Weekly Wednesday Night Poker Report #9, 3rd place is just the first loser

Hello everyone.  Time for another wednesday night poker report.  We had 20 players for a $50 freezeout. Lets get to the highlights. 

 

Feeling a little ill this week.  I decided to just show up for the tourney and skip the early/late cash games this week.  $50 freezeout.  Bought in about 8:30 and got the tournament underway.  Nothing much happening in the first hour.  Fold, fold, fold, then I looked down and saw pocket 8’s on the button.   I call and the flop comes 2h 5d 8s.  Blinds are at 100/200,  3 players check to me and i bet out 400.  2 callers.  Turn = Qs.   1 player checks, the next bets  200.  I raise it to 600.  1 folder, 1 call.  Heads up, he either has queens or is on a flush draw. River = 3h.  He checks and I bet 1000, call and I turn over trips to his 2 pair.

Next hand:  6s/7s  Late position.  blinds 100/200.  I call. Flop = 10h 5s 8s…..WOW..I’ve flopped a straight AND a straight flush draw.  Big blind bets with 2 callers including me.  3 players to the turn.  Turn = 9h.  Well I’ve hit my straight except there’s a chance my straight will be beat by a bigger straight.  Big blind bets, Early position folds and I call.  Heads up to the River.  River = Jd.  Okay still have a straight but I can be beat by a Q.  Big blind checks…smells like a trap to me so I check as well….unbelievable..he turns over 2 pair….and I turn over the straight.  Should have bet there but….a win is a win is a win.

Next hand: As/10s on the button.  blinds are 400/800.  Stack = 14,000. Folds all around to me, and see a good chance at stealing the blinds.  I raise to 1600.  To my amazement and dismay both blinds call.  Flop = 9s Qd 8d….Check, check, I check as well.  Turn = 2s…check, check, I decide to test the waters and bet out 800.  Both call, Im figuring Im beat.  River = Jc…well that made my straight but there’s a lot of cards out there that beat me.  Both blinds check and I turn over my straight.  It’s good.  Whew!

Next hand:As/10s Big blind.  Blinds = 500/1000. Stack = 18000 est. Folks starting to tighten up now.  We’re down to 10 players.  1 more and we go to the final table.  Folds around to the button who calls, small blind folds.  I notice the button has around 2000 left.  I decide to raise it and put him all in.  He calls.  Turns over Ks jc.  Heads up…probably %55 to %45.  Flop = Ad 2s 5c.  Good flop.  He’ll need runner runner….Turn = 10d…theres the dagger.  I win and we go to the final table.  Good lesson here is to always pay attention to other player’s chip stacks.  If you get a chance to knock em out…YOU TAKE IT!!

Final Table:  9 players.  Chip stack = 25000 est.  Im about 7th in chips.  But with the blinds going up so fast that can change in a hurry.  I hang on like an alligator for the first 30 minutes and then we get down to 5 players.  I look down in the big blind and find Ad/Ah.  WOW…I got 7000 chips and go ALL IN….I get called by 2 players.  All 3 of us are all in…Im in for 7000, next player in for 5000, and the least in for 3000.  At least I won’t be out if I lose.  Flop comes 5c 4h Kd….Turn = 10s….River = Jc.  I’ve got pair of aces, next player has trip 4’s….he gets the small pot…the other player has Jacks and he’s out.  In our tournament when we get down to 4 everyone gets their $50 back and the table is open for deals.  We agree to take $100 apiece and play for the rest.  Unfortunately for me…I didn’t catch another hand….1 player went out before me and then I was forced to go all in with a good buddy hand (10h 4c) and I was out in 3rd place.  The other 2 players split what was left of the pot, $480. 

Not a bad tournament.  Went home $50 winner. When the blinds get up like that…it really comes down to pure ol luck and timing.  No matter your chipstack…when those blinds get up to 8000/16000 …ya gotta get the cards to do battle. 

So long for now…Im going to take another dose of Nyquil

Till next time….

The long awaited TUNICA REPORT

Sorry for the lateness of the report.  Been a real chore catching up at work since I got back.  Had a wonderful trip to tunica.  Wound up losing $100 for the weekend.  Not bad Not bad at all.  Lets get to the highlights.

