Sunday, February 27, 2011

Comeback comes to a screeching halt

I played the $40 H-A mixed tournament at Dave's yesterday. It started off really well for me. I doubled up in the first PLO round off a guy who flopped top set and stacked off to my monster wrap that got there. I didn't get any playable hands in the hold'em rounds. The wheels came off before the break in the $150/300 level. I lost about half my stack to BC after I flopped a monster draw, straight and flush draw plus an overpair. I lost to his two pair 9's and 2's when I caught two bricks. A few hands later I get it all in against Colin and BC. I had KK82 two clubs against Colin's Q-Q-10-9 (also two clubs) and BCs's K-10-5-5 (two diamonds). I flop the club draw and my pair is good until BC catches running diamonds to flush out and stack us both.

I head over to the cash game and it becomes obvious early that I will be running uphill. Brian raises preflop to $7, I am the only caller with AQ. Flop Q-8-2. He checks, I bet $15, he calls. Turn K. He checks again and I pick up what I think is a pretty obvious tell on him. I put him on a draw and bet $30. He calls. River is an A (of course). He checks again and I check behind, he shows J-10 for the runner runner broadway. I thought at first that the tell I picked up was deliberate, but as I watch him I see him do it repeatedly. We get into another hand where he raises and I call with 5-7. Flop comes Q-5-3 (I think, not sure). I check, he checks and does his tell, Nick bets $10. I call, Brian pops it to $35. Nick folds, I shove for another $16 knowing he's on a draw. He calls with his 9-6 diamonds and hits a 6 on the river for a better pair. I also got my QQ snapped off by Colin's 9-5h. I raised preflop, two callers. Flop 9-7-6 offsuit. Colin leads for $15, I shove for 69 on top, guy inbetween calls, Colin calls. Turn? 9. Colin shoves and the other guy calls. He doesn't show as Colin scoops with his trip 9's. I should've left at this point but I decided to try and play through it. I steamed through two more buyins (including turning a gutshot straight and stacking off to Colin again who of course turned a better gutter). I finally gave up and left after stacking off to Dave's JJ with another draw hand that did not make it.

Looking back at my play, it was totally awful. It was clear early I wasn't going to hit any draws, and my made hands just weren't holding up. To make it worse, Colin was in that mode where he gets a lot of chips and just decides to play everything (and hit it). It was a bad table to be at, and I should've left much sooner.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Turning This Poker Truck Around

So, this past Wednesday I decided to hit Nautica again and take another shot at the $1/2. I was originally going to just play $2/4 but they had an open NL seat at a table full of nits (my favorite) so I decided to make a run. I bought in $120 and sat down. First hand I get J/10 spades, raise to $7. Two callers take a flop of 3-5-6. The guy next to me leads into me for $20, I fold and he shows 3-5 off and declares he will play any two cards to any raise. AWESOME. Next hand I get AQ, call a raise to $6. Flop comes K-J-3 and two players bet/raise before it gets to me. I am quickly down to $91 when I get into the biggest clusterfuck of the year so far. In the BB I get dealt 7-7. The entire table limps to me, I see no point in raising out of position with a shitty pair so I check in. Flop comes A-9-8 two clubs. Everyone checks. Turn is the 7s (putting two spades on board as well). UTG bets $20. Four callers back to me. I decide to nip this in the bud and pump it all-in for $69 on top. Two callers, one guy on the end shoves for a bit more than me, another short stack calls for less. As I am monkeying up the two side pots, Meat comes up behind me and asks why it's always me in these fucked up hands. Dealer puts out the Kc, and Meat slaps me on the back and says "Well, THAT fucked you!". I declare a set and table my hand, and to my astonishment everyone mucks and I drag a huge pot. Looks like things might just be turning around! Afterwards, Meat and I cashed out and hit trivia at the tavern. On the way home, I felt genuinely happy for the first time in a long time. I played some poker, won some money, hung out with friends and had a good time. Why can't my life be like this all the time?

I played Dave's last night. I had to buy into the tournament late since I am on call and had to make sure I didn't have any more work before I went out there. I came in a round and a half before break and was dealt a steady succession of nothing. For the first two rounds I didn't play a hand except the blinds, which I folded. The first hand I decide to play is from the BB with KQ suited. Krazy Mike makes it $1000 to go, Malcolm flats, I call. Flop Q-8-6. I check, Mike and Malcolm check. Turn is a brick, I open/shove my stack, Mike folds, Malcolm snaps with a set of 8's and I am crippled. A few hands later I shove with J9, Malcolm calls with 99 and I am off to the cash game. My horse didn't fare much better, he blew a 24k chip stack in two hands and was out soon after me.

