Common Mistakes I See At Limit Hold'em Tables (Or, it's slow at work and I'm bored so here's a bonus blog entry)
I play a lot of Limit Hold'em. I do this for several reasons. First, most LHE players in casinos are AWFUL. They are inexperienced, they have the most obvious tells, and generally are easy to read and control. Second, LHE offers me a chance to limit my variance by being able to control pot size and betting. It's virtually impossible to get stacked in LHE on one hand, someone with a lot of experience can make a decent profit by grinding. LHE offers me a chance to build my bankroll without the risk of losing my entire stack to a two outer on the river. True, you don't generally make as much as you would playing NL but you also don't generally lose as much.
Most LHE players make the same mistakes over and over again, and they generally won't learn from the failures or don't understand them. I present to you a small list of common mistakes I see and how you can avoid doing the same and also capitalize on them yourself. In these examples I am referencing $4/8 limit but it applies to whatever you're playing.
1.) Buying In Too Short
This is the most common mistake I see. People often buy in to a limit table for the minimum or close to it. I don't understand why I see people put $100 on the table, lose it, and buy another $100 over and over. Why not just buy $200-$300? You simply cannot focus on playing good poker when you're this low. At NL short stacking is popular, but at limit it's just dumb. At limit tables I like to buy for a MINIMUM of 50BB (so, if you're playing $4/8 with $2/4 blinds, that'd be $200). I personally prefer to have closer to 100BB when I sit down. This gives me plenty of room to make mistakes and tight calls and still have enough chips to avoid feeling pressure.
2.) Checking Down Too Many Hands
I can't tell you how aggravating it is to see people check monstrous hands like full houses, flushes, etc on the river. WHY? If I have a full house and you're check/calling me I will let you go up to the window and get more chips to put in. I know a lot of locals at the table will try to play "friendly" with other locals and check down big hands, but I often see people check bottom full house because they are scared of quads or something stupid like this. You absolutely MUST squeeze every bet you can out of the suckers in the hand with you, ESPECIALLY at lower limits. If you miss 10 value river bets a night you're giving up $80 in profit at $4/8. That's retarded! Am I sometimes betting into quads? Sure, but if you're any good you should be able to limit the damage in spots like this.
3.) Calling People Too Light
Idiot: "I thought he was bluffing!"
Me: "At $4/8? That's a suicide run."
Idiot: "He done bluffed me once in 1956 with four aces on the board"
Me: "It's $4/8...you know what, nevermind. Good call with 22 on a board of AKQJJ."
Nothing drains your stack quicker than bottom pair/no kicker in limit. People think "Ah, it's just a couple of bets" to run someone down and see what they had. Why? I can sometimes justify a call on the flop if you're in position and no one's going to raise. If you don't turn help (like two pair or trips) the hand should be jettisoned. Bleeding $4 at a time adds up over a night. 10 saved flop bets is still $40. I would like $40. Give it to me and I'll slap you. Same idea.
4.) Playing Too Passively/Not Raising
People (often broke NL players trying to rebuild their stacks) will whine that you can't protect your hand at limit hold'em. Sure you can. I played 6-1/2 hours of $4/8 at Rivers last weekend and there were exactly two times the betting was three bet preflop and both times it was me needling a bad player (see last week's blogisodes). This is unacceptable. In late position with anything mildly playable I am raising. Even if only one idiot folds I am still bettering my odds. True, people WILL run you down in limit more often than NL. You need to adjust your game for this though. If I raise with AK (which I do every time) and the flop is 4-5-7 and the guy across from me wets his pants then I can check. Oh well, lost two bets. Ask yourself this - if it's limped to me, would I call two bets with this hand? If the answer is yes, RAISE. Maybe you miss (and you often will) but you will build a bigger pot and win more if you continue to raise. Playing too passively alerts people when you DO have a big hand because if you're a nit you never raise otherwise. Nits at LHE are doomed to be perpetual losers. If I see a table full of nits limping I will pound them to loosen it up. Just be sure you can take your foot off the gas if you're missing too many flops or getting run down a lot.
Hope you've learned a few things. Limit hold'em can be a gold mine for players like us. The people are easy to read, hands easy to figure out, and the money can be good if your hands hold up. Be prepared to take a ton of beats (limit is like paying $4 a hand to be kicked in the balls) but the pots you do win will make up for it. Control your emotion, exploit theirs.
