SNG Update:
(10+1) NLHE 6-handed (profit/loss: +275.00)
1st: 17
2nd: 13
3-6th: 29
ITM: 51%
I'm reasonably happy with these results; my goal is to get into the money 50 percent or better of the time, and clearly I'm scraping by in this regard.
***
Last Thursday was probably a low point for me. I've been running bad for about three weeks, and all the bullshit seem to culminate that evening.
I was playing in a live tournament at my local casino. I hadn't hit any big hands, but had managed to steal a few pots and was traveling ok on an average stack. I was in a fairly good mood as I'd picked up a tell on one of the players - a young guy who seemed to know all the poker theory but also seemed in awe of live play. Probably he was weaned on the Internet. But anyway, we tangled on one particular hand - he bet pre-flop, bet the flop, checked the turn, and I took it away from him on the river with nothing. There are times at the table (that I experience all too rarely) when you can feel with near 100 per cent certainty that the pot is yours. And this is how I felt against this particular player. His pre-flop bet was positional, and his post flop bet was a timid little quarter-pot bet that screamed weakness. When I made a pot sized bet on the river, he made a show of thinking about calling, but I just knew his cards were going to find there way into the muck.
Anyway, as this isn't a good news story, I'll get to the point.
So the cards went dead and the blinds got big. I put it in all in the middle with AQ, and found myself against AT.
And the flop comes (ATx). Hmm.
Just not finding a groove in live play these days.
So I collect myself, go home, and fire up a 6-handed SNG. Second hand I get dealt AK and raise it up. Two callers including a guy who just limped. Flop A33. Nice. I bet about 3/4 of the pot and get two callers. It's hard to put either of them on a 3 here. Sure, it's the internet, but for whatever reason (no substantive reason when you think about it - it was the second hand of the match - but I felt it anyway) I thought one had a worse Ace and the other was an idiot with a medium pocket pair. Turn 5. Well, unless one of these guys has A5 I'm fine, right? So I put in a big bet, one folds, the pre-flop limper goes all-in. I have him covered and it's not much more to call, so I call. He shows 55. Hmm. Nice call on the flop dickhead.
So I lose the rest of my chips when I push my short stack in on 99 and run into KK. Sigh.
So with my head starting to spin slightly with discontent, I fire up a second game and... the computer switches off. Huh?
I turn it off and on again. I pull out every plug and re-plug. Still nothing.
That's about the extent of my computer knowledge. You know that skit where Seinfeld says something like: "Why do I get out of the car when it breaks down and look under the hood? I have no idea what I'm looking for. Unless there's a big on/off switch on the engine, the car's not going anywhere". Well, that's how I am with computers.
So I lose my buy-in for that SNG and go cool off.
If I wasn't getting decent results with 6-handed SNGs I'd be broke by now. Something just isn't clicking for my tournament play. It's not that I'm playing badly; to be honest I don't know what it is. Maybe I'm just having a quiet spell with the cards and playing with less than optimum confidence.
Of course, I'm not going to sit back and imagine that it will all come good. I'll keep putting in the hard yards. I finished Harrington's second volume (which I strongly recommend) and am flicking through Super System 2. I've got a number of live tournaments lined up for the next few weeks, and that dreadful mirage known as Party Poker will always be there, with its promise of great riches shimmering in the distance. May I find my way through this desert.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Monday, March 20, 2006
A New Pair of Pants
No, the bad beats haven't ended; the past few days I have found myself tilting worse than I have in some time.
But let's not dwell on this today. Rather, I would like to recall an unexpectedly pleasant ending to the previous evening.
Down to the last three people in a 6-handed SNG.
Sweet dreams are made of these:
***** Hand History for Game 3776219595 *****
Seat 2 is the button
Seat 1: TheRoyalSampler (5645)
Seat 2: anna2201 (1330)
Seat 4: jordanc1 (5025)
Dealt to TheRoyalSampler [ As, Ad ] (Is that all?)
anna2201 folds (You'll be patting yourself on the back for this fold real soon, baby)
jordanc1 calls (50) (But I'm afraid Jordan, that the bell tolls for thee)
TheRoyalSampler raises (150) to 250 (Jordan has shown previously that if he's limping, he's calling any raise that follows)
jordanc1 calls (150)
** Dealing Flop ** : [ Ac, 6d, 2h ]
jordanc1 checks
(Ok, so I casually click check after nearly messing my pants)
TheRoyalSampler checks
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 2c ]
(Splooge. Damn - and these are my favourite corduroys)
jordanc1 checks
TheRoyalSampler bets (150)
(Come on baby - have something, a little something, take the bait; bluff me, anything, god, anything)
jordanc1 calls (150)
(ok - now how much value can I extract on the river?)
