Running Hot & Cold

I really can't decide if I am running hot or cold these days. I alternate between cashing in tournaments and donking out or getting really bad beats. Today was typical of that. I cashed (4th) in a 45 person SNG, but could have come in 3rd if able to fold a weak suited ace against raise (AJ, and bigger stack with QQ). Decided the risk/reward was good and flopped the four flush. The queens knocked us both out, but it was a good opportunity to triple up and have a chance to win. I only had about 3500, with the bigger stacks at 10,000 and 17,000 and the leader at 30,000. Oh well.

Tournament number two cashing was a PL Omaha 8 tournament and I was up and down, down early, later chip leader and ended up 3rd.

The disappointing tournaments were a freeroll with 3383 players, coming in 375th. I really was never in good chip shape until later, doubling up a few times and ultimately with about 12,000 in chips with average around there. The UTG player with more chips raised and I see 10/10, so I repop the pot and he calls with AJ offsuit???? Not a great hand to raise with in early position and then call a reraise with no position. The flop is good for my hand, but not great. 10/J/A. With bottom set I am going all the way and hoping he doesn't have JJ AA or KQ. He bets and I reraise all-in. He calls and the turn does me in....Jack for his flopped two pair and turned full house. I am drawing dead to the case 10. Out!!!

My other tournament beats were with QQ. An early position player raises and is reraised by a 2nd player. I smooth call and the early position player goes all in and we both call. The flop is KQX and I get all-in (had both players covered...barely). 2nd raiser has KK and I am very short stacked. The very next hand I have AQ suited, a few limpers, I reraise from the blind all in and one caller...with AA. Done!

Just a run of incredibly bad luck mixed with some not brilliant play. I am reading a couple of new poker books by the internet geniuses....pearljammer, apestyles, and rizen. So far some good tips and I see how much I have to learn. Another new book came in the mail today on small buyin tournaments....watch out Moose!!!

Playing Well, but Still Losing

Last night at the legion was a night of playing well, but still losing. I played very tight, opening few pots and at my top about 3x starting chips. Late in the tournament I commented to the dealer, Carl, that I had not gotten aces to be cracked yet. The next hand he dealt I got QJ suited in middle position. Made a min raise to 1200 with my 5000 stack and blinds at 300/600. An argument could be made here for just open shoving, but thought the min raise did not pot commit me and did show strength. I had been opening for 2.5 times the BB as my new standard open. Anyway, the player to my immediate left who was extremely active, playing every hand very aggressively and had the biggest stack at the table, says, "How much do you have, I put you all in". The dealer reminded him that the entire table needed to act before me, so he goes all in. Everyone folds to me and I respond, "Do you know what I say when someone says I am putting you all in?" "I fold". He tables pocket aces. Definitely had the hand to crack them, but oh well.

The aggressive player ended up going out before the final table, overplaying his hands and getting unlucky. Another big stack overplayed his hands, raising big with A10 offsuit, calling an all in who had AK suited. I missed my big opportunity when the same AK player raised all-in on the button with AK, being insta called by the small blind with AK, and me folding the winner 66 in the BB. I will basically never call in this situation unless severely short stacked, which I was technically, but could not dream that I was in that good a situation. Figured either every face card was out there or bigger pair.

My next to last hand was limp UTG with 99 for 2000 and push on the flop with my last 500. You might ask, why not just push with the 0ther 500? My strategy was to induce more limpers as I am never getting my big stack BB to fold, and it is very scary to see that, as someone remarked. I wanted a volume pot or someone else coming over the top with their big cards to isolate me. I really like this play and will do it again in similar situations. I see short stacks give up all the time and shove when they don't need to. I could have folded if I hated the flop and still played another hand. Anyway, everyone folded to the BB who checked. The flop was queen high, I shoved, he called for $500 more with his 4/10 and missed his 10: double up!

My last hand, down to 3000 with blinds at 1/2000 and I am UTG with AK suited. The BB is the second shortest stack at the final table with 8 players remaining, 6 places paid, having me covered by only 1000. I decide to raise here all in, wanting the BB to call. This was a mistake as my earlier strategy would have been better, but still would have been a loser. I get called by a good player (won a seat online to WSOP main event) with j/10 suited, and then the other short stack somewhat oddly reraised all in with q/2 offsuit!!!!!! Call with j10 and the flop is 8/9/j rainbow. Dang. Turn, ace!!!! Hope!!!! River? 10 for the gutshot straight for the the shortstack and 2 pair for the other guy.