Full weekend report will be posted Monday(ish).
Friday, August 26, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Poker Is A Game Of Skill, Or Is It?
(Part II of my special two part "you probably are getting sick of the length of my blog posts" series - make sure you read Part I below first)
Remember how I felt good and poker liked me back? Yeah, that didn't last. I was all jazzed up about playing at Terry's. Up to this point the weekend had been going well and I felt like I could win. I bought into the $100 deepstack and decided to snug up my play. I have been adjusting my tournament play including keeping a journal with notes on my play, strategy against certain players, tells, etc. I started off slow and it got even slower. I received precious few playable starting hands and the ones I did play either missed completely or won me small pots. I couldn't get a stack going and never once was above my starting amount. I folded round after round of Q3, J2, K3, etc etc. I was literally blinding to death. I finally got down low and open raised with AJ. Data shipped it in from the button. Caveman anguishes and folds JJ, and Data shows 99. After I busted I got a seat in the cash game. I was hesitant to play this game for two reasons: (a) this was a $1/1 but I knew it would play like a $2/5 or worse, and (b) these guys typically eat me alive. They're all overly aggressive and I have trouble beating them. I thought since I had been hitting it would be OK to take a shot. My first buy I was down $50 just from blinds and calling small raises and missing flops. I ended up stacking off to Ang when I flopped a set and she turned a straight. I didn't even see the straight, which should've been my signal to leave. Instead I lit fire to another buy-in. I got dealt aces and decided to slow play it. On a flop of Q-8-7 two diamonds I get my stack all-in against Krazy Mike who promptly turns a one out Q to get the rest. At that point I couldn't justify another buy-in, it wasn't likely I would make it back and the max buy was too low to chase. Instead I left.
Sunday I decided to take a trip to Pittsburgh and play some $4/8 at Rivers. I could've went to Nautica, but the limit tables there are so rife with cheating and angle shooters that I'd rather drive two hours away to play. I bought in and started playing and on hand three turned quad 5's with my 35h. I made about $30 that hand and spent the next five and half hours swinging up and down. I was up $40, then stuck $110. I would get ahead and then lose to some calling station who couldn't let go of a draw. Fortunately, there was a guy at the table whom I've played with before and he's AWFUL. He looks (and plays) like a former CPMGer who has trouble keeping track of the bank. When I got there he was running the table over, raising every bet and pushing. When he would get called he would refuse to table his hand until he saw yours. I knew immediately I wanted this guy in every hand with me. Every time I got stuck, he would come through and try to run me over. He had $300 in front him when I sat down, after an hour he was rebuying. I counted six rebuys at $100 each (why he didn't just put a few hundred on the table at once I don't understand). At one point, he took a break after a beat and left to go smoke. When he returned he was calm and started playing better. I couldn't have that, so I decided to needle him. I started raising every time he was a blind. About the 3rd time I did it I had AJc and he was getting steamed. He three bet me and I capped him immediately. The flop came K-K-J. He immediately leads and I raise, he three bets and I cap. On the turn he fires again and I consider the outside chance he has a K. I just call the turn and the river is another J. He bets, I raise and he calls. I flip over the AJ and he is MAD. He starts whining about how lucky I got. I tell him "Look, you don't seem to get it. I am never, ever folding a hand to you". After that, the table caught on to him and began calling him down with ace high and bottom pair (all of which were good). He spewed off another couple hundred and left. In the last hour I caught fire. I made a diamond flush to take a good pot, then bet on the come with a spade flush draw against two people who had flopped straights. My spade came on the turn and I dragged a monstrous pot (almost $300 in a $4/8!) I finished way up and decided to leave at 10:30.
So, despite my awful outing at Terry's my weekend finished off on an UP note. Next weekend is a plethora of CPMG limit mix games (my specialty) so I will hopefully be posting another positive blog entry next weekend. BTW, if you have the chance to play Terry's house I recommend it. He has a wonderful place and he and wife are awesome hosts.