** Dealing River ** : [ 8c ]
jordanc1 bets (800)
(Hmm. I put him on hitting runner-runner for the club flush here (he has never tried a bluff with this betting pattern before, so I discount that possibility). Anyway, a gentle raise should do the trick)
TheRoyalSampler raises (1800) to 1800
(Now, who could say no to that?)
1800jordanc1 raises (2000) to 2800
(Thank you, Poker Gods)
TheRoyalSampler raises (3445) to 5245
TheRoyalSampler is all-In
jordanc1 calls (1825)
jordanc1 is all-In
Creating Main Pot with $10050 with jordanc1
So the Board reads: [ Ac 6d 2h 2c 8c ]
The RoyalSampler Shows: [ As Ad ] [ a full house, Aces full of twos -- As,Ad,Ac,2h,2c
While our hapless foe reveals: [ Ah 2s ] [ a full house, Twos full of aces -- Ah,Ac,2s,2h,2c ]
Ouch.
But That's not all, check out the very next hand:
Total number of players : 2
Seat 1: TheRoyalSampler (10670)
Seat 2: anna2201 (1330)
TheRoyalSampler posts small blind (50)
anna2201 posts big blind (100)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to TheRoyalSampler [ 7h, 6d ]
TheRoyalSampler calls (50)
anna2201 checks
(Ok, let the heads-up battle begin. I've been reading Harrington; I'm ready)
** Dealing Flop ** : [ 5c, 4h, 3c ]
(SPLOOOOOOGE. Damn, I'm going to have to burn these now.)
(The next problem is Anna - she's been the tightest player on the table by far until this point, I feel I'm going to trouble extracting much from this hand)
anna2201 bets (1230)
anna2201 is all-In.
(Huh?)
TheRoyalSampler calls (1230)
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 7c ]
** Dealing River ** : [ 3d ]
So the Board looks like this: [ 5c 4h 3c 7c 3d ]
TheRoyalSampler reveals: [ 7h 6d ] [ a straight, three to seven -- 7h,6d,5c,4h,3c ]
While our second hapless foe turns over: [ 4s 2d ] [ two pairs, fours and threes -- 7c,4s,4h,3c,3d ]
Just when you think poker is a heartless, unforgiving beast, she turns around and blesses you with a little moment like this.
But don't be fooled. She is heartless and unforgiving. She's a soul-eater.
But I'm willing to let that slide for today.
But let's not dwell on this today. Rather, I would like to recall an unexpectedly pleasant ending to the previous evening.
Down to the last three people in a 6-handed SNG.
Sweet dreams are made of these:
***** Hand History for Game 3776219595 *****
Seat 2 is the button
Seat 1: TheRoyalSampler (5645)
Seat 2: anna2201 (1330)
Seat 4: jordanc1 (5025)
Dealt to TheRoyalSampler [ As, Ad ] (Is that all?)
anna2201 folds (You'll be patting yourself on the back for this fold real soon, baby)
jordanc1 calls (50) (But I'm afraid Jordan, that the bell tolls for thee)
TheRoyalSampler raises (150) to 250 (Jordan has shown previously that if he's limping, he's calling any raise that follows)
jordanc1 calls (150)
** Dealing Flop ** : [ Ac, 6d, 2h ]
jordanc1 checks
(Ok, so I casually click check after nearly messing my pants)
TheRoyalSampler checks
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 2c ]
(Splooge. Damn - and these are my favourite corduroys)
jordanc1 checks
TheRoyalSampler bets (150)
(Come on baby - have something, a little something, take the bait; bluff me, anything, god, anything)
jordanc1 calls (150)
(ok - now how much value can I extract on the river?)
** Dealing River ** : [ 8c ]
jordanc1 bets (800)
(Hmm. I put him on hitting runner-runner for the club flush here (he has never tried a bluff with this betting pattern before, so I discount that possibility). Anyway, a gentle raise should do the trick)
TheRoyalSampler raises (1800) to 1800
(Now, who could say no to that?)
1800jordanc1 raises (2000) to 2800
(Thank you, Poker Gods)
TheRoyalSampler raises (3445) to 5245
TheRoyalSampler is all-In
jordanc1 calls (1825)
jordanc1 is all-In
Creating Main Pot with $10050 with jordanc1
So the Board reads: [ Ac 6d 2h 2c 8c ]
The RoyalSampler Shows: [ As Ad ] [ a full house, Aces full of twos -- As,Ad,Ac,2h,2c
While our hapless foe reveals: [ Ah 2s ] [ a full house, Twos full of aces -- Ah,Ac,2s,2h,2c ]
Ouch.