 

7 of us left out thursday evening around 8pm.  From our area it takes around 8 hours to arrive in Tunica.  Trip was uneventful other than driving thru a major rainstorm between Nashville and Memphis.  We arrived at the Gold Strike around 3:30am central time.  At the check in desk they informed us that we could check in at 4am, which I thought was really generous.  To kill the time I took the 4 people in our party and got each their player cards from the gold strike (MGM) and the Horseshoe next door (Harrah’s).  Also I gave em the tour and showed them where the poker rooms and restaurants were.   Came back to the check in desk, got the room keys and snoozed for a few hours. 

Friday Morning:  Got up around 8am and ate breakfast.  3 of us headed to the Blackjack tables at the gold strike.  Lots of fun and cutting up going on.  I really have no idea how to play blackjack optimally.   I know to split Aces and 8’s but after that…im pretty well lost.  I never bet more than 5 bucks, got blackjack a total of 5 times.  Not bad.  Dealers were good at humoring us andgoing along with the jokes.  After an hour of play, we all got a food comp and Im up $25. 

Friday Afternoon:  After checking the poker room at the gold strike, we headed over to the Horseshoe to play some seven card stud.  Had trouble catching hands in this one.  Lost $20 in this session…would have been more if not for one hand where I started with rolled up 9’s that filled up on the river.  A well hidden Full House that won a big pot.  Time for dinner.  

The courtyard buttet at the gold strike has an incredible seafood buffet on friday night.  Its even better when it’s comped.  I got my dad’s, his buddy, and my buffet comped …grand total would have been 78 bucks.  Awesome

After dinner it was back to he Horseshoe.  I had big plans to redeem myself in the $1-$5 stud game.  Best laid plans…blah blah blah…didn’t happen.  Again couldn’t catch anything.  When I had a great starting hand on 3rd street I would be beat by the river.  Extremely hard to make anyone fold in this game.  Played 5 hours till 2am.  Check the bankroll and Im down another $25 for the session…$50 total for 2 sessions of 7card…add in my $25 win for blackjack and Im down $25 for the trip so far.  Time to get some sleep. 

Saturday Morning. Get up around 9am.  Open the windows and notice that my room is on the  mississippi river side of the gold strike on the 29th floor.  WHAT A VIEW!  Ate breakfast andwalked around deciding the battle plan for the day.  I watched my buddy Kendall play blackjack for an hour or two, then he, Joe, and I went up the poker room at the gold strike to check out the action.  I asked if there was a table for omaha hi/low…nope but should be soon…why not play 3/6 limit hold’em until it gets ready….no problem. 

Game: Texas hold’em $3/$6 limit

4 of us…myself, kendall, joe and doug sat down at the 3/6 table for hold em.  9 players.  We could have stayed home andtaken each others bankrolls…but we’re having a good time so what the hell.  Early on caught a flush to win a decent pot.  Lost 2 good pots with 2nd best hand to doug and joe…..set me back pretty good but would rather lose to them.  Then in the big blind I was dealt Qh 10h……5 players to the flop….flop = Qc Qd 10d…..WOW…floopedthe full house…small blind checks…I check….everyone else checks…DAMN!  On to the turn.  Turn = Qs…..DOUBLE WOW! small blind checks…I check…UTGbets out…2 players fold…small blind calls…so do I.  Im figuring the early position bet out as a bluff andthe small blindhas a pocket pair.   Here comes the river.  River = As…Now the small blind bets out…I raise…the UTGfolds…small blind calls…sure enough..he turns over POCKET ACES!….I turn over my Q…….not a big pot but decent.  The omaha hi/low table is opening up..and Im moving!

Game: Omaha hi/low $3/$6 with a full kill

I love omaha hi/low.  Probably my favorite poker game.  Sorry but hold’em bores the hell out of me.  Plus Im really not that good at it.  Not that im better at Omaha…but the game does intrigue me.  The limits are $3/$6 with a full kill.  I asked for an explanation of the word KILL.  It’s when one player scoops the pot, he is forced to put $6 in for a kill pot.  The blinds still put up 1/3…but the game limits move from $3/$6 to $6/$12.  So instead of it being $3 dollars to call pre/flop, it’s $6.   I sat at the table for 7 straight hours…here are some of the highlights.

Starting hand:  Ac 2c Kd Qd

Flop = 3s 6h 7h.  Well I’ve flopped the nut low hand but Im not raising.  Kendall andI are at a table with some omaha hi/low regulars it’s easy to see.   5 players…I call and so does Kendall. 

