Posts
On Saturday I woke up happy that I had written for the blog for the first time since May. I was refreshed after a very lazy Post-Thanksgiving Friday (ask my wife). That night I was having my first poker tourney at our new place and I wanted to straighten up the house. I started in the living room and worked my way into the kitchen. I finally got most of it done and started a pot of coffee while I logged on to FTP. 4 minutes prior to registration closing I signed up for the $10+1 $12.5K Guaranteed Rush tourney. Blinds were already 120/240 and I started with 3K in the BB. The good news was that well over 1/2 of the field of 1,863 had already been eliminated.
A few hours later I ran my KTo into and A5o and finished 4th place for $1,471.77.
So about that plan for $900 in the next month... Time to reevaluate. I was planning on playing rush tourneys as much as possible and slowly creeping toward the goal while taking shots in $2 and $3 buyin MTTs with huge payouts. I was also going to run a stake on Part Time Poker for miniFTOPS. Admittedly, All of these approaches were long-shots for an entire $900. To put it in terms any poker player can understand, I was at least a 2:1 dog.
Now I'm a lock for accomplishing my goal and it feels great! I have some decisions to make though. Foremost I need to decide how much money to leave in my account. Historically I play my worst poker after a big win. I don't plan on that this time. That, coupled with the fact that I have accomplished my goal means I probably should leave plenty in my account. But we all know how plans go sometimes...
Next, I need to start formulating a goal for next year. Doubling a bankroll is an easy target (in terms of planning, not neccisarily hitting), but I want to find the best balance between challenging and realistic. FTOPS, WSOP, and WPT entry come to mind.
Either way, it means more writing for me, which means that part of the plan is still in tact.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
With a Banner Like Mine, I Should be Writing More
And I will. I always do this time of year. It's freaking freezing outside, and I tend to get a little nostalgic around now. Also, the weather lends itself to mass-poker playing. So does my amount of off time. That means fewer Rush tournaments, and more massive MTT's with opportunity for huge payouts on eensy-weensy buyins. Historically I always make more money playing in winter time.
And I'm hoping the trend will continue. So far this year I've yanked over $1,500 off the Internet playing poker. Last year my total was $1,200. Secretly (or not) I've been attempting to double each year's production. That's a lofty goal for someone who doesn't like letting more than $200 sit in his bankroll without pulling some out so that "they'll never get it back". Most of the time, $5 and $10, (and all of the time $24) tournaments are out of my range. But I've got a plan. One month left. $900 to go!
And I'm hoping the trend will continue. So far this year I've yanked over $1,500 off the Internet playing poker. Last year my total was $1,200. Secretly (or not) I've been attempting to double each year's production. That's a lofty goal for someone who doesn't like letting more than $200 sit in his bankroll without pulling some out so that "they'll never get it back". Most of the time, $5 and $10, (and all of the time $24) tournaments are out of my range. But I've got a plan. One month left. $900 to go!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Oops
Full Tilt Poker Game #21122842538: $5 + $0.50 Rush Tournament (162538399), Table 106 - 50/100 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:40:13 ET - 2010/05/25
Seat 1: omg73 (20,320)
Seat 2: rafaellhp77 (3,456)
Seat 3: shirzulino (17,189)
Seat 4: usa13 (4,170), is sitting out
Seat 5: SuperCheese21 (13,712)
Seat 6: DM_Hand2 (9,825)
Seat 7: CgCook38 (5,482)
Seat 8: KillDevil666 (9,088)
Seat 9: DoubLLeTroubLLe (13,172)
rafaellhp77 posts the small blind of 50
shirzulino posts the big blind of 100
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to CgCook38 [2s 2h]
usa13 folds
SuperCheese21 folds
DM_Hand2 folds
CgCook38 calls 100
KillDevil666 folds
DoubLLeTroubLLe folds
omg73 calls 100
rafaellhp77 raises to 500
shirzulino calls 400
CgCook38 calls 400