But That's not all, check out the very next hand:
Total number of players : 2
Seat 1: TheRoyalSampler (10670)
Seat 2: anna2201 (1330)
TheRoyalSampler posts small blind (50)
anna2201 posts big blind (100)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to TheRoyalSampler [ 7h, 6d ]
TheRoyalSampler calls (50)
anna2201 checks
(Ok, let the heads-up battle begin. I've been reading Harrington; I'm ready)
** Dealing Flop ** : [ 5c, 4h, 3c ]
(SPLOOOOOOGE. Damn, I'm going to have to burn these now.)
(The next problem is Anna - she's been the tightest player on the table by far until this point, I feel I'm going to trouble extracting much from this hand)
anna2201 bets (1230)
anna2201 is all-In.
(Huh?)
TheRoyalSampler calls (1230)
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 7c ]
** Dealing River ** : [ 3d ]
So the Board looks like this: [ 5c 4h 3c 7c 3d ]
TheRoyalSampler reveals: [ 7h 6d ] [ a straight, three to seven -- 7h,6d,5c,4h,3c ]
While our second hapless foe turns over: [ 4s 2d ] [ two pairs, fours and threes -- 7c,4s,4h,3c,3d ]
Just when you think poker is a heartless, unforgiving beast, she turns around and blesses you with a little moment like this.
But don't be fooled. She is heartless and unforgiving. She's a soul-eater.
But I'm willing to let that slide for today.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
A Poker Farce
History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.
Karl Marx
I guess this is just a continuation of my previous ‘bad beat’ blog entry. But, if I stand back and have a look at it; I mean, if it’s possible to be objective in such a situation, I think it reasonable to say that things are just getting ridiculous now.
I deal with bad beats a lot better these days. I know, on an intellectual level, that they are part of the game, so I brush aside the pieces of my cracked aces, and continue. But lately, my stoicism has slipped. I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore.
A sat down last night to try to recover my short-handed SNG stats, which had taken a battering after a series of horrible and/or tough beats (as outlined in my previous blog). I was going to try to put in a decent session; try to get back on track.
Until the first game I play, where I find my self at a table with three maniacs and two calling stations (the type of maniac here is not one with any redeeming qualities; most of these low-level buy-in maniacs fall into the category I call ‘stupid/aggressive’). So I decide to tread very carefully with the stupid/aggressives and the calling stations. The player seated to my immediate left manages to get his stack to about 6000 in short order, and then proceeds to put anyone who dares enter a pot with him all-in with massive overbets. ‘Fine’, I think, as I fold KJ, ‘I’ll wait for a monster and double through’. So I wait. I get trash trash, and more trash. Stupid aggressive #1 loses his chips then gains them again a couple of times, we’re down to four, and I still haven’t hit a hand – not even one worth playing short-handed. Then I see KK. Thank you. I raise, Stupid, aggressive #1 puts me all-in, I call, he shows J4o, I double through. Two hands later, stupid/aggressive #2 raises, I find AK and push, he insta-calls with AQ, I flop a King and he turn and rivers a T and J respectively. Hmm.
Ok, it’s just runner-runner straight. Not really worth blogging about, right? Right.
What if it happened 5 SNGs in a row? And 8 from the last 10 I’ve played?
Perhaps a little bit more blogable, and certainly frustrating for someone like me who has been playing only 18 months, but not necessarily out of the ordinary.
But what if, in addition to all this, I’ve run KK into AA in the last three tournaments I’ve played (when the AA was held by a proven stupid/aggressive player). For a neophyte like me, that’s starting to get pretty grim. I’m starting to fray at the edges a little, know what I mean?
So I decide to take a step back from the SNGs.
And this leads us to the WSOP freeroll on Party. What a minefield. I’ve seen some wickedly aggressive, over the top, maddeningly stupid play before, but I think this particular freeroll would top a bad day at the play-money tables. The swings were unbelievable, the play unfathomable. It wasn’t poker. It had no resemblance to anything I’d read or seen at a poker table – certainly no the scale and intensity of it, in any case. Betting, calling, and raising from the players at the table was arbitrary – the decisions they made appear utterly random, entirely illogical.
But, unbelievably, I managed to navigate these unforgiving waters without too much angst. I tripled up early and basically cruised from there on in. I don’t think I ever put all my chips in the middle after I tripled up (until the last hand, of course). I just waited patiently, forgot about trying to bluff, and bet for value when ever I had a hand. And I got paid off every time – EVERY SINGLE TIME. I can’t tell you how many times I was called down by someone with Ace or King high – when I had a straight or a flush or better. Once I was called down by two players with nothing but busted draws (the best either had was Q-high I think) when I had a set (yes – they both called my value bet on the river).
