A reprieve from losing.

There are times when you play your best poker, and you can barely break even. There are times when you play mediocre and win some. Every experienced poker player understands that there are fluctuations in this game, and typically they will gear their play in a fashion to account for it.

I am not one of those players....or am I?

This past Saturday was the big poker event of the month in which 50 players gathered to play tournament poker. I was pretty busy helping Chris and Chad out in setting everything up and putting the finishing touches on everything so the event would run smoothly.

The cards evaded me in the first tourney, but I made a decent showing nonetheless. I went out in 16th place out of 50. Not bad, but obviously nothing to write home about. I will admit that I was trying to hold on as long as I could to extend my point standings but I got blinded out.

Tom and Don Juan the magic wand were ahead of me in the player of the year standings, and they were both still in it. When they both made the final table I knew I was in trouble. You get points for every player that was put out before you, and you get 2 extra points for making it to the final table, and you get 2 extra points for winning the tourney.

I had to focus and adjust my play a bit. I wasn't intimidating anyone and that had to change.

The second tourney started and my table was relatively tough. There were some moderate players there, but I was able to focus on heads up play with the weaker players. I stole some large pots, and I was able to get players to feed a pot when I had winning hands.

There was a pretty large first place prize, but I was much more interested in the points. Those precious points that had eluded me in the 3rd and 4th tourneys! I needed to catch up to Tom and Don while keeping the other players at bay.

I won the tourney. Completely focused on the points. I had no idea how much I won until Chris handed me the money. $480!

Wooo Hooo.

Don and Tom are still ahead of me in the standings, but I have them looking over their shoulder. Both of these guys are pretty good, and both have 5 final tables (out of 6) to show for it.

We will see how things pan out in another month when we sit down again.

....I can't wait!

-m²

March Madness

The local poker club is sponsoring it's third event this year. They are calling it the Shadow Valley Open III (because it's being held at the Shadow Valley Country club!). We have 54 players RSVP'd and we may see an additional 10 show up! Play starts in the afternoon which means....POKER ALL DAY LONG!!!! (With the wife's blessing of course!)

I have been practicing online all week playing SNG's and Tourneys, and I made $50 practicing so that covers my entry fees! Hopefully the cards come my way and I can post a money showing this tourney.

-m²

THE EARLY BIRD MAY GET THE WORM, BUT THE SECOND MOUSE GETS THE CHEESE.

Am I dreaming....!

"Sometimes even a blind squirrel can find the nuts..." -anonymous

One of the wonderful attributes of playing NL Hold'em poker is the fact that you have to constantly use tact and strategy to get the desired result. Sometimes your processes reward you with a winning hand and a nice pot....and sometimes you look like a total dipstick. But every once and a while a hand comes along that requires nothing more than patience and the ability to get your opponents to keep betting into a pot when you already know you have it won. It is a bit tougher than it seems.

Fortune smiles upon me
The game is an online $20 No Limit Hold'em SNG tourney and the table is full. There are some decent players at the table, and then there are some of those players that think they are good. Everyone is sitting with between T1200 and T1800.

For this hand blinds are 20/40 and I am in late position (LP) having dealt the hand before. I am dealt a pair of Queens which is a nice reprieve from a long succession 84offsuits and 93offsuits!

Someone in early position calls the bet at 40. Two callers in middle position, I call the bet and the Button (Dealer) raises the bet to 80. SB folds and the BB calls. EP calls along with the two MP players and I cap it off with a call. I have no idea what is going on here...there are 6 players in.

Flop comes Q/A/Q.

I flopped FOUR OF A KIND!!!! This has never happened to me before! It is a good thing that we are playing online, because I have jumped out of my chair and begun my victory rant like my favorite football team came back in the final seconds and scored a touchdown to be their most hated rival.

The BB bets 120. EP folds. 1st MP calls the 120 bet and the 2nd MP folds. I call the bet. The button is last to act and he raises the bet to 240. BB calls, MP calls, I call and cap it.

Turn card is a Jc.

This is GREAT for me. The more people that can hit their hands, the better. I have put the Button on AA, and I figure that EP and MP either have KK or AK. So far the board is rainbowed, so there is no chance for a Royal Flush.

BB checks. MP bets 250. I call the 250. Button raises to 600. BB calls. MP calls and I cap it with a call.

Now so far I am playing under a shadow. I look like I am on a drawing hand and since I haven't raised in position yet no one can get a read on my hand. This is perfect.

River card is a 10s.

BB (265) checks. MP (420) checks. I bet 120 (500). Button (610) raises to 300. BB folds. MP calls. I push all-in raising the bet to 620. Button calls. MP calls.

MP shows JJ and is out of the tourney
Button shows AA and is out of the tourney
and I show my two pair of Queens.

WOO HOO!

Nice big pot for me!!!!

BB came back after the hand and said he had AK. He is down to 265 chips.

