Sit N Go fun

An interesting morning for me. Signed up for a 45 person SNG, one of my favorites, with 5 places paid and 1st getting 18x buy-in. They usually go pretty fast, and it is not too tough to get to the final table, but have been busting out lately on the bubble. Anyway, the first hand an early position player goes all-in preflop. Not real unusual, but with only $15 in the pot, not a real bright move. Everyone folds and we deal hand two. Again he goes all in with one limper, everyone folds and he picks up $25 more. Beginning to look like a pattern when he does it the third time. The fourth hand I limp with AQ offsuit, and he again goes all in!!! I call, and he shows pocket 2's. The flop.....22j for flopped quads! Idiotic play rewarded and I am out first. I hang around and observe for a few minutes watching him fold the next hand preflop, then again go all in to a raise with like a 3/7 offsuit. He loses to the AK when an ace hits and he is back to a little over starting money. One hand later he is out when he again goes all in with junk. Amazing.

My next 45 person SNG goes much better with a 1st place finish. It went really long with it getting to $100 antes plus 500/1000 blinds with 3 of us left. I caught some great cards at the end, with my last opponent not believing my AQ with a queen high flop (He had A7, with a 7 on the flop). He had me way outchipped and with the tables turned I caught AK vs. his weak ace on his all-in. A good day of poker.

You Can Go Home Again

This week has been an interesting one for me. First of all, no poker. Helene & I flew into Dallas on Wednesday and spent the night at my brother's house, meeting up with my mom and sister there. The next night we visited my cousin and his family, then Friday mom, Kathy, Doug and I drove to Liberty, Missouri, my home town. It had been 30 years since Mom had been back, and twenty for Kathy. Doug has been back within 5 years, and I was here 12 years ago. The town has changed a lot, sprawling out with lots of big box stores, new home developments, etc. Really, just an urban sprawl thing for Kansas City. The core of the town has remained delightfully unchanged with lots of the old Victorian houses looking like the did 50 years ago. We were able to revisit all of our old homes, including Mom's in surrounding towns of Richmond and Rayville (which is just a wide spot on the map) population 204. The property values here are something I have not seen for a long time, with really nice houses in the low $100's, or if you wanted to spurge and buy a really cool old house, maybe $300. A similar house in Portland would run you a cool million in Alameda.

Last night I dropped in on Ann, our old next door neighbor who was hosting a bridge club meeting with lots of kids I went to school with. It was fun catching up with them and discussing our "old age" and ailments. A few are retired, but several still working for now. Today we see a bunch more relatives then back to Texas tomorrow. Doug & I are road tripping, while the ladies fly back to Phoenix. It has been fun.

No Luck in the Dime

I won an entry into the "Dime", which is a $10 buy in, $10,000 guaranteed event through a 10 cent satellite. I have been looking forward to the "big" one for a while, but luck did not favor me. My pocket 9's ran into AQ with a KKQ flop, and I lost a good chunk. Then my all-in with pocket jacks (is there any other way to play them?), ran into pocket kings. I finished about in the middle of 1200 entries. Oh well, try try again. This week I am going to Dallas and Kansas City so this is about it for poker for a week. I probably could use the break, kind of like cleansing your palate between wine samples.

Hello, My Name is Luckbox

Yesterday was a marathon poker day for me. I left home at 8:00 a.m., drove 2 hours to Spirit Mountain casino, played 6 hours for a small loss, drove 2 hours home then played in the Friday night Legion tournament. I experienced a run of incredible luck that has eluded me for a very long time. Let me tell you about a few hands. First of all, I was hitting my hands very hard most of the time, if in an unraised blind, I would inevitable hit 2 pair or top pair. I won quite a few hands and was in very good chip shape.

Memorable hand #1 was my isolation raise on the big blind, who was very short-stacked with my A/8 offsuit. The button wakes up with AA, but can only call with $200 less in chips than my bet. The flop comes 7/9/10 for an open-ended straight draw. The turn is the 6 and I crack the aces. Hand #2 I have moved to another table and am seated in the worst possible spot, to the left of two young hot shot internet players, and to the right of the two best players in the tournament, including someone who runs a poker game in Portland. She is very aggressive, and has position on me, so when she raises from the big blind with two limpers, plus me completing from the SB, I am concerned, but think she may just be trying to pick up some weak limps. True to form, they all fold, and I decide to call with my A/7 offsuit. The flop: 7/7/K! Excellent! I check to her, she fires a half pot bet and I call. The turn, rut-row, another king. I check, she bets again, and I call. I had her well covered and the turn is an ace, giving me 7s full of aces. I bet into her, and she folds, saying "if you had bet more, I would have pushed", and shows her pocket queens.