(Part II of my special two part "you probably are getting sick of the length of my blog posts" series - make sure you read Part I below first)
Remember how I felt good and poker liked me back? Yeah, that didn't last. I was all jazzed up about playing at Terry's. Up to this point the weekend had been going well and I felt like I could win. I bought into the $100 deepstack and decided to snug up my play. I have been adjusting my tournament play including keeping a journal with notes on my play, strategy against certain players, tells, etc. I started off slow and it got even slower. I received precious few playable starting hands and the ones I did play either missed completely or won me small pots. I couldn't get a stack going and never once was above my starting amount. I folded round after round of Q3, J2, K3, etc etc. I was literally blinding to death. I finally got down low and open raised with AJ. Data shipped it in from the button. Caveman anguishes and folds JJ, and Data shows 99. After I busted I got a seat in the cash game. I was hesitant to play this game for two reasons: (a) this was a $1/1 but I knew it would play like a $2/5 or worse, and (b) these guys typically eat me alive. They're all overly aggressive and I have trouble beating them. I thought since I had been hitting it would be OK to take a shot. My first buy I was down $50 just from blinds and calling small raises and missing flops. I ended up stacking off to Ang when I flopped a set and she turned a straight. I didn't even see the straight, which should've been my signal to leave. Instead I lit fire to another buy-in. I got dealt aces and decided to slow play it. On a flop of Q-8-7 two diamonds I get my stack all-in against Krazy Mike who promptly turns a one out Q to get the rest. At that point I couldn't justify another buy-in, it wasn't likely I would make it back and the max buy was too low to chase. Instead I left.
Sunday I decided to take a trip to Pittsburgh and play some $4/8 at Rivers. I could've went to Nautica, but the limit tables there are so rife with cheating and angle shooters that I'd rather drive two hours away to play. I bought in and started playing and on hand three turned quad 5's with my 35h. I made about $30 that hand and spent the next five and half hours swinging up and down. I was up $40, then stuck $110. I would get ahead and then lose to some calling station who couldn't let go of a draw. Fortunately, there was a guy at the table whom I've played with before and he's AWFUL. He looks (and plays) like a former CPMGer who has trouble keeping track of the bank. When I got there he was running the table over, raising every bet and pushing. When he would get called he would refuse to table his hand until he saw yours. I knew immediately I wanted this guy in every hand with me. Every time I got stuck, he would come through and try to run me over. He had $300 in front him when I sat down, after an hour he was rebuying. I counted six rebuys at $100 each (why he didn't just put a few hundred on the table at once I don't understand). At one point, he took a break after a beat and left to go smoke. When he returned he was calm and started playing better. I couldn't have that, so I decided to needle him. I started raising every time he was a blind. About the 3rd time I did it I had AJc and he was getting steamed. He three bet me and I capped him immediately. The flop came K-K-J. He immediately leads and I raise, he three bets and I cap. On the turn he fires again and I consider the outside chance he has a K. I just call the turn and the river is another J. He bets, I raise and he calls. I flip over the AJ and he is MAD. He starts whining about how lucky I got. I tell him "Look, you don't seem to get it. I am never, ever folding a hand to you". After that, the table caught on to him and began calling him down with ace high and bottom pair (all of which were good). He spewed off another couple hundred and left. In the last hour I caught fire. I made a diamond flush to take a good pot, then bet on the come with a spade flush draw against two people who had flopped straights. My spade came on the turn and I dragged a monstrous pot (almost $300 in a $4/8!) I finished way up and decided to leave at 10:30.
So, despite my awful outing at Terry's my weekend finished off on an UP note. Next weekend is a plethora of CPMG limit mix games (my specialty) so I will hopefully be posting another positive blog entry next weekend. BTW, if you have the chance to play Terry's house I recommend it. He has a wonderful place and he and wife are awesome hosts.
Poker Is A Game Of Skill. Or Is It?
(Part I of a special two part blogisode since it would've been way to much to digest as one long post)
I started this poker weekend with a much better outlook. After last week's seizure inducing chip vomiting I knew I had to improve my concentration, get my frustration under control, and stop making stupid calls. I played at Pyxis' $40 Friday tournament first. Only once was I above my starting stack of $10k. The first hand I played was QQ from the SB. Randy limped for $50, I raised to $150, Jamie reluctantly calls and so does Randy. Flop is 5-6-7 two diamonds. Guess which Q I don't have? I lead for $450, two calls. Turn is a 3. I fire barrel #2 hoping shitty two pair would go away, but it calls and then Randy raises. Awesome, he has to have a 4. I show Tuttle my QQ and fold. Jamie folds his 6-7 and Randy shows A4. Nice hand sir. A few hands later I raise from the cutoff with 88. Pyxis and Randy call. Flop A-4-7. They check, I bet. She hesitates and calls, Randy folds. I put her on diamonds. Turn 4. She checks, I fire out half my stack. She tanks and finally folds an A. Whew! Only hand I played well all night. I gave most of it back to her a round later when I raised from the button with 45h. Flop 3-4-T. She checks, I bet, she calls. Turn Qh putting flush draw out. She shoves. Damn, I didn't see how short she was. I call, she has JJ and I brick. First hand after the break I get AK and raise. Randy three bets me and I shove. He snap calls and rolls over AA. Ooops. I am out.