omg73 calls 400
*** FLOP *** [Tc 5s 2c]
rafaellhp77 bets 400
shirzulino folds
CgCook38 raises to 4,982, and is all in
omg73 calls 4,982
rafaellhp77 calls 2,556, and is all in
CgCook38 shows [2s 2h]
omg73 shows [Ac Td]
rafaellhp77 shows [Kd Ks]
*** TURN *** [Tc 5s 2c] [9h]
*** RIVER *** [Tc 5s 2c 9h] [Th]
CgCook38 shows a full house, Twos full of Tens
omg73 shows three of a kind, Tens
CgCook38 wins the side pot (4,052) with a full house, Twos full of Tens
rafaellhp77 shows two pair, Kings and Tens
CgCook38 wins the main pot (10,868) with a full house, Twos full of Tens
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 14,920 Main pot 10,868. Side pot 4,052. | Rake 0
Board: [Tc 5s 2c 9h Th]
Seat 1: omg73 (button) showed [Ac Td] and lost with three of a kind, Tens
Seat 2: rafaellhp77 (small blind) showed [Kd Ks] and lost with two pair, Kings and Tens
Seat 3: shirzulino (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 4: usa13 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: SuperCheese21 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: DM_Hand2 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: CgCook38 showed [2s 2h] and won (14,920) with a full house, Twos full of Tens
Seat 8: KillDevil666 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: DoubLLeTroubLLe didn't bet (folded)
Seat 1: omg73 (20,320)
Seat 2: rafaellhp77 (3,456)
Seat 3: shirzulino (17,189)
Seat 4: usa13 (4,170), is sitting out
Seat 5: SuperCheese21 (13,712)
Seat 6: DM_Hand2 (9,825)
Seat 7: CgCook38 (5,482)
Seat 8: KillDevil666 (9,088)
Seat 9: DoubLLeTroubLLe (13,172)
rafaellhp77 posts the small blind of 50
shirzulino posts the big blind of 100
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to CgCook38 [2s 2h]
usa13 folds
SuperCheese21 folds
DM_Hand2 folds
CgCook38 calls 100
KillDevil666 folds
DoubLLeTroubLLe folds
omg73 calls 100
rafaellhp77 raises to 500
shirzulino calls 400
CgCook38 calls 400
omg73 calls 400
*** FLOP *** [Tc 5s 2c]
rafaellhp77 bets 400
shirzulino folds
CgCook38 raises to 4,982, and is all in
omg73 calls 4,982
rafaellhp77 calls 2,556, and is all in
CgCook38 shows [2s 2h]
omg73 shows [Ac Td]
rafaellhp77 shows [Kd Ks]
*** TURN *** [Tc 5s 2c] [9h]
*** RIVER *** [Tc 5s 2c 9h] [Th]
CgCook38 shows a full house, Twos full of Tens
omg73 shows three of a kind, Tens
CgCook38 wins the side pot (4,052) with a full house, Twos full of Tens
rafaellhp77 shows two pair, Kings and Tens
CgCook38 wins the main pot (10,868) with a full house, Twos full of Tens
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 14,920 Main pot 10,868. Side pot 4,052. | Rake 0
Board: [Tc 5s 2c 9h Th]
Seat 1: omg73 (button) showed [Ac Td] and lost with three of a kind, Tens
Seat 2: rafaellhp77 (small blind) showed [Kd Ks] and lost with two pair, Kings and Tens
Seat 3: shirzulino (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 4: usa13 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: SuperCheese21 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: DM_Hand2 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: CgCook38 showed [2s 2h] and won (14,920) with a full house, Twos full of Tens
Seat 8: KillDevil666 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: DoubLLeTroubLLe didn't bet (folded)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
My Brother is Missing
Please spread the word and review the information and pics on this site. Every little bit helps. Thanks.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
More FTPA
Full Tilt's Poker Academy continues to fill holes in my poker game. One area that it has really helped me in is making situational aggresive decisions from out of position when I plan on calling anyway. Here's a situation that came up recently. I made a raise UTG 5-handed with KQo and flopped top pair with a late position opponent. My "continuation" bet was called and the turn paired the board with another 6.
At this point, there was $0.62 in the pot. My opponent had $1.16 remaining. If I bet my top pair again, I'd likely make it a $0.40 bet, meaning if my opponent called or shoved, I'd be committed to the hand regardless of what the river was. That bet and any call or raise would put at least $1.42 in the pot and I would only have to worry about my opponent's remaining $0.76.