A few plays later, the other dreaded player on my left limps under the gun with A/9. I complete the SB with K/8, and the flop comes king high, so I fire a pot sized bet. Mike calls, and turn is an ace. I bet again, pot size, and he comes over the top all-in, but it is less than 300 more to call, so I reluctantly throw my chips in, but the river is another King!! Whew, bye Mike.

Anyway, my night sort of went that way until the end, and heads up with a 4 to 1 chip advantage. I totally donked off a bunch of chips on a steal attempt with 4/7 only to run into JJ. The tables turned and our final hand he pushed with J4 suited, I called all-in with A/6 offsuit, and he caught a 4 on the river. Second place paid $215, so it was a profitable day even with offsetting buy-ins, dealer tip, and earlier loss. I will have to admit that I was a major luckbox the entire tournament (except for of course the last hand), and if I experienced just 1/2 the luck of last night I would do very well in tournaments.

Pocket Aces X Four

I played in a "step" tournament today and actually got pocket aces four times. Here is the unbelievable part....they all held up on 4 all-ins and I didn't get "in the money" in the tournament! How is this possible you ask? Good question. The 2nd hand of the tournament I got in a raising war with the button when I defended my big blind. I often like to do this early if for no other reason than I want to send a message to him, "don't go raising my big blind light". He actually had only A7 suited. The flop came with an ace but with two queens. I check raised him, then continued to bet all the way, eventually going all-in. Like a true donkey he called all the way, despite me having him covered (by about $50 since I wasn't involved in the first hand played). His hand held up, he insulted me by calling me "stooge". I got pocket aces the very next hand and won that, but was only up to $150 or so. My second double up with aces came soon after but still only up to around 500 or so. I think the take-away from this is that you don't need aces to win (though it often helps). Also, be careful early when the blinds are tiny. Play for small pots if you don't have a huge hand. Had I just surrendered my blind gracefully I would have been the early chip leader and crushed the table. As it was, my early mistake haunted me the rest of the game and I was forced to play "catch up football" from then on.

On Line This Week

Being at the beach all week I played in one live tournament, but mostly just online. The Friday Legion tournament was disastrous for me, I was about the 4th person out. Just for the record, and to show you how crazy tournaments can be, I think that I outlasted the two best players. One went all in when he hit his full house on the river (aces full of fives), but his opponent had hit aces full of jacks on the turn. In retrospect, his reraise of the original better on the river was very bad play, but I did see him win a big online deepstack tournament last night, and he often is on the final table on the big tournaments there. Anyway, my kings, 9's and 5's all got cracked early and I was out. On line I have been doing fairly well in omaha except when moving up too much in stakes. I just don't have the "gamble" or the stakes to run with the big dogs. In tournaments I am doing very well, coming in 4th in a 90 person SNG last night, 2nd in a 45 SNG, and qualifying for the "dime" on Sunday (a $10 buy in 10,000 guarantee event) with a 30 Cent satellite. Also have qualified for the freeroll on Saturday, and moved up again in the step tournament to step 3. So, not too bad. I may make a day trip down to Spirit Mountain this week, wish I was in town for the Wildhorse Roundup....hate to miss the big show.

Things We Hate to Hear at a Poker Table (with translations)

#1- I'm putting you all-in
Translation: I have the best possible hand and am planning to knock you out
Your Response: Oh no you're not, I fold! (actually used this one yesterday)

#2- How much do you have left?
Translation: I'm about to put you all-in or fold if you have me covered.
Your response: I call

#3- Do you have a set? (or a straight, or a flush, or a full house)
Translation: Whatever hand they mention, they can beat
Your response: Fold to any bet

#4- I "just" call.
Translation: I want you to believe that I want to raise, but am trying to convince you that I have a monster hand.
Your response: I raise

#5- I reraise
Translation: All of my chips are either going into the pot or I am folding to your all-in and losing a lot of chips
Your response: I am all-in, or I fold.

#6- I have to call for pot odds
Translation: I have garbage but the sound you hear is a massive suckout coming
Your response: My pocket aces are doomed

Has the Nightmare Ended?