From there I decided it was too early to go home so I headed down to Nautica. The limit list was insane so I took a $1/2 seat and bought in for $160. First orbit I get 67h in the cutoff and make it $10. Three callers. Flop is J-6-3 two diamonds. Checks to me, I fire $40. Aggro guy shoves all in over the top. It's $127 back to me, I decide he's on a flush draw and call. Two bricks come out, he says "You got me" and shows K9d. I show the 6 and everyone is muttering about my call. Fuck it, I have to show these kids I'm not afraid to stack off to their retarded bets. After that the avoid me like the plague, only three betting or pushing with made hands. One of the super tight players raises preflop, I call in position with J7c. Flop K-9-2 two clubs. I check/call him. Turn 3c. Bink! I open/shove. I was sure he would call, but he tanks. Finally he shows a set of kings and folds. I laugh and tell him I had K9 and thought he was bluffing. He was pretty rattled after that. My stack is around $300 when the table starts breaking and it's close to closing time. I get dealt A5d on the button. I limp, guy on my left just lost a huge pot and is spewing. He makes it $15 to go. Lady to my right calls, I call. Flop 9-7-2 two diamonds. I check, Spewy fires off $25, lady calls. I raise to $80, Spewy angrily folds, lady calls for less and shows me a 9. Turn brick, river A. Ship it! I cash out $388 total. Not bad at all.
Emboldened (and hitting) I return Saturday at opening time for more Nautica. I buy in $200 and in the first hand get AA. No callers. Up $3, tempted to book a win. All of a sudden I remember how to play. I am reading people awesome, making good calls, hands are holding up. For a minute, I felt like Colin. I couldn't miss. People were paying me off. I hit three different gutters, two flushses, two sets, and got a LAG-tard to overplay AJ against my KK for his stack. I roll out of there with $480, and am freerolling for TK's $100 tournament tonight. For once, I felt like I enjoyed the game and the game liked me back a little and might want to meet after school to fool around.
(Part I of a special two part blogisode since it would've been way to much to digest as one long post)
I started this poker weekend with a much better outlook. After last week's seizure inducing chip vomiting I knew I had to improve my concentration, get my frustration under control, and stop making stupid calls. I played at Pyxis' $40 Friday tournament first. Only once was I above my starting stack of $10k. The first hand I played was QQ from the SB. Randy limped for $50, I raised to $150, Jamie reluctantly calls and so does Randy. Flop is 5-6-7 two diamonds. Guess which Q I don't have? I lead for $450, two calls. Turn is a 3. I fire barrel #2 hoping shitty two pair would go away, but it calls and then Randy raises. Awesome, he has to have a 4. I show Tuttle my QQ and fold. Jamie folds his 6-7 and Randy shows A4. Nice hand sir. A few hands later I raise from the cutoff with 88. Pyxis and Randy call. Flop A-4-7. They check, I bet. She hesitates and calls, Randy folds. I put her on diamonds. Turn 4. She checks, I fire out half my stack. She tanks and finally folds an A. Whew! Only hand I played well all night. I gave most of it back to her a round later when I raised from the button with 45h. Flop 3-4-T. She checks, I bet, she calls. Turn Qh putting flush draw out. She shoves. Damn, I didn't see how short she was. I call, she has JJ and I brick. First hand after the break I get AK and raise. Randy three bets me and I shove. He snap calls and rolls over AA. Ooops. I am out.