If, however, I check, there's a chance that I can play the hand to showdown for only another $0 - $0.62. That's preferred, since I ONLY have two pair, and not even AQ for the top kicker. I'd rather ONLY invest $0.40 into this pot unless a Q comes on the river.
So I determined that my best course of action was a check on the turn. Any bet by my opponent would automatically commit me to the pot, therefore I would check-raise all-in if necessary on the turn, or check-check-call to showdown otherwise. Either way, folding never crossed my mind. It turned out to be the correct move. My opponent gave no credence to my continuation bet and probably put me on AK or AJ, with the second 6 giving him an extra hand to represent. Here's the run down.
Full Tilt Poker Game #18973203949: Table Gushing Spring (6 max, shallow) - $0.02/$0.05 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:25:41 ET - 2010/03/04
Seat 1: jojo972 ($1.76)
Seat 3: Shinobao ($2.17)
Seat 4: tb1984 ($1)
Seat 5: CgCook38 ($3.19)
Seat 6: baseball14t ($1.51)
Shinobao posts the small blind of $0.02
tb1984 posts the big blind of $0.05
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to CgCook38 [Qc Ks]
CgCook38 raises to $0.15
baseball14t calls $0.15
jojo972 has 15 seconds left to act
jojo972 folds
Shinobao folds
tb1984 folds
*** FLOP *** [Qs 6h 2d]
CgCook38 bets $0.20
baseball14t calls $0.20
*** TURN *** [Qs 6h 2d] [6c]
tino_g43 sits down
tino_g43 adds $2
CgCook38 has 15 seconds left to act
CgCook38 checks
baseball14t bets $0.40
CgCook38 raises to $2.84, and is all in
baseball14t calls $0.76, and is all in
CgCook38 shows [Qc Ks]
baseball14t shows [8s 8h]
Uncalled bet of $1.68 returned to CgCook38
*** RIVER *** [Qs 6h 2d 6c] [Js]
CgCook38 shows two pair, Queens and Sixes
baseball14t shows two pair, Eights and Sixes
CgCook38 wins the pot ($2.89) with two pair, Queens and Sixes
baseball14t is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $3.09 | Rake $0.20
Board: [Qs 6h 2d 6c Js]
Seat 1: jojo972 (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: Shinobao (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: tb1984 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: CgCook38 showed [Qc Ks] and won ($2.89) with two pair, Queens and Sixes
Seat 6: baseball14t showed [8s 8h] and lost with two pair, Eights and Sixes
At this point, there was $0.62 in the pot. My opponent had $1.16 remaining. If I bet my top pair again, I'd likely make it a $0.40 bet, meaning if my opponent called or shoved, I'd be committed to the hand regardless of what the river was. That bet and any call or raise would put at least $1.42 in the pot and I would only have to worry about my opponent's remaining $0.76.
If, however, I check, there's a chance that I can play the hand to showdown for only another $0 - $0.62. That's preferred, since I ONLY have two pair, and not even AQ for the top kicker. I'd rather ONLY invest $0.40 into this pot unless a Q comes on the river.
So I determined that my best course of action was a check on the turn. Any bet by my opponent would automatically commit me to the pot, therefore I would check-raise all-in if necessary on the turn, or check-check-call to showdown otherwise. Either way, folding never crossed my mind. It turned out to be the correct move. My opponent gave no credence to my continuation bet and probably put me on AK or AJ, with the second 6 giving him an extra hand to represent. Here's the run down.