The cash game didn't start so well either. I bought in $80 and sat between a steaming Silent Dave and Hiphop. I lost a bunch of small hands and then got into a three way all-in for my last $50 that I watched two people with AK chop. I tapped a friend for another $100 and rebought. I was up and down a lot. Flopped a set of 6's against a guy who flopped a flush and paid him off. Then I snapped off a bluff by Silent Dave for a $100 pot. We moved tables and I just got into the zone. I was playing well, my reads were good, and I didn't lose to any miracle hands. I did make a few bad plays still (my one big bluff of the night AGAIN picked off, this time by Hiphop and his Q's with a 3 kicker). I played a lot of pots in the $50-60 range and won. I kept my hand range pretty tight and kept my betting even to try and keep people from picking up any betting tells. Even Colin commented that I was playing very well. The biggest pot I won was a BB special. Got dealt 6-8, call a $5 preflop raise from short stack. Flop Q-9-5. Checks around. Turn 6. Checks around again. River 6. I bet $12, short stack across from me shoves for $38. TK just flat calls. TK's flat calls stalls me - I'm not sure if he's baiting me or expecting me to fold so I flat call and roll over the trips for the win. There weren't any monster pots I won, just played solid and took down a lot of decent pots.

Going to take a few days off while I serve out my on-call, then will probably have a degenerate weekend next week since I am off work and don't have the kids. I might even drag K back out to play, bad wheel and all.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Light at the end of the tunnel?

I played in Dave's again this past weekend. It started out small - two tables at launch - but opened up to a 29 player donkfest by break. I again decided to go with the $20 buy and save the add-on rather than take it all up front. I also decided to narrow my hand range a bit more and to be more conscious of my position.

Things did not start well. I am at a table with four women, Data, and Dave W. It's a nit-fest from go, everyone decides to be a dirty trapper except Dave, who decides he's going to be Sir-Raise-A-Lot. I'm getting a whole lot of nothing and can't brush him back, so I sit there and fold a ton of blinds. I'm sitting with a new girl I've never met before, and she seems to be getting smacked with the deck. When it's checked to her and she's got a pair she's betting, and the rest of the table is running screaming. She seems to be pretty passive though, folding most of the time to pressure. I decide to take a run at her on a four club board, firing all three barrels at her trying to budge her. Every time I bet she winces like she's in pain, yet she calls off 2/3 of her stack with the K. Ooops. Every time I do get a hand and raise everyone folds. Finally I get JJ on the button and raise. Data calls, flop comes A-Q-6. He checks, I c-bet, he calls. Turn is a blank and he fires into me. I show JJ and fold, down another 1k. (John later said he had AQ for top two). Frustrated, I take the add-on early to keep from having to shove.

Got into a strange hand with the new girl. I get dealt AK in mid position and decide to limp for 300 (since everyone is folding to my raises). She limps on button, SB folds, BB (Dave) checks in. Flop comes 10-9-6 offsuit. Dave checks, I check, she checks. Turn is a 3. Again Dave and I check, again she checks. River is a K. I check, Dave checks, she bets 1000. This is the first time she's made a pot sized bet at anything. Dave folds and I tank. I start trying to narrow down what she button limped with that's suddenly worth 1k. I decide she doesn't have K-10 or K-9 because she's been betting pairs and wouldn't have checked it twice. Likewise I eliminate sets or 10-9. It's doubtful she limped with something stupid like 10-3, 9-3, or K-3. I narrow her down to either 7-8 or Q-J for a straight, AK like me, or K-Q or K-J. I decided I can't beat much and fold A-K face up. The table is stunned and she collects her pot. She told me at break she didn't have a straight, so I might have been good but I doubt it.

Just before break I finally get a hand and flop a set of 6's against Nicole and nearly double up. After break I come on strong. I make Broadway against Cheryl and take a nice pot, then bust short stack Pyxis with KK after she shoves with A-10 and I fade the three outer (It's a fuckin' miracle!). A few hands later I bust Data and our table breaks. I get moved to the feature table, where I stay the rest of the game. I get seated next to a new guy who makes Meat look loose and aggressive. He's literally blinding to death. Blinds are 400-800, he has 2800, and he's limping in and folding. When it gets to 600-1200, he folds a BB and SB and leaves himself with 600 in chips. He finally has no choice to be all-in in the BB with 4-7 and loses. WTF is wrong with these people?

