Firstly, cheers to IGGY, who mentioned this lowly poker hack's blog in the mother-of-all-blogs: Guinness and Poker. Much appreciated.
Yes, it's that time already. I'm sure I could wait 'til then end of the month to ensure that the Play of the Month Award was well and truly deserved - but nothing can beat what you are about to read (for the chronologists out there who note that it already is the end of the month - I started this a few days ago. So bugger off).
I wasn't involved in the hand, but it's just so fantastic. It really affirms my faith in Party Poker.
This is in the second round of a shoot-out tournament. How these guys made it that far- and all ended up at the same table - is beyond me.
But enough of my blather - feast your eyes on this:
***** Hand History for Game 3618622517 *****
NL Texas Hold'em Trny:20468646 Level:9 Blinds-Antes(600/1200-50) - Saturday, February 25, 02:40:49 ET 2006
Table Shootout(609577) Round(2) Table #16 (Real Money)
Seat 9 is the button
Total number of players : 8
Seat 1: LundsSwe ( $27044 )
Seat 2: eddiek1919 ( $33780 )
Seat 4: emcil ( $5694 )
Seat 5: Luv2playS8 ( $5573 )
Seat 6: larickpro ( $35189 )
Seat 7: Ching0Ching ( $14084 )
Seat 8: BIGESWAIN ( $13357 )
Seat 9: anthonywayn ( $11398 )
Trny:20468646 Level:9
Blinds-Antes(600/1200-50)
LundsSwe posts ante [50].
eddiek1919 posts ante [50].
emcil posts ante [50].
Luv2playS8 posts ante [50].
larickpro posts ante [50].
Ching0Ching posts ante [50].
BIGESWAIN posts ante [50].
anthonywayn posts ante [50].
There is no Small Blind in this hand as the Big Blind of the previous hand left the table.
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Ching0Ching [ 4h 6h ]
eddiek1919 folds.
emcil calls [1200].
Luv2playS8 is all-In [5523]
larickpro folds.
Ching0Ching folds.
BIGESWAIN calls [5523].
anthonywayn is all-In [11348]
LundsSwe folds.
emcil is all-In [4444]
eddiek1919: oh my lord
BIGESWAIN calls [5825].
** Dealing Flop ** [ 6c, 2h, 7c ]
** Dealing Turn ** [ 6d ]
** Dealing River ** [ Th ]
And what monsters do these four sharks shelter in their sweaty little palms? Check it out:
emcil shows [ 5h, 5s ] two pairs, sixes and fives.
Luv2playS8 shows [ 4d, Ac ] a pair of sixes.
BIGESWAIN shows [ Kd, Td ] two pairs, tens and sixes.
anthonywayn shows [ Ks, Qh ] a pair of sixes.
BIGESWAIN wins 11408 chips from side pot #2 with two pairs, tens and sixes.
BIGESWAIN wins 363 chips from side pot #1 with two pairs, tens and sixes.
BIGESWAIN wins 23692 chips from the main pot with two pairs, tens and sixes.
Player Luv2playS8 finished in 8th place on this table
Player emcil finished in 7th place on this table
Player anthonywayn finished in 6th place on this table
So many things to love about this hand: emcil pushing with 55 after three all-ins in front of him; anthonywayn pushing with KQ after two all-ins in front of him; BIGESWAIN flat calling the first all-in with KT for 35% of his chips then calling off the rest after two players behind him pushed. AND the worst hand won. But that's what it's all about, isn't it?
Poker - in the words of Mike Matusow - is all skill.
So kudos to three of you: anthonywayn, emcil, and - in particular - BIGESWAIN. You have won February's Royal Sampler Play of the Month Award. Kudos.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Million Dollar Guaranteed
Ah fuck it, I didn’t win; didn’t get in the money: do you really want to hear the rest?
Long story short: 700th from about 1800 runners. 5000 in starting chips – reached a dizzying high of about 5700 early in the tournament; didn’t fall below about 3700.