So it got to the stage were I had about 72 000 and the average was about 80 000. There were about 80 players left – the top 50 got a seat into the big freeroll in few days time (this is the freeroll giving away 1 seat into the 50 000 buy-in HORSE Tournament, 9 seats in the WSOP Main Event, and a bunch of seats for smaller buy-in tournaments). I still felt comfortable, but in the back of my mind felt that 72 000 would not be quite enough. Not quite enough to fold into the top 50, in any case. I’d still have to make the occasional steal to ensure a spot.
So I’m moved to a new table. Second hand I’m dealt KK in the Big Blind. Blinds are 1500/3000/75, cutoff raises to 9000. I just call, partly to be conservative, partly to spring a trap on the raiser later in the hand (it is worth pointing out that the highest pocket pair I had until this time in the tournament was 88).
Anyway, the flop turn and river came ten-high. Guess what my opponent had? Go on.
Of course he did, fucking AA. What a joke. What the fuck star was I born under that I can run KK into AA in four consecutive tournaments? I’m serious. Like I said, I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.
But it doesn’t end there. By the turn I smelled a rat you see, so I managed to conserve about 40 000 of my chips. But soon the blinds were going to hit 2000/4000/100 and I was getting short stacked.
But then the cards went cold. Frigid. And every time I was in position to steal, someone before me would raise. I think in two levels I won the blinds twice – with the best two hands I was dealt in that period: KT and QJ.
So now the blinds are 3000/6000/100 and I am sitting on a stack of 20 000, and beyond desperate. 55 players remain. As much as I wish it, I can’t fold into the top 50. I have to win a hand.
So I find KQ in the cutoff. It’s folded around to me. That’s as good as it’s going to get, right? So I push.
The big blind calls with 89o. Of course he does.
Flop comes (Q8x) river and turn are blanks. I clap my hands together, I see no straight, no two pair, there’s 48 000 in the middle, I’m home.
But the pile of chips hovers over to my opponent. What? I look again at the board. The turn and river are spades. Two spades fell on the flop. My opponent has the 9 of spades. Neither my K nor Q are black.
2048 entrants; 50 get seats; I’m out 55th. Four hours just for a kick to the groin.
Fuck.
So I’m glad I could run KK into AA AND I could get busted by runner-runner near the bubble like this. It just bought all those different strands of my poker fate together.
But I guess I have to take it. And keep taking it, no matter how mad I get. ‘Cause that’s the fucking game, right?
Right.
Karl Marx
I guess this is just a continuation of my previous ‘bad beat’ blog entry. But, if I stand back and have a look at it; I mean, if it’s possible to be objective in such a situation, I think it reasonable to say that things are just getting ridiculous now.
I deal with bad beats a lot better these days. I know, on an intellectual level, that they are part of the game, so I brush aside the pieces of my cracked aces, and continue. But lately, my stoicism has slipped. I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore.
A sat down last night to try to recover my short-handed SNG stats, which had taken a battering after a series of horrible and/or tough beats (as outlined in my previous blog). I was going to try to put in a decent session; try to get back on track.
Until the first game I play, where I find my self at a table with three maniacs and two calling stations (the type of maniac here is not one with any redeeming qualities; most of these low-level buy-in maniacs fall into the category I call ‘stupid/aggressive’). So I decide to tread very carefully with the stupid/aggressives and the calling stations. The player seated to my immediate left manages to get his stack to about 6000 in short order, and then proceeds to put anyone who dares enter a pot with him all-in with massive overbets. ‘Fine’, I think, as I fold KJ, ‘I’ll wait for a monster and double through’. So I wait. I get trash trash, and more trash. Stupid aggressive #1 loses his chips then gains them again a couple of times, we’re down to four, and I still haven’t hit a hand – not even one worth playing short-handed. Then I see KK. Thank you. I raise, Stupid, aggressive #1 puts me all-in, I call, he shows J4o, I double through. Two hands later, stupid/aggressive #2 raises, I find AK and push, he insta-calls with AQ, I flop a King and he turn and rivers a T and J respectively. Hmm.
Ok, it’s just runner-runner straight. Not really worth blogging about, right? Right.
What if it happened 5 SNGs in a row? And 8 from the last 10 I’ve played?
Perhaps a little bit more blogable, and certainly frustrating for someone like me who has been playing only 18 months, but not necessarily out of the ordinary.
But what if, in addition to all this, I’ve run KK into AA in the last three tournaments I’ve played (when the AA was held by a proven stupid/aggressive player). For a neophyte like me, that’s starting to get pretty grim. I’m starting to fray at the edges a little, know what I mean?