I did play one stupid hand, called a raise from Dawn preflop with J-10 on the button. Flop comes K-9-7. She open/shoves with K5 and I call with my double gutter and turn an 8, scooping the pot and putting me up over 20k for the first time. I get into a three way pot, got JJ in the SB. Mid position limper, button makes it 4500 to go. I debate shoving, but I don't know this guy and am not sure if this is a button play or not. I decide to flat, to my surprise the BB (Jesse) flats as well. Flop comes 9-6-2. I open/shove, Jesse folds, button tanks and folds. I show the JJ and drag a monstrous pot. I did make one misstep. With 31k in front of me, I call two short stacks who were all-in with A4s. BC had J-10, Dave had AK, three 10's on the flop and BC triples up. At the final table I still had 19k. Massive clusterfuck in one hand. Cheryl open/shoves with AQ. Jack Treadway also has AQ and shoves. Dave O. tanks forever and then calls with AK. Case A on the flop and Dave has a monster stack. Got up to 35k when I busted Jesse (don't remember what I had...maybe Q's?).

Blinded off a bit and then crippled by Linda. She open/shoves with A6, I call from BB with 77. Flop 6-8-9, turn 6 of course, river a brick and I am crippled. 5 handed UTG I decide to launch my only steal attempt of the night and shove with 4/5. Dave O. snaps with 10-10 and I am out 5th.

My tighter hand selection seems to be paying off. I saved a lot of chips simply folding small pairs. Example: BC is short stacked at the 200-400 level, I am in the SB with pocket 3's. Folds to me, I show and fold the pair and he shows a decent Ace. I rabbited a quick flop and there was an A on it. I also folded any pair below 9's until the final table, where I was forced to play pairs due to the blinds and my stack.

I also took a trip to Nautica on Sunday, wow is the new building a DUMP. It's a disorganized mess. When I was there, there were 50+ names in the $1/2 list. They refused to open tables at 5pm because they needed dealers for the 7pm tournament and were short. I got on the $2/4 list (there's rarely a list for $2/4) and got a seat with a bunch of crabby old men. The guy on the end had over $400 in front of him and a VPIP of 100. He played every hand to every raise and was killing it. I left after dropping $100, just couldn't get anything going. My last hand I made the wheel and lost to Mr. 100 when he hit his gutter higher straight.

Hopefully on call is light this weekend and I can make another run at Dave's. Let's see how the new tournament strategy works out.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Another DP meltdown

I played the $30 at Dave's last Saturday night and was doing pretty well. I decided to seriously tighten up my hand selection - no suited connectors, no aces less than A-10 (even suited), and I was folding small pairs (<9's) preflop. I built a decent stack early on, buying in for $20 and saving the rebuy/add-on for later. Blinds at 100/200 I get KJ in the BB. Guy in early position limps, TK calls, I check. Flop comes 10-8-2. TK checks, I check, other guy checks. Turn A. TK leads for $600. I read him as weak and decide to float him (as I'm pretty sure he's just stabbing and doesn't have an A). To my surprise the guy after me flats as well. Now I have to catch as I don't think I can bluff them both. River? Q. I have the nuts. TK checks, I lead out for $2500, guy on my left snaps, TK folds. He shows AJ and I collect a nice pot by accident.

I take a few more pots here and there and then get into a nice little cluster. I limp with QJc, short stack shoves in for 1400 more. I call and everyone else bails. He rolls over 99 and the flop comes Q-9-8 one club. 10c on the turn gives me straight and flush redraw. River J and we chop the pot with the same straight. By the break I had nearly 25k in chips. After the break the wheels come off. I limp in with A6s on the button six handed (mistake #1). Flop comes J-7-3 offsuit. Checks to me, I check (mistake #2). Turn is an A. SB leads out for $1000 and I flat call (mistake #3). River is a 5. SB leads out for $2500, I flat (mistake #4) and he rolls over A7 for aces up. Whoops. I still have about 18k left and take a few deep breaths and plow on. Our table gets down to 5 handed as we approach the final table. I get dealt KQ on the button. I limp, SB makes it $4500 to go. (800/1600 blinds). I flat (mistake #1). Flop comes 9-7-6 offsuit. He checks, I check behind (mistake #2). Turn 3. He checks again, I check again (mistake #3). River comes 10. He checks for the third time, I decide to value bet bluff the 4 card straight board and toss out $4000. (mistake #4). He tanks and finally calls, rolling over AK for the hero call and the win. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Down to 9100 I get AK in the big blind. As soon as see my hand the little poker voice in my head says "Don't play it - you'll get fucked" but I am shortstacked. Mid position Krazy Mike shoves in 8500 with K-10. I call and roll over AK. Flop is all blanks, turn gives me spade draw, river is the two out 10. Down to 600 in chips it's academic at this point. I throw it all in with K2d and am busted.