Full Tilt Poker Game #18973203949: Table Gushing Spring (6 max, shallow) - $0.02/$0.05 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:25:41 ET - 2010/03/04
Seat 1: jojo972 ($1.76)
Seat 3: Shinobao ($2.17)
Seat 4: tb1984 ($1)
Seat 5: CgCook38 ($3.19)
Seat 6: baseball14t ($1.51)
Shinobao posts the small blind of $0.02
tb1984 posts the big blind of $0.05
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to CgCook38 [Qc Ks]
CgCook38 raises to $0.15
baseball14t calls $0.15
jojo972 has 15 seconds left to act
jojo972 folds
Shinobao folds
tb1984 folds
*** FLOP *** [Qs 6h 2d]
CgCook38 bets $0.20
baseball14t calls $0.20
*** TURN *** [Qs 6h 2d] [6c]
tino_g43 sits down
tino_g43 adds $2
CgCook38 has 15 seconds left to act
CgCook38 checks
baseball14t bets $0.40
CgCook38 raises to $2.84, and is all in
baseball14t calls $0.76, and is all in
CgCook38 shows [Qc Ks]
baseball14t shows [8s 8h]
Uncalled bet of $1.68 returned to CgCook38
*** RIVER *** [Qs 6h 2d 6c] [Js]
CgCook38 shows two pair, Queens and Sixes
baseball14t shows two pair, Eights and Sixes
CgCook38 wins the pot ($2.89) with two pair, Queens and Sixes
baseball14t is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $3.09 | Rake $0.20
Board: [Qs 6h 2d 6c Js]
Seat 1: jojo972 (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: Shinobao (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: tb1984 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: CgCook38 showed [Qc Ks] and won ($2.89) with two pair, Queens and Sixes
Seat 6: baseball14t showed [8s 8h] and lost with two pair, Eights and Sixes
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Full Tilt Poker Academy
On the recommendation of some friends at The Poker Pod, I've started horsing around in the Full Tilt Poker Academy. What an amazing resource! I know there are a lot of resources on the web these days. What Full Tilt offers is pretty awesome though. All original content offered up to anyone who signs up. Furthermore, participation is rewarded on a points system that can be converted to merchandise and poker money.
I started the program while in Attu on temporary duty. However due to experiencing the Dark Side of Internet, I didn't really step into it until just recently. What I really and truly like about the program is that it makes me focus more on my online play. Obviously their pros offer extremely sound advice, and applying the principles will generally increase my bankroll over time.
Essentially the program has a progression that it takes a player through. The first step is a video lesson with a Full Tilt Pro. So far I've watched videos from Chris Ferguson, Phil Gordon, Howard Lederer, and my favorite so far: Aaron Bartley. Each video is professionally presented and the advice is solid. Following the video, the player can take a "Sit N Learn" Quiz, where they are presented with seven questions related to the video. Accurately answering the questions in a timely manner can score the player access to monthly freeroll poker tournaments. Finally the player can take the related challenge for the lesson. The challenge actually tracks the user's actions on Full Tilt and rewards task completion with Academy points redeemable in the Academy store.
In all, I've only broken even since starting the academy. However, most of that fault lies with my absolute lack of focus at times. I recommend the Academy to any level amateur player, live or online. Many of the lessons are helpful in either environment.
I started the program while in Attu on temporary duty. However due to experiencing the Dark Side of Internet, I didn't really step into it until just recently. What I really and truly like about the program is that it makes me focus more on my online play. Obviously their pros offer extremely sound advice, and applying the principles will generally increase my bankroll over time.
Essentially the program has a progression that it takes a player through. The first step is a video lesson with a Full Tilt Pro. So far I've watched videos from Chris Ferguson, Phil Gordon, Howard Lederer, and my favorite so far: Aaron Bartley. Each video is professionally presented and the advice is solid. Following the video, the player can take a "Sit N Learn" Quiz, where they are presented with seven questions related to the video. Accurately answering the questions in a timely manner can score the player access to monthly freeroll poker tournaments. Finally the player can take the related challenge for the lesson. The challenge actually tracks the user's actions on Full Tilt and rewards task completion with Academy points redeemable in the Academy store.
In all, I've only broken even since starting the academy. However, most of that fault lies with my absolute lack of focus at times. I recommend the Academy to any level amateur player, live or online. Many of the lessons are helpful in either environment.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Losing Left – Why Stack Size (and thereby Tournament vs. Cash) Matters
Last week I introduced my “new” rule about playing weak hands out of position in online tournaments. Basically my theory is based on the fact that I can wait out these situations and hope for either a) a better hand later, or b) a passive opponent that assists me to a showdown cheaply. I also relied heavily on the fact that blinds chop away at a stack quickly in a tournament.