So I decide to take a step back from the SNGs.
And this leads us to the WSOP freeroll on Party. What a minefield. I’ve seen some wickedly aggressive, over the top, maddeningly stupid play before, but I think this particular freeroll would top a bad day at the play-money tables. The swings were unbelievable, the play unfathomable. It wasn’t poker. It had no resemblance to anything I’d read or seen at a poker table – certainly no the scale and intensity of it, in any case. Betting, calling, and raising from the players at the table was arbitrary – the decisions they made appear utterly random, entirely illogical.
But, unbelievably, I managed to navigate these unforgiving waters without too much angst. I tripled up early and basically cruised from there on in. I don’t think I ever put all my chips in the middle after I tripled up (until the last hand, of course). I just waited patiently, forgot about trying to bluff, and bet for value when ever I had a hand. And I got paid off every time – EVERY SINGLE TIME. I can’t tell you how many times I was called down by someone with Ace or King high – when I had a straight or a flush or better. Once I was called down by two players with nothing but busted draws (the best either had was Q-high I think) when I had a set (yes – they both called my value bet on the river).
So it got to the stage were I had about 72 000 and the average was about 80 000. There were about 80 players left – the top 50 got a seat into the big freeroll in few days time (this is the freeroll giving away 1 seat into the 50 000 buy-in HORSE Tournament, 9 seats in the WSOP Main Event, and a bunch of seats for smaller buy-in tournaments). I still felt comfortable, but in the back of my mind felt that 72 000 would not be quite enough. Not quite enough to fold into the top 50, in any case. I’d still have to make the occasional steal to ensure a spot.
So I’m moved to a new table. Second hand I’m dealt KK in the Big Blind. Blinds are 1500/3000/75, cutoff raises to 9000. I just call, partly to be conservative, partly to spring a trap on the raiser later in the hand (it is worth pointing out that the highest pocket pair I had until this time in the tournament was 88).
Anyway, the flop turn and river came ten-high. Guess what my opponent had? Go on.
Of course he did, fucking AA. What a joke. What the fuck star was I born under that I can run KK into AA in four consecutive tournaments? I’m serious. Like I said, I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.
But it doesn’t end there. By the turn I smelled a rat you see, so I managed to conserve about 40 000 of my chips. But soon the blinds were going to hit 2000/4000/100 and I was getting short stacked.
But then the cards went cold. Frigid. And every time I was in position to steal, someone before me would raise. I think in two levels I won the blinds twice – with the best two hands I was dealt in that period: KT and QJ.
So now the blinds are 3000/6000/100 and I am sitting on a stack of 20 000, and beyond desperate. 55 players remain. As much as I wish it, I can’t fold into the top 50. I have to win a hand.
So I find KQ in the cutoff. It’s folded around to me. That’s as good as it’s going to get, right? So I push.
The big blind calls with 89o. Of course he does.
Flop comes (Q8x) river and turn are blanks. I clap my hands together, I see no straight, no two pair, there’s 48 000 in the middle, I’m home.
But the pile of chips hovers over to my opponent. What? I look again at the board. The turn and river are spades. Two spades fell on the flop. My opponent has the 9 of spades. Neither my K nor Q are black.
2048 entrants; 50 get seats; I’m out 55th. Four hours just for a kick to the groin.
Fuck.
So I’m glad I could run KK into AA AND I could get busted by runner-runner near the bubble like this. It just bought all those different strands of my poker fate together.
But I guess I have to take it. And keep taking it, no matter how mad I get. ‘Cause that’s the fucking game, right?
Right.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
The Skill Game
Just some bad beat stories. Don't like 'em? Bad luck.
2.5 hours into some retard tournament on Party. Near the bubble (of course); picked up AA (of course); raise, and am called by chip leader/calling station/fucktard. Flop (Q56). Nice. I bet, chip leader raises, I push for 4000 more (about 80% the size of the pot). Chipleader/fucktard turns over... T6. I kid you not. The turn gives him two pair. Sigh.
I get from the computer, wailing and gnashing my teeth, and resolve to blog about such injustice.
6-handed SNG soon after. Dealt AK (of course). Flop KK2. I check, do a little check-raise on two others in the pot, one drops out. Turn a blank. I bet half the pot, my opponent calls, I'm pretty sure he has the other K at this stage. River a jack, my opponent suddenly springs to life and bets 70% of my remaining chips. My spider sense goes off - hmm I wonder what he has? So I just call. He turns over KJ (of course). Fuckwit.
And everyone at the table is typing 'nh' and 'well played' in the chat box. Huh? Wankers.