With such a huge chip lead early, I went on to win the SNG.

Not that great of a story as far as my technical prowess, but it was "one of those hands" that you are actually on the right side of every once in a while.

Poker and Taxes (it's not what you think!)

Taxes.
Kids.
Government Officials.
The New Orleans Saints.
The Line at the DMV.
Women.

This is a list of things in my life that are necessary for me to be me, but also the major point of my frustration.

Oh, let me add one more to the list....

Poker. (I bet the suspense was killing you!)



Why Poker Frustrates Me.....or is it the players?

Happy Story
I am playing in a .25 ring game online (NL Hold'em), and it is the first hand I play at this table. I am dealt KK in MP, but I had to post the BB to play out of turn so I am in for .25. The bet goes around the table and gets to me and I raise it to $1. Button calls, SB folds and BB calls....everyone else folds.

Flop comes Q73 rainbow. BB checks, I bet $1, Button calls and BB folds. Turn card is a J. I bet $1 and Button calls. I have to put the Button on a AQ or middle pair like 8's or 9's. I saw this player make a nice bluff in the prior hand while I was waiting and figured he might also be trying to bluff me to since I was new to the table. River card is a K giving me trips. I check to make him think that the King scared me, and it worked when he pushed a $2 bet. Now if he had A10 and hit the straight I am screwed but I can't think that he would bluff with that hand. He has either paired up one or two cards on the board and thinks that it is enough to win the hand. I sat down with $10 and the button was at about $14 so I can give him a gut check early and see what he does. I raise him to $5. Pretty high stakes for a .25 game! Button thinks about it for a long time and calls. He shows two pair with Q7. He is obviously not happy when my Kings flip over. I get the rally of "nh" and "vnh" from the gallery with a "lucky river" by the button player. Truth be told, I would have folded on the river if the King had not shown up.

It is not really understood at the lower limit games that you need to string a bet longer than usual sometimes just to get a read or reaction from other players. This hand was very helpful to me as well as profitable.

Not So Happy story
Three hands later I am in the SB with an AJ suited in clubs. MP raises to .50, button calls, I call, BB calls, EP folds.

Flop comes out with a J4A rainbow. I start with a min bet of .25, BB calls, MP raises to .50, button folds, I raise to $1, BB calls and MP calls. Turn card is a Black Jack!!! This is a tough position to be in. I have a great hand here but I need to make some money on this pot. I bet .50 cents, BB folds and MP raises me to $2. Now I have to realize that the only hand that beats me right now are Pocket Aces, and since I see two of them the odds are not good that he is holding the other two. I raise his $2 bet to $5 and he raises all-in to $17. OK, so with that much in the pot, and the fact that only one hand beats me I push all-in to call. The computer shows both sets of cards and he has the rockets. Only river card that can help is the 4th jack which doesn't come and I lose all my money.

This player was very forgiving saying that it was nice to get that matchup with that flop, and that he usually loses with AA.

Let me stop right here.....
Most people will tell you that they never like to lose, and I would probably put myself in that category...but when you lose a strong hand like that to a better hand...well it is a much easier pill to swallow.

That hand cost me a lot, but I have won a BUNCH of pots in the same way. You just act like a gentleman, encourage the other player and move on. There are times to get under someone's skin and then there are times not to.

Here is a hand that I cannot deal with, and describes the players that should be dragged out and shot.


WADB (n) acronym
a poker player that is content playing any and every hand thinking that his ridiculous luck streak is somehow related to his skill level.
(email me if you want to know what it stands for)

Two hands later I am dealt KK again in late position (LP). Limpers up to me and I raise to $1. Button folds, SB calls, BB folds, EP folds, MP folds.

Flop is 10-8-4. SB checks and I bet $2 and SB calls. Turn card is a 3. SB checks, and I bet $3. SB calls (without hesitation). Since I bet before him pre-flop, he might be slowplaying Aces or Queens. He might also have tripped up 10's or 8's. He should have folded AK or AQ after the flop and surely after the turn.

River card is a 7.

SB pushes all-in ($4), so since I figure that he couldn't have gone this far with 96 and Aces are there but doubtful, I call. The WADB flips over 96 OFFSUIT. Then this dummy starts talking about having to play the hand through because he had POT ODDS!!!!

This guy went on to do this for an hour and catching river cards like he had a secret cheat code or something. He hit 4 straights and 2 flushes on river cards...two of which were runner, runner.

I made a note about this guy online, and will watch for him again because if his luck is that good he can't stay at the low limits for long.

It isn't the fact that I lost money to this goober, or even that I lost under those circumstances. It's the fact that he started talking about how good he was and then commenting on everyone else's play like he was now the table King.

Just another thing to deal with I guess....

Taxes
Kids
Government Officials
The New Orleans Saints
The Line at the DMV
Women

...and POKER