This week I want to talk about the exception that makes the rule. What happens when I have 10,000 chips and the blinds are 25/50 for the next 15 minutes online, or 40 minutes in a brick and mortar? Am I going to play this situation the same way? Well, I will say that this will be my general rule for tournaments. However, the deeper the stack sizes are, the more I’m willing to make an exception. Also, reading the board can’t be dismissed. If there are draws out there, then a called bet by a positional player becomes weaker based on the chance that they are chasing a draw.
The definitive example of this exception comes in cash game play. While the game is technically “table stakes”, ultimately the amount of money that can be won is only limited by how many times players reach into their deep pockets. There is some money out there to be made in value with middle pair. While my intention is usually to keep the pot small, in a cash game, or a deep stack tournament, the best way to insure a small pot it to be sure to take control of the pot, which means taking the lead after the flop.
Here’s another example- top pair, mediocre kicker. But with a deeper stack (and as important my opponents had deep stacks), I was able to take control of the hand on the flop, and put it away on the turn when it became apparent I had the best hand.
*********** # 1 **************
PokerStars Game #39510252010: Tournament #241450085, $0.25+$0.00 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level IV (25/50) - 2010/02/09 19:32:10 PT [2010/02/09 22:32:10 ET]
Table '241450085 10' 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 1: amour59 (1615 in chips)
Seat 2: horizon58 (2975 in chips)
Seat 3: shaydushane (6155 in chips)
Seat 4: CgCook38 (4910 in chips)
Seat 5: moneymaica (750 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 6: clingfree (2550 in chips)
Seat 7: lexxl19 (8900 in chips)
Seat 8: JimmiBlY (9540 in chips)
Seat 9: TJ1812 (6960 in chips)
amour59: posts small blind 25
horizon58: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to CgCook38 [Th Ah]
shaydushane: folds
CgCook38: calls 50
moneymaica: folds
clingfree: folds
lexxl19: folds
JimmiBlY: calls 50
TJ1812: folds
amour59: folds
horizon58: checks
*** FLOP *** [8s As 6d]
horizon58: checks
CgCook38: bets 100
JimmiBlY: calls 100
horizon58: calls 100
*** TURN *** [8s As 6d] [9c]
horizon58: checks
CgCook38: bets 350
JimmiBlY: folds
horizon58: folds
Uncalled bet (350) returned to CgCook38
CgCook38 collected 475 from pot
CgCook38: doesn't show hand
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 475 | Rake 0
Board [8s As 6d 9c]
Seat 1: amour59 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 2: horizon58 (big blind) folded on the Turn
Seat 3: shaydushane folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: CgCook38 collected (475)
Seat 5: moneymaica folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: clingfree folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: lexxl19 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: JimmiBlY folded on the Turn
Seat 9: TJ1812 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
This week I want to talk about the exception that makes the rule. What happens when I have 10,000 chips and the blinds are 25/50 for the next 15 minutes online, or 40 minutes in a brick and mortar? Am I going to play this situation the same way? Well, I will say that this will be my general rule for tournaments. However, the deeper the stack sizes are, the more I’m willing to make an exception. Also, reading the board can’t be dismissed. If there are draws out there, then a called bet by a positional player becomes weaker based on the chance that they are chasing a draw.
The definitive example of this exception comes in cash game play. While the game is technically “table stakes”, ultimately the amount of money that can be won is only limited by how many times players reach into their deep pockets. There is some money out there to be made in value with middle pair. While my intention is usually to keep the pot small, in a cash game, or a deep stack tournament, the best way to insure a small pot it to be sure to take control of the pot, which means taking the lead after the flop.
Here’s another example- top pair, mediocre kicker. But with a deeper stack (and as important my opponents had deep stacks), I was able to take control of the hand on the flop, and put it away on the turn when it became apparent I had the best hand.