This is what I didn’t hit in two and a half hours at the table: a boat, a flush, a straight, a set, or two stinking pair. This is what I did hit: the jack of shit, bubkus, the royal sampler (if you don’t know what the royal sampler is: either use your imagination or read the first post). I will admit to hitting top pair twice in the first level – but that was it.
I was forced to steal blinds and bluff in position just to keep my head above water. According to my notes, the last fives hand I won were the following: A4 on aboard of (KQx)(K); J3s on a board of (QA9); AT with (7J5) down; KQ pre-flop, and 98s pre-flop - which tells me I was probably getting a bit desperate.
And I went out making a horrible mistake. A had A9 on the button with one limper. Blinds 300/600. I raised to 1800 instead of pushing. I should have pushed. 1800 was at least half my stack. I was going all-in on the flop anyway, so why not push and increase the chances my hand would win without the need for a showdown? Bad play; bad mistake. Anyway, I was called by KQ and that was that. In my own defence, it was probably the only major mistake I had made.
But in tournament poker, you only need one, right?
Long story short: 700th from about 1800 runners. 5000 in starting chips – reached a dizzying high of about 5700 early in the tournament; didn’t fall below about 3700.
This is what I didn’t hit in two and a half hours at the table: a boat, a flush, a straight, a set, or two stinking pair. This is what I did hit: the jack of shit, bubkus, the royal sampler (if you don’t know what the royal sampler is: either use your imagination or read the first post). I will admit to hitting top pair twice in the first level – but that was it.
I was forced to steal blinds and bluff in position just to keep my head above water. According to my notes, the last fives hand I won were the following: A4 on aboard of (KQx)(K); J3s on a board of (QA9); AT with (7J5) down; KQ pre-flop, and 98s pre-flop - which tells me I was probably getting a bit desperate.
And I went out making a horrible mistake. A had A9 on the button with one limper. Blinds 300/600. I raised to 1800 instead of pushing. I should have pushed. 1800 was at least half my stack. I was going all-in on the flop anyway, so why not push and increase the chances my hand would win without the need for a showdown? Bad play; bad mistake. Anyway, I was called by KQ and that was that. In my own defence, it was probably the only major mistake I had made.
But in tournament poker, you only need one, right?
Friday, February 17, 2006
Playing QJ: or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Hate Instead
An open letter to poker players who call all-in bets with QJ:
Dear Fuckwit,
Yeah, I’m talking to you. You’re the guy who keeps calling my all-in bets with QJ and busting me off the final table. You’ve done it a few times now, and it’s starting to bother me. You see, I moved in from early or middle position. There were maybe 6 or 7 or 8 people left at the table. I hadn’t played trash at any stage during the night. In fact, I’d only ever shown down very strong hands. I didn’t have a brain explosion; I simply had a good hand.
But you called me with QJ.
You weren’t pot committed, were you, dickhead? You had plenty of chips left. My all-in was at least 5 times the big blind, if not more, and the blinds were very large at this point.
But you called off your whole stack with QJ.
I saw you looking at your cards. I saw that you thought you were beat. So why did you call me anyway, fucker? Are two picture cards just too tempting? Do they draw you in, inexorably, making it impossible to fold? Is QJ your crack cocaine? Do you just have to take that hit?
Sometimes, you don’t even think when you call me; you insta-call with those pretty pictures. ‘Call’ you cry, shoving in your chips, grinning at me with that shit-eating grin. Are you grinning because you think you have an unbeatable monster, or because you know that no matter what I am holding, be it 99 or AQ or JJ, that you’ll fucking hit every fucking time?
How do you know, QJ man? Are you in cahoots with the dealer? Did you put a Voodoo curse on me? Perhaps you are grinning because you just remembered the time your parents took you to the doctor for an enema. Last month.
Sometimes it’s not QJ. Sometimes you call with KJ, sometimes even KQ. But you’re always behind. Always. I just want you to know this. It’s almost always a bad call.
And there’s just one more thing I want you to know, QJ man. It’s nothing personal, and I don’t want you to take this the wrong way – but I hate you.
I fucking hate you.