So I fight my way back to 1000 in chips in the same SNG. Everyone limps, I limp with A2 on the button. Flop (942) all diamonds. It's checked to me, and I push with my monster (I hold the Ace of diamonds), get called by 88, who does not have a diamond in his hand. Turn a (2), giving me trip 2s; river the 8 of diamonds, giving me the nut flush and shit-eater the boat. Sure, I was only a slight favourite after the flop, but fuck, can I win a coinflip? (and does the concept of folding equity even apply to online poker?)
But anyway, I just wanted to say this: thank you poker gods, thank you.
But I seriously can't win a coinflip. I just fucking can't. In three consecutive SNGs, all three on the bubble, I had 77 lose to AQ; 88 lose to AQ, and AQ lose to 22 (note the blinds were very high at this stage). Stupid game. Stupid me for playing aforementioned game.
Runner runner straight? Sure! Runner runner flush? No problem sir, here, have another. 2 outs? That's one more than you need, my friend! River me, my chips are yours; call me with any two, you'll come up trumps.
Thank you poker gods, thank you poker: the sport of champions, the skill game.
Post script: On the SNG bubble last night AK v A4, fucktard rivers flush, I'm crippled. He knocks me out 6 hands later when I put AT against his A6 and he rivers another flush. Hmm.
Next SNG I run KK into AA three-handed. Hmm.
In the following SNG, I'm chip leader until the same guy gets all his chips in against me twice in a row, with one card to come, on a draw both times, and I have top pair both times, and he hits. Hmmm.
Note to self: stop waving fist and cursing the poker gods.
2.5 hours into some retard tournament on Party. Near the bubble (of course); picked up AA (of course); raise, and am called by chip leader/calling station/fucktard. Flop (Q56). Nice. I bet, chip leader raises, I push for 4000 more (about 80% the size of the pot). Chipleader/fucktard turns over... T6. I kid you not. The turn gives him two pair. Sigh.
I get from the computer, wailing and gnashing my teeth, and resolve to blog about such injustice.
6-handed SNG soon after. Dealt AK (of course). Flop KK2. I check, do a little check-raise on two others in the pot, one drops out. Turn a blank. I bet half the pot, my opponent calls, I'm pretty sure he has the other K at this stage. River a jack, my opponent suddenly springs to life and bets 70% of my remaining chips. My spider sense goes off - hmm I wonder what he has? So I just call. He turns over KJ (of course). Fuckwit.
And everyone at the table is typing 'nh' and 'well played' in the chat box. Huh? Wankers.
So I fight my way back to 1000 in chips in the same SNG. Everyone limps, I limp with A2 on the button. Flop (942) all diamonds. It's checked to me, and I push with my monster (I hold the Ace of diamonds), get called by 88, who does not have a diamond in his hand. Turn a (2), giving me trip 2s; river the 8 of diamonds, giving me the nut flush and shit-eater the boat. Sure, I was only a slight favourite after the flop, but fuck, can I win a coinflip? (and does the concept of folding equity even apply to online poker?)
But anyway, I just wanted to say this: thank you poker gods, thank you.
But I seriously can't win a coinflip. I just fucking can't. In three consecutive SNGs, all three on the bubble, I had 77 lose to AQ; 88 lose to AQ, and AQ lose to 22 (note the blinds were very high at this stage). Stupid game. Stupid me for playing aforementioned game.
Runner runner straight? Sure! Runner runner flush? No problem sir, here, have another. 2 outs? That's one more than you need, my friend! River me, my chips are yours; call me with any two, you'll come up trumps.
Thank you poker gods, thank you poker: the sport of champions, the skill game.
Post script: On the SNG bubble last night AK v A4, fucktard rivers flush, I'm crippled. He knocks me out 6 hands later when I put AT against his A6 and he rivers another flush. Hmm.
Next SNG I run KK into AA three-handed. Hmm.
In the following SNG, I'm chip leader until the same guy gets all his chips in against me twice in a row, with one card to come, on a draw both times, and I have top pair both times, and he hits. Hmmm.
Note to self: stop waving fist and cursing the poker gods.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
A Confession
So I don't think I've actually posted specific details of my results here. This is how things stand at the moment for SNGs (played over the last 4 - 5 weeks).
(5+1) Ten-handed (profit/loss: +53.00)
1st: 5
2nd: 6
3rd: 6
7-10th: 20
ITM: 46%
(10+1) Ten-handed (profit/loss: +12.00)
1st: 1
2nd: 1
3rd: 1
4-7th: 5
ITM: 37.5%
(10+1) Six-handed (profit/loss: +146.00)
1st: 7
2nd: 2
3-6th: 5
ITM: 64%
Before I discuss these results - first a confession: I ground out a mildly decent bankroll from humble beginnings playing limit (1-2) and no limit (50 buy-in) hold 'em. By decent I mean I got to about 1k after starting at 100 (that's just from my winnings - I don't get rakeback or anything like that).