From there I decided it was too early to go home so I headed down to Nautica. The limit list was insane so I took a $1/2 seat and bought in for $160. First orbit I get 67h in the cutoff and make it $10. Three callers. Flop is J-6-3 two diamonds. Checks to me, I fire $40. Aggro guy shoves all in over the top. It's $127 back to me, I decide he's on a flush draw and call. Two bricks come out, he says "You got me" and shows K9d. I show the 6 and everyone is muttering about my call. Fuck it, I have to show these kids I'm not afraid to stack off to their retarded bets. After that the avoid me like the plague, only three betting or pushing with made hands. One of the super tight players raises preflop, I call in position with J7c. Flop K-9-2 two clubs. I check/call him. Turn 3c. Bink! I open/shove. I was sure he would call, but he tanks. Finally he shows a set of kings and folds. I laugh and tell him I had K9 and thought he was bluffing. He was pretty rattled after that. My stack is around $300 when the table starts breaking and it's close to closing time. I get dealt A5d on the button. I limp, guy on my left just lost a huge pot and is spewing. He makes it $15 to go. Lady to my right calls, I call. Flop 9-7-2 two diamonds. I check, Spewy fires off $25, lady calls. I raise to $80, Spewy angrily folds, lady calls for less and shows me a 9. Turn brick, river A. Ship it! I cash out $388 total. Not bad at all.
Emboldened (and hitting) I return Saturday at opening time for more Nautica. I buy in $200 and in the first hand get AA. No callers. Up $3, tempted to book a win. All of a sudden I remember how to play. I am reading people awesome, making good calls, hands are holding up. For a minute, I felt like Colin. I couldn't miss. People were paying me off. I hit three different gutters, two flushses, two sets, and got a LAG-tard to overplay AJ against my KK for his stack. I roll out of there with $480, and am freerolling for TK's $100 tournament tonight. For once, I felt like I enjoyed the game and the game liked me back a little and might want to meet after school to fool around.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
A Self Inflicted Poker Wounding
This past weekend was not a good one for me. I played two tournaments and three cash games and failed to win a single dollar. Not one. Did not leave with a single $1 bill in profit. In fact, I rather unintentionally donated a bunch of dollars to a bunch of other people.
First I went to Data's single table deepstack tournament. I felt good before this game, felt sharp. I started off well (as what usually happens) and in the first few orbits had made AK, a set, and a flush to put me ahead. I was hitting, I was smooth. Then, as what usually happens, the wheels came off. The first major mistake I made was raising from mid position with K5h. I was attempting to steal (in actuality, my first steal attempt. Previous raises had all been with real hands). My table was playing very tight/nitty and I felt like I should be taking more hands preflop. Unfortunately, I picked the exact time that the new kid at the table (a) had a real hand, and (b) was tired of being manhandled. He shoved over the top of my raise and without even considering it I snap called. He had AQ, I lost over 1/3 of my stack. It was so idiotic I couldn't believe I had done it. I was irritated at the large re-raise and was determined to catch him on a bluff/re-steal or some other retarded reasoning that didn't make sense. I had, in fact, shot myself in the foot. The next hour and a half or so was a combination of me getting zero cards preflop and missing the few flops I took. I blinded off until I was short stacked and managed a near triple up through the new kid but it was all for nought. I blinded down to about 10BB when I was dealt an A. I immediately shoved before getting the second card. I did this to convey that I did indeed have an A and probably the best hand. Unfortunately, I didn't have the best hand by far. Immediately to my left Data had QQ and shoved over the top of me. After that hand I had time to go get something to eat whilst Kirsten was still in. When I left she was short stacked, when I returned she was playing Linda heads up for the money. She finished second, which is remarkable because she hasn't played many tournaments this year.
After that stellar performance I went to Linda's Saturday night tournament. Again I started off well, doubling up my stack by turning a flush and crippling Randy. Less than a round later I gave it right back on yet another dumb call. Preflop I made it $700 in the $100-200 round with AQ. Adam called as did Linda. The flop was A-J-3. It checked to me and I bet out $2k. Adam snap raised me to $5k and Linda folded. I tanked for a minute. I couldn't put him on AK because every time he had it preflop he was three betting. I didn't think he would slam it with AJ when I was betting out. I decided he either had A3 or he was crushed. I re-raised him all in and he snap called. His hand? A3 of course. Insult 3 on the river and he got over 1/2 my stack. It was a horrendous call on my part but again I was irritated by the check raise. I had convinced myself he was just pushing with a shit ace because he felt I was c-betting and had missed the flop. It nagged at me because I know I should've folded it but I didn't. After that I couldn't hit he broad side of a barn. I missed flops and blinded down a lot. There was no stealing with Adam at the table, he was hitting everything and made a point of check raising every hand I raised after that. I finally got it in good against Mr. Data when he shoved light with Q-10. I called from the button with A5h and he proceeded to flop a Q high straight. Down to crumbs I shoved into Jack's AJ with my A3 and had time to kill before the cash game started. I wandered down to Nautica and sat at a $1/2 with Brad for about 3 orbits. I had two playable hands, both of which I had to fold post flop when I missed and other people were betting and raising.
