That's about $70/hour.  Not bad at all.

 

Now, let me get into a few hands that I remembered from the night.  The first hand, I had AJo in the small blind with a raiser from the button.  It was my cousin, so I have a pretty good read on him.  If it was anybody else, I would've either folded my AJo or reraised.  So, there were three of us...a middle position player called the raise.  The flop came A 8 2 rainbow.  Both of us checked to the raiser, who bet.  I raised to get the middle position player out, which worked, however, the pre-flop raiser, reraised me.  Now I was worried.  I was certain that he either had AQ or AK.  I called his raise.  A blank came on the turn, 9.  I checked and he bet.  I was faced with a tough decision.  If he had AQ or AK, I was a pretty bad underdog.  I'd have to pay $16 to see if my hunch was right or not.  I folded.  Later on, when we were driving home, my cousin told me that he had an AJs.  AAAAHHHHHHH!  I made a mistake.  This is a prime example of why I HATE playing AJ in the small blind in a raised pot.  Never again.  Never say never.

 

The next hand that I remembered from the night, I had QTo in the big blind.  There were two other players, a loose aggressive player in the middle position and the other was a tight passive player in late position.  The flop came J 8 2.  Everyone checked all the way around.  When this happened, I told myself that I'd bet out on the next card as long as it was lower than a Jack.  The next card was a T...I had made my pair with a decent kicker.  I bet out, the loose aggressive player quickly raised.  The late position folded.  Now, I was faced with a decision.  $12 (half-kill) to call his raise, then another $12 to call on the river.  Was he bluffing??  He kept staring at me and for once throughout the whole night, he stopped talking for a moment.  Boom...busted...he's on a draw.  I called his raise.  The river comes a blank and he bets out again.  I call.  He turns over 9 Q with an open ended straight draw and says, "nice call".  Thanks for the money bitch.

 

So, that was it.  My poker for the weekend ended with a very nice $70/hour game.  If only, I could make $70/hour for a living....I'd be banking in the dough. 

 

UB Bankroll: $580

 

 

 

 

$20 buy-in no limit tourney: first out!

So, we had our occasional $2/$4 live action hold'em game at my house two nights ago.  We decided to mix it up a bit and make it dealer's choice for every round of dealing.  We had 7 players total (6 regulars and 1 new guy...I don't even remember his name now).  We played mostly hold'em, but we had one round of 7 card stud and one round of Omaha Hi.  I ended up losing 5 bucks after my aggressive play failed a few times.  Oh well...nothing to cry about. 

 

After our limit game, we decided to play a $20 buy-in no limit game with 1000 chips and 20/40 blinds to start.  Blinds would be increased every 10 hands.  I ended up busting out first out of 7 players!  Now, let me explain the the two crucial hands that made my night.  The first hand, I had pocket 4s in early position and I made it 80 to go.  A player in middle position made it 160 to go.  A late position player cold called.  So, we had 3 players with 540 in the pot.  I put both of the other players on middle pairs or high cards... both with pretty good advantages over me, but I had 5.75 to 1 odds (460 in the pot, 80 more to call), not to mention the implied odds if I caught my set.  The flop came Q 6 2 rainbow.  Surprisingly, it checked all the way through.  Now, I was feeling a little more confident because the middle position player was pretty straight forward and I knew that he wasn't too confident about his hand, so he either had an in middle pair or didn't pair up his high cards.  And the late position player, I'm pretty certain he was scared of the flop as well.  The next card came a 3.  I decided to test the waters and bet out 150, a feeler bet, just to see what the other really had.  Well, the middle position reluctantly called and the late position player reluctantly folded....now, I put him on AK, but I really didn't want to risk my tournament on a hunch because he might have called if I went all-in on the river besides, it was still the first round!  So, the river came a blank, a 7.  The board was Q 6 2 3 7.  I had 4 4.  I bet out 100 and he called....he had J J.  Oops.  My stack was down to 500...not good, but not terrible either.