Turn = 10h.  Low hand still good…Kendall raises…I call…1 other player calls.  Looks like 3 to the river

River = Jd.  We’re in a kill pot so the big blind bets out $12.  Kendall immediately raises to $24.  I call andthe blindcalls.  Kendall hit his straight flush with 8h/9h…andI get the nut low.  The blind had hit his straight on the river.  Kendall and i split about $150 pot

The rest of the time I was up and down.  I never got down more than $20, but I could never get more than $40 ahead either. 

Starting hand : Ad Kd 10s Jc

In the big blind.  No raises or I probably would have folded.  Flop = 10d Jd3c…WHOA.  I’ve got a flush/straight flush/straight draw withmiddle pair already.  I call the small blind…low and behold 2 raises come out.  I call em all…nice pot brewing.   Turn = 6d…well I’ve hit the nut flush.  I still have my straight andstraight flush draws working.  Again..the small blind bets out andI wind up calling 2 raises.  River = 4s…I’ve got the nut flush.  Not pairs on the board, only thing out there is a straight draw…which i pray that someone hits.  There is a low hand.  Small blind bets and I raise…I get 2 of the 4 other players to fold but get 1 raise.  I call and the other player calls.  I show my flush and the other 2 players turn over A/2.   I get the high and they split the low.  Both argue for 15 minutes over raising with the low hand. 

Starting hand = Ac 2s 8c Ks

In the small blind.  Not a great starting hand but I do have an ace andI am double suited.  8 players in for a nice pot.  Flop = 3h 6d 8c.  I’ve flopped the nut low with top pair.  Everyone calls.  Turn = Qs.  2 raisers this time and I ride along.  River = Jd.  Again…raise raise raise…i go along wondering what in the hell everyone has.  On the last raise there is 4 folders…leaving 4 of us at the showdown.  Turn em up…I have A/2 but so do 2 others!!! ugggg!! The other guy turns over his cards and has a pair of Jacks!!!!!….he wins the high side and we 3 dumbasses have to quarter the low side.  I wind up lost 10 bucks by splitting the low side. 

I get up disgusted.  After checking the bankroll…Im down a total of $170.  Not bad…but certainly not good

6pm rolls around and Im supposed to meat everyone over at the Horseshoe for dinner.  So it’s my last hand

Saturday Night:

Walked over to the horseshoe to eat dinner.  Had my dinner comped from the seven card stud play the night before.  The buffet at the Horseshoe is really good.  Lots of choices.  Italian, chinese, country, barbecue…and a huge desert bar. 

After dinner we head up and watch the UT – Alabama game.  Alabama smokes em to my delight but I can’t say much because my UK wildcats got absolutely killed earlier by florida. 

After the game we head back downstairs.  All the tables are full.  The World Poker Open is going on in the convention rooms down the hall so we walk down and check em out.  One player in our group, Mike, played in 3 satellites friday, won one and entered in one of the 500 tourneys but was put out early.   We decide to walk over to the Horseshoe and see if we can get back in the seven card stud game, no luck there either.  I decide to walk back to the Gold strike and try my hand at the craps table. 

I’ve played craps before, but it’s a game, at least in my view, that you have to play all the time. I forget all the odds and payoffs.  The only system I know is the 3 pt molly.  Which is bet on the pass line, put odds, bet on the come, and put odds…keep 3 numbers working.  And thats all I did.  I bought in for 100 bucks.  Rolled a couple of times.  Played for 2 hours….looked down and to my amazement I was up $20.  “color me up”  I yelled quickly and got the heck out. 

Walked around for a little while and found my group back at the blackjack tables.  Apparently this trip has turned some poker players into blackjack players.  I flop down when an open seats comes up andbuy in for $100.  We have a great time for around 3 hours.  I hit about 5 blackjacks.  Then I almost nodded off.  i look down and it’s 4:30 am…YIKES!!! I color up and find Im up around $55 bucks.  I head off to my room and do a bankroll check and Im down exactly $100.  I’ll take that any day of the week. 

Get up early sunday and resist the urge to gamble some more.  Check out and we get on the road.  It was a wonderful trip.  Everyone at the gold strike were wonderful.  Im telling ya it gets better everytime I go.  This trip was great because there was a boatload of friends that went along.  4 of them had never been and they had a great time.  Heck even my dad had a great time.  Definitely a trip to remember.  We didn’t win a lot but we didn’t lose a lot either.  At least none that anyone is telling.  Poker players never lie…do they?

until next time

Pokerstop.com report from the EPT in london

European Poker Tour London Won by Dramatic Comeback

The 2008 European Poker Tour London Main Event ended in dramatic fashion as American Michael Martin staged one of the greatest comebacks in recent history to win the GBP 1 million first-place prize.