I was going to leave, but my horse offered to front me a buy-in for the cash game. I looked at the table and saw a guy we called World's Greatest Dad (because he wore a shirt that said that the first time he played with us), Jeff R., Terry, and some new players. I figured I'd take one shot at it. I sat down and blinded off a little until I got AKd in mid position. I make it $6, Jeff and WGD call. Flop J-9-4 offsuit. Jeff looks disinterested and checks, WGD checks, I decide to continue with a $15 bet. Jeff folds, WGD hems and haws and makes it $30. I fold and he rolls over 9-4 for bottom two. Oh boy. A few rounds later I get KK. I make it $6 again, and again Jeff and WGD call. Flop comes A-A-9. WGD leads into me for $15 and I insta-muck. Jeff calls. Turn is an 8, WGD bets $15 again, Jeff makes it $40. WGD calls. River is a 7, WGD shoves all in. Jeff calls, WGD rolls over A7 for the boat. Jeff disgustedly shows the case A and folds. I keep getting a lot of playable hands but missing flops or getting mushed. I'm down to about 95 when I get AQ on the button. Terry makes it $4 to go, Colin makes it $12, I call. Unfortunately, so does the rest of the table. Flop comes A-K-5. It checks around to me, I shove my last $73 in. Folds to TK who snaps all-in. He rolls over A5 and I catch two bricks and leave.

I need to tweak the tournament strategy some more, but the narrow hand range seems to have helped a bit. I am still losing to 2 and 3 out miracles, not sure what I can do about that. Maybe fold AK from the BB?

Thursday, February 03, 2011

Keep On Postin'

I haven't posted in a few weeks mainly because I haven't really been playing cards. I did attend the Chili Cookoff at Dave's in Lorain, another good time. I played the $50 deepstack tournament and did not make it to the first break. I started off OK, made a few hands and chipped up a bit early on. I then made an idiotic hero call, donked off all the profit after I put a new guy on a missed flush draw and called with K high to see his rivered full house. I never really recovered from that hand. I know the hero call is my weakness sometimes but I was just sure I'd read him properly. Oh well. The hand that really knocked me out was a fucking debacle from go. Blinds are at 150/300, I have 14K in front of me. In the BB with 47h. UTG makes it 1100 to go. He's a new guy, haven't played much with him but he seems pretty aggressive. I put him on Ace/x and call (mistake #1). Flop comes 2-2-3 two hearts. I check and he bets 1100. I took this to mean he did not like the flop (as Greg mentions when people bet the same on the flop as they did preflop it often indicates weakness). I decide he missed and call. (mistake #2). Turn is the Jd. I check and he hesitates. He definitely does not like the J. He takes a minute and bets 2200. I call again (mistake #3). River is the 10h. I decide to open/shove my stack in (mistake #4). He snap calls and rolls over 10-10 for the boat. Fuck.

#1, I never should have played this hand out of position into a nothing pot. I fucked that up. #2 on the flop I should be check raising. I would likely put my whole stack in on that flop, after all what else are you waiting for with 47h? #3 I should've shoved on the turn bet, I knew he didn't like the J and I probably could've gotten him to fold here. #4 Shoving here is dumb, though I likely would've stacked off to an all-in anyway. I deserved to lose this hand and I did. Let's see if I learned anything. It was a bad night for my horse too, he didn't get any traction and busted out later on. As a side note, if someone is backing you in a tournament isn't it common courtesy to send a few texts and update your backer? Even if you bust?

The only other game I played was the CPMG Monday Madness on PokerStars. Typical donkfest, got all my money in with AQ got snapped by a guy with J7s and I am drawing dead preflop. (It was suited!)

In other news I have mostly finalized plans for this year's WSOP. It's my intention to play my first event, #25 (7 card stud 8 or better). K and I are planning on going to Reno for a few days first to visit Greg, purveyor of The Biggest Little Poker Blog in the World. I also mean to visit my old friends Pam and Cherie, who I haven't seen in a while. They moved out to California, about 2 hours from Reno. From there we'll be heading to Vegas for a week of WSOP action. I have expectations for this year - I expect to do better at cash, I expect to cash in my event, etc. I will try to sell some of my tournament action but I honestly don't think anyone's going to buy. Would you back someone as outright terrible as I've been lately? I wouldn't. I think I'll have to earn back some cred before anyone backs me again. I really wanted to go to the Ohio Championship and the Hollywood Poker Open but it looks like if I want to have a serious roll for LV I need to buckle down and keep my head low.

I will probably be playing Dave's this weekend again, I am also going to reinstate my live game updates via Twitter. For those that don't know or follow me, I am @DougPoker on Twitter. I will keep you updated until I bust, which if things continue will likely only be a few tweets.