*********** # 1 **************
PokerStars Game #39510252010: Tournament #241450085, $0.25+$0.00 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level IV (25/50) - 2010/02/09 19:32:10 PT [2010/02/09 22:32:10 ET]
Table '241450085 10' 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 1: amour59 (1615 in chips)
Seat 2: horizon58 (2975 in chips)
Seat 3: shaydushane (6155 in chips)
Seat 4: CgCook38 (4910 in chips)
Seat 5: moneymaica (750 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 6: clingfree (2550 in chips)
Seat 7: lexxl19 (8900 in chips)
Seat 8: JimmiBlY (9540 in chips)
Seat 9: TJ1812 (6960 in chips)
amour59: posts small blind 25
horizon58: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to CgCook38 [Th Ah]
shaydushane: folds
CgCook38: calls 50
moneymaica: folds
clingfree: folds
lexxl19: folds
JimmiBlY: calls 50
TJ1812: folds
amour59: folds
horizon58: checks
*** FLOP *** [8s As 6d]
horizon58: checks
CgCook38: bets 100
JimmiBlY: calls 100
horizon58: calls 100
*** TURN *** [8s As 6d] [9c]
horizon58: checks
CgCook38: bets 350
JimmiBlY: folds
horizon58: folds
Uncalled bet (350) returned to CgCook38
CgCook38 collected 475 from pot
CgCook38: doesn't show hand
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 475 | Rake 0
Board [8s As 6d 9c]
Seat 1: amour59 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 2: horizon58 (big blind) folded on the Turn
Seat 3: shaydushane folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: CgCook38 collected (475)
Seat 5: moneymaica folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: clingfree folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: lexxl19 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: JimmiBlY folded on the Turn
Seat 9: TJ1812 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Sunday, February 14, 2010
The Poker Pod Home Game
Yesterday I managed to win the Poker Pod home game! It was tough throughout. I had to suck out a river queen to trip up against AA and KK early on.
To add to my successful day I competed against 7 others in the Attu home game and won a marathon session. :D Quite a poker day!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Losing Left – Small Pot, Pretty Please
The biggest problem with players to your left is that they will get to see what you do before they have to make any decisions. It seems that recently I’ve been crushed online while out of position, especially when I have a small hand – top pair, okay kicker or weaker hand. The strategy I try to employ is pretty basic: invest the smallest amount of chips in order to get to a showdown.
This presents one very basic problem, and it’s where a positional player gets his power. If I check to invest no chips, I am showing that I am weak (which I am, of course). An astute player can bet any two cards and I am likely to fold. If I bet I am increasing the pot size (which is already going against my strategy). Either way, I have no idea how the other player feels about their hand, even after he acts behind me.
In online tournaments, I should check nearly every time when I have a mediocre hand. The reason is that I simply won’t know either way whether I have the best hand. Checking keeps the pot smaller, tying up fewer chips from my stack. Since the blinds are ever increasing toward the size of my stack, I need to find better places (then mediocre hand, out of position) to invest them.
Here’s a great example:
PokerStars Game #39149867931: Tournament #238986486, $3.00+$0.40 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level IV (50/100) - 2010/02/02 19:17:35 PT [2010/02/02 22:17:35 ET]
Table '238986486 1' 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 2: Betty73 (905 in chips)
Seat 3: nedoshlo (1550 in chips)
Seat 4: CgCook38 (1975 in chips)
Seat 5: jefferson577 (1415 in chips)
Seat 6: mad pounder (2560 in chips)
Seat 7: amyi (3980 in chips)
Seat 8: Simonelli2 (2530 in chips)
Seat 9: Bakster (7085 in chips)
Betty73: posts small blind 50
nedoshlo: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to CgCook38 [Ah 8h]
CgCook38: calls 100 I've been trying to limp more with playable hands before I reach that iffy 10 rounds left level. This is part of that strategy.
jefferson577: folds
mad pounder: folds
amyi: calls 100
Simonelli2: calls 100
Bakster: folds
Betty73: folds
nedoshlo: checks
*** FLOP *** [Qc 6d 8c]
nedoshlo: checks Alright - Second pair, best kicker. My new strategy says check nearly every time. Instead I....