The EPT London tournament featured yet another record-setting field.  556 players each chipped in GBP 5,200 to generate a prize pool of GBP 3,349,200. Only 56 of those players would make it into the money. Among those who got paid in London included such famous names as Vanessa Rousso (39th), Erik Friberg (35th), Scotty Nguyen (32nd), Beth Shak (31st), Sorel Mizzi (27th), “November Niner” Peter Eastgate (18th), Max Pescatori (15th) and David Benyamine (12th).

EPT London Final Table

On the last day, the final table setup was as follows:

Seat 1 — Eric Liu (USA) — 1,308,000
Seat 2 — Johannes Strassmann (Germany) –434,000
Seat 3 — Philippe D’Auteuil (Candaa) — 476,000
Seat 4 — Antony Lellouche (France) — 1,022,000
Seat 5 — Michael Tureniec (Sweden) — 1,331,000
Seat 6 — Alan Smurfit (Ireland) — 396,000
Seat 7 — Marcin Horecki (Poland) — 309,000
Seat 8 — Michael Martin (USA) — 718,000

After Johannes Strassman dismissed Antony Lellouche in 8th, Strassman himself exited in 7th. Michael Martin would then take care of Alan Smurfit, after the 66-year-old Irishman ran into Martin’s jacks. Canadian Philippe Dauteuil would finish in 5th, after running 8-8 into the kings of Team PokerStars Pro Marcin Horecki.

During four-handed play, Martin found himself down to just 95,000 in chips, with 80,000 committed to his big blind, looking up to Eric Liu, who had more chips than his three opponents combined. Martin picked up 8-8 and tripled up to 250K, followed immediately by wins with pocket nines and aces in back-to-back hands. The flurry of action left Martin with chip lead and Liu done in 4th. After Horecki was bounced in 3rd place by Swedish PokerStars qualifier Michael Tureniec of Sweden, the table was set for one-on-one play.

The heads-up battle would sway severely in Martin’s favor, after he called Tureniec’s bluff on a jack-high board with second pair. Later, Martin’s pocket fours would improve to a set on the turn, eliminating the Swede and his K-9. Martin took home GBP 1 million (~ $1.75 million USD) for the win, while the online qualifier was able to collect GBP 525,314 (~ $925,000 USD) for finishing as runner-up.

Tunica Road Trip 10/23/08 10 more days!!

Folks from my weekly poker night and I will be making a road trip to Tunica on Thursday night.  We’re going to play all day friday and all day saturday…(or until the money runs out).  Our group is staying at the Gold Strike during the World Poker Open.  Hope to see you there.

Weekly Wednesday Night Poker Report #7. KABOOM!!

Sorry for the tardiness of this week’s ..actually last weeks …report.  I’ve been busy trying to find my bankroll..because it’s GONE.  Terrible night…actually the worst night of poker ever for me.  Lost $200.  Very disgusted with myself.  I wasn’t the only big loser. In fact almost everyone lost…except one person who was the BIG Winner.  I don’t remember anyone at our wednesday night game ever winning more.  He won money during the early cash game, He won the tournament, and He won money during the late cash game.  Never seen such a rush before.  Let’s get to the Hand lowlight(s).

Game:  7 card stud/high chicago – dealt Ks 4d in the hole, door card = Kd, high pair and 2 to a flush I bet out. By the way, I DESPISE getting a Ks during a high chicago game. Great way to go broke, unless the Ace shows up.   Everyone calls.  4th street = 4s, okay now I’ve got 2 pair and  a Ks, still betting out.  5th street= 2c…terrible card for me and the Ace of spades is still out there hidden somewhere.  Checks all around.  6th street = 4c…I’ve hit my boat and now Im betting out strong.  3 callers..now Im thinking my Ks may be best as no one raises me.  7th street = rag….still betting out and I get called…turn over the boat and the king of spades….SCOOP THE POT!!…great win ..but the bad part is IT WAS THE ONLY WIN for me during the early cash game…tournament rolls around and Im down $100.