Clearly, if I had done a "stop and go" instead of shoving the BB would have checked on the flop and I would have shoved then with a call by the big stack with top pair. He may have folded with his gutshot and then the 2 pair would have won. In any case it is bad luck for me and good luck for the other guy. The lesson here: Don't let yourself get short stacked.

Unluckiest Player at The Table

How does it feel to be the unluckiest player at the table? Just ask me. Playing in a Pot Limit Omaha tournament this morning I turned the nut low and 2nd nut flush, I end up all in with 2 other players, one of whom has the nut flush and the nut low. Quartered! With the other player's money in the pot I am below starting stack, but not short.

Later, I get knocked out when I flop the third nut flush, turn a set, and get all in on the river against a weak flush that hits a straight flush.

Quad Day at Spirit Mountain

Yesterday I made my trip to Spirit Mountain (1 hour 50 minutes) for the day. I had hoped to catch a high hand for $250 every hour, but was disappointed to learn that they had abandoned it for a Monte that seemed unfair. $800 for straight flush, using both cards. $500 for one card straight flush. $300 for two card quads (did not need to be pocket pair, kicker must play), and $100 for quads without kicker play. A dealer friend (Was...prounounced waz) assured me that this was better since you could get nothing for quad that got beat. I was sceptical until.....I hit quad 10's with my pocket pair! Then later, hit quad 7's with another pocket pair! Sweet. Downside: I had to fill out a tax withholding document since I hit the $600 mark. Missed a $100 quad when I folded my 7/9 on the flop with two overcards to my 9, only to see runner runner 9's. It was also a very good pot, as were my other two quads.

My only disappointments of the day, leaving with "only" $250 over my buy in (my draws did not come in, everyone else's did against me) in a 4/8 kill game, the snack bar being out of mushroom veggie pizza forcing me to eat the hawaiian pizza leading to a major upset stomache later that night.

Why I am a crybaby a-hole

I have to admit it. I am a crybaby a-hole when I play games. My wife now hates our "friendly" spite and malice game. Last night at the Legion I whined about someone relatively short stacked calling my reraise with his AQ vs my JJ and catching lucky. My last hand was against a truly clueless player who called my all in with a hand I wouldn't play in the small blind with no raise (A/3 offsuit). The point is that my behavior is indefensible. I whine about my bad luck, my opponents lucky catches, and poor play in general. I am a very poor loser, however someone once said, "show me a good loser and I will show you a loser". My extremely competitive streak is what pushes me in poker, in my old career, in general. Years ago, I played in a flag football league. I was one of the older, slower players on any team. Yet, I played very hard and aggressively against some great players, including one former NFL lineman, several college stars, one future CFL pro, and one future NY Jets pro. One of the players said to me, "Phil, you have the competitive spirit and heart to have played pro football, (that is if you had more athletic talent)".



Anyway, not to excuse bad manners, I just sometimes want to win too much.

Omaha Tournament Slow Start

The second hand of an Omaha Hi/Low tournament online I am playing pocket 10's and the flop is KK10. I bet pot and am raised pot. I should have folded my underfull, but reraised all-in to see one of the two hands I am behind, either KK or K10. He had K10, but either way I am drawing dead. Down to $50, I go all in and survive, eventually becoming chip leader and coming in second only because of two massive suckouts heads up.

I have been on a major roll lately, winning two tournaments yesterday, and placing 2nd in 3 more. Today I played only 3 tournaments, winning one, 2nd in another, and two off bubble in the third. My sad tale was tonight at the American Legion. I was on a good roll after the break, probably in top 5 with 3 tables of 10 remaining. An online player who is usually pretty astute raised UTG with AQ offsuit. He made it 1200 with a 400 BB. My cards in the hijack slot was JJ. He had 2600 behind, and I had about 6000. I re-raised him all in and he called. The door card was a queen. I am back to starting chip count. I was pretty upset and questioned his sanity calling with AQ.

After some ups and downs, including a good fold with an all in, an overcall, my call, then a bigger all in. The two all ins showed QQ and 99, I folded 55 and the queens improved to a boat.

I had 3000 with blinds at 400/800 and I shoved in the cutoff with A6 suited. Button folds and the small blind, probably chip leader....a clueless rookie calls with A3 offsuit. She spikes a 3 on the turn and I am gone. Overall, two very bad calls did me in. I would "never" call in their chip positions with their cards.

Who Says I Never Get Lucky?