Sincerely
The Royal Sampler
Dear Fuckwit,
Yeah, I’m talking to you. You’re the guy who keeps calling my all-in bets with QJ and busting me off the final table. You’ve done it a few times now, and it’s starting to bother me. You see, I moved in from early or middle position. There were maybe 6 or 7 or 8 people left at the table. I hadn’t played trash at any stage during the night. In fact, I’d only ever shown down very strong hands. I didn’t have a brain explosion; I simply had a good hand.
But you called me with QJ.
You weren’t pot committed, were you, dickhead? You had plenty of chips left. My all-in was at least 5 times the big blind, if not more, and the blinds were very large at this point.
But you called off your whole stack with QJ.
I saw you looking at your cards. I saw that you thought you were beat. So why did you call me anyway, fucker? Are two picture cards just too tempting? Do they draw you in, inexorably, making it impossible to fold? Is QJ your crack cocaine? Do you just have to take that hit?
Sometimes, you don’t even think when you call me; you insta-call with those pretty pictures. ‘Call’ you cry, shoving in your chips, grinning at me with that shit-eating grin. Are you grinning because you think you have an unbeatable monster, or because you know that no matter what I am holding, be it 99 or AQ or JJ, that you’ll fucking hit every fucking time?
How do you know, QJ man? Are you in cahoots with the dealer? Did you put a Voodoo curse on me? Perhaps you are grinning because you just remembered the time your parents took you to the doctor for an enema. Last month.
Sometimes it’s not QJ. Sometimes you call with KJ, sometimes even KQ. But you’re always behind. Always. I just want you to know this. It’s almost always a bad call.
And there’s just one more thing I want you to know, QJ man. It’s nothing personal, and I don’t want you to take this the wrong way – but I hate you.
I fucking hate you.
Sincerely
The Royal Sampler
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Short Shrift
Poker has been sufficiently uninspired for me of late to hold me back from writing equally uninspired posts. But I can spare you my dullness no longer; so here it is:
I’ve played in two live tournaments recently and didn’t end up anywhere fantastic in either, although I have been fairly happy with my live play overall (I had a small stack on the final table that was eaten up by the blinds on both occasions).
Online I have been grinding away at SNGs. I had something of a purple patch recently, placing in the top three in 5 out of the last 6 (3rd, 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 10th, 2nd); however my overall results for the past two weeks has been 11 ITM for 26 starts, which barely puts me in the black.
The primary event on the radar is Party’s Million Dollar Guaranteed this weekend, for which I won a seat. The poker gods willing, I won’t run KK into AA this time.
That’s that hombres – thanks for stopping by.
I’ve played in two live tournaments recently and didn’t end up anywhere fantastic in either, although I have been fairly happy with my live play overall (I had a small stack on the final table that was eaten up by the blinds on both occasions).
Online I have been grinding away at SNGs. I had something of a purple patch recently, placing in the top three in 5 out of the last 6 (3rd, 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 10th, 2nd); however my overall results for the past two weeks has been 11 ITM for 26 starts, which barely puts me in the black.
The primary event on the radar is Party’s Million Dollar Guaranteed this weekend, for which I won a seat. The poker gods willing, I won’t run KK into AA this time.
That’s that hombres – thanks for stopping by.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Royal Sampler Link of the Month Award
Another blogger linked to me, an occurrence so extraordinary I simply must draw attention to it. The lonely vacuum of my blogging world was pierced by a Will Ferrell avatar, which gave me some hope that some people, somewhere, may be reading this blog (the fact that Will Ferrell was involved made the event doubly pleasing). So kudos to you, Navy Guy Poker - for your act of mercy on this suffering blogger you have received the Royal Sampler Blog of the Month Award, and an inclusion in the elite group of links to my right.
Previous to this, I had a temporary whiff of blogger celebrity when the Blogfather himself assured me he would mention me in his blog (I had emailed to him to plead (and I do mean plead) for his most illustrious attention). But as the weeks went by I realised that IGGY was probably just being ironic, so I hopped back into my box to contemplate the vacuum.