Tournament starts.  This week is a $50 freezeout…my kind of tournament.  18 players.  Didn’t play too bad but not too good either.  Went card dead towards the end wound up 6th which is the same as last really..both pay the same.  Hand highlight  from the tourney:

Get dealt Jc 2c on the button.  Blinds are 25/50.  Everyone limps so as an experiment I thought I would try something.  I raise it to 500.  To my amazement everyone folds except 2 players.  Unusual this early in the tournament.  Flop comes – 7h Kd 6c…rainbow flop and it’s checked back to me.  I bet out 500 again, 1 folder and now im heads up.  Turn = 3s, check to me …bet 500 again…get a call.  River = 10h…straight draw..check to me again…this time I bet 1000…didn’t want to overbet.  “will you show me if I fold”…”are you folding” I reply…”yep”..I show the bluff.  I was beat with a pair of kings…he thought I had the straight. 

LEARNING POINT:  position is everything in Texas Hold’em.  You have to make the bluff believable, having the info in front of you is invaluable.

The late night cash game went better than the first.  Instead of winning one hand..I actually won TWO hands..ugh.  Some more Lowlights:

game: Omaha hi/low – starting hand 7d 7h Qd Ah…not a bad starting hand and Im in the blind..almost out of chips….Flop = 5h 9d 7c…okay I hit trips on the flop and I go all in for my last 20 bucks.  Turn = 10d.  Well now I have a flush draw on top of the trips/full house draw.  Outs galore.  Just my luck Im down to my last few bucks and have to go all in and can’t grab anymore chips.  River = Kd…BAM..got my Flush but I have to worry that someone has the ace.  I can scoop as there is no low hand.  That is I can scoop what got in it anyways…Damn what a time to be up against it.  Everyone turns over and my flush was the best hand…Get my part of the pot…wasn’t bad but made me cringe thinking about how much I could have had. 

2nd hand:  Omaha hi/low – starting hand = Ac 2d Kc Jd – good starting hand.  I’ve been beat to death on A/2 all night.  Flop comes Ad 2c 9c–Destroyed my low hand but I’ve got a club flush working.  Turn = Jd ..got a pair with my flush draw…everyone runs except me and the big winner.  River = Ks…2 pair but my flush is destroyed.  The big winner bets out and I call…heck Im getting 10 to 1 on my money.  I figure Im beat with the straight but to my surprise he has 2 pair..2/9’s….My K/J’s take the pot….

Those two wins almost brought me back to even.  But as the night wore on I was beat time after time after time.  Was beat on the River at least 10 times.  Never seen anyone on a rush like that.  Hopefully that will happen to me someday.  I’m really disgusted with my play.  Mainly because I got away from my cash game motto:  “play tight, try to win one big pot an hour”…I need to clean that up if I want to win anything when we go to Tunica next week.

My lesson learned the hard way:  Sometimes you go on a rush, and sometimes it’s just not your  night, but you need to have the discipline to know the difference.  Some nights it’s just better to get up and walk away.

My top 5 Poker books

I have a lot of poker books (too many).  These are the top 5 in my collection.

#5 Kill Everyone – Lee Nelson

#4 Read em and Reap – Joe Navarro

#3 Seven Card Stud for Advanced Players – David Sklansky

#2 Super System 2 – Doyle Brunson

#1 Super System 1 – Doyle Brunson

Weekly (bi-weekly) wednesday night poker report #6

Had a great night.  Played till 2:30 am and came away $150 winner.  Here are the highlights…

Bought in for $60 in the first cash game at 5:30pm.  Should have renamed it the Boat show because I had boats galore…3 in a row.  Never had that happen before.  2 of them in Omaha hi/low hands and 1 of em in a Texas hold ’em game. 

Hand #1  – omaha hi/low- great starting hand – As 3s Kc Qc-  I’ve been really working on my Omaha Hi/Low game and it ‘s starting to pay off.  Flop = Kd Kh 4c-…flopped trips, capped the raises.  Turn = Ac FULL HOUSE! Still lots of raising going on out there…hope no one has the other 2 Aces! River = 10d…No Low…Still a lot of raises…Im in turned out there 2 other boats out there ..but none that could beat my Kings full of aces.

Hand #2 – Omaha hi/low – starting hand-  mediocre- Ac 5c 10s Js-  In case you haven’t noticed I very rarely play an omaha hi/low hand without at least an ace.  Double suited is a good starting point too. To the flop = 10d 10c 5s-  Yep I flopped a full house.  Cap the raises.  But let me tell you something about Omaha hi/low, you can have the best hand on the flop and by the river be absolutely destroyed.  It’s what makes the game.  Turn = 4d…good card for me, flush draw and a low hand working keeps players in the pot.  Im hoping for a 9 or 10 on the river.  River = 9c..NICE! no low and I have the nut full house..raise raise…I turn over the 10/5 to scoop the pot.