 

A few hands later, I had QQ in middle position.  A loose semi-maniac made it 80 to go in early position.  I sensed a trap, but I had QQ!  So, I made it 250 to go.  I figured that he'd most likely go all-in if he had any pair or two high cards and fold or call if he had a small suited connector.  In hindsight, I probably should've just called his raise and play him after the flop, since I had position on him.  Well, everyone folded to the early raiser, who went all-in!  All-IN!!!!  Oh man, I sensed danger, but still, I had QQ with only 250 in chips left.  What to do, what to do?  Risk my tournament as a 4.5 to 1 underdog (if he had a bigger pair) or fold and risk letting the blinds get the best of me.  I should've folded.  BUT, I called and he had KK.  Good night.  I was done.  Lesson learned.  Next time, my strategy will be to play it smart in the early rounds, build up a stack, then take some risks.  With a 250 raise, I was basically pot committed due to my short stack.  Bad play.  Oh well.

 

I might be playing in a $4/$8 ring game tonight, so check back in a day or two to find out how I did.

 

UB Bankroll: $648

 

It's been a while...

Alright, so it's been a while since I've written. I'll start off with my poor finish at the $100 buy-in tournament a few weeks ago. It was a 15 player live freeze-out tournament with everyone starting out with 1000 in chips. The players were broken into two separate tables of 8 and 7. When 8 players remained, they were to be combined into one table. Well, I started off playing pretty tight...only high suited cards or pocket pairs. I won a few pots here and there, but nothing big. Just about everyone at the table was loose passive or tight passive. The big stack played about three quarters of his hands. My strategy was to hit a big hand, double up, then start playing aggressively once I had the big stack. Well, I had a very hard time following my strategy. The table was so loose that I didn't know how to adjust to this newbie style of play. This one hand, I had a pairs of 10s from early position. The blinds were 20-40 and I made it 120 to go. I got five callers! The flop came A 7 5, all diamonds and I didn't have one. It checked all the way around on the flop. A blank came on the turn and the lady with two Kings bet out a small amount. Everyone folded except for the big stack. A 9h came on the river and he caught his opened ended straight draw on the river with a 6h 8h. Can you believe that?!? Every time I replay that hand in my head, I'm not sure whether I made a mistake by not betting on the flop. Seriously though, I had about 500 chips left, no diamond in my hand and in early position. No chance I'd put any more money in the pot with that flop. I ended up busting out 11th out of 15. Terrible tournament play, but that's just how it goes sometimes.

So, what else has been happening? Well, the raked $3-$6 game in Fairfax closed down due to another game in Centerville which got busted by the cops a few days earlier. According to the news, the people running the game in Centerville were raking in about $40k a month! Crazy. After the cops got hold of them, they were given felony charges and all of the players were given misdameanors. I'm sure glad I never played in that game. Now, all of the raked games in the area have closed down due to this one bust. Sucks. I guess I have to get my poker fix at the online sites.

Speaking of the online sites, I finally got enough UltimatePoints at UltimateBet.com to get my free Trek 3500 bike. 76,500 points and many many hours later...my bike should be here by next week. Even at the crazy rate I've been playing online, it probably would've taken me another two months to accumulate the UltimatePoints by merely playing. Fortunately, they allow you to play No Limit with your points to get more points. That's how I got my last 25,000 points. Instead of months, it took me about a week. Kind of funny how I can sit at the $10-$20 table in Atlantic City with every pot worth over a $100 and then when it comes to buying a bike for myself, I get cheap and I have to win it via UltimatePoints. Whatever...everybody loves free stuff....not just me.

Other than the free bike, I haven't really been winning too much at the online sites. I've got about $500 in the bank right now and I've been grinding it out at the $2-$4 table due to my bankroll. I'll move back up to $3-$6 and higher once I get back to $1,000.

Oh yeah....I played in the Full Tilt Poker $200,000 guaranteed tournament. Out of close to 500 players, I came in 158. I had a pretty nice sized stack and decided to put someone all-in with terrible bluff. He called, I lost half my stack. Then, I went on tilt and the rest is history. Not a bad placing, but not in the money either, so my saying is....if you're not in the money, you're out of the money. Whatever.

What else....I've been playing a LOT more No Limit lately. I'm about half way through David Sklansky's Tournament Poker and I'm ready to take on the pros. I think I'm going to try one of the lower limit World Series of Poker tournaments next year. If the lowest limit is $2.5k, then I may try for one of the satellites instead. I definitely want to do it though. I can't imagine the adrenaline rush when I go all-in on a semi-bluff. That alone would be worth the trip. Or busting out one of the pros. I'm getting excited just thinking about it.

Till next time....

"Keep the Michelob coming" - Scotty Ngyuen