And then I just about blew the lot.
When I hit 1000 I switched from my bread and butter - which then was essentially NL hold 'em ring games - to playing satellites and non-hold 'em forms of poker. In the satellites I technically was ahead - I won two seats into Party's Million Dollar Guaranteed (640 a piece). But as I didn't cash either time, I really had nothing to show for it. As to the cash games, I played Omaha Hi/Lo, 7 Card Stud and 7 Card Hi/Lo. I thought it a good opportunity to exercise some different poker muscles (for example, memory for 7-card, and the various calculations (odds and outs) consistently required for Omaha). I hadn't really read up on high/lo versions of the game, so I basically learnt from experience. I think when I started I was playing about 80% of hands in Omaha hi/lo ('so many combinations for this hand - I can't possibly lose!'); I ended up playing about 30%.
Anyway, I don't have poker tracker and I went through a period of one or two months where I didn't record my win/loss record. Which was pretty dumb. But while probably broke even playing Omaha Hi/Lo, I was likely a losing player in 7-card and dropped a lot on satellites.
Now, I regret my ill-discipline during this period, but I don't regret trying out new forms of the game. I didn't mind that I lost my roll, as I felt I became a better player during that time. However, I probably could have learnt the same lessons at half the price had I showed some fucking discipline (you know the old 'tilt' tale about losing at a certain level, and then deciding that going UP a level is a good idea - I did that more than a few times).
But anyway, I got busted down to 50 bucks - which I felt was a pretty good reason to switch to 5+1 SNGs and reassert some discipline. It was hard, I have to say, sticking to low buy-in SNGs and staying away from the viscitudes of tournament play. But I've pretty much stuck to it thus far.
But I figured out one thing for sure during this period - for good or ill, I'm a tournament player. I love them, and cash games pale in comparison. I love the extra layer of strategy involved in tournament play. Constantly having to think about both your table and your broader tournament tactics, adjusting your play as the blinds increase, as tables get shorter, as the bubble approaches. The feeling of accomplishment when making it to a final table after wading through a sea of competitors has no parallel in a cash game. Through grit, patience, courage, discipline, endurance, through solid strategic thinking, tournament play can be immensely rewarding (and conversely heart-breaking when you put all these elements together and STILL get busted by a horrible play). The thing is, there's a dimension to tournament play that simply doesn't exist in cash games. Sure, I want to win money when I play - what else can be a mark of your ability over the long term? But I want to do more than just win money, which is where tournament play - in all its complexity - enters the picture.
(Granted, unless I get a big score in a tournament, I will need to play SNGs online to help ride out the inevitable lows, and I'll play 5-10 live for the same reason)
Now, back to my SNG results: as you may be able to tell from the stats I've listed above - I went on fucking TEAR playing 6-handed SNGs, winning 5 in a row at one point. Sure, I won my fair share of coin-flips - but the key factor in my success thus far has being ultra-aggressiveness. Really taking it to the limits (oh, and winning coinflips). I was pretty much a rock when I started playing (about 18 months ago), but in my online play (less so my live play) I've developed some decent skills at playing short-handed.
Having said that, I have been making appalling errors on a consistent basis, but I'm trying to learn from them. I'm trying to figure out the intelligent limits of super-aggressive play and trying to sense the subtleties that quality aggressive players employ (subtleties I am far from being able to appreciate). This is not to say I've re-invented my game. I figure I'm still going to be tight/aggressive (I think it's just my instinct to play this way), but if I ever want to be able to employ the much vaunted 'changing gears' tactic effectively, well, I figured it may be a good idea to learn HOW to play once I've changed gears.
And there's so much other shit that needs to be learnt. The subtleties of flop texture and interpreting bets and learning when to trust your head or go with gut instinct, and all that other stuff: poker can be a damn fascinating game.
So, I'm back to about 200 bucks. I'm going to keep at the SNGs and try to build my bankroll a bit, blow a little on satellites, then repeat.
Oh, and a final thing: my goal is to win a WSOP seat this year. "You and everyone else, dingleberry," I hear you cry. Well, you're right of course (but did you have to call me 'dingleberry'?). Anyway that's the goal, and I'm going to give it a good shot.
Maybe I'll see you there.