CgCook38: bets 300 ....into a 450 chip pot
amyi: folds
Simonelli2: calls 300
nedoshlo: folds
*** TURN *** [Qc 6d 8c] [Th]
my bet on the flop increased the pot size by over 130 percent!! Not quite the desired result with one opponent still remaining. I'm still out of position with the pot now at 1050 and 1575 left in my stack. What do I do now? I should check and fold to a bet here. That Th didn't help me and helped so many hands that may still be out there. 9Tc, 79c, TT, JTc, AKc, ATc.
CgCook38: checks
Simonelli2: bets 300 I'm beat bad right now, but I don't want to admit it. A stupid bet on the flop begets a stupid call on the turn...
CgCook38: calls 300 after all, I have five or fewer outs, I'm being offered 3.5 : 1 odds, and I only need to invest nearly 20% of my remaining stack. This is the kind of losing poker that I've been playing for months online. I need to get away from it.
*** RIVER *** [Qc 6d 8c Th] [Qd]
CgCook38: checks No miracle card on the river. Thank goodness. The villain took down the pot with a full house, sixes over queens. I was drawing dead on the turn. I shook this off and managed to place third in the tournament.
This presents one very basic problem, and it’s where a positional player gets his power. If I check to invest no chips, I am showing that I am weak (which I am, of course). An astute player can bet any two cards and I am likely to fold. If I bet I am increasing the pot size (which is already going against my strategy). Either way, I have no idea how the other player feels about their hand, even after he acts behind me.
In online tournaments, I should check nearly every time when I have a mediocre hand. The reason is that I simply won’t know either way whether I have the best hand. Checking keeps the pot smaller, tying up fewer chips from my stack. Since the blinds are ever increasing toward the size of my stack, I need to find better places (then mediocre hand, out of position) to invest them.
Here’s a great example:
PokerStars Game #39149867931: Tournament #238986486, $3.00+$0.40 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level IV (50/100) - 2010/02/02 19:17:35 PT [2010/02/02 22:17:35 ET]
Table '238986486 1' 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 2: Betty73 (905 in chips)
Seat 3: nedoshlo (1550 in chips)
Seat 4: CgCook38 (1975 in chips)
Seat 5: jefferson577 (1415 in chips)
Seat 6: mad pounder (2560 in chips)
Seat 7: amyi (3980 in chips)
Seat 8: Simonelli2 (2530 in chips)
Seat 9: Bakster (7085 in chips)
Betty73: posts small blind 50
nedoshlo: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to CgCook38 [Ah 8h]
CgCook38: calls 100 I've been trying to limp more with playable hands before I reach that iffy 10 rounds left level. This is part of that strategy.
jefferson577: folds
mad pounder: folds
amyi: calls 100
Simonelli2: calls 100
Bakster: folds
Betty73: folds
nedoshlo: checks
*** FLOP *** [Qc 6d 8c]
nedoshlo: checks Alright - Second pair, best kicker. My new strategy says check nearly every time. Instead I....
CgCook38: bets 300 ....into a 450 chip pot
amyi: folds
Simonelli2: calls 300
nedoshlo: folds
*** TURN *** [Qc 6d 8c] [Th]
my bet on the flop increased the pot size by over 130 percent!! Not quite the desired result with one opponent still remaining. I'm still out of position with the pot now at 1050 and 1575 left in my stack. What do I do now? I should check and fold to a bet here. That Th didn't help me and helped so many hands that may still be out there. 9Tc, 79c, TT, JTc, AKc, ATc.
CgCook38: checks
Simonelli2: bets 300 I'm beat bad right now, but I don't want to admit it. A stupid bet on the flop begets a stupid call on the turn...
CgCook38: calls 300 after all, I have five or fewer outs, I'm being offered 3.5 : 1 odds, and I only need to invest nearly 20% of my remaining stack. This is the kind of losing poker that I've been playing for months online. I need to get away from it.
*** RIVER *** [Qc 6d 8c Th] [Qd]
CgCook38: checks No miracle card on the river. Thank goodness. The villain took down the pot with a full house, sixes over queens. I was drawing dead on the turn. I shook this off and managed to place third in the tournament.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Losing Left
How many millions of chips, how many hundreds of dollars have been lost to the person sitting to my immediate left? When I started poker I had no idea what position meant. I had no clue of the various advantages gained when acting last. I couldn’t begin to formulate plans for protecting chips from those on my left, simply because I did not realize I needed protection.