I came back to Linda's for the triple pot limit cash game. I played a high variance game with a VPIP of nearly 100% and it cost me. I was in damn near every hand and I was getting pummelled. I made two bad calls that cost me most of my stack. The final blow was raising in the PLO round with AA26. The flop came 2-7-8 off. Data check-raised me all-in and instead of immediately folding I paid to see his monstrous wrap which he immediately hit on the turn.
I was looking forward to the mix game on Sunday. I had been having a shitty weekend so far (mostly due to my own impatience) and wanted to play a few games where I felt I had an edge. I played 7 hours or so of mix game and had absolutely no edge. When I wasn't being horribly outdrawn by a table full of people who refused to fold I was making bad decisions and getting my money in bad. I let Meat rattle me after a hand of Razz where he ran me down despite having two pair showing and jamming the whole way. After that I got spewy, playing too many hands and letting myself get behind. I finally left when the game broke having lost my buy-in, a rebuy, and $8 of a marker. I would get into specific hands, but I frankly don't remember most of them plus I'm confident most of it was my fault.
I played undiscipled, shitty poker this past weekend and the results were what you'd expect in that case. I need to get my shit together if I want to have any chance of cashing at this weekend's tournaments.
This past weekend was not a good one for me. I played two tournaments and three cash games and failed to win a single dollar. Not one. Did not leave with a single $1 bill in profit. In fact, I rather unintentionally donated a bunch of dollars to a bunch of other people.
First I went to Data's single table deepstack tournament. I felt good before this game, felt sharp. I started off well (as what usually happens) and in the first few orbits had made AK, a set, and a flush to put me ahead. I was hitting, I was smooth. Then, as what usually happens, the wheels came off. The first major mistake I made was raising from mid position with K5h. I was attempting to steal (in actuality, my first steal attempt. Previous raises had all been with real hands). My table was playing very tight/nitty and I felt like I should be taking more hands preflop. Unfortunately, I picked the exact time that the new kid at the table (a) had a real hand, and (b) was tired of being manhandled. He shoved over the top of my raise and without even considering it I snap called. He had AQ, I lost over 1/3 of my stack. It was so idiotic I couldn't believe I had done it. I was irritated at the large re-raise and was determined to catch him on a bluff/re-steal or some other retarded reasoning that didn't make sense. I had, in fact, shot myself in the foot. The next hour and a half or so was a combination of me getting zero cards preflop and missing the few flops I took. I blinded off until I was short stacked and managed a near triple up through the new kid but it was all for nought. I blinded down to about 10BB when I was dealt an A. I immediately shoved before getting the second card. I did this to convey that I did indeed have an A and probably the best hand. Unfortunately, I didn't have the best hand by far. Immediately to my left Data had QQ and shoved over the top of me. After that hand I had time to go get something to eat whilst Kirsten was still in. When I left she was short stacked, when I returned she was playing Linda heads up for the money. She finished second, which is remarkable because she hasn't played many tournaments this year.
After that stellar performance I went to Linda's Saturday night tournament. Again I started off well, doubling up my stack by turning a flush and crippling Randy. Less than a round later I gave it right back on yet another dumb call. Preflop I made it $700 in the $100-200 round with AQ. Adam called as did Linda. The flop was A-J-3. It checked to me and I bet out $2k. Adam snap raised me to $5k and Linda folded. I tanked for a minute. I couldn't put him on AK because every time he had it preflop he was three betting. I didn't think he would slam it with AJ when I was betting out. I decided he either had A3 or he was crushed. I re-raised him all in and he snap called. His hand? A3 of course. Insult 3 on the river and he got over 1/2 my stack. It was a horrendous call on my part but again I was irritated by the check raise. I had convinced myself he was just pushing with a shit ace because he felt I was c-betting and had missed the flop. It nagged at me because I know I should've folded it but I didn't. After that I couldn't hit he broad side of a barn. I missed flops and blinded down a lot. There was no stealing with Adam at the table, he was hitting everything and made a point of check raising every hand I raised after that. I finally got it in good against Mr. Data when he shoved light with Q-10. I called from the button with A5h and he proceeded to flop a Q high straight. Down to crumbs I shoved into Jack's AJ with my A3 and had time to kill before the cash game started. I wandered down to Nautica and sat at a $1/2 with Brad for about 3 orbits. I had two playable hands, both of which I had to fold post flop when I missed and other people were betting and raising.