Hand #3 Texas hold ’em – starting hand – pocket 8’s in the big blind – Very rarely do we play hold em in the cash game so it’s a nice change of pace.  Flop = 8c Jd Js…unbelievable…I flopped another boat.  However..if someone has J/8 Im beat…so i raise to find the J.  Only 2 callers.  Turn = 10h – I bet out again but only get called..hmmm..River = 2s.  Okay only hand that can beat me is a J/8.  I bet out..still only get called so I figure my 8’s full is good…turns out the other 2 players both had a Jack for trips…nice. 

Take a look at the bankroll and Im up $200

Tournament was uneventful.  We went back to the $20 entry fee with 2 buybacks.  Nothing to write about…played tight to open and loosened up as the blinds went up.  Came in 4th and got my entry fee back. Did use my 2 buybacks.  Still up $160

The last cash  game was about the same.  Uneventful.  Won a few hands, but after the first cash game, couldn’t get many callers.  Finished up around 2:30 am up $150 for the night. 

Here’s hoping that your trips fill up to boats.

Weekly Wednesday Night Poker Report #5

Sorry for the lateness of the weekly poker night report.  Played till 5:30 am thursday morning, just to be honest, I could barely function at work let alone write the report, so without further delay…here’s an overview of how the night went:

Sat down at a full table at 5:30…bought in for $100.  Play tight…win one big pot an hour…thats my motto.  Unfortunately sometimes that doesn’t work well when you’re constantly the 2nd best hand…And if your’e playing $3/$5 omaha hi low…2nd best hands will get you broke…The first hour I lost $40 and if I wasn’t playing a disciplined game I would have lost more.  I was doing well at 7card stud/chicago but could not catch a break in Omaha hi/low.  At 7pm I counted up and I was a $10 loser.  I cashed out and went to another cash table that opened up and played 5 handed.  Came out of the gate like a firecracker.  Won 5 hands in a row…all of em.  Chicago, 2/11, omaha hi/low, all of a sudden I went from a $10  loser to a $50 winner.  From then on I went card dead and leaked off my chips.  Didn’t play bad at all..just could not catch ANYTHING.  Tournament started at 8:30.  After cashing out i was a $25 loser making me down $35 for the night.

Tournament was a struggle again.  I did win a huge pot early busting a player who tried to bluff me with a pair of 5’s.  I had the broadway straight.  Then I had pocket aces cracked by a trip 8’s.  Then AK suited lost to a pair of 4’s….yes I said it…..PAIR OF FOURS!!!.  Still My stack held up and I made the final table which made me 9 of the last 10 weeks.  Not bad I suppose.  For the first 2 levels my chip stack continued to leak off until I had to push my last 5000 at the 2000/4000 level with Jack/Queen suited.  Actually doubled up with a pair of queens.  Chopped another pot while was in the blinds…then had to push with my last 12000 with 6/7 suited….my pair of 7’s got beat with a pair of 8’s…and I was out in 6th.  Time to get in the late cash game.

This session went really well.  Bought in this session for $100.  I’ve found that I play better if I just go ahead and buy $100 worth of chips instead of the usual $40 or $60.  Go ahead and buy up your limit that way you don’t have to go south for money.  That can get contagious.  $100 is my limit…when I lose that I go home, plain and simple.  Bought in at 11pm, started off like a house on fire.  By 1am I was up $200 for the session.  But as usual I leaked off chips after that.  Game broke up at 5:30 am…thats right 5:30 AM….WOW.  Time really flys by when you’re playing.  After counting up…after 12 hours of play…I won a grand total of….(drum roll)…$7.!!!…well I guess it’s better than losing..Before the last session I was down $105…so the last cash game saved my bankroll +$112.  Should have been more…have to learn that after 1am…my game really goes downhill.  2 hands of note that really saved my bacon……..