I am temporarily assigned to Attu Island right now. My plan for this trip is to look over my last 100 hands played on PokerStars. Specifically I will be looking at hands where I was out of position. Where I am looking to improve is the following areas:
1. Having a small hand and keeping the pot small.
2. Extracting chips with a monster hand.
3. Getting medium strength hands to showdown.
4. Staying away from bluffing at the wrong times.
Hopefully this will improve my game. I’ve been doing better over this period (last 100 hands) and I’d like to know what’s changed.
I am temporarily assigned to Attu Island right now. My plan for this trip is to look over my last 100 hands played on PokerStars. Specifically I will be looking at hands where I was out of position. Where I am looking to improve is the following areas:
1. Having a small hand and keeping the pot small.
2. Extracting chips with a monster hand.
3. Getting medium strength hands to showdown.
4. Staying away from bluffing at the wrong times.
Hopefully this will improve my game. I’ve been doing better over this period (last 100 hands) and I’d like to know what’s changed.
1st Annual Billy Watson Memorial Tournament, Results
Last Saturday brought our Sitka Poker group to the Bell Residence for the first annual Billy Watson Memorial Tournament. This year’s event was a $5 rebuy with the first buy-in from each player donated to the Hard Six program of TLC in Mesa, AZ. Hard Six is the program responsible for bringing Billy back to our family after years of drug abuse. Each day he struggled with emotional instability and addiction, and my family and I are grateful for the strength he showed for so many years.
23 players showed up for the tournament on Saturday. Along with other donations, we were able to gather $300 for the cause! The tournament itself was fast paced and gut-wrenching (as rebuys tend to be). There were 82 rebuys and 21 add-ons, making the total prize pool $515 after the charitable deduction!
My brother Erick flew up from San Diego, and my Dad (and Billy’s best friend) flew up from Arizona to participate. I was so very glad they made it, and I hope that wherever we hold the tournament next year, we can have even more family members participate. This was my tournament though, as I fought through the brutal blinds schedule (the tournament lasted only about 4 hours), the extremely tough field that our group comprises, and the other three money winners to take 1st place overall.
Thank you so much to everyone that participated! Thanks again to those that donated on the side. Thank you, thank you, thank you! to the Bells for hosting! And I hope to see a lot more people next year!
The winning hand:
Late night poker:
Cash game followed. Joe the Pro ruled!
Winners: Yours truly: 1st, Betty 2nd, Emy 3rd, and Tammy 4th.
Monday, January 18, 2010
1st Annual Billy Watson Memorial Tournament
Hosted by John Bell
Tournament Director: Brandon Saiz
On January 21st, 2009, my uncle Billy died after a lifetime of fighting drug addiction. An avid poker player and a great friend, Billy reminded us how important it is to grasp every moment of time with friends and family. Help us celebrate life and remember Billy this Saturday, January 23rd, by playing in a $5 rebuy charity event.
This is how it works:
$5* gets you 1,000 chips to start.
If before the first break you are at or below the starting 1,000 chips you may rebuy for $5.
This allows you to start the tournament with either 1,000 or 2,000 chips. Also, if you lose all of your chips during the rebuy period, you may pay $5 or $10 to stay in the tournament with 1,000 or 2,000 chips respectively.
At the break, anyone may finish rebuying up to 2,000. An add-on will then be available: 2,000 chips for only $5.
*The first buy-in from each player ($5) will be donated to TLC’s Hard Six rehabilitation program in Mesa, AZ in memory of Billy Watson, my uncle and fellow poker player.
Each table will have seated a designated “table captain” to assist with buyins/rebuys. These players’ seats will be locked from movement until tables merge.
The following is a rough blinds schedule**. The first break will be 1 hour and 15 minutes in. At that time add-ons will be allowed. Before play continues the total prize pool, payouts, and total chips in play will be announced.
**Please note that the later blinds may be extended/eliminated to bring about the end of the tournament around midnight based on the total chips in play.
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