I came back to Linda's for the triple pot limit cash game. I played a high variance game with a VPIP of nearly 100% and it cost me. I was in damn near every hand and I was getting pummelled. I made two bad calls that cost me most of my stack. The final blow was raising in the PLO round with AA26. The flop came 2-7-8 off. Data check-raised me all-in and instead of immediately folding I paid to see his monstrous wrap which he immediately hit on the turn.
I was looking forward to the mix game on Sunday. I had been having a shitty weekend so far (mostly due to my own impatience) and wanted to play a few games where I felt I had an edge. I played 7 hours or so of mix game and had absolutely no edge. When I wasn't being horribly outdrawn by a table full of people who refused to fold I was making bad decisions and getting my money in bad. I let Meat rattle me after a hand of Razz where he ran me down despite having two pair showing and jamming the whole way. After that I got spewy, playing too many hands and letting myself get behind. I finally left when the game broke having lost my buy-in, a rebuy, and $8 of a marker. I would get into specific hands, but I frankly don't remember most of them plus I'm confident most of it was my fault.
I played undiscipled, shitty poker this past weekend and the results were what you'd expect in that case. I need to get my shit together if I want to have any chance of cashing at this weekend's tournaments.
Sunday, August 07, 2011
Consistency and I Need to Make Up.
Before I start, for those of you haven't read it, check out Grayday's Poker Blog. It's an unintentionally hilarious look into the mind of one of the CPMG's most beloved cash players.
I played the CPMG Heads Up tournament last weekend and didn't do too well. I know this comes as a surprise to a lot of you. I drew Nautica Brian as my first opponent which meant I was going to have to plan an overly agressive game. As predicted, he raised every button and got in a bunch of three bets as well. He stabbed me early when he bet a flush draw and got there and I paid him off. I had two pair and wasn't 100% if he had a big pair or made his draw. I battled back, raising preflop and flopping trip J's. He shoved on a gutter and missed. I had to do a lot of three betting and donk betting to try and keep him from running over me. I finally slow played myself out of the tournament. He limped with K3 off, I had AA and checked in instead of raising. Flop came K-8-3. He check raised me and I shoved, he snaps and I am out. I think I did well, if the cards had held up I'm pretty sure I would've beaten him.
After that (while waiting for cash) I decide to go to Nautica. I sit at a new $1/2 table with $160. The first hand I decide to play is 97 off. I am in the cutoff, early raiser makes it $15. Three people call before me. Well, fuck. I call. Flop is J-10-8 offsuit. First guy bets $50. Two folds. Guy to my right shoves in $110. I shove over the top. First guy tanks and finally calls. They both show J-10. Turn brick, river is a J and I watch two people hit a two out miracle and split my stack. I decided not to bother rebuying and headed home until the cash game at Linda's started. The cash game at Linda's went very well, and I recovered $91 of my previous losses.
That Saturday I decided to hit Rivers Casino with Special K. We had all weekend to kill so I could play unrushed poker. I sat in on a $1/3 whilst waiting for a $4/8 to open. I opened weak, raising several pots preflop and being bet off my hands on the flop. I was down $100 when I hit a streak. I flopped a couple sets and big two pair hands and got paid. After three hours I was +$500. They were just opening a $1/3 HA table ($500 max) so I decided to go take a shot with my profits. Whoops. I got eaten alive. I flopped a straight flush draw, turned to pair, and lost $300 when the wrong card paired on the river and the guy who had grossly overplayed AAxx made a better two pair. I floundered for a while and gave up, taking my last $200 in profit and heading back to $1/3. I sat at a new table and stacked off in the first orbit. I was sitting with a guy who was making it $40 preflop every hand. I finally called a preflop raise in position with QJd. Flop comes 10-9-2 off. He throws a hundred at it, I shove on him, guy behind me calls and so does he. Q on the turn and river a brick. He shows J-10, but the idiot between us had called $40 preflop with 9-2 and flopped two pair. Disgusted, I left. I fidgeted around at $4/8 for a while until a $5/10 limit O8 game opened. I sat in there and ran my $215 stack back up to about $500. We had a drunk guy at the table with a VPIP of 100%. He called everything and didn't care if he won or lost. I also witnessed the worst live beat I've seen at Rivers. It would've won the Bad Beat Jackpot had it been hold'em. Guy to my right flops quad 6's and jams, betting the whole way. Drunk guy runs him down on the river with a gutshot straight flush (neither makes a low) and drunk guy scoops a monster.