Game: Omaha Hi/Low $3/$5…Good starting hand – Ad 3d Jc Qc- good low/high combo double suited.  Flop comes – 9s 10h 5d…nice flop…open ended straight.  Lots of raises, I call all of em and cap the last one…already $100 in the pot….Turn = 4d…Wow..low hand working and still have the open ended straight.  Again…raise raise raise….I call and cap the last one…7 players calling all the way to the river.  River = 8s..BAM…low hand and I just hit the nut straight.  No flushes, No boats…I know I got the high hand but with everyone in Im thinking of at least a 4 way split pot.  Raise Raise Raise….surprisingly…it winds up with me and 1 other player calling the last raise…I show the straight…he shows A2…damn….I almost scooped the pot, but wind up spliting it.  Pot was over $400.  NICE

 

Next hand:

Game : Seven Card Stud/High chicago/ – Dealt 4s, 4h in the hole…door card is 4d….WOW…trip fours right off the bat.  I raise…everyone calls thinking I have the Ace.  Next card = 9h…Check to me , I bet…everyone calls…8 players.  5th street = Kh, same, I bet everyone calls…big pot.  6th street = 7c, another player got the Ace of spades..now everyone thinks I was bluffing and fires out…i still raise and get called by EVERYONE.  Last card down…7th street = Ks!!!!!!!!!….damn…hit my boat and got the lock on high chicago.  Raise, I get called….turn over the Boat and the High chicago…..scoop it all baby…thats a good feeling!..pot was over $200. 

So to wrap up the night:

Starting Bankroll = $200. 

After first cash game = $155  , -$45

After tournament = $95 , (-60) ,-$105

After last cash game = $207, (+112), +7

Games that I won the most money from : Omaha hi/low, Seven card stud/High Chicago

Game that I lost the most money on:  Omaha hi/low

As always, comments and suggestions welcome.

Weekly Wednesday Night Poker Report #4

Another winning night!  Played till 2:30 am, wound up going home $150 winner.  Nice! Let’s go to the highlights. 

Sat down at 6pm and started play in the first shift of the cash game.  Played really really well from the get go.  Didn’t really play one game better than the other…just played them all the same….tight, try to win one big pot an hour.  Started the tournament around 8:30, after doing some counting I was up $180.  Hand of note from the first cash game shift:

Game:  Seven Card / low in the hole wild / roll your own /cost 5$ to get the last one dealt up –  right off the bat Im dealt 3 jacks, 2 in the hole and the door card.  WOW! 4TH STREET = rag, 2 raisers I wind up capping it, 5TH STREET = 7..6TH STREET = 7 BAM!  here’s where I ALMOST messed up.  Instead of turning over one of the jacks and keeping the 7 as my low card (which would have given me 5 jacks) I turned over the 7…ahhh!  Paid 5$ to get the last card up…which was a rag. Player to my left comes out firing…1 caller who winds up being the tennis ball between me and the opener.  Raise, Raise, call, Raise, call, call….Player to my left turns up 4 Aces, the human tennis ball turns up a flush (what was he thinking?)..I turn over my 5 7’s…WOW…good pot for the hero. 

Tournament went really really really…TERRIBLE.  I was out early.  Didn’t make the final table for the first time in about 8 weeks.  Could not catch a card.  Never had a pocket pair all night.   I go thru both my buybacks and wind up losing $60.  Now Im up $120 for the night.

So a separate cash table opens up until the tournament is over.  5 players…one of the first times in my life where I actually sat down at a poker game and felt certain that I wasn’t the sucker at the table.  I buy in for $40 and turn that into $100 in an hour.  Not bad and I just recouped the 60 bucks I lost in the tourney. 

Hand highlight:  Game: Omaha Hi/Lo $2/$4 –  Dealt As 3s Jc Qc in the big blind..not bad.  Flop = 10s Kd Ah

Bam!  I just flopped the nut straight and come out firing.  Im praying for  no low hand.  Turn = 8c…not bad but a low hand working…I fire out again and get 4 callers…AGAIN…nice pot already.  Just don’t pair the damn board.  River = Jd…WHEW!…no low hand No pairs on the board (no chance of a full house)  and no chance of a flush…I’ve got the nut straight so Im looking to at least split this pot.  Player to my right fires out first…I raise, player to my left raises, fold, fold, last raise, i call, player to my left calls….turn em over.  Player to my right turns over trip aces…I turn over my broadway straight….at this point Im thinking the player to my left has the same hand as me and we’ll split…I ask him if he has the straight and he says yep…he turns over 7/9…WOW…he had the straight to the jack..I take the whole pot.  NICE

Late shift cash game starts around 11pm.  Cards left me around 1am…had $90 invested and left with $60 leaving me with $150 profit for the night.  Real rollercoaster this shift.  Didn’t think I played bad at all.  No chasing just couldn’t catch the cards.  Really only one hand of note but it was a good one. 