This week has been tough for me. The cash games have roughed me up every time and despite making the final table on nearly every tournament I have entered, have not cashed until today. Yesterday's tournament at Joker's was particularly brutal, going all in with A6 suited in the cutoff in a blind stealing attempt only to run into pocket aces just like my last two hands at the same tournament a month ago.

The 10 a.m. Sunday Moose tournament is one of my favorites, with 5000 chips, 20 min. blinds and a $5 cash bounty. We had about 30 players and I was very card dead the entire tournament. The biggest pair I ever got was pocket Jacks, and I had pocket 8's 4 times. Needless to say, I struggled to make the final table as the short stack, with only enough chips (1500) to make about one round. I got very lucky deciding to go all in with 4 other players in a pot (went for the volume) including one other all-in. I chose that hand with a queen/eight suited as I have personally been busted by that combination a couple of times. I flopped top pair and turned the flush and was back in the game. I tried to stay out of trouble and successfully bluffed a very cautious player when we were in the blinds and the board paired. I went all-in, he laid down the winning hand, saying "I hope you had the trip queens". I showed him my small suited connectors and he went a little on tilt. I showed them mostly for the benefit of the other regulars at the table to send them the message that I was willing to bluff with all my chips and not just wait for great hands. I did make one big goof-up when I thought someone had just bet and I came over the top all-in with a suited 3/5. Turns out he had thrown all his chips in, not just bet. Ooops. I wish that had a happy ending, he had pushed weak with an 8/9 diamonds. I ended up making a straight, but he made a flush. I have to slow down and make sure where I am on the hand when putting all my chips in. I would normally have folded that hand without a thought unless in the blind for not many more chips, or shortstacked. We ended the tournament early when 3rd place was eliminated and the chip leader...by about 3 to 1 margin, generously offered to give me 2nd place plus another $100. I quickly accepted and earned a total of $455 including 3 bounties. Hooray!

One other note. Played in a freeroll online for a seat in the Saturday $1000 game (top 30). I had to leave to catch a 4:00 movie and turned my seat over to my buddy Ron with 900 players remaining and me in 218th place. I completely forgot about it until Ron called after the movie and told me he was in 18th place with 58 left. I drove to the office to watch him win my seat in 24th place. Way to go Ronster!!!

Moose Poker Rules

I have just spent 2 very long a very unproductive days playing poker at the Moose. In honor of the players there, I would like to post the "Moose Poker Rules", which are different than regular poker rules.

1. You must play any two suited cards despite any action (raises) before you. After all, you could flop quads, a flush, or two pair!

2. If you are in a blind you must defend it with any two cards despite any action before you.

3. If you flop a pair you must call to the river in case you get runners for two pair, trips, a straight, or a flush. This is commonly called, "flop a pair and go from there".

4. If you flop any hand that could go runner-runner for a straight or flush you must call to the river.

5. If you flop a gut-shot draw you must call to the river despite any action.

6. If the board is paired and there is a lot of action you must chase to the river with a flush or straight draw, after all somebody probably doesn't have a full house or trips.

7. If you are in a blind and you have a hand like King/Jack offsuit, or any weak ace you must raise, after all, you are out of position with a marginal hand.

8. You must play any "weak ace" against any action. After all, it is the highest card. You might flop two pair or hit your kicker (and then you must chase to the river..see rule #3).

9. You must play any cards that have a name. I have helpfully shown some of these powerhouses below:

* 10/2- "The Brunson"- he did win two WSOP titles with them
* 9/3 "Matilda"
*10/4 "Broderick Crawford"
* 9/2 "Montana Banana"
* J/5 "Motown"
* Q/3 "San Francisco Busboy"
* 6/9 "Big Lick"
* 5/8 " The Devon" (o.k. this is one I made up, he won 3 big hands with it one night.)
* 4/5 "Jesse James"
* 9/5 "Dolly Parton"

Anyway, you get the idea.

10. You must play any cards that are your personal favorites (Lynne's 7/2, my 2/3 offsuit, JT's J/2, etc, etc.

11. If you are the worst player at the table and win a pot over $30 you must tip the dealer several dollars to keep it safe from the grasping hands of the other players. After all, he did do you a special favor by giving you the winning hand with your marginal cards.

12. If you have been very lucky and have a big chip stack, you must begin raising every pot with any two cards just in case.

13. If someone raises, you must re-raise with any two cards to "build a pot" just in case you get lucky.

14. If the board is double paired with possible straights or flushes, you must call a bettor with your king high "to keep him honest".

These are all the rules I can think of for now, but I am sure others will come to me. Stay tuned.