(5+1) Ten-handed (profit/loss: +53.00)
1st: 5
2nd: 6
3rd: 6
7-10th: 20
ITM: 46%
(10+1) Ten-handed (profit/loss: +12.00)
1st: 1
2nd: 1
3rd: 1
4-7th: 5
ITM: 37.5%
(10+1) Six-handed (profit/loss: +146.00)
1st: 7
2nd: 2
3-6th: 5
ITM: 64%
Before I discuss these results - first a confession: I ground out a mildly decent bankroll from humble beginnings playing limit (1-2) and no limit (50 buy-in) hold 'em. By decent I mean I got to about 1k after starting at 100 (that's just from my winnings - I don't get rakeback or anything like that).
And then I just about blew the lot.
When I hit 1000 I switched from my bread and butter - which then was essentially NL hold 'em ring games - to playing satellites and non-hold 'em forms of poker. In the satellites I technically was ahead - I won two seats into Party's Million Dollar Guaranteed (640 a piece). But as I didn't cash either time, I really had nothing to show for it. As to the cash games, I played Omaha Hi/Lo, 7 Card Stud and 7 Card Hi/Lo. I thought it a good opportunity to exercise some different poker muscles (for example, memory for 7-card, and the various calculations (odds and outs) consistently required for Omaha). I hadn't really read up on high/lo versions of the game, so I basically learnt from experience. I think when I started I was playing about 80% of hands in Omaha hi/lo ('so many combinations for this hand - I can't possibly lose!'); I ended up playing about 30%.
Anyway, I don't have poker tracker and I went through a period of one or two months where I didn't record my win/loss record. Which was pretty dumb. But while probably broke even playing Omaha Hi/Lo, I was likely a losing player in 7-card and dropped a lot on satellites.
Now, I regret my ill-discipline during this period, but I don't regret trying out new forms of the game. I didn't mind that I lost my roll, as I felt I became a better player during that time. However, I probably could have learnt the same lessons at half the price had I showed some fucking discipline (you know the old 'tilt' tale about losing at a certain level, and then deciding that going UP a level is a good idea - I did that more than a few times).
But anyway, I got busted down to 50 bucks - which I felt was a pretty good reason to switch to 5+1 SNGs and reassert some discipline. It was hard, I have to say, sticking to low buy-in SNGs and staying away from the viscitudes of tournament play. But I've pretty much stuck to it thus far.
But I figured out one thing for sure during this period - for good or ill, I'm a tournament player. I love them, and cash games pale in comparison. I love the extra layer of strategy involved in tournament play. Constantly having to think about both your table and your broader tournament tactics, adjusting your play as the blinds increase, as tables get shorter, as the bubble approaches. The feeling of accomplishment when making it to a final table after wading through a sea of competitors has no parallel in a cash game. Through grit, patience, courage, discipline, endurance, through solid strategic thinking, tournament play can be immensely rewarding (and conversely heart-breaking when you put all these elements together and STILL get busted by a horrible play). The thing is, there's a dimension to tournament play that simply doesn't exist in cash games. Sure, I want to win money when I play - what else can be a mark of your ability over the long term? But I want to do more than just win money, which is where tournament play - in all its complexity - enters the picture.
(Granted, unless I get a big score in a tournament, I will need to play SNGs online to help ride out the inevitable lows, and I'll play 5-10 live for the same reason)
Now, back to my SNG results: as you may be able to tell from the stats I've listed above - I went on fucking TEAR playing 6-handed SNGs, winning 5 in a row at one point. Sure, I won my fair share of coin-flips - but the key factor in my success thus far has being ultra-aggressiveness. Really taking it to the limits (oh, and winning coinflips). I was pretty much a rock when I started playing (about 18 months ago), but in my online play (less so my live play) I've developed some decent skills at playing short-handed.
Having said that, I have been making appalling errors on a consistent basis, but I'm trying to learn from them. I'm trying to figure out the intelligent limits of super-aggressive play and trying to sense the subtleties that quality aggressive players employ (subtleties I am far from being able to appreciate). This is not to say I've re-invented my game. I figure I'm still going to be tight/aggressive (I think it's just my instinct to play this way), but if I ever want to be able to employ the much vaunted 'changing gears' tactic effectively, well, I figured it may be a good idea to learn HOW to play once I've changed gears.
And there's so much other shit that needs to be learnt. The subtleties of flop texture and interpreting bets and learning when to trust your head or go with gut instinct, and all that other stuff: poker can be a damn fascinating game.
So, I'm back to about 200 bucks. I'm going to keep at the SNGs and try to build my bankroll a bit, blow a little on satellites, then repeat.
Oh, and a final thing: my goal is to win a WSOP seat this year. "You and everyone else, dingleberry," I hear you cry. Well, you're right of course (but did you have to call me 'dingleberry'?). Anyway that's the goal, and I'm going to give it a good shot.
Maybe I'll see you there.
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