Game : Omaha Hi/Lo $3/$5 – Early Position – great starting hand Kc Kd Ac 3d…Being first one to bet I raise to $10 and get called by everyone..8 players in…nice pot already.  Flop = Ks 10c 5d…I just flopped trip Kings.  Check, Check, I bet, everyone calls…Turn = Kh…DING DING I just got quad kings and no low hand.  At this point Im pissed that there is no flush draw out there but Im hoping someone has a full house draw.  Check, Check, I bet, fold, fold, fold, fold, call call.  Im up against the blinds.  River = 3c.  Check , Check, I bet, fold, big blind raises, I raise back, Big blind….FOLDS…..ooohhh…that surprised me.  I muck my cards and take down the pot.  Everyone wants to see what I had…TOUGH…pay for it next time. 

Summary:

Really played well.  Even when I wasn’t catching the cards.  Played a real disciplined game.  Now if I can only build on that and be consistent.  I feel really really lucky that I didn’t catch cards that would have been the 2nd best hand.  You know that killer hand that starts out as trips or 4 to a flush and winds up sucking you in till the last card and then you get….NOTHING.  Once again I noticed that after 1am…I dont’ think I won a hand.  Don’t know if thats because Im tired or just the cards not coming my way. 

game that I won the most money on :  Omaha Hi/Low

game that I lost the most : Seven card/high chicago/dueces wild.  Dont’ think I got a spade in the hole the entire night. 

As always, comments and suggestions welcome.

Weekly Wednesday Night Poker Report #3

Third time is the charm.  Wound up a $70 winner last night.  Here’s how it went:  Sat down at 6pm and bought in the early cash game for $100.  Usual rollercoaster.  Started fast and after the first hour was up $100.  Then started to leak off chips for the next hour or so.  Seems like when Im up big that I chase way way too many draws because my mindset changes from “play tight, be aggressive and try to win one big pot an hour”  to ..”heck im up big whats another $5″…those $5 add up over time.  Around 8pm we played the last hand before the tournament…$3/$5 omaha hi-low….I get dealt a great hand…Ac 2h 3h 9d…..Flop Came Kc Ad 5h….as usual with the last hand…lots of raising…At this point Im hooked for $50…but 2 low cards and Im loving my chances.  Turn comes..6d…BANG…I’ve got the lock low and Im raising right with the crowd.  River comes Jd…..Now Im raising some more….All that I can get in there….winds up 5 players to the showdown for $440 pot….I show my 2/3….another guy shows a diamond flush for the high…and another shows a 2/3 to split the low side with me …DAMN….that sucks…I wind up getting a quarter….$110 and after checking the finances Im down $30.  Tournament time:

Win one pot during the first level (25/50) ..with pocket kings…flop came K 9 10…heads up I wasn’t letting the other guy draw a straight..went all in …got him to fold….sure enough he had J 8 …whew…

Second Level (50/100)  :  Get pocket 10’s in the big blind…4 players….flop comes 10c 9s 5s….3 players go all in…I call…trip 10’s hold up…3 players on a spade draw…Im chiped up early.    From then on I played the table bully…doubled up one player twice…then got all of his chips on the 3rd try…3RD TIME IS THE CHARM

Made the final table.  Wasn’t the chip leader but I wasn’t low stacked either.  Pretty much folded the first 30 minutes…never could get a hand.  Pretty much sat back and let the fish feed on each other.  Got down to final four…got my $20 entry fee back…I was 2nd in chips..the chip leader was WAYYY ahead of everyone else though…he offered a deal…everyone took it…I wound up with $100 …which made me up $70 for the night. 

Some tournament observations: 

1.  I didn’t win many hands but all were BIG pots…And the best hand I had all night was trip kings…

2.  As the old song goes..ya gotta know when to hold em and know when to fold em….Winning a hold’em tournament takes a lot of luck, no doubt, but, in my opinion…every player is going to have an opportunity to chip up..it’s just depends on if you take advantage of those situations. For me it was hitting trip 10’s and stacking up to 20 grand early and picking on the short stacks. 

3.  Had only 1 bad fold….had Q 3 in early position late in the tounament…2 players go all in…I fold…flop came Q 3 Q…AHHHHHHHHHHH!  Nearly fell out of my chair.

Cash Game observations:

1.  As usual I played well early and gave it all back late.  I must be more disciplined in the future.  Try to play tight aggressive, win one big pot per hour. 

2.  Games where I made the most money:  Seven card/high chicago, omaha hi/low

Games where I lost the most money:  $3/$5 omaha/hi low, Seven card/ high chicago/ deuces wild.

As always comments and suggestions welcome.