(Entreaty) Come on, IGGY, you’ll link to Dutch Boyd but you won’t link to the Royal Sampler? Where is the justice? (Entreaty Ends)
One other thing – if you, dear reader, don’t think that Anchorman is a work of comic genius, you deserve a roundhouse kick to the groin. Debate is not welcome on this statement of fact.
If you agree that yes, Anchorman is a work of true genius, then feel free to add a comment below. If not – take it to Dutch’s blog: he loves that sort of crap over there.
*****
As to any poker–related activities, I am in a rebuilding stage at the moment. That is, I’ve blown a lot of my bankroll playing satellites into big tournaments, and thus am playing SNGs (lately with little success) until I build my stack up to a reasonable amount. Still a while to go yet.
Other than that, I played a live 20-person tournament last week, and managed to win. But that wasn’t the interesting thing. The interesting thing was this tournament took place in a warehouse in an industrial area of the city I live in.
It felt very Rounders as I was heading out to the location – a phone call beforehand (huddled with two friends at a local pub), an affirmation of the venue and numbers we would bring, crawling along deserted streets trying to find the nondescript doorway. And the set-up was very Rounders: three tables in an unused storage building next to a smash repair joint. Nice.
The characters involved, fortunately, were not Rounders – they were a bunch of young guys fairly new to Hold ‘Em, who wanted to learn, but also were happy just to play and have a few beers.
As to the card playing, we started with 2500 in chips in a medium/fast structure. I hovered around 2500 – 3000 until the final table, where I hit a few hands and managed to build my stack. I went heads-up against a guy who hadn’t properly adjusted to short handed play (he was playing too tight) and kept pushing all-in until I had nearly all the chips (the blinds were pretty big by this stage). I got the rest of his chips when he finally called me with J3 when I held T8s. I turned trips and walked away with 200 bucks.
All in all a pretty good night.
Previous to this, I had a temporary whiff of blogger celebrity when the Blogfather himself assured me he would mention me in his blog (I had emailed to him to plead (and I do mean plead) for his most illustrious attention). But as the weeks went by I realised that IGGY was probably just being ironic, so I hopped back into my box to contemplate the vacuum.
(Entreaty) Come on, IGGY, you’ll link to Dutch Boyd but you won’t link to the Royal Sampler? Where is the justice? (Entreaty Ends)
One other thing – if you, dear reader, don’t think that Anchorman is a work of comic genius, you deserve a roundhouse kick to the groin. Debate is not welcome on this statement of fact.
If you agree that yes, Anchorman is a work of true genius, then feel free to add a comment below. If not – take it to Dutch’s blog: he loves that sort of crap over there.
*****
As to any poker–related activities, I am in a rebuilding stage at the moment. That is, I’ve blown a lot of my bankroll playing satellites into big tournaments, and thus am playing SNGs (lately with little success) until I build my stack up to a reasonable amount. Still a while to go yet.
Other than that, I played a live 20-person tournament last week, and managed to win. But that wasn’t the interesting thing. The interesting thing was this tournament took place in a warehouse in an industrial area of the city I live in.
It felt very Rounders as I was heading out to the location – a phone call beforehand (huddled with two friends at a local pub), an affirmation of the venue and numbers we would bring, crawling along deserted streets trying to find the nondescript doorway. And the set-up was very Rounders: three tables in an unused storage building next to a smash repair joint. Nice.
The characters involved, fortunately, were not Rounders – they were a bunch of young guys fairly new to Hold ‘Em, who wanted to learn, but also were happy just to play and have a few beers.
As to the card playing, we started with 2500 in chips in a medium/fast structure. I hovered around 2500 – 3000 until the final table, where I hit a few hands and managed to build my stack. I went heads-up against a guy who hadn’t properly adjusted to short handed play (he was playing too tight) and kept pushing all-in until I had nearly all the chips (the blinds were pretty big by this stage). I got the rest of his chips when he finally called me with J3 when I held T8s. I turned trips and walked away with 200 bucks.
All in all a pretty good night.
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