K and I decided to take this weekend off of poker. I have quite a few games going the next couple weekends (including TK's $100 deepstack) so I guess I could use a weekend to get my head straight. I'm not really mad about my play in either game, I think I'm playing decent enough to win. I just keep running into people who are getting horribly lucky. If I can figure out how to dodge one and two out miracles I'd be OK.
Before I start, for those of you haven't read it, check out Grayday's Poker Blog. It's an unintentionally hilarious look into the mind of one of the CPMG's most beloved cash players.
I played the CPMG Heads Up tournament last weekend and didn't do too well. I know this comes as a surprise to a lot of you. I drew Nautica Brian as my first opponent which meant I was going to have to plan an overly agressive game. As predicted, he raised every button and got in a bunch of three bets as well. He stabbed me early when he bet a flush draw and got there and I paid him off. I had two pair and wasn't 100% if he had a big pair or made his draw. I battled back, raising preflop and flopping trip J's. He shoved on a gutter and missed. I had to do a lot of three betting and donk betting to try and keep him from running over me. I finally slow played myself out of the tournament. He limped with K3 off, I had AA and checked in instead of raising. Flop came K-8-3. He check raised me and I shoved, he snaps and I am out. I think I did well, if the cards had held up I'm pretty sure I would've beaten him.
After that (while waiting for cash) I decide to go to Nautica. I sit at a new $1/2 table with $160. The first hand I decide to play is 97 off. I am in the cutoff, early raiser makes it $15. Three people call before me. Well, fuck. I call. Flop is J-10-8 offsuit. First guy bets $50. Two folds. Guy to my right shoves in $110. I shove over the top. First guy tanks and finally calls. They both show J-10. Turn brick, river is a J and I watch two people hit a two out miracle and split my stack. I decided not to bother rebuying and headed home until the cash game at Linda's started. The cash game at Linda's went very well, and I recovered $91 of my previous losses.
That Saturday I decided to hit Rivers Casino with Special K. We had all weekend to kill so I could play unrushed poker. I sat in on a $1/3 whilst waiting for a $4/8 to open. I opened weak, raising several pots preflop and being bet off my hands on the flop. I was down $100 when I hit a streak. I flopped a couple sets and big two pair hands and got paid. After three hours I was +$500. They were just opening a $1/3 HA table ($500 max) so I decided to go take a shot with my profits. Whoops. I got eaten alive. I flopped a straight flush draw, turned to pair, and lost $300 when the wrong card paired on the river and the guy who had grossly overplayed AAxx made a better two pair. I floundered for a while and gave up, taking my last $200 in profit and heading back to $1/3. I sat at a new table and stacked off in the first orbit. I was sitting with a guy who was making it $40 preflop every hand. I finally called a preflop raise in position with QJd. Flop comes 10-9-2 off. He throws a hundred at it, I shove on him, guy behind me calls and so does he. Q on the turn and river a brick. He shows J-10, but the idiot between us had called $40 preflop with 9-2 and flopped two pair. Disgusted, I left. I fidgeted around at $4/8 for a while until a $5/10 limit O8 game opened. I sat in there and ran my $215 stack back up to about $500. We had a drunk guy at the table with a VPIP of 100%. He called everything and didn't care if he won or lost. I also witnessed the worst live beat I've seen at Rivers. It would've won the Bad Beat Jackpot had it been hold'em. Guy to my right flops quad 6's and jams, betting the whole way. Drunk guy runs him down on the river with a gutshot straight flush (neither makes a low) and drunk guy scoops a monster.
K and I decided to take this weekend off of poker. I have quite a few games going the next couple weekends (including TK's $100 deepstack) so I guess I could use a weekend to get my head straight. I'm not really mad about my play in either game, I think I'm playing decent enough to win. I just keep running into people who are getting horribly lucky. If I can figure out how to dodge one and two out miracles